Random notes & updates from NHA.

It is fitting that so soon after Kadijah suffers at the hands of bad pharmaceuticals in Freetown that AllAfrica.com prints this story:

click here to read article

SalonePost has finally come through for us and delivered 6 boxes to James. We've been waiting for these boxes for quite sometime.

This will enable James and Kadijah to make a delivery to Kroo Bay of much needed medical supplies! We are so thankful for the cooperation of Salone Post.

Its been a while and I'm not sure what all is in the boxes but James will report as soon as he opens, sorts and distributes. If you had sent medication recently, chances are it will be in these shipments.

Fr. Seraphim is not completely back to health, but he is making improvement. Slowly but surely, it seems the "feeling better" times are making a good try at interrupting the "feeling worse" times. A good sign. He was able to eat a bit more yesterday. He is drinking plenty of water and the color in his face is better. We thank you for the continued prayers. As I have said many times before - they are the wings for NHA.

We are falling behind on payments to the contractor and he is unable to make progress on the finishing of the NHA Compound. You see, he isn't a rich man. He depends on our payments to buy the materials to complete the construction of the Compound. Every penny he receives from us, he adds more to the structure. Since we haven't been able to make a payment in a few weeks; he has not been able to buy the materials and pay the workman. If at all possible, we ask you to make a donation towards the purchase of the NHA Compound very soon ...and in turn enable us to further its completion. Please prayerfully consider our plea. The continued and expanded work of Nazareth House depends on God as He expresses Himself through your prayers, compassion and generosity. Please give today.

NHA Compound Fund

2216 Goldsmith Lane

Louisville, KY 40218

or

via the PayPal Donation Link on the website

www.nazarethhouseap.org

Dear Friends,
We thank you for your continued prayers. It seems that malaria is making its rounds with our staff on both sides of the ocean. Kadijah is now making great strides in recovery but Fr. Seraphim is still down with it. It has been a rough go and we're not expecting much improvement for a few days. This has been the hardest hit of malaria on either of them. Your prayers are so very important to us and to Nazareth House Apostolate. Please keep them up.

We are sorry for the gap in Blog Posts, bear with us as we tend to getting everyone better. Thank you.

Mako's NHA School Report for this week

From Kabala come the Love, Peace and Blessing of God on this very Friday the 25 day of June.

The Nazareth House Primary School Kabala wants to give God the glory for a blessed school year-2009/2010.

As we are in the final weeks for the closing down of school, many questions keep coming to our hearts as we see and hear what is happening and goes around us. We began to wonder and the students asked:

Does God really Care about us?

Will our suffering ever end?

How can we pray so that God can answer our prayers?

And above all, how can we find true happiness?

Where can we look for these answers to these questions? Often, one book contradicts another.

There is, however, one book that contains reliable answers. It is the book of truth-The Bible, the Word of God.

In John 17:17, Jesus Christ in Prayers to God Said, “Your Word is Truth”.

In Job 34:10, God has a loving purpose for humans. That's why Jesus taught us to pray: “Our Father in Heaven let …your Kingdom come. Let your will take place on earth as it is in Heaven”. In Matthew 6:9,10,God cares so deeply about us that he has gone to great length to make the fulfillment of his purpose a certainty.-John 3:16.

In times of suffering, God in His Word foretells a time when He will establish peace on earth. In Isaiah 2:4, God will bring an end to all injustice and suffering.

For God to hear our prayers, when we pray we must not say the same petitions over and over again. In Matthew 6:7, if we want God to listen to our prayers, we must pray in the way that He approves. To do that, we need to learn what God’s will is and then pray accordingly. First John 5:14 explains, No matter what is it that we ask accordingly to God’s will He hears us.

To find true happiness, in Matthew 5:3, true happiness can be found only if we take steps to fill our greatest need, our hunger for spiritual truth about God purpose for us.

With these words for the Word of God there is hope for us as human in this troubled world, especially the NHA family as we remember this day in prayers our dear Father, Grandfather Fr.Seraphim who is in sick bed for God’s mighty healing hands to restore back again his health. He is such a God fearing, good, loving, and caring man. We are praying as a school and as a family for you our dear father.

We have as a school 14 more days to go for the closing down of school. We are presently doing our final work on the reports cards for the children and also preparing for the School Party and cultural performances for the children which they are eagerly waiting.

