A final post from the Mamma Blogger...

Well our travelers are home safe and sound. What a treat it was to be able to pick them up at the airport a few hours ago. I absolutely loved hearing the excited chatter of the students who wanted to tell me about their entire week in the 25 minute journey from the airport to DBU. I look forward, like you, to seeing their photos and hearing more of their stories in the coming days and weeks.

This group of travelers shared such a wonderful working, learning and teaching experience thousands of miles away, I, for one, will love to see how these experiences will impact their world here. Thank you for all of you who prayed alongside me for this group during the past two weeks. What a joy it is to pray alongside brothers and sisters in Christ - even if I have never seen you. I feel as if I know some of you and will miss you!

In the days ahead - there will be photos and stories posted via Facebook and the blogworld as well. Thank you Becca, Cami, Kerry, Fred, Peter and Ross - for allowing me to be a part of your experience. It was my privilege to pray for you, post stories for you and to be the link of communication to your families.

I especially love my treat you brought me from the Chicago airport. I will treasure it always and am so grateful that the pilots held the connection flight so you could make my purchase!

I am blessed beyond measure to have been able to help you with this journey!
Love you all!!

Kelly

Surprised and Blessed by an Email Report

I was not anticipating an email or text message today, and I normally don't check my email from church. However, today I was there early and I just happened to check my email. I wanted to post this message right away, but had trouble getting it from an email format to the blog format. By now they are on their way to Freetown. They have a late flight out -but about 7:45 our time, they will be on a plane en route for London. Please pray for safety and health for our travelers. Here is the update I received from Dr. O'Brien detailing their past few days in Sierra Leone:

FRIDAY

Our team, minus Peter, went to three locations yesterday. We left about 9:00 for Waterloo where we saw work that some of the TECT students were doing among street kids. We met several of the kids and learned about their activities and their struggle. We also met a 20 yr old young lady who had gotten a micro loan to start her own retail kiosk. She had been abandoned by her parents when she was about 15 and turned to prostitution as a result. She had a baby when she was about 16. The small business has given her a way off the streets and has given people from TECT and the Hope Center an opportunity to share the Gospel with her.

From there we drove to Mile 91 and saw work among orphans. We met a  pastor and his wife who have coordinated the orphan care in this city. Baptist Global Relief has provided food parcels for 1 year for the families who are acting as foster families for the orphans. They also provided rice and groundnut (peanut) seed so that they can begin to grow their own food and can sell food to help supplement incomes. The idea is that they will only have the food parcels for a year and then be self sufficient.

We then traveled to Bo where we saw 2 places caring for orphans. One is an emergency shelter where a local hospital, the city's equivelent of child services and others bring children. There were about 30 kids from infant to 7 or 8 in one house and another 14 or so older kids in a second house. This facility is intended to be transition only. The second place was actually a pastor's home. They provide shelter, food and love for about 20 kids including their own 4 kids. Again, the idea is that this care is  temporary until they can get them into foster care. The foster program at Mile 91, Bo, Freeetown and Grafton are all a part of the same network that GCPN and Restore Hope work with.

While in Bo we met the most amazing American family. They have been in Sierra Leone for 3 months. They felt called to missions and specifically to Sierra Leone to start with. He has a business background, so they are starting small businesses in Bo. The income generated will support orphan and teen pregnancy care. They have started a bakery that is already a big success. They will start a restaurant and an ice business next. They focus on clean, healthy products. They are teaching

people from Bo to work in these businesses so that they can eventually turn them over to the people here. They are also working on a project to build multiple foster homes. They will hire capable women to act as foster mothers, build a community of huts and support the work. There will also be a clinic to help them. The buildings will be made from bricks that they are currently making with a very unique brick maker. It uses much less cement (cheaper with local ingredients), made by hand, and form interlocking bricks so it is much quicker, easier and cheaper to build, but also incredibly strong.

We returned home around 11:00 last (Friday) night, so we were all exhausted.

Saturday (early AM)

I'm happy to report that Peter is feeling better this (Saturday) morning. He rested all day at that Hope Center with the capable care of Christine and others here. Please pray for the entire team, for our health here in the last stretch, and for the ability to process what we have experienced. It truly has been life changing for several of the team members. God is SO gracious!!

Report from Saturday:
When we returned from Bo, Cami was feeling sick. Peter was better, but not yet 100%. Given these conditions, we decided not to go to Banana Island for the day nor to any of the local beaches, but to stay at the Hope Center and rest. I think it was good for the whole team. Last night we had pizza for dinner and invited Christine and the lady who had prepared the meal for us, Augusta, to join us. Afterwards, the team, along with Christine, went down to the hut behind the Center for worship and reflection. The hut is open on all sides, so you have a very nice view and a little breeze. We sang while Peter and Christine took turns leading us with the guitar. Our sharing time was such a rich way to wrap up our time here. God has moved so much this week and it was evident by what was shared.

