Tug boat fire

The Bushrod Island, the only tug in the Port of Monrovia, yesterday caught fire and is now disabled and undergoing repairs whilst several supply ships sit at anchor off-shore awaiting the tug's services. This is an absolute disaster for this country - the Port is the gateway to Liberia's economy, and is now effectively closed if it has no working tug. Urgently needed relief supplies cannot get in, nor can rice and other food. Please pray for rapid and good repairs to the tug or a speedy replacement, or the situation could become extreme. Pictured, the unfortunate tug before the fire. Olly

Celebration of Sight

Today was the Africa Mercy's third Celebration of Sight day. Dozens of eye patients who have recently had cateract surgery returned for quick and painless follow-up lazer surgery, following which they celebrated their new gift of sight! It was a wonderful day to be part of, as patient after patient told their stories of blindness, and then how they were given back the gift of sight by the caring Christian eye doctors on the big white ship. Photo of some of the patients waiting for lazer surgery. Olly

Mary goes home

Today we took Mary home to the one room she shares with her extended family, in the small house they share with several other families. She lives miles off the beaten track, in a community that is mostly inaccessable during the rainy season - it was a miracle that our Land Rover even made it through the deep mud. The whole community gathered around us as we arrived, to welcome Mary home and possibly to see the only vehicle that had driven into their neighbourhood since May. Mary has to continue her hourly jaw excercises for the foreseable future, and will return to the Africa Mercy next Friday for an outpatients check-up. Pictured are Sally, Anna and Mary outside Mary's home. Olly

A party with a difference

Our very good friend Keith had a birthday party with a difference on Saturday, to which he invited his usual friends plus a number of disabled people who beg outside the supermarkets here in Monrovia. What a great gesture of love! Along came several amputees who lost arms and legs in the war, and several blind men with their young sons acting as guides. It was great to chat to them, and heartbraking to hear their terrible stories of injury. Pictured is Sally with a young father who lost his arm and both eyes when a grenade he was holding exploded in his hand. Olly

65,000 children die every year in Liberia from malaria

Recently published statistics from the Government of Liberia report this terrible figure. Isn't it simply appalling? Olly

Mary's recuperation

Mary is recovering well from her operation to relieve her of a locked jaw. Sally is helping her with her exercises, which involves forcing her back teeth apart with 12 lollipop sticks. Without these exercises her jaw would lock again (in fact it started doing just that over the weekend when Mary was unsupervised for a day). The bleeding has stopped, and she's feeling more human although her face is still very swollen. Today she had her nasal feeding tube removed, and is allowed to drink milk. Tomorrow she will be able to start on liquid meals. Thank you for praying for her. Pictured is Mary on the right with 2 of her friends playing cards with Sally and Libby on Promenade Deck yesterday afternoon. Olly

Mary's Operation

Tonight I sat for a couple of hours with Mary after her surgery to open her locked jaw. She is 15 years old, and yet she was all alone and no member of her family came to visit her. She was in a lot of pain with her mouth held open with a block, many tubes and drips, a nasal trumpet keeping her airway open and far more blood than I care to see normally. There was nothing I could do to make things easier for her - the nurses had all the important stuff covered, so I just held her hand and prayed for her. Can you pray for her too please? Sally

Liberia's President opens Mercy Ships clinic

On Sunday, the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, officially opened the Gayetown Clinic, which has been constructed by the ship's Community Development Services Department. It is a great honour for the ship to be recognised in this manner. Pictured is the President joining in the karaoke after the ceremony. Olly

Cheshire Home for the Handicapped

Last Saturday I was part of a Mercy Ships team that visited the local Cheshire Home for Handicapped. The resident’s disabilities varied from being profoundly and multiply disabled (unable to move, communicate or do anything for themselves) to what we would think of as mild learning disabilities. Our team from the ship included a physiotherapist, a teacher of the profound and multiply handicapped, and a speech and language therapist (me!), and together we were able to do some stretching and exercising of children and adults who are normally strapped into their wheelchairs. Others on our team poured love into the resident’s lives, by gently touching them, rubbing lotion into their skin, playing with balls and balloons, or gently scratching their backs. Ko, a lady who is blind and just sits curled up on the floor with her thumb in her mouth, literally uncurled, raised her head and swayed in response to the songs we sang. Mama thought it was hysterical to throw a beach ball at each one of us when we weren’t looking – she had good aim! Solomon was taken out of his wheelchair (where his body and arms are strapped down to prevent involuntary movements and sucking and chewing his hands raw), and stretched out on the mat, and his body relaxed so much that his involuntary movements stopped and he fell asleep with his head on my lap. George, an old hand at the stretching, couldn’t wait for his turn and managed to shuffle his way across the floor to make sure he wouldn’t be forgotten. As I left I didn’t know how to process the experience, and I still don’t, other than to pray for each one of them and commit to going back. I know that God cares for them and Jesus provides us with His loving example. I'm going back next Saturday. Sally

