Budget for 2014-2016

Well it is that time again! I am nearly at the end of my first two years back in Sierra Leone. Need to give a new breakdown. The money is GONE! Many changes over the past year had increased my budget so I'll be heading home soon to fund raise! So here is the breakdown!

It is always very difficult to know how much money will be needed to continue to live in Sierra Leone. These costs are estimated on the past 6 months of living in our new home. Thank you for your support! 

Breakdown of costs for 2014-2016

Travel airfare: $1,000.00 for return flight in September 2014,  $2,000.00 Round Trip for 2015, $1,000 Return flight for 2016. TOTAL $4,000.00 for two years.

Water taxi for return trips: $40.00 each x 2 = $80.00

Rent paid every January= $3,600  

In country travel expenses= approximately $100.00/month

Utilities (water, electric or generator) = Approximately $75.00/month

House security and help= $200.00/month

Medical Insurance= $180.00/month

Giving/Misc= $200.00/month

Average monthly budget= $895.00

For one year= $18,115.00

For the approximate 22 months =  $30,570.00

Some of the changes from the previous two years include paying rent annually. I was very blessed to spend one year at the Hospital’s Guest House for a monthly rent of $300.00. However, the time came to find a longer term solution. We stayed briefly with a friend but that was costing us $600 for the month. We were blessed to find a house near my 2011 neighborhood and could rent out a room to Enable the Children to also cut their rent. It was unfurnished and cost us a lot to furnish but now we are furnished and just need to continue to pay the annual rent. Of course renting is different than subletting, we now have the cost of running a household evident in our utilities, security, and house help. Security is a must for being a “Abito” as they call us makes us high risk for break-ins. House help is our two sweet ladies, Yenkein and Aminata. I don’t cook a good African meal and do not know how to wash clothes with a wash board. Thus we have these two amazing ladies who are our dear friends and keep us well cared for. Medical Insurance and giving have remained nearly the same.

Hannah's Story

Over a year ago I probably saved a little girl’s life. If you look back through my blog you will see my first entry of her and her story. Hannah is her name and she was abandoned and starving, surrounded by flies and maggots when I found her in February of 2013. I have never seen a child in such a horrible condition.

I never could imagine what all would follow in saving this little girl’s life.

It has been a trying and beautiful journey in the last year from her going to a rescue shelter to being fostered by me. Hannah’s story is one of heartbreak, spiritual trials, shuffling from one place to another, overcoming hurdles, and the beginning of healing and discovering the many aspects of joy and love.

I have kept very quiet these past 6 months of fostering Hannah because so much of it was filled with difficulty, frustration, and hurt. However, I feel it is time to break the silence and let people know. I will try to blog frequently about where we are in “Hannah’s story”.

To begin, Hannah’s father “never answered the belly” – English translation “He never claimed Hannah was his.” Hannah’s mother died 4 years ago and after was being raised by an uncle who later abandoned her due to her disability. Hannah is diagnosed with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy which means she has uncontrolled movements which causes her to be unable to walk independently.

Having a sister with disabilities I have a huge heart for disabled kids. I have for a long time wanted to adopt a child with disabilities. I prayed and decided to foster Hannah and try to adopt her. When she came to me after the shelter the transition was hard but I was optimistic. After a few months, however, she was not bonding with me and talked about her sister on nearly a daily basis. I went home for a visit and decided it would not be best for either of us to try adoption when there was an attachment disorder.

Hannah’s sister, Mariama, who is 14 years was living with her adult cousin, we have recently inquired if Hannah could go live with them as they would be the only living family that we would consider to take her and she desperately wants to be reunited with her sister. The family refused, wanting nothing to do with Hannah, and said they were also sending Mariama away. We also learned that they had been taking advantage of this 14 year old in the past 4 years, not sending her to school and making her do all the housework.

Last night the two sisters slept quietly in my room. I am taking Mariama in for a visit which has been explained to both of them. Over a year ago I never could of imagined taking a 9 year old, let alone a teenager, and yet again have 3 others who spend any time out of school at my house as well.  

I do not know what plans God has. We are praying that there might be a solution for them to be placed together and even if I could take them both I would be unable to legally as Mariama is too old. One organization is working with me to help me find a solution as well as some other thoughts. What I desired above all is for it to be God’s will for them. I desire for His will to only include that I might be able to continue my relationship with these two precious girls.

“To him that has no might He increaseth strength.”

