Friday, March 20, 2009

Packing up supplies to ship to Sierra Leone


Click on the play arrow above to watch video.


Liz, Aleica, Kelsay and I packed up several boxes of supplies


to ship to Sierra Leone.



We had a variety of things to ship: household supplies, some foods, Easter gifts for the Kabala Students, over- the- counter medications, as well as hospital supplies. The items came from all over the country.



Little Kelsay was so excited about hugging the boxes so that when James opens them up he will

also receive a hug - as well as the supplies.


It was a long day, sorting all the many items, labeling, packing

and closing up the boxes.


USPS Priority allows you 20 pounds per box ...so we crammed (and I mean crammed!)

each box to the last ounce so that every box was filled to the brim.




Then came the chore of taping it up

so that the box doesn't pop open (since it is stuffed so full) during its long travel.



One of the ladies from the church, named Arlene, brought in some dolls




that she had in her collection to give to the children living around St. Laurence House.



Even Chase, the border collie got in on the action (photo below, Chase is monitoring Aleica's work progress)

-keeping a keen eye on us, making sure we kept busy at our work.



A real working sheep dog, Chase stayed right with us until the work was done, herding us back to our work if we strayed from the area.



Finally, all the boxes are packed and ready to make the journey to Freetown. ....well...almost


...except for the one in which Liz tried to ship herself to St. Laurence House....

Only thing left to do is to PRAY the boxes' way clear to Sierra Leone. I pray that the hearts of the those who come in contact with these boxes prior to James' receiving them, considers the plight of the poor and that they do everything they can to speed the arrival to their proper destination.

Important Note: Nazareth House regularly ships hospital supplies to Sierra Leone. Periodically we also collect o-t-c medications and supplies to send to St. Laurence House for distribution.

However, we are very precise as to the times and items in which we send. It is very cost prohibitive to ship to Sierra Leone. We must send the hospital supplies. To use up all the box space and not to waste poundage (the Post Office charges the same amount for a box whether the box weighs 2 ounces or 20 pounds!); we add other items to go along with the hospital supply.

However, because of the high cost of shipping please do not send items to our headquarters in Louisville for shipping to Sierra Leone without first contacting us.

Many everyday items can be purchased in Freetown for the needs of the people. At this point feeding, sheltering, and providing medical aid are the most critical needs - to do this, we depend on financial donations. Education for the betterment of the lives of the people is equally important, for this we must also depend on financial donations. Please continue your support. If you haven't committed to monthly contributions, please consider doing so today. Change a life, bring on a smile, make a difference.