October 1st

Who has a plan and a schedule? I am one who loves to have a plan and a schedule however often over the past two years I have had to function either without or one that is put together at the last minutes.

My coming home has fallen into this category. There was never a set date for me to leave JCCM and head back to the states though there seemed to be a lose plan set for sometime the end of July. As ALL of you know July has come and gone and August is soon to follow. I am not home. Though I now have a schedule- the plan I am still working on. October 1st I will leave Sierra Leone and start my journey home. I say journey because even though it is only really a couple days of travel it feels like a whole lot more- especially with all the emotions on both sides. Sometime October 2nd I will be home. Plan and schedule after that- once again up in the air. However I always have a job at Mark's Country Market :). I cannot tell you the number of times I tried to get fired from this job, but I am really grateful for it now. Thanks Dad.

We have gone through a lot of changes here at JCCM the main one being the hiring of a new Program Coordinator. This has been a long time coming as we have been functioning without a head person for 2 years now. A team of us have filled this position but it is a much better fit to have one person in this role. Mr. Muana was hired the 1st of July and I was asked to stay to work with him his first few months. I have been asked to stay longer many times but didn't give it a lot of thought until this came about. I was actually told by a few board members that I simply could not go- whatever they needed to do to help me to stay they would do. After praying about it I do feel this is where I am to be at this time and my family was kind enough to let me stay (not without a few comments and threats though huh Amers?!?!) It is not easy to step into a new position- nor is it always easy to help someone do this, but we are working together and I pray to leave with JCCM in a better place.

I do not know what the future holds and this is often a difficult thing for many of us. This time it feels a bit heavier as I have no clue what comes next or what to do next. These are my children. I have another family and group of friends here and yet I have the same at home. I have no doubt that God placed me at JCCM during a difficult time for the organization in order to help them through. He allowed me to be an integral part in not only keeping JCCM going but in making some positive changes for the kids and the future of JCCM. I have absolutely cherished being a part of these children and staff members lives and I know it will continue- only in what manner I am not certain.

If I am to walk away now, I will know that I was able to be HIS hands and feet at a time and in a place I never expected, but was also blessed in ways I couldn't have imagine. I will also walk away knowing JCCM will continue to move forward, these children will continue to be loved and nurtured, and an impact for Christ will be made for ever.

If I am to go home and come back- I will be grateful to be with my kids and family here again. I would love to see my friends and the community that has welcomed me in as one of their own. Finding out what my position would be, my purpose here... that is what needs to happen in order for me to come back.

Where does he want me? At this point I am really not sure- which makes leaving all that more difficult. Is this a HUGE goodbye- or just a short goodbye? What happens to me in the next 6 months- 1 year... Please pray with me. Pray that not only will I see where he is leading me, but also that I will have his peace and patience as I wait.

Thank you more than I can say for you love, prayers, and support through my time here. I have not left yet- I still have 5 weeks I am going to make the best of. It seems crazy even as I type that. I am fighting between wanting to see everyone at home and not wanting to even think about leaving so soon. I would like to say I will try to update more- I want to- but it is just not easy and I am usually exhausted when there is a chance. Maybe that will be something to fill my time when I first come home as there is so much more I have wanted to share with you all.

Pray for my kids- this is not easy for them and we talk about it EVERYDAY as it is often on their mind. Pray for my friends and "family" here as well. Pray for my heart.

Rutile, Mattru, and Kpangbama - posted by Amy

The weekend after we got to Sierra Leone we traveled to Rutile, Mattru, and Kpangbama. The farthest village was about 50 miles away and took about 3 1/2 - 4 hours to get there. It was a very bumpy ride and we were all ready to get out when we got to Kpangbama. We are pretty sure that our logging roads here are better than some of the roads there.

On our way we stopped at the JCC farm to visit Harry and his family. Haja, Harry's wife had just had a baby girl 3 days before we got there. She was very cute and did not have a name yet, they normally do not name the children for a couple weeks while the father thinks of a name.

Haja made bene seed for us which is a small seed stuck together with caramelized sugar and tastes super good plus they gave us fresh pineapple before we left.

