November 2015 'Fufu na una' (Food for All)

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1 November 2015 'Fufu na una' (Food for All) Each afternoon we divide up the daily meal into individual bowls. Pictured is fufu, a casava meal

2 served with a sweet and sour stew. We are thankful for Magdaline who makes it happen. Early morning light in Freetown is orange, a beautiful start to the day; appropriate for FALL...but our seasons here are different. Sunlight coming through the thick clouds of night casts an orange glow on everything. Weather in Sierra Leone is fascinating. There are two seasons; hot and dry, hot and wet. In the height of the rainy season rain comes in sheets resembling a hurricane. Rainfall amounts to almost 100 inches per year which includes six months when there is no rain at all! Compare that to 44 inches for our home in Richmond, Virginia. We are in transition now from rain to the dry season. Life is in transition too. We are reflecting on changes and challenges facing our friends and family in Sierra Leone and our friends and family in the United States.

3 Recently the rain became dangerous as an unusually heavy downpour washed away dwellings and people, especially children, killing 17 and displacing thousands. Just

4 another tragedy to endure for some of the most resilient people in Africa. The homeless went to the National Stadium; NGO's and non-profits bundled their resources to help in the worst storm in over 10 years. Perhaps a credible weather service could have saved lives although the poor live in areas where they have no electricity or access to television or radio and into which water drains. The poor are always the most affected. Health Care Facilities and Renovations As Conference Engineer, Kip continues oversight of building projects; rehabilitating the hospital at Rotifunk; a clinic facility at Yonibana that had to be shut down during the Ebola crisis but is to be reconstructed in the old church thanks to a grant from UMC's Global Health; a rehabilitation of the lodge of the former president of Sierra Leone Siaka Stevens; and miscellaneous school projects around the country. The Siaka Stevens property, willed to us some years ago, one of the most valuable pieces of property in the country, will be the new headquarters of the UMC, leaving the current UMC House to be rented for income to support the Conference. Kip has a small experienced team of local engineers who are experts in local construction practices,

5 many of which are quite different than the construction techniques taught at Virginia Tech.

6 Remand Nancy was recently surprised to find the teens at Remand (a facility for incarcerated youth awaiting trial) assisting with the preparation of food for the thousands of children housed at the National Stadium following the floods and destruction of homes. Big blue barrels filled with cooked rice along with big pots of beans and fish stew were loaded onto the back of pickup trucks. "Awujor" or big cooking is done outdoors over open fires; the youth carry firewood, haul water and respond to the women in charge. No sooner done with one meal they start preparations for the next, three meals a day, resources provided by the Ministry of Justice and Social Welfare for Children, Sierra Leone. It is a glimpse into heaven as we all work together for the good of the other. Smiles were abundant and energy high.

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8 Nancy leads a weekly Bible Study at Remand on Thursday afternoons, along with Mrs. Olivia Fonnie (UMC Sierra Leone Annual Conference, Director of Specialized Ministries with Children) and Joe Pormai, a college student majoring in peace, justice and conflict resolution. The teens respond to our attention with respect and participation, especially when we bring treats such as the 'fishballs' pictured above reminicent of five loaves and two fish; sometimes it is a handful of ground nuts; sometimes 'slippers' or hats, socks and clothing, or craft supplies; we become a community as we each step into the circle of caring. Thank you Brandermill Rotary and friends of Sierra Leone for your recent donations which purchased resources for this program. Together we are making a difference. A wonderful reconnection was recently facilitated via the Internet between a former Peace Corps worker living in Oregon who in the past taught at Fakunya UMC Secondary School and his longtime friend Joseph (below left), a Sierra Leone UMC evangelist who recently attended one of our continuing education events. Joseph asked for Nancy's help locating his friend from years gone by. God makes a way where there seems to be no way. Their friendship began in the 1960's! Kip has a close partnership

9 with Ishmail, one of the Sierra Leonine engineers working for the United Methodist Church, see him below working at his portable desk. Church Worship is lively! Nancy has taken a more active leadership role in worship at our church Charles Davies Memorial UMC, officiating on Sundays and is now assigned to work with the United Methodist Men. The last Sunday in November, close to American Thanksgiving will be our own men's celebration with the theme - Building on a Firm Foundation. The women celebrated in October with Nancy's Hannah House (similar to a UMW circle in the US) coming in second in fundraising. You can see her patiently holding the basket set to receive the offering for Hannah House. We danced and sang traditional songs of praise and worship. Each group in the church has their own special Sunday.

