Reversing Conakry

A trip anywhere in Guinea, for any amount of time, takes a lot of preparation. You have to prepare your house that you are leaving behind, make arrangements for guarding and animal care (if you have them), prepare food for the trip, make arrangements for where you will stay, prepare and sign a document called an "ordre de mission" that gives you permission to travel in the country, arrange for guards to watch the place, and a myriad of other details that should not be missed.

It is overwhelming at times – sometimes it feels like it would have been better to just stay home.
Returning from a trip is almost more work. Here is a check list of 20 things that needed to be done in order to feel settled from our recent trip to the capital…..

1. Open the house: This involved un-padlocking the side and back doors, and opening the curtains and louver windows.

2. Throw the knife switch which restores solar power to the house. We shut this off to try to prevent damage from lightning storms.

3. Check the fridge and freezer to make sure they are still working and did not shut down in our absence and see if the batteries for the solar system are okay.

4. Turn on the propane for the stove.

5. Plug in the CB-like radio that we use to communicate with our teammates. We unplug that from the batteries and antennae also in case of lightning.

6. Open the outside laundry room where we store dishwashing items, chairs from the back porch, and anything else lying around that we want to secure while we are gone.

7. Unlock the trash pit which we lock to prevent little kids from trying to fish out the things we have thrown away. There is NOTHING of value in there, and it is often mixed with medical waste, but in their little minds, they seem quite sure we are purposefully throwing away numerous treasures that they must have – a dumpster diving of sorts.

8. Unlock the padlocks on the magasin – our “garage” type building where we keep our generator and Jim’s tools.

9. Unlock the padlock on the attic door.

10. Put the stools, mat, trash can, and small plastic tea kettle of water (used by guests for bathroom needs) back out on the porch.

11. Unpack trunks of groceries – we usually shop for 6 – 12 weeks at a time, so there can be a lot of groceries.

12. Unpack the cooler or coolers with the frozen stuff I bought.

13. Bleach, wash, and put away all the fresh fruits and vegetables. Since it is hard to get these in the village, we usually come home loaded up – finding room in the fridge is a problem at times. But the heat requires you to get them in the fridge pretty quickly.

14. Unpack the egg box and put the eggs in a basket on the counter. I usually buy 5 dozen at a time.

15. Sweep, mop, and dust to try to regain a foothold from the insects and spiders that think you have obviously abandoned the place, giving them free reign.

16. Pay the guards for guarding.

17. Greet the people who come to welcome us back. This requires time to sit and answer questions about your trip, and your family and for you to ask about their families and how things are in the village.

18. Give out gifts. Often we gift our closer friends when we come back from a trip – maybe with some fruit or vegetable that is not available in the village yet, or something else. A few of the popular gifts we have given: shoes, flashlights, soap, toothpaste, cooking oil, spaghetti, hair dye, shirts, toys for the kids, potatoes, watches, earrings. We don’t always do it and it is never anything big – just a culturally appropriate “hey, I was thinking about you while I was gone” kind of thing.

19. Record our mileage and expenses from the trip.

20. Clean out the car – throwing out the old ordre de mission, and all the trash that accumulates from traveling and eating as you drive. Also good to check and make sure you have an adequate supply of TP and hand wipes for the next trip.

It usually takes us about 2 – 3 days to accomplish all of these tasks, and one of the many reasons that we think hard and long before taking a trip here in Guinea.

Fixing Our Eyes - Thoughts on the Ebola Crisis

A few months back, I was having some quiet time in the morning and was reading about Peace.  I read the following from the book “Jesus Calling” – “Thank me for the gift of My Peace, a gift of such immense proportions that you cannot fathom its depth or breadth.  When I appeared to my disciples, it was Peace that I communicated first of all.  I knew this was their deepest need:  to calm their fears and to clear their minds.  I also speak Peace to you, for I know your anxious thoughts.”

The semi-recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa has taken center stage in the news.  We really had no idea how much because we have no internet access (other than sending or receiving email) in the village. Most people have no idea where Guinea is on a map.  We began to hear that it was making news across the world, somewhat clued in by the rash of emails asking about our safety and proximity to the virus. We just had NO idea what a splash it was making until we went to the capital last week.  It is right that it should be a leading news article.   This is an Ebola epidemic of epic proportion and many are dying.  The numbers increase daily and there is no cure!

As I read through the articles, news and postings over the past week, a few thoughts struck me.

1.       The majority of the American news reports seem focused more on keeping it out of the US than on concern for the people who are suffering with the disease and others who are battling against it.  That obviously is a generalization, and not the view of everyone, but seems to be a common thread.  It is amazing the level of self-protection that arises in a crisis.  Not that I want it to spread to the US, (though that seems unlikely) but still.  Are most people outside of West Africa concerned for those in the midst of the fight – or just concerned about keeping it out of their borders?

2.       It seems to have sparked an interesting debate on the value of serving overseas.  One of the most prominent articles catching people’s attention was written by Ann Coulter.  While I did not read her complete article, I read a response article called “Are Christian Missionary Narcissistic Idiots?”  It is an interesting read- a little long – but worth it none the less.

Situations like this are really very troubling and heart wrenching for most missionaries who serve overseas.  What is the right answer?  Do we leave - hoping to avoid catching this horrible disease?  Do we stay – and do what we can to help?  Are we “safe” here?  Is “safety” what God calls us to strive for?  What is wisdom?  When are we acting in fear?  

If we decide to leave, what do we say to our national friends?  “Goodbye and good luck.  Hope you don’t get sick.  Sorry that we are leaving and taking a lot of resources with us.  We know you are scared – but we can escape, so we will.”

If we decide to stay, what do we say to our kids, family, friends, and supporters?  “We don’t feel right leaving – we just hope we don’t get sick.  We will do our best.”

Fear takes over – not just fear of Ebola, but fear of making the right decision!  Don’t want to run – don’t want to overstay if it is not safe.  All of it makes me a little twitchy.  I am a nurse in a small clinic in a small village.  I have not knowingly taken care of an Ebola patient.  We are prepared with protective gear - but there are no guarantees in life.  I watched the news as a missionary doctor and another woman working in health care in Liberia fell victim to the disease.  

That news scared me a little – not because they were American, but because they were medical people who knew what they were dealing with and had taken precautions, yet still got sick.  Just a few days back I got sick – runny belly, nausea, achiness – not uncommon symptoms in West Africa.  Any other time, I would not have thought anything of it.  But this time, I was mentally reviewing every patient I had seen recently, scanning in my mind to see if I thought they might have Ebola.  I knew it was not overly rational, but that was the first place my mind headed.

This is really the first time we have had to deal with these questions in the medical realm, though the political situation in countries like this often bring those questions to the surface.  Several years back, we chose to evacuate out of Guinea, on the advice of the US Embassy, because of political instability.  At that point, we were very comfortable with our decision – made even clearer for our family as we sat alone in a guesthouse – listening to constant gunfire around us.  For others, the choice was harder.  They did not feel in danger.  Some chose to wait it out.  Others left.  

In all situations like this – be it political or something like Ebola - there are no easy answers.  Some will chose to go and some will chose to stay.  We continue to wrestle and pray and ask for the God of Peace to give us His peace and wisdom – and to extend it to our families as well.