Missionaries of Charity

This morning two carloads of us piled in to go visit the patients at the Missionaries of Charity located in Freetown. This is a mercy ministry founded by the order of nuns started by Mother Theresa, who are now in 188 different countries around the world. There are four nuns who work here, taking care of up to 80 something patients with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, developmental delays or children who have just been abandoned by their families.

There are two crewmates who go every week who organize for us to go, and you sign up and pitch up on Wednesday mornings, to relieve the nuns who work 24/7 to care for these people.

As we arrived at the Sister's of Charity, the patients were congregated under the porch, sheltered from the downpouring rain (still rainy season here) and waiting for us to get out of the car, whereupon they flood you in hugs and handshakes like you're their long lost sister. There's this language barrier that only allows you to take the conversation so far and so deep, but you tickle tiny babies (whoo are too tiny) and walk around with ten year-olds glued to your waist, talk with mamas and there were groups of men there as well, but I didn't go that far.

We started off by singing songs, yes, "Shake your body for Jesus" featured again, to much laughter and giggles, and lots of other Krio songs that you just hum along or try your best and have fun with it anyways. I'm pretty sure the ten year old who was glued to me had TB or the nastiest bronchitis I've heard in awhile. Whatever it was it was a coarse cough. One little girl who has everybody's hearts broken has a tumor pushing her spine out of place, over the thorax. She's already lost her ability to walk and can only raise her arms so far. The "if only's" scream at you... if only she were at home... if only there were a surgeon who could do that here... if only it were caught sooner. She looks maybe 3.

So we sang songs and used the five color book to share the gospel and did a craft, today it was making necklaces out of the five color beads:

Gold: to remind you of heaven, the beautiful place God has prepared for his children, where there is no pain, no hunger, no suffering - the suffering here is so palpable and acute, when you mention this place, it means something! My comfortable American existance at home would never necesitate such a place. I can be quite comfortable in this life at home. Moment of Conviction!!
Black: the black of the sin that keeps us from getting to heaven, God's perfect place.
Red: Jesus' blood, shed for us so that we can have a pathway to heaven
White: He washes us white as snow. (side note: here we had to come up with another picture, them never having seen snow!)
Green: to remind us of growing to be more like Jesus.

The Lord bless these amazing women who have dedicated their lives to the people of Freetown and the surrounding areas. To look after those who would otherwise be on the streets. We were not allowed to photograph them or the patients, but they are there. White habits with blue stripes; picture Mother Teresa.