Its an interesting title i know, because surely you would say to me, you will miss everything about Africa!
Well its not totally true, i will miss an awful lot about Africa once im not here, however today i was reminded that i wont miss having to ask the question ...
"So what kind of surface is it that we are playing on?"
Yes indeed, today was another Football match for the AFM football team, and well you never know what to expect in terms of pitch, players or referees.
Today was no different from any other match day! The car ride we found that it was sand, which was no surprise, then it turned out it was the training pitch at the national stadium! (yes we played a game with the national stadium 100 yards away)
It also turned out we were playing a Freetown premier league team or something along those lines, so turns out they play a fair bit!
The pitch was as un even as you can imagine, but it was still very playable compared to some places we have tried to have a football game!
So as you would expect we were under siege from the off, thankfully it took longer than expected for them to open the scoring, thanks to a couple of saves from myself and a couple of last ditch blocks from Ben!
So after 1 came 2 and after 2 came half time, after half time came 3 and after 3 came 4 after 4 i got bored, after i got bored i came out on pitch, after i came out on pitch i set us up a goal, after we scored our goal they scored one more, after that that was that.
So 5-1 loss for the AFM football team, not too bad and not too good with all things considered!
Least it was nice to have a run around! :)
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Screening Day.
Mercy Ships press release, 7th March:
Mercy Ships is deeply saddened by the tragic events that occurred today during medical screening at the Freetown National Stadium when a crowd stormed the gate resulting in several injuries and one life lost.
Mercy Ships personnel working at the site attended the injured and accompanied them to local hospitals.
"Our hearts and prayers are with the individuals and families of those affected by today's events. The occurrence of this incident in the course of activities intended to restore lives is tragic. We move forward with tremendous sadness, but great determination, to assist as many people as possible in the next ten months," stated Mercy Ships Founder, Don Stephens.
Mercy Ships exists to serve the forgotten poor and has served Sierra Leone five times over the past two decades, also helping establish two land-based health care facilities. For the next ten months, Mercy Ships will be providing surgeries for qualified patients while working alongside the Sierra Leonean Government to support its five-year healthcare plan and strengthen the functions of the national health system.
Please pray for us and the whole crew during this time.
Mercy Ships is deeply saddened by the tragic events that occurred today during medical screening at the Freetown National Stadium when a crowd stormed the gate resulting in several injuries and one life lost.
Mercy Ships personnel working at the site attended the injured and accompanied them to local hospitals.
"Our hearts and prayers are with the individuals and families of those affected by today's events. The occurrence of this incident in the course of activities intended to restore lives is tragic. We move forward with tremendous sadness, but great determination, to assist as many people as possible in the next ten months," stated Mercy Ships Founder, Don Stephens.
Mercy Ships exists to serve the forgotten poor and has served Sierra Leone five times over the past two decades, also helping establish two land-based health care facilities. For the next ten months, Mercy Ships will be providing surgeries for qualified patients while working alongside the Sierra Leonean Government to support its five-year healthcare plan and strengthen the functions of the national health system.
Please pray for us and the whole crew during this time.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Freetown.
We arrived in Sierra Leone a week ago today. We were met by a huge crowd on the dock of our Advance and Gateway teams, as well as a marching band. It was a beautiful sight; old friends waving at us, the music in the air, the mountains in the distance...it is wonderful to be back in West Africa, the land of fresh mangoes and pineapple :)
We took a walk out in the town yesterday. It was hot and crowded; we were pressed against the side of the road, squeezing between people on one side and vendors on the other as cars and trucks rolled down the narrow streets. At one point, we even had to crouch down and cross the street walking underneath a truck blocking the road!
