“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 2 Cor 10:17
Someone whom I deeply respect as ‘Great in the Lord’ confronted me yesterday about my wife’s involvement in Sierra Leone. The arguments put forth were:
1. There is an abundance of ministry that is needed right here in OKC, so there is no need to rush off to Africa 3 times a year to do ministry. There are people over there that can do ministry in their area.
2. My calling is not to be a missionary in Africa. I am the spiritual leader of the household so Shanna’s job is to fall in line with my ministry. Her place is at home with the children and so she should not run off to Africa and leave the children.
3. He said that biblically a missionary was someone who lived in a different place, not someone who traveled to a different place several times a year.
Here were my answers:
1. Shanna already does more ministries than a dozen men here in OKC. And the Lord said, “Go out and preach and teach to all the world.”
2. She is in line with my ministry. My ministry is to CHASE HIM with all of my heart and to display HIS GLORY. I must decrease, He must INCREASE. I have encouraged and pushed her to go since I first heard the call to minister to these children. She is my greatest gift to them.
My children need more adversity, not more stability and predictability. I have been involved with many great parents that have poured there very souls into their children only to have them rebel. Either my children will Love HIM or they will not. And the best way to show them is to show them that HE is our Life. They need to see that they are not the center of our universe. However, Shanna does not use this as an excuse, she gives them plenty of love and affection.
3. In the bible you actually see more traveling missionaries than you see permanent missionaries.
You see this was not the first time I had been approached about this subject and I appreciate the rebuke. I say, “Confront me more and more about many subjects.” If I am in the Lords will I will come out stronger. SHARPEN ME! I will call to HIM and say, “Am I wrong LORD?!” If I am in HIS will I will hear the voice of the ONE I LOVE calling my name! He will say to me, “Come higher my beloved!” I will see HIS beauty. This morning I have seen HIS BEAUTY! And HIS beauty was revealed in MY WIFE THAT HE HAS GIVEN TO ME!
BEHOLD THE BEAUTY OF THE LORD!
One day she was empty, sinful and without hope or direction! At the same time her outward beauty was exposed and exploited, crowds of evil men rejoiced in her aimless empty life. THE CROSS changed all that! OH LORD HOW POWERFUL ARE YOU! You take those who are empty, sinful, without hope and give them real BEAUTY! You break them and then give them NEW LIFE! OH HOW I LOVE YOU!!! AND OH HOW I LOVE HER!
Now she starts her day exposing herself to One and One only. But He will expose Himself through her for all the nations to see. And my children will see Him through her and they will make their decision. And let me tell you we have many children that do not look like us or live with us. Who are our children? They are those who hear and obey the WORD of the Lord! We will give them our best for the LORD has given them to us.
A couple of days ago Solomon, (one of our African sons who lives in Sierra Leone) was told by his classmates, “Your mother (Shanna) could not love you the way you say, it is impossible, you are making it up.” They are right because his mother can not but the Lord can through HER! Behold the BEAUTY of the LORD as he takes the a weak, empty stripper and has her love an orphan, who was not her own, who lives on the other side of the world, with a LOVE that others do not even believe in…a Love they say is “impossible.” What is impossible with Man is simple to HIM!
Doesn’t the Lord do the same for us? He came across heaven and earth to give us a Love that the world calls “impossible.” He took us while we were wicked, sinful and empty and became a Mother to us. HIS word can no sooner forget us that a mother can forget the baby feeding from her breast! WOW! May we love with that same Love! That is why I say…
I am running! Running after YOU!
You have become my souls DELIGHT!
I am running! Running after YOU!
Here with YOU I FIND MY LIFE!
Your beauty has become my joy in song!
Thank You Lord for giving me a glimpse of YOU through my wife. May we die everyday for You.
Written by Jerome Crawford
I have been back from Sierra Leone one week today. I guess it is about time to give you all an update. Thank you for your patience as I soak in the goodness of God while settling back into American life.
I am sitting on my porch having a Treasure time with Jesus 
I just re-watched a video for about the 10th time of one of my African sons singing a worship song while we were at Macondi visiting his university.