Christmas/Annual Update

My inbox is full! Any of you feeling overwhelmed by the all the last minute Christmas email advertisements? Maybe I just need to get off some email lists!
Shari’s Berries keeps emailing me with appealing pictures of strawberries- I don’t know how Shari got my email address but she knows what I’m craving! Thanks Shari!!
Other emails are giving towards a cause- “the gift that keeps on giving”: livestock, pineapples, and goats, Oh My! (By the way I do believe if they bring development in a Christ centered way then it is a beautiful way to gift!)
If it was not for these emails and the blaring music “Dreaming of a White Christmas” and “Jingle Bells” at 3 AM outside our hospital compound I would forget we are even 4 days away from Christmas. In Sierra Leone it probably around 80 degrees, the only thing flying through the air is dust, and I drive past the ocean on a daily basis. Santa Clause is unheard of, no one has a Christmas Tree, or the presents that go under them.
I was going to say Christmas here is maybe a bit more like the first Christmas. Not too unlike the Sierra Leoneans, the Israelites were under the power of others, hoping for a Savior, a leader/a King to come and help them out of their deprivation. Sierra Leone is not under the rule of Rome or any other Country but they are in need of hope of restoration, of a Savior, of new leaders. However, in many ways the U.S. is still in great need of Hope of total restoration and a Savior as well. That is why we are awaiting Christ’s second coming, a coming that brings that hope and when all will bow down to the King of Kings.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Working with children with disabilities has always been my passion, after three years of home health nursing with disabled children in the US, I was ready to take my God given passion and gift for working with these kids to a place where there was little hope for these kids. In January I began the work with Enable the Children (ETC), from the start I was amazed at what a unique service I was joining.
 ETC has children referred to us through the only pediatric hospital in the country and through a well-known clinic. From there we can see what needs these children might have and how we can address them. The best part (for me anyway!) is after that we have the unique opportunity to visit these children and their families in their homes on a nearly monthly basis. In their homes! How many NGOs get to do that?! It opens up the opportunity to not only to impact their lives here but to have the eternal impact! We build relationships with our families through encouragement, prayers, being a listening ear, and we keep coming back- they call us, we call them to check up between the monthly visits.
Many of our families are Muslim, regularly attending Mosque, but we are regularly attending their homes- being Christ’s word and action, we are trying to be that living Gospel, different, exciting from what they have known. We have seen many families have a heart change in the last year. A child that was neglected by everyone but the grandmother’s sister, now has huge community support; to a mom who was ready to take her son to an orphanage now feeling empowered to advocate for more rights for her son in the government.; and yet another young girl on her own caring for her severely disabled toddler in a one bedroom house wanting to come to the hospital to encourage others who have children with disabilities. There are so many stories like this, despite their children being called devils, having very little help from government, living in a Country that is not set up for wheelchairs, walkers, ect. These parents have a hope and they give me so

much courage to me to continue this work!
These families have also encouraged me immensely in the past 5 weeks. The amount of respect I have for them has somehow increased! Having Hannah has been so challenging. Carrying a 9 year old around is not easy folks! Having to constantly clean the floor because her Athetoid movements cause ¼ of the food to end up on the ground (and I do not want to be bitten by those horrible ants that the food attracts- they draw blood!) and the testing behaviors that have kept her from really becoming emotionally attached to me.
I thank God though because even when we go through a two hour screaming and biting tantrum I know that God has something planned and I am beginning to glimpse it. I may have sore muscles but they remind me of the sweet little girl that I got to hold and of the dad in our program who cannot afford to take transport but piggy backs his 8 year old the half mile to school every day- We are blessed. Cleaning the floors reminds me that my little girl can eat for herself and more that we have food to eat- we are blessed! The behaviors remind me of the horrible neglect, abuse and pain that my sweet little girl had to endure for 8 years and how I, how God, can now impact the many more years of her life. The good times are so sweet, she is now beginning to give hugs and kisses, she can sit down a hold a small conversation with me, is full of questions I love to answer and has the best little kid laugh ever! Yes it is true- I am blessed!
This time of the year is the Advent Season but the way I see it we are always in a Season of waiting, but I pray it is an active waiting for all of us. Christ said we would do even greater things than He because He had to return to the Father. We can and are bringing the Kingdom to earth through our works of faith. I am thankful that I have had the last year to bring a message of hope to lives here in Sierra Leone, especially the sweet little life of Hannah. Our prayers every night include love, joy, and peace for our friends and family during the Christmas Season and always!
Much love and Merry Christmas!

Jaimie and Hannah

Living in Stride with God- ETC Newsletter

Hello everyone!

Our founder asked me to write an Enable the Children Newsletter for the year and it has given me the time to reflect on the past ten months. I also have pink eye so I have a bit of time off from Community work- don't want to spread this to the kiddos!

 Isaiah 42:16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

God has been engineering our circumstances. Enable the Children is a small team of just 5 community workers- 2 of us from the West and 3 Sierra Leoneans. Our desire is to use a passion that we each have in us to spread God's love and hope to children with disabilities and their families. 

As you read our newsletter I pray you will see what God is doing. We are privileged that He has given us the gifts and that we have the opportunity to use them to teach and preach for His Glory!

ETC 2013 Newsletter

Had an encouraging day with Enable the Children today as I was greeted clearly by one of our Autistic children who use to not talk, a little girl who couldn’t sit now can, and one of our Cerebral Palsy boys who had poor balance is not enjoying playing football with his friends.- April 23^rd2013

We told one of our 7 years today in the program we were going to make her a desk and chair to help her practice writing- her smile was HUGE! -October 1^st 2013

It has been an amazing year with Enable the Children. I came in January to join the small team reaching out to nearly 300 kids and their families! Abu our faithful team leader and Rehab Therapist and Ambrose, Rehab Therapist Assistant and Morlai, ETC Driver, were holding together the team since Sara and Katie left mid-2012. Anna, a physiotherapist, came out a week before me and then we were 5. With the ever increasing case load and the desire to give our children quality visits at least once a month we have been working towards splitting the team into two groups. We have created this year a Family Support Team and hired Mariama, Support Worker Trainee. Mariama is in

her second month of training and is full of love for the kids and enthusiasm for the work. The work for Mariama and me will consist of in home counsel, teaching, advocating, creating support groups and focusing on activities to promote the children’s independence. The others will continue in the home based therapy care to allow children to reach their full potential while also supporting and teaching families. We are excited to work together towards bringing hope and joy into the lives of these families in different ways.

