Happy Mothers Day from Sierra Leone! Team …. well, we have not yet settled on a name, but we are still working on it. We began the day with an energetic worship service at Leader United Methodist Church. At that service we all got a chance to honor our mothers, living and deceased, by wearing a ribbon. There were also a couple of heartwarming moments where some of the CRC resident children used their ribbons to honor some of the CRC aunties. The three hour service flew by, and the team was energized by the experience.
After church, team members that sponsor CRC students were able to go visit them in their homes. There were three sponsors that had the opportunity to meet their sponsored children today. Five people went on the trip to visit the homes and there was time for a nice chat, and to deliver a few gifts from the sponsor to their sponsored child. Each sponsor also provided the family a bag of rice. The first stop was a visit to Hawa and Mohamed, sponsored by Jessica. Next was Hassan, sponsored by Bill and Ilene. The final stop was to see Esther, sponsored by Vicki. It was a beautiful day driving through Bo, with far fewer people in and around the streets, because the markets were closed. In the end, it was very interesting to see the homes and surroundings for each of the children and enjoy fellowship. When the team returned, it was off to a volleyball game with the residential children. The members split their forces and joined both sides and although the Federation of International Volleyball is still looking into alleged scoring irregularities, both sides seemed to be enjoying the game until it was broken up by a typical Bo thunderstorm. (Filed by David Horvath)
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Day 2 of our trip was again mostly travel. We started at 8:00 am, arriving at Bo around 12:15 pm.
The best news is the road was paved and the bus had AC; both signs of progress! We passed miles of palmtree-lined roads, mud brick one room houses with either rusty metal or thatched roofs. Because of the heat, much time is spent out of doors and so there was plenty of seating fashioned from sticks. People of all different shapes and sizes going about their daily activities as we pass by; women washing clothes, men hoeing, working on vehicles and children playing. While there was a lot of activity going on there was noticeable inactivity. Work is scarce and while there were plenty of roadside vendors, business seemed slow. As we came upon the grounds of our destination, the Bo campus, the level of activity increased dramatically. We were treated to a full tour of the campus, where we met children, aunties (house mothers), visited the construction site of a new hen house and a large garden planted in only peanuts! We learned that peanuts are used in multiple ways and a staple of their diets. We experienced an unusual way of using them at dinner this evening; as a thickener for a delicious gravy. Work on the new surgical suite is in full swing and to witness what has been completed, what is being worked on and the future plans was very exciting. Time for our daily devotions. The question of the day is “Where have you seen the face of God today? One we can ask ourselves whether we’re in Sierra Leone, or in our living rooms reading this blog. (Filed by Vicki Gaines) Hello friends and family,
The May team is happy to announce that we have arrived safely in Freetown with all our luggage. It's been a good trip so far. Cyndi Cooke will touch down within the hour to join us at Lungi Airport Hotel. Dinner and a devotional are on the schedule tonight. Bright and early tomorrow morning we head to Bo. May our journey continue to be smooth. Many thanks for all the support that made this mission trip possible. It takes a village for sure. More details to follow. Maybe we'll even come up with a catchy team name. (filed by Jessica Mills) |
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