Mokbamgobah

COTN has summer interns that serve for about 8 weeks each year... so we were excited to join the team in Banta for some of their ministry activities. Part of what they're doing this summer is taking 3-day bible clubs to remote villages. In past years, they've held bible clubs at the COTN complex and asked children to travel there for club... taking the club to the villages is a new model, and one that's resulted in many more children being able to participate. It's also been a good opportunity for adults in the villages to see the work of Children of the Nations in action.

The interns were scheduled to do a 3-day club in Mokbamgobah during our first week there. We were given the opportunity to join them and we eagerly jumped at the chance. Mokbamgobah is about an hour long walk away from the COTN complex... through dense vegetation, other small villages, and across a large river.

COTN has had a presence in this village since they moved to Banta. Many children from Mokbamgobah make the long walk every day during the school year to come to the COTN school. Because of the distance and the danger involved in crossing the river, COTN has placed a satellite school in the village for the youngest children. Now only the junior and senior secondary school kids have to travel to school. The nursery and elementary school children have a school right where they live.

When we approached the river and saw the hollowed out tree canoe, we were all blown away. I told the kids... "Hold this moment in your mind. You're about to cross a river in Africa in a handmade canoe...' It almost seemed surreal.

The men who paddle these canoes are there all the time... ready and willing to take loads of people and possessions across the river free of charge. It's extremely hard, as the river has a very swift current and the have to paddle quite a ways upstream in order for the current to take the boat to the correct landing spot. They are amazingly strong and skilled. They take 10 to 12 people at a time... and I never saw them miss the landing  spot. I'm sure if I tried it we'd end up a mile downstream.

Asia and I were at the back of the pack as we were walking and before we really realized what was happening, we were standing there watching all three of our kids take off across the river. We had to wait for the boat to come back across... so all we could do was hope (and pray!) that our three kids made it safely... and then that we would also survive... on the way back at the end of the day we split ourselves up so if a boat went over and everyone on it drowned at least the surviving boat would have one parent who lived! (Actually, I felt completely safe in the hands to the paddlers... Asia was a bit more nervous.) There were no seats in the canoe, so you have to squat the whole time... harder than it sounds... and quite uncomfortable. But for sure, an experience we'll not soon forget.

Once we got to Mokbamgobah, the interns set right to work getting the activities for the day started. They were working in conjunction with the man who teaches at the COTN school there and Reverend James, one of the staff pastors. There were songs and skits and games, much like a VBS curriculum in the states... (minus the hyped up videos, electric guitars and high tech stuff most american churches feel is necessary to keep kids' attention...)

The children in the village were just lovely... full of smiles and affection. It was so cool to see all three of our kids jump right into the crowd and help out...

Asia and I stood back and watched. Mokbamgobah is SO remote. There is no running water. No electricity. No modern conveniences. The homes in the village are mud huts with thatch roofs... but kids are kids the world over and it didn't take much for Kyler, Savannah and Ethan to discover that.

I had to keep mentally pinching myself throughout the day... so thankful for the opportunity to watch it all unfold... amazed that we were actually there... in  a remote African village... all together... it really was one of many moments throughout the trip where I was overwhelmed by the blessing it was that we were able to share this experience.

The day ended with all of the children being fed lunch. There was a crew of village women who cooked the food COTN provided for this... fish stew with rice. COTN has a very successful feeding program that provides nutritious meals twice a day for all the children who attend their schools. This is a huge need in the region - as malnutrition is way too common. Meeting physical needs is huge, since hungry kids don't learn well.

We had an incredible time in Mokbamgobah... and are so thankful that we had the chance to be a part of this lovely little village for a day. It's people and beauty are forever etched in my mind.

The bathroom 'facilities'

Our walk home was uneventful and lovely. We each were able to have great conversations with other members of the team and each other, processing some of our favorite moments from the day. Stepping into another world is such an amazing experience... and talking through some of our insights and encounters from the day was really important. Doing that as a family was incredibly bonding.

Hearing the kids' observations and struggles reconciling our life in america with what they were seeing and feeling in Sierra Leone was so good... watching their perceptions and understanding about the world stretch was a dream come true for me... and we were only a few days in... already I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to be here... and the amazing answers to prayer I was experiencing... It was truly almost breathtaking to engage in what God was doing through and around and in us. It was almost ridiculous how many times I had to stop and give thanks - or, as the Sierra Leoneans say... 'tel papa God tenke.'

Tenke God.

