Life in Makeni

Dear family and friends,

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. I have been in Makeni for two days now, and I am really enjoying it. It has been a hectic few days since I flew out of Johnson City, but God has given me adequate strength and presence of mind to get me through each day.

After a long trip with many different flights, I arrived in Freetown on Wednesday night. Unfortunately my bag that I checked in did not show up. It’s somewhere at the Heathrow airport in London, but if all goes well I should have it by Tuesday. I have a few extra clothes with me, but pray that my bag makes it on the next flight to Freetown.

Thursday was spent running around Freetown…registering at the embassy, checking on my bag at the British Airways office, and getting a short orientation of the World Hope office in Freetown. Thursday afternoon I caught a ride to Makeni (about three hours away) and arrived late evening. I met my host family and would like to quickly introduce them. Bambino and Marie Suma have graciously opened their house to me. They have four kids of their own, three other people living with them, and myself. Their children’s names are Gershon, Isha, Mary, and Angie. Marie’s sister also lives here, and her name is Adama. The Sumas have taken in two young boys who come from very poor families, and are helping them with school fees and food in exchange for help around the house and with the younger children. Their names are Isaac and KP. The whole gang is extremely nice and very hospitable. I was telling Mr. Suma that they didn’t need to do so many things for me, and this was his response, “Silas, human relationships are the most important thing to us Africans. You are a guest in our house, and this is what we want to do for you.” Wow! That is why I love Africa so much, because they truly exemplify what it means to live in community with one another.

Yesterday I was given a short tour of the World Hope office here in Makeni, and was also given a brief rundown on some of the things I will be doing while here. One of my biggest jobs will be to help with the community health training. The strategy they employ is to gather a small group of volunteers from each village. They train these volunteers in some of the most important aspects of community health…hygiene, waste disposal (latrines), sanitation, clean water, recognizing certain disease and knowing what to do…etc. These volunteers serve as the spokespeople to their villages, which multiplies the amount of people that a small staff is able to reach. Not only do the staff at World Hope teach them about health, but they also teach them about Christ. Again, when these people return to their villages, they are able to relate what they have learned to those they live with.

I only spent one day at the office, and now I have the weekend to spend time with my host family, explore Makeni, get some rest, and prepare for the week ahead. Here are some things you can pray about:

-I am trying to learn Creo (it’s not too hard, but it’ll take some time). This will help me be able to relate better to a lot of the people I work/live with.
-Pray that I would not get caught up with my own inadequacies, but look to Christ and his “immeasurable resources”. (I have to admit I was a little discouraged yesterday)
-Pray for the World Hope staff here in Makeni…they are understaffed and have a lot of work to do (any volunteers?:) Pray also that they would be able to minister to people spiritually as they care for their health
-There is a team coming in two weeks to host a clinic in several different villages…pray for their safety and strength as they are going to put in some long days
-We are hosting a men’s retreat at the end of March for the men from some of the surrounding villages. Pray now that the Lord would begin to prepare their hearts to hear what he has to speak to them.

Thank you for your prayers!

Love to you all,
Silas