Since the day Ebola knocked on West Africa’s door, the few airlines flying to the country have greatly reduced their flights. Others thought it best to stop flying to West Africa altogether, either because cabin crews refused to put themselves at risk of the epidemic, or because demand had fallen, or because they feared they might carry the epidemic to the more developed countries! So for Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, there are few access options from Europe. After a journey of 24 hours, having in my luggage, in addition to church supplies, offerings and nama, God’s protection and the love, blessings and blessings of His Beatitude Pope and our Patriarch Theodore II, I arrived in Freetown, under torrential tropical rain. At the entrance of the small airport arrivals building, doctors and nurses were waiting for us, took our temperature, checked our vaccination booklets, which confirmed that we were stocked up with the necessary vaccines (yellow fever, meningitis, etc.etc.) and asked us to fill in a special form with our personal details and details of where we would be staying, where we would be moving, who we would be meeting and how the authorities could contact us at any time. The sun was already beginning to set and dusk put more emphasis on the depression and freezing of people. Everywhere there was a sense of the great problems created in the country by the deadly epidemic. I went through the formalities easily enough, and at the exit I was met by the Mission driver, who had arrived at the airport in the morning. There is a peculiarity here. The airport is at one end of the bay and the capital at the other, but there is no road connecting the two, only a shuttle boat with two daily services. If one wants to go inland by road, one has to travel a distance of 350 km, crossing high-risk areas with many cases of Ebola. So we waited at the dock until 9pm when the boat was due to sail. If we didn’t wait in line, we might not make it on board and have to wait for the next sailing at dawn. Hot, humid, dark. With dozens of beggars, cripples, etc. wandering around us. All asking for help. No sooner had the country recovered from the civil war than Ebola came to decimate it. Thank God we made it and got on board. After an hour of travel, we arrived at our destination. At the dock, Fr. Themistocles and his colleagues were waiting for me. On the road deep darkness and desolation. Due to the epidemic everything is compulsorily closed at 6 pm.
(CC-BY United Nations Photo)
Update on the progress of the missionary work
With the light of day, a little life began to reappear in the city. Fr. Themistocles informed me about his activities, about the projects and especially about the extraordinary programmes he started because of Ebola. Distribution of food, medicines, information leaflets, etc. Most importantly, the construction of an orphanage to shelter children orphaned by Ebola. There, I had the opportunity to look around the many projects that the Brotherhood of the Orthodox Foreign Mission in this city has funded to support our newest mission, and for which we are grateful to you.
Ordination of clergy
During the solemn Divine Liturgy on Monday of the Holy Spirit, with the canonical permission of His Holiness the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, Theodoros, I ordained Deacon Alexandros Kamara as elder and Deacon Kyriakos Koroma as catechist. Kyriakos graduated last year from the Patriarchal School of St. Athanasius in Alexandria and then returned home to assist Fr. Themistocles in his God-given work, sharing with his compatriots all the knowledge and experience he gained in Alexandria. Our youth were very happy because one of their own children was being ordained a Deacon. So great was their joy that they burst into cheers and applause. After the admonitions to the young clergy, among other things, I emphasized the heroic attitude of Fr. Themistocles during the epidemic, who remained on the battlements, defying danger, to support his flock. A few days later, during the Divine Liturgy celebrated in the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen, I ordained Deacon Kyriakos Koroma as elder and ordained Fr. Eleftherios Edmonson and Fr. Vaios Honsile as spiritual directors.
Laying of the foundation stone
The Minister of Social Welfare was also present at the Divine Liturgy.In his brief address, he referred to the great humanitarian work that the Orthodox Church performs in the country and stressed that the President of Sierra Leone for the first time gave permission for the construction of an orphanage and that he did this because of the trust he has in the Orthodox Church, which has proven all these years that it has always been selflessly at the side of the suffering person. This was followed by the laying of the foundation stone of the orphanage in the courtyard of the Holy Church of Saints Constantine and Helen.
Love Lunch
This was followed by a love meal for the entire congregation in the courtyard of the Orthodox Academy. There I had the opportunity to talk with the Academy’s teaching staff and to be informed about the progress of the students, as well as the future curriculum and operation of the Academy. Late in the afternoon, I witnessed a case of Ebola in the main square of the city. A young girl was trying to balance herself with the help of two young people and kept vomiting in the street. Clear symptoms of Ebola. Some people were trying to help, asking for help to take her to the hospital. A panic. I was saddened to see so many people so close to a suspected outbreak of the epidemic and at the same time I wondered what is more humane: support for the patient or following the strict instructions that say to stand away and notify the relevant authorities immediately? Unfortunately, this is how the epidemic is spreading: many people are afraid of becoming traitors if they report an incident to the authorities, others defy the risk…
Departure from Sierra Leone
The time of departure has arrived. The flight was leaving at 4 pm. The boat was leaving at 8 a.m. We didn’t make it. There were two options. To travel by small speedboat or to start by road. 30 minutes by speedboat, four hours by road. Father Themistocles didn’t trust the speedboat. Personally, I didn’t trust the car and the mainland. We prayed that God would enlighten us to choose the best. Finally we decided to take the risk. The captain provided us with the necessary life jacket and we set off. The distance was 18 nautical miles. The sea was calm. The sky overcast. Midway there was a crackling sound and we immediately slowed down. We were reassured that nothing was wrong, just the main engine had broken down and we would continue with the backup at a lower speed. Still good. Most of the passengers were terrified. Thankfully, with the help of St Nicholas, we made it to the opposite bank. At the airport check in case we have a fever. Papers, forms, data. We may have been checked six times before we boarded the plane. As soon as I went through passport control, a police officer told me I had to go to the baggage loading area because they saw something strange in my bags. I was trying to think what the strange thing was and it turned out to be the incense and charcoal I had with me for Guinea and Ivory Coast. All’s well that ends well. At the last check for fever before we boarded the plane, they recorded the reading on our boarding pass, which we had to show on arrival so they could see that our temperature was the same.
It continues…
† Guineas George