We have been able to continue our partnerships with Cottage, the only pediatric hospital in the Country, and with Aberdeen Women’s Centre Children’s Clinic (formally Mercy Ships). Through these two sources we see as many as ten new patients a week and have the opportunity to share our knowledge and give them the hope of Jesus through our services. We have recently started working with an enthusiastic pediatric surgeon who is willing to assist us (for free) with our children who need surgery! We have had two children (the first two in the Country from what we are told) successfully have feeding tubes placed for better nutrition management; both are doing great 6 months after the placements! Over 70 pieces of equipment have been given out- supportive chairs, standing frames, gaiters, and stability boots! 27 children have been discharged for successful therapy and no longer needing our services. We have seen parents who were nearly driven from their home and now when we visit their home is so crowded with neighbors who are excited to tell us the child can now sit by herself! Though there are some valleys among the amazing work that Enable the Children is doing we trust God to see us through and to teach us from every child and family we meet along this journey!

I love in my job that I can be silly sticking my tongue out and making faces and say its speech therapy. I love that I can teach a pre-teen how to brush her own teeth and clean up her family’s floor and make it fun and at the same time be teaching independence. I love that I can put together fun coloring books teaching about nutrition, that I can see the joy on a granny’s face when her child’s able to do something for the first time by herself. I love that we can pray with each and every family we see a day to encourage them and open up conversations about God. I am so blessed to have such fun at what I do, have so much love and joy in it and rely upon a God who continues to equip me to keep on experiencing and sharing his love in this way.- July 16^th2013

3 Amazing Kids

I want to introduce you to three of my favorite kiddos- they have blessed me, taught me, and given me immense joy!

Fanta Mady- Is a little Cerebral Palsy boy whose mom is one of the most dedicated mothers I have ever met! Mady struggled with feedings his whole life often sick because he frequently aspirated his food. Despite all this Mady's mom fed him not only physically but I do believe that it was the love and dedication to her son  that really has kept him alive. Dr. Anne one of the doctors we were working with wanted me to met Mady just a couple months ago and my first thought was how do we get a G-Tube for him. A G-tube is a feeding tube direct to the stomach and my sister having one for many years I knew this could help Mady thrive. With the help of some German doctors Mady became I imagine one of the first kids in Sierra Leone to have this G-tube. It has been a joy to often visit Mady while I teach his family how to use and care for his G-tube. I am always greeted with the biggest smile and happiest squeals! 

Mady being fed by his Aunty

Grace- She was abandoned at the only children's hospital in Sierra Leone likely because of her disabilities. When we first started visiting her there was a mom who had taken on caring for her. Once that mom's child was better Grace was then left in the nurses care which often left her often unfed and not cared for. However as our involvement increased and we gave Grace a chair to let her sit down in the nurses and other mom's started taking note. I loved hearing the moms and nursing saying "She is a real person." Grace has been changing the stigma of disabled children being demons or cursed. She has won the love of many of the nurses and moms on the ward. Today we went to see Grace and found out next week if all goes well she will be moved to The Rainy Season Orphanage- quite near to where I live. This is fantastic news as TRS is what I would say the best orphanage in the country and I will often get to go love on her as she is so near!

http://www.therainingseason.org/

Grace a few months ago

Grace and Ola (another abandoned disabled child) get their chairs!
They remind me of a cute old couple all they need is a porch!

Looking much better- Grace was the second child to receive a G-tube!

Hannah- last but certainly not least! Most of my friends and family already know "Baby" Hannah's story. She was being severely neglected- left for days in her chair while she was unable to walk. Her Aunty had remarried and moved away so although Hannah had been in our program for awhile she was now under the care of an Uncle who never was home. After a couple of weeks of visiting her, cleaning and feeding her with no contact from the Uncle I got social workers involved and now Hannah is safely at a shelter where she is extremely well cared for and improving rapidly. She comes to the Aberdeen Women's Centre a couple times a month to check on her therapies and we recently were able to give her stability boots to practice standing. She has gained so much confidence and with this lots of attitude! She brings me lots of laughs and joy when I get to see her! Amazed at how God is so faithfully at work in these little lives! And so blessed that he has let me be a part of their lives!

Hannah back in February 

Last week working hard at her therapy!

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

Mountains and Valleys

I find it hard to write on most nights, one because of pure exhaustion and another because our days are so full of emotion. Some moments there is so much joy in seeing a child walk that no one imagined they ever would, and the beaming smiles of kids who are so full of life- something I recognize very fondly as being the same look my sister Mindy often has. There are families who love their children so dearly that they carry them to school (sometimes miles away) on their backs even when the child might weigh 60+ pounds. A father who looks on with pride as his son is now able to play a stacking game that before wasn’t able to coordinate his hand movement. These are families who amidst struggling to survive find the time to do a few exercises or spend a few moments teaching their child every day. They are the families who have decided to keep their disabled child despite the overwhelming stigma that these children are demons, a curse. It is a very sad reality that many of these children are abandoned or sacrificed. Yet we have over 200 beautiful kids in our program whose parents, aunts or granny’s decided that these children are worth giving a chance to. And Oh! What an opportunity these families have to show their culture how valuable children with disabilities are and to see what purpose God will make known through them and their testimonies.