We will have the party and cultural performances on Thursday July 8^th and on the 14^th Friday we are going to close down school. A good time await us as a school in the next few days to come.

To you all we want to say thank you for all the help and support all through these years and for helping hundreds of needy children out here in Kabala.

Keep the good work by continuing to support the good work of NHA.

We love you all.

BY Jerry Mako.

Sunday Night NHA Featured Video

Kadijah going home from Hospital Today!

Its been a long two weeks, finally Kadijah has returned to good health. She used this time to study and meditate, deepening her faith as she worked through the illness.

Glory be to God, the doctor is releasing Kadijah from the hospital today. Nazareth House wants to thank each and everyone of you for your continued prayers, love and support through this very difficult time for all of us, especially Kadijah and James.

Betsy and Simithe visit Kadijah to bring prayers and encouragement.

It is our extended family that has joined together to see us through that makes NHA so special. Everyone doing what they can from wherever they are.

You all have been fabulous! We love you all.

Now we get back to the business of getting this compound paid off so that we can move and grow further in the service of those in need.

Donations can be sent to

NHA

2216 Goldsmith Lane

Louisville, KY 40218

or made through the website at www.nazarethhouseap.org.

Mako's Friday NHA School Report

Greetings to you all from NHA School Kabala.

We, as a school, continue to thank God for His loving kindness and protection through out this academic year.

And to all our dear friends and supporters, we thank you for the continued help and prayers which have seen us as a school having a very successful school year.

We also want to thank God for the healing of our sick loved ones. The storm of illness we received recently in Sierra Leone has given way to brighter skies and rainbows.

Sheaku, the kid with the swollen belly with worms is back in school and doing fine.

Mammy Fatu our mother is doing fine, and I was happy to know that James wife Kadijah is also making great improvement and will be released from the hospital.

We want to give God the praise for His healing power and thank you all for the endless prayers.

We have 21 days left in this school calander, as school will close down on the 9^th of July.

Today marks the end of our final exams at school. Through out the week, the children at NHA Kabala School were busy writing there exams.

This exam is very important as this will see the children promoted to a new class. A total number of 196 children took to the exams not counting the nursery children who are too young to write an exam on their own.

We are now working on the report cards for the children. We have to give these report cards to the parents of these children for them to see what their children have been doing academically through out the school year.

We want to remember you in prayers our dear supporters, Mother and father, Mama Vicki and Father Seraphim on your visit to California. We ask them to send our greetings to our NHA family in California, especially our Archbishop Provence. As a school we believe our prayers are all you need and all we can offer. The good Lord is with you.

As a school we want to say ‘ Tenki’ (thank you) to all our dear friends and supporters for all the help and prayers.

We love you all as a school and as one big family.

Mako.

Thursday Morning's Report from James about Kadijah

This morning's email from James in Freetown:

from James Bombolia Mansaray to Vicki Hicks date Thu, Jun 17, 2010 at 2:58 AM subject This morning mailed-by gmail.com signed-by gmail.com

2:58 AM

Hello Mama,
Good morning says Kadijah! She just walked outside to exercise a bit. She is improving a lot. This is a better place and so far they medication are doing her good.Lab test is out but doctors are refusing to give it out until the last day in hospital but she was placed on this medication as you can see in the Picture which I guess meaning its Typhoid.

She has been given four of this little IV bottles since yesterday. Her doc, Faaludeen, said she will be alright soon but I guess we have three or four more days here before we are let to go. So far, she is ok and we all seem happy with that. I think prayers from you guys and all over the globe did her the greatest good. I feel it is the prayers that turned her around.

Please keep the prayers coming in.

How are you and Fr. Seraphim doing? How is the trip so far? Give our love to that great smiling Archbishop of ours!

Remembering Kadijah's smiling face during our Kamasorie Trip in March wearing this tee shirt.

I miss you and wishing you well.

Love,

Son.
--
Oh Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God Have Mercy upon me a Sinner.

Kadijah Mansaray: Last Night & This Morning

Kadijah received visitors last night before going to bed on Monday night.

Lucy cautiously watches the IV drip in Kadijah and

Paul (James elder brother, a pastor), prays with Kadijah. Weakened but trying to cope well, Kadijah is fighting this illness.