Despite the sweltering heat and the immense crowds, it was amazing how comfortable I felt. No one hounded us; if we decided not to buy from one vendor, they didn't chase after us trying to change our minds. No one asked us for money. Children didn't cry at the sight of us - instead, they all shouted "Hello!" and many wanted to give us high fives or hold our hands; one even gave me a big hug! Everyone was incredibly friendly and we both have a feeling we're going to love Sierra Leone :)
Of course, Samuel's already found his football shirts, so he's on an all-new high! Unfortunately it's not the official shirt that he desperately wanted (see it here - definitely worth looking at! http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/na/national-teams-hummel-2010-11-sierra-leone-home-hummel-football-shirt.jpg), but it didn't stop him from making sure his nephews supported their new home team :)
We took a walk out in the town yesterday. It was hot and crowded; we were pressed against the side of the road, squeezing between people on one side and vendors on the other as cars and trucks rolled down the narrow streets. At one point, we even had to crouch down and cross the street walking underneath a truck blocking the road!
Despite the sweltering heat and the immense crowds, it was amazing how comfortable I felt. No one hounded us; if we decided not to buy from one vendor, they didn't chase after us trying to change our minds. No one asked us for money. Children didn't cry at the sight of us - instead, they all shouted "Hello!" and many wanted to give us high fives or hold our hands; one even gave me a big hug! Everyone was incredibly friendly and we both have a feeling we're going to love Sierra Leone :)
Of course, Samuel's already found his football shirts, so he's on an all-new high! Unfortunately it's not the official shirt that he desperately wanted (see it here - definitely worth looking at! http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/na/national-teams-hummel-2010-11-sierra-leone-home-hummel-football-shirt.jpg), but it didn't stop him from making sure his nephews supported their new home team :)
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Our God.
"Our God" by Chris Tomlin
Water You turned into wine
Open the eyes of the blind
There’s no one like You
None like You
Into the darkness You shine
Out of the ashes we rise
There’s no one like You
None like You
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
Into the darkness you shining
Out of the ashes we Rise
There’s no One like You
None like You.
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us?
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
Water You turned into wine
Open the eyes of the blind
There’s no one like You
None like You
Into the darkness You shine
Out of the ashes we rise
There’s no one like You
None like You
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
Into the darkness you shining
Out of the ashes we Rise
There’s no One like You
None like You.
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us?
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
Friday, February 25, 2011
Home-ish.
We are back in the northern hemisphere! A few days ago, we crossed the Prime Meridian, and yesterday morning about 8.30 we crossed the equator. It doesn't feel any different, there's still just water, water, everywhere...but there is something comforting about being in the same hemisphere as your family :)
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Mad Dash through Cape Town.
A week ago, February 10, the Africa Mercy set sail (finally!) from the port of Durban. It was a bittersweet farewell, but also filled with excitement as we were then approaching Cape Town. Seals greeted us on the way in, which was cool to see and yet frustrating as we could never catch them on camera! The crew was allowed 24 hours of shore leave (18, actually, if you take away the time we were required to be on board that night), and we were determined to make the most of every minute.
Sunday afternoon, when we were allowed off, Samuel, Ben, Miriam, Steph, and I immediately headed into town to pick up our rental car. From there, we drove to Boulder's Beach, a penguin colony. While we did not actually go onto the beach, we were entertained by several penguins hanging out in the parking lot and along the side of the board walk. This had been one of my main Cape Town goals, so I was very excited to see the penguins!
From there we headed to Cape Point and drove around the opposite side of the peninsula back to the waterfront. The views were spectacular and more than worth the trip!
The evening was spent having a relaxing dinner and ice cream with friends at the V & A Waterfront, where we were docked. The place very much reminds me of Navy Pier - restaurants, shopping, theaters, even a Ferris Wheel! We were berthed very close to the center of it all, which was great for us as our last taste of civilization before we sailed for Sierra Leone. There was plenty to do at the waterfront alone, and if we ever go back to Cape Town (I'm already planning it!), I think we will spend a significant amount more time just at the waterfront alone.
Monday morning was our final opportunity to explore (we even got a day off school for the occasion - except we have to teach on Saturday to make up for it!), and we took the time to go to the famous Table Mountain. Samuel hiked up with 7 of our friends, while Natalie and I rode the cable car and waited for them at the top. It sounded like a pretty tough by rewarding hike, and I know that I thoroughly enjoyed soaking in the view while we were waiting! Even if I did get burnt to a crisp :) It was a great morning and a fun way to end our time there. We were even able to easily pick out the ship docked at the waterfront!
