Pam Parish

Tuesday morning dawned bright & beautiful with the generator serving as my alarm clock at 5:00 a.m. Devotions were good, again, as we sang my favorite worship song, Chris Tomlin’s God of This City. I just love the lyrics…

You’re the God of this city
You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation
You Are

You’re the Light in this darkness
You’re the Hope to the hopeless
You’re the Peace to the restless
You are

For there is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City

I love the message of hope that I find for Sierra Leone within the words of that song. It’s so easy to lift it to the Lord as a form of worship and thanksgiving for His mighty works. Darrell lead the devotions with a stirring word about intercession. Reminding us that to pray and intercede means to stand in the gap and plead before God on behalf of someone else, much like the role a lawyer plays in a courtroom. I loved the analogy.

After breakfast, we headed out to the vans and jeeps to start our morning ride into Grafton. The plans for the day are to set up the Medical Clinic and Children’s Outreach and then those of us on the documentary team were heading into some of the camps to shoot footage and interviews with war victims.

We had plenty of time to enjoy one another’s company as we waited for one of the military jeeps to get started. The guys were trying to push start it, but it never cooperated. We just ended up cramming in tightly to our other vehicles for the ride. In the meantime, we kept ourselves busy taking pictures.

We arrived in Grafton and went straight to the location for the Medical Clinic & Children’s outreach… as we exited the bus and headed into the tent area, the sound of Children’s worship could be heard coming from inside the tents. Because we were running behind due to the jeep not starting, the teachers from Joshua International had already begun to lead the children in worship. I cannot tell you how precious it was to hear it. I captured some of it on my little point-and-shoot camera video…. excuse the moving as I tried to get closer, it’s really, really sweet.

(double-click the image to play the video)
(No graphic? You may need to download the Quicktime player.)

The Children’s team worked quickly to get the puppet stage up and begin to minister to the children. In short order, all was ready and the kids had a great time. I really enjoyed watching them as they listened to the puppet presentation. I loved the looks of concentration and enjoyment on their faces. Truly priceless. Shortly after the puppet presentation, the team rolled out a long strip of paper and began to paint the children’s hands and allow them to press their palm prints on the paper… they LOVED IT. To get a better shot of the finger painting, I circled around the crowd and just as I was coming up close on the other side, a girl about the age of 12 grabbed my arm and said, “I love you” - I was so touched and caught off guard by the moment that I just looked at her… after a second or two, I gathered my composure and said, “I love you, too.” Her smile lit up the room - wow. How often do we forget the power of those three words?

At the same time that the children were being ministered to, the Medical team was busy setting up the free clinic so that we could begin to see patients. There were already quite a few sick children waiting in the waiting area. It really touched my heart to see their faces - for most of them, they had not been able to see a doctor since the last time our team was here, a year ago. I began to understand the reality of their situation as I “snapped” their pictures and talked with them. It’s so hard for us to fathom not being able to go to a doctor when our child has diarrhea. And, even at that, diarrhea is so easily treatable here that we don’t even fear it… but to them, a case of diarrhea in their child most of the time means certain death because they have no way to stop the dehydration or know if it’s a sign of malaria. As I looked into their faces, the impact of what we were doing struck home. What could be more important than this? The practical love of Jesus….

After we got the medical clinic and children’s area up and running, those of us on the documentary team left to visit the Amputee & War Wounded Camps to conduct interviews.

Prior to coming on this trip, I had conducted countless hours of research, reading books, watching documentaries and reading everything I could find online about Sierra Leone’s civil war and the country’s current recovery status. I knew of the atrocities that had forever changed this country; including the RUF and a rogue faction of the Sierra Leone Army’s atrocious crimes of chopping off the limbs of thousands and thousands of people, killing mothers with their babies still on their backs, raping women, burning homes filled with people, cutting unborn children from their mother’s wombs and imprisoning young boys with drugs & manipulation to turn them into dangerous child soldiers. Knowing all of this, and more, I still wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was for meeting those affected face to face. I had seen sad things already, but nothing, absolutely nothing could prepare me for the stories of those I was about to meet and how they would forever impact my life.