We returned to the Center's meeting/eating area for a game of Trivial Pursuit, guys against the girls, and had a fun evening. Pastor Kargbo, the pastor of the church we will attend this morning, stopped by for a brief visit. He asked our team to sing in church today, so we quickly determined what we would sing and practiced a bit. You never know what you will be asked to do, but this team has not backed away from any challenge or any invitation.

After lunch today we will begin our trek back to the dock for the water taxi. Our flight does not leave until almost midnight, but the last water taxi leaves at 7:00 so we have to leave the Center by 4:30 or 5:00.

Thank you so much for your prayers throughout our time here. Please continue to pray for health and safety as we begin the trip home.

Blessings,
Ross

Saturday in Sierra Leone

 On Friday, our DBU travelers spent time in Mile 91 and in the town of Bo. One of the students was not feeling very well and stayed behind at the Hope Center to recoup. By the time the group returned, it was late and we were not able to connect for a Friday update.

On Friday, another student succumbed to the belly bug so the group remained around the Hope Center. Our travelers spent the day relaxing and playing around the Hope Center today. The group was able to enjoy some fellowship with other folks around the Hope Center.
Dr. O'Brien shared that the team had an amazing wrap up session in the Palava Hut outside of the Hope Center. (A palava hut traditionally serves as a town hall where villagers engage in stimulating conversations and disseminate community announcements.) A palava hut in a village would typically have a thatched rooftop. The Palava Hut in this picture is the one outside of the Hope Center. Dr. O'Brien took this picture in the spring when he first traveled to Sierra Leone. The session the team had here Friday was really meaningful to all of them.

Dr.O'Brien shared that the group of them will be singing in church on Sunday.They were surprised but up for the challenge. They will enjoy lunch at the Hope Center and then late in the afternoon (about the time we are in church tomorrow), the group will load up in the water taxis to make their trek back to Freetown. They have a long, long route of travel ahead of them. We will need to be praying for their physical strength and endurance. When they return to DFW on Monday evening, they will have to get ready to get right back into their normal routine. How challenging that will be after all they have had an opportunity to experience this past week.

Dr. O'Brien also shared that this week has been a huge answer to prayer and so many have had life changing experiences. While I do not expect to have any more updates before the team returns, I hope that we can share some of their stories and pictures through this blog. Those of you who have been reading about their journeys have been such faithful prayer warriors - it would be good for us all to share in their stories.

All that to say - please keep praying for our travelers - and watch the blog next week for an update of Home Safe and maybe a few photos.

God bless you! Thank you for going on this blog journey with me. I have been blessed!
Kelly

Thursday in Sierra Leone

Dr. O'Brien was able to send an email today, so a bit more detail for the blog.

Dr. O'Brien writes: "We wrapped up the training today and had a final lunch with the group.
We learned that this is the first time that any of the four training
groups at the Hope Center had ever eaten with one of the volunteer
teams. It was great the way everyone bonded. Once again, more pictures
were taken than can be imagined. I am so thankful to God for the
success of our training program. There are so many ways in which His
hand was seen. All glory goes to Him without a doubt.

Fred and I stayed at the Hope Center to work on a more detailed
business plan with the leadership of their group. The rest of the team
went to see New Era School in Lookingtown. A little under a mile from
the school they parked and had to walk the rest of the way, as it was
not accessible by car. I'm so glad they had this experience. They came
back overflowing with enthusiasm.

The team is having a well deserved night of play. Tomorrow we make a
long trek to Mile 91, a small town (you guessed it) 91 miles from
Freetown, and then on to Bo, a city about 3 hours from Freetown. We
will see a transition home for orphans among other things, and talk
with people there about business ideas to support their ministry.
Please pray for safety in travel and for wisdom."

On a side note - not too long after I updated the blog last night, the news broke about Steve Jobs dying. I watched (not surprisingly) how the technology he so heavily influenced facilited the spreading the word of his death. He came full circle. I don't really know much about him and I don't know if he was a believer. I wondered if anyone ever told him about Jesus. I am so thankful that Ross, Fred, Peter, Cami, Becca, and Kerry have listened to God's prompting of their hearts to go to the place He showed them to tell people about Jesus. Let us do likewise.

