leaving tomorrow

So, tomorrow we are leaving for our retreat. I must say that I need to apologize for my attitude on my last post about the trip. I trust the leadership that I am under and I know that this is what the Lord has for us. I am sad about not being in Freetown with my friends but I do now realize that this is something to look forward to and not to lament about. I have recently realized that what I want out of Christian community and what the Lord has for me...very well might be two different things! In reading the Word the past few days and in reading 'Life Together' by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I am realizing that I too often force my own agenda into what is being done instead of stepping back and asking 'what is the Lord doing here?'. I recently learned that our trip is going to be a lot of processing and reading and contemplating. These are all things that I just recently journalled about and said I wanted to start doing more of and now I have a perfect 10 day opportunity. So, with my new attitude change, I am looking forward to our time upcountry. I am looking forward to seeing more of Sierra Leone and to quality time with Jesus amidst His beautiful handy work. I am trusting the Lord and His loving-kindness that even with the time away from my friends in town, my heart will be okay and it will actually prepare me for our departure a month later in a sovereign way that I will hopefully see after wards. So, please pray for us...for safety and health and that each of us would learn new things about ourselves, community and Jesus during these next 10 days. It would also be great if you would pray for a miracle that all the mosquitoes would decide to leave that area and not return! :)

Kroo Bay

Today is Saturday....Kroo Bay day. It was as wonderful as usual. I was sitting on the floor with a kiddo that was sleeping in my arms and snapped a few pics. It is so sweet when you see them standing during worship and nodding off. Sometimes they come in so tired and in need of rest. This little guy was leaning on the bench and dozing. I picked him up and he went fast asleep. I sat down with him during the message and while the eggs were being passed out. The pictures are not the best, but they give you a small window into the sweet faces that I get to see every week.

This Wednesday, sadly, we are going upcountry for 10 days. I am really looking forward to seeing more of Sierra Leone and spending time with Cami, but I am really not excited about the trip. I am going to miss the the kids on the street, the Lighthouse kids, the Zizers, James and Blessing and going to Kroo Bay. We figured out that after we get back from upcountry, we only have 5 Kroo Bays left. That is not a happy thought! *sigh* I am trying to have a good attitude about going. I would be looking more forward to it if it wasn't so long and if our time here in Sierra Leone wasn't so short. Fourth months is not a long time and so a 10 day retreat seems like a big chunk with only 7 weeks left to go. The thought of leaving here is already tearing at my heart, so I want to cherrish all the moments that I can. Alas, there is not much I can do but choose to have a good attitude and to enjoy it. I really am excited that Cami is going with us and so that does give me something to look forward to. I am glad that she is getting away and getting a much needed break!

Okay, SO, back to Kroo Bay..... I have added a couple of the pics from today. I will try to take my camera the next few times to get more pictures. I hope that I can capture a small portion of how awesome worship time is!