Mary

15 year old Mary is Sally's new patient. She came to the ship today for surgery to repair her locked jaw. After many years of being unable to open her mouth, Mary will need to strengthen muscles for eating, swallowing, talking and even smiling, and Sally will be able to use her Speech and Language Therapy skills to help her! More later. Olly

M/V Torm Alexandra finally righted

On 25th July 2001, the container ship M/V Torm Alexander, capsized in the Freeport of Monrovia whilst unloading containers. After 6 years, the wreck was righted on Sunday by an underwater salvage team, who had pumped air into the port side ballast tanks and water into the starboard side tanks. Their next job is to pump air into the engine room to float the ship sufficiently to allow the cargo holds to be pumped. We have been following the wreck’s progress with excitement and interest, and I will post another photo when it is fully floating. Olly

Land Rover break-in

Just before dawn this morning, and not more than 50 metres from the ship, two swimmers armed with razor-sharp machetes climbed onto our dock and broke into our Land Rover by pushing in a window. They then tried to steal boxes of soap that were inside, which were destined for distribution to prisoners in Monrovia Central Prison, but were disturbed and swam away empty handed. Ironically, if they get caught and survive local vigilante justice, they will end up in prison using the very soap they tried to steel. Olly

Team Leader, Fire Team 4...

I have been promoted to the dizzy heights of Team Leader of Fire Team 4, responsible for a team of five consisting of two men in fire suits with breathing apparatus and three assistants for setting up hoses, assisting with gear and controlling our air. Yesterday we had one of our regular drills. Picured is me in orange and my second in command Lawrence Adjei (ship's bosun) in brown. Olly

Ceilidh

This evening we had a Ceilidh on the dock (a traditional Scottish Dance like a Barn Dance or Square Dance). Hundreds of the crew attended and we had a great time in the relative cool of the Liberian evening. During the dancing and in a rare moment of clarity I looked away from the floodlit dock and the dancing people, across the sunken ships and the damaged port towards the ruined and darkened city of Monrovia, and wandered what the Liberians must think of us. I guess they must be a bit puzzled that we have the energy and inclination to dance to strange Scottish music in the warm African evening. This was further reinforced on our way back into the ship, when we met two Ghanaian soldiers with guns who were guarding us, who I had not seen earlier – they looked a little puzzled too, but were enjoying the atmosphere. Olly

UN scaling down

The flagship of the Ghanaian Navy, GNS Anzone, arrived in Monrovia early this week to supply Ghanaian peacekeepers. It swapped its load of trucks for tanks, which will be taken back to Ghana. The fragile peace of 2003 is slowly becoming more concrete, and whilst violent crime continues to rise (and is handled by the police) the threat of action by combatants continues to decrease, and most UN checkpoints have been removed. The UN is scheduled to begin reducing its force here from 15,000 peacekeepers to 9,000 during 2008, and the removal of the tanks and heavy armour is already well under way. Olly

Projects YOU support:

So far, your money has contributed to the Liberian people as follows:

£100 from the UK bought 700 bars of soap and 350 tubes of toothpaste for prisoners;

$1066 from Holland bought emergency aid for orphans living on garbage dumps and in abandoned buildings;

£50 from the UK paid for a hernia operation on an 8 year old boy;

$60 from the USA paid school fees for a year for 3 children in a family;

$40 from the USA bought roofing materials for a family of 8 whose house was damaged by bad weather;

$46 from the USA bought two sacks of rice to set up a family in business as rice sellers;

$30 from the UK (and a donation of tools) bought a wheelbarrow for a father to set up business as a tool seller;

£200 from the UK bought two bales of second hand clothes for a father to set up in business as a clothes seller.

Please keep these donations coming. We are happy to forward your money to projects you specify. Olly

 

 

 

Kids photo

Here's a recent photo of the kids in their party gear. Olly

Running Club reunion

Today I laughed more than I have for months and months - Mr Blackburn organised a Running Club reunion on the dock, and the kids played some silly games which were followed by a parents running relay - which was hilarious. The men won, or course. Olly

Anna's party

Anna had her sixth birthday party yesterday - a week early because Granny & Grandpa are here. Sally made a wonderful castle birthday cake and the party had a Princess theme with games to match. 13 of Anna's friends attended. Olly