I’ve really struggled to not take some of the less fortunate of our patients and run away with them in my arms. A sweet little boy we have seen twice since I have come has been found lying, dirty, on the cement both times with no one immediately around him to care for him. The back of his head there is no hair because he is left lying most of the day. We fixed him up a nice little chair for him to sit in this last time and placed him in it before leaving. We did our best to encourage the sister to give him toys and help to sit and lie alternatively throughout the day. Yet even this child beams from ear to ear- just to be touched to be a part of something for a moment seems to make his life joy-filled. There is also sweet little Grace who is probably around 2 years old who was abandoned at the children’s hospital here in Freetown because she is a floppy Cerebral Palsy- unable to move herself independently. I have seen little Grace 3 times and she is about the size of an infant and left often hungry, thirsty, and dirty. The nurses sit at their station with no idea of how this little life suffers. I try to spur on the patient’s moms who are in the bed next to her to try to see that she is cared for. I sit and hold her little body and just pray for her to one day not have to suffer like this whether on this earth or in God’s kingdom- I know that she is promised that and that God does in fact see her suffering.

I enjoy the work we have been called to do here in Sierra Leone and yet I feel like a messy wreck daily- so full of emotions. God is my constant, he understands, he sees, he knows better than I and he reminds me that he is in control. That I am to just remain in him.

It is really special that with each family we end our session with them in prayer- bringing our petetions and thanksgiving to him-it is a time of peace and surrender.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

May the God of hope fill you with all the joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Oh how I missed this! I never doubt that my passion is to work with kids with disabilities. I just love kids, Isha and Mamayo  the girls pictures above, pile on my lap as soon as I sit down and God's love and joy just washes over me. I tickle them, dance with them, tease them and watch their faces light up when someone wants to just be with them. I have known these two from 2011 and Isha especially touches my heart as she has physical limitations to her right side. Often these children are outcast and in fact I believe Isha was not accepted by the community 2 years ago because of her disability. It overjoys my heart now to see her better cared for and the neighbors knowing her and the children including her in to play with them. I set Isha up with Enable the Children in 2011, the organisation I am now working for.  Today I was able to play a clapping game with her, she used both of her hands! Something she wouldn't have done when I was here before! God is working in her life, he is changing hearts in the community and Enable the Children has been an amazing instrument in His plan. I miss my family and my friends back home but I feel God has me on this journey and it is for his purpose. I pray that each day I will continue to put my faith and trust in my Great God who has shown me today a changed life and community! Let my eyes be open to what you will have me see.

2013-2014 Budget

I haven't found a way to link my actual budget to my blog but I will give you all a rough outline below.

One Time Expenses
*Airfare (2 Round-trip Tickets):  $4,000
Mult-entry Visa: $204.95
Resident permit: $188.00
National ID Card: $100.00
Water taxi (transport to and from the airport): $200.00
12% Charge for Ripe for Harvest Support and Financial Services: $1,920

Monthly Exepnses
*In Country Travel Expenses (taxis and gas): $50.00
In Country Lodging (Rent): $300.00
*Miscellaneous (food, giving, other): $290.00
Medical Insurance: $168.00
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Total Expense for 24 month trip = $26,004.95


*Estimations: based on previous budget with World Hope International

I have contributed to the above 31% of the total cost. Current commitments at 69% of total expense.

Prayers

"So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer." Ezra 8:23

God continues to open the door for me to head back to Sierra Leone this January. I am going to be volunteering with an organization called Enable the Children an organisation reaching out to families of kids with disabilities by providing care and basic teaching of therapy and health practices. You can read of the amazing stories and more about the organisation on their website: http://www.enablethechildren.org/

As God begins to prepare my heart and Vez the founder of Enable the Children and I communicate back and forth in preparation of my trip I want to bring my family and friends alongside this journey and ask that they be in prayer with us. My trip is planned for two years, January 2013-December 2014, I also will be returning to the USA once for 3-4 weeks. In these two years I will be working alongside Abu and Ambrose two of the Sierra Leoneans who have been trained in physiotherapy and Ana a physical therapist from the UK. God has intricately placed my footsteps and as I continue to step I pray that I am always seeking his will. I would love to have the following things kept in prayer.

* Seeking his will, his word, and wisdom in all the preparations.
*Keeping Sierra Leone in prayer and all my dear neighbors and friends as I communicate with them a few times a month, that our relationships will continue to grow and branch across the cultures.
*Prayer on discernment to where I will be living- I have two options to return to the previous house or to live at the Enable the Children Team House. Both are a huge blessing!
*Prayer for Enable the Children- specifically Abu and Ambrose who I have met before while in Sierra Leone, their hearts are no doubt loving and caring for these children day in and day out as they face incredibly difficult situations that they will continue to be encouraged and Enable the Children will grow in the relationship with these families bring God's light to sometime very dark places.
*Prayer for an easy transition of returning to Sierra Leone and joining the team. That my gifts in nursing will be used to bring more health care- triage and teaching and that in it all I will be working alongside and learning from Abu and Ambrose as well as Ana.
*Finally that I remain humble knowing it is God not myself that has lead me here and he does not need me to do His work and yet he choose me.

God placed a passion on my heart long ago to work with kids with disabilities. I never imagined that might someday mean living in a foreign country, climbing mountains to visit a little child with Cerebral Palsy. Now it is hard for me to imagine doing anything else, yet wherever he chooses to move me I will go, sometimes after dragging my feet a little but I ultimately come back to being in awe that I have a God who desires his good and perfect will for me.

Faithfully and In Love,
Jaimie

This is James.

