It's been a long time...

Some of you are probably wondering why we haven't blogged in about a month... Well, our blog has been in Arabic! We can't decipher the words in order to make a new post. Anyway, we figured it out.

Project Peanut Butter update-
We are still in the NGO registration process. It is long and tedious but that is part of it, and we are making headway! We have a factory! The machinery for it is being tested in New York, so it will probably not get to Freetown until the end of September. Currently we have been working on potential partners in being supplied with and implementing the RUTF (ready-to-use therapeutic food) into their child survival programs, therapeutic feeding centers,etc. This past weekend Chelsea and I had a chance to go up country to Bo. Bo is roughly 130 miles southeast of the capital Freetown. It was a long trip, taking up to six hours! We like to describe the highway as half paved, half crater :) Anyways, we were able to meet with the Medical Coordinator of MSF (Medical Sans Frontier), more commonally known as Doctors Without Borders, and discuss with him our interest in supplying them with a large mass of RUTF. He was very excited to here that we are starting a factory in Freetown and expressed interest in purchasing from PPB.

Chelsea and I also had the privelege of going to Taiama and working with the Taiama Health Centre where we implemented the child malnutrition program. This is where Chelsea was until April, so it was interesting to see how the program had done on its own from mid-April to mid-August. The healthcare workers had done a sufficient job in keeping up with the enrolled patients, as well as enrolling new ones. To my surprise, some of the children that had been in the program for 12 weeks were still not thriving off of the supplement as they should be. Many of the children that Chelsea remembered improving drastically when she left, had, for some reason, failed to graduate from the program, with many having fevers or coughs. There could be many reasons why each child is not improving, the most sensible reason being that it is hungry season. Many families have nearly run out of produce and are waiting for harvest season. Until then, they are desperately trying to provide 1 or 2 meals a day for themselves and their children.

Some good news (if you can call it that) is that we have located another village outside of Taiama, that has a substantial number of malnourished children, where we can provide aid through the RUTF. Be praying for the mothers and their children of this village (for strength, healing, and restoration), as we will be going there on September 6th, to implement the program.

I have posted some pictures that were taken outside the Njala community, where Chelsea and I stayed. We were able to go exploring in the African bush, baby! Even met up with some village people who graciously gave us gifts of bananas and cumcumbers.

On our way home, we had to pick up our friend Ahmed who was doing some tech work in a village outside Taiama. When we got there, an older woman popped in with Ahmed, who was looking for a ride to Freetown, with her two roosters! One which was a gift to us. How ironic, because Chelsea and I have despised roosters since we arrived in Sierra Leone not least because they wake you at the crack of dawn and never shut up. It was kind, but once she left, we gave it to our other friend who came with us, Ali. He told us he was going to have a good Sunday dinner. You never know what to expect...

Where has the week gone?!

Wow! I can't believe it is already Friday! Mike and I have been hiking the streets of Freetown all week. We have been doing lots of searching...searching for an apartment, a vehicle, and factory. With all the traffic, random rainfalls, and craziness of the city, it seems to take so long to get anything done here. At different times during the week our patience has definitely been tried. Mike was talking to a guy we meet here named Dane. Dane had been in Sierra Leone for a while by himself. He was explaining how he can see why in the Bible, the disciples were sent out two by two. They were sent together, not alone. Being together has helped Mike and me this week. When my patience was running thin, Mike stepped in to remind me of who I am here to represent, Christ! At the same time, I was there for Mike when he needed a reminder. It is awesome to be able to encourage and motivate one another when things get tough.

So we accomplished some things! We are in a new apartment in a great location. It is in a safer, residential area of West Freetown right off a main road, so we can get out and about quickly. We also found a factory site. It is on the main road our apartment is off of, just a little over a mile away. We still have lots to work out concerning this site, but there are lots of positives about the site! We also found a Toyota Lancruiser. I test drove it in the city! The driving here is crazy, so I was a little scared. Mike was riding shotgun, and I think he was freaking out (on the inside)! It is a BEAST, and will be a great vehicle for when we drive on bad roads in the villages plus it will carry all the supplement we need! Well that is all for now! Thanks for reading! Peace, chelsea

Electricity is a luxury

Good afternoon to all. Chelsea and I just got back from running errands in the downtown area. We met with our friend Ahmed Turay and "Bob Dole" (he found the need to tell everyone that he was emphatically against Bob Dole in the 1996 presidential election vs. Clinton, and as a result, he acquired this nickname from his friends; I don't think anyone knows his real name). We found out from the meeting that we still have no prospects concerning a vehicle, but hopefully Monday we will advance our progress as we are meeting with a dealer who is good friends with "Bob Dole" and Ahmed. We are also closing in on an apartment. This is good because we have to move out of our present apartment by the end of this month.

Speaking of our apartment…

Two days ago Chelsea and I did not have electricity for up to 36 hours. It really wasn't too bad, as we busted out our head lamps and played cards and scrabble all night. It was a little crazy eating dinner though in the dark with our lamps; that was a new experience. This picture is of us in the bed playing cards (it looks light but only because of the flash of the camera). When the electricity did come on yesterday evening it made Chelsea and I very excited. We were able to have the ceiling fans blasting to keep cool, eat dinner in the light, and charge up our computer for internet access and to watch "Home Alone." We both have a renewed appreciation for electricity, as we have realized that it is in fact a luxury to have.

Blessings,
Mike

My face is on fire

Mike and I just finished dinner. We had salami, cheese, and avocado sandwiches and mango. It would have been delicious but...
There are these peppers commonly found in most african dishes in this country. Sierra Leoneans call them "hot peppas." Mike loves hot and spicy food and was confident that these peppers were not going to be too hot for him. I told him that they would, so we bought one (one is about the size of your thumb) for dinner. I cut it up for him to put on his sandwich. Myself, on the other hand, doesn't care for spice. I made sure not to put it on my sandwich. Well, I was right, Mike barely used any of the pepper and his mouth and lips were on fire! But of course he enjoys that kind of thrill. Unfortunately, I forgot to wash my hands after cutting up the pepper. When I picked up my sandwich, the juices from the pepper got all over the bread. My mouth was on fire too! It made my eyes and nose run. So what did I do? I wiped my face with the pepper still on my hands! What a moron! Well, it was a good laugh anyway..

These last couple of days have been great. We have mostly been running around the downtown area of Freetown looking for a factory site and doing the logistical work it takes to set up an NGO. Our funniest moment today: While we were in a taxi we went by a shoe stand where, "As Long as You Love Me" by the Backstreet Boys was playing. I know it seems simple, but everything is so different here, so it was such a random thing to hear in the streets of Freetown. Mike and I looked at each other and were like, "Where are we?"
Blessings to all! Chelsea

A Busy Week

Sierra Leone has been an awesome experience for me so far. I am amazed at how friendly and helpful the Sierra Leoneans have been to Chelsea and I when we seemed to need help (which is quite often). Running errands around town proves to be much more difficult than I am used to, but it is manageable; patience is key to getting anything done here. As I have observed my surroundings, there have been many things which I have enjoyed. For example, the friendly faces while walking down the street, the unique smell of an African dish being prepared at a street market, and the beauty of the land. Sierra Leone is great! There are many goals which need to be met, not least learning a new language, but we trust God that things will get done as needed. Peace in Christ,
Mike