Crazy driving

Someone has very kindly leant me a car for a week or so. Such a blessing! Or will be when I've worked out how to use an automatic, drive on the wrong side of the road, can spot the potholes (preferably before I've hit them), remember that my rear-view mirror is on my right not my left, that people will probably already be overtaking me if I'm trying to overtake someone else and that there really are no rules to driving here – each to their own!!!
Please Lord help me!!

Rain, Rain and more RAIN!!

Cockroaches, mice and ghekho's

So I was just mentioning to someone over dinner how surprised I was that I hadn't seen any creepy crawlie things in our house...spoke too soon! The very next day a cockroach the length of my index finger decided to linger at our kitchen door, dealt with that, then walked into our pantry to spot a mouse jump out of our rice, went downstairs and jumped again at a scurry of a ghekho – done mind them at all though – they eat other nasty things like mozzies.

My New Home

So here are a few photos of my new home:



1. This is the view from our balcony, the town in the distance over the bridge is Aberdeen, where I work with MercyShips on a Friday.






2. Can you see the beach, this is our 'local'! You can also see in the foreground how we collect the rain water from our gutters.






3. The outside of the house (and 2 of my housemates)



4. My bedroom (although will be getting a lighter, more airy room once another house mate Emily has left this week – I'd rather she stayed though we've been getting on really well)



5. Our kitchen



6. The steep unmade hill that has to be walked to get to the main road – even more fun to drive!



7. William our Day Guard, great guy, on the whole very helpful!



8. Frodo – our annoying but effective guard dog. Still needs a little training, I'm trying!



Hope that gives you some idea of where I'm living.
X x X

Rain, Rain, Rain!!

Settling well. Enjoying the challenge of some things, but feeling very at home with others. Emma (a lovely physio student with me for 3 weeks) and I are really getting to grips with stuff – life, work, old contacts, and making new friends living near my new house. It's good to know the people living / selling near by, you never know when you will need their help or protection. We're finding the kids, but being slowed by the rains, the bad road conditions because of the rains, and the underlying tension of the political campaigns.

We did some training for a local disabled childrens home and school last week. It was all going wonderfully well until I made the Director of the project sit on a gym ball then reach so far that she fell off onto the floor! Certainly not the sort of thing you are meant to do to the person in a smart skirt suit, and the one person you should show most respect. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, then looked at all her staff and they looked just as caught in the dilemma. Then Auntie Mammie burst out in laughter, and we all roared away for a while!! Second time I got Emma to stabilize the ball so there was no chance of a re-play of this disaster! Nothing like a little example of safety – what not to do on a gym ball!!

It's pleasantly cooler here than expected, a little caught out as didnt bring any warm clothes, or my umbrella (having looked at it while packing thinking I wont need that!) It's really very wet here, when it rains it rains! And the heavens are opening a fair few times a day. Old climbing skills came into action when tried to straddle between a wall and some rocks rather than wade through water ankle deep, had I known that just around the corner there were no wall and rocks and infact to wade on through was the only option, i'd have just enjoyed the foot wash. However we provided a little entertainment for the onlookers – it's always good to make someone smile.

My room is becoming 'vezified' with pictures and cards from home. Altough I've got this horrid feeling that things are going to go mouldy quickly as it's so damp all thet ime and not really drying out.

Been exploring the food markets – okra, fish, aubergene, avacado's are the 'in' things at the moment, getting bog standard potatoes has been a little harder. Being creative with resource I'm sure will be fine tuned after a while – but for now Emma is having to endure my concoctions!!

So thats all for now, but do email me some time, it's always good to hear news from home!

Vez and Emma

HELLO SIERRA LEONE!

We've arrived safe and sound and now just getting used to the 'normalness' of life, which is all but normal. You just dont ask WHY? because there is no rhyme or reason.

The journey was good, just the getting from the airport to Freetown by hovercraft took a while. It was very dark and chaotic by the time we reached the other side of the water, but got to our new home in true african style - a packed out taxi - bags, faces and other body parts everywhere you looked.

getting stuck into work now,
very aware of the underlying tension coming upto elections - lots of political party events - just trying to steer cleer, but please keep praying.

Thanks all,

look forward to hearing from you soon,

love Vez and Emma

Good Bye England x x x

Hello, Hello.......>Good Bye!

I've had a great time visiting friends and family and have really enjoyed doing all things I like best about being in UK - getting outdoors (particually in Chichester/Bognor), eating chocolate and indulging in good food - steak, potatoes, toast, cereal, apples fruit juice and custard doughnuts! And I've felt so supported by so many people in so many different ways - from hospitality, kindness, encouraging words and prayer, physio advice and generous finacial support.

I'm heading back to Sierra Leone tomorrow, at long last. My goodbyes have been hard but I'm keen to get going with settling into my new home and meeting with the children I've been referred already for physio treament and reviews.

I'll be updating this blog from time to time and will have some photos on it to give you a bit more of the flavor of where I am and what I'm up to. You can have a quick read whenever you fancy, so save the address.
I'll also be sending out a monthly email newsletter as previously, just without the photo nightmare!

I've got a physio student Emma from Brighton University coming out with me for the first 3 weeks. I'm very happy to have her as just having someone to travel with and bounce ideas off will be a massive support while I'm getting used to it all again. Please pray the she has a great time too, and that God will be working in her life however He sees fit!

Another big prayer request is the travel, not only getting there, but moving around from house to house, village to village whilst there. Some of you may know that the helicopters are not flying at the moment due to a tragic accident resulting in them being deemed unsafe. But the hovercraft has started again, so this is how we will travel from the airport to the main land. Once there we will be using public transport. This can be very chaotic, frustrating, hot, and time consuming. It is one of my biggest anxieties, so prayer would be great!

Please also pray for:

~ Effective Witness

~ Good relationships

~ Safety & Protection

~ Good Health

Just one more little prayer - the governmental elections are coming up in SL in August - we need peace not trouble.

Right I better go no, but thanks for all being so lovely, I will be praying for you all aswell as I go off into the horizon. I would not be able to go if it were not for you all holding my up from all angles!

God bless you all,

Vez

~Verity Furneaux ~