He loves trucks and motorcars.

I had the opportunity, or else asked for the opportunity, to stay the night in the village of Masongbo. It is the village of one of my Sierra Leone "Families". Mohammed is a driver with World Hope International and has been the one who has looked after me for nearly all of my travels in Country. He has become my Sierra Leone father as he watches out for my safety and has helped me in many cultural situations. When I asked about sleeping in his village he was very excited and immediately began planning the menu and activities.
After arriving it was not long before nearly the whole village gathered to warmly welcome me and voice their surprise of a white woman sleeping in the village. However, it was not the excitement of a white woman in the village that drew James near. His eyes had seen the truck and all he wanted was a ride! Many in the village have never rode inside a vehicle as many we have offered rides to are unsure of how to open or close the door.  James had never rode in one but he had seen them before and without doubt his little kid mind was positive that riding in one was going to be great! Of course I asked Mohammed to let us give this little boy a ride and I sat beside him videoing the moment. I captured a priceless video of this little boys happiness but the joy of that moment is not on video but inscribed on my heart.

This little boy was very sure of what he wanted and the joy and contentment that rested on him after this moment in the truck was clearly visible. A picture of our needs being met in Christ comes to mind. He gives us inexpressible joy, one that rests deep in our souls. In moments like this I am reminded of how grateful I am to Christ for this gift. Sometimes it just takes a little boy and a pickup truck to show us this.

Philippians ^2:1-4 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Moments

So I am going to share with you what I just read, such an odd story in 1 Kings 13…. We have Jeroboam, the new king of the Israelites (excluding the house of Judah which remained in the house of David still ruled under David’s grandson) this Jeroboam was given Israel because Rehoboam (David’s grandson) had missed his chance to receive God’s grace. So Rehoboam becomes fearful of David’s God and makes new gods for Israel. These influential people begin to worship two gold calves and in comes this Man of God (MOG) from none-other than Judah. The MOG speaks against Rehoboam and Reho gets upset and extends his arm to seize him and then his arm shrivels! So Reho becomes distraught, asks the MOG to pray for him, he does, Reho is healed and the MOG heads on his way listening to God’s rules not to stop and eat. However, on his merry way home the MOG is stopped by an old prophet, who lies, and brings back the MOG to come eat at his table. God then talks to the old prophet to make him tell the MOG that he will now die because he did not listen to the word of the Lord to not eat, and it happens, the MOG does die, killed by a lion! Then the old prophet has the nerve to say, “he was killed, as the word of the LORD warned him.”

WHAT?! This certainly does not seem fair? Seems like some major injustices here. We have selfishness, fake repentance, lying… and guess who dies?!  I am not sure what God is trying to say in all of this but I feel confused after reading this. Who am I in this passage? I know at any one time I could be any of these men. I selfishly and grudgingly argued with my taxi driver the other day because there was misunderstanding and I ended up paying a whole 50 cents instead of 25 cents for my taxi ride! Come on, that’s double the price of everyone else who paid! Not fair! (I know… How ridiculous I am…)

Looking at the MOG it seems that he did everything right on the surface. He went and told Reho he was in the wrong to be worshiping gold calves, God was obviously with him as he was able to heal Reho’s hand, and then when asked to eat and drink with the king, he declines knowing the Lord asked him to continue without refreshments, even if they were served at the kings table as tempting as that would be. Then as he is minding his own business, on his way out of town, a prophet stops him and tells him it is all right, God told him to come back and eat.  It is not always easy to discern when you fall into the traps that the world has set for us. It is likely the MOG very well thought of this as a good intention, surely he can trust this prophet. This was not the case, however, and the MOG paid a high cost. We do not know the full story of this Man of God but underneath it all he listened to the world instead of God’s instructions. I am guilty, falling into many traps of this world, praise God for his mercy and lack of lions here in Sierra Leone. It is not an action that leads us away from the God. It is when our heart turns towards the desires of the World instead of God’s but in those moments we can be covered by grace and the more we recognize this grace, we continue to learn and grow.

 Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then it is no longer by works, if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

I do not know how things would have went if I would have given my 50 cents joyfully instead of grudgingly to the taxi driver. Maybe it would not have made a big difference but I pray that I can continue to learn from these moments. In a country in so much need to break free from persecution, corruption, and poverty, God can use the small moments to build into bringing his Kingdom to earth. Moments like when I first met David, a moment of deciding whether to speak up and ask the father for their address or should I just leave them be. It was the Holy Spirit who led me that moment and has led me through so many amazing God moments here. David was very ill just a few months ago, nearly dead you could say. However, this little boy is now full of the life a little 18 month old life should be! His smile can light up a room and his laugh captures your heart. What an incredible story of beauty this boy has been through. The family is Muslim but from the moment I met them I have been praying for this little boy and have had many others praying for him and his family. They are a beautiful family and have a love and devotion to one another. I pray that one day they will recognize the devotion that Christ has towards them, his grace and love at no cost.

I also have met some incredible young people with disabilities here and have, of course, a special place in my heart for them. What a whole new level of glory I have seen revealed through them here. I have never seen someone at such a disadvantage in their setting and still remain so full of ambition to overcome it. I am privileged to have had the opportunity to get to know Hannah and James, two kids who live out in the villages. They and their families are setting a huge example to those around them to demonstrate that, these are the ones who will inherit the kingdom of God with their ability to accept circumstances way before you and I would. Like my sister they not only accept their disability but utilize it to become a strength, an opportunity, a way to grow and extend, to make a difference and to challenge their families, neighbors, their society to rise to this same occasion. I cannot imagine the difficulties faced by them here but am totally in awe of what many of them have chosen to do with it. As my last three weeks is coming to, I pray for moments. Moments to have my eyes open to God’s movement and the beauty of those he is moving in. 

