Waterloo, Sierra Leone

Friday, January 13, 2012

Dear Family & Friends,

I guess my body has not yet adjusted—I can’t seem to sleep past 3 AM.  Today we rented a car from Sahr Doe for the week, the car we rented before that looks like a toaster driving down the street (Element); apparently it has been rented a lot since.  Just driving down a paved road it squeaked loudly till we hit bumps and it cured it (really?).  When we turn a corner we hear a belt squealing, which must be the power steering belt. It is missing a rear-view mirror.  The power isn’t what it used to be.  The previously perfect air conditioner regularly freezes up and ceases to be cold.  If you stop or turn it off and on again it starts up cold again but not for long.  It is going to be a long week… 

We picked up Turay and bumped along the Grafton road (that they are going to fix someday) down into the Waterloo area to look at four wells that have been refurbished that are part of the project we are working on now.  He wanted us to see four new water pump ‘aprons’ to see what we thought of them.  After checking them out I suggested to Jim that we needed to have a demonstration on how to do cement so that it is solid, not just plastered; but they looked pretty good even when some of the plaster had already fallen off on some edges.  Even though they are using steel, we have to teach them to pour solid cement.  We may buy one wheel barrow and mix up the cement and show them how it is done, training Jonathan, site monitors, contractors and their technicians.  Most contractors just hire different technicians—some are good, most around these parts are not. However, it is not an easy thing for a contractor to get a wheel barrow out in the bush unless he has a truck.  This would make it possible for them to do a better job.  The wells look better than what they did before—an assistant project manager from years before sold the steel.  Cement without the steel and/or enough cement becomes a pile of rubble.  The pump supplier did not get all the parts delivered and when he did they were inferior.  This won’t happen on this go-round.  We stopped by to see two others that were not yet repaired—disastrous.

One of four refurbished wells.  The cement appears to be thick enough until you realize that they only plaster around the edges, which sloughs off quickly.  We are going to give a hands-on demonstration of what cement really ought to be—solid, not just plastered.

On our way we delivered some clothes that we had promised on our last visit to Sierra Leone.  We stopped by two orphanages, one being the polio camp, and delivered larger dresses for the older girls (T-shirt dresses that were made in Stake Relief Society), soccer uniforms and a ball.  The kid we gave the uniform and new soccer ball to was so delighted—we always wish we could get a picture of just that moment, but we usually don’t get one till later. 

When we picked up Turay we could see that he has been adding onto his house that goes up, down and around forever and a work always in progress.  It’s beginning to have more rooms than a hotel even though the rooms and stairs would not pass inspection in the USA.  He has yet another business—right out of one of his rooms that opens up onto the dirt road behind his house.  There is a gated opening with a counter and shelves with bits of food and stuff for sale.  We can’t keep track of all he does for a living!

This is what happens when they steal or sell your rebar and don’t put it in the pump apron, plus no doubt very little cement.  The pump head was also stolen by the chief, which was to be used for a school.  The chief had a water business that he didn’t want to be disrupted so he took the pump head from them.  Turay took the head teacher to the chief and they had a good discussion about what was going to happen THIS time.

Elder Holland is going to be visiting Sierra Leone and Liberia in February and today Turay had a meeting in preparation for his visit.  Everyone has been cleaning and painting chapels and organizing themselves for their special guest.  Turay said the meeting was wonderful.  We were supposed to meet him and his family and their guests at our hotel for dinner but by 7 PM we gave up and ate.  Finally at 8 PM they showed up and we had a great time visiting with everyone.  One of their guests was Turay’s missionary companion from so many years ago.  Another was a returned missionary from the U.S. and his local companion that were serving when Jim and I first started coming to Sierra Leone and Liberia and they both remembered us. The U.S. missionary also brought his girlfriend with him and her brother.  I guess they wanted him to chaperone.  They won’t be getting married till 2013 because of schooling and have a long-distance relationship.  We had some lively discussions and Turay’s little boy Prince, entertained us by dancing to the music that was playing. 

This young man was so thrilled that he began playing with the ball immediately.  He also was given a soccer uniform, which he donned right away.  We left enough for the other boys who were at school at the moment.

Both of us had been so beat up from our traveling that we ended up coming back to our room and passing out for awhile after our Waterloo look-see.  We took long naps, stayed up really late and then slept late this morning.  I think I’m finally adjusted.  Jim just left to purchase some food and a portable Internet device that you add minutes to like it was a cell phone.  This will come in handy while in the Bo/Kenema area—we’re going there today.  We also gave more white dress shirts to the Mission President for distribution to missionaries who show up with only one white shirt.

She had three older girls at this orphanage so we gave her three of the T-shirt dresses that were made by the Stake Relief Society.

We’re off to Kenema today.

Love, mom & dad, E/S Greding, Jim & Karen