Clinic 5: Our Departure from Njala, the Final Mobile Clinic and the Adventure Back to Freetown

After breakfast, a devotion and prayer, and providing medicine to several people who came to campus to be treated, we began sorting our medicines and supplies.  We were scheduled to go to one final village where we were told there would be about 30 children to be seen and treated.  We knew that 30 was a low estimate so we packed what we thought we would need to treat twice that number.  We prepared separate suitcases and boxes of leftover medications and supplies to be delivered to the Njala Hospital, Taiama clinic, and the hospital in Bo.  We loaded everything, including our personal luggage, said our goodbyes to the guesthouse staff, and left campus.  

Our first stop was Njala Hospital.  While there, we saw boxes of Tom’s shoes stacked in one room.  We were excited to know that the shoes really do make their way to areas of immense need.   A few days earlier, in Gola, we saw a group of children wearing their Tom’s.  These shoes will help protect their feet. Our hearts were lifted.  Americans who purchase these shoes are helping the children we have actually met.  

Our next stop was in Taiama to check on Baby Kenneth and to drop off medicines and supplies to the clinic.  Baby Kenneth was doing so much better—no fever, better skin tone, and more normal breathing.  I loved hearing his strong cry where there had been no sound the previous day.  The team's diligence and answered prayer had saved this infant.  We sang “Amazing Grace” before leaving.

Back on the bus, we headed for a nearby primary school to give them two soccer balls with pumps.  I was excited to see a classroom during the time we were there.  While very barren and drab, the space was orderly.  I learned that the schools are very disciplined and minimal creativity is allowed.  I wished there had been more time to talk to the teacher so I could have learned more.  The children were outdoors taking a break from a full day of exams that would determine if they would be able to move on to the secondary school.  A few children were pumping water, some were resting in the shade on the steps, and others were playing in the hot sun.

Within a few minutes, we boarded the bus bound for our final clinic in the village of Kawella.  When the bus stopped, we quickly surveyed the area trying to determine where the clinic was to be set up.  We saw a small group of people gathered in one space under one fairly large tree.  There was a bamboo bench in one corner and the “studs” for a second bench not yet constructed.  We wondered if that was to be our final clinic and were not surprised to find out that it was.  Pastor Francis managed to find two small wooden tables (very dusty and not really conducive to measuring out medications) that were quickly transformed into the pharmacy.  


In almost no time, we had many prescriptions to fill.  In addition, the small gathering of people multiplied quickly. We later learned that the word spread quickly through the jungle that we were in Kawella and people from three other villages—Kondorbothun, Sembehun, and Foya--had hurriedly walked to the clinic so their children could be seen.  As the number of moms and children increased, inversely, the availability of medications decreased.  I think the mothers sensed we were starting to run short and they began to come closer desperate to have their children examined by Dr. Debi and Tonya.  For the first time on this trip, my heart rate increased and I felt some anxiety.  There were so many people and they were closing in.  I wasn’t sure how many children we had seen but I knew I had gotten on the bus several times to get more medicines until all that was left were antibiotics.  The team met to pray and decide what to do.  The outcome: see only one children from each family and distribute worm medication, malaria, fever (until the medicine was gone) and give out vitamins until there was no more.  Ultimately, the clinic closed after a little over two hours and we had seen 129 children—a little more than the 30 we were told would come (lol) and more than double the number we planned for (50-60).  What did we come away with?? There is so much need.  God was sending us a message…we must return as soon as we can so we can do more.  While most of our team wants to return next year, maybe we can add more health professionals-a dentist(s) and optometrist(s).   There is so much people in Paris can do to be a part of this mission without leaving the country.  I pray that God will prick the hearts of every reader of this blog and each person will begin to ponder what s/he can do to help.

We returned one last time to Njala Hospital to drop off the remainder of our medicines and supplies.  They were most appreciative.  Then, we began the 3-1/2 hour back to Freetown where we would spend our final night before departing Sierra Leone.   The journey turned out to take over 6 hours.  First, the bus overheated and we rapidly exited the bus to allow time for the radiator to cool enough so fluid could be added.  We enjoyed visiting with about 15-20 children and their parents during the unplanned stop.  That stop turned out NOT to be our last.  We were stopped at a checkpoint where the guards wanted all of us to exit and go to an office to present our official ID cards which none of had since we were traveling on visas.  Ju and Suliaman insisted that we could not be made to exit the bus and at last, they let us move on. 

