Long Day's Journey

One of things I love to do on board is to take a group of the crew out to see the Community Development sites. I call it seeing the "sites" not seeing the sights. But there are a lot of those along the way. Most of the crew do not have the opportunity to see where the wells are being dug, where our construction teams are working and where the agriculture team is. So, we head off around 10:30 in the morning and have a very bumpy, sometimes very muddy hour long drive out to Tenegar. The first place we stop is at the Clinic our team is building. the president of Liberia has asked us to rebuild this clinic. It was destroyed during the war. I mean destroyed. No roof, nothing but the walls and trees growing inside when we saw it. It is now beautiful. We have 2 people there and 17 local men who work every day on it. In a country with 80% unemployment this is a blessing for them and for us.

Then we walk over to the Agriculture site and see the amazing plaintain farm and compost heaps and lettuce, etc. It is a community farm and sometimes there are 50 people working and learning. Our agriculture man took his 3 year old daughter one day. I saw her standing in reception ready to go with her shovel under one arm and her dolly under another. She had a blast, her mother told me. Then we stop under the Palava hut for our sandwiches.

Last time we were then visited by about 15 children on their way home from school. It was a bit uncomfortable and so now I have at least put a supply of juicy fruit gum in my backpack so I have something to offer them.

From there we head out to see where our Community Health teams are at work. You can see the church where they meet. The area consists of 11 villages and the villages chose 3 from their village to meet 2 afternoons a week to learn about water, health, malaria, etc. and then these students will teach their own village. Check out the neat Church bell. I had no idea why that rusty propane tank was hanging in the tree! A bit farthur up the road a new well was being dug. The villagers and instructed and encouraged and helped to dig about a 40 foot well. Then we supply the cement, and pump and supplies and the learn how to cap it off and to maintain it. By that time it is time to head back which we do, visiting the Dental team that has set up in a local hospital. The hospitals are in a bad way and struggling to improve. We have met wonderful people who are wanting the best for their country but it is a battle. Our Dental team heads out after breakfast each day and spends long hours on their feet, seeing things they would never see in their countries.


It is a great day and one that blesses me every time I go out!