When I went to Sierra Leone in December Christie and I visited Kpangbama. Madam Hawa, the paramount chief, gave me my Mende name Luba which means blessing. She was very kind to us and let us stay in one of her guest houses and fed us wonderful food, when we left she asked us to please come back sometime. Christie and I decided this would be a great village to visit while our family was with. Again Madam Hawa took great care of us.

Jk's father, Festus, also lives in Kpangbama and runs the clinic there. Here is Christie, JK, and Festus.

This is one of the huts, it is made of clay with a thatch roof.

Here Christie and Jk are giving Madam Hawa a gift we brought for her generosity. She would not let us pay her for staying in her guest house or any of our food. We also brought clothes, toys, and medical supplies for the clinic.

When we first got there many of the children came to greet us. They sang some songs for us, then we sang "Father Abraham" with them. It was a lot of fun to see them enjoying singing.

We walked around the village for awhile and many of the kids came with us. They would all grab our hands and just want to touch us. Each of us had at least 2 kids on each hand as we walked.

One of Lorie's friends made little hats to give away to infants. As we walked around Kpangbama Lorie would give out the hats and take a picture with the mother and baby.

Here we are walking to visit the clinic which was just down the road. Festus was telling us that people from many villages came to their clinic since it was the closest. I am pretty sure he said that they serve people in over 30 villages.

This is the front of the clinic, it is not very big but has what they need.

We brought equipment so we would be able to show "The Chronicles of Narnia" to the village. They seemed to really like it and were even cheering at different points throughout the movie. At the end of the movie our friends JK and Rainny explained the similarities of the movie to what God has done for us and then we all prayed together. It was really nice we were able to share this with them.

They gave us some of the best seating and of course grandma loved being right next to the fan :)

The next morning they had breakfast all ready for us when we came out. It was a delicious meal and even had coffee which was great for mom.

When we left Kpangbama on our way to Mattru mom decided she wanted to take a turn on the honda. She had a great time and even ended up riding in the rain. We asked if she wanted to come in the jeep when it started raining and she said no, she was enjoying the cooler ride.

In Mattru we had to cross the river and this is the ferry they have there. It is a wooden platform on floats that the workers pull across on a pulley system. Christie's jeep is pretty little and more narrow than other vehicles so it takes a little to make sure it is all lined up. Christie is able to get that jeep pretty much anywhere she wants.

Grandma just stayed in the jeep until we got to the other side, then we all got back in to continue on our way. We went and met a few people Christie knows. One of the people who left an impact on me was Pa French. I had met him when I was there in December and he was very kind to us. Christie said that he works at a clinic and has not been paid for the past few months but keeps going to work and helping people.

We were all ready to get back to JCC after the long traveling and were very happy to see the kids and staff again. They came running to the jeep as soon as we pulled in. It was fun to be greeted like that every time. That night we decided we were going to treat ourselves so we turned on the generator and watched a movie and got some chicken, french fries, and pop for the night.

Reign Ministries' Royal Servants

I received an email while my family was here letting me know that there was a group of 27 people arriving in Salone July 7th. They had plans for the first few weeks but then were not sure of what they would be doing their last week here (last week of July). Well with me being so busy and their getting ready to go we didn't connect up again until a few days before they wanted to come. With less than one week we through together some plans, got the big house ready for a large number of guests, assigned my kids to specific jobs as well as the staff and we were ready for them when they arrived Sunday afternoon on the 25th.

For being a last minute trip and probably the largest team we ever had- the week was GREAT. We packed it with activities-

1. VBS Mon-Friday early afternoon for the middle and small children.
2. Youth Club late afternoons Mon.-Fri. for the teens.
3. Visits two mornings to nearby villages Towama and Gbongoma to walk around the village meeting people, witnessing to them, and inviting them to the church for a small program with dramas, dance, and puppets.
4. A visit to the prison here in Bo to do a couple dramas and speak to the inmates
5. A visit to the Government hospital here in Bo to talk with and pray with some of the patients.
6. A quick visit to the farm with a small group of us that turned into our own "safari".
7. Eating two African meals all together.
8. Having an awesome party with great entertainment, food, soft drinks, and dancing.
9. Lots of time laughing and hanging out together.