Until tomorrow, Kel

Our message from Dr. O'Brien on Wednesday:
"What a long day! We began training around 9:30 and went until 3:30 focusing on their marketing plan. We broke for lunch at noon and all ate together. This is the first time these young ladies have ever experienced anything like this. Some come from pretty rough backgrounds and the cosmetology training provides them with a way out.

Tomorrow we cover operating plan and financial plan. After dinner we went to worship with students from The Evangelical College of Theology. TECT students have acted as translators and facilitators for us all week. We returned to the Hope Center for some fellowship (and cake) with Christine, then back to work. The team has been working for going on 2 hours getting ready for tomorrow. I think it will be the best day yet.

Please pray for us. Even with the long day of work, this team is so willing to work into the late hours to prepare for tomorrow. They are really invested in the success of these young ladies. What a blessing to see their love and commitment!

Ok Prayer Warriors - now is the time to be fervent in our prayers. Pray for strength (physical, emotional, and spiritual for our team); pray for openness to God (for the people in Sierra Leone); continue to pray for healing for Christine (of the Hope Center). Our God is mighty and awesome and is opening hearts in Sierra Leone!

Tuesday - God is So Good!

Hello!

I received a message from Dr. O'Brien- a bit earlier today. I asked specifically about Cami and him (healthwise) and he reports they both are fine. He is beat (after their day today) but they are all well.

 

His message:

 

"We had our 1st training day, and God really answered our prayers! The team did a great job. We divided into 3 groups with about 4 cosmotology students, 2 of our team members and 1 young man from the community youth association at each table. We got to know each other, then talked about the values you take into the job. 

 

We laid a biblical basis for work and for business. We talked about factors of success and causes of failure in business, among other things. It was a great start and hopefully we can build from here.
This is a funny and fun-loving team, but they are also committed to the task. I am proud of them and thankful for them. 

 

Thank you for your prayers! Christine's foot is doing better. The swelling is down and she can put a little weight on it."

 

God is so good - keep praying - Prayer Warriors!!

Monday evening - God is good!

Isn't technology great? Another word from our travelers:

"Spent the day in Freetown today. We surveyed small business owners about their businesses and also did a little shopping. I wish I had space for a full description. The market is like nothing the team had ever experienced. We broke into teams with a very trusted Sierra Leonian college student acting as guide, interpreter and body guard, though the greatest danger was from high prices and crazy traffic. Wrapped up the evening discussing what we learned and with final preparations for tomorrow's training season. Please pray that the training will be effective. Also pray for Christine, one of the Hope Center staff our team has grown to love. Her foot was run over by a motorcycle in a freak accident.  It is swollen and painful but most likely not broken."

Father God - how we love you and are so very thankful you are sovereign. I thank You for the privilege of being able to pray together for other believers - some we know, some we love, some we don't know - but we love them because You love. Father, I thank you for Christine, for her service in Sierra Leone. I ask Lord for healing for Christine, mostly for your glory to be revealed in the lives of those around her. Let others draw near to You, Your truth because of what they see in her and the others with her. Thank you for the opportunity to go to Sierra Leone and serve. We love you Lord, Amen.

Monday in Freetown

As the group headed into Freetown today, Dr. O'Brien was able to spend a few minutes in an Internet cafe. He was able to send an update via email - which includes a bit more detail. I am so excited for how God is using our travelers to further His kingdom and how he is using the people in Sierra Leone to impact the lives of our travelers.

Dr. O'Brien writes:
"We finally had enough Internet access to be able to check email. Here is a brief report before we head off for Freetown this morning.

Our flight leaving London was delayed. We sat on the plane for a little over 2 hours prior to take off, so we got in very late. Immigration and customs were uneventful, thankfully, so we made it down to the water for the water taxi around 11:30, arriving at the Hope Center around 1:00 a.m.

We slept well Friday night and started off the day on Saturday with an orientation to the Hope Center by one of the couples who works here. Gabe and Sada Harrera are from FBC Arlington. He is a dentist and they use their medical/dental abilities to provide for physical needs but also to open doors for Kingdom work. After a lunch at the Hope Center, we went for a walk around the community with Paul Conteh and Mohammed Jalloh. These two college students really know the community well and have such a heart from the people. Both are strong believers who are committed to expanding the Kingdom. They told us about the challenges and work going on in the area. They also helped us to have access to a fishing company and we learned a lot about how the fishing boats are made, how they go out to the ocean for about 5 days at a time, the kinds of fish they catch and how they process and sell the fish.

They stayed and ate supper with us after the walking tour and we wrapped up the night with really good fellowship.

