Today I signed up to go with a group to Missionaries of Charity, an organization founded by Mother Teresa which has missions all over the world. The one here in Sierra Leone is just a short drive down the road from the ship, so it didn't take long to get there. The mission is run by 4 sisters, who have taken a vow of poverty and care for the most destitute of the poor and sick. It isn't exactly a hospital, but one of the sisters is a nurse, and a doctor comes in weekly to prescribe medications. They have it set up into 3 wards: one for men, one for women, and one for mothers and babies. The people who live there have illnesses like malaria, HIV, TB, some are malnourished, some are developmentally delayed...
We were there for a couple of hours, which went by really quickly, but we had time to meet and visit with the men and women, cuddle a few babies, sing some songs, and do a craft with everyone. I received lots of smiles, hugs, and handshakes...and had a few good-natured laughs with the ladies when I attempted and failed to understand what they were saying. Ah, the ever-present challenges of a language barrier. ;-)
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