September 22, 2007

Greetings from Liberia!

I hope everyone had a nice summer and is now back to the fall schedules with school and church activities. I have had to become careful about using these seasonal terms here in a country where all they know is the dry season and the rainy season. Where we have a spring and fall semester in colleges, they have the semesters named by the month that the semester begins. Summer school is called ‘vacation’ school. It is just one of those small adjustments to the culture.

But now, because lam writing to friends at home I can say that it has been a busy summer! I was hoping for a bit of a rest after a busy spring semester teaching and having administrative duties for the school of nursing but that didn’t happen.

In July two visitors, Rev. Edward White and Dr. Solomon Christian, came who are with an organization called Dental Care for the World. They are based out of Memphis, Tenn. In August they sent two Liberians, as well as 2 from Sierra Leone and one from Kenya, to India to train as dental nurse practitioners. These are people who are already nurses but will be further trained to do cleanings, simple filings and extractions. There are only 3 dentists hi Liberia and they are in Monrovia so throughout the country there is a great need for people knowledgeable in dental care. Once the two are trained they will come back to the Ganta and then in conjunction with the school of nursing train other dental nurse practitioners. This then will become one of the two training centers for West Africa.

Besides all the activity surrounding the visit from Rev. Ed and Dr. Solomon and sending the two students off to India, the school s course outline was rewritten and a new student handbook published. The new course outline reflects the three year program which leads to an Associate Degree in Nursing. The new handbook has the new course outline plus states the academic standards that need to be maintained and the disciplinary actions taken for students who cheat on tests, plagiarize or make medicine errors while in training. The previous handbook was interesting to read because back when it was written the school provided meals for the students and gave students monthly stipends! And at one time if a student failed in one nursing course they could be dismissed from the program. The times have changed!

Now we have completed registration for the September semester. We have only 59 students compared to 99 students last semester. We can take 80 comfortably. The low number reflects the change in the course outline which now has the first year students taking their prerequisite courses through United Methodist University in Monrovia.. Next year enrollment will be up again, I m sure.

This year the school of nursing has a good core of instructors so that I will only be teaching one full-time course, Pediatric Nursing, and co-teaching Psychiatric Nursing. That will make life much easier than last semester when I taught 3 courses. I will continue to perform most of the administrative duties while the Dean of the School is taking courses to get his masters degree. I hope to have more time to be active in the Miller McAlister Church where I attend.

One area of the church I where I have become active is helping with the choir. The church has two choirs: one that consists of older women who sing traditional songs using the local language, rhythms and melodies. The other is a group of about 15 young adults who sing m English. Now those of you who have heard me sing will be laughing and wondering how this could happen! But the story is that the previous choir advisor, and also the District Superintendent’s wife, died from an infection called Lassa fever. This is a disease carried by rats, and fatal unless treated early and aggressively with an expensive medicine called Riboviron. This illness is found only in localized areas in Africa, this part of Liberia being one of them.

When I first got here, she asked me if I could help them learn the hymns in the UM hymnal. They usually sing praise and worship songs they hear on the radio or CDs because no one can sight read music. I agreed to help but unfortunately, the first six months I was here I was too busy to work with them. Now with a lighter teaching schedule I can fulfill my promise. They learn songs by listening to and memorizing the melody and words. So, I go to part of their choir practice and sing the melody of a hymn a few times so they can start to learn it. I also work with one person individually who learns it well so that when we next meet as a group she can be the ‘lead singer’. They work out the harmony themselves. We also tape just the melody for future reference. It is really quite amazing and fun to work with them.

I will make a plea for any one interested in working with the choir for any length of time to come to Liberia! They are very receptive to learn new material of any kind. Also, several people have expressed interest in learning the keyboard, if any one knows that. There is an organ in the church but I have never seen it used.

There are two other big needs that I can mention while writing to you. One is a desperate need for doctors for the hospital. We had four doctors but this month two left so now we are down to two and one of them runs the eye clinic. The facility consists of an 80 bed hospital, 2 surgical suites, and an outpatient clinic. It would be basic, general medicine; we have no fancy technology. For example, we have an X-ray machine but no ultrasound machine. Surgery is done under ketamine and morphine. As I said - basic. Need an unusual vacation? Retired and bored? This is the place to come! Any doctor interested in spending any amount of time to help out would be greatly appreciated.

The other plea is for assistance with renovating some of the buildings that were damaged during the war. Two of the dorms are slowly getting repaired while the students are living in them. Leaky roofs, replacement window screens and hanging bathrooms doors are some minor projects. Another building, that could be used for the boys dorm is not habitable; there is just too much work that needs to be done so the male students must live in local housing. So, VIM teams are welcome! It would be nice for several churches to work together to send a team since it would be a big undertaking. If anyone is interested please write me at seporter29@yahoo.com. I will try to find one person to coordinate this ... any offers?! Below you will see pictures of the building that needs work

The verse that speaks to me how as I write is Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, ,to those we are called according to his purpose." This is on my heart because of you There are so many needs in the world and you are there giving in so many ways You are there with your prayers. You are there with your financial support. I wrote about some of the things that have been accomplished but the list would be a lot longer if I wrote of all that has been done. It is only through your love and caring; your pouring back out the love that God has so richly blessed you with, that so much can be done.

Well, all for now. Blessings to you all and I am sorry for not writing sooner.. I do think of you often and am so thankful for your support and prayers. You do help me to keep going.

In Christ s Service,

Sue

Advance number: 013929

Address:

Sue Porter

% Liz Livermore

4 Meadow Mist Court

Reisterstown, MD 21136