On Sunday, we went to a church up in the mountains called Miami Baptist Church. The church currently meets in a school building, but to be honest the building was little more than a cement shell broken into various rooms. There were probably 30 or 40 people in attendance. The music was lively and we had a good sermon from Donald Conteh, the director of the Hope Center who was filling in for the pastor who was away. Donald had asked me to read a passage from Luke and I did my best at reading it in Kreo, but I'm not sure the people really understood what I was saying. Hopefully the Spirit made it plain to their ears.

After church we drove over the mountain (very VERY rough roads) into Freetown. The scenery was beautiful and we passed some interesting people along the way. One man was working on the road, breaking up rocks to fill in the holes. He has actually been written up in newspapers in the US. I'm not sure how they learned about him, but evidently he was a big hit in the press. We also saw some kids who had made their own makeshift toll gate. They didn't try to demand money, but made it possible to give if people wanted to who were passing by. They were supposedly working on the road, too, and hoping to get some money for it. On the way back we gave them the food that we had left over from our lunch and they were very excited.

We had lunch across the street from Lomley Beach, made famous in the movie Blood Diamonds. Lunch was good. They had a variety of foods: pizza, fried rice, shrimp, sandwiches, etc. Donald told us more about the war and how he had survived in a couple of very trying situations. We stopped off at a supermarket on the way home and picked up some tea bags, cookies and other snacks that we had last night. When we got back to the Hope Center we went to work preparing for our workshop which starts on Tuesday. We took a break for dinner then finished up the planning session. Afterwards we had a very sweet time of fellowship with Christine, the accountant for GCPN who lives here at the Hope Center, and Chuck, who lives down the road. Chuck, an American from Georgia, works at the Hope Center but was sent here by Pioneers. Christine is from the Philippines and has worked here for about 1.5 years. Prior to being here she has also served in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, after the tsunami. They both have such a passion for God and for the people here and are doing great work among the people. It was a late night, but very good.

Today we will go to Freetown to observe how commerce is conducted. We will go into stores as well as to markets on the street and see how they carry out their businesses. I'm excited for what we will learn.

I am so impressed with these students. Fred provided our devotional on Saturday and Kerry did today. What mature believers with great hearts for God. The entire group has been so easy to work with, willing to be flexible with times and activities, ready to jump in to work in whatever way is needed. We are praying that the work we do this week will be effective both for the Kingdom as well as in helping people learn how to start and run their businesses to provide for their families and the community."

It is wonderful to hear from our friends and to share in God's work.

Sunday in Sierra Leone

Here is the latest update from the team:
Another great day. Started with worship-great singing and Bible lesson. Lunch after a drive over the mountain into Freetown.
We spent a couple of hours planning for the training program that starts on Tuesday, then the rest of the evening in fellowship with some of the people working in the Hope Center. Lots of laughing, lots of information.
It has been a real eye opener for the team. Cami is fighting some allergies but we are healthy for the most part.

I am hoping that on Monday we can post a bit more than a text message.

Please continue to pray for the health
Of the team members.

Saturday in Sierra Leone

I heard from the group. Dr. O'Brien writes:

"The team had a great day. After an orientation to the Hope Center we took a walking tour of Jui, the area around the Center. Couldn't pull the girls away from the kids and took enough pictures to fill several photo albums. Ended with a nice dinner at the Center with new friends from Sierra Leone."

He added that they they really enjoyed the walking tour around Jui - it rained for most of it. After spending this past summer with very few raindrops in Texas, they appreciated seeing the rain.

I asked for some pictures, but he is having trouble sending photos by text message. He hopes that on Monday, he will be able to go to an Internet cafe and email some.

I hope you all are well and enjoying this glorious Saturday! Take care - Kel

Sierra Leone...at last

A long, long, long day of travel has come to an end. Our DBU travelers have arrived safely at the Hope Center and by now are snoozing away.

I received a text message just after 6:00 pm our time from Dr. O'Brien in the water taxi. How cool! From a form of transportation I would consider so rustic, he was able to send a text message. Technology! What would Abraham have done with a smart phone "back in the day"? (That is a discussion for another day, for sure.)

The last message I received said that Donald Conteh had picked them up from the water taxi and drove the group to the Hope Center. Donald is one of the guys in the photo to the right.

The message from the group stated they were very tired, but happy. Hopefully by now, they are sound asleep. No big activities are planned for Saturday so they will have time to get acclimated to their surroundings. I am hoping for a photo to come our way - but may have to wait until they return for that.

Peter's dad sent me a link about the Hope Center, so I am including it here - in case you would like to know more about the place that is hosting our group.
http://restorehopeproject.org/hope_center.html

Take care and I will update as I hear.