Heavy rain disrupts Monrovia's clean water supply

More than a 250,000 residents of Liberia's capital, Monrovia, have been overwhelmed by water from torrential rains and flooding from the nearby St. Paul River. The rains have left them without safe drinking water for three days. Hundreds have also been made homeless. Officials say they are working to restore drinking water and provide help to the displaced residents. August typically represents a lull in tropical Liberia's rainy season. The West African country sees the highest rainfall from June to July and again from September to October. But this year, August has not been a dry month. Heavy rains last Saturday and Sunday have inundated the coastal capital, Monrovia. Daily downpours since then have only made the situation worse. Water levels reached more than two meters in some neighbourhoods near the St. Paul River. Residents walked away from flooded areas carrying their possessions en route to friends or relatives' homes in other parts of the capital. The floods also affected the city's water treatment plant, which pipes safe drinking water to the edge of the city, says Honubu Turay, managing director of the state-owned Liberia Water and Sewage Corporation. "There was a backflow in the water treatment plant and as a result the pump room was flooded which means all of the equipment was under water," Turay said. "And therefore, we suspended the operation of the equipment until we could drain the water and have the equipment properly serviced”. Water was cut off around five in the morning on Monday. Turay says his crew has been working hard ever since to bring the plant back on line. "We are doing everything possible to drain the water," Turay said. "The first thing we did, we put in three dewatering pumps, which are being used now to drain the water. Now, the purpose of that is we have to be able to pump more water out than is coming in”. He says he hopes to be able to supply clean drinking water by the end of the week. But he says, in the meantime, he hopes residents will beable to draw on household reserves, and he advises them to conserve clean water for cooking and drinking. Liberia is still rebuilding four years after a decade-plus civil war brutalized the country. The government, under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has been working to restore and repair public services, like national electricity, which were interrupted and damaged by the war. VOAnews.com

Fishing boat sinks

The unfortunate fishing boat (mentioned in a previous blog entry) sank yesterday. It started listing heavily to stern whilst we ate our breakfast, and slipped beneath the water before I had time to get our camera. As it sank, it turned on its side so even its aerials aren't visible to mark it's position. Ironically this happened whilst a salvage team was working on raising another wreck - I guess they have one more to add to their "to do" list now...Olly

Granny & Grandpa are here!

My parents arrived on the ship last Monday to work as Dining Room Steward for 2 weeks, working from 6am until 7.30pm (with breaks), two days on and two days off, which is quite an exhausting routine. But its great having them here, and we are all loving having them around. Such a pity its rained every day that they've been here so far, so our time together on the beach has been minimal. Olly

Another dead guy

The last time we saw a dead Liberian guy was Christmas 2005, when the victim of vigilante justice was left on the main road outside the port for 3 days as a warning to other thieves. This Friday a body bobbed alongside our ship for 3 hours until the Seaport Police unceremoniously dragged him to the beach, where he stayed overnight until the UN took him away next morning. The Police think he either died trying to steel from the ships in the port, or whilst trying to loot from the abandoned fishing vessel. Olly

Looting continues...

Looting continues on a massive scale. Right under the noses of the Nepalese Army and the Liberia Seaport Police, a gang of looters have been stripping clean an abandoned fishing boat moored near our ship, until a Chinese fishing boat came to its rescue and towed it to a safe anchorage where we hope it will be repaired. Further along the coast, the massive abandoned Hotel Africa remained un-looted for years whilst Irish and Swedish Troops were in the neighbourhood, but looting started as soon as they were replaced by Pakistani Troops, and now the hotel is just a shell. Obviously the Liberian population takes the presence of some peacekeepers more seriously than others. Olly

Clowning around

On Thursday night we had a visit from an Italian clown who spent ages playing noisy games with the ship kids before making the Armour of God out of balloons as part of his repertoire. Although a sheet metal worker by trade, Mario has a very succesful ministry as a clown and takes his totally silent Biblical message all over the world. Photo of the ship kids with their Biblical balloon swords, balloon shields, balloon helmets, balloon flowers and balloon dogs. Olly

More buses for Liberia

A thoughtful European government has donated a fleet of buses to the Liberian government to lift the pressure on the overburdened fleet of battered taxis that carry the people of Liberia and their products around. Unfortunately, the roads here are in such a terrible state at the moment that the fancy buses won't clear the deep potholes that are everywhere. The people of Liberia and the country's economy will have to wait for the dry season before they will notice any change. Photo of the buses being unloaded in the Freeport today. Olly

Liberia National Police -v- Liberia Seaport Police - Update

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has placed on three-month probation the Police Inspector General, Madam Beatrice Munah Sieh, in relation with the 9 July violent clash between the National Police and the Seaport Police at the Freeport of Monrovia, the African Press Agency learnt Friday from reliable source. President Sirleaf thus overturned the Boima Fahnbulleh Committee recommendation, set up to investigate the matter, to dismiss the police inspector general for "professional misconduct" during the July 9 violence. According to the ruling, the police boss would undergo one month leadership training at a school abroad. Last 9 July, the Seaport Police and the Liberia National Police clashed at the Freeport of Monrovia, as Seaport Police officers put up stiff resistance to stop the arrest of two colleagues accused of involvement in fuel theft at the port. Stones, machetes and cutlasses were used as the national police retaliated, resulting in several persons, including passers-by and bystanders, sustaining injuries. The Fahnbulleh committee said the police inspector general bore the greatest responsibility for the fracas at the Freeport which left an estimated 50 persons injured. In her six-count decision following the thorough study of the Fahnbulleh report, the Liberian leader directed that the Port Authority and the police to investigate the level of injury sustained and property damaged during the incident for "an appropriate level of compensation". The President however endorsed the recommendation by the Fahnbulleh investigative panel to suspend the assistant director of the Seaport Police, Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Zoegar for one month without pay for 'dereliction of duty'. The Liberian leader warned secondary security agencies that the Liberia national Police remain the supreme law enforcer in the country. African Press Agency

