Difficult things we do right away,
impossible things may take us a day.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Fun and Fish Hooks
I knew June Brown when I was a missionary kid, and she was "Aunt June" to me.
Our family (Dad and Mom Baker, my 2 sisters, Joyce and Annette, and I) was very fond of and loved Aunt June. Aunt June was quite the athlete, and I remember (as a young boy) of hearing about her being in the military (that's how she got the nickname "Sarge") and being on one of the top women's softball teams. That really impressed me !
When she was at Centennial Secondary School there in Mattru we had a tennis team that June, my dad and others were on. I was a 9th grader doing correspondence courses and was the youngest member of that team. That was a lot of fun, and Aunt June was a lot of fun, too.
I can also remember going out at night on the Jong river spear fishing during the dry season. We had a small wooden boat with a squared-off, flat front end that two people could stand up on. One person on the front would hold the bright pressure lantern just out over the bow, and the other person in front had the long-handled spear. The third person would be in back of the boat running the motor. We would find shallow areas in the river and try to spear fish that were somewhat blinded by the light. Occasionally one of us would fall in which was always a laugh. We got some fish that way, but we probably would have been malnourished if that's all we had to eat!
Years later, now married to Jane with our 2 yr. old daughter, Jennifer, I went back to Mattru Jong to serve the Lord as a missionary doctor. Again, Aunt June was there, but now was teaching at the Bumpe High School about 35 miles away. I didn't get to hunt very often with June but did get her to go on some fishing trips. We, along with others, would go down the Jong River several hours out into the large bays that open up into the Atlantic Ocean.
I remember one of those trips in particular where June and several other missionaries were along. We were trolling with some big artificial plugs off the back of my small fiber glass boat when June hooked into a big barracuda. She finally reeled it in to the boat after working the big fish and tiring it out. We were able to then haul it into the boat (I think we had a gaff hook), but it was still very much alive and not happy about being out of the water. It started flopping around with this large artificial bait in its mouth with 3 gangs of treble hooks dangerously flailing around.
June let out with a yell. Poor June! 1 of the treble hooks was embedded into the calf of her leg. Being very sensitive, I said, "Hey June, hold still, I want to get a picture!" Needless to say, June was not in the mood for a photo op. She yelled something like, "Ron, just get this thing out of my leg!" Others in the boat held the big fish down while I cut the hook off the lure - June was free from the fish but still had the hook embedded in her calf. We got right back to shore, and praise the Lord, I had brought a medical kit with me. In the kit, I had a small sterilized instrument set along with an injectable anesthetic (like Novocaine). We anesthetized the area where the treble hook was embedded and were able to remove it...much to June's relief.
There was never a dull moment with June Brown around!
Our family (Dad and Mom Baker, my 2 sisters, Joyce and Annette, and I) was very fond of and loved Aunt June. Aunt June was quite the athlete, and I remember (as a young boy) of hearing about her being in the military (that's how she got the nickname "Sarge") and being on one of the top women's softball teams. That really impressed me !
When she was at Centennial Secondary School there in Mattru we had a tennis team that June, my dad and others were on. I was a 9th grader doing correspondence courses and was the youngest member of that team. That was a lot of fun, and Aunt June was a lot of fun, too.
I can also remember going out at night on the Jong river spear fishing during the dry season. We had a small wooden boat with a squared-off, flat front end that two people could stand up on. One person on the front would hold the bright pressure lantern just out over the bow, and the other person in front had the long-handled spear. The third person would be in back of the boat running the motor. We would find shallow areas in the river and try to spear fish that were somewhat blinded by the light. Occasionally one of us would fall in which was always a laugh. We got some fish that way, but we probably would have been malnourished if that's all we had to eat!
Years later, now married to Jane with our 2 yr. old daughter, Jennifer, I went back to Mattru Jong to serve the Lord as a missionary doctor. Again, Aunt June was there, but now was teaching at the Bumpe High School about 35 miles away. I didn't get to hunt very often with June but did get her to go on some fishing trips. We, along with others, would go down the Jong River several hours out into the large bays that open up into the Atlantic Ocean.
I remember one of those trips in particular where June and several other missionaries were along. We were trolling with some big artificial plugs off the back of my small fiber glass boat when June hooked into a big barracuda. She finally reeled it in to the boat after working the big fish and tiring it out. We were able to then haul it into the boat (I think we had a gaff hook), but it was still very much alive and not happy about being out of the water. It started flopping around with this large artificial bait in its mouth with 3 gangs of treble hooks dangerously flailing around.
June let out with a yell. Poor June! 1 of the treble hooks was embedded into the calf of her leg. Being very sensitive, I said, "Hey June, hold still, I want to get a picture!" Needless to say, June was not in the mood for a photo op. She yelled something like, "Ron, just get this thing out of my leg!" Others in the boat held the big fish down while I cut the hook off the lure - June was free from the fish but still had the hook embedded in her calf. We got right back to shore, and praise the Lord, I had brought a medical kit with me. In the kit, I had a small sterilized instrument set along with an injectable anesthetic (like Novocaine). We anesthetized the area where the treble hook was embedded and were able to remove it...much to June's relief.
