my tour

This has been my first chance to post since my tour on Saturday. It was BY FAR the most overwhelming day that I have had so far. I was so emotionally and somewhat physically exhausted by the end of it that I have needed a couple of days to recoup. My favorite part of the tour (we will start with that) was just being with David. I love being with him and seeing what a testimony he is to the Lord's grace and what some love, grace and opportunity can do in someones life. I was able to hear more of his story on the walk and that I loved! I also like how protective he was of Haley and I when cars seemed to be aiming for us (they really weren't aiming, however there was a Coca-Cola truck that I thought had my # but thankfully I am still here) or when people came up wanting money or whatever. He was a great tour guide. We walked from Aberdeen (which is where our servant team leader lives) into Freetown and around to all the markets and through various parts of town. The walk into Freetown really wasn't bad and so I can foresee doing that on a regular basis. Back to the tour, the sights all around at this point are the same as everywhere we have been walking so far. Small "buildings" made of wood, some concrete and metal are everywhere. They line the road and are full in the front of things to sell....food, underwear, electronics, some are beauty salons, whatever you could think of they will have some version of it. The dogs are everywhere, often sick and hungry looking. Anyone who has traveled to any third world country knows exactly what I am talking about...it really doesn't look much different than other places I have been...just a lot more of it. I know that most of the families live in these same little shops. They are usually just sitting out front watching you as you walk by. We get the "white girl, white girl" shouted us and something in krio that means the same thing, on just about every street. People are friendly and you know me, I love saying hi to everyone but by the end of the day I just wanted to blend in. I had nothing in me but survival at that point. We first walked through the Kroo Bay slum. When it rains (which it was pouring for most of our walk), Kroo Bay floods. It was basically just red (that is the color of the dirt here) goo everywhere. You never really knew if you were stepping in mud or sewage. After Kroo Bay, we went to King Jimmy market. It is right by the Bay's edge. The sights, sounds, smells and tastes at these markets are beyond anything that I could describe. We went to so many markets that I lost count. Some were on winding paths, filled with chickens, rice, fish in every form, pigs feet in buckets, meat just sitting out or hanging, fruits, vegetables, timber, etc and kids running around without shoes in the dirt and stench. One little boy without pants on was playing with a rusty coat hanger and was as content as could be. You rarely saw the kids anywhere close to their parents. The roads we walked on were in front of people's homes. The homes were right on top of one another and they were all trying to sell you something from it or they wanted you to stop and talk. All I really remember is watching my feet, trying not to slip and step in something questionable. What I was seeing all around was just too much to absorb. Maybe one market at a time from here on out will be more manageable. I will also go alone when I don't have to hurry. We then went to Dove Court (the largest market in Sierra Leone, according to David). It was big but seemed just like all the previous small ones we had been to. I don't know how the vendors survive. Everyone seems to be selling the same thing as the previous 20. You want to help them all by buying but then again you don't want what they are selling. We stopped at Victoria Park and sat for a while in front of a cookery shop that one of the Lighthouse guys mom runs. The tour was over and we headed to Kroo Bay.

We had over 320 kids at the good news club and had to turn many away because there was no physical room. That was the closest that I came to crying. Noah runs the good news club and is a man who I have a great amount of respect for. He had to remove kids that were talking because to maintain order with 300+ kids you have to be firm. They would cry when he took them out. I almost lost it at one point. Kroo Bay really is amazing though. We do some medical care after wards and a lot of times it is the only care most of these kids will ever receive. They hear about Jesus and are entertained for an hour or so. They are fed an egg and basically loved on for a few minutes. It doesn't seem like a lot in the grand scheme, but it is definitely better than nothing. The Lord, I believe has a lot to teach me about obedience and what that can do. Noah and the WMF staff are obedient to the Lord and have answered a call to meet the needs of these kids. It is vain to think that anything I do will matter...the Lord doesn't ask me to matter, He has just asked for my obedience. I just need to tune my ear to hear what it is that He wants me to do with my time here.

Well, that is all for now. I know these thoughts are random and probably don't paint the picture to a tenth of what I really wanted to communicate. Right now my surroundings are new and overwhelming. I am looking forward to the day (hopefully sooner rather than later) when each story and face starts standing out and I get past my own discomfort (of body and of heart).

I love you all!