A mixed bag

Excuse us. We've not been on the net since last year. The new year story we wanted to post couldn't be posted because the internet was playing up and now we're already in April! 

Plenty has happened since last year - Mama, who we mentioned in our last blog, tragically lost her son Jean to malaria. The National Women's Evangelical Church Conference was held in Macenta with some 4,000 women in attendance. We returned to the UK for three weeks (a very intense time) and an outbreak of Ebola occurred in the southeast of Guinea where we are based, spreading to other places in-country.

Sunday service during the Women's conference

A full conference room, decorated by children who play on our mission compound

Ladies in their finest also had to sleep outside full dormitories because of record numbers in attendance 

Preparing rice for some 4,000 delegates

With regards to Ebola, in mid-March whilst in the UK, we received the devastating news that the head of the laboratory at the Medical Centre, Dr Samba Keita, had died suddenly in a taxi whilst travelling to N’Zerekore, the capital of the region, a couple of hours away. At first, it wasn’t clear what the cause of death was, then after some thorough investigations linking him to other recent deaths, it became clear that it was Ebola. The Medical Centre was in shock. We were in shock. There’s one thing of mourning the death of a colleague and a friend, but another to consider wherever or not you’ve been infected with the same virus and could die similarly. Members of staff who had simply done their duty and had handled Dr. Samba’s body with loving care, then underwent a gruelling 21-day wait, the time it takes for someone to be given the all clear from the virus. Thanks be to God that no other member of staff was infected and praise Him that not one single member fled from the situation to somehow escape, a real testimony of courage, love and dedication to the population. 

A real gentleman: Dr Samba Keita, former head of the Laboratory 

Quite naturally, the whole country has been gripped with fear and some bordering countries have shut their frontiers. The health authorities are fighting against false rumours concerning how the virus is passed on and how to protect oneself and informing the population of the appropriate hygiene measures to take. During his brief absence, Eric had left Dr. Samba in charge of leading the morning staff meetings. “I’ll remember Samba with much fondness. You could depend on him, he was a kind man, sociable, a natural leader and diplomatic. The Medical Centre has lost a key figure.”  Samba’s wife, who was in her last month of pregnancy at the time of his passing, has since given birth to a healthy baby boy, Samba. Please remember this family and for all the other families touched by this disease. 

Christmas doorstep deliveries!

Here in Macenta, we have a regular flow of doorstep vendors who sell mainly foodstuffs - bananas, oranges, lemons, bread, chickens, deer...There's Mama, who comes with her young son Jean strapped to her back at least twice a week. We can make an order with her and she'll bring it usually without any problems. 

We live in a Christianised part of the country where people happen to eat pork. Christmas is a busy time for farmers that are killing pigs left, right and centre. This morning, after Mama left, two chaps arrived with a wheelbarrow with its contents covered in banana leaves. A quick reveal showed masses of pieces of fresh pink pork meat, £1.40 a kilo, nice. One of the guys rummaged around with his bare hands, looking for the bits Sarah had asked for. She bought one kilo (scales bought also) consisting of ribs with the fat cut off.  She proposed they’d wash their hands with soap and water before moving onto the next client...

Rest in Peace, Mama Mariam

We have some extremely sad news to share. Our dear housekeeper, Mama Mariam, passed away on Sunday after a long illness. She was 57. She had a heart problem that was being well managed with medication but was complaining of a stomach problem for many weeks before she died. It’s true that for her, life has been far from easy. Married twice, abandoned by both husbands, she has been the sole breadwinner for her nine children (including two sets of twins) and other dependants. She had worked for the Mission Philafricaine for several decades, seeing many missionaries come and go. For us and for the Pfister family before us, she was a precious pearl for us, not only a cook or washer of clothes, but an extremely wise and loving woman, with whom we, I (Sarah) in particular, could have some very open and frank conversations. Through the years, we saw her love and respect deepen for us and our household – including Rowan our cat, to the arrival of Gabriel, whom she cared for tenderly. When Gabriel and I visited Mariam around two weeks ago, she’d been off work for more than a month. She was touched that Gaby instantly recognised her again and desired to be sat on her lap! She didn’t know that he had started to walk in her absence! She was so happy to see him take steps with confidence. She managed 100m to accompany us when we were leaving. With her warm smile, she waved us off. That was the last we saw of her alive. She was buried on Monday, in a very emotional ceremony, with perhaps more than 300 people there. She was president of the women in the local church for some years, a mediator called to help diffuse family conflicts. She was a woman who loved reading the bible and loved God.

Good memories: Mariam with Gaby

Her daughter Anne, had taken on some of her responsibilities working for us here. It’s clear that she will be regarded as the main breadwinner and will perhaps start to receive demands from relations for financial support. It’s a very sensitive situation and we pray that Anne manages it with maturity and patience.

Mariam with Sonja her granddaughter and Gaby

Rest in peace, Mariam, and rise in glory. Our prayers extend to her children and grandchildren.

Update 2 - Violence in the Forest Region - a time of calm

We apologise for the late postings here on our blog. Our network is very slow and navigating our way round, especially attempting to upload photos, is quite taxing. We often have to give up and leave and attempt at a later time.

Again, to those who have prayed, sent messages and have called, we thank you. We have informed people here that people ‘over there’ - you - are praying for peace and that gives some comfort.

The latest news:

A non-aggression pact had been signed between the traditional chiefs of the Konyake and Kpelle but certain parties had complained as this had been carried out before any investigations into the events leading to the violence had been completed.

