Love Stretches Hands From Shore to Shore: Update on June 25, 2010

Africa is amazing. I have experienced Africa first-hand, residing among the culture for a week. We arrived in Sierra Leone a day before I was meant to go on a challenge team. I was excited for the team since it was my first real chance to get out for an extended time to live in the culture we were docked in. My excitement was not for naught, as the 5 days spent in Hastings, Sierra Leone have been some of my best days in the past two years.

The team was made up of 8 people from the Ship and a leader who regularly comes to lead ship training (such as PST and BST). We were sent to work on building a school in a predominately Muslim area (we were told there were no Christian schools in the area, but we found a rather large one). When we arrived after a day of preparation, the foundation was already poured, even though by western standards it was rather questionable. When we arrived and unloaded our things, we started to carry the blocks that needed to be laid for the foundation. The hired workers (there were 13 the first day) let us do some masonry, but for the most part we just carried things. I am used to this, of course, and enjoyed it. The next four days were spent filling the foundation in with dirt, and expecting things to show up that never did, such as wood, more soil, work, and workers, but God did a wonderful thing to the whole team.

In Africa, a work project is rarely done alone, especially when it involves white people. The place we were staying and building was kind of a day home for many kids that don’t often feel loved, and the kids latched onto us. The first day, a whole band of them appeared to help with the work and to touch and hang on the white folk. The band was mostly male, and consisted of around 10-15 kids. All of them were beautiful. They made the week amazing, with their unhindered love, unashamed antics, and trusting hearts. Throughout the week, they would come and say, in Creole, “Jim Me”, which was to throw them. Once one was thrown, all of them wanted to be thrown. If I had the energy I would do that, but when I didn’t, they were content to karate fight, chase me, check out our belly buttons, or just hug. They would climb on us while we were training with our leader, and try to help us work. They were beautiful.

The workers and family we stayed with were also a huge blessing. A lot of the guys on the team made friends with some of the workers, myself included, and fearlessly told them why we do what we do, and who leads us. A bunch of the guys got Bibles from us, and we prayed with some. We told stories of our lives, and heard some insane stories from theirs. The pastor (Immanuel) shared his story of his escape from a village that practiced child sacrifice into a deadly sickness that nearly killed him multiple times into a salvation that has brought about health. The pastor’s wife and family cooked and served us like kings, feeding us interesting food consisting mostly of fish. It was awesome. We also experienced a cultic burial from afar in which the head of the deceased is severed and saved to be put on the son’s body. The participants wore full red robes, or full white robes, as a few danced in tribal African fashion, wearing strange things. It was strange. The spirit world is still very respected and feared in this part of the world, away from technology and the things that take our fears away. They live face to face with the spiritual every day, while we make it spooky and intriguing; they battle the forces of Satan face to face as we stand under the coup of materialism. The world is a big place. T

The best part of the whole experience was that of relationship. As I stood outside watching lightning strike around us in a drizzle, holding Hassan (one of the boys), I told him in English “Never forget that Jesus loves you dearly.” He didn’t understand, but I pray his heart felt my heart, and that my heart displayed nothing but Christ. Relationships were built on a deep level in just a week, not only with those we worked with and for, but also with each other. I think Missions is something I would like to do in the future, and I know that God can even use me.