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| Playing at the orphanage |
This weekend was full of adventure! Saturday I was invited to my day volunteer’s home to spend the day. Abdel works full time for Mercy Ships while we are here in Sierra Leone as one of our Patient Life Volunteers. She and several other Sierra Leoneans spend their days visiting with patients and trying to make their stay in the hospital a little easier. Similar to Child Life back home except with children and adults alike. They start each day leading praise and worship on the wards and then divide up to spend one on one time with the patients. Our Patient Life team has been such a blessing to the nursing staff and definitely to the patients. They are much more likely to talk to them about concerns or problems then they are to us.
Abdel and her husband Prince run a small orphanage out of their home with 10 kids from 8-12 years old. When I got to the house the kids greeted us with lots of hugs and gave us a tour. We played games and puzzles, colored pictures, and kicked the soccer ball around. Prince brought out the photo albums and told stories of how they met and started the orphanage. Abdel cooked an amazing lunch and we just hung out the rest of the day. It was nice to be off the ship and see how the local people live. I was touched by their love for these children and the desire to make a difference in their lives. Abdel and Prince don’t have a lot, but what they do have they want to share with others in need.
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| Prince and Abdel |
Sunday morning a group of 7 crew members and 8 locals set out for church. We left the ship at 10am, took a taxi to the water ferry, got on the ferry and went across the ocean to an island called Lungi, which is where the airport is, and then took another taxi to the church. It was suppose to start at noon, but when we arrived at 1230 everybody was still congregating outside. The service started around 1pm and man do they like their PA systems here in Africa. Although it’s difficult to understand them with the speakers, I’m pretty sure the preacher started out by saying “I love to yell!” into the microphone. There was singing and dancing and praising God all afternoon. There is a freedom to worship however you want here that I’m loving more and more every day. You can sing, you can dance, clap your hands and really have fun in worship. The crew members sang a special song during the service written by one of our volunteers who is a leader in the church and the Patient Life team sang a song as well. 3 hours later, we had to leave to catch the ferry while church continued. So, we ALL piled in a van and drove back to the dock, boarded the very crowded last ferry of the day, waited an hour while a giant storm came and went, traveled back across the water to Freetown, got in a taxi, and finally arrived back at the ship at 6:30pm.
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| Patient Life Team |
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| It's officially rainy season |
And that concludes my crazy weekend adventures. It was great spending so much time with our day volunteers. All that traveling gave us plenty of time to talk and share and really get to know each other. It was definitely a weekend to remember.
Sunday morning a group of 7 crew members and 8 locals set out for church. We left the ship at 10am, took a taxi to the water ferry, got on the ferry and went across the ocean to an island called Lungi, which is where the airport is, and then took another taxi to the church. It was suppose to start at noon, but when we arrived at 1230 everybody was still congregating outside. The service started around 1pm and man do they like their PA systems here in Africa. Although it’s difficult to understand them with the speakers, I’m pretty sure the preacher started out by saying “I love to yell!” into the microphone. There was singing and dancing and praising God all afternoon. There is a freedom to worship however you want here that I’m loving more and more every day. You can sing, you can dance, clap your hands and really have fun in worship. The crew members sang a special song during the service written by one of our volunteers who is a leader in the church and the Patient Life team sang a song as well. 3 hours later, we had to leave to catch the ferry while church continued. So, we ALL piled in a van and drove back to the dock, boarded the very crowded last ferry of the day, waited an hour while a giant storm came and went, traveled back across the water to Freetown, got in a taxi, and finally arrived back at the ship at 6:30pm. 
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