Miscellaneous Gambia Trivia

So now that I have internet in our room ... !!!  I truly want to go back and post from Ghana the rest of our visit when we got to meet with Matthew.  But I have some things from here in Gambia that are "burning a hole in my pocket", so to speak, so I want to get those posted.  Mega thanks to our daughter Laurie, who has spent hours posting for us when we could not.  She's due to deliver her new daughter soon, so we'll try to take some of the work from her.

The other day one of the staff had a fresh coconut and had whacked it apart with a machete.  We all got a piece of the fruit to eat - much better than what I expected! 

We truly are in a beautiful place right now.  Steven helped to negotiate a great rate for us, since, as he told the manager, we are helping their country by teaching these computer, business, and Bible skills.  It is really kind of a tropical paradise, at least on the surface.  The grounds are beautifully kept up, and we simply have the beauty of God's creation all around us every day.  [Still, we understand that this is NOT the real Gambia, as Steven tells us.  This is what the government wants to portray to the outside world as The Gambia!]  Here is the view from the patio of our new (internet-enabled) room, and a view of the pool.

In Indiana we have the joy of watching the leaves change color every fall.  Since Gambians, according to Steven, have just two seasons, rainy and dry, they do not have season changes as we do.  But, I noticed this the other day - palm trees changing color - green to yellow and orange!

I happened to catch this iguana crawling out of the baby pool one day as I was walking back from breakfast:

In Indiana, we use tree bark as mulch; here they use what they have in plenty: seashells!

The ocean is not too far of a walk; it is lovely to sit and watch the waves come in.  One day we were surprised to see horses on the beach:

Everything here in West Africa seems to be contained inside of compounds.  High walls, metal gates and doors, often glass shards or barbed wire on top of compound walls to keep out evil.  Inside, though, it can be lovely and peaceful.  Here is a view of the inside of SOW (the Bible College) compound, where we begin teaching computer basics tomorrow.  Yikes!  I better get busy!!

Sunday Morning in Church in Gambia

Yesterday afternoon we sat outside our new room, where we now have internet!  This giant aloe plant is right in front of our porch.   Not to be outdone, the second plant belongs to Steven's wife Helen, who loves to grow flowers and plants.  She and her girls fixed all of us a great lunch on Friday, which is their big family meal.  We ate local Atlantic Ocean butterfish, just brought in to the dock the day before - delicious!  

Today we attended church with Steven and his family.  The children did the entire service; they had been studying the armor of God from Ephesians.  They had memorized the passage, they sang wonderful songs with motions, they had two children literally "put on" the armor of God as they worked through each piece, the older teens taught on each part, and led wonderful worship.  At several points, they got everyone up and out of their seats, marching around the room, singing.  All the seats were emptied as we all marched and sang!

Here, you can see the two children dressed with all the "armor".  They have the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  You cannot see the feet or the belt, but they were there too.  Joey C., you would have loved it!

Partway through the service, the electricity went off (normal life here for these people), so no fans.  It was sweltering hot to begin with, but they still marched and sang and worshiped with much joy!

After the service, the kids handed out lunch boxes for each person, and little cups of "monjoy" - a juice-type drink that comes from flowers similar to hibiscus.  Bright reddish-purple, and delicious! 

Here you can see the empty chairs left by all the people, and the drummers, even, who left their spot up front and came, carrying their drum, to keep up the beat, but join the parade! 

This is Steven's eldest daughter Esther, teaching her section of the armor of God.  She also led worship, and someday hopes to become an architect. 

Here are a few of the people who are part of a new church plant from a village just past the airport.  They have over 60 people gathering each week for Bible study, and are ready to begin to meet as a church body.  The pastor is in white shirt, and the older couple to the left (tan shirt, purple dress and hat) have been opening their home for the people to meet.  Now with so many, they have to be outside, and with the rainy season, twice have had to scatter due to the heavy rains.  They have built benches for people to sit on, and have one donor for the "sticks" - the logs to hold up the sides.  Now they are waiting to get money for a corrugated roof, and they will be all set!  Pastor Steven, with whom we have been working and who runs the Bible College, is at the microphone preparing to pray for the group as they start out.  Great way to end our morning!

Monkey!

Cathy has sent several pictures of the monkeys that are all around where they are currently staying. I'm guessing these are really for the grandkids but thought I would share as they are pretty adorable!

A momma monkey with her baby - hanging on for a ride

Monkey Family!

Computer Lab Pictures

For anyone who knows Dick, this is a very typical pose of him saying, "I have absolutely no idea"

6 computers up and running!!

Steven's computer all connected to the network - over in his office!!

Sung-Taaba - Helping Deaf and Blind Students in Ghana

Sung-Taaba - Helping Deaf and Blind Students in Ghana

On July 14^th, our new friend T.B. took us to the airport in Accra, keeping 2 suitcases for us since we were traveling in-country.  We flew to Tamale in the northern part of Ghana.  Our goal for this part of the trip was to meet the deaf girls, Mozaifa and Hawa, and see them in their school, and to meet and spend time with Matthew, who is blind.  Tamale was to be our “home base” for this. 