We continued on a well-paved, two-lane highway for a short distance until interrupted by a loud sound—a back tire had blown out.  The driver and Ju began speaking in Mende and although I had no idea what was being said, I could tell that Ju was not pleased with what the driver was reporting.  I knew we had a spare tire because the previous day it had fallen out off the back of the bus and the driver’s assistant had jumped off the bus and gone running after it.  The problem: there was no jack on the bus and we were not close to a village large enough to have one.  We had no choice but to proceed slowly hoping to locate a jack.  


About eight miles down the road, we stopped and were fortunate to find one.  So. here we were: seven white women and one white man with one Sierra Leone woman and a few Leonian men.  Although Robert probably felt concerned, I don’t think any of the women, me included, were anxious.  Instead, we enjoyed the “cookies” they were selling and I drank coconut juice directly from the coconut that a man with a machete carved for me.  Later, he also extracted the fresh coconut—yum yum.  Rebecca climbed a tree and Laura visited with the children and Suliaman stayed with her and photographed.   I was amazed at how quickly the tire was changed and in just a short time, we waved goodbye and headed on.

We finally made it to Freetown where we moved extremely slow due to the heavy traffic.  There are no traffic lights in this huge city and I only saw one stop sign.  There is a lot of horn-honking as motorbikes, taxis, cars, large and small trucks, and buses travel on a road barely wide enough for two vehicles. Most of the buses and vans are loaded with twice the number of people that the vehicle should hold.  I even saw four people in the front seat, with the driver sharing his space.  The motorbikes find a way to drive down the center of the street as well as on each side.  There is minimal shoulder before you encounter huge numbers of pedestrians and booth after booth where town people are selling their goods and services.  Wow!  I could never live in a city of this size and set up.  It is impossible to describe.  Seeing and smelling (since the air is filled with diesel fuel exhaust) is believing—it’s wild and it seems to go on and on and on.   I couldn’t believe that we didn’t see a single accident. 

After almost two hours, we made it across the city to the beach and our hotel, Family Kingdom.  I found out that this was actually the third reservation made for this final night in Freetown.  We had originally planned to stay in the same place (Tai Resort) we stayed on our first night in the country. However, they had doubled the price of our rooms from the first night and we cancelled the reservation as a result.  Robert and Ju found another hotel but earlier today when they called to confirm the reservations, they discovered something had gone wrong and we had no reservations.  That hotel suggested the Family Kingdom which turned out to be a real blessing.  It was a nicer hotel than Tai Resort and the proprietor gave us a great deal. Although it was dark and not visible, I knew the beach was across the street.  Interestingly, when we entered the country, we were officially here as tourists who wanted to see the beaches.  I haven’t yet seen the beach but plan to in the morning.   We came to Freetown after dark and returned tonight after dark.

After taking our luggage to the room, we went to the restaurant. It was 10 P.M. and we were very hungry.  We finished eating around 11:30 and dragged ourselves to our room—dirty, sweaty, exhausted, and ready for a hot shower, a little air conditioning, and a comfortable bed.

What a way to end our time in Sierra Leone!  Flexibility and adaptability are paramount when traveling in this country.  There has not been a single boring moment—you never know what will happen next.  I have loved the experience and will be ready to start saving to return next year.  I dread saying goodbye to Lucy, Suliman, and Ju.  I have come to love them so much.   Tomorrow we’ll eat breakfast and spend an hour in King Jimmy’s market so we can purchase a few gifts to take home.  We’ll eat lunch and then go to Aberdeen Bridge to catch the water taxi and make our way back across the bay to Lungi Airport.

I am ready to see John and be in familiar surrounding.  I can’t wait to see my grandchildren in Memphis and to talk with my grown children about this life-changing experience.  I know everyone will tire of my stories and I will do my best to refrain from sharing every tiny detail.  I have shared most everything within this blog except for the 1000+ pictures.  I look forward to organizing them into a slideshow presentation so anyone who is interested can come closer to Sierra Leone and hopefully, be touched enough to contribute in some way to future trips.

Jane