Well we started our market ministry today! For the first lesson, I think it went very well. Because the outreach is for women, we are doing a study of women in the Bible, starting today with Eve. We had a good handful of women who were actually attentive, as well as many children, so that was encouraging. However, as our Krio has improved, we are able to understand much of what others are saying, and we noticed that our translator was leaving out some important things which were said, but I'm sure we will be able to work around that. Please pray for these precious ladies we are trying to reach out to. As in many African cultures, women here are considered much lower than men and aren't always treated very well. We actually had some national pastors here tell us that God did not create women equal to men, because Adam was the only one God really created, and then Eve just came out of him. They also have some very strange ideas about every woman today being made from the rib of another man, and their job is to find the man whose rib they have and that is who they should marry, but that's another story completely. It is very sad and troubling, though, to hear of all the false teachings (and this is only one of them), which are being taught to the people here. We have been noticing that some men who come for our Sunday services have really started to question these false beliefs, and truly have a desire to learn more about what Scripture teaches, so that has been such a huge blessing. Mr. Owens has been doing discipleship lessons with many of them, and it is our prayer that they would grow in the Lord and be able to share that with other members of the community.
On another note, I would ask you to please be in prayer for safety and stability within the city. Before I explain any further, please know that this situation is most likely quite minor and will amount to nothing, so please do not be worried, just pray that nothing more will come of it. On Sunday, the vice president closed down the radio station for the political party which he is not a member of. That caused quite a bit of quarelling between the two parties. Yesterday, there was a "demonstration" by the offended political party, which was peaceful, but took a strong police force to dispel. Today we received emails from the embassy urging American citizens to stay away from Freetown proper (the busy, "downtown" area), for the next 48 hours. As of now, it appears that nothing will come from the situation, because neither political party has any financial backing, but I would just encourage everyone to pray that it would be resolved peacefully. Thanks again!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
are more coming?
I had a very difficult conversation with one of the neighbor boys a few days ago. We had been talking about the school system here, and his classes, and what he hoped to do after he finishes school, and then, seemingly out of nowhere, he said "when you go back to america, you will not remember our people anymore." I, of course, let him know that wasn't true, but he proceeded to tell me how other people "like me" had come and left and were never heard from again. Throughout the country's history, many many missionaries of all different denominations have come and gone, but none seem to have stayed long enough to really train or disciple anyone, which is the reason why it seems everyone's doctrine here today is so off.
Then he asked me a very simple but piercing question: "when you are gone, will others come?" I gave him the only answer I have, that I honestly don't know what will happen when I leave. I hope and I pray that when I am gone, others will come, and that they will stay and really teach these people, but if i am being honest, I really don't know. Perhaps by reading this, you yourself will be inspired to come, or to help send someone else. But only the Lord knows for sure, and it is my prayer that he would place a burden in people's hearts for this nation.
The more time I spend here, the more I realize just how hungry the people are. Hungry for hope. Hungry for peace. Hungry for truth. Hungry for things that only God can provide, and they need someone to show them that. One of the ladies, who typically is unable to come to any swervices we have outside of Sunday morning (and she oftentimes misses that, because she has to sell in the market), told us that she really wants to learn more Bible. Both of her sons recently accepted Christ, and were baptized in our service at the beach, which has really piqued her interest. So, in order to better reach out to her and the other many women who don't normally make it to the church services or Bible studies, we have decided to start a "market ministry." Hopefully starting next week, we will be going down to the market sometime in the afternoon when they have less business, and start a women's Bible study. Please pray for this new ministry, that the women would be interested, and that their hearts would be open to the gospel. Also pray that we will have a good interpreter, as many of the women do not speak much English. As always, your prayers are much needed and deeply appreciated.
"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." ~Matthew 9:38
Then he asked me a very simple but piercing question: "when you are gone, will others come?" I gave him the only answer I have, that I honestly don't know what will happen when I leave. I hope and I pray that when I am gone, others will come, and that they will stay and really teach these people, but if i am being honest, I really don't know. Perhaps by reading this, you yourself will be inspired to come, or to help send someone else. But only the Lord knows for sure, and it is my prayer that he would place a burden in people's hearts for this nation.
The more time I spend here, the more I realize just how hungry the people are. Hungry for hope. Hungry for peace. Hungry for truth. Hungry for things that only God can provide, and they need someone to show them that. One of the ladies, who typically is unable to come to any swervices we have outside of Sunday morning (and she oftentimes misses that, because she has to sell in the market), told us that she really wants to learn more Bible. Both of her sons recently accepted Christ, and were baptized in our service at the beach, which has really piqued her interest. So, in order to better reach out to her and the other many women who don't normally make it to the church services or Bible studies, we have decided to start a "market ministry." Hopefully starting next week, we will be going down to the market sometime in the afternoon when they have less business, and start a women's Bible study. Please pray for this new ministry, that the women would be interested, and that their hearts would be open to the gospel. Also pray that we will have a good interpreter, as many of the women do not speak much English. As always, your prayers are much needed and deeply appreciated.
