Youth Thanksgiving

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.

Aunty Mary

Aunty Mary is the House Mother at Jonathan House- my mom as well. She has become a great friend who I love going to the market with and learning how to cook from in the kitchen. Her birthday was in September so she, Lily, JK, and I went to Country Side for dinner. We like to say we are going to America when we go here. It is kinda like a small Country Club. We all had chicken dinner and a great time visiting and celebrating this great woman. I love you Aunty Mary!

Trip to Freetown

I know, I know- it has been way to long. Honestly I am just too impatient. I have tried many times to upload a post and then the battery will finish or the Internet goes out and I just have given up for a time. I apologize and will try to be better. There are so many things I have wanted to post about and will try to get to, but for now I will start with a trip a few of us took to Freetown last weekend. I was great to just get away for a few days with some good friends and have little responsibility for a time. We took the early morning transport- and by early morning I mean 3am- to Freetown and arrived with the whole day ahead of us. We stayed at a Guest House in the center of town which was perfect for walking around and finding some good cheap food- we ate chicken and french fries everyday. Freetown is a LARGE city PACKED with people. It is hard to get anywhere in a car as people walk the streets just as the cars do, there are no traffic lights or even signs, and the city is really just overcrowded. There are still some good things to see and some good times to be had. On Saturday we headed to Charolotte Village to check out this waterfall that everyone has talked about but no one has made it to. (Next time Kayla) We drove some distance on this barely made road and then parked to walk a bit further. We walked through this small Creole village called Charolotte and the houses looked a little something like this. (People are living in ALL of them).

After walking through the village we found a couple kids who led us to a path heading to the falls. We walked through this covered path not able to see the falls but able to hear them. At one point we had to remove our shoes and walk through the water to get on the path again. Now I loved this part as you know I love water, but one thing I have learned since coming is that almost no one here likes water. This was a lot for me to ask of the guys to remove their shoes and get into the water, but they did it for me and I love them for it. Back on the path again we could now feel the mist from the falls. I was walking ahead with the kids (it took the guys a little longer to get their shoes back on) and this was the scene that opened up before us. It was beautiful and I think everyone was thankful we made the trip.
Joe, JK, Christie, John Boland, Pastor Ibrahim

After we headed to the beach for sometime and then back to town. I enjoyed spending some time seeing Freetown in a different light. In the past I have only experienced sitting in traffic and having people crowded all around me. I guess Freetown isn't so bad, but I do love Bo and Bo is home so it was nice to get back on Monday.