Received the following email with photos attached this morning:

Email from: James Bombolia Mansaray to Vicki Hicks date Tue, Jun 15, 2010 at 3:34 AM subject morning mailed-by gmail.com signed-by gmail.com

3:34 AM

Hello Mama,

Its morning here and Kadijah still on the second IV. What a long night!

I had to talk and talk before I could convince the nurses to allow me to sleep here. I dare not leave her alone.

We were up all night, sleeping on a chair five minutes and then off just like that. Crazy, but ok. I hope this ends quick and she gets back home.

I just washed her up and dressed her well.

I gave her a plate of Quaker oats

and she ate well.

She refused to drink fearing throw ups.

Now she is back in bed with the IV on

which I guess will be finished in three hours time.

Seeing the doc this morning again, so please pray.
Thanks for all.

Son.
--
Oh Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God Have Mercy upon me a Sinner.

--

Thank you for your continued prayers, good wishes, thoughts and deeds. Its been a rough few days for all of us as we pray Kadijah through this discomforting time.

This ordeal has been most difficult on the Mansaray family. Roo quietly watches and prays for his mom as she lay motionless in the newest hospital setting, transferred this morning from the previous medical facility.

The drip continues to push fluids through her, pushing out the bad medicine received from previous doctor and

keeping her hydrated as the malaria continues to ravish her body.

As the day ticks by, hour by hour, Kadijah has improved - not cured, by any means, but improved from the horrors of the previous days' trauma.

Slowly she awakes from the drug induced and malaria stupor, this is a promising sign of slight recovery. I can't help but smile as I see she is wearing my crazy "Cheese Monster" tee shirt that I left behind for her while in Sierra Leone.

Weak and groggy she eventually is able to sit up for a few minutes - progress! Keep the prayers flowing..... Good night! We'll update again tomorrow... Thanks for being part of the Nazareth House Family.

Keep Praying, waiting on new lab results...

Please continue your prayers for our staff in Sierra Leone. As we, here in America, Europe and other areas of the world are offering our prayers, our Nazareth House Family & Friends in Freetown are all rallying around to help, in whatever way they can in Freetown. A true example of the blended family spirit of Nazareth House Apostolate - we all do what we can to help each other (borders and differences do not stop us).

Kadijah was not awake most of the night, as James continued "on watch". When Kadijah's mom came in to be with her, James went out try and catch some sleep in a car - only to have a thief disturb him, trying to enter the car to help himself to James' belongings.

Kadijah awoke this morning and began vomiting. She was transferred to another hospital in which James described as "cleaner and better" with attentive medical staff. We are hoping that this new place will see her through to regain her health. Until we know what is going on... we pray. Thank you all for your concern and love.

Both James and Kadijah appreciate you so much and are thankful that you are a part of Nazareth House Apostolate. God Bless you all.

We look forward to Kadijah smiling and returning to her beautiful, active and fun-loving self.

Prayer Request

Its after 11:00 PM in Sierra Leone. Its been a long day, it will be a long night. Once again circumstances are such that I am reminded ("reminded" seems too benign a word, more like pierced in the heart) with the pressing needs and work of Nazareth House in Sierra Leone.

Here I sit at the computer in America, while Kadijah is drifting in and out of consciousness in a hospital in Freetown. James, her beloved husband, next to her, is fighting sleep to stay awake to swat the mosquitoes that are heavily invading the small, dingy space they occupy in the medical facility. Malaria is the number one threat to their existence; and here they sit in a hospital - no bednets, no bug spray, swatting mosquitoes. As if that isn't troubling enough, the hospital staff has went home for the night. I picture James and Kadijah sitting there, alone and I cringe. I wish I could be there with them, it is very difficult to be an ocean away.

James has had no food since this morning, there is no "food service" in the hospitals - not for the patients, much less their families. Thank God, sweet Lucy brought James some rice late tonight so that he could eat something. I think of the patients who have no relatives close by. They are sick, scared ...what do they do for food? I know well, that James and Kadijah have brought strangers food in the hospital, I pray others will care for the strangers while James and Kadijah are indisposed.

Kadijah has suffered malaria, typhoid and apectic ulcer, all within the last 10 days. She was on the mend when the ulcer presented itself with great pain this week. The medicine prescribed by the doctor apparently was bad. Pharmacist don't have the degrees and scrutiny that we have in America. There are little to no regulations. When you take medication from a pharmacists, you take your chances.