The welcome ceremony

Shaky, incomplete video at best... but it gives a little taste of what we were treated to when we got out of the poda-poda and seated ourselves at the head table under the protective palm branches of the boffa.

It was already getting dark when we arrived... Sierra Leone is on the 10th parallel, pretty stinkin' close to the equator... which means all year long their days stay relatively the same in length... little more than twelve hours of light a day. The sun rises around seven am and sets to complete darkness no later than eight pm. Under the boffa it was even darker, but it didn't stop us all from scanning the crowd of faces to see if one of us could spot Tejan...

Most of the bigger boys seemed to be lining the back of the space... leaning against the half-walls, much like junior high and high school boys in the States might do. I was looking there when I heard one of the kids say "There he is!" I turned my head to look out of the boffa, and saw him coming down the hill from his house.

Thankfully, he arrived before the ceremony had actually begun. I saw that as my opportunity. I jumped up and ran, followed closely behind by Kyler, Savannah and Ethan. We all enveloped him in a giant hug.

"Aunty Cathy..." he said as we embraced.

"I came back, T... and look who I brought!" We all took a step back to look into each other's eyes.

Asia had made his way to us and was standing behind me by now.

We were all together again. All the saving, scrimping, raising money and planning came together in this one moment... here was my family.

At the Welcome Ceremony, they gave us all African names and told us their meanings.

• I was to be called Aunty Jenneh (pronounced Yen-i) which means our mother
• Asia was Mookeh which means our father
• Kyler's name was Kommeh - let us meet in joy
• Savannah's name was Luba - blessing
• Ethan was given the name Batilo - meaning somebody's child

Once the ceremony was complete,  we were surrounded by kids... I asked Tejan if he would introduce us to Alhassan, the other little boy that we sponsor as a family. I chose Alhassan off the COTN website quite awhile ago... we were wanting to sponsor someone and Tejan didn't need a sponsor at the time, so I just went looking at pictures and chose Alhassan because of his sweet smile and great big brown eyes. T. was SO thrilled to hear that we sponsored someone else and eagerly took us to meet him.

When T. introduced us, it was so fun to see Alhassan's reaction to learning that one of his sponsors had come all the way from America... he immediately latched onto us and became an almost permanent fixture at someone's side the whole time we stayed in the children's village. He is a super sweet boy.

Our family continues to grow...

Landing in Sierra Leone

We were able to spend three days in Paris on our way to Sierra Leone... I'll be writing about that adventure on my other blog. So today I'll be writing about our arrival and first day.

Our flight to Sierra Leone was fairly uneventful - we flew from Paris to Conakry, Guinea with an almost full plane. All but about 15 passengers disembarked in Conakry - leaving a tiny contingent of us going on to Freetown after about an hour long layover. The flight from Conakry to Freetown was supposed to be about 20 minutes... but ended up being longer because the pilot decided when we were about 10 feet from the ground that he didn't want to land the plane after all and swooped back up into the sky, catching all our stomachs off guard. We still don't know why he aborted that first landing, but I can tell you that a split second decision like that in a huge Airbus A 330 catches your attention and makes you glad when you finally get on the ground.

Arriving in Freetown is always an adventure... as soon as you step off the plane (no jet gangways here - only stairs leading you down to the tarmac) you're greeted with a wall of humidity. The kids were blown away by the heat... Also - it's a Freetown quirk that although your plane parks less than 50 yards from the terminal, you have to board a bus and get a ride instead of walking the short distance yourself.

We had to fill out immigration forms as soon as we entered the terminal. Everyone took one and began filling in the blanks... Asia took Ethan to help and the older two sat next to me as I told them what to write. Before I knew it, Asia was tapping me on the shoulder asking for help... some woman in a uniform had grabbed Asia and Ethan's passports and forms and gone into a little booth. There, behind the glass, she had told Asia "I am your friend... what you do for your friend? I'll help you..." Asia was a little stunned, but told her "You'll have to talk to my wife." So I went to her little window, told her we didn't need her help and demanded the passports back. Having been to Sierra Leone before, I knew it was not uncommon for those in uniform to try to intimidate people into giving them bribes... when I refused, she let us have the passports back, stamped with approval for entry into the country. Crisis averted.

We went into the next small room of the airport where a man looked at our immunization records. Pass. Then to another man who asked us why and where we were visiting. Pass. Onto the next room to retrieve our luggage. Everything was there. Into the next room where another man asked the reason for our visit. Pass. He was courteous enough to remind us not to get bitten by mosquitoes.