I am so proud of my African family. Since He has connected our hearts and lives I have experienced so much of His love! I have known He has loved me since I gave my life to Him, but I know in increasing measure now. I see through their lives, through their worship, through their commitment and devotion to God and people, through their love and service, their sacrifice, that His love is greater than what my mind had conceived.
He rescued them, took care of them, provided for them, loved them, and I see their response to that love being full surrender to Him. They are like the one leper that came back and thanked Jesus for healing his life. Just as I am like Mary, who followed Jesus everywhere He went, sat at his feet in worship just to be near Him after He healed her life.
I feel so close to God. Even while I am back here in America, I am getting up while it is still dark and spending 3 to 4 hours every morning singing worship songs to Him, praying, reading the bible. I am playing worship music all day, singing songs of praise in my heart, pouring out my worship to Him. He rarely leaves my thoughts. My mind is full of thoughts of thankfulness and His faithfulness. My heart is full of love for Him. So much of this is a result of the great amount of love and kindness I was shown while in Sierra Leone…by the kids, the Pastors, the staff and the community. It is also because I have seen the great struggles that everyone is facing and faces regularly there, yet how they each press into God, thanking Him, praising Him, trusting Him, seeking His face despite the great opposition they daily face.
I see that it is their pleasure, their joy, to be with me when I am there…to love and serve me as though I have always been a part of their family. I have been shown such kindness, such love and it is healing my life in ways that I never imagined. Because of the love I have been shown, I am drawn so close to the ONE I love the very most, the ONE who rescued me, took away my shame, made me new, placed His Spirit on the inside of me and called me His own, while the world rejected me and others used me for their own gain.
I just cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am for this precious part of the body of Christ in Sierra Leone. I understand more of what it means to be one family in Christ because they have grafted me into theirs. His love is the commonality that binds us together beyond space, time and culture. It is the universal language that He speaks. If we have ears to hear, we will hear His voice speaking to us through each others’ lives. I will forever praise Him for giving me ears to hear and eyes to see Him through the lives of the believers in Sierra Leone. I see His beauty when I look at their lives…I see His faithfulness when I hear them sing worship songs to Him…I see His strength when I see them serving Him despite great spiritual opposition…I see Him in their smile, in their laughter, in their hard work, in their sacrifice. I see Him more clearly than I ever have through their lives.
My prayer for them, for me, for you who are reading this is to please, please, please keep seeking Him above all else. I am begging for Him to increase our love and worship for Him even more as one body…our desire to daily feed from His word, to let His Spirit ever be our Living Water. Apart from Him we can do nothing…all of our worth is in Him and Him alone! He doesn’t need us to accomplish His purposes on this earth, yet when we seek Him He uses us so we might know and understand more of His heart…His heart for the weak, the oppressed, the poor and the needy…because at our core, this is what we all are. We are all in desperate need of Him…some of us just don’t realize it, we become deceived and chase after idols that will never truly satisfy, or in pride we try to be the master of our own lives. But we are all poor and needy at our core…we were only made for Him. My African family gets this more than most Christians I know, including me.
He is the blessed Controller of all things, sovereign and in control. He alone reigns throughout the earth. One day we will see that we are but dust and He is Ruler and Judge over all…judging righteously with grace and mercy towards those fully devoted to Him.
I am so thankful that He gives us intimate relationships here on the earth to help us know His love more and draw us near. Those in Sierra Leone will never fully know how thankful I am for them. May I ever live to love and serve them the way they have me. May I use my voice to speak up for their rights and to implore others to judge them fairly. (Proverbs 31:8-9) They are more precious to me than any earthly treasure. They are my gift from GOD!
Those of you here in America who give of your time, money and resources to make a way for me to return to Africa again and again are a gift to me from the Lord. Those of you who give towards the needs of these precious people have become a great source of my joy in the Lord. You have become so endeared to me. May I ever live to love and serve you the way you all have me. You are more precious to me than any earthly treasure. You are my gift from GOD!