my week in review

This past week has been a full one but fun. Sunday we (all but Jeremy and Haley because they were still recovering...they were both pretty sick for a few days) went to Beach #2. It is a really nice, white sandy beach about an hour away. Really it should only be about 20 minutes away but the roads are so terrible that it took well over an hour to get there. We were told this road was similar to the road we will be taking next week to go upcountry on our retreat. Woohoo! The beach was gorgeous and I hope to do more exploring the next time. I just sat on the beach and read this time. I heard up the river empties into the ocean right there and you can walk up the river and see hundreds if not thousands of crabs. What I saw was beautiful and I felt fully relaxed after our afternoon soaking it all in. Then Monday was a Muslim Pray Day....the day after Ramadan (sp) is over. The schools are out on this day. We had Lighthouse, which to get to we walk through Victoria Park every morning. This particular morning Eric and I walked into the park and right into the middle of the start of the morning prayers. The ENTIRE park was full of Muslims and they were just getting ready to pray. We went one way thinking we could find a way out, getting yelled out and pushed to move faster, we were stepping on mats and getting lots of dirty looks. A police officer had to help us find a way out of the park, but standing up and walking on one of the planters. It was CRAZY! We finally got to the youth center for Lighthouse. The pictures that I posted on my bubbleshare account are from the opposite entrance as prayer was over and people were pouring out of the park. Lighthouse was casual and fun that morning. We took lots of pics and goofed around. Then most of the kids went to Cami and Faye's house to hang out for the day. My friend Foday made some really spicy fishy groundnut soup which we ate for dinner. I had to run back to the house we were staying at while everyone ate and when I got back, he had saved me a bowl. :P I didn't get out of eating it. It turned out to be really good, it just took me a bottle or two of water to get through it. The kids sat in on our Krio class and it was fun because they asked us questions and we had to answer in Krio. It was the best Krio class we have ever had! We then watched Amistad and ate cookies and popcorn and had fun. Amistad is a heavy movie that I had never seen. It is about Sierra Leonean slaves. All the kids new the local language being spoken in the background and by the main character. It definitely brought the movie to life in a way that never could have been done had I not watched it with my friends...it was too real. Tuesday was a good day full of walking and internetting (yes, that can be a verb). That night I had dinner with my Lighthouse friend AbuBakar. I heard what Lighthouse is to him and his dreams for the future and some of his pains of the past. It was a sweet couple of hours that I think made my week! Yesterday was a busy day, as all Wednesdays are...lots of tutoring and then Krio class and dinner with the Zizers. Now here I am today. Got up early and came into town. Went to the markets to buy material and then on a walk with my friend Usman. He showed me his house. It was up a steep hill...pretty sure he was trying to kill me. But alas, here I am. It was great though to spend time with him and see his place that he pays for himself. He was very proud of it and I was happy to be there. Now, here I am interneting again. It is a beautiful sunny day here with a cool breeze. The weather today was/is perfect! So, I know this is a little more narrative than usual but I wanted to share my week with you because I have SO enjoyed it. I also have posted a lot of pics from the beach and from our Lighthouse fun day. Hope you enjoy!

http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/72473.fb200f95e93

Lighthouse state

I think we have come to Sierra Leone at just the right time. I believe we are here to pray and to be an encouraging breath of fresh air and hope. My prayer is that we are just that! My heart aches for Cami and the WMF staff here. The questions they are asking right now are not easy to ask or simple to answer and the answers are not easy to decipher or simple to apply.

As an outsider here to the program, I see so much of what the Lord has already done. I see former street boys and girls that were living without purpose. I see God's children that were naked and hungry and are now clothed and fed. The Lord doesn't give a cut and dry road map for helping cultivate and instill worth and long term responsibility into the orphan that you feed and clothe. I believe this is because every orphan and abandoned child is unique and not one remedy will cultivate in every heart what Jesus purposed for them. When parents or families fail to invest into a heart the love and value of being a child of God, this responsibility shifts to the church as the hand and instrument of God. However, the difficult position to be in at this stage is that they cannot make these kids WANT to grow and mature. It has to be something the individual owns and seeks out for themselves. Most of these kids have been in the program for around 3 years. I think (and I could be wrong) that the staff is weary of calling these kids to a higher standard of maturity and responsibility. Every single one of these kids are remarkable creations and have talents to offer this world. However, I truly believe that most of them didn't have a fun and enjoyable childhood and that is what they are trying to relive now. The beauty is that the Lord can restore what was taken by the enemy without having to relive a lost youth. A lot of these kids are close to the age of the rest of the servant team....late teens and early twenties. I think they need to start seeing themselves as men and women who have the responsibility to choose what is next for them. I wish for them that they would stop needing so much hand holding in those important areas. So, those are my petty two cents on the rut that Lighthouse seems to be in right now.