We turned to make our way out of this last official checkpoint and saw an Sierra Leonean man holding a sign "COTN Banta". That's our man!
We introduced ourselves to Uncle Magnus - COTN's in-country Venture Team host. He had a helper and between the two of them, our bags made it out to the COTN Landcruiser... all our bags (15 including our five backpacks) were strapped to the top and we were on our way.

About a mile down the road, we stopped at Hotel Lungi. This is the airport hotel where I stayed my first night in Sierra Leone when I visited in 2008. I had assumed we would also be staying there this trip - but I was wrong. There are enough visitors from foreign countries now that Hotel Lungi has raised it's room rates to about $200 a night US dollars. A little steep for COTN's budget. However, we did wait there in their lounge until the remaining members of our team arrived on their flight. While waiting, we had some cream crackers and laughing cow cheese, along with Digestive Biscuits and sodas. (A 'meal' we would repeat several times over the course of our time in country...)
Once Meg and Matt's flight arrived and we had all their luggage tied onto the top of the Landcruiser, we were on our way into Freetown to find the guesthouse where we would spend the night. We caught the 9:00 pm (last!) ferry across the water to the peninsula that houses the capital city. Keep in mind that we were on Paris time by now, so for us it was 11:00 pm. We still had an hour long Ferry ride before we would even get to the streets of the city.

The drive to and time on the ferry were quite the experience. Many, many people in Sierra Leone try to survive by selling wares on the side of the road. This plays out in a scene entirely different from any sort of western shopping or driving experience. All along the edges (and even onto) the road there are people sitting with things for sale... it was dark by now so most tables had a single kerosene lantern (more like a single flame bunson burner than a lantern) to shed some light on their wares. Bread, shoes, q-tips, toothpaste, cast iron pots full of sauces to be put over rice, packaged crackers and biscuits... people everywhere hoping to make a sale. All the way to the ferry landing... people everywhere. For every vendor there were at least ten people standing around... talking, loitering, feeding babies... It was an overwhelming sea of people with seemingly nowhere to go and very little to do. I asked Magnus how late the streets would stay like that and he said it would look like that most of the night. As the only team member who had seen anything like it, I think it's safe to say everyone in the car was on sensory overload... a little scared, a little nervous... it's just SO different from our safe, quiet streets in america.

Once we boarded the ferry, we were able to go upstairs to the 'first class' cabin and wait for our passage across the water. Kyler was followed into the cabin by a boy about his age who kept asking if Kyler would be his friend. Poor Kyler wanted to be kind, but also had a sense the boy was looking for something besides friendship... Ishmael was loud and friendly, but also clearly hoping for some money from his new 'friend'. Throughout the ferry ride, there were several others who came through the cabin begging... one man with legs so bent he could only scoot along on his bottom at our feet... and some musicians who sang in the cabin expecting tips and were much bolder than the street musicians we are familiar with. Apparently 'first class' doesn't really exclude those who cannot afford to pay the fare if they can beg and then are willing to share whatever money they get with those who monitor the door. Another very different cultural experience and we've only been in the country a few hours!

The balcony of our guest house

When we left the ferry we were again treated to the crazy late night streets... even more busy on this side than what we just left... truly - there were people EVERYWHERE - so much so that there was barely room for vehicles to pass through the streets.

After a short (swerving, horn honking, motorcycle dodging, pedestrian avoiding) drive from the dock we got to our guest house. (A term that means place to sleep and little more, we found.) Magnus negotiated for quite awhile with the men at the front desk... turns out he was very concerned that we all get rooms with air conditioning. We all got air conditioning. And a bed. But little else. No running water. No towels. We had two rooms for our family - so Asia went with the boys and Savannah and I had a room together. We were cold most of the night... there were no knobs to adjust the air conditioner and we hadn't brought any warm clothes along... but we slept. A little. The guest house was right in the thick of Freetown and it's a noisy city. All.night.long.

Morning came - we all dressed and went to the 'dining room' for breakfast. Fried eggs, bread and nescafe.

Our poda-poda

After breakfast, we waited quite awhile (or what seemed like quite awhile to our american inner-clocks... these would become altered as we began to learn about Africa time... we quickly learned the difference between WMT {white man time} and AT{Africa Time}) for Magnus to show up... when he got there, we put all the luggage in the Landcruiser, then walked about two blocks to a store to pick up 'provisions' that we would be taking along to Banta.