"My Power is Made Sufficient in You"- God

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 

2 Corinthians 12:9

Maybe it is all too big for me to do on my own… no it is all too much for me to do. Even if I tried to do it, I would fail. Things would be left undone. Maybe I should remove myself from the work or the situation(s). That’s not the answer though either. “Then what is?” I’ve been asking God a lot lately. What can you do, what can you feel, when you are surrounded by those who long not for wants but even the basic needs, needs to survive.

It is the rainy season here and up country rice is becoming scarce. Many scrape together what little they have to divide among their family and friends. The idea of being selfish during your needest time simply does not happen. Our families in the sponsorship program are eager to receive their bags of rice but right now school tuition is our first priority as school is beginning. Many of the families are in need; I feel the pressure to get tuition paid quickly.

Payments for school tuitions are moving forward. I will be taking an 8-10 day trip up country next week to offer my help where needed. The Scan Drive Sponsorship program is benefitting 26 kids this year. Our house at Scan Drive has been a blessing to us and to the community as our work in this community is intertwined in many beautiful ways. As I am filled with Joy that many kids, that may not have opportunity otherwise, are beginning school this week. Many others approach or look on with their own sad story to tell. Primary education is supposed to be free in this country; secondary education is supposed to be of minimal cost…

So many are overlooked, children on the streets selling instead of in the classroom learning. The hundred of beggars, I pass downtown two or three times a week. What can I offer them but a smile and a small greeting as I hurry on to do whatever else may seem important at that moment. Or those with disabilities, not able to access the buildings in the city for lack of ramps or handrails; their life full of inconveniences. It is easily seen by many that they are ignored by their government and sometimes even their families.

 The country has very affectively ignored those affected by trauma, drugs, abuse, and psychological problems. Laws can be passed but easily ignored that if good intentions were applied would greatly benefit many who are overlooked. It is encouraging to see that there are many who feel lead to bring about a change themselves. One such place is where I volunteer as a nurse twice a week. City of Rest is a drug rehabilitation and psychological rehabilitation center. A church and several pastors started City of Rest with a holistic approach to healing. People searching for attention, love, and care find a bit of comfort at City of Rest. The need is overpowering when you first enter City of Rest and at first it is hard to see past the chains on the ankles of many of the guests. The pain that rests behind the eyes and in the souls of these guests is overwhelming.  Though my time there is often very short and often very difficult, God has faithfully showed glimpses of his pure beauty in moments of prayer or conversation with the guests.

I stand in awe of God’s work here in many lives from housemates and friends who have left their homes, family, and friends to come here and passionately love and serve to the many Sierra Leoneans who are going above and beyond their means to sacrifice what little they have to make a difference.  Though, I have been struggling and continue to struggle with how to give not only my situations or plans to God but to give myself wholeheartedly to His work. How that I, broken and weak, can boast in my weaknesses knowing that God’s grace has made me wholly sufficient. That God’s power is made perfect in my weaknesses, that His power is the one displayed, and He is the one to receive the Glory. I am meant to be here, I am meant to be in every situation, every plan He has for me because though I am not enough and the need is Great He is enough and our needs and the needs of others who can be encouraged by faith in Christ will be supplied from his glorious riches. Though, like Moses and those he led, I and many others may not see the riches here on earth but we have a promised land and that is what we can Hope for while we wait. 

Going deeper without drowning

If we take from Jesus example, we must realize that he put a high value on relationships. He chose an intimate 12 guys to be his buddies. The guys he would mentor and eat supper with. He loved the crowd but would get in a boat to go see a desperate man who was possessed. He did not simply pass by Nicodemus but asked to eat at his personal table. God the creator knew he could not leave Adam alone, he placed in us a need to have intimacy. An intimacy he desires with us and one we should be encouraged to have with our brothers and sisters. As seen in the first in second commandments we are called to Love God and Love one another. The son of man demonstrated this perfectly and then called us to do the same.

I believe we can to some degree find blessings and happiness in relationships that are merely on the surface but we crave for some to know us on a deeper level. My closest family and friends are the ones whom we take the time for. There are various degrees on this intimacy but I certainly have a wonderful handful or two of people who know me on a deep level. For them I am ever grateful and encouraged that they stand by me in my journey of life.

Without these people I would likely never had the faith to journey to Sierra Leone, let alone live here for a year. Though here I am and I praise God that I have been obedient in coming here and am now on a journey to live out some personal relationship in a culture foreign to my own. This has proven to be one of the most difficult struggles.

This struggle meets with cultural differences, balancing time, and respecting others beliefs. In my first six months here I put emphasis on being open to anyone; spent wonderful times getting to know many neighbors and being open to friendships with those I met on the street. I loved this time; it gave me the chance to learn much. It left me though very exhausted at times and though I enjoyed the relationships it lacked the more personal aspects.

I have begun to invite only a few kids in the house, ones that I am working on their school work with or teaching them other skills such as cooking or computer. I have begun to know these children and their personalities. Sallay is a very patient young lady, she has started learning skills on the computer and stays encouraged and encourages her younger “sister”, Kadiatu. Kadiatu is ambitious; she can be stubborn at times though when she completes the work she has the feeling of accomplishment that she wears with a big smile. Aminata struggles to keep up in education, a girl who is in need of some individual attention. She is one who will act out of her frustrations but in time she has a huge capacity to learn.