Fire Fighter Olly

Within a week of returning to the ship I returned to the Fire Team as second in charge of Fire Team 2, and have now become the Team Leader of Fire Team 4. Its great to be in charge of a team of highly trained individuals with such an important function and I take the responsibility very seriously. I enjoy the weekly training which often involves the whole ship's emergency teams including the Emergency Medical Team and the Ward Evacuation Team. Recently we had one imaginative training session when we walked a memorised route around the ship in teams of two wearing full fire-suits and breathing apparatus with black bin bags over our heads so we couldn't see where we were going. Me and Drew, another Brit, won! Olly

So just what are we doing with ourselves?

Since we joined the ship, Sally, Noah, Anna and Libby have been taking part in the Summer Program for kids, involving trips off the ship and activities on the ship every day. There are now two weeks of holiday before the school year begins again on 21st August. Both Noah and Anna have teachers from South Africa, so it will be interesting to see what accents they develop over the next few months. Meanwhile, I have joined the 13 strong Technical Projects Team, which is putting the finishing touches to the ship. I am learning some new skills such a sheet metal work, and have become a bit of an expert in fire-proof insulation installation and air ducting installation. We are all working hard to prepare an extra room for a second emergency generator which must be in place in November, or the ship will not be allowed to sail from Liberia in December. I work daily with Liberian and Sierra Leonean crew and day workers, three of whom are imaginatively named George Washington, Billy Elliot and Richmond Hill. Olly

A month goes by...

Its hard to believe, but just over a month has gone by since we moved onto the Africa Mercy. Its been a busy month as we learnt our way around the community and around the huge new ship. We thank God every morning when we wake that we are able to serve the people of West Africa again with Mercy Ships, and I still fall asleep with a silly smile on my face. We continue to find delight in the luxuries of living aboard with 24 hour power, water and electricity, and little things like the constant supply of milk and cheese (which we were unable to keep when we lived ashore without 24 hour electricity). And life is so stress-free after the continually highly stressful life of living ashore. Most of all though, the kids are able to interact with other kids once again, which is a relief to us all. Yes, we are very privileged to be back in the Mercy Ships community again. Olly

Beatrice

Beatrice is one of the patients on our ward who I have been visiting and praying with during her 2 week stay on the ship, who has been leaking urine since 1997, when her seventh baby died after an extremely long and difficult labour. She was left with a large fistula, despite being in one of the best hospitals in Monrovia, and when she returned home she found her husband had left her because of the stigma attached to her problem. Beatrice's surgery on the Africa Mercy has been a success, and yesterday was her “dress ceremony” where she was presented with a new African outfit as a symbol of her new life. She looked beautiful as she gave her testimony of God providing her the opportunity for a new life. She can now walk around dry and proud in the knowledge of God’s provision for her. There was much celebration, singing, drumming and dancing between the patients, translators, ward staff and crew members present. Sally

Liberia - 160 years old

This weekend Liberia celebrated its 16oth year of independance from the USA, with a firework display (paid for by the Chinese) held on the spot where the original freed American slaves landed in 1822. Ironically, precisely four years ago to the day the city of Monrovia echoed to sounds similar to fireworks, which were in fact the sounds of rebel forces bombarding the city night and day in an attempt to overthrow Charles Taylor. The population is still very nervous of any loud bangs, and the sale and use of firecrackers is still illegal here. Olly

Bong Iron Ore Mines

Today we travelled for 3 hours on the only working railroad in Liberia, to the abandoned Bong Iron Ore Mines which opened in 1965 at a cost of $78,500,000. The mines were staffed by nearly 500 Europeans and nearly 3,000 Liberians, and boasted a school for the ex-pat children, a golf club and even an aero club, and housed state-of-the-art processing plants that reduced the 65% iron-ore rich rock into 100% iron pellets for export. Sadly, all the ex-pats were evacuated in 1990 when Charles Taylor's rebel army took control of the mines as they swept through the country, and they have never reopened. Today, organised looting on a massive scale from the mines is the only source of employment in the region. Pictured: the processing plant in 1965, and the remains of the processing plant today, having been stripped of anything valuable over the past 17 years. Olly

Great kids

Often we forget just how long-suffering our kids are, but then something reminds us of this. Today we were driving though town in torrential rain and our battered old Land Rover started to leak so badly that Anna put her umbrella up inside the car! She didn't complain one little bit, in fact she took it all in her stride! Olly

Arrests over Liberia "coup plot"