I will ever praise Him for making us all one family in Christ. May we lift high His name together across the earth for His glory and our joy!
I love you all!
Shanna
If you would like to look at pictures from my recent trip, here are a few links: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2065196&id=1139719726&l=860c697af7
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2065202&id=1139719726&l=41c1c3dfd2
Here is a link to a few videos of two different boys singing worship songs:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=1475976856288
http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=427561706263&subj=1139719726
Dear Sweet Lovely Deborah
God has not done any mistakes by sending you to Africa, especially in Sierra Leone at Wellington Orphanage. He will always bless you for obeying his call. He still has more mission work for you to complete. I was sitting and thinking about you leaving your sweet country and family, including friends, just for the call the Lord gave you. Today I want to use this opportunity to encourage you as you continue to do His will. For He has many things in store for you especially at His place which is heaven.
We are going to miss you every day and every time. As for me, i just don’t know what i will do. I am so used to you and will miss you too much.
I was not thinking about writing you about mission work but God directed me to write about that.
Please promise me that you will come back and visit us soon. I will always pray for you as you travel to different states, countries and villages etc…
I will always love you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was a letter given to me by one of the older children at the Orphanage on June 10 a week and a half before I left Africa.
For 6 months I got letters all the time, sometimes funny notes, silly pictures, sometimes sad letters and many unforgettable ones like this. The walls of my room there were covered in pictures, notes and drawing that the kids gave me.
Deborah Lange
Hey all!
So sorry for the lack of posts and blog activity…keeping up with it overseas is a task I wasn’t able to do this time. But I’m home and want to share all that is brimming in my heart of what happened and what I learned and saw of Gods world.
Here is a brief email update I wrote write before coming home.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.
This has been my life verse for the last year. God has been so very faithful in every way.
I leave for the US in one week. I can’t believe it. Please forgive me for my long delay since writing you, as the Psalmist said ‘my cup overfloweth’. I truly have been so completely busy and full keeping up with all the work and ministry that is going on here in Sierra Leone, and there has definitely been so much happening.
When I sit down to write, its difficult, my fingers freeze because emotions flood my heart and hundreds of stories and experiences tumble in my mind as I try to decide how to put into words the magnitude and deepness of what I’ve experienced.
I am not a skilled enough writer to do that. But I will try to share briefly in this letter glimpses of what the past 6 months has meant to me.
Above all, God has fulfilled and done more than my biggest hopes and imaginations were when coming here. Definitely not without huge challenges and obstacles to overcome, but the rewards and blessings far out weigh the rest.
My love for our God, His gospel, and His people around the world is deeper then I ever even thought possible.
My desires, focus, and dependence rests solely in Christ more then ever in my life.
Scripture has come so alive to me and God has given me such revelation and hunger for His words, the words of life!
God has opened the door for me to serve, give, and help in the biggest capacity I have done so far in my life, yet I am the most humbled and broken before God’s throne of grace. God has clearly shown me without a doubt I am nothing and can accomplish nothing of value apart from Him living though me and supporting me every step of the way.
With all my heart I want to thank al of you who have faithfully given and supported my trips and ministry in Sierra Leone; giving, praying and encouraging me. God calls us each to serve and give to Him in the way He calls us. And it brings me such joy to see how He brings all the parts of the Body of Christ together to fulfill His work. Thank you for doing your part. I know God will open the flood gates of heaven and pour blessings on you and your families.
Let me assure you the the children of the Wellington Orphanage are praying for you, they know where they would be without support and love from the Body of Christ and they truly are blown away and so appreciative that so many of you who haven’t even met them yet are willing to give so faithfully and sacrificially to ensure they are taken care of and have hopeful and fulfilled futures.
Some of you gave additional funds so that I could meet immediate needs of the community which I was able to do on so many different occasions.Your giving literally helps feed the hungry, care for the sick, and love the lonely of Sierra Leone.
