Once a year at the church I attend in town there is what they call a Youth Thanksgiving. This is when the youth (I think late teens through late twenties) put on a special program for the Sunday service. They write and sing songs, have a theme for the service, a guest preacher, a few fun competitions, youth from other churches come and sing, it is really just a great time to worship together and celebrate. The other great part is a full week of activities the week before. Monday was a football game, Tuesday volleyball, Wednesday prayer and fasting, Thursday last practice before Sunday, Friday talent show, and then Sunday evening was just a fun party with music and dancing. (Though the rainy season had a thing to say about some of these activities) It truly was a great week and what made it even more fun for me was the relationships I have built over the last 6 months. I was able to go and know a good number of people there and feel like part of the group. God has truly blessed me with not only building special relationships with the kids and staff here at JCC, but I have also been welcomed into this great group of friends.
Below is my favorite music group here- Favoured Few. I truly do love their music but I also love them. They have become good friends and take good care of me as well. Tuesday I went to dinner with Solomon and Solomon (I don't like to have to remember names so I make them have the same name) and they didn't trust the honda driver to bring me home safely so they had their drivers take them all the way out to JCC and then bring them back to their homes- which were right near the resturaunt. This is not quite the whole group but...
This weekend a bunch of us will be traveling to Kenema for their Youth Thanksgiving. I happened to be going anyway so that I could spend some time with my friends JK, Theresa and others in their family, so it happened to work out great that so many more are going to be there as well. The time is going very fast now. I will be leaving Bo next Sunday night to head to Freetown and then go to the airport on Wednesday to come home. It is going to be VERY difficult to say goodbye. I look forward to seeing everyone, but... You can pray for me.