I have become closer to one young lady and pray to continue a friendship with her. Halima is a young mother of two, as of late has been rather ill. I try to help the family when I can, as we say in Salone, I help small, small. She is a lady with much gumption and I continue to pray that will work towards getting her well quick. I see in many here from Emma, David, many guests at City of Rest that Sierra Leoneans have perseverance, a quality of many I hope they will teach me as our deeper relationships develop. It has surely become difficult as I begin these deeper relationships to see the need that remains on the outside. I am beginning to understand the reason Christ placed such a high value on deep personal relationships because this is what has the lasting effects.

I remain to try to continue to have openness and a love to all those I encounter but balance it with a handful of deeper relationships. Relationships that are overcoming cultural differences, balance my time, and respect others’ beliefs.

Isaiah 40:26  Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

Skirts

Eph. 2:8 Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God.9 Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it.10 It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.


When a friend and housemate Hanna came to Sierra Leone for a few months she told me about an organization that was trying to help people with disabilities here do something more than begging with their hands. Of course this caught my interest right away. When she left she didn't want the work for them to end.
Two tailors, Abdulai and Momoh can very skillfully make beautiful dresses and skirts. While many of the disabled population take to begging on the streets, we are trying to reduce a couple idle hands. So far I have made several of the generic one size fits all wrap around skirts and sold them among friends here. I would, however, love to extend this to my friends and family back home. This in turn would give them a steadier income, these men live in some of the poorest if not the worst living situations in Freetown. This money not only goes to them but I am sure helps out the many others living in these conditions. In Sierra Leone people who are disabled are cast out and not accepted in Society. They have very little opportunity if any to avoid a street life or begging or stealing. We have taken the opportunity to let them see a new way of life and offer them a hope for the future.

 This is a wax fabric and was made by Marie a dear friend of mine, it is very time consuming yet every piece is handmade and unique. It was enough to make two skirts, one of which I have kept the other is this one and because of the very unique fabric and time that goes into this, this skirt is a bit more expensive at $15.00.

The generic skirts are $8.00 Like the one above which is for sale, you can request a certain color or type of pattern.

$8.00 You can also get shoulder bags made and I will try to get some put on her soon, the shoulder bags will be around $10.00. 

Let me know if you are interested in any of the above three or have a request for any type or color. I will try to get more up soon! 

These who have been suppressed from society hold many gifts and talents, it is not them who are lacking but rather society is lacking because they have not recognized the best among them.
1 John 3:17 But if someone who is supposed to be a Christian has money enough to live well, and sees a brother in need, and won't help him--how can God's love be within him ?

The Beautiful Unseen

1 Timothy 1:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.

 I thought I would fill you in a little on the work and things that have been happening here since my return. Since I have been back I have been keeping busy with looking at what comes next in the Hope for Children program. I have again started to see some of the kids in the program, making sure that our time is well used I not only complete paperwork with them but ask them about school, family, and health. Doing my best to assist them when I able. I often end our time with prayer and lift up their requests. Our kids are busy with exams as school is about to lock for 2 months.

 Last week I was very privelaged to join a teacher team in Bombali Bana in which I had the chance to teach on hygiene and reading along. I am not quite ready to change my career path but I enjoyed the time in the classroom very much, though I doubt all children in classrooms around the world are so eager to listen to every word and jump at the chance to interact. 

When I am not teaching in schools or visiting kids, I have started nurse work at a drug rehabilitation center, City of Rest. In a post-war torn country psychological and drug problems are much too overlooked. They instead are cast out of society, not given the time, let alone given the therapy needed. City of Rest is taking time for these hurting souls; however, a chain around the ankle of the patients still separates them from the outside. Currently the need is great for a nurse to be there full time. My two partial days a week are not enough to do the work needed. There are many physical, spiritual, and emotional needs that need to be met here. The work is big but there are many there that have the heart and motivations to see that these needs will be met.

In all my spare time I see a little girl Emma 2-3 times a week to bandage her ankle. Once a open wound bigger than a fist, with the help of Heleen our housemate and a couple others we have cared for the wound and within a few weeks hope to see her without bandages. She always has a huge smile on her face and bears with us as well re-bandage her. I spend a couple afternoons a week outside with the great neighbor kids and their families. I don't believe I will ever learn every game or how to cook every Salone dish but I enjoy the laughter between us as I attempt! 

In the past weeks I have had many precious moments such as when I saw Hannah a girl with disabilities for the second time. From the moment we met we were friends. She is likely around eleven years. Has cerebral palsy something I am familiar with as I cared for another precious girl back home for 2 years. CP does not drain any joy from these girl's lives and adds joy to the lives of those they meet. Her eyes lit up when I saw her and she embraced me with a sweet hug and a huge smile. Having a sister who has this same quality has given me a passion to speak out for those here that have disabilities. What I am doing here is so miniscule but it is a part of God's big picture and I hope to just shine a little love into lives that lack love. I hope in the next few days to post some skirts on here that are made by two men with disabilities who are trying to not use their hands for begging but use them to make beautiful skirts. Please be looking for that to come! I hope you will continue to pray with me as I continue my last months here. There is overwhelming needs but there are many here and those of you back home who care and who are trying to make a difference! God see's the big picture, have that confidence in his Holy Spirit to lead you to say a prayer for those who are often overlooked.