A former Liberian army commander has been arrested for "subversive activities" - the first such arrests since landmark elections in 2005. Gen Charles Julu headed the presidential guard under former leader Samuel Doe and led a 1994 coup attempt. Deputy Information Minister Gabriel Williams said he understood Gen Julu had been plotting a coup but the government said there was no threat. President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf took power in 2006 after a 14-year war.
The BBC's Jonathan Paye-Layleh in the capital, Monrovia, says people are shocked at the possibility of renewed unrest in the country. The United Nations has some 15,000 peacekeepers in Liberia - the second largest deployment in the world. "This man [Julu] was detained by the National Security Agency for subversive acts against the state," Information Minister Lawrence Bropleh told Reuters news agency. He refused to say whether this meant a coup plot and said an investigation was under way. "The Liberian public should remain calm. There is no immediate threat to the state," he said. Student groups from Doe's Krahn ethnic group have condemned the arrests and called for the release of Gen Julu and the other former officer also arrested. BBC, 19 July 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6906072.stm

More disturbances

Today there has been more disturbances in the city, around the Mamba Point offices of the UN Department of Programs, which gives out grants and finances projects for the rebuilding of Liberia. Why the crowd targeted the UNDP remains a mystery to me, since it is here to help the Liberians - I guess it is a soft target without armed guards compared to the many Liberian government buildings that are heavily guarded by UN soldiers. And so the rainy season of discontent continues. Photo of the heavy UN armed presence currently around the Liberian Ministry of Defence, not far from the UNDP buildings. Olly

Monrovia Central Prison

On Saturday I visited Monrovia Central Prison. It was the worse place I have ever been. Conditions are horrific. Up to 16 prisoners sleep in cells 7 foot long by 8 foot wide on the bare concrete floor - they have to take it in turns to lie down to sleep. They only have one meal of maize a day, which is insufficient to keep them strong. There is no running water or toilets in the prison building - they must wait until midday to use the latrines in the yard, or use stinking and overflowing buckets in their cells, and nearly everyone has diarrhea. They have no toilet paper, no soap, no toothbrushes or toothpaste and no medicine. Of the 73 prisoners, only 6 have received a trial - the other 67 are awaiting trial, and some have been waiting for over 3 years so far. Many of them were arrested and put into the prison without their families being informed, and I came away with a list of people to phone to tell them that their sons and brothers are in jail. The majority are guilty of "debtors" crimes, and they could be released immediately if someone paid off their debts. I prayed with a small group of men, for their freedom and that they will be able to use their time in jail positively - maybe learn to read and write, or help other to do so. Many other men thought I could help them gain freedom - they thought I had come to pay their debts or obtain a pardon from the authorities...after only an hour of being inside I was so overwhelmed by the atmosphere and had to ask to be let out into the fresh air...Now I know what Jesus meant when he talked about freedom for the prisoners...I guess Monrovia Central Prison in 2007 is very similar to the Roman prisons of 30 AD. Olly

V V F ladies

Today I spent some more time working in the ship's hospital, where a number of ladies are currently recovering from having vaginal fistula's repaired by our surgeons. These fistulas often occur through lengthy and complicated childbirth, often during which the baby dies and the mother is left leaking urine and/or faeces, and consequently becomes an outcast because they smell so badly...I am constantly shocked at how small and young most of these ladies are - some of them are only teenagers by the looks of it. This is where Mercy Ships excels - these ladies will be able to return to their villages having been repaired, and they will be thanking God for the rest of their lives! Olly

The rain

It simply hasn't stopped raining all day today - I can't even begin to estimate how many inches have fallen, but the ship's scuppers have been busy! Normally we can see the city of Monrovia beyond the port, but today visibility was minimal. Top photo: the city when its not raining; bottom photo: the city when it rains...Olly

Photos of our new cabin

Here's a couple of photos of the inside of our cabin - it is way different from our old cabin on the Anastasis. Anna & Libby share a bedroom, Noah has his own, and Sally and I sleep on a sofa-bed in the lounge/diner. Olly

Our new cabin

Our new cabin is situated on the starboard aft corner of the top deck (I've coloured our windows in pink in the photo) - we have 6 big windows giving us great views over the port. We have a bedroom/dining room/sitting room with a sofa bed for me and Sally, a twin-bed room for Anna and Libby, and a bunk-bed room for Noah. The corridor contains the kitchen, and we have a small shower room & toilet. Its a lovely cabin, and we are very happy here. It is obviously a fraction of the size of our old house here in Monrovia, but its a little bigger than our old cabin on the Anastasis, and so much lighter too. And we are the first people ever to live in it! Olly

Liberian National Police -v- Liberian Seaport Police

Yesterday, Monday 9th July, the Liberian National Police and the Liberian Seaport Police became bitter rivals in a full scale riot outside the port's main gates, over a disagreement about stolen fuel. Several people we injured by rocks being thrown. Eventually, the UN sent the Ghanaian army in armoured cars, and a full battalion of Indian riot police into the situation to stop the fighting. During the riot, we could not leave the port, but today the area is peaceful. We simply cannot imagine what will become of this country, if it's own police forces fight each other over stolen fuel. I think that after so many years of war, the people here just don't know how to behave peacefully. Please spare a few moments to pray for this most desperate country and its government, who have achieved so little obvious progress since their election. Olly

Afloat again

We became crew again on the M/V Africa Mercy on Saturday 7th July, and moved into our new cabin, which is a fraction of the size of our house in Congo town, but has 6 big windows giving us a great view over the ruined Freeport of Monrovia, and 24 hour power, hot water, air conditioning, medical care, schooling...in fact, everything we need to live comfortably whilst remaining in this most desperate of countries. We are very happy, and can't stop smiling for now. More later. Olly

Mercy Ships again?