It took about two hours to get the provisions, load them onto the top of the vehicle we would be travelling in, along with all our luggage and (at the last minute they decided to add) three twin size mattresses.

Now, since Magnus wasn't going with us up to Banta, we were going to travel by poda-poda. If you've never experienced a poda-poda, you should watch this... (this is not my video, but it gives you a really good idea of what I'm talking about when I say poda-poda...)

Six hours. Bumpy roads. Eleven people. Metal benches to sit on. Yay for poda-podas!

We survived the trip... and pulled into the COTN compound at Banta at around 7:30 pm...

As we drove through the compound and down the hill toward the children's village, someone in the car said "Welcome Home!"

And that was all it took to start my tears... I was back.

Sierra Leone

I've been reflecting a lot this week on life... going through a bit of a post-trip-of-a-lifetime letdown.
It's been a crazy ride, this story we find ourselves in.

If you had told me five years ago that by the summer of 2011 I'd have traveled twice to Africa, once alone and once with my whole family, I'd never have believed you.

And yet - here I am.

Coming home this second time around I've been sort of side swiped by how now, more than ever, I am destined to live a life divided. Forver torn between two worlds... the place I call home and this country on the other side of the globe that has captured my heart.

My hope here is to tell you stories... to share the ways in which Sierra Leone grips my heart. Since I cannot take each and every one of you along with me, I will do my best, with words and pictures, to introduce you to my second home. My hope is that you will begin to value this tiny country in West Africa - to begin to care about it's people and pray for it's peace. Perhaps you'll donate some out of your excess to make a difference in the life of a child. Or maybe - you 'll come along with me next time. If the Lord wills it, I hope to return every couple of years.

Sierra Leone is one of the world's poorest countries as measured by the human development index.

Some startling and revealing statistics:

• Life Expectancy: 48.2 years
• Average years of schooling/adults: 2.9
• 63% of the population of Sierra Leone lives on less than $1.25 a day
• Average income: $825 a year.

After the 11 year civil war ended in 2002, hundreds of thousands of people who had flocked to Freetown in an attempt to flee the rebels in the provinces chose to stay in the city. Freetown was developed to support a population of about 250,000 and now it is estimated that it houses at least 1.5 million. A million and a half people living in a city with no garbage service,  inefficient sewers, polluted water, no job opportunities... Many of the people who came to Freetown during the war lost years of their lives and education to the war. They don't have the skills to return to the provinces to farm and provide for their families and they don't have the education to succeed in the city.

 

It could very well seem hopeless.

 

And yet - they are not a country without hope.

 

The people of Sierra Leone are amazing. Strong. Generous. Kind. Welcoming.

 

I love Sierra Leone.

 

I love it's crazy, crowded streets. It's vast, lush, green spaces. It's smiles. It's determination.

 

Come along with me to Sierra Leone.

 

Home.

We've been home since Monday night...
Amazingly (a TOTAL answered prayer) we are hardly jet lagged at all. Last time I went it was a full week before I felt normal... so this is a huge improvement over that. We all get really tired around 8:00 pm and Asia and I have been waking up pretty ridiculously early the past two mornings, but generally, we're all functioning really well.

That's really a little picture of how God was SO faithful to us throughout the entire trip. We had no illnesses, no travel glitches, no major family squabbles. I keep telling people "The whole thing was completely above and beyond all my hopes and dreams and expectations."

And it was.

I'm working on editing and narrowing down our 1280 photos and will begin telling our stories in the next couple of days.

I'm so excited to share everything.

How could you not just LOVE seeing your kids living out a picture like that?

Still alive... overwhelmed by God's grace.

For the first time in over two weeks, we have the ability to get online...
There's no way for me to sum things up at this point. Especially because we're still in-country... still processing... but we're alive and VERY, VERY well. God has been amazing faithful to answer our prayers for this trip - abundantly, over and above all our deepest hopes and dreams.

Really - it's been SO good.

I cannot wait to get back and begin to tell you our stories.

But for now, we're going to soak up our last five days in this amazing place.

Smooch you all from Sierra Leone.

Paris, safe and sound!

Just a quick note to let everyone know we made it here! After some challenges that were easily (divinely) worked out, we found our apartment and spent the day touring around a bit... spending the afternoon at Musee D'Orsay and having a lovely dinner out together.

The kids are doing amazing... Paris is lovely... all is good.

Our internet is problematic, so updates will be tricky. We'll do our best!!!