We sailed from Cape Town on Monday evening, and are now well on our way to Freetown, Sierra Leone. The seas have been fairly calm though some storms are expected. Please pray for our safety and general well-being (specifically rest if the seas get tough - generally that means several sleepless nights in a row) over the next week.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Family Time.
The end of January already. The month flew by unbelievably quick, mostly due to the fact that time flies when you're having fun! And fun was certainly had.
On January 3, we headed up 3 hours north to the town of St. Lucia in the wetlands. We stayed in a quaint little house for 7 nights with Samuel's parents, his sister Amy, and the Farrell family (Samuel's sister Sarah and her family, who live with us on the ship). It was a time filled of laughter, games, and braais, and was extremely relaxing. While there, we celebrated Christmas as a family (just a week or so late...), complete with a delicious Christmas dinner of chicken, roast potatoes, and even yorkshire pudding and mince pies. It rained a lot, but that didn't stop us from taking walks along the beach or through the wetland park (yes, even amongst the signs that said "Beware of Leopard, Elephant, Rhino, etc" or just into the town.
While there, we took advantage of some of the more touristy activities that most people from Appelsbosch had already done. This included a safari through Hluhluwe National Park, where we saw 4 of the big 5!! The leopards, unfortunately, eluded us. The lion sighting was probably the most exciting for me. We had been to the lion park, but seeing them in the wild (and clearly watching something that they were intending to hunt) was incredible. Other animals included lots of zebra, wildebeest, various types of deer and antelope, buffalo, rhino (also very cool!), warthogs, and baboons. I was sad, however, that we only managed to see the top half of a giraffe in the distance and the backsides of 2 elephants as the walked away from us.
The most we managed to see of an elephant...
I promise those are lions!
Buffalo
Herd of wildebeest
Samuel, Amy, and I also spent an afternoon at a cat sanctuary in the area. We learned about several different types of cats (African wild cats, cervals, something else I can't remember, and cheetahs) and watched a feeding. Those cervals can jump extremely high!! As an added bonus, we were allowed into the cheetah cage during the feedings, and as long as we did not make any loud noises or run for any reason, we were permitted to touch them :)
In St. Lucia, a Hippo and Croc cruise is a must. Hippos are very prominent in the area; in fact, it was told to us that occasionally hippos have been seen walking through the town at night! We saw lots and lots of hippos in the water, and also managed to catch sight of a bunch of them walking down a bank straight into the river! That was extremely cool, seeing hippos lumbering around out of the water. We also learned some interesting facts - hippos can't swim very well, so when they get out too deep they just sink to the bottom and walk out! Who knew? :)
Our last day in St. Lucia was spent driving through the wetland park to the beach. We saw lots of animals, including rhino, zebra, kudu, springbok, and even a "penguin lizard" :) We vainly searched for an elephant, as that area is known as the Elephant Coast, but to no avail.
From St. Lucia we drove to Ballito, a town on the Dolphin Coast that we have frequented as it is only about an hour from Appelsbosch. We had a lovely big house to stay in and took advantage of our week there to spend some time at the beach! My dad arrived during this week - it was so great to see him! We took him to the World Cup Stadium in Durban to ride the Skycar for a view of Durban, as well as a stadium tour. I hadn't done the Skycar yet and was glad for the excuse to do so! We also went to the Sharks Board and saw a dissection of a great white shark, and did a game drive at Tala Game Reserve. The drive there was fabulous - the driver would literally just drive right up to the animals, regardless of where the road went! I finally saw a giraffe up close (so close, in fact, that we couldn't see his head from inside the safari car) and even got our picture with it. He drove closer to the rhinos than we had been before. And, of course, there were plenty of zebra, wildebeest, deer, and antelope :)
It was an absolutely lovely vacation, and like all good things, it went by entirely too fast. It was great to see family and spend time together, showing them what our life at Appelsbosch is like.