 

Welcome sign at Savelegu, with each letter showing its sign beneath it.

The next morning, the rooster wakened us at 5:15 a.m., just 15 minutes before our alarm.  We wanted to arrive at the Savelegu Deaf School in time for morning assembly at 7.  

Morning Assembly

Madame Gertrude

Madame Gertrude, Headmistress, had just arrived that morning from Accra.  She had been learning about a proposed private university for deaf students, initiated by a group from France.  Right now, she explains, deaf students are mixed in with hearing students.  So they sit in class while a teacher teaches, but do not get the interpretation until later, when the deaf students are taken off by themselves.  From her point of view, the teachers are just “blowing in the air”, as far as the deaf students are concerned.  She has 29 teachers and 2 volunteers for about 450 students from age 4 through junior high, but it changes from term to term as often parents cannot pay the school fees or for transportation.  Students live on the campus, and the government pays tuition and room & board, but some students live far from the school and transportation to and from school between terms is difficult.  [Matthew, our blind student supported by Sung-Taaba, had a 5-hour bus ride from his home village to meet us in Tamale the next day.]  Once students complete their schooling here, there is a high school near Accra specifically for deaf students. 

Hawa, cathy, and Mozaifa in front of one of the buildings at Savelegu. 

Mozaifa is 16, of slight build and a little shy, but with a sweet smile.  She recently competed in an ICT (technical – computers) competition in Accra and did extremely well.  The teachers all were so proud of her!  Her family are nomads, caring for animals.  They just live in the next town but during break Mozaifa normally stays with her aunt.  She has been here since kindergarten and has taught a couple of her siblings some sign language so they can communicate.  She is not keen on sports but is excellent with computers.  Both she and Hawa desire to attend the high school near Accra when they finish here.  Mozaifa would like to be a banker but knows that would be difficult with trying to communicate with customers, so she might be a teacher.  Gertrude tells us that she is much happier here at school than at home.

Hawa is a strong young woman who loves sports.  She excels at volleyball and often plays football (our soccer) with the boys.  Her family lives far away and her father is blind.  Both she and Mozaifa would not be able to attend school here without the help from Sung-Taaba, both with the fees (23 cedis per term, roughly $6) and with transportation between terms.  Hawa would love to be a nurse.  She is not sure how that would work with her being deaf, so she may instead have to be a teacher.  Both of the girls like English, and Religious and Moral Education class.  Here they learn about Islam, Christianity, and traditional religions.  Hawa also likes sign language class. 

They are in the 2^nd year of junior high; next year will be their third and last year.  There are 10 boys and 10 girls in their current class.  They will be on break for the summer from July 29^th to September 10^th.  They have another break in December for Christmas, then they are off in May and June.  Both of the girls have been deaf since they were young, but were not born deaf.  Hawa says she got into a fight, walked home through driving rain, and when she arrived home, she could not hear; Mozaifa’s loss was more gradual.   Both girls can hear very loud sounds, like drums. 

Madame Gertrude is passionate about the school and trying to do what is best for the children.  We notice that they are well-behaved, orderly and disciplined.  The teachers we meet are so dedicated – Daniel (social studies), Steven (integrated sciences), Fauzie (English), and Benjamin (sports).  They help us immensely to communicate with the girls.  The school raises corn in the garden to help subsidize the government food allocation.  The Catholic Church is helping to get machines for woodshop, then students will be able to make new furniture as they need it.  Gertrude presents us with scarves woven by the children; they are able to sell them.  In VoTech they do weaving, sewing, and dressmaking. 

Teachers sign to Hawa and Mozaifa as we begin to get to know them. 

We ask Gertrude to tell us her biggest problem.  That is easy – the place is so very open!  It is open to the very busy highway at the front, it is open on the other sides for strangers to come into the campus.  One day a new 4-year-old boy got on the road and all the cars stopped and he was very scared.  He was from a rural area and it was just his second day at school.  They do plenty of training with the students about the dangers of the road.  

The goats are clearing the volleyball field

Then at night, thieves come in to steal, but the students cannot hear so they are not awakened.  Gertrude has been working with the government for 5 years to try to get a fence!  Steven takes us all around for a tour of the school.  He is a friend of Richard’s.  [For those of you who know our good friend Ka Freeman, her daughter Joy is married to Richard.  Richard originally began helping Matthew, who is blind, and Richard and Joy eventually founded Sung-Taaba.]  As we visit the buildings and classrooms, the children give us each our own sign.  We learn that each student and teacher has their own sign, so everyone can be identified by that one sign, instead of spelling out their entire name.  The children are happy, polite, and helpful.  We have a delightful day with them and are encouraged to have met the girls and be able to see them in their own place.  We give Benjamin a Mission Ball (soccer ball with Bible truths on it), have full backpacks for the girls, and leave with our scarves and good memories of Savelugu. 

