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COTE D'IVOIRE JOURNAL November 7-17, 2008 United Methodist Church Texas Annual Conference Nothing But Nets Mission Trip
November 9, 2008 Wow! After 30 hours of travel, I finally put my head down on my pillow at midnight on Saturday night. I only got 3 ½ hours of sleep on the plane-too much adrenaline. I’m sure that this hotel was really nice – about 30 years ago. See how confused “Traveling Goofy” is about flushing the toilet. When we arrived at 11 pm, the local church members greeted us with a “jazz” band and singers. It was crazy. We checked in and crashed. This morning we had to get up at 5:45 am. Breakfast at 6:30 am. On the bus at 7:30 am. We drove to the We attended a 3 ½ hour church service in Dabou. All area churches packed tents on the After the service, we drove about 30 minutes to a village called, Ulill. Very poor. Just a few dirt roads leading off of the highway. Some children with no clothes. We had a feast at the home of a retired building contractor. 35 members of the Net team, plus about 10 partners: UN, UMCOR, UNICEF, WHO, PSI and about 20 church members. Baked fish (whole), baked chicken, fish in hot sauce, rice, banana something, rice something, tuna, potatoes, carrots, papaya and pineapple. I wish that I hadn’t eaten the sandwich they offered on the bus – I was stuffed. After lunch, the local pastor spoke. When he was finished, I gave him the first 3 soccer balls. He quickly called his youth minister. The youth minister was so excited that he called several church members who wouldn’t stop shaking my hand. Cool. The church members were so grateful for our efforts to save their children. We are back at the hotel for an hour rest, then going the Good night and God bless.
Bishops Huie and Boni
Choirs at Dabou Church Service
Offeratory at Dabou Church Service.
U'Lill Main Street
Feast at Eugene's Home
U'Lill UMW Farewell.
November 10, 2008 I ran 4 miles today… in the parking lot! We discovered something interesting last night, we have an armed guard (sub-machine gun) accompanying us. Another guy with a radio follows the group. I’ll upload his picture when we can figure the problem out. I guess I feel safe… We went to the Jubilee church for final training. It really exciting to know that the We ate a local restaurant for lunch. I didn’t get fooled and was prepared for 2 courses! Then we went shopping in Grand Bassam. It was wild. One of our interpreters was the best negotiators of all time. We all called her into the hut to bargain for us. Then we ate again at Tomorrow, it begins! We depart at 6:30am to our five distribution sites. I’ll be going to Dabou. We will have sites at the hospital and two outside of the “city”. The population around Dabou is approximately 55,000, so we will be busy. Be sure to sign on tomorrow, the real story starts.
Say a prayer for our team and the people we will serve.
Final Training Session.
Goofy is ready to go!
Jubilee UMC Singers at Dinner
Armed Guard.
November 11, 2008 After you finish reading this paragraph, I want you to stop and thank the Lord for all of the blessings in your life. Electricity, a roof over your head, a bed, a job… We forget to think of all the things in our life that we expect and I have seen a people who have none of this. We left at 7:30am on a one hour drive to Dabou. It was especially exciting for me because I was the victim of African Turista. After one last “stop” at the The sight was unbelievable. There were probably 150 women and children in line when we arrived. Every imaginable color in every imaginable pattern. Children with no clothes or only underwear. Lots of smiles that quickly turned to cries when they got their measles vaccination. During our 7 hours working, with no lunch break (what is that mystery meat that is in my sandwiches?), we distributed over 1500 nets in Dabou’s three sites. I will post these photographs as soon as possible. Our internet speed is hampering because the hotel staff keeps forgetting to feed the squirrel that powers their wi-fi. The pictures will make you cry, as they did me. Up at 5am and bed at midnight doesn’t help. When my team leader asked my impression of the day, I said that I was just pondering my experience. I told her that I consider my life already written by God. I just have to make the right choices to follow his plan for me on earth. But what is God’s plan for these poor children born in We agreed that they have love – love from God and love for each other. But that is about all. One day we all have the opportunity to know the answer to His plan. When you finish today’s entry, please close your eyes and pray. Thank God for His love. Thank Him for those who love you. Thank Him for giving you people to love. Isn’t that all that we really need?