• oh and so much more.
  There is so much to say about the teams time here but with the Internet the way it is and my time schedule today I will just hit on a couple areas that really blessed me. The first is how much we connected with this team. We always love having teams come, but honestly there are times when we are ready to get back to our routine. This team blended so well- even with the large number- it truly felt like we were one family. I also was amazed at how well I meshed with the leaders. It felt like connecting with old friends. I needed a week like this.

  Laura (LB- or Mama B as the kids called her) and I

• All the different ministries that the team took part in were great but there was one that gave me chills and left an impact I won't soon forget. Wednesday morning we visited the prison here in Bo. That morning it was cold and raining. The prison is small and very over crowded and has no large place where the kids could do their dramas. That meant that the kids needed to perform in the courtyard- in the rain and in the mud. The two dramas they did were called "Sticks" and "Chains". Both dramas are set to just music playing in the background so they cross all language barriers. Both dramas in different ways show how our sins hold us down- keep us away from Christ. They demonstrated how demons are battling for us everyday- and Christ is the one who saved us from this battle- IF we choose to accept him. With the rain coming down- the kids having to get down in the dirt and mud- seeing the battle between Christ and the demons- inside the girl herself, fighting her sins, temptations, SHAMES. The kids gave it there all and the backdrop of the prison, the rain, and the mud- I had chills and was able to see again in a new way just how much I am loved by Christ- but even more than that just how much I have to turn to him.

• The last quick point I want to share is how impressed I was with my kids. I assigned many of them to jobs during the week and they did them well and showed how they too can be servants. We were also able to take the older kids into the village to be translators for the team- they amazed me. It is not easy to translate. It is one thing to be able to speak both languages but to be able to listen to our American slang and turn it into Mende- our kids are good. It was the perfect way to see that we are all part of one body in Christ. One family together.

Yes there was so much more and I always say I will try to write more later- but that is just not easy to do. At least you can get a glimpse of the week we spent together. Unfortunately my camera was on the fritz so I only have these two photos Laura sent me. I'll have to ask her for the large group one with all JCCM family and Royal Servants family- now one family.

The party the last night was the perfect ending to an unexpected blessing for all of us. Our JCC kids got up and sang, acted, read poems, and danced for our friends. The aunties cooked a ton of amazing African treats and we danced into the night together laughing and celebrating this gift we found together. I was tired before this week started- looking forward to meeting everyone but not sure what to expect and wanting the end to come- I ended the week uplifted and refreshed, encouraged by new friends and blessed and reminded how loved I am by my Papa God.

(by the way the connection happened when the team's plans fell through- my mom's freshman year roommate's niece was on the trip so my email was passed on to them)

Beginning of our Trip- Posted by Amy

Sorry it has taken awhile to get any posts up about our trip. We all had a great time and loved hanging out with Christie. The first few days after we got to Bo, we just relaxed and took some time to get to know the kids and staff at JCC and see how things work in Sierra Leone.
Here is mom and me with a few kids they day we got there. They were all so welcoming

Living in Sierra Leone is like being on a long camping trip. There is no electricity or running water, we were able to turn a generator on a couple times for some light though which was nice. The kids were still in school for the first few days we were there. They would go to school until about 1pm or 2pm so that was our time to go into town and see what Bo was like, cook some food, wash dishes and get some laundry done. Of course when they kids were finished with school they were more than willing to help us with any of those.

Every school day all the kids line up according to grade and have devotions and sing their national anthem, then they start class. The JCC school is open to kids outside the orphanage also.

Willie, the bus driver, goes out into town to pick up students. They fit as many kids on that bus as possible and Willie has to go out 2 times before school and after school so he can pick up and drop off everyone.

All of the kids just loved grandma!

Every morning at 8:30 we went to staff devotions. It was a great time to sing songs and worship God with everyone that works at JCC. Then after devotions everyone would go about their jobs and we were able to walk around and visit with them and see what they do.