10 Pastors Appreciation Sunday in late September was another celebration and presentation of basic food items and household supplies for the pastors, presented by each of the groups in the church: rice, oil, onions, buckets and cleaning supplies, personal supplies such as toothpaste and cloth for sewing clothes. The groups danced in carrying the items and singing and laid them at the chancel rail after which they received a blessing and were distributed to the pastors of the church (there are four). Christopher helped carry in heavy bags of rice; we are thankful he is not only our driver, but also an active church member.

11 Can Rabbits Climb Ladders? Having never had too much experience raising rabbits we are fascinated by the two white fur balls on our compound and their voracious appetites- 'shaking their mouths (de lek foh shek deh mot) consuming bunches of potato leaves and carrots each day. When that's gone they attack the lowest level of the broad leaves of our banana tree. We are convinced that both rabbits would eat the entire banana tree if they but had a ladder; not sure if rabbits can climb ladders so we keep ours locked up just in case.

12 Time for Teams We enjoyed housing Karen Gould, Kay Hess and Bob Coolman from Operation Classroom, Indiana, looking at possibilities for new avenues of education for high school students through the Taiama Enterprise Academy, students empowered to bring change for good and future leadership in society. We wish every blessing for their new endeavor partnering with the Sierra Leone Annual Conference. Those of you coming in the near future, welcome! We are close to the required forty two days being Ebola free...november 7 is the target date and we are prepared for a grand celebration in town.

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14 This and That Musa, our house helper, continues to attend adult education classes six days a week for four hours each day; if he passes his exams in early November he will go on to second level...meanwhile, he's working on those multiplication tables and flash cards have helped...all local schools were continuously interrupted by the severity of the rainy season...many students orphaned by Ebola are in need of school and exam fees...some have dropped out...the CDC requirements for persons traveling from Ebola affected countries affected Kip and other Conference members attending the 2015 Sierra Leone Partners Conference in Indianapolis...temperatures taken twice a day recorded in a work book and communicated to health department officials along with any symptoms communicated once or twice a day on a cell phone provided by the US government(!)...thank goodness we all stayed healthy...kip celebrated his 70th birthday while home and again here in Freetown...both Kip and Nancy had emergency trips to the local dental school to repair broken crowns...hmm...butterscotch...our banana tree is almost ready to give us ripe fruit...with little rain a new challenge appears - scarcity of water in the compound...as needed, the young boys next door fill our 5000 liter reserve tank, carrying one five gallon container at a time from the local tap...for 1000 Leones (20 cents) a container...plus food and a little extra...

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16 ...CureAmericas Global has begun a joint program with the UMC in Sierra Leone called Kuimei to care for health needs of women and children in the villages of Bo area...another in a long line of partnerships that the UMC has undertaken to absolutely maximize the benefits of working together on behalf of others...bare concrete walls develop mold during the rainy season eventually sprout small plants with leaves, now cleaned by the young adult group who came and scrubbed for a donation towards their program, called "bob a job"...a dove nested outside on our upstairs bathroom window sill, sitting on two tiny eggs, content to let us observe her...signs of peace and promise for the future, as are weddings which happen with frequency this time of year. God bless us all with an awareness of the deep love we are surrounded by.

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18 "I am a special child; my Father sits on the highest throne in Heaven, I am a very special child" is sung Sundays by the children when they come up after communion to receive a sweet blessing from the pastor.

19 May God continue to bless you and provide abundantly for you so that your life overflows with generosity. Blessings return multiplied. 'Wi se plenti tenki foh al wat dadi God don du!' Thank you all for caring, for your notes and thoughtful concern and hard work, serving as family around the world to bring wholeness in the lives of our friends and neighbors here in Sierra Leone. Happy Thanksgiving! Kip and Nancy Robinson UMC Missionaries serving in Sierra Leone. (Kip) (Nancy) Advance #