(note: I didn’t write down any of their names because we had them say it and spell it for the camera, and since i’m blogging from my handwritten notes, I don’t have the names….. lesson learned, but please bear with me.)

The Amputee Camp

Those at the Amputee Camp were placed there by the government shortly following the war. Their lives irrevocably changed in an instant; I won’t even pretend to understand it. I simply don’t. Regardless of whether I understand it, it’s their reality. They don’t need my understanding, they need help; and, hopefully, this documentary will play a part in providing that…. with God’s grace…

As we arrived at the Amputee Camp and got off of the bus there was a little boy who came around the building and just stood in the grass looking at us. When I lifted my camera to take his picture, he broke into a huge smile. I just love this shot:

After taking that shot, I turned to find another curious little one checking out Craig’s video camera. It was so sweet….

Our first interview was with a gentlemen who had his arm crudely amputated with a machete during the war. When the rebels entered Freetown he was working at a Canteen and left to go look for his elderly mother. He was captured and they amputated his arm. As we sat down in his humble home to conduct his interview, Joan helped to button his shirt and Craig worked to get him mic’d. I was reminded of how I take for granted having all of my limbs, I can’t imagine what it’s like to live the rest of life needing help with even the most mundane tasks. I was moved by his willingness to share his story with us.

After finishing the interview, we left his home for our next interview. This time, with the council of the Amputee Camp. In each place that we went to, within Grafton and even in Freetown, we encountered a “council” for that location. These were community-selected leaders who make decisions and seek help for their community. It is a custom, which we followed, to ask the council for permission prior to filming, taking pictures or even touring their area. In the case of our Grafton interviews at the various camps, the local Police commander had gone before us to secure the interviews and ask permission for our presence. It really is amazing the amount of support Joan has within the local government and the people… they know that she’s truly there making a difference and not just exploiting their pain.

As we walked to the location for the next shoot, I saw this sweet little girl coming down between two homes and couldn’t resist snapping her picture:

The Amputee Camp council consisted of four people, one woman and three men; all who had been amputated during the war. We conducted the interview with the sweet lady in the wheelchair. The common language in Sierra Leone is Krio, a mixture of English, French, Portuguese, etc. If you listen long enough (and they don’t talk too fast) you can pick up most of what they are saying. As this precious lady began to tell her story, not a single member of our team moved a muscle. We were completely spellbound. I was caught off guard by the horrifying details of her story (many of which I didn’t hear in full because of the language barrier).

(note: the version of the story below is what I understood and was able to document following the interview. A complete version is recorded on video and will be released when the documentary is ready. There are many, many details which I’m sure I did not capture. But what I did understand and capture forever changed me.)

During the invasion of Freetown, she worked as a server in a place that served police and military. When the rebel forces invaded they took the place captive, lining the men up on one side and the women on the other. They announced that they were going to kill all of the men (about 30 men altogether), which they did, as the women watched. As she stood watching with her seven month old on her back, she knew the fate that awaited her and/or her child - death, rape, forced sexual slavery, mutilation - so she made a quick decision to run. As she prepared to run, a rebel soldier saw her and captured her. He told her that since she thought she could run - he would change that and she would never be able to run again. Throwing her to the ground, he cut off both of her legs with an axe. She would lay in that spot for three days without help, to the point that worms were crawling from the wounds on her legs. At one point she reached the point of death, praying to God that he would save her, and her child.

Help did come, and I wasn’t able to capture all of the details of how because my mind was still trying so hard to wrap itself around what I had just heard. I had read these stories, I knew that these things had happened, but to watch as this strong, courageous women told her story, allowing only one solitary tear to come before she wiped it away in frustration, was heart wrenching. I watched as even those on the council were visibly moved as she recounted the horrifying events that had befallen her.