Team Dabou
Alan with Texas and Ivory Coast Bishops
Road to Pepiniere
Pepiniere Site
Smiles
Hauling a Bale of Nets
Cute Boy with Nets
Handing Out a Net
November 12, 2008 Up at 5:00 am and down to breakfast. The staff said that it was scrambled eggs in the dish, but they needed a little more tanning – too white, so I waited for my omelet. We raced down the road to Dabou. I don’t know why our driver thinks he has to race, but he does. Our guard, with his AK-47, sat up front and laughed as we came within inches of motorcyclists and bikers. When we got to Dabou, we could not believe what we saw. The line of women and children was over 100 yards long down the highway! Yesterday, only about 50 women and kids were there at the opening, but good news travels fast. This site gave out almost 1000 nets today! I was so overcome with the poverty in my last blog, that I failed to describe my site. When you get about 100 yards off of the highway, it is jungle. The roads are deeply rutted, with small ponds in the road. Thatch roof houses. Open water wells. Piles of trash. Dusty. Smelly. Our “clinic” is a 7 ft. by 20 ft. patio, with the former outdoor bar as the work surface. Bloody gauze on the dirt covered tiles. Vitamin A formula spit up everywhere. Chickens running across the floor. Sanitary conditions for In the patio area adjoining the bar, a lady cleans “fresh” fish and frys them all day long. The “sweet” aroma of grease and fried fish fills the air. Volcanic ash floats by when she stokes the fire (she chops her own wood with an axe). If the wind direction changes, the trash mud hole in front our clinic smells delightful. Once today, I looked up and a small girl was using the restroom in the middle of the street. I hope you will come by the office and look at all of the photographs, it is unbelievable. Still, our mission is to save childrens’ lives, and we are doing that. Stephanie (associate pastor from Katy) and I gave out over 325 nets today. We hugged kids, comforted kids, held kids down for their vaccinations, played with kids, took photos of kids and showed them digital image and handed out malaria nets. Being there for those kids is also our mission. They will probably never see an American again, but they will remember all of us. Smiles and tears. Laughing and screaming. Fish and trash. Dirt and blood. It’s all God’s work and this week I am His hands. That’s cool…
Dabou Highway Distribution Site
Pepiniere Crowd on Day 2
Pepiniere Clinic
The "Eyes" Have It
Boy Next to a Typical Kitchen
Saving Lives
November 13, 2008 Today, I was assigned to the Today, we gave out over 250 nets. To date, I have given out over 1000 nets. With an average of 3 people per bed in I want to mention the Ivorian volunteers. There are over 800 Methodist volunteers, who have taken the week off to participate in this monumental vaccination and net campaign. They are sweating and working to save their fellow countrymen’s and childrens’ lives. The I want to tell you a story that happened at another site. They ran out of nets and vaccine and everyone was waiting for new supplies. One of our Aggie pastors went out into the courtyard and divided the kids into 2 groups. First, he had one side yell with the left hand and other side with the right hand. Mothers and kids were delighted. So, being a good Ag, he had one side yell, “Gig Em” and the other yell “Aggies”. More laughter from the crowd, even though they didn’t have a clue what they were saying. With such great success, he taught them to end the cheer with “Hulabaloo”. John, you would be proud. For lunch, the Dabou campaign director, took us to his UMC church. We dined under a cover patio, with a woven linen tablecloth and their china. Whole fish, casaba, white yams and hot sauce. Banana trees blew with the breeze on one side of the church grounds and a poverty-stricken village on the other. As we departed, I saw a home made of 1” tree branches woven about 6” apart with handmade mud balls smashed between the branches. A small boy bathed naked next to street at a community well. Tomorrow, we will go out to the small outlying villages with trucks. Nurses will take vaccine and we will have the nets. We will go hut-to-hut. Can’t wait. I want to share the most poignant moment of my trip… the reason that I came. I gave a net to the father of a young boy and said, “Dieur vous benise” (God bless you). The interpreter said that he answered, “Yours is a voice from Heaven, bless you”. Good night…
Methodist Hospital Campus
Methodist Hospital Site.
Vaccination Station.
Does He Take Duct Tape Everywhere?
Waiting in Line.
Banana Market on the Way to U'Lill
November 14, 2008 Today was the day! We drove to Dabou and met Eugene, the Dabou coordinator. He decided to send all of us to Ira (pronounced ear-a), a small village about 45 minutes away. The drive was beautiful with miles of palm tree plantations. We missed our cutoff and went too far. In a heavily vegetative area, there was a tree across the road. The guard chambered a round, turned off his safety and jumped out. The men’s scam was to bribe drivers to pay them to move the tree and/or rob them. We got through with our AK-47 passport. We made it back to the cutoff, where 4’ grass had hidden the sign. It was the poorest of poor. It was market day and lots of people were on the main road. When we got to the site, it was a school yard and the bus was mobbed by hundreds of children at recess. After a proper meeting with the principal and medical director, we got to work. This site team was happy to have our help. Lara gave injections and Stephanie held the kids. Oh yeah - I played soccer with about 50 kids! Some kids had a ball, so we went out and played. One kid tossed me the ball and I headed it back to him and the crowd went wild. They really laughed when I took one in the face. Our leader had to call me back to work. During lunch, I took a pic of the kids with a Gig Em, then a Hook Em and finally a LU. It’s easy being a cheerleader with African kids. (When the Aggie “cheerleader” arrived at his site this morning, the kids started yelling “gig em”. He loved it). When we left the site medical team thanked us and we took a team picture. It was great teamwork, even though we did not speak the same language. Interesting how that works, isn’t it? When the bus pulled out, dozens of kids ran by the bus to say goodbye until they couldn’t keep up. Today was so good because I knew that God, through my hands, was saving His children’s lives in PS -Please pray that the Air France pilots don’t strike on Sunday or I will be traveling to
Ira Kids Greeting the Bus.
Ira Site
Loading Syringes with Demonstration Net
Administering Measles Vaccination.
Ira Medical Team.