One of the desires of NHA is to help supply hospitals with adequate and quality equipment to give patients the proper treatment.

This is part of the urgency of the Compound. There are many things we cannot proceed further with until we have established a permanent residency. Owning property gives you certain rights. Once the Compound is completed we can move forward with many of our projects.

Dear brother and sisters, the Nazareth House family - you, me, James & Kadijah, Mako, Sanu, Betsy, Emmanuel, Pa Foday- all of those we serve in Sierra Leone and all of those who make up the US extension of NHA- have made such a huge difference in so many lives, may we pull together and prepare to make possible for many more of those struggling to exist to reach their full potential. May we provide for them to not simply exist but to live their lives to the fullest.

God bless you for all that you do and will do through Nazareth House Apostolate.

Nazareth House depends entirely on GOD

as HE expresses Himself

through YOUR

prayers,

compassion and generosity.

Matthew 25:35-40 (The Message)

^34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

I was hungry and you fed me,

I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,

I was homeless and you gave me a room,

I was shivering and you gave me clothes,

I was sick and you stopped to visit,

I was in prison and you came to me.'

^37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

NHA School Report by Mako Mansaray

Greetings from Nazareth House Apostolate School Kabala.

Or... should I say "Manday","Njaramah","Nparei", "Buwah",or "Cusheh", "How de body" ?

These are all greetings from some of our local languages here in Sierra Leone.

All of our pupils at NHA School speak at least one tribal language as well as the language of Krio, and all are learning in school the Official Language of Sierra Leone -- English.

Koinadugu district lies in the northeast of the country. Konadugu is the largest, the most remote and poorest district in Sierra Leone. Dismal road conditions makes accessibility difficult to near

impossible as roads becomes impossible during the raining season. This subsequently limits the amount of outside materials, opportunities and information that are available to communities.

This means that the people of the Koinadugu district must depend largely on the resources and skills that exist within their region.

Koinadugu district, despite being the largest in the country, is the least developed and has the least number of school and school-going children. A good number of children between the ages of 5 to 16 are out of school because of extreme poverty and the large distance between the schools.

Displacement within Sierra Leone or as refugees in Guinea and Liberia also contribute to the growing number of out –of –school children. As a result, the rate of illiteracy and innumeracy is

high in the district.

The rugged terrain combined with the remoteness make the area unattractive to many professionals born outside of Koinadugu such as health care workers, qualified teachers, government staff, businesspeople, and NGO’s.

Though efforts have been made through Government support to strengthening the education sector, ongoing and additional support is still needed to bring communities to the level where effective management and development of their school is within their capabilities.

As a school and a community we want to thank NHA for coming to Sierra Leone and Kabala and giving us such an opportunities as we are very much thankful to them for helping out hundreds of children out here in Kabala to get better education free of cost, school uniforms, shoes, books and other learning materials, including free medical supply. Nazareth House is doing a very good work out here.

NHA School Kabala was able during the this past week to work

and plant our first school garden on the school land.

We were able to plant groundnuts and sweet corn.

As you can see the work was done by the children,

teachers and our education superintend, Pa Foday.

We are also planning to have another school garden but this time on the plot of land that Pa Foday lends to us.

(You can see the NHA Compound being built in background!)

We hope to plant swamp rice during the holidays. We have agreed as a school with the support of the parents and Pa Foday to do the swamp rice.

This will need more

help and support, as we will need tools such as hoes, cutlasses,

seedlings and feeding to do the work. We are not going to pay any body to do the work; we as a school through the help and support of the parents are going to do the work. All we need is the help to get the tools, seedlings, and feeding to do the work.

We are praying and will continue to pray for support as we want to do the work. The school will start it final exams today 11th June. This will see the end of the school year 2009/2010.We are going to close down school on the 9th of July, but before the closure of school we planning, as a school, to organize a school PARTY for all our children at NHA. Since we were unable to have any other social activities during the school year, the school party for the children will send us all

away for the holidays with love and happiness.

We once more want to thank you all for supporting your NHA school all through this years. Your love and kindness has been a great blessing to us all out here at Nazareth Kabala.

W E LOVE YOU ALL,

JERRY MAKO