My work and ministry these months has been so multi-faceted. Tutoring, teaching,loving and discipling the children at the Orphanage, connecting and building relationships with the people in the Wellington community where I am living, traveling in the provinces for crusades and revivals, encouraging and supporting the Pastoral leadership and their families, hosting and working with the many mission teams that come to Sierra Leone, and what ever else God brings my way to do.
Whether its participating in a Crusade where thousands gathered every night and hundreds gave their lives to Christ or sitting in my room worshiping and praying with a small group of girls during our evening bible study time together. The presence of God is enrapturing and powerful. When we bask in His presence we are never left the same. Hebrews 9:23 “Let us hold unswervingly to the faith we profess, for He who promises is faithful”
There are so many remarkable stories and experiences I can and will share with you, but for now those will have to wait, but I promise once I get back and settled I will blog more. I know the things God has let me experienced happened for a purpose and I cannot keep them to myself, but I desire to share them so that you too can marvel at the wonderful works of our Lord and His powerful acts of mercy and love over our lives.
I would appreciate the added prayers for the children and rest of the Africans as I leave soon and for safe traveling on my return trip on the 22nd of this month
1 Corinthians 2: 9 No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him
Hello Friends and Family,
He is Risen, He is Risen indeed!! I know Easter Weekend has past but I urge you to never forget that we serve a living God, and that His life is inside each of His Followers.
My God is alive and active in the USA, in Saudi Arabia, Washington D.C., Philippines, Sierra Leone, and all over the world!!!
We can never ever go anywhere in this world that God is not there, that is not a threat, but a beautiful promise.
I’m now on the down slope of my stay here, with only two full months to go. When I leave it will be heart wrenching no doubt. These next months will continue not only be full calendar wise but schedule wise also.
Every day is packed so full here! There are endless needs in Sierra Leone; to teach, to minister, to love, to feed, to give, to heal and to encourage. God has taught me a lot, and one thing I know deep within me now. I can’t do everything for everyone that has a need, but I can and must do everything He calls me to do each and every day. He doesn’t need me, I need Him.
He has called me to teach the children at Wellington Orphanage. During the week my teaching and tutoring the kids takes up most of the day, and it is such a delight and joy to be able to see right before my eyes their understanding expand, their interests sparked, and to watch their eyes light up or hear them giggle during story time as I read African tales and books to them. They truly are learning and valuing the importance of education in their own lives.
I smile with joy when I sit back and watch Martha preach with passion and fluency, knowing that someday her dream will come true and she will use her gift of communication and compassion to serve her people in the medical field.
When Teresa and Lemon walk around humming and singing bible verse songs they are learning, I praise God that they have hidden His Word in their hearts, and someday they will be ministering and preaching to other Sierra Leoneans and people around the world when they are older.
Elisha asks me to help him practice speaking English so that he can succeed at becoming a leading figure in the government so he can rule justly and fairly and bring reformation to the current government system.
They all serve, work and study so faithfully, they will soon become the mighty men and women, mothers and fathers, pastors, doctors, accountants, and above all faithful followers for the Lord.
I know and believe more firmly each day that God has placed such a beautiful mission and plan for each of these children and they have the potential to impact the world for Christ. But I also believe firmly for that to happen we cannot forget them, they are still only children and so greatly need the continued support, love, training and prayers of many to help them succeed.
I want to thank every one of you who supported me so that I could come, those who have faithfully prayed throughout, and those who have written and called to encourage me in this endeavor. Through your giving and love, you are helping fufill the plans of God in their life. As you continue to support me and others who are walking with, teaching, guiding and training them as they grow up you are making an eternal impact on their lives. I can’t thank you enough. All glory and praise goes to God for everything good that is accomplished. Being able to watch and participate as God works and moves in mighty ways is more than enough reward or payment for me.
I praise God for you! May you cling close to Him all the days of your life, I close beautiful word spokem by a Missionary who died at the hands of the people He served. May each of our hearts cry out with this same prayer.
“God I pray thee light these idle sticks of my life that I may burn up for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine, I seek not a long life but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus” Jim Elliot
In His Love,
Deborah Lange
This post is written by Deborah Lange. A 20 year old missionary living in Sierra Leone, Africa.
