I’ve fallen back into my Salone life again after a little over two weeks. Kim and I, and her two kids will be here until April 18, working on hiring a Director, hosting a business development team, marketing team, health training team and working on various other things. It’s funny that our small Guesthouse is the place I’ve collectively lived in the longest over the past year. I feel rather comfortable here and almost find it endearing in the ways something is constantly breaking… the sink, the bed after being infested with termites, the generator… nothing is off limits!
The Harmattan season was in full force upon arrival, bringing enormous amounts of dust and a nice breeze in the mo
rning. Apparently the breeze comes from the Sahara desert and brings the dirt with it. I went for a run that first week, and came back orange from all the red dirt flying around. I prefer the dust to the heat of the approaching dry season any day.
Last Saturday Kim and I heard one of my friends gave birth to her fifth child. I’ve mentioned Adamsay and her daughter, Mabinty, in one of my prayer letters before. She has a beautiful smile and yet you can see she’s been through a lot after contracting Polio and all that seems to come with being a woman with a disability thereafter. I’ve grown to love little Mabinty who often comes with her mother to the gatherings. When we heard of Adamsay’s new addition, it was bitter sweet. I was so happy that she brought another beautiful child into the world, excited at the plans God has for her. On the other hand, I knew of the heavy burden that another child would be on Adamsay. She earns her daily living from begging and her husband appears to have a developmental disability that seems to limit his ability to find work. The next few days would soon make me really admire, Adamsay’s husband with the amount of love and adoration he would show the mother of his children.
Shortly after hearing of the birth of Adamsay’s newest addition, Kim and I heard from another friend that there were complications during the delivery, Adamsay had a cesarean section, and had lost a lot of blood. We hesitated visiting her in the hospital out of fear that the government hospital staff would make up procedures or “treatments” for her that would cost extra money so that they might pocket the extra cash. Our national staff went to see her first instead. When they came back, they reported she was in need of a lot of blood and extremely weak. Kim ad I decided to take our chances and visit Adamsay anyway, Kim thinking her background in nursing could possibly help the situation. When we arrived, Adamsay was barely responsive. Her sister and mother greeted us and told me that the new baby was to be my namesake! She is beautiful! As I stood in that unkempt maternity ward, gazing at the frail body of Adamsay, I was struck by how God creates beauty from ashes. In the midst of such chaos, next to a woman whom society overlooks, curled tightly in a dirty blanket, lay a gift to the world. The next thing I felt was empathy for the child whose name would be mispronounced wherever she goes!
After Kim took her pulse and assessed Adamsay’s condition, the doctor and her concluded she would need six units of blood. Adamsay was expected to die if she didn’t get the blood. Her mother, sister and husband were unable to give to Adamsay, but thankfully I was a match.
While I often pretend to be tough, I am, in fact, a wuss when it comes to giving blood. This was soon apparent to the men assigned to draw it. I kept my composure (the stone wall that I am J) sitting in the small “lab” where they do blood tests, upon a rickety wooden stool, propped up next to a refrigerator. It wasn’t until the technician pulled the needle out and dripped my own blood all down my arm that I started to turn white and feel uneasy. I calmly and most daintily told the gentleman, “I’M GOING TO THROW UP!” All at once, one rushed to find a bowl for me while the other man fanned me with a stray piece of Styrofoam, as Kim made sure I didn’t fall over. Good news…. I’m going to make it!
As they gave Adamsay my measly one unit of blood, I was able to cheer her on sitting down on the other side of the maternity ward J. Kim told Adamsay that she would now have some “poto” (white person) in her, but Adamsay was too out of it to enjoy the joke. We soon discovered that finding the other necessary units of blood would be a challenge considering a lot of Sierra Leoneans are afraid to give blood, and many of Adamsay’s friends (who also happen to have disabilities) are ineligible to give because of syphilis contracted from selling their bodies to get by. In spite of the odds, God used a small team of people to round up another unit of blood for her. Three days later, after only three of the six needed pints, the doctor released Adamsay and little Kelsey from the hospital.
Unfortunately Adamsay’s husband came to tell us this weekend, that Adamsay’s wound has become infected and little Kelsey continually cries and won’t breast-feed. Will you please pray for Adamsay and her family this week? Sometimes I feel like God is bigger in the little country of Sierra Leone. Of course He is not bigger anywhere, but He appears to be magnified in the daily dependency of His mercy. God’s faithfulness will not change based on the outcome of this sweet-spirited young woman and her infant child, but I pray His goodness be highlighted in the healing of these two. I am so blessed to know her and see Him in another light through her.