"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." ~Matthew 9:38
Thursday, March 5, 2009
home is where you make it
So, for the past four days or so our internet hasn't really been working, but it has supposedly been fixed now, so hopefully it will stay connected long enough for me to post this :)
I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but somewhere between the thirty minute rides on pothole-filled "roads" to the grocery store 5 miles away, the five different trips we had to make to the immigration office to renew my visa, the "tear gas" incident (i'll explain later), and going to help our neighbors fetch water...from an "illegal" tap into a public water line.....it hit me: i really could live here. as most of you probably know, my heart has always been in the village. my dream was always to live in a mud hut out in a remote village (probably in Sudan). But the more time i spend here, the more God has been showing me that, in reality, I could live anywhere he sends me. Sure, I still have my dream of living in the village, but I am starting to realize that, if God has other plans then, yeah, I could live with that...and even enjoy it! I've been told that, statistically, Sierra Leone (and the capital in particular), is the absolute most difficult place in the world to live. Now, I'm not sure who came up with those statistics, but I can definitely see the difficulties here. And yet, the city life has it's own little charm as well. For one thing, there's really never a dull moment! Even everyday tasks like grocery shopping become an adventure!
Just the other day, Moses, our driver, was taking Megan and I into town to run some errands. It wasn't too terribly hot, so we had the windows rolled down. As we drove out of our neighborhood, we passed a car on the side of the road that i just assumed had been in a small wreck. The car didn't look damaged, but it was smoking, and the people standing around were all coughing terribly. Well, as we drove by, a whiff of whatever was smoking blew in through our windows, our eyes watered up, our throats got tight, and we started coughing uncontrollably. Luckily, we got past it soon, and into some relatively fresh air (as fresh as it gets in such a polluted city). Moses was convinced that a bottle of tear gas had been broken. I'm not so certain, but whatever it was certainly had me coughing for the rest of the day!
But it isn't just our little "adventures" that are making me fall in love with this country. More than anything, it's the people. They are very hard, very closed off, and, to be blunt, they like to lie alot. But underneath all of that calloused exterior, is a heart that is hurting....a soul, shattered by war, poverty, and desolation, that desperately needs hope and love. And sometimes, ever so often, on small occasions, that broken heart starts to show through the tough front they put on. And in moments like that, I can see so clearly why God has brought me here. And the more i think about it, the clearer it becomes that there are people like that everywhere! Especially in Africa, where so many nations are still trying to recover from war, and more are always starting up. But one thing I know for sure. Wherever God may choose to send me in the future, I know it will be because in that place there is a need. One which He has chosen to use me to fill! And what an incredible privilege that is.
I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but somewhere between the thirty minute rides on pothole-filled "roads" to the grocery store 5 miles away, the five different trips we had to make to the immigration office to renew my visa, the "tear gas" incident (i'll explain later), and going to help our neighbors fetch water...from an "illegal" tap into a public water line.....it hit me: i really could live here. as most of you probably know, my heart has always been in the village. my dream was always to live in a mud hut out in a remote village (probably in Sudan). But the more time i spend here, the more God has been showing me that, in reality, I could live anywhere he sends me. Sure, I still have my dream of living in the village, but I am starting to realize that, if God has other plans then, yeah, I could live with that...and even enjoy it! I've been told that, statistically, Sierra Leone (and the capital in particular), is the absolute most difficult place in the world to live. Now, I'm not sure who came up with those statistics, but I can definitely see the difficulties here. And yet, the city life has it's own little charm as well. For one thing, there's really never a dull moment! Even everyday tasks like grocery shopping become an adventure!
Just the other day, Moses, our driver, was taking Megan and I into town to run some errands. It wasn't too terribly hot, so we had the windows rolled down. As we drove out of our neighborhood, we passed a car on the side of the road that i just assumed had been in a small wreck. The car didn't look damaged, but it was smoking, and the people standing around were all coughing terribly. Well, as we drove by, a whiff of whatever was smoking blew in through our windows, our eyes watered up, our throats got tight, and we started coughing uncontrollably. Luckily, we got past it soon, and into some relatively fresh air (as fresh as it gets in such a polluted city). Moses was convinced that a bottle of tear gas had been broken. I'm not so certain, but whatever it was certainly had me coughing for the rest of the day!
But it isn't just our little "adventures" that are making me fall in love with this country. More than anything, it's the people. They are very hard, very closed off, and, to be blunt, they like to lie alot. But underneath all of that calloused exterior, is a heart that is hurting....a soul, shattered by war, poverty, and desolation, that desperately needs hope and love. And sometimes, ever so often, on small occasions, that broken heart starts to show through the tough front they put on. And in moments like that, I can see so clearly why God has brought me here. And the more i think about it, the clearer it becomes that there are people like that everywhere! Especially in Africa, where so many nations are still trying to recover from war, and more are always starting up. But one thing I know for sure. Wherever God may choose to send me in the future, I know it will be because in that place there is a need. One which He has chosen to use me to fill! And what an incredible privilege that is.
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