this is my facebook page.

www.facebook.com/pwaldron

I'm fasting facebook at the moment, or at least trying to cut down my time on there. Probably best contacting me through there if anything.
Just realised it's been just over a year since I've come back to the UK. What a journey I've been on since then. But I'm now happily settled in Reading, near London, so if any of my long distance travelling pals are passing through my little Island let me know and I'll do my best to meet up with ya.
I still miss the Ship community and really really miss West Africa, but I also know Gods timing is perfect, and as I heard all about in our sermon on Sunday - Perseverance is key to our Christian walk.
Keep safe everyone.

first an apologz

Yeah , I reallz haven-t done well updating this site.
Spending most of my time on Facebook and Twitter now so add me to get some news
When I get back to the ship I-ll upload my current newsletter up here.
I am currently up country in Benin having a restbite. well actuallz have spent half my time in Metal Workshop building a sheet metal bender, but I am meant to be here preparing for the Youth Program this year.

I hope you are all really well, keep safe all.

Paulus

Okay so I have not visited this p0lace for a long time but I realise some people actually are still checking here rather than facebook which has become my main form of communication.

So here is some of my latest photos of me doing work in Africa.

There are taken from Screening day (where people from all over Benin come to see if we can help them with their lumps and bumps and disfigurements), I had the priviledge of working with the Communications team, taking photos of every patient so the Doctors had a record of each tumour on the patient and also have photos of what the patient looked like before and after their surgery.

So here's a few shots of me taking shots!

Some shots were more delicate and required screening off from the public.

Some were just of very cute babies!!!

Last night I also had the opportunity to preach again onboard ship.

I shared the analogy of Christian life relating closely to an Athletes life, with regard to focus, attitude and training and completing the race with perserverance.

I've had most of the crew tell me today that they enjoyed it and were challenged, so I am happy.

So yeah that's me so far this year of 2009.

I'll see when next time I update this blog.

What heroes look like

Heroes of the day - rescuing one of our vehicles from a very muddy road.

Batea, Royesville where we helped build/dig a 7m deep well. This 7m deep well had 6.5m of water in it last time we visited the village, so we were very happy!!

Batea, Royesville a 7m deep well was finished in July 2008. Note no pump on this well. The village is to small to be able to continually pay for the maintaince of a pump and so it was decided to just have a well and rope and bucket because this way the village will always have clean water and not cost them anything. Larger villages can usually afford the $10 US every year it costs to keep the pump in replacement parts.

Balomah Town, where we completed a 7.5m well and pump in June 2008.

Gboto Town in Royesville where we completed a 12.5m deep well in April 2008.

One of the rivers I have to drive through each day. I gets above the tires at the moment, but when rainy season really kicks in it'll be above the bonnet, easily.

Kate and I stuck

Poor 'Kate' and I stuck in the mud trying to move some concrete rings between villages one day. Next time theres a bridge made from trees across the road I'm driving on the trees, not trying to make my own route across through the woods!

So how long has it been since I last sent out an email updating you about my life?

Far to long. I would give you my excuses about laptops dying, two previous versions vanishing, software losing, busyness of life here on Ship and the fact that all I need to do sit down and dedicate an afternoon to writing to my peeps back home.

Well here it is, Finally.

I have just checked and my last recorded update was in February (on my blog site - http://djcommotion.blogspot.com/ ) so I only have over 5 months to get you upto speed on.

So I start with the fact I am still alive, kicking and much more tanned than what I was 5 months ago. I am eating well (incase any of you mothers out there are worrying), but not eating to much – infact due to the climate here I am only eating 2 proper half meals a day, I am just not hungry here even though I am doing a much more physical job, so yeah I am gradually losing some pounds aswell.

My work situation is amazing. I frequently get chance to lead meetings for the entire crew and they are sick of me telling them that my job is the best job onboard ship!! I love my work. I get to drive off the dock in the morning, spend 2 hours driving in African traffic then some crazy offroad driving – if you are on Facebook check out some of my photo albums – then arrive in a village spend the whole day digging a well or completing a well with a Liberian community and then come home again. I love the feeling of completing a well (which takes around 5 weeks) and knowing as I leave the village that the Children, wives and men in the village now have easy access to clean and fresh drinking water, it’s beautiful.

So far we have completed 5 new wells and rehabilitated another 5 or 6, and performed some ‘minor fixes’ to 7 other pumps and wells. Which means there are around 17 communities affected by our work.

I am not sure if I have explained to you guys yet how I do what I do. Basically I have my own Landrover defender called Kate. We drive out to a village with my well Technician called Boikai. We have a chat with the community about their water needs and then see if we can help. Simple, easy but not always effective because when they see our white truck come, many people expect handouts from us, and when we explain we are here to help them and not to give to them some villages don’t want to fully co-operate and wait for everything to be given to them. The reason we help and not give is because of the common phrase ‘Give a man a fish….., or teach him to fish….’. We want to enable Liberia to change itself not to change it for them and then they be dependant on us – which is how it is at the moment.

Right there are far to many words in this update. Sorry.

Final words. Check out my Facebook or blog page for so great photos.

Please keep in touch and let me know of news from home.

And I’ll really try and update you guys more regularly.

Also if you’d prayerfully consider financially supporting my work out here, I could honestly really do with the help!

Sweet. Love you all. And miss you all loads to. I’ll be coming back to the UK at Christmas so I hope to some of you then.

Me and the ship

This is just me posing onto top of an old factory near the ship. This is Liberia