Two things to note - today the Mercy Ship Anastasis left Liberia on her final four week long sail to the scrap yard in India. It was a very sad moment for all ex-Anastasis crew. I am watching her thick black smoke disappear over the horizon even now as I write this! But on a good note, we have been invited to return to Mercy Ships, to live aboard the Africa Mercy in Liberia where I will work in the special projects department, trying to finish bits of the ship that weren't finished in the UK. I then hope to transfer to the community development team which digs wells, installs hand-pumps, builds clinics, schools and hospitals, teaches agriculture and micro-enterprise and community health education and runs discipleship and mentoring programmes at the same time...all fantastic projects that I can't wait to get involved with. Yet another transition for us, but a very positive one where we will be in comfortable and safe accomodation but still able to serve some of the worlds poorest people. Olly (written June 29th)

Sally - arrested?

Sally was arrested (for the second time) on Tuesday lunchtime by a miserable Liberian policeman who obviously hates white women. His charge wasn't even genuine, but he expected Sally and the kids to accompany him to the police station where he could charge her for dangerous driving (in Liberia, where nearly every vehicle is unroadworthy and the drivers are not insured or licenced). Sally held her ground and refused to be intimidated, and more importantly refused to bribe him (which is really what he was after all along), and she was released after a short time. The very next day, the same thing happened to Casey, one of our house guests. I fear that law and order continues to be lacking in Liberia, and the police's new image provided by their shiny new uniforms has been short lived. Olly

The garbage dump

Today I visited the waterlogged garbage dump, only to find it gone! The Ministry of Public Works has removed it and replaced it with one of their famous yellow dumpsters. Where the garbage dump kids have gone remains a mystery to me - perhaps they can no longer live there anyway, because of the rains. A friend from the UK visited a massive gutted building nearby last week, in which there are dozens of internally displaced families and random abandoned children - perhaps the garbage dump kids have all gone there, out of the rain. Olly

Rainy season

Rainy season has really arrived. We have whole days when it rains all day long with no break. Our house is very dark and depressing, as we have no power for lights in the day time. The roof leaks in places, and everything is becoming covered in mould - outside walls are coated in grean mould, and the mould growing inside is black, and spreading over many things - furniture, books, even clothes in wardrobes! Evertthing is damp. At least it is warm. When I was at school I read a Graham Green novel about the same thing happening to some ex-pats living in West AFrica, not knowing that it was set in Liberia, and that one day I would be there too...Olly

Sorry

Sorry that I've not been making recent blog entries. Our internet connection in our house has expired, and we are reluctant to pay $180 USD to renew it if we are to leave there soon. Olly

Another blog

A friend of ours, a guy called Matt Oliver, has recently updated his blog to include an account of his stay in Liberia in late March/early April. Please read it - its a great incite into our lives here - www.badlovesongs.com. Olly

B & B

We have unwittingly opened our home as a guest house – one of Sally's gifts is, after all, hospitality. We have had 55 guests staying with us over the past five months, including several sick missionaries who sought refuge and the kind of support that only noisy families can provide, and many visiting missionaries from the UK and USA. They are all welcome, and we love the company. When can YOU come? Olly

Important news

We have felt for some time that the "fit" with Equip Liberia has not been ideal. Sally and I have a passion for investing directly into the lives of the Liberian people through programmes such as mentoring, discipleship, outreach, community development and other forms of practical assistance. The need Equip has in Monrovia is for a desk-based role. These duties are vital, but have felt limiting, and there is a good case to be made that they could be done by a Liberian, working for a relatively low cost. After discussing the situation with the Equip country director and his wife, and with our home church, we have agreed to resign from Equip, but, of course, remain friends and supporters of the Equip vision. The obvious question is, "where does that leave us?". We don't know all the answers, but we are committed to doing our bit for this country with its almost overwhelming spiritual, physical and social needs. We are already in the process of exploring options with other people and ministries, seeking a close match of vision and opportunities for both of us to express our gifts and heart for the Liberian people. We have many big decisions to make over the next few weeks, and a lot of hard work ahead of us which will inevitably include moving house yet again. Please pray for us. In human terms, we face an uncertain future, but we are confident of God's leading. Olly

Land Rover accident

On the way home from getting Anna stitched up, I drove into a pot-hole big enough to swallow the front wheels of our Land Rover and bring us to an immediate halt. It took 12 men to help lift our Land Rover clear of the pot-hole - and to our amazement it was totally undamaged, thanks to a thick metal plate under the engine and steering mechanism. We are praising God for our battered old Landy - I can say with all authority that very few other vehicles could have survived that accident undamaged. Today Sally and I have whiplash, and Noah has a couple of nasty bruises. Olly