One of the projects we helped out with at JCC was painting one of the houses. They are breaking the big building into 3 different houses so there is more of a family feel to the orphanage. They will have 5 houses in all, each house with 1 house mom and about 10 kids and a house auntie will come in every day to help take care of the kids. They already have 2 houses finished and it seems to be working great. The house we painted was the yellow house, my mom's favorite color. It was a fun time and we really enjoyed spending that time with the carpenters and getting to know them better.

This is the kitchen for the big house still, in time each house will have their own kitchen.

Here we are helping Auntie Fatty and Jenae cut potato leaf, they make it look alot easier than it is. Small Christie and Jeffta are also helping us. Potato leaf is a sauce they make to put on rice.

I don't know how they go so fast and don't cut their hands but they are good. Christie and I took our time and did not cut ourselve but we did shave a little skin off our hands.

Sometimes we ate what everyone else was eating and sometimes we decided to do our own cooking. Christie has really figured things out there. She has a small coal pot that works great for cooking everything.

Auntie Kudie is washing dishes, it wasn't too bad hand washing all of our dishes and letting them sit out to dry on the jeep but I think we are all thankful we have dishwashers.

Everynight things are pretty relaxed so we were able to just hang out with the kids. This was one of my favorite times. They are all so much fun.

Christie doing some more cooking with Lorie and grams helping. She has decided she might need the carpenters to make her ledge a little wider so it is easier to cook, we did manage to fit everything we needed on that little ledge though.

There were a few times when Christie and I did the cooking so mom, grams and Lorie washed the dishes.

Around 8:30 at night there is evening prayer/devotions which is lead by the kids. It is a lot of fun to go worship with them and hear the lesson one of the kids has prepared. Then they take prayer requests and pray out loud at the same time. There really is nothing like it, it is amazing to hear. They pray for their sponsors and our families back here and each other its just amazing.

They are all pretty helpfull at JCC so here are some of the older girls helping Lorie with our laundry.

We did a lot of traveling so we were not at JCC as much as we would have liked but we really enjoyed the time we had there and each time we came back from a different trip they all came running to the jeep to greet us. We all felt very loved and cared for.

My Trip Home-Posted by Amy

Thankfully mom, grandma, and Lorie didn't have any problems flying home. I, on the other hand, had a more interesting time trying to leave Sierra Leone. Christie, JK, and Jerry dropped me, Ron and Brenda off at the airport around 4pm on Sunday then they headed back to Bo. Our flight wasn't supposed to leave until 11pm but the ferry went over at 4 so that is when we were able to go over. Plus after being Africa for 2 weeks or a month you get used to waiting around.
About 8:30 they announced that our flight was canceled due to technical difficulties so we had to find a place to stay and go to the BMI office the next morning to figure out our connecting flights. The next flight out wasn't until 4am Tuesday morning so we had some time to waste. But there was a little bit of panic when at 8:45 we still hadn't found a taxi and the last ferry to Freetown was supposed to leave at 9 and we only had so many leones left since we thought we were going to be leaving. Well we were able to get a taxi and he got us to the ferry with about 10 minutes to spare, thankfully things never leave on time in Africa.
There was a 20 year old boy who was always at the ferry everytime we were there and knows Christie pretty well and I know him pretty well since he was there in December when I went also. His name is White Boy but of course as you can see he is not white :) He has always been very helpful and we know we can trust him to help us so on the ferry ride back to Freetown I just kept praying he would be on the other side to help us get a taxi and get to our hotel. Once we hit shore and got off I saw him and felt a huge sense of relief. White Boy got us a taxi for a good price and even rode with us to make sure we got to the hotel and all settled in. Then he told me he would be going accross on the 2pm ferry the next day if we wanted to meet him and go accross then he would help us and get us a taxi on the other side. We decided that was a great idea and it didn't matter which side of the ferry we were on since we were going to be waiting for awhile anyways.
The next day we tried to get our flights figured out then left for the ferry. White Boy got us accross and to the airport and even helped us find some dinner then didn't leave until he knew we were all set and would be ok. Ron, Brenda, and I really felt like God had sent him to help take care of us and were very thankful.
In talking to White Boy I found out that he is a Christian and works on a boat for his church. Besides the ferry there are wooden boats that go accross more often in case you miss the ferry. He is the driver of the boat and the name of the boat is "Jesus is Coming." I thought this was really cool to hear. Most of the money goes to the church and he probably gets about 3 dollars a day. He told me that he has 3 younger brothers a younger sister and an older sister. His mom passed away 2 months ago giving birth to his youngest brother who is now living with his grandma. White Boy's older sister is taking care of his younger siblings and trying to keep them in school. White Boy said he is trying to send them money to help them out and with only making 3 dollars a day it is not an easy task. He is not in school now and has only finished up to 10th grade but knows that an education is important and that he can't work at the ferry all his life. He told me that he knows God will take care of him and provide for him and his family. I was very impressed with White Boy and being able to trust when he has so little and he was willing to help us so much and didn't expect any payment. God really took care of us and sent us a gardian angel in White Boy.

