Four months since our last blog! A lot has happened since we
last wrote an update. In May we left for our annual leave. We spent three weeks
in the Netherlands, visiting with Heleen’s family. It was so good to see
everyone again, especially Heleen’s parents, who had faced some health troubles
over the past year. Because of the limited time we had in the Netherlands, we
prioritized time with our parents, but we were also able to see most of Heleen’s
family and some friends, including those who came to our “Meet & Greet” on
the Saturday before we left. In between visits we enjoyed the beauty of Holland
in spring, with mild weather and flowers everywhere. On two Sundays we shared
about our work in Sierra Leone in churches in Ede and Utrecht.
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| Enjoying a typical Dutch walk - one of Heleen's brothers lives close to the famous town of Kinderdijk where tourists come to see the many windmills. |
In early June we
traveled to the US. The first two weeks we were based in Atmore, and we
enjoyed a very precious time with the children and grandchildren. Since our
last leave, three of our children had moved to a new location and we were glad
to see them all in their new homes during our leave. We also appreciated catching up with our
Atmore friends and the church. After two weeks it was time to pack our bags again as we
set out on a long tour, from South-Carolina to Virginia to
Pennsylvania to Delaware! We were able to see Jon’s parents and many others of
his family, some good friends, and we had a very valuable time at MCC’s
Welcoming Place in Akron where we met with our leaders from EMM and UB Global.
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| With all the children and grandchildren! |
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| With Jon's parents and Uncle Paul, who was a missionary doctor in Ethiopia for many years in Ethiopia and has been an inspiration to Jon from an early age. |
On July 2
nd we had a very smooth trip back to
Sierra Leone and Mattru Jong. With our aim to leave in December we have now
only about four more months left to serve at the hospital and “Nyandengoh!”
Some of you may wonder what “Nyandengoh!” means. Well, we
are very happy to introduce you to a small, new initiative for the children with
disabilities in Mattru Jong. As you know, Heleen has been working with these
children for the past year or so. From one young boy with cerebral palsy the
work grew to over 40 children with all kinds of disabilities: children with
cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, learning disabilities, children who are
blind and/or deaf, etc. Children with disabilities are often feared and looked
down upon in Sierra Leone. They are frequently seen as devils, and their
parents, especially their mothers, are believed to have done something very bad
that caused them to give birth to a disabled child. “Nyandengoh!” means
“he/she/it is beautiful!” in Mende, the local language spoken here. To
counteract the many negative words that are spoken out over children with
disabilities and their families, we want to say to them: “You are beautiful,
you are created in the image of God. He made you and He loves you, and so do
we.” Heleen has been joined in this ministry by two local friends, who share
the vision of “Nyandengoh!”: Sylvanus French and Esther Sopay. Sylvanus is a
son of Pa French (see “Tribute to a Faithful Worker”, our blog in April).
Heleen has worked with him for many years in Freetown and is glad to have him
on her team again now that he has returned to his home town. Esther is the mother
of a 17-year-old boy with multiple disabilities. We have written about her
before in our newsletter. Every day, Sylvanus and Esther visit the children and
their families with developmental/educational toys. They counsel the parents,
and liaise with the schools that some of the children attend. It is a small
beginning, but we are already seeing fruit on our labor, as communities are
beginning to respond differently to the children with disabilities. We have
some exciting plans for the coming year, and will keep you updated!
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| On Easter Monday in April we officially launched "Nyandengoh!" |
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| Sylvanus and Esther standing by our "Wall of Fame"in the small office we rent at the hospital. |
Jon’s work at the hospital continues with many challenges. He
is the only expat worker there since our colleague Pam’s stay in Mattru came to
a sudden end when she had to go home in May with some health challenges. Her
term in Mattru expired while she was home and she will only return to pack up
her things and hand over. We will miss her as we continue to serve without her…
Some days we feel like giving up, but we pray that God will give us strength to
be faithful to the end, to follow His example of sacrificial love, and to daily
“bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things.”