Anna's accident

Since the Mercy Ships crew arrived in Liberia in January, we have needed to call upon their help three times - when Noah had malaria, when Anna needed stitches in her eye-lid, and again this weekend when Anna split her chin open in a fall, and needed another six stitches. Thank you Dr Keith Chapman and Nurse Jo Postles. We are incredibly blessed to know you guys. These ongoing accidents and our increasing awareness of the state of the hospitals here are making us very shaky about staying on in Liberia when the ship sails in November. Only today we heard about a boy who died because a hospital gave him the wrong medicine - and this is not an uncommon occurrence. Olly

Libby and Sammy

Our Libby is two and her little Liberian friend Sammy is five, yet somehow Libby is bigger than Sammy. In fact, nearly everyone is bigger than Sammy, because his dad has been unemployed for years and not been able to provide a decent diet for his family. This isn't happening in some remote and inaccessible corner of Liberia - it's right here on Congo Town Back Road! Olly

New police uniforms

This week, the Liberian National Police received new American-style uniforms. Their worn-out and mis-matched semi-military old uniform and random foot ware and baseball cap has been replaced by smart new shoes, trousers, belt, shirt and hat, with two shiny badges. The force has been transformed by their new image - they are less irritating and more relaxed and suddenly people are taking them more seriously. Olly

City water in Congo Town Back Road

This morning, to our surprise, we found thousands of gallons of fresh water pouring out of a broken city water pipe into our back garden. This is incredible progress by Liberia Water & Sewer Co, after 15 years of the pipes around here being totally dry. On my way to work I passed flood after flood, as households all along our road experienced the same pipe leaks. LWSC have a massive job ahead of them as they battle to stop millions of gallons of water an hour pouring into the sandy earth. And this is in part down to the work of our great friends in Mercy Ships, who spent many hours rebuilding water pumps at the water plant, so that the pipes could flow again. Olly

Bad bridges

The broken-down road network in rural Liberia contains thousands of collapsed timber bridges like this one in the photo. Not only does the state of these bridges prevent vehicles from reaching many villages, but it also makes the villages completly inaccessable during the height of the rainy season, for months on end, as rivers break their banks and wash away the poorly constructed roads . Olly

Good bridges

If my proposal to seek funding for the construction of bridges is succesful, we will hire a workforce of nearly 300 people to hand-build 34 timber bridges, as featured in the photo. Olly

A great day for Mercy Ships

In 1999, Mercy Ships was donated the 18,000 tonne M/V Dronning Ingrid, a former Danish railway ferry, and work commenced to convert her into the world's largest non-governmental hospital ship. Today, nearly 8 years later and at a cost of over $60 million, the ship renamed M/V Africa Mercy arrived here in Liberia, and moored across the dock from the aging 12,000 tonne M/V Anastasis. It was a wonderful day but emotional day, as crew from both ships met and shed a tear or two at the end of so many years of hard labour. Tears were also shed for the beginning of the end of the Anastasis, our home for 2 years. She is a dear old ship, with plenty of character but high maintenance costs: later this week crew will start moving their possessions into the new ship, and before too long the Anastasis will be sailing for the scrap yard in India. She will be missed. Olly

Noah's friends in Liberia

I am Noah Peet and I live on Congo town back road, Monrovia, Liberia.
I am going to tell you how to make this hut.
1. With a cutlass cut a few palm branches.
2. Find sum lumber.
3. Dig 4 holes.
4. Put the lumber in the holes and on top of the other lumber.
5. Then put the palm branches on the side and the top.
Some times you can see huts like this one. Noah

Dumpsters for all - update

One by one, the bright yellow dumpsters distributed throughout the city (as per my entry of 7th May) are being stolen, even though they have been constructed out of materials that cannot be used in construction. Such a shame. Olly

Better Sally!

After three days of stomach pains and sitting on the toilet, Sally turned the corner late last night (Sunday), and is feeling human today. Thank you for your prayers and concern. Olly

Sick Sally.

Sally has been sick for the last 24 hours with a dose of "running stomach", which shows no signs of leaving her yet. Would you mind praying for her speedy recovery? It's nothing life threatening of course, but we could do without it. Thanks. Olly

Transportation

One of Liberia’s biggest challenges is getting food from the country to the markets in the cities without any reliable forms of freight transportation. Taxis are the most commonly used methods, and every highway into Monrovia carries many of these vehicles, all carrying 6 passengers minimum (instead of the four the car is meant to carry), and usually all horribly overloaded. Its no wonder that all the fruit we receive is over-ripe and bruised. Olly

Me and my friends

hi, i'm Anna and i'm 5. I can jump, I can run, i can swim, I love swinging, and I love being snuggled up in my bed. And I like meeting new friends. I like spending time with my friends. In the photo is Hadassah and Estina , Moses and some other friends. We climbed trees and played on a rope tyre swing yesterday. My friends love having their photo taken. I like playing at Hadassah, Micah and Jedediah's house. Anna

Proposal update

I have finished drafting my first proposal and I have passed it to Equip's Country Director before it is submitted to OFDA. Meanwhile, a very exciting possibility is emerging - to work as implementing partner for the Liberia Community Investment Program, which would be a totally new direction for Equip to go in. It would involve a massive project in which up to 800 Liberians would be trained with new skills. The budget would be huge. I would very much like to get involved in this project - it is right up my street, but it is very early days yet and I don't want to get too excited. Maybe nothing will come of it. I'll keep you posted. Olly

The Chinese.