I witnessed Sierra Leone’s great sadness on this day; getting a first-hand glimpse of the wounds that run so deeply and the quiet strength that hold the welling tides of emotions at bay. This combination of sadness and strength are at the same time admirable and scary; because under the sometimes thin, sometimes thick veil of strength, I sense a great fear and animosity for all that has befallen them. It is my prayer that as the new government continues to bring stabilization back to the country that they find a way to provide healing for the thousands of precious people still suffering silent wounds on their hearts and spirits.

During our time in the Amputee Camp, I made a new friend. His name is John. John began to follow me almost from the minute we entered the camp. I talked to him quite a lot, but never got him to tell me anything more than that his name was John. He would stand quietly off to my side, not saying a word, and then when I turned to look at him, his face would light up in a brilliant, beautiful smile. As we pulled away from the camp, down a long dirt road toward the main road, I looked out the back window to discover John still trailing our van. I motioned for Joan to look and she immediately stopped the van and asked me if I had any food because, at this point, she suspected that the boy was hungry. I had a granola bar in my backpack and she handed me 5000 Leones (the equivalent of about $1.50) to give him. I motioned for him to come to my window and as I handed him his gifts, the smile on his face could have lit up a thousand houses. I tried to quickly capture it, I missed the moment with my camera - but it’s forever engraved upon my spirit and heart.

I still think of John often and pray that God is caring for him. One day, I hope to return and find out how he is…

The War Wounded Camp

Those at the War Wounded Camp were also placed there by the government following the war; everyone carrying scars both physical and emotional. The most shocking thing to me about the War Wounded Camp were the tents, stretching quite a way down the road - housing hundreds and hundreds of families. The shocking thing wasn’t just the sheer number of families calling these tents home, but also the fact that these tents were placed here nearly a decade ago by World Relief as a temporary shelter. I was at the same time appalled that the tents, after nearly a decade, hadn’t yet been replaced by more permanent structures and amazed at how well cared for they were… while they were dirty and, I’m sure, not as bright white as they had been when new, they are in remarkably good condition. These families had turned these humble, temporary living conditions into “home” and, for that and many other reasons, I have the utmost respect and admiration for them.

As we stepped out of our vehicle to begin filming, the first things we saw were simple aspects of daily life. I loved the small bowl of “sweets” that was sitting out with chicks running around it; a simple family’s way of earning money by selling these small treats. We also had the privilege of watching the looming process for making blankets, clothing and more. It’s a long, tedious task that takes patience; the result is a beautiful piece of material that will provide warmth and comfort to its owner.

The next thing I noticed, as with every other place we visited in Sierra Leone, was the children. I couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures of their precious faces.

As in the Amputee Camp, we sat with the council for the War Wounded Camp to capture their story. We heard from several of them during our interviews; pointing out wounds on their bodies that were obvious and talking with us about the wounds on their hearts that aren’t so visible. The stories, so similar, are tales of horrifying abuse at the hands of the rebels, lives changed irrevocably and a hope for the future that’s easy to share with them.

Across the street from the War Wounded camp is a small house where a young teen girl and her family lives. The teen girl came to the attention of Joan and Joshua International within the last year because she had a large growth on her breast which turned out to be a tumor. Without intervention, certain death awaited this young lady. As with most, there was no way her family could afford to get her the treatment necessary to save her life. Joan raised the money and provided the much needed medical care. Our visit was to check on her progress and to congratulate her on her recovery. Certainly a bright spot in our day. I snapped a few pictures as we prayed for her and visited with the family. On the porch of their small house, they had a little set up to sell the items grown from their small garden.

At this point in the post, it’s still only 3:00 in the afternoon and we haven’t even had lunch… still much to write …. sorry readers, but I’m going to have to do a Day 4 Part II… this post is just way too long. :) …

Transformed by each day,

Pam Parish

Click here to read Day 4 - Part 2

Read my journey from the beginning:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3