Computer Lab in Gambia at Servants of the Word Bible College

We are singing praises to God for the wonderful successes today!  Dick took the computer he brought for Steven in to the Bible college office, set it up, and hooked it into the switch, and linked in the printer.  Success!  

A pastor Tony arrived to help - he had tried to set up a network in the past, but was not able to get it going.  Dick thinks perhaps he had a bad switch.  At any rate, he had already run the cables between the two rooms.  Dick tested them and they were good, so the rest of the day was spent linking all the computers together.  Dick had spent literally weeks at home getting them all configured before we left, and that paid off.  There is now a network with 6 computers on it, plus Steven's in his office, all able to print to the printer!!  All praise to God the Almighty Who has gone before us in every way.  We go back in tomorrow to clean up some details.  What a wonderful day!  We had visions of this taking many days to work out all the kinks.  Steven's son Samuel was helpful as well, and we can rest assured knowing that Tony and Samuel will be able to trouble-shoot issues as they occur.  

I have many pictures, but they take eons to load, so I am simply posting this good news tonight.  We are so grateful for your faithful prayers and for God's faithfulness in answering them!!  

Sunday Morning in Gambia:

We attended Omega church in Gambia with our country host, Steven Musa-Kormayea, and 3 of his children.  It was delightful, very active praise and worship time!  As we drove there, Steven told us the story of the building where they used to meet.  It had been there for decades, but the neighbors built a mosque next door.  They tried to get the Christians to move, ultimately smashing in all the windows, coming in and trying to take over.  The men of the church had to literally throw the women and children up and over the wall to get them safely out of the compound.  The men called the police – no one available to come.  They called government authorities – no one to come.  Eventually they did come, and they arrested all the Christian men!  Steven said, “We spend several days in jail.”  At each of the church buildings they have (I think he said there are 8), then a mosque has been built right next door. 

Tomorrow we go with Steven to begin setting up the computer network.  Steven’s son Samuel, finishing his sophomore year of high school, is interested in computers, so we have invited him to tag along.  We appreciate your many prayers as we do this work.  Thank you and God Bless each of you!

From Sierra Leone - Signs

This sign at the base of the hill.  The sign says that all trucks, construction vehicles, vehicles carrying construction materials, trucks over a certain small weight, are all prohibited.  At the top there is much construction, so all construction trucks, materials, semi’s, and so on had to use this road.  This sign frustrated Nelson to no end, because of the lack of common sense here.

This sign directed us to wash our hands with disinfectant soap, but no towels, so we wiped our hands on our jeans … and that was hygenic ?

This sign especially for my sister Jane, who taught all of our children how to both speak and act out “Monkey” at a very young age.  

The Islamic version of Bible Bowl - Quaranic memorization contest

The blue sign on the wall in the Freetown school is the S. L. national anthem

Knockout HIV!

A dear man named Thomas Elba, who was in our Business class, oversees this technical training center – Computers, Welding, and Wood Shop

This sign says "EBOLA - Stop the Stigma!".

So sad to think of Ebola victims not only suffering from the disease and loss, but also from being ostracized.

God’s Favor tour bus.  Often businesses expressed their religious beliefs in their names.  We would see “God’s Blessing” hair salon, “Allah is Great” bus, “God Reigns” travel business, and so on

From Sierra Leone - Everyday things

Here are some of the "every day things" that we saw and experienced in Sierra Leone

Women carrying food on their head - "No fair using your hands!"

Typical gas station

Football fields (soccer to us) are in every village; this one was one of the better ones we saw.

See how the gas is going in through a plastic cylinder?  I didn’t understand why, but that was how they did it here.  This was in Lungi, after we left the airport before we made the long 3 ¼ hour trip around to Freetown. 

We passed this well as we were going through a village.  Someone said to me, “In America, you flip the switch, you expect electricity.  You turn on the tap, you expect water to come out.  Not so in Sierra Leone.”  I will never again take my washing machine and dryer for granted!

Wash Day!  Someone pointed out to me that these women just behind the sign, with their buckets and containers, were doing their laundry. 

So Michaella wanted to purchase some pineapples, and immediately there were about 6 young women, heads full of bowls of pineapples, surrounding our car. 

So that’s a car on top, it’s in a barn-like garage, and the guys working on it are in a rectangular cavity underneath.  Creativity when you do not have hydraulic jacks….

Animals in Sierra Leone

Sometimes the goats stay where they are safe, on the side of the road ...

Sometimes they frustrate our driver (Matthew) when they simply will not move out of the way.

Chickens in the Poultry Division at Njala University, where we got eggs for breakfast.

            Chimps frolic at Chimpanzee Park where Nelson and Michaella took us for a visit. 

This guy was a rock-thrower.  We had to take refuge behind a net screen! 

In Timeout! 

Occasionally we do see a cow; this one was tethered and could not go beyond the boundary of the radius of his rope.