Good news - back in the land of the living! Thanks for the messages of goodwill and prayers. Can I ask they continue for the team, please. A nasty virus has got to us. Many have been sick and a few more were in bed today - it's sweeping through. I have to say, if we are struggling, despite the blessing of a comfortable hotel room, running water and flush toilets - what on earth must life be life for those living in the camp.
This afternoon I walked with Damaris through the camp. We've discovered a building alongside the soccer pitch that was probably a changing room. There is a room that Damaris has had cleaned out and which will be her 'Camp management office'. She will meet the members of the camp committee there and the office will be open every day to meet with her. We also found that there are 6 showers. So these will be cleaned out and turned into bucket showers. It was a good find - but think about it for a minute - 3,200 families - 6 showers!!! I have 2 daughters and a wife - I often found it hard to get in the bathroom. I'm not making a joke of it - it really highlights how bad things are in the camp. As I walked round today families are living in makeshift dwellings, fashioned out of scavenged wood and bits of material. Each shelter is about the same size - 2.5 metres x 2.5 metres - with a family averaging 5 people living in there. I saw a young boy, probably about 10 or 12 with his whole leg in plaster - the cast was filthy and he was just lying on the floor. The field hospital has said that they are struggling to discharge those that have been brought in for emergency amputations because they don't have a covered shelter to go home to. Can you even try to imagine that?
I came back from the camp - I felt dirty and smelly and I'd been there 30 minutes. I felt really ashamed of myself for the feelings I had experienced. These are the people we have come to serve - these are children of God, made in His image and no less significant to Him than you or I.
On the plus side, we had some food left over from yesterday's distribution so the 82nd asked if we would send 2 team members to distribute it today. It amounted to around 80,000 meals and Steve said the distribution went very smoothly.
This afternoon we relocated the Command centre into an office suite that DHQ have rented as their new place. The current DHQ is damaged beyond repair and they need to get the organisation of The Salvation Army up and running efficiently as soon as possible. This should make the running of the place much more efficient. The new office has a room big enough for us - see the pic at the top. It will also be away from the sewage canal and the smoke so will be a much better working environment, health-wise. As we move a quarter mile away we just mustn't lose site of the needs of those in the camp.
More team changes yesterday and today - the operation carries on. I'm always amazed at the way people arrive in a situation that is so alien and yet they just hit the ground running. I'm very proud of them.
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