I write all this because I love these kids and to be honest, I see a future and a hope for them that I believe can be accomplished through prayer. I believe it with every fiber of my being! I know so many of you are faithful prayers and so I ask that you will pray with me...pray that as the staff here asks important questions and that important answers will be given. Please against discouragement and weariness and pray for hope and vision. Sometimes things must be cut down to regrow into something beautiful, but only the Gardener knows just when the right time for that is without killing the plant. Please pray that the WMF would be His pruning instruments in and at the right season.

Thank you for your prayers and praise Jesus for Hope!

Waterloo camp

Today we did something a little different with our day off. We went to a "refugee" camp about an hour outside of Freetown. This camp was primarily comprised of internally displaced people. This means that they are Sierra Leoneans that were displaced during the war time and now have no place to go back to for one reason or another. The camp itself had a real community feel to it....much like a village would. They had houses and little "shops" set up selling fish, palm oil seeds, cassava leaf, potato leaf, etc...it was like walking through various parts of Freetown markets but more peaceful. Everything was not right on top of you and people were not yelling..well, not as much as in town anyway. We gathered in a central part of the village and they called as many people to join us as they could. Everyone gathered around and we shared where we were from and why we had come. The people were SO welcoming and it was great fun to have all the little hands in mine and the little ones climbing all over us. The adults were so warm and inviting and grateful that we were there. After we shared why we had come and we sang a song telling the Lord 'Thank you', we announced that it was medicine time. We had general meds for a few different things (malaria, cough/cold, runny belly and worms) and had some stuff to do small wound cleaning. The mood instantly shifted. It was MASS chaos! Every adult was pushing in and pushing kids to the front of the line. We wanted to have a prayer line too, but that was a short lived dream. We needed 'all hands on deck' to fight the crowd, bag meds and pass them out. I have no idea how long this took because all I did was keep my head in a bottle of pills...sorting, counting and bagging. The people were crowding in and pushing and all of them seemed desperate for medicine. To say that this was overwhelming, would be much too simple. There were so many mixed emotions. The atmosphere had turned from warm and inviting to hostile and almost greedy for what we had. We did our best...we ran out of bags for the pills and so then we started putting the pills in little wads of paper with the instructions scribbled on the outside. The line never seemed to get smaller. That is, until we ran out of pills and then it was amazing how fast everyone disappeared. We were left there under the trees, finally breathing a few relaxed breaths, looking around and wondering what just happened. Some adults lingered and said thank you and a few of the kids walked us out, but the crowd was nowhere to be found. It is hard to know how much help we gave and if the meds were even needed in most cases. I think when you don't have, you will take whatever you are given. My hope is that even if wasn't needed today, that it will be saved for a day when they do need it. I wish that we were more to them than just the proverbial Santa Clauses with our medicines and the goods we have to offer. I don't know how effective that is in the long run. These are remarkable and capable people and they know a lot of local cures to the things we passed out. I would hate to see them just rely on us and our meds. I know this is kind of a random and all over entry, but I am just processing 'out loud' with y'all. It is late and I am really tired. I think I should be heading home soon. All in all, today was a good day and I am glad that we went. I know and trust that what we brought them will be used for their benefit and more than even the medicine that they would have heard that we were there because we loved Jesus and He loves them! I am thankful for all the cute little faces that I got to squeeze and laugh with and love on. I didn't take my camera, because I didn't want to make the people a spectacle. So, no pics or at least none that I can share with you. They are all in my heart for now.