In all our efforts, support, and work in missions I want to remind everyone that our biggest challenge and struggle is not fighting AIDS, and it’s not illiteracy, and it’s not even poverty. Our biggest struggle; our battle is against the spiritual forces of darkness. This is not a ‘force’ like the famed Star wars movies forces, with white robes and light sabers.
This is a real war. In the words of the apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:12-13 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
I saw this in a powerful way recently. On February 23rd 2010 I traveled with a caravan of others; my friends, Pastors, worship leaders, engineers, mechanics, musicians and a group of the children from the Orphanage – this was a group of men and women both young and old who were prepared to be used by God for mighty things in Jesus’ name and to restore Christ’s light to where darkness had spread.
We were headed to the Sierra Leone Province of “Mile 91” for a Christian Crusade. ‘Mile 91’ village was nearly completely saturated by the Islamic faith having over thirty Mosque buildings and only 3 Christian churches. Even with several attempts in the past by different Christian groups, because of the heavy Muslim influence there had never been a successful Christian Crusade.
But God had a change in store for ‘Mile 91’. Light was about to shine and prevail.
The day I arrived we had a large rally until night fell with hundreds of us walking the streets, riding motorcycles and buses, and singing and shouting announcing the Crusade that was taking place on the following three nights.
Over 15 different Churches and one of the largest Christian organizations in Eastern Sierra Leone sent Pastors and people to join us for this Crusade.
I was not only the only white person in the area but I had no idea what to expect, I had never been first hand a part of anything like this before. God was preparing to show me new heights of his power and magnificence.
Upon arriving I could feel the oppression of the spiritual darkness in the air. The Pastors and Leaders were very straightforward and precise; we were invading demonic areas and encroaching on land controlled by darkness. Jesus would be victorious but we must be prepared for a struggle in the process. Multitudes joined in on praying, worshipping and fasting for the next 3 days while God worked wonders in this village.
Each night nearly 4,000 Africans gathered from all over, some came out of curiosity, some for healing, some in support and some in protest. But all that came heard Jesus Christ proclaimed and worshipped.
Each time we gathered together we worshipped, danced and sang out praises to Jesus Christ for hours, read over the microphone a passage of scripture and then the designated Pastor preached to the people. Followed by sharing the gospel and then watching thousands each night come forward to accept Jesus and surrender their lives to Him. The night was ended in an intense time of prayer over the sick, the lame, the blind, and the lost.
What was said and what was done did not bring the miracles I’m about to tell you, Jesus Christ being alive and active in Mile 91 and listening to the cry of help and healing from his people brought about the wonders that took place.
During the prayer time mighty things happened. Cripples walked, blind received sight, demons were driven out of people, and many other healings took place.
Ya Aminata Kargbo, who had been unable to walk for ten years, threw away her wheel chair after Jesus healed her. Rugiatu Bangura who had been blind for two decades received sight and Fatmatas tumor on her side disappeared while being prayed for. Over 100 people were delivered from witchcraft and demons during the Crusade.
God is a God of miracles, and He chose to display his power in such a way last week.
Above all the wonders and miracles; the heavens rejoiced at the over 8,000 that came forward and surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ.
You must understand, in this community taking Jesus as Savior does not mean merely giving up drugs, stopping cussing, or going to church. These people are risking persecution, rejection, and death threats when they bear the name of Christ.
I’ve experienced in a new way the reality that nothing is impossible with God. Please set aside your pre-conceptions of how you think Jesus works, forget your denominational background for a moment, or maybe your past experiences of false representations of Christ at work in our lives and let me tell you plain and simple what I saw happen in a village dominated by Islam in the poorest country in Africa.
There were hundreds of desperate needs and lost souls with no physical or human way of helping them, Jesus was called on and His name was exalted and healing and salvation took place, and in response Jesus was worshipped and glorified by all.
Men and women of ‘Mile 91’ that were crippled or sick are now walking and leaping on the streets testifying to Christ’s healing and salvation.