Pumping Water at Community Well
November 15, 2008 When I picked the baby up, he smiled. He had been laying on a mat with seven other babies at the Methodist Orphanage. I hadn’t held a baby that small in many years. As the child enjoyed being cuddled, I couldn’t help but wonder what his life had been like if he had been born in The facilities were grand by Dabou standards. The floors clean. A full garden in the back. Most interesting was the rabbit farm. They raised rabbits for their meat. It makes sense because rabbits multiply quickly and there are 46 children in the orphanage. About one month ago, the Methodist offered one wing to the Catholic Church for an orphanage for children with handicaps. It was so sad. A young nun gave us a tour. Before we left, we each took a child by the hand and made a circle. We sang Amazing Grace. Stephanie said a prayer in English and Kalumba said a prayer in French. We hugged each child good bye. It was very humbling. It was a very powerful moment. Our Nets work that morning was light compared to the previous days. We could not go to the outer villages, as planned, because we had to travel 1 ½ hours to the east of Speaking of armies, I forgot to mention an incident at the Ira village, yesterday. It was around noon when a white 2-door pickup raced up next to the tent where we were working. About 8 soldiers with guns jumped out of the truck and surrounded the tent. Just like in a Rambo movie. Yes, we were a little worried because our guards were not around. It got very loud when the medical director and his team explained to the soldiers that we were American doctors and nurses in the village to save the children. After what seemed an eternity, but was only a few minutes, the soldiers departed. We all looked at each other for a moment and then got back to work. Another day in We received a “net count” from PSI (distribution partner) late this afternoon. There were almost 3000 distribution sites (large and mobile) in the southeast quadrant. Tallies show that almost all of the nets that were received in port by Monday have been given out!!! Reports indicate that the sites with American Methodist volunteers had the best production and these sites were responsible for one-half of the total net distribution!!! It feels real good to tell you these numbers. Last night at our devotional meeting, we discussed where we had seen God that day. One of the observations was the sight of an older sibling bringing his younger brother or sister to the sites. They were always orderly and compassionate. Sometimes, even sweeter than some of the mothers. As fathers scraped to make a living and mothers worked and then prepared meals, these young people had to assume adult roles. Growing up is tough here, but their love for their younger siblings was evident. This love surely was God’s work and God’s plan. PS: Hopefully, the AirFrance pilots settle their strike. We will have to go to the airport for our 10:50 pm flight. Then, when the flight is cancelled, team members (one at a time) will start getting put on other airlines to get home. It will be a great adventure to get back to
"Rouge Bon Bon. Say, Ah."
Cute Kid.
November 16, 2008 We got to sleep a little later this morning, so I got up and ran another 4 miles in the parking lot. Todd and I did a little pre-packing and then headed down to the bus. We drove about one hour to the largest Methodist church in Grand Bassam. When we exited the bus, the choir was lining the sidewalk to the church and was singing to us. It was another God moment. The church is still under construction. It is a huge open-air facility, made entirely of concrete. The choir marched in to the accompaniment of small “jazz” band with bongo drums. God’s music and voices filled the air. Communion was given by both African and American pastors. It was another special service. We drove back to the We took the official team photograph and were escorted to our bus by a small band and our new brothers and sisters. Hugs, tears and good-byes for a week of sharing God’s love. We had a little rest before leaving the hotel at 6:00pm. It took 4 hours to get new flights, check our luggage and clear our passports. We had a 6.5 hour layover in When Chris and Steven opened the back door and gave me a hug, it had been over 32 hours since I left
November 20, 2008 – Final Thoughts What did I receive? What did I give? What did I learn? What will I do? I received Christ’s love. It came from my new brothers and sisters in Christ, both Texan and African. I had only met my fellow Texans once, and my new African friends at the hotel; but when came together in I gave Christ’s love. We came to save the lives of the I learned that it is our duty to serve in His name. There are people in need in What will I do now? I will share this story to all who will listen. I will ask people to find their niche - or maybe step out of their comfort zone. Find the place where they can serve in His name. I will let people know about the powerful mission work that the Thank you, Bob Shield for asking me to go to Thank you, Julie for giving me up for 11 days. Thank you, God for loving me and allowing me to share that love.
In Africa, a person dies every 30 seconds from malaria. The NothingButNets campaign hopes to stop this tragedy by distributing bed nets to the people of Africa. The UN Foundation, United Methodist Church and Sports Illustrated have teamed up to sponsor this program. For only $10 per net, you can save a family. The bed nets protect families from the deadly mosquitos and are made of insecticide-treated material that can keep a family safe for up to four years. Dr. Coleman will be representing the Trinity United Methodist Church at the initial distribution of malaria nets in Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Africa. The team of 40 will depart on November 7, 2008. The NothingButNets campaign will join the Red Cross Measles Initiative campaign, which provides measles vaccinations, vitamin A and anti-worm medications. You can save a life for only $10! Visit www.nothingbutnets.net to make a meaningful donation. Designate your donation to the Beaumont Texas Net Team. Dr. Coleman will blog the United Methodist Church's efforts on this website from November 7-17, 2008. |
