Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Bo's Happenings!


Bo is doing great with our oldest son's family in our hometown! 
He had the opportunity soon after school started to share his story in chapel service! 
He is doing well academically, and participated in 
Care-A-Thon by serving with a local organization that feeds the needy. 
He now knows what "Homecoming" means in Texas football! 
And we are so grateful to Charlie, Jennifer & Maddie 
for including him in their family fall-break trip to Disney! 
Most recently he is on the soccer team ... 
a dream come true! 





Hosetta School for Special Needs Kiddos ... Nov 2016


Staff and students welcomed a group from a 
German organization 
that had begun a work before Ebola put a halt to it in June 2014. 
We are excited to hear that 
the project will resume in the spring as 
two graduate students from a Bavarian University 
will arrive to continue to 
develop the educational program side-by-side with 
Sierra Leonean teachers and kiddos! 


Tom and Sankoh's crew are working tirelessly on 
several key aspects of construction on the 
dormitory and dining hall, 
including raising a tower for a water tank




Auntie Margaret's Kiddos Youth Camp ... Nov 2016


So thankful to Charles and his leadership with the street boys 
for hosting Auntie Margaret's kiddos at the Waterloo Ministry Center!!  
They have faithfully pulled double duty for years 
by translating for teams for 
both camps! 

Charles, Daniel, Fewry, Patrick & Vandi





Street Boy Youth Camp ... Nov 2016


19 former street boys enjoyed another youth camp!!  

Bible Study
Praise & Worship
Small Group Time
Crafts
Games
Soccer






November Team 2016


So excited to have our final team of 2016 in November!

The 25 Project

Shara Johnson
Sarah Teasdale
Barbara Cross


Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Fall Update 2016


October 2016

Greetings from Sierra Leone!

This year has been wildly exciting compared to the dark days of Ebola in 2014-15! PRAISE THE LORD that we are back to normal, if anything in this unique place could ever be called normal! :)

Throughout January, there was eager anticipation as we prepared for The 25 Project teams in February and March to conduct youth camps for former street boys in Waterloo and Auntie Margaret’s orphans in Grafton! Several boys were requesting to be baptized since we have had years of discipleship and follow-up to previous camps. In March, 12 of the boys, as well as 2 among our volunteer leadership, stepped into the water to be baptized in a lagoon at one of Sierra Leone’s many breathtaking beaches! It was truly a day of celebration!!

April (Jubilee Community Church, UK) and June (FBC McKinney & GoSendMe Global) teams had a construction focus, but as with any team, it’s all about relationships!!  They had the opportunity to encourage street boys, orphans and the very special kiddos of Hosetta School, as well as the men who work with Tom, and in our compound! We look forward to our final team of 2016 set to arrive next week!

For us personally, the long-awaited day came in July when with a notice of only 11 days from US Immigration Services, we hopped on a plane for Texas for our son Bo’s interview and swearing-in ceremony as a US Citizen! What a beautiful story God has been weaving into his life since we first met him in January 2011!

Plans are underway to expand the work with street boys to a fishing village a few miles beyond Waterloo, and changes are taking place at Auntie Margaret’s as the older kiddos are aging out of the foster care system! We ask for your prayers as we seek to make wise decisions for all!

For Sierra Leone, we ask for your prayers as this country is struggling through an economic crisis. Some international reports are suggesting that the country is bankrupt which may very well be true. What this means for us and those we serve is that prices are rising at an alarming rate on food items, transportation, educational expenses, building supplies, etc… For example, the cost of rice has gone up 36% in the last 5 months! There are fewer jobs, lower wages and an increase in criminal activity because so many are finding themselves in desperate situations. Our hearts hurt as we watch people we love wonder where their next meal is going to come from, and we are in prayer daily as to how we will continue to provide for those we serve when the local currency is losing value weekly.

We THANK YOU for lifting us up to the Lord! THE KEY to any and every success we have in Sierra Leone will always be the faithful prayers of God’s people!

For those who keep us on the field through your financial gifts, may our dear Father bless you as only He can! You have our deepest gratitude!

It’s all for the Kingdom!
Tom and Becky

FACEBOOK:  Becky Brockelman

Contributions:
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First Baptist Church
On the memo line:  “TYW05 Brockelman”

Mail to:
FBC McKinney
1615 W Louisiana St
McKinney, TX 75069

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