This battle was won, but the war we are facing in this world against the forces of darkness is not over yet. Please join me in praying for the people of ‘Mile 91’ pray for the faith and perseverance and physical safety of the new Christ-followers, pray for the pastors who are now responsible for discipling and training the thousands of converts, and pray that no matter what comes the gospel will be spread, darkness will continue to decrease and Jesus will get all the glory.
To the Mighty name of Jesus Christ be all glory, honor and praise forever and ever.
( (((Due to extremely slow internet and limited access, pictures will be posted later!)))
This post is written by Deborah Lange who is living in the Wellington Orphanage as an in-house tutor for the children.
1 John 4:11-12 “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
In the month noted for “love” let us all not forget the greatest love and Lover of all. Only because of Him are we able to love others always and endlessly. Living in Africa this year I have learned so much about true love. God has given me opportunities to love His children and His people every day and every moment in new ways.He has enabled me to love others more than I thought possible. To love when it hurts; to love when I feel I have no energy; to love those who reject love; love the old, the ugly, the disabled; to love without tiring! Because He loves me without tiring!
I praise God for Romans 5:5 “God has poured His love into our hearts, by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven” I rejoice that He pours His love into me daily so that I can pour that same love into others. God gave me the chance to love many for Him this month. To love the old man who needed a hug and smiled when I greeted him in his tribal tongue; to love the Muslim teenage girl who had a very swollen hand by praying for her and finding medical treatment; to give the love of a Mother to the girls at the Orphanage who get sick or scared during the night and come knock on my door needing comfort; to pray and encourage the single Mom whose home was burglarized last week.
God blesses me with the chance to love them in the name of Jesus. If I could share anything about the surroundings here at Wellington Orphanage it would be to tell you about the love that is shown day in and day out. During the classes I teach every day, one of the subjects the children do is scripture memorization. This month they are memorizing 1 Corinthians 13 ‘the chapter on love’ these Children love like I’ve never experienced. They are filled with God’s love and give love in so many ways. In 1 Cor. 13 it says how our faith, prophesying, prayers and giving are all useless without love. Many people that come to this Orphanage are inspired and amazed at the Pastors and children’s faith, giving, and answered prayers. As I’ve studied this chapter and spent more time here I’m convinced they have all those spiritual things in abundance because above all else they LOVE others tirelessly!
Oh that I would learn to love and serve always, not thinking of my own comfort but caring most about the comfort of Christ and those around me. 1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! I praise God daily for the love of so many of you are praying and giving for Sierra Leone, for the Orphans, and for my teaching with the Education Project. Through your giving and praying you make it possible for me to be here; loving in the mighty name of Jesus. Without HIS love, all else is meaningless. Please take time now to rejoice and rest in His mighty love that He pours into our hearts!
By HIS Love,
Deborah
This is a poem written by Michael Smith and Oxygen for Organizations
I just returned from Sierra Leone on the west coast of Africa. I thought you might enjoy how I tried to make sense of what I experienced.
When you See, When you Smell, When you Feel
Ten o’clock at night.
I can see expansive galaxies in the night sky that remind me of how miniscule is
our presence in God’s creation.
My senses are cocooned in 80 percent humidity producing a constant stream of condensed sweat that
rivers down my back in the 85-degree night,
a teasing breath of breeze promises little relief,
the not quite deafening sound of a diesel generator drowns the yapping and
occasional howling of stray and unwanted dogs.
I could find some comfort if only the breeze would be just a bit more willful.
Then the smell of a constant stream of fermenting human waste that flows in
open gutters would move up the bare mountain
on which sits the home of children left orphaned by a vicious war.
A conflict of vague substance but sharp blades and amoral bullets
The war is over,
but it isn’t.
Left are
children without fathers to hold them,
babies without mothers to give them their breasts,
mothers without legs to carry babies wrapped on their backs to
introduce them to life,
fathers without their hands to build futures for their families.
Maybe more than that, left are a people who live with little,
have little and have for too long known even less.
I am at an orphanage in Sierra Leone being a drop-in father for adolescent girls and young boys who
want to be treasured but don’t have the words to ask.