Matthew 7:7-11

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Joyful Sorrow

When I was getting trained to come to Sierra Leone, they might of mentioned having to be flexible. Living in a culture that is event oriented instead of time oriented, we have to become flexible. However, I don't think they mentioned anything about having to have a flexible heart...

I went to Crough Bay (Sierra Leone's largest slum) last week. I went in knowing it would be difficult, knowing what I would see would reflect the very worst of Sierra Leone's poverty, mortality, and health statistics. I was not prepared however to meet Fatmata. Her breaths were shallow, her skin clammy with beads of perspiration above eyes too weak to open. Her voice was hoarse, barely a whisper, as she said the name of Jesus. My hand shook as I placed it on her tiny arm, out of my heart poured words that were not my own but God's. We asked for God to perform a miracle, that he might be given  glory but knew her soul was mere hours or minutes away from dancing with Jesus, singing out his praises. In that I found peace and joy. Amid this deep deep sorrow for a life too young to depart from the world, I found God's comfort in knowing she was His child he cared deeply about. She was not some forgotten statistic, she wasn't one more life pulling down on Sierra Leone's already too young average life span, but a daughter of the Most High King.

 Psalm 18:19, “He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me
 because he delighted in me."

The family I stay with in Makeni just lost their niece, a beautiful girl who was full of smiles.
 A dear friend, Elizabeth, lost her sister this past week. I have had moments here of asking
 why, struggling with the unfairness, shedding tears, and crying out to God. He has given
 me inexpressible peace when I come before him. It has lead to incredible moments on my
 knees and in his word. I slowly come to understand, and then have to relearn it over and
 over again that our God is the one who calmed the waves, I just need to have the faith in him. 

As we approach the easter weekend, I am humbled and joyfully sorrow-filled. I am not
 worthy of his grace, I often forget the one who saved me, the reason I have life. There is no
 other place to be more humbled and joy-filled than at the foot of the cross. 

1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Psalm 126 

When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, 

   we were like those who dreamed.

 Our mouths were filled with laughter, 

   our tongues with songs of joy. 

Then it was said among the nations, 

   “The LORD has done great things for them.” 

 The LORD has done great things for us, 

   and we are filled with joy.

  Restore our fortunes, LORD, 

   like streams in the Negev. 

 Those who sow with tears 

   will reap with songs of joy. 

 Those who go out weeping, 

   carrying seed to sow, 

will return with songs of joy, 

   carrying sheaves with them.

Be Joyful in Hope, Patient in Affliction, Faithful in Prayer (Rom 12:12)

There is certain moments you feel a literal tug on your heart, a moment when the Holy Spirit speaks to you or through you. I met a beautiful girl named Saio. She lives in Masongbo, a village that is quite a distance from town, distant from resources and opportunities. She has some disabilities that have limited her physically and mentally. She did not say a word but stood there, I felt her body ease as I laid my hands on her and told her she was beautiful, a child of God. I felt I needed to do more later after I had left. I later had the people of the village saying that I had befriended the demon, I inquired and realized that they meant Saio. It broke my heart and I told them that she is beautiful, God made her and he loves her and calls us to love her. They laughed, while I felt my soul aching. I am not sure what I am called to do yet but I have asked to visit the village when I come back to Makeni. I want to spend time with this little girl, to let her know that she is a child of God and dearly loved by him. Please be lifting her up in your prayers.

I have been inquiring as to why they believe that children born with disabilities are demons. The explanations I received branched from many superstitions. There are stories that people take these children to the bush where they then turn into snakes and slither away. This leads to many of these children being taken and left out in the bush. If the child is not neglected they are treated very much as outcasts even amongst the family. 

I don't know where this tugging on my heart for children with disabilities will lead, I have several friends who work with people to disabilities but in the towns, not the villages. I hope to spend more time with Saio, with her family, her village, love on them, educate them, pray with them. God loves all his children, I need to be the physical embodiment of this for Saio, for many, as we all should be.

Please be praying also for my friend Marie who just lost her sister, I met her sister once and she could not have been more than ten years old. She got sick quickly and when I called to check on how she was, I received the news that she had passed. I have never before had so many griefs around me in such a short time span. It is no surprise then when I ask the kids in our program what they want us to pray for they nearly always answer health for their family. A friend said, "Your heart has to be flexible here, if it were to always be breaking you couldn't take it; yet you can not become numb or cold to it, but to grieve as our father in heaven is grieved."  

There is much to be joyful about as well! The Hope for Children outing went extremely well. Over 60 of the Makeni kids turned out. They breezed through the bible quiz, enjoyed food, and singing. Other children (likely street children from the looks of their dirty and torn clothes) started to gather around us and as I finished passing out rice and sauce for our meal I went to give some to the other children, our Hope for Children kids already had given heaping platefuls of food to the kids. My heart warmed at our kids living out compassion for others. 

Our neighbor kids had sports yesterday and they cheered and rooted for one another. Our kids had a blast, as did I while watching them. I got to hold a small baby for quite some time to give a young mom a break to watch her son in the sports. The little boys name was Abraham and he smiled and cooed while I talked to him. I am so filled with joy and peacefulness while I am around the beautiful children here. Despite the pain and heartaches, there is comfort and peace that the Lord is also blessing us with during these trials. 

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, Rejoice!