First to Church, then the river.

Visiting the sandbar with Fudia

Sunday morning at Leader Memorial United Methodist Church was the usual uplifting experience of lots of singing, dancing and celebration of the world that the Lord has provided to us, including our marvelous challenges and opportunities to demonstrate compassion and generosity for one another.

A special treat was a evening visit with the MTC Caretaker, Fudia Ernest. We talked about the upcoming publication of her cookbook to benefit the MTC, and her vision for the future of the Missionary Training Centre. Then, Fudia and I drove out to the river to look at the progress of the new bridge that is being built there, and the new road that connects to it, and to watch the laborers dredging sand from the sandbar and carrying it in hand dug canoes. From there, other workers would load it into buckets and bags and carry the sand to the road, where they dumped it into a larger pile, which was loaded by trucks. The sand is then sold for building materials. By this, entire families were working to make a living, including old men, children and women with babies in slings on their backs. I would guess by the size of the piles, they had probably been working since the day began.

In the course of an evening stroll, we marveled at these symbols of how far Sierra Leone has come in rebuilding its infrastructure, the promises and opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for those engaged in the work we support.

I am so proud to be here with these amazingly courageous, hard working, smart, resilient and creative people building sustainable futures for the next generation.