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NEWSLETTER NO. 93 Hello!
Hello! How are you?
I wish each and everyone of you a Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful and joyous festive season. It was quite a quiet Christmas here and many of my friends went back home this year, but it was a relaxing and very enjoyable time. First of all I would like to wish Happy Birthday to my sister Lesley. I know you will join with me in sending Lesley lots of love and prayers for continued good health and future happiness. We kept the Choir back after the other children had gone home for the holiday as we had been invited to sing at some Christmas events. Unfortunately, the event the Choir look forward to most every year – singing carols at the British High Commissioner’s residence – was cancelled as the High Commissioner was not here. However, I’m sure it will be ‘back on track’ next year. We had a wonderful visit from Ute, Fritz and Manfred, who are from Germany, working with the New Apostolic Church in Freetown. We held a service in the format of the traditional nine lessons and carols, wherein we sang carols for them and they sang some songs for us interspersed with readings and poems. It was really lovely with a wonderful atmosphere. We really appreciated them coming and you could tell they were very moved by our Choir’s singing. We made a party for all the pupils and staff. There was plenty to eat and drink – we say a huge thank you to the Jaward family of Family Kingdom who funded the party. After eating, we all went outside to dance to the music. We all had a great time and I took lots of photos. Our next engagement was an invitation to sing carols at the residence of our good friend ‘Uncle’ Henry Macauley, MD of Rokel Commercial Bank. The place thronged with people including VIPs and other dignitaries. They really appreciated the Choir’s singing and we also enjoyed the occasion very much. Another joyous event was the wedding of Rev. Samuels’ daughter Kasho and Reginald (they reside in the UK but came back to Salone for their marriage ceremony). Sandy took the Choir and they said it was lovely and they had a good time. At the same time I was representing our School at the School for the Deaf’s Fete & Prizegiving Ceremony. This was a most enjoyable occasion and I took a couple of our children with me. The deaf children performed dances and sketches and there were stalls selling tie-dye clothes and material, shoes and other things that they had hand made. There were many people and we all had a great time. We had a visit from Stephen Rapp, new Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court accompanied by thirteen members of staff. He explained about how the work was going on in the Court and introduced his members of staff and they talked about their work. The pupils then put questions forward and he said he was very impressed by the pupils’ awareness and the astute questions they asked. It was an interesting occasion. We then took the Choir to the Cabenda Hotel at the invitation of the Young Women Leaders Association Dinner/Dance. We sang carols and after, everybody danced and had a most enjoyable evening. Sandy and I were invited to Dennis Williams’ (Sight Savers Country Director and very good friend) house for a Christmas party. The place was full and we all thoroughly enjoyed the superb food and dancing to the music until ‘the wee wee hours’ as we say here. I went to St. George’s Cathedral on Christmas Day and there was Midnight Mass on New Years Eve. The Cathedral had been decked out with flowers and it looked really beautiful. There was not even standing room so big was the congregation. The service was lovely and very moving and their choir sang so well. I stopped and just listened a few times just to soak in the wonderful atmosphere – it was very moving. On New Years Eve some people had fireworks parties for the first time in many a year. They had not been used before as we all still thought of them sounding too much like gunfire and we did not want to be reminded of what had gone before. However, there seems to be a certain amount of optimism with the new regime – would you believe we have been getting almost 24 hour electricity! And let’s face it, even one or two hours would be better than what we had had before (which was none). They have brought back the monthly ‘Cleaning Day’ which people are happy about. They are even trying to get the backlog of salaries paid! – now that really will be something to cheer. We are all praying fervently that they continue with the good start they have made so that just possibly Sierra Leone might be called once more ‘the Athens of Africa’, returning back to the country’s former glory. On this hopeful and optimistic note, on behalf of all of us here at the School, I once again wish each and every one of you a peaceful, happy, healthy and prosperous 2008 and as always, I send best wishes to those celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and any other happy event. I also send goodwill messages and solicitations/condolences to those who are not well or have a bereavement or have received any sad news. From all the children and staff here at the School and myself, I send all our love and prayers to you and your families and friends.
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