Happy Birthday Marvic

Friday was Marvic Zizer's 16th birthday and in his honor we threw the coolest darn birthday party he has probably ever had....okay, well probably not the coolest but definitely one, the likes of which he will never get again! :P We went to the local grocery store and found some really amazing 'happy birthday' masks. There were some really snazy hats and masks to choose from, but I think we made the best decision. Jeremy also found sparklers....that's right, not just for the 4th of July folks but for a good time in SL! Marvic said he liked chocolate cake and so Jeremy found a cake mix and frosting and we actually made a chocolate cake. I have to be honest and tell you that after 2 months without the indulgences of American food, it was the best chocolate cake we have ever had. We polished off the frosting on our fingers and spoons and the burnt parts of the cake that others threw away...we were out of control. (I think Marvic had a good time too!) The absolute highlight of the night was Jeremy's rendition of Happy Birthday on the recorder. It was a birthday party that will not be beat!! On a more serious note, Cami has a beautiful tradition when it is someones birthday to have everyone go around and say something that they appreciate about the person. I think it is fantastic and I hope to implement it when I get home. I mean, I kind of did that for Mary but I had people tell embarrassing things ALONG with things they loved...maybe we should have just done the things that we loved. :) We all went around and encouraged Marvic and then we prayed for him. All in all it was a really fun evening and Marvic said it made him feel wonderful....mission accomplished! Some pictures of this exciting and happening party on my bubble share link.

my walk from Kissy

I haven't really blogged for awhile because there isn't much new that is going on. Our days are full and go by quickly. I am loving every day and just enjoying my time. With the two month (half way) mark just around the corner, I feel more of an urgency to spend my time wisely with the Lighthouse kids, the Zizers and my friends that sell from the street. I am also trying to walk more and see more of the sights that are around.

A week ago today, I went on the most amazing walk with one of the Lighthouse guys, Foday. We went to Kissy to take rice to his sister and then walked back to the main part of Freetown. It is a long walk but enjoyable. The places he showed me were amazing! A few of the pictures are posted on my bubbleshare sight. There is one of him next to the water at his favorite place to go read and do his studies and then the one of the ship yards where he told me he slept when he was on the streets. It so hard to look at this 20 year old kid and know that years ago when he was probably 13 or 15 yrs old, he was living on the streets. I am overwhelmed everytime I hear a Lighthouse kids' story of how much the Lord grieves over what they had to endure and encouraged by how much promise and hope there is for each of them!

Well, my time at the cafe has run out....I must go. I will try to blog more on Saturday but no promises. Life is very fluid here and plans change quickly.

Thank you for all your posts about the pictures. It means a lot to me that you all are checking this blog and being so supportive!! I will try to take some pics at Kroo Bay this Saturday and get them uploaded....talk about cute kids, you haven't seen anything yet!!

pictures

Hello All!

I think I may have figured out how to get some pictures to you without taking up too much computer space and time at the internet cafe. I have created an album on Bubble Share and I believe that by clicking the link below you can view my pics at any time and as I add new pics, you can see them using the same link. I will let you know when I post more pics. For now, I want to see how this works...please let me know. I need feedback on this one :)

http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/72473.fb200f95e93

Happy October

So, it is October and I am missing the leaves changing colors and the beauty that is fall in Omaha. I will miss the sweet smell of the leaves on the ground and the crisp Autumn mornings. I will miss the trips to the apple orchard and the harvest signs on all around. However, as much as I long to see and smell the beauty of fall at home....I am enjoying October in Sierra Leone. The first day of October I spent swimming in the ocean and basking in the African sunshine. We took the Zizer kids to the beach Sunday afternoon and hung out there until the sun went down. The scenery all around could rival any Caribbean beach. The water was the perfect temperature and not too deep. It only came about to my waste. The waves were big and tossed us about, but not too strong that would make them unable to be enjoyed. The kids played and laughed. We dug in the sand and Jeremy even engaged in a pick up game of soccer. I was even able to squeeze in a little down time to read and relax in the sea breeze. The sunset was breath taking! I have never seen a sunset like it. The sun was big and orange and enveloped in white illuminated clouds. It seemed as though it was right there for you to touch. I know it is probably not a good idea to stare directly at the sun but I couldn't take my eyes away. I was mesmerized until it slipped down beyond the horizon and was gone. I am kicking myself for not having my camera. Although, I doubt even a camera could have captured how beautiful it really was!! So, please don't feel too sorry for me because I am missing the beauty of fall at home...I will make due! :P