It felt so special to be back to Sierra Leone after 12 years. It was as beautiful as i remember and i saw River number 2 when I flow in to the airport and suddenly lots of memories came back. All lovely friends I met then, food and fellowship along the beaches but the thing who always have the biggest inpact on me is to witness blind people recive sight. It always feels like a miracle everytime and I can’t really understand what inpact it has personally, I can only imagine what it can be like to go from blindness to see again. We know it inpact not only the individuals, it inpact the family, church and the community.
I landed and the flight was plessent and nice after a pretty much straight way to Freetown. I payed the security pass and found the house outside the gate to check in to the bus who should take me to the boat. I took the seat next to a young lady and it was storm outside and lots of rain. I was glad to find my raining cost on the top of my bag and checked in my big bag and saw it more later that night.
When we came to the boat station, the storm was really heavy and the waves was pretty big. The boat tryed to come closer to the dock four times but the waves was to big to keep the boat stabile enought for us to go onboard. They decide to take our bags on a smaller boat and we asked for more some information and they told us to wait for the wind to calm down. It felt like I only know one who can calm the sea. Jesus, can you comr and help us?. They finally decide to come im with the boat and load all passangers after two hours. We went out on the long wooden dock and they took us one and one. Two person lead me the last bit, to the rocky floating dock on the end where the entry to the boat was. I observe that some passengers really like to turn around when lots of water from the waves came over us and when they saw the floating rocky dock. When i was standing there, I saw 4 seaman on a line and they took my hand and led me in to the boat safe. One follow me all the way to my seat in the front of the boat. We took off and it was a 40 minutes trip to the other sid. It was extremely rocky and i saw many people was really seasick. I kind of enjoyed the adventure but didn’t enjoy to see the some others not feeling good. I offer my hand to someone next to me who was really neevous and scared.
Judith and Ella came and picked me up on the other side and it was lovely to see them and stand on solid land again. A driver drow us to the team house in Aberdeen where i spend my time off work during this weeks here.
I was in Freetown for three weeks to work with Mercy Ships patient selection team as an eye nurse to se different eye problems and select the patients we can help. It is a big job and sometime very emotional when we need to say no, but this job also includes to pray for the broken and sometimes also cry together and ask God for a way forward. I witness many patients with very late stage of Glaucoma, it was very bad news for some and we can’t do anything without a miracle from God.
We was looking for bilateral cataract and we founded many blind who couldn’t see at all and came together with a cargiver, sometimes a young child who can’t go to school because of his care for a blind in the family.
It was big days but it really filled my heart to be here to help in this process, so they later can go to the ship for surgery. Mercy Ships goal is to restore vision and it is what I love to be a part of and why I come back.
Blessing to you all!
/ Anneli
Mercy Ships Anneli 