We were on the bus at 7:50 am and headed to the mission for breakfast. We had all our luggage with us as we checked out of the hotel. The luggage was left at the mission for safekeeping while we headed off to Gorée Island. For those who have been to Senegal before, we again commented on how the country is making great strides forward with better roads, better buses, new buildings and later this year a new international airport.
We went to the port and got there just in time to catch the 10:00 ferry. It took 20 minutes to travel out past big ocean going ships to the small Gorée port. A hired guide took most of the team on a tour of the isle while Mary and Paul did data entry from yesterday's clinic, sipping on Coke Zeros at a restaurant. The whole team would later join them there for lunch. There are a lot of cats roaming the small island.
Goree was occupied by the Portuguese, English, and French before becoming independent in the 1960's. It was the most important slave trading port during the 18th and 19th centuries as it is the closest point of Africa. As many as 10 million slaves departed Africa for the Americas through what is called "the door of no return." We walked to the highest point on the island to view some embattlements, now defunct. Bartering for souvenirs and art work with peddlers/vendors went into high gear and continued through lunch. Members were constantly bombarded by sales requests. It could be both entertaining to watch and most annoying when they focused on you. The art of bartering was quickly developed by most members of our troupe. Most learned to bid a first counter offer of a tenth to a third of the first mentioned price and negotiate from there. On Gorée we also visited the church, police station, governors house and other ancient buildings built during the 15th to 20th centuries. It is now a declared world heritage site.
We returned to Dakar and went to the downtown market area stopping at an apparel shop. It was a bit overwhelming with the close quarters and numerous salesmen. Men were scattered throughout the stacks of cloth items using sewing machines and another ten men sat in a corner watching a soccer match. The shop partially cleared with a Muslim call to prayer led to many of the workers going outside to line up to bow in prayer. A number of items were purchased by team members.
We then went to a market that featured woodwork, drums and more. A less confining environment provided a more positive experience for bartering. One final stop at Samba's store who sold cloth goods.
Tired from shopping we returned to the mission for final packing and a beautiful several course meal with four wondrous cheesecakes for dessert. The meal was an expression of gratitude from the Senegal mission. We were complimented for our expertise, a positive and problem solving team spirit which other teams could learn from, and a laughing, serving spirit given in the name of Jesus Christ. We noted some of the Theis people called Dr Strong the "miracle doctor" due to relief they experienced. it is a marvel what an injection or the right med can do. As Sue commented, we won't let that go to his head. The team is most grateful for his humble leadership, knowledge, and willingness to teach others.
We took time for further group refections with the Senegal staff who had worked so hard with us and had a time for celebrating each person's contributions to this most successful mission trip. We are thankful for PJ (aka grandpa) Metz's care of people during heights and weights/BMI, and floride application, Pastor Paul' flow and crowd control and overall administration of the trip. Kat was our triage and wound care nurse who would remind us to center our souls when things got harried, Nicole and Katy were our mainstay vital & thorough history taking nurses who had patience, smiles, and an amazing ability to function like veterans amidst their first medical mission trip. Morley was "mom" and a most knowledgeable French interpreter who brought out the best in others and was the rock of the Ohioan's. Donna was our other French translator and she practiced hospitalit hospitality with the children and helped kept things flowing well. Sue was the first smiling face of the pharmacy and her gentle warm presence made fluoride treatments an act of grace. Mary was the Senegal veteran in the pharmacy who taught others the Senegal bagging process and taught everyone the meaning of dedication. Rob was a gift to the team and to all we served. It was a joy to have a registered pharmacist who could intelligently and compassionately manage the department which included three mission staff in addition to our own. Just watch out for his quiet humor.
The mission staff who worked with us included Chistine treasurer of the mission and Wolof translator, Missionary Bill BMI man and his spouse Gwen, the legs of the pharmacy. Paulette, pharmacy translator and instructor to all patients on taking meds. Dr Galle of the mission (who could sing like a nightingale ), Nurse Practitioner Andre (also sang with Donna) provided medical care with Doc Strong. David Makobu, the Ag agent for the mission assisted in translation and transport services. His wife, Solange, assisted in the pharmacy. The prison ministry was lead by N'daye Fatou Diouf. John was our mission driver and baggage handler. In the kitchen was Martine and Awa. The rental van driver, Masila. There was Mama Kiné, the seamstress, and many more who made our trip a success.
We learned that we had ministered to 858 persons at our six clinics.
We praised God for the blessings we were able to share, acknowledging the support we received from everyone back home. Thank you everyone!
We shared in a service of Holy Communion and bade farewell to all the staff. We had one last blessing to offer. After all expenses were paid we still had team money left over. We allocated those funds to provide food for the feeding centers and prisons, to restock some items from the mission clinic pharmacy, to pay for three operations for persons we encountered (about $200 per operation). We added a gift to the agricultural program at Pointe Serane, and helped support the new vehicle fund to replace the present mission van which cannot be taken out of town due to age and wear (they rented a van for our clinics). We also tipped the mission staff who had served and worked with us the long hours, many of whom receive monthly salaries of just over $100 per month. We felt great blessing in being able to bless others.
We loaded the van one final time and bade farewell to to Senegal. Obtaining tickets went easy. Departure customs and security involved some long lines which afforded some good conversation time. Security did involve a pat down in public and a full luggage search. We were glad to get through that and immediately boarded buses which took us to the plane. We all are looking forward to warm showers to wash away the sand that has found its way into every pore and orifice. The ride across the Atlantic had some bumpy moments. We rested as we could on the almost nine hour flight to Washington D.C.
We are so thankful for this experience. Again thank you to all. We will add more later but are quite tired after a full day followed by an all night flight. Keep us in your prayers as we complete the final legs of our journey. Note Arizona Kat won't get home until after dark tonight. Being home with family and friends is most on our hearts. Then we will all rest and clean up and do lots of laundry. And we all have stories to share with you. Blessings and auvoire.
Paul with contribution by Jeff
No comments:
Post a Comment