Miss Them Already

They are on their way home and Amy and I are eating ice cream

So our family girls' trip has come to an end. I have so much to blog about and will try my best later this week when we get back to Bo- but I wanted to send out a quick update.

We spent the last few days at River No 2 Beach- it is beautiful, relaxing, and like coming home as I have built a few friendships there and they take such good care of us. We started the trip by taking everyone to the market to buy gifts- WOW!!! Maybe still a little surprised we made it through that one. It was then on to the guest house. They didn't quite have room for us so they made some- well that turned out to be a house with a huge parlor and two fine rooms with bathrooms inside each. Our first activity was to head to the cinema- cram in with everyone else and watch on two small TVs USA lose to Ghana. That was not what we had hoped for. The last game Amers and I watched with many who were cheering for us and hugging us as we won. This game of course we were pretty much the only ones wanting USA to move on so it wasn't the greatest of environments- but still an experience.

Amy, Rainny, and I ate our dinner on the beach under the moon- a great way to get over a difficult loss. Of course you know how we love to swim so the next item on the agenda was a good night swim. It didn't last long as the waves were getting bigger and bigger and our suits were taking on a lot of sand as we crashed into the shore.

Sunday was the perfect last day for all of us. We ate breakfast on the beach, walked around, chatted, read our books, grandma took a nap in a little hut right there on the beach... and yes we swam- ALL OF US!!! This beach has a river entering the ocean so there is a really calm spot to swim in this little inlet- I thought this would be perfect for Grams but she first wanted to try the ocean. Lorie and I each grab one of her arms and climb down the sand to the beach. Mom came with us as well. The waves were not huge but were also by no means small. Lorie and I are holding tightly to Grams when a good size wave comes in- just as we have all our focus on her and realize we are all still standing we see that mom went down. Well as the ocean goes- the wave that knocked her down is now trying to pull her back out and a new wave is coming in to push her back- AND we are all laughing so that makes it all the harder to get up. I give Grams to Lor and send them in and then Mom and i work on getting her up and out. We decided that the inlet was the place for us.

Our friend James at the Guest House told Grams of this waterfall just up the river. After talking to everyone we thought that would be a good excursion to take. Later in the afternoon we hopped into this wooden boat and started our journey up the river. We were looking for monkeys and crocodiles and really just appreciating the birds, fish, crabs and other things we were seeing- but wanting the big ones. It is not often they see crocs so we were on the look-out for monkeys. HOWEVER you know how easy it is to keep the 5 of us and our friend Rainny quiet. We saw nothing on the way there, but the falls were great and Amy, Rainny, and I along with James and our boat man Sheku climbed to the top and found this amazing fresh water pool. It was SOOO clean and it was cold- just what we wanted. Our new favorite place it has become.

