A Truly Magnificent Sierra Leonian Storm 10/17/14

This evening I am sitting on Phebian's porch, resting all alone after a hot muggy day. I'm now experiencing a true rainstorm unlike anything you will ever see in Buffalo. The rain is pounding on the tin roof and pouring down in sheets. The lightening is exploding across the sky like a giant fireworks display. It is truly magnificent. The last time I witnessed such a storm was growing up as a kid in Belize.

This week I have hear many people express that Ebola will go away after the dry season comes. Dry season is not here tonight but may it come soon.

This morning Dr. Dan Kelly and the Wellbody team visited our clinic. We spent close to two hours walking around the property and discussing ways to partner and do primary care safely. Dan was impressed with our facility and with our plans. I think they are truly excited to work with us because the need is great in Kono. We will definitely share the ambulance (it is still on the 'water') and they will provide us with ongoing technical assistance so we do this clinic right. We will look for additional ways to partner in the future.

Partners in Health is taking on a significant role in fighting Ebola in the Kono district as well as in other districts. They are committing to at least a 3 year presence here and in Liberia. PIG has a list of 900 American doctors and nurses who have volunteered to come to both places to help fight Ebola. Though none are here yet, it is encouraging to know that help is coming and that the generosity of the American spirit is still alive. I am very hopeful we will be able to partner directly with them during this crisis.

I am hearing some good news and bad news about Ebola this week from experts here. The good news is that the new case loads in the hardest hit areas of Kenema and Kalihuhn are decreasing and in Kono the case load is relatively stable. The bad news is that the western districts including Freetown are being hit hard. Since they have a dense population, this is worth some concern and more prayer. No one expects Ebola to go away in the next year but I do think we are more optimistic about containing it. Life in Sierra Leone will go on and for those of us who want to invest in this amazing country, need to do so fully.

One of my goals for this trip was to do an assessment of how the five villages we are working in are surviving this crisis. We decided to visit one of them and have chosen Tefeya because that village has always been the village with the most medical need. Pastor Joshua, Phebian, and I traveled 1.5 hours to this remove village over some of the worse roads you can imagine and through some of the most lush tropical rain forest left in West Africa. We met with the 2 pastors and the community health worker who works with us. They have not had any Ebola cases to this point in time. There have been only 2 documented cases in the 5 villages that we partner with. Primary medical care is almost non existent. Phebian is working on a plan to have a volunteer community health worker from each of our 5 villages come to our health clinic in Koidu once every 2 months to pick up a 2 month supply of BP medications for each person on our list.

While we could not provide medical care today, our presence was a real encouragement that they have not been forgotten during this crisis and we were able to pray with them prior to leaving. Keep the people of Tefeya in your prayers tonight.

Our team is healthy and doing well. Please continue to keep this trip and our SL mission in your prayers. I trust all is well at Jericho Road in my absence. Thanks to all who are covering for me and working harder while I am away.

Myron.

Side view of our medical clinic