London and waiting...

God is amazing! Even in the very "little things" He is faithful to honor our requests. I overslept a bit this morning and when I awoke, I tried to figure out the time difference between Dallas and London and was afraid I had missed a text message from the group.

No text - but I did have an email from Dr. O'Brien - all safe and sound in London.They have a brief layover in London. Everyone is doing well. Dr. O'Brien says, "I sense a little tiredness in the group, but all are in good spirits. They are such a great group."

They have about a 7 hour flight ahead and then a few more hours before we get to the Hope Center for the night. Dr. O'Brien says, "God has given us safe and predictable travel, which is good. Please pray for stamina and continued joy."

It is early afternoon for them as we are just starting our day and they have a tiring afternoon ahead of them. Please lift Dr. O'Brien, Fred, Peter, Cami, Becca and Kerry up throughout the day and they press on toward Sierra Leone. May the love of Christ radiate from their faces and actions.

On their way

Our travelers are on their way! Here is a photo I snapped at the airport. It isn't very good. I was parked in the taxi loading zone and I felt anxious about being parked there. Anyway - they were all very exicited about finally getting their trip underway.

I received messages from Dr. O'Brien and they are loading the plane in Chicago and will on their way to London soon. They all enjoyed their time in the Chicago airport and I know they are having a good time getting to know one another better. This group will share a wonderful experience with one another that will bond them for always.

The travelers are looking forward to a good meal - well, at least a meal. Hopefully they will all be able to sleep some on this flight. When they arrive in London, there will be plane changes, luggage to move and more waiting before boarding for the final leg into Freetown. They should arrive in Freetown at 7:30 PM (2:30 Dallas time, Friday).

I am praying for rest and calm bellies as they continue on their way.

In less than 30 hours!

The travel portion of our group's journey is just 30 hours from now. Thank you, dear reader, for praying for Dr. O'Brien, Becca, Cami, Kerry, Fred and Peter. As they are preparing to have an impact on people in Sierra Leone, God is preparing to have an impact on them.

This group was on my heart this morning as I read 1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." We are God's chosen generation - chosen to proclaim His praises.

I am truly humbled by this group. They are following God's leading into Sierra Leone. I tend to be one of those people content in my "own backyard," but that is truly not how God wants us to be. I am blessed to be praying alongside you for these travelers.

Blessings to you!
Kel

Hope and a Future

Several months ago, one of the professors came by the office and said, "Hey, Kelly, I have this great opportunity to go to Sierra Leone. They have some folks in need of business skills and I think this may be a great chance to take some of our students there." After, I said the polite, "Oh, that is great! I can't wait to hear about your trip," and he went on his way, I had to "google" Sierra Leone. I was pretty sure he was talking about Africa, but I was not sure.

I know you are glad to know that I was right, it is in Africa. (You know, sometimes you do have to just look this stuff up!) Sierra Leone is a small country in on the west coast of Africa about 3 times the size of the Metroplex, but with about the same number of people.

So, low and behold, he went and returned and was very encouraged by the people he met there. He wanted to help people provide for themselve and their families. The people he met in Sierra Leone became attached to his heart.

Dr. O'Brien definitely has a heart for people - that is what all of the students say. I hear this over and over from students in his classes past and present. We began praying for an opportunity to take students to Sierra Leone so that they could experience first hand, people struggling for their very survival, but with hope and a future.

Hope and a future...sound familiar DBU friends? Our focal verse at DBU comes from Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Does God mean this verse just for those of us on the hill? Absolutely not! He plans for us all. He hopes for us all. In the Metroplex and in Sierra Leone.

Months of prayer, weeks of planning, days of frenzy and hours of preparation are leading Dr. O'Brien and a group of five students (Becca, Cami, Kerry, Fred and Peter) to go to a place on the other side of the world and see how God is working amongst the people of Sierra Leone. They will work with women finishing some job training to develop business plans to help them understand how to use the skills they have learned to provide for themselves and their families.

The DBU group will stay at the Hope Center

For me, I will only go as far as the airport when I drop them off on Thursday. My task will be a simple one, one I will undertake joyfully. First, I will be a diligent prayer warrior, for health and safety during their travel. Second, I will be the bearer of news. Dr. O'Brien plans to send me text messages as he can and I will relate them to "the list" (Cami is compiling this). My hope is that the blog format will be an effective and efficient means of communication.

If you are reading this blog, will you please pray for God's blessing on the people of Sierra Leone. Pray for health, safe travel and open hearts for Dr. O'Brien and our DBU students as well.