The Konyake people suffered heavily in the fighting. Rumours have been circulating that after the Eid celebrations, the Konyake will launch revenge attacks against the Kpellé. Naturally, people here are worried and are trying to stock up on foods and other items.

Among the Guerzé who are animist, people are increasing their faith in witchcraft as a means of protection. One Christian Guerzé brother reported that he’d seen lots of people with little cuts over their bodies as this form of cutting is done to protect the body from bullets if invaders come. Some Guerzé Christians have been pressurised to submit to these practices.

Dr. Loua who was killed in Beyla, had apparently chosen to stay and defend his property and confront the bandits instead of fleeing.

A peace delegation from the capital Conakry toured the region, consisting of the Prime Minister and senior Islamic and Catholic representatives.

On Sunday 4 August, President Condé visited Nzerekore and has met with the wounded and bereaved.

Who are the Konyake?

A population of nearly 130,000 people who are involved in running businesses and in farming in the Forest region (Beyla, Nzerekore, Macenta, Lola and Kerouane) who follow Islam and animistic practices.

Who are the Kpelle?

A population of nearly 310,000 (of whom 8,000 are Christian) located in the Forest region, around the border with Liberia. A proud people involved in farming and cattle rearing who are for the most part animist.

Update - Violence in Forest Region

Thanks for your supportive messages during this difficult time. The tension has by no means gone away and the town of Nzerekore still has a heavy military presence. Some shops have reopened but it seems that many people are still afraid to venture out, for fear of being attacked. More than 60 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded in the clashes.

Just a few short stories on how people we know have lived through this:

Augustine, Mariam’s son (the lady who works as our house help), lives in Koulé, the town where the violence started. As the situation there deteriorated, Augustine wanted desperately to return to Macenta but found that the route was blocked off. He’d even thought about returning by foot through the bush, a 50-mile journey, but was advised that it was too dangerous and to cautiously wait for the road to open. He arrived by motorbike on Friday morning, much to the relief of his mother and the rest of the family.

Pastor Jacob from Macenta was attending a Sunday school workshop at the main evangelical church in Nzerekore when a group of people burst into the grounds, brandishing rifles and machetes. The attendees fled for their lives, leaving their motorbikes, computers and other materials for the Sunday school workshops that were going to be held this month. Fortunately all attendees survived but two women were beaten up. All of the materials for the workshop were destroyed. The assailants entered into the church and set fire to pews and two houses on the compounds were burnt. The national Sunday school coordinator who had been leading the workshop and had fled to Macenta, bravely returned to Nzerekore to accompany these two women to their village.

In Beyla, Dr Loua, a government doctor and regular collaborator with our mission, was pursued and killed for being a Kpelle (Guerzé).

This testing time has given rise to discussions on us being agents of God’s peace, and as Christians, how to react to those who want to incite racial hatred. Tensions are high. Within the Christian community, racist language is being used. We’ve heard how the Christian community has been affected but not much information from other points of view.  Be with us in prayer for the bereaved, for the violence to stop and for these communities to get to the root of their grudges and work towards reconciliation. Pray also for Christians to exhibit what Romans 12:9-21 describes, the marks of a true child of Christ, so that others around them see the difference. Please, don’t forget Guinea!

Violence in Forest Region

We ask that you be with us in prayer for a situation that has occurred over the last 24 hours. In a village called Koule (the village of former coup leader Moussa Dadis Camara), about 40km from Nzerekore, the capital of the Forest Region, conflict was reported yesterday between the Konyanke (Malinke) and the Kpelle (Guerze) people groups. It was reported that a Konyanke robbed a gas station during the night and was killed. His relatives came and ransacked the gas station, setting off an inter-ethnic fight. Several people were wounded and shops closed. 

The violence continued today in Nzerekore and Koule, with reports of as many as 11 dead and some 50 injured and the conflict has also spread to the town of Beyla, the centre of the Konyanke people. Some homes, stores, and houses of worship (churches and mosques) are reported to have been vandalized or burned - the central evangelical church in Nzerekore and the church in Beyla have been burnt down. A pastor and his family have had to flee for their lives. There have been reports that the main route into the capital has been blocked off. The prefect of Nzerekore has established a night-time curfew from 18H to 6H. The patriarch (town elder) of Nzerekore, who was hurt in the clashes and rumoured to have died, is reported to have spoken on the radio and called for calm. The president has addressed the nation, also calling for calm. 

We ask you to pray for a stop to this violence so that peace can prevail. We’ve had contact with people who are situated in the midst of all this and they as you can imagine, are scared for their lives. Pray for the Christians to be peacemakers in the face of this tragedy, and for intense efforts at reconciliation between the Konyanke and Kpelle, two groups that are renowned for these skirmishes. That people are able to return to a certain ‘normality’ as soon as possible.

With our blessings and thanks,

Eric, Sarah and Gabriel

Eric and Medical Centre on film

In June, we had the joy of welcoming Pascal Machefer, pastor and communications representative from Leprosy Mission France. He had an intense filming schedule with Eric at the Medical Centre, with a focus on patient care and rehabilitation. In the day-to-day running of the Centre, it’s so easy to underestimate the work being undertaken here but Pascal’s visit was a huge encouragement. It’s good to have visitors come with new, fresh eyes on the work carried out. He hopes to do an exhibition of photos in Paris. It was his first visit to an African country and he thoroughly valued his time spent here. Pray that the films and the photos would be successfully and tastefully edited to highlight how the people living with leprosy are living positively and also show how the Medical Centre is of strategic importance to the Guinean health service.