Christmastide: Day 11

As usual, the Nazareth House Apostolate supporters, workers, and recipients; both children and adults, do what they do so well - and teamed up to demonstrate what LOVE is all about.  

It is always amazing to watch people come together to make things happen.  

People from one side of a country to another, from one side of an ocean to another, all walks of life, all capabilities... all blended together to hold each other up.   

Its all about love, and when love is truly orchestrating our actions - astonishingly wonderful things can happen. 

At the time that the Sunday School Class in Portland, Oregon was preparing candy canes and greetings for the children in Kabala, 

the Anglican Church Women of St. Augustine's Anglican Church in Chico, California were sending medications and extra funds for the work of Nazareth House in Kabala. 

And while they were doing that, down South in the Carolinas, The C.S. Lewis Center and St. Theodore's Anglican Chapel were Fasting for Africa as a fundraiser for the work of NHA.  

 ...and all the while individuals and families are donating.  

In Kabala, everything came in at the right time - money, necessities and Christmas Candy Canes.  Once we, in America, ship over to James in Kabala, then its time for them to what they do so well - distribute to those in need. 

And with love and the same abundant zeal that began in USA... the work is done.  

By the time the candy canes had arrived, the NHA School had already closed for the Christmas Vacation - (yes, in Sierra Leone it is still called Christmas Vacation and not Winter Vacation). 

 No problem!, James knew exactly what to do.  He thought of the Blind School.  

Candy canes are a gift that do not have to be seen - 

they are a gift for many of the senses -and with someone to help you remove the wrapper its even better.  

 So James packed up the medications from Chico, 

as well as supplies bought from funding from Columbia, South Carolina along with the candy canes from Portland, Oregon 

and headed out to the School for the Blind.   

He was also equipped with the means (from donations) to provide needs depending on their necessity to those at the Blind School.  

And back at the NHA School in Kabala, if you look closely at the little guy holding up the thank you sign for the candy canes, 

you'll notice it is ROO.   

Another bit of team work accomplished, Roo was critically anemic just last month, however, fast action sending vitamins and IRON from our headquarters in Kentucky has proved effective and we see that energetic smiling Roo once again.

As you can see, 

TEAM NAZARETH has managed to spread the love again.   

So on this eleventh day of Christmas, 

we give you love - lots of it - from all of us at NHA. 

As children all over the world are waking up to find gifts under the tree,

there are many children in Sierra Leone who will celebrate Christmas by enjoying a meal with maybe an extra portion of rice.   

However, continuing the tradition in NHA, the Children's Sunday School of St. Mark's Anglican Parish in Portland, Oregon organized a project to send the candy canes for us this year.  

James received them in plenty of time and yesterday on Christmas Eve he was out distributing some of the canes to outlying villages.  

Because of the children of St. Mark's these children received a real treat, a real Christmas present.   To kids in America it may seem as only a simple candy cane but to these children in Sierra Leone it is amazing and they are totally delighted.   

There are plenty more candy canes and we will be reporting on their distribution later this week in the blog.   

Merry Christmas! 

Most recent supply shipment arrives in Freetown

The medical supplies, etc. that we mailed well over a month ago

have finally arrived in Freetown, delayed (we are told) by the volcanic ash which grounded air travel in Europe.

IV Potassium and other hospital supplies were received from NHA,

Vitamin A for Kamasorie Village, etc.

Betsy had asked for some baby care supplies and they have finally arrived for her.

James was relieved to receive something to help the neck pain

he still suffers from the wreck he experienced this past Winter.

Many of you have given so much to make possible for the people of Sierra Leone to thrive. We are very thankful.

We are grateful to the churches that have collected the o-t-c medications for us that made up this particular batch of supplies that arrived in the post this week - namely St. Alban's in Sun City, Arizona

and St. Mary the Virgin in San Diego.

as well as Kathy Nagy of Louisville who is keeping Kamasorie Village

supplied in Vitamin A;

Aleica Willis for sending us the left over Potassium bags, needles, etc from an illness in which she had homecare (the medical supplies she didn't use were left at her house so she sent them to us).

Dr. Baumann

and Dr. Kern for their continual help

and SOS (Supplies Over Seas)

for the opportunity to purchase, at such a low price, the hosptial supplies we send.

We thank Liz Holt for various items she contributed to this shipment as well as packing the boxes up for us.

We especially thank all of your for your continued support in prayer, deeds and funding. What a wonder family Nazareth House has become - with such team work - living and loving together to give each other a hand.

Thank you all from our staff in Sierra Leone: James, Kadijah, Lucy, Ann Marie, Roo, Mako, Pa Foday and from the many other hands, arms & legs of NHA in Sierra Leone that are doing all they can to assist and make life happen for everyone - Sanu, Emmanuel (Stress),

Johnny, Betsy, Simithe, Albert....too many to name them all - but they, together with Seraphim and I, send you our perpetual gratitude for all that you are doing to change lives for the better.

God bless you all, keep up the fantastic work. You are what makes NHA so unique and so effective.