Our team drove from Freetown to Bo today, and we arrived safely in the city! We toured the Missionary Training Center (MTC) and visited with the Government Hospital in Bo, which is the second largest hospital in the country. We were privileged to meet Dr. Taylor, and we learned how the hospital operates and the needs of the Bo community. We even got to see a newborn baby be delivered to her parents, and we saw her big sister walk over to her to give her a kiss! It was a beautiful moment.
We met with the Mercy Hospital senior staff over dinner, and it was so great to meet them and hear their stories! We learned about the work they are doing and vision for the future of Mercy Hospital. We were inspired by the staff's deep passion for serving people and saving lives in Bo! - Katie Lewis, Associate Pastor, First United Methodist Church of Colleyville
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The December mission team members accompanied the Mercy staff on a village outreach. They helped with the tasks of administering malaria tests, distributing medication, and weighing babies.
The October mission team included film maker Charlie Kendall, Floris UMC associate pastor Barbara Miner, educators Minister Gloria Daniels and Minister Jackie Chaney, and Dr. Carol McIntosh, who is an Ob-Gyn and HCW Board member. The team was also joined by Allen and Patty Morell, the partner church representatives from Osterville UMC.
The team participated in medical outreach and service at Mercy Hospital; filmed a series of short videos about the CRC and Mercy; and collaborated with local schools attended by CRC students. The team members also visited the children they sponsor, and even signed up to sponsor a few more. You can view two of Charlie's videos and the team's photos below.
By Pastor Jason Duley, Galilee United Methodist Church (reposted from Facebook)
“Every time I think about how we started the Child Rescue Center, I almost break into tears,” Bishop John Yambasu told me at dinner in Freetown last night. The orphans and abandoned children that he and the UMC rescued after a civil war looked a lot like the children fishing last night in the ocean across the street from our restaurant table. The thought brought tears to my eyes, too. The work in Africa is moving like that. Have you ever spent a week with a lump in your throat? I have been struggling to hold back tears as I’ve met the children in the community, the church, the CRC and Mercy Hospital. “This work is really a miracle,” Bishop Yambasu said as he told the story of the CRC and his personal call from God to help. I feel that call as well. What a blessing to take part in everyday miracles! As I realize that we are rescuing kids just like these, saving lives and souls—when I am close enough look them in the eye—it touches my heart. Many children remain on the streets of Bo. Saturday evening prayers concluded with an eight year old boy singing in a strong but humble voice: “Lord bless the children on the streets, O God, that’s not where they should sleep.” He has recently been a street child, but is now safe with us. I invite you to pray, just one prayer today, for the children of Sierra Leone. My heart is with you in it. — in Freetown, Sierra Leone. |
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