There was never a dull moment with June Brown around!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Lightening Brown
A big thunderstorm came one night as I was defrosting the kerosene fridge. A streak of lightening hit me as I was holding the fridge door handle ready to put the food away. I fell to the floor and then got up and ran through the rain to the Baker’s house. I sat there but couldn’t talk for sometime. I had a check up and was fine.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Memories of June Brown
Memories of June Brown? Ah, yes. June and I taught and worked together for a few years at Centennial Secondary School in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Centennial was the first co-educational boarding school in the country, started in 1955 by DeWeitt Baker and Rita Wild. They and J. Alan Kpenge were the first teachers. I arrived in January 1957, and I believe June arrived later that same year. She taught math and physics. Centennial students regarded her highly in those classes.
A few years later when electricity came to our compound, and a house had been built for single women teachers, June was the generator maintenance person. We were to have the use of electricity for four hours in the evening for lights only. So from 7pm to 11pm we were supposed to have lights in our homes and in the school buildings. If June couldn’t get the generator to work, there were the pressure lights to be pumped up, fueled, and placed in classrooms for study hall. Lighting was June’s department.
June was very athletic. She loved to play tennis with Dr. Sylvester Pratt, Juanita Smith, and Paramount Chief Sam Goba. I’m sure there were others, but those were the players I remember.
Hunting was another of her leisure activities, and she was soon hunting monkeys. Some students and others liked monkey meat. Some did not. I was one of those. June didn’t like fish, but she would eat monkey. That’s where I would draw the line.
June made a valuable contribution to Centennial Secondary School in those years that she was there.
~Nancy Hull N'gele
A few years later when electricity came to our compound, and a house had been built for single women teachers, June was the generator maintenance person. We were to have the use of electricity for four hours in the evening for lights only. So from 7pm to 11pm we were supposed to have lights in our homes and in the school buildings. If June couldn’t get the generator to work, there were the pressure lights to be pumped up, fueled, and placed in classrooms for study hall. Lighting was June’s department.
June was very athletic. She loved to play tennis with Dr. Sylvester Pratt, Juanita Smith, and Paramount Chief Sam Goba. I’m sure there were others, but those were the players I remember.
Hunting was another of her leisure activities, and she was soon hunting monkeys. Some students and others liked monkey meat. Some did not. I was one of those. June didn’t like fish, but she would eat monkey. That’s where I would draw the line.
June made a valuable contribution to Centennial Secondary School in those years that she was there.
~Nancy Hull N'gele
Friday, January 28, 2011
Mechanic for Everything
And then we would be there and things would start breaking down. I’m the scientist. I was usually pretty good with mechanics so I would head for the generator, the big electric generator, take that thing, look at it, take it apart and try to get it cleaned out by the book.
I’d read the book, and after I had taken the igniters out the book it said I should send them to England to get them clean. And I said, yeah send them to England to be cleaned and reset. So I dumped them in a bucket of kereosense and let them sit there over night and the the next day I’d get them out and I’d shake them off and clean them off and put them back in the machine again, by the book, and the machine would run.
So when I started doing that kind of thing, I started being the mechanic for everything. Next was the waterpump. Same way for the waterpump, when it wouldn’t run, take something out, soak it in kerosene, and it would work. At the time we didn’t have a mainteance man. Later on we would…
I’d read the book, and after I had taken the igniters out the book it said I should send them to England to get them clean. And I said, yeah send them to England to be cleaned and reset. So I dumped them in a bucket of kereosense and let them sit there over night and the the next day I’d get them out and I’d shake them off and clean them off and put them back in the machine again, by the book, and the machine would run.
So when I started doing that kind of thing, I started being the mechanic for everything. Next was the waterpump. Same way for the waterpump, when it wouldn’t run, take something out, soak it in kerosene, and it would work. At the time we didn’t have a mainteance man. Later on we would…
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Brown, Benner, and the Monkey
The tree was very high but I was able to hit the monkey in one shot. It fell to the ground and I threw it in the trunk. We started down the road and there was knocking on the trunk. As we got out and opened it the monkey jumped out and ran after Ruth, I couldn’t shoot it, but she wore him out and that was it.
If you could only have seen the destruction the monkeys did to the farms. You knew the farmers needed help and the kids were glad for the food.
If you could only have seen the destruction the monkeys did to the farms. You knew the farmers needed help and the kids were glad for the food.
Friday, January 14, 2011
The Call
It all began that Sunday night in King Street church.
I could not tell you what the message was, but I so well remember what the Lord said to me: “I need your life and want you to give it to me tonight for Missionary Service.”
I was still in High School and Dr. Clyde Meadows could not figure my coming forward as there had been no altar call.
I could not tell you what the message was, but I so well remember what the Lord said to me: “I need your life and want you to give it to me tonight for Missionary Service.”
I was still in High School and Dr. Clyde Meadows could not figure my coming forward as there had been no altar call.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)