On the way back we tried our best to be quiet and I think you would all be proud of us- however we didn't see any monkeys. We were almost out when I heard James and Sheku talking behind us. I could understand what they were saying and they were arguing about whether this thing in front of us was a croc or log. I began watching and soon we all saw that indeed it was a croc- you could see his eyes and back and he kept going up and down just slightly. We were able to watch him for a good couple minutes before he finally went under. It was then that James and Sheku told us it had been quite some time since they last saw a croc. We were happy and satisfied with our boat trip.

Once again we ate a fine dinner- shrimp, barracuda, lobster- and yes chicken for Rainny. We laughed and talked into the night. Woke to a bit of rain but still enjoyed our last morning together. We drove the coastline back to town and headed to the ferry- that was a long wait and travel to the airport but we made it safely and said our good byes. We think they made it off safely, but to be honest don't know for sure. :) No I know they are fine.

I am not sure if it was to comfort ourselves or to celebrate but Amers and I went out and had the best dinner yet. This whole trip grams has asked for ice cream which we found once. Lor wanted ice in her pop. So as soon as they left Am and I tried this new place I had heard about and had not only ice in our pop, we had REAL pizza that was delicious, and of course ice cream for dessert. We did miss them though and talked about them the whole time.

So now it is Amy and I and yes a bit of work as well- can't take a full month off.

I'll be back on here soon to fill you in on our past and future adventures. Thanks for your prayers- our last bag came in, Everyone's health was good after our one bad night, and Grams was a huge hit and did amazing. I am so proud to be a part of this family and that they were here with me.

Mattiama Village

During Amy and Karen's trip this past March we were able to visit a village named Mattiama. Here in this village many of the children do not go to school and spend their days mining for diamonds. Some of these children are just toddlers. It was a very difficult trip to make and yet it is something that happens so often here in this country- we needed to see it.They spend time digging the ground and then fill rice bags with the dirt- the kids then carry these bags down to the water.Here Amy and I are making the trip along with the villagers down to the place where they actually search for the diamonds. As they get to the water it is usually two of the older boys or men who do the actual sifting. The kids take turns putting shovels of dirt onto the men's strainers. They then dip it into the water and shake it until the loos sand falls through. They search through the larger stones looking for a diamond and when they don't find one they throw it all out and start again. ALL DAY they go through this process- often not even getting one full meal. The deal is that the children work for the man and he is supposed to feed them- they don't get paid and to be honest they don't get fed either. On top of that they will do this for months and months and not find a single diamond. When we asked when the last time was they found a diamond- he told us it was before Christmas but the diamond was not good so they got nothing for it. We couldn't determine when the last time money actually came into the village.

The children who are lucky enough to go to school have to walk 4 miles each way- and in the Rainy Season there are not many places to hid from the rain once it starts so it makes for a long difficult walk and many sick kids.

My family and I are going to head back to this village today. We are bringing some of the used clothing so many of you donated to us, as well as toys for each of the kids. We are also going to do a two day bible school, with crafts, snacks and tonight we will be showing the Jesus film to all the village people (in Mende). It will be a long time and take a lot before this situation changes for these children, but at least we can come be a part of their lives for a couple days and hopefully introduce them to the One who can truly save them.

(I am posting all these posts in advance to come out on these days- so we will post again after letting all of you know what actually happens- but I know that my few followers who are still reading this blog are looking for updates and the only way I can really do that is to spend a good day getting a bunch ready and scheduling them to come out on certain days- the good things is that even though I will not actually be able to communicate with all of you on this day- you will read this post as we are going to Mattiama and will be able to pray for us. We ask that you do as I know this will once again be an eye opening, emotional trip.)

Electricity

I have mentioned before that we have no electricity at JCCM. There is some electricity in town but the poles don't reach us yet. Even the light in town is really hit or miss. During the dry season we can go days sometimes weeks without light. It has been changing a bit and Bo and Kenema seem to have light more often than Freetown but even at that it can come for only a few hours that will have to last for many days. Now that the Rainy Season has come we have light more often. Kenema has a hydro plant and they service Bo as well. Still this does not help us at Jonathan House. I have a generator thanks to the ONe-by-ONe team, but I don't run it all that often and even at that it is only strong enough to feed the hut.Kerosene lamps are still in use here, but it really is not the best thing for the kids. No worries we have some smart boys. Here Abdul Kareem has learned to make his own light. With an old sheet of zinc, some large batteries and wire, and the light from a 50 cent flashlight he goes to work. After creating a box for each set of batteries he goes to work wiring each room in the big house.