I am part of a group of Americans who are bringing some desperately needed emotional and financial
resources out of our overflow to a people who have no
flush toilets,
cold air,
flowing water when you turn on the tap
because there is no tap,
refrigeration
because there is no electricity,
few (very few) paved roads,
doors and windows;
not to keep the weather out, but the poisonous snakes that
want to share their beds,
an emergency room if the unexpected and possibly fatal happens,
not even a doctor to prescribe some simple antibiotics to resolve
a little boy’s kidney infection (really).
It’s not an environment friendly to humans.
But Freetown,
the capital of this small and ignored country,
is home to 2 million of them.
Jesus said that what you do to the least of these, you do to him.
This then, is where Jesus lives and there are a lot of them.
Their eyes are open invitations to know their souls.
Their arms welcome you without expectation.
Their smiles are the artwork of their hearts.
To the uninitiated it is hell.
But.
Look, you will find pockets of heaven.
Lighted candles drive out darkness.
Each evening the expected darkness returns.
But the survivors are relentless;
more candles are lit.
Maybe soon shadows will be rare.
The sparks that light the torches
only need small encouragement to attract more to do the same.
It is easy for us to participate.
We have to suffer very little to light a lot of candles.
Children need to be held.
Minds need educating.
A little cash ($50; it’s a loan, it gets paid back to use again) starts a business that feeds a family,
not for a day,
but for a lifetime.
It’s true, I have seen it.
When you see,
when you smell,
when you think,
when you feel.
You won’t not want to help.
Write me and I will tell you how to give just a little from the overflow of your cup that will make you the hands and heart of the great God of creation who lives in Sierra Leone.
michael smith, 28 ne 28th st , oklahoma city, ok 73105. michael@intendtolead.com
Cristy Cash, Crystal and I (Shanna) are having a night or worship/ministry/prayer for women next weekend. The three of us have been praying and preparing for this night. Cristy sent an email to Crystal and I. I HAD to share it with ya’ll. If you will read all the way down to ‘Thing 2′ you will see how this ties into orphans and widows…and us. May you understand more of the power of God’s healing love in the lives of these two groups…and in our own lives. 
(I have taken the liberty of highlighting my favorite parts 
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Hi sweet Girls! OK-I am starting to prepare for our amazing upcoming night with God and I wanted to just share a few things that God has been showing me. I am not totally organized yet on how it fits together, but you two know God when you hear/see him so I think you will pick it out and I hope it blesses and encourages you both as you prepare!!!
So I have been in this new season for me – motherhood – that is rather challenging. I am not able to function at as high a level as I would like and I get discouraged. I don’t sleep very well at night, so when I go to work the next morning (I am ALWAYS late – I have come to grips with that ) I am not as “smart” as I was. Solutions don’t come easy. I rely on God, but sometimes he “let’s me down” because I needed a world’s answer – not a heart answer .I am not as tough as I think I should be – but probably tougher than I give myself credit for (people say). I fight depression – I have for years. It’s the last nagging fruit of my sinful self-centeredness and immaturity. I am trying very hard to focus on staying away from that darn pit – no, that scary chasm – that can pull me down and waste as much as an entire weekend – which I so looked forward to.
I pull this schedule for too long and then I get into a “hole” or as my sister Melinda would call it “a place” . Girls – let me tell you I am healthy enough these days to know what to do, but sometimes there is just no knowledge that can pull you out! The deficit is hard to recover.
The awesome news is – God is so good. He has given me a toolbox. Sometimes the tool is like needing oxygen when there is no air – I must desperately fend off panic and calmly and quickly work the latch on the box to find it and pull it to my lungs so that I can have the air I need to survive. But I do it! He helps me! I could have never done that 6 or 7 years ago – in many situations I could not have done it last year. There is no doubt he gently leads me along. He is so sweet. He always lets me see how my faith and effort were part of the equation so we can look at each other and smile when we accomplished something only the two of us can fully appreciate the difficulty of. 
