Guinea life

We've been in Guinea now almost 2 weeks and in some ways it feels like a lifetime.  I think we thought we had transitioned to ship life but we soon found out that ship life in Africa is different than in the Canary Islands and we have had to go through another whole set of transitions since being here in Conakry.  But now we are finally starting to feel settled. . .again.

Yesterday was a really exciting and VERY long day.  It was our screening day for patients.  This is the day that we schedule many of the surgeries that will happen over the next 10 months.  I have so much to say about the day yesterday, what we saw, how it went, etc, but I will wait until we've both had time to process and collect our thoughts.  For now I will update you on what has gone on these last 2 weeks and share some fun pictures of the girls!

I mentioned in the last blog a little about the port being a bit different than we expected.  John and I have both had rural African experiences and so landing in a large port city was different than what either of us had pictured.  This was harder than we thought to adjust to.  At first we felt fearful about leaving the ship, especially with the girls.  We still have some of those "healthy fears" but I think we are slowly starting to learn about our area and appreciate what we have.  We have had the chance to venture out a few times.  The port has many governmental offices and so we are not really allowed/encouraged to take many pictures, unfortunately.   Here are some pictures from the ship of our surrounding area:

Taken off the Starboard (right) side looking toward the Aft (back) of the ship.

 

Starboard side looking towards the bow (front) of the ship.  This is much like the view out our windows.  You can see the tents set up for rehab and our landrovers that help with the off-ship programs and patient transport.

Taken from Port (left) side of the ship towards the ocean and islands at sunset.

 

In the distance the 4 towers are the mosque.  It is one of the largest mosques in the world.

 

 

As far as getting off the ship goes, John and I have had different experiences but haven't gone anywhere as a family quite yet.  I have been out several times with friends to just walk around the city.  The streets are fairly clear of traffic on the weekends, so this has been a better time to go.  I'm not sure I could even begin to describe what it is like. If you've ever been in a third world city, then you know.  If not, it is unlike any city in America.  There are so many things going on, so much to look at that I will nevver see it all over these 10 months.  You may see a woman washing laundry, child peeing, man brushing his teeth and chickens walking through the sewage all in one block.    The streets are lined in many areas with people selling goods.  I see clothes lining the streets at times and don't know if they are for sale or being dried?  There are some fairly nice businesses and some very run-down buildings.  There is no rhyme or reason to it, it seems.  There are many buildings that look like the construction was halted many years ago for whatever reason, yet scafolding remains so maybe work is just slow.   People have been very friendly.  I have taken Cora in the Moby wrap and they really love to see her and touch her hair!  I am very thankful for some of the other moms that also like to get out and walk around.  It will be a good time to build relationships and get some fresh(er) air.

 

Last Sunday I went to church with a group of about 30 from Mercy Ships.  I took Cora in the Moby and John stayed home with Adalynn.  The church is one of the only Christian churches in this area and it is very small but what it lacks in size it more than made up for in excitement and joy.  The people were so welcoming and there was lots of very loud music and dancing.  It was really fun to be there and Cora actually slept through much of the service.  It was great to be a part of worshiping the Lord with the Guinean people.  I am hopeful that we will be able to go as a family next week.

 

We have had some hard moments here and times of wondering  "What in the world are we doing here?"  But those times have been few and God has been so faithful in showing us little things that confirm His desire for us to be here.  Two of these blessings that really stand out involve John's time off the ship.  The first is that he has been able to play Ultimate frisbee once a week at a nearby field.  While this may seem like an unlikely place to see God working, for John this has been such a neat gift.  He missed playing Ultimate Frisbee so much while we were in Craig.  It is a game he loves.  To be able to play it here. . .in the middle of Africa. . . is pretty amazing and it has been a good outlet for him!

The other blessing was that John got to go to the home of one of the big wigs of Rio Tinto mine here in Guinea.  Rio Tinto owned the mine John worked for in Craig before we left.  The Rio Tinto Guinea office is walking distance from the ship!  Rio Tinto is very interested in getting involved in what Mercy Ships is doing here and John was able to bridge that connection between them and Mercy Ships.  It was a really great night and everyone is excited about what might go on in the future between Rio Tinto and Mercy Ships!

 

The Girls continue to do well and adjust to life here.  I think both of them have really blossomed with life on the ship and have many "aunts" and "uncles" helping take care of them.  I can't believe how much they are growing and changing!

 

 

 



 We love our matching monkey dresses!!

 

 Adalynn's friend Emma. They are in nursery together and becoming very good friends.

It's fun to play up on the top deck of the ship.  Emma is almost a year older than Adalynn so she takes good care of her!

 

 One of Adalynn's favorite things to do is to "go walking".  She likes to just walk around the ship, up and down stairs, etc.  This day she wanted to carry her babies in "Cora's purse".  It was so cute and everyone got a really big kick out if it.

 

 

 One of the families on the ship with older girls gave Adalynn thier old doll house. She has had a lot of fun with it. I look forward to the two girls getting to play with it not to long from now.

 

 

 

Our boxes finally arrived that we sent on the container!  It is so great to have our kitchen things, toys, books and some decorations to make our room feel more like home.  I will send more pictures of our cabin now that we are getting things organized.   It has been amazing to realize how much Adalynn has learned now that we have her old books.  She knows so much more than when we packed them up in May.  She was also really excited about the boxes!

 

I tried to upload a video of Cora but it didn't work. I'll try to get it on Facebook.  Please be praying for the hospital as it begins surgeries on Thursday of this week.  I will write more about the screening and opening of the hospital in the next couple days.  Thank you for your prayers!