He is able to connect a couple rooms to each set of batteries. It is not the brightest of lights but enough to see in the room and enough for the kids to be comfortable at night- NO ONE here likes darkness. They are all shocked that I like to sleep with no lights on.And let there be light. We have success. Of course this is a short term thing and we hope in the future we really do have electricity but for now this is a big help. I am amazed at how these kids figure these things out. It is beyond me.

Anyone else want to come?

7 suitcases 6 people 1 small jeep

Mom promised so I have to follow through and post the photos of the jeep. Unfortunately we did lose one suitcase (and with all our calls and contact with the airline I am not sure we will ever get it back) but everyone arrived safely and in good moods. We first had to load into two taxis (one with the luggage and our friend Rainny and JK and the other with us Olson girls) and head to the ferry. We met some new friends on the ride over to Freetown and Grandma even fell asleep (though she will tell you she was just resting her eyes). After reaching the other side and getting all our luggage to the jeep we started loading it on top. Good thing I have been to the ferry many times and have some friends who were waiting to help us. All luggage on top and for a short time 7 of us in the jeep we headed out of the parking lot. We dropped Rainny off at the top and he headed back into Freetown while we started the 150 mile trek to Bo. It was just after 11pm when we started our journey. I have to say the trip went pretty well. The jeep did fine and we had no trouble at all. The pringles I happened to find at the Supermarket when we left Bo were a big hit in the car, but after a bit of water and a lot of talking it was time to stop for a bathroom break. With no 24hr Holiday stations the bush on the side of the road was the 1st class restrooms we used. We were still so excited about our little jeep and all our stuff that as we got in we decided that some more photos were needed. This is when we got into a bit of trouble.

Somehow at this point I (Christie) lost my purse. Unfortunately we didn't realize this until we got all the way to Bo (another hour and some from this point). Of course I had a lot of what I needed in this bag and it is usually ATTATCHED to me. The kids make fun of me because I am always wearing it and checking for it. Thank the Lord that I had taken my camera out and my passport is at immigration because I had to get my resident card renewed. I did lose my ipod, drivers and international drivers licenses, my bank card for here and there, a good chunk of money and of course the little things- one of my favorite shirts, my favorite hair tie, the handy little tool my dad gave me, my grandpas pen, oh and so many other things I like to stuff in there.

So after a long day I quickly tried to get my family into the hut- had Amy show them around and JK and I took off back to Mile 91- where we knew it went missing. (No all fuel stations are closed and I just happened to have a five gallon jug of fuel that we turned into the vehicle). We prayed before leaving and JK prayed for our safety, that we would find the bag, and that we would be okay either way. I am sad to say that we did not find the bag. I did lose it all, but God has been working on the part that I would be okay either way. I thank him that it is my family that is here now as I know with all that is in me they will take GOOD care of me. I have had a sick stomach a few times but I have been able to set it aside to have a good time with my family and not be too worried about it. We are all here safe and sound and having a great time together. We'll be able to get passed this. (Though JK did let me know it was alright to be upset about it and let me have my moment- thank you for that too)

So I have interrupted my scheduled posts to give you a little update on our family girls trip. We are loving being together and of course laughing and yes even crying a little as well. Tomorrow we head out to a village for one night and I am going to love showing them that part of Sierra Leone. Our friends Rainny, Abu and JK will be traveling with us. Pray for not only safe travels but also good health and energy for us (especially mom and grandma).

Speaking of mom and grandma they are both doing well and Grandma is a BIG HIT! Everyone just loves her and are so amazed at how strong she is and the way she gets around. I am proud of all my family and have loved showing them off and introducing them to my friends and family here.

Alright- everyone has gone to bed and I should get there too. So we'll update more later. Thanks again for all your prayers, encouragement, donations and more. We are all in this together. I LOVE THAT!!!