Now we are back to work - Samuel is going to the ship every day doing Sales work, and I have been teaching for over a week now. A bit challenging with all our supplies on the ship, but we teachers have been managing so far :) If all goes well, we will be living back onboard by Monday - pray that we are able to make a smooth transition!
On January 3, we headed up 3 hours north to the town of St. Lucia in the wetlands. We stayed in a quaint little house for 7 nights with Samuel's parents, his sister Amy, and the Farrell family (Samuel's sister Sarah and her family, who live with us on the ship). It was a time filled of laughter, games, and braais, and was extremely relaxing. While there, we celebrated Christmas as a family (just a week or so late...), complete with a delicious Christmas dinner of chicken, roast potatoes, and even yorkshire pudding and mince pies. It rained a lot, but that didn't stop us from taking walks along the beach or through the wetland park (yes, even amongst the signs that said "Beware of Leopard, Elephant, Rhino, etc" or just into the town.
While there, we took advantage of some of the more touristy activities that most people from Appelsbosch had already done. This included a safari through Hluhluwe National Park, where we saw 4 of the big 5!! The leopards, unfortunately, eluded us. The lion sighting was probably the most exciting for me. We had been to the lion park, but seeing them in the wild (and clearly watching something that they were intending to hunt) was incredible. Other animals included lots of zebra, wildebeest, various types of deer and antelope, buffalo, rhino (also very cool!), warthogs, and baboons. I was sad, however, that we only managed to see the top half of a giraffe in the distance and the backsides of 2 elephants as the walked away from us.
The most we managed to see of an elephant...
I promise those are lions!
Buffalo
Herd of wildebeest
Samuel, Amy, and I also spent an afternoon at a cat sanctuary in the area. We learned about several different types of cats (African wild cats, cervals, something else I can't remember, and cheetahs) and watched a feeding. Those cervals can jump extremely high!! As an added bonus, we were allowed into the cheetah cage during the feedings, and as long as we did not make any loud noises or run for any reason, we were permitted to touch them :)
In St. Lucia, a Hippo and Croc cruise is a must. Hippos are very prominent in the area; in fact, it was told to us that occasionally hippos have been seen walking through the town at night! We saw lots and lots of hippos in the water, and also managed to catch sight of a bunch of them walking down a bank straight into the river! That was extremely cool, seeing hippos lumbering around out of the water. We also learned some interesting facts - hippos can't swim very well, so when they get out too deep they just sink to the bottom and walk out! Who knew? :)
Our last day in St. Lucia was spent driving through the wetland park to the beach. We saw lots of animals, including rhino, zebra, kudu, springbok, and even a "penguin lizard" :) We vainly searched for an elephant, as that area is known as the Elephant Coast, but to no avail.
From St. Lucia we drove to Ballito, a town on the Dolphin Coast that we have frequented as it is only about an hour from Appelsbosch. We had a lovely big house to stay in and took advantage of our week there to spend some time at the beach! My dad arrived during this week - it was so great to see him! We took him to the World Cup Stadium in Durban to ride the Skycar for a view of Durban, as well as a stadium tour. I hadn't done the Skycar yet and was glad for the excuse to do so! We also went to the Sharks Board and saw a dissection of a great white shark, and did a game drive at Tala Game Reserve. The drive there was fabulous - the driver would literally just drive right up to the animals, regardless of where the road went! I finally saw a giraffe up close (so close, in fact, that we couldn't see his head from inside the safari car) and even got our picture with it. He drove closer to the rhinos than we had been before. And, of course, there were plenty of zebra, wildebeest, deer, and antelope :)
It was an absolutely lovely vacation, and like all good things, it went by entirely too fast. It was great to see family and spend time together, showing them what our life at Appelsbosch is like.
Now we are back to work - Samuel is going to the ship every day doing Sales work, and I have been teaching for over a week now. A bit challenging with all our supplies on the ship, but we teachers have been managing so far :) If all goes well, we will be living back onboard by Monday - pray that we are able to make a smooth transition!
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