The Chinese are here in increasing numbers, and they are in the process of investing tens of millions of dollars. They are building a massive new embassy, and have renovated the national football stadium. They are in the process of surveying the country's major roads with a view to developing them into 4-lane highways, so that the iron-ore mines can reopen and transport their ore to the ports. And they are rumoured to be contemplating rebuilding Monrovia's old bridge that collapsed late in 2006, and the hydro-electric power plant, that was destroyed by Charles Taylor's rebel army in 1990. They also provide the UN with soldiers and trucks, who transport thousands of tons of food and supplies for the UN and NGOs here for free. Ironically, the Beijing Chinese Restaurant has just closed due to lack of customers. Olly

Noah's legs.

Thank you to all of you who have been praying for Noah's legs, which were covered in infected mosquito bites which were both painful and itchy. He was prescribed antibiotics and antihistamine 3 days ago, and he is now well on the road to recovery. Olly

Rain.

Last night it rained for 9 hours constantly, often torrential rain that came with hurricane force winds that blew water horizontally inside buildings for 3 or 4 meters. Monrovia looked a very sad place this morning as thousands of bleary eyed people came out of their flooded houses and tried to face the day ahead. They are tired, cold, damp and dispirited, after spending the night trying to salvage their worldly possessions. Huge numbers of the population here live in temporary houses made of sticks with mat sides, which are far from waterproof, and corrugated iron roofs. Our dear friend Musu - who had so much water in her rented room that her mattress was floating - has been forced to find a new room to rent for herself, her two grown up children and her three grandchildren (all in 1 room!). As for us, we are fine. We enjoyed the drop in temperature from 31 degrees C to 26 degrees, and our house has remained wind and water proof. Please spare a thought for the people living in the rain-damaged houses and take time to pray for them. We have 5 more months ahead of us of this rainy weather. Olly

"If you had a light-saber...

...could you wave it around your head when it rains to keep dry?". These were Noah's very first words when he woke up this morning. He is totally and utterly obsessed with Star Wars. He is driving Sally and me crazy. Have any other parents out there experienced similar? Olly

The National Grid

This is a sobering reminder of the condition of the Liberian National Grid. Here, most of the cables are missing and the whole 80 foot high pylon is covered in vines. Will electricity ever be restored here as it was, I wonder...Olly

More supplies for Equip Sinoe Project

Every week I load a container of supplies for our project along the coast in rural and isolated Sinoe County, 1 days sail away by a UN chartered ship. Each container contains medical supplies and equipment, food, fuel, vehicle and motorcycle parts, hand-pump parts, cement, timber and other building supplies, stationery and training materials...in fact everything you need to run 6 clinics and a hospital in a place only accessible by ship most of the year. Olly

Dumpsters for all!

Today saw the arrival of dozens of big yellow dumpsters all around town, provided by Monrovia City Corporation for residents to throw their garbage in. The illegal dumping of garbage is a very big problem here - the majority of the population dump it on the streets - and so MCC has been given funding by the UN to address the issue before any major outbreaks of disease. Olly

Health promotion signboards

They are badly made and badly painted, but the message is clear to the 20% of Liberians who can read - "Save pump water in sealed container for safe drink". Such a simple message, yet despite the best efforts of Equip Liberia and countless other aid organisations, ignorance of it is responsible for the death of over 2000 babies and children every day in Liberia. Using these signs and other methods of teaching, Equip's 2000+ volunteer Community Health Ambassadors have been able to reduce the daily death rate in our target communities from 1.2% of the population to 0.7%. Olly

We are so sore.

Noah's legs are covered in mosquito bites that are becoming infected as he scratches them, Anna has an infected and swollen leg from a spider bite, Libby's ankles are covered in fire-ant bites which she scratches all the time, and I am suffering from sores caused by constant sweat...can you spare a moment to pray that we heal quickly? Thanks. Olly

Q: What do you call a 6 foot tall Nigerian soldier with a machine gun?

A: Sir

Farewell to an old friend

Last week my old friend, Land Rover #326 from the Mercy Ship Anastasis, was totally destroyed by a fire probably caused by an electrical fault. #326 and I go back to when I purchased it in early 2004, and later we both joined the ship on the same day. It was a miracle that all the passengers and their luggage escaped from the inferno unscathed - as you can see from the photo the heat was so intense that even the aluminium roof burnt. Olly