Sierra Rutile Mining

Recently, our team (Chuck, Christine, Gabe & Sada, Baby Isaiah, Mohamed, Tom and I) spent a 4 day weekend in the south of Sierra Leone. Thanks to some missionary friends making a contact for us, we were able to stay at a mining camp that has housing for foreign employees and executives. The view as we drove into the Mokanji Hills was breathtaking! We were so blessed to have a chance to rest and spend time with the Lord in such a beautiful setting! During a walk one day, Tom picked up a long stick to use as a cane. His new nickname is, "MOSES!"

In the poda-poda!

On a ride in the poda-poda, Mark and Bobo were holding hands. Precious! You can see patches of sores on the back of his head. He got better with meds while the team was here, then went from bad to worse soon after. He's just finished another round of injections, and we are determined to persevere until a cure is found! Thanks go to a Texas doctor and lab tech for their willingness to work with us! A biopsy kit is being shipped as I type. We will pray for it's speedy return to the states with viable samples in tact!

The Bobo

The June team fell in love with our street kid, Mohamed. We affectionately call him The Bobo. Bobo in Krio means "boy."

Sarah & Becky on Mercy Ships

Becca with Mercy Ships (on the left) was so kind to arrange a day for Sarah and me to spend on Mercy Ships. Sarah was able to observe and work in the physical therapy department! It was amazing to see the before and after x-rays and pictures of children whose lives have been transformed through orthopedic surgerys!

War Widows Food Distribution

Food parcels to War Widows

Mark, Tony and Sarah had the opportunity to help with our monthly food distribution to the War Widows! There was singing, dancing and thankful hearts as we passed out the rice, peanuts, palm oil, salt and soap to 85 family units.

June Team Impacts Sierra Leone!!

Impact of the June team:

• Focus: curriculum development and teacher training at Hosetta School for Kids with Special Needs – one TX teacher who writes curriculum for special education for the state led 3 teachers, 2 college students training to be teachers and 2 assistants in 7 days of hands-on training with students working side-by-side with the staff of Hosetta
• An abundance of material, manipulatives and supplies were stocked in the classrooms at Hosetta
• 3 additional team members helped with a food distribution to 85 War Widow Families impacting approximately 700 people
• One team member, a physical therapist, spent a day assisting the Physical Therapy Staff on Mercy Ships
• One team member, an agriculturalist, spent a day with the Mercy Ships off-ship agricultural team in a training program for 30 nationals from all over Sierra Leone
• The agriculturalist also visited farms worked by the War Widows (about 40 miles in the interior) and by 85 orphan caretaker families (90 miles inland)
• The entire team spent one morning on the streets of Waterloo visiting street kids
• The entire team held 2 day Bible schools in the evenings for St George Refuge for Street Kids and Margaret Tucker’s Orphanage (2 evenings in each place)
• The 9 team members from Missouri spent time vision casting for future partnerships and ministry opportunities for 2012
• Sewing groups from Arkansas and Missouri provided clothing that blessed orphaned and under-privileged children in 3 locations

What a blessing the June team was to us personally and to so many of our friends here in Sierra Leone!!! Way to go TEAM!!!