But I fortunately or unfortunately have seen His Glory and I want nothing else . I know the value of a mother, of a friend and a wife. I know the value of godly leadership in a secular workplace and how rare and precious these things are – that the world tosses their value aside and that a willing worker has to sow in tears sometimes to reap in joy. 
God has taught me how to be music into others’ lives – and I have to do it – because it is right and fun and it is a luxury to be that to Him and to others. I want everyone to know my little family joyfully makes this sacrifice to the Pearl of Great Cost and that WE are His pearls of great cost that He rejoices in his sacrifice.
My Lord is a Pearl of Great Cost – to me. It costs my comfort and restraint in a world where I could probably be more and have more than I do.
• There is encouragement for those who have made sacrifice without yet reaping the joy!
o Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn away to false gods. Psalm 40:4
o Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence O Lord. Psalm 89:15
o I have told you these things so that you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33
o And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:7
o Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. Isaiah 64:4
o When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? Psalm 56:3,4
o Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Psalm 146:1-2
God has recently shown me a few things through a devotional book called “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young, through Jerome’s January 15th blog entry and just through my own mini-crises of emotional pain (He seems to allow this prior to times of worship so I will be able to connect and understand.)
• Thing #1:Thanksgiving is like a fight to the throne of God. It is how we unite with God in His sovereignty over a trial. It is the lethal blow to the enemy in spiritual warfare. It is a gentle shortcut Jesus provided to being ok. It is a sacrifice that He does not underestimate. He knows how we get shut down emotionally and thanking is so difficult. He sees the offering through tears and he will honor it. There is power in accepting each day as it comes and searching for God’s blessings in the difficulty.
o Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thess 5:18
o Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of any kind. James 1:2.
• Thing #2: I understand why the widows and the orphans. (this is just one dimension – I may be totally off base, but I think there is something to this!)
o These two groups are groups many of us think we can’t identify with. I know I have not been able to. I tend to be less patient with this group because they are so darn needy! (insert ironic sarcasm here)
o BUT we all are or have been this. It represents our time before Christ was Lord of each part of our lives – and I suppose we never leave these groups since He is always transforming us to his image. Some people here on earth represent these two groups literally, but we are all a part of them.
* The orphan is someone who has never known the hand of provision, or personal undivided love. The orphan has never known a parent who creates an environment solely for supporting their personalized developmental needs and lays out a path for their successful future. The orphan has never known the love of a mother or a father.
I have seen how powerful this love is in an instance from when Jackson was in the hospital. When he was born, he didn’t have lungs yet – just sacs that would form into lungs. It was a struggle to keep his blood saturated with oxygen – and when he was upset or uncomfortable which was much of the time, his saturation went down. He had to be given strong pain management drugs to keep him sedated and sleeping so he could be calm enough to take in oxygen. Alarms sounded often since his saturation would go down to 70 – sometimes 58% levels. 
When he was 5 and ½ weeks old, I got to hold him for the first time – his mother for the first time could provide direct love to him through touch. I held him on my chest with his tiny ear to my chest and the ventilator in his tiny mouth. Almost instantly we saw the physical result of that love. My heart beat into his ears, his temperature regulated on my skin and his blood saturation level pegged the top of the chart at 98 and 99%! He was calm and happy and so was I. Like when we and God hold one another like this. 
o The widow is possibly more painful. She has known the tender love of a husband and had a life – then at the point when her needs are growing and not shrinking – the hand of love is removed from her and it is not there. It is not there. Instead she can see all the dreams of her future going away and look back on a life of preparation and be blind to the fruit. Dangerous loneliness creeps in and threatens to steal, kill and destroy.
o God has so much compassion for these two groups! He does not want us/them to be destroyed! He wants us to thrive and he knows they need so much support! It is a miracle to love these two groups because it is dependant on God being present in our lives to love them. That’s why it is an awesome act of God when we love and serve and support them!
Anyway – that is my long rambling I just wanted to share. Love you!
This is an update of our last mission trip from Sherri Drwenski who is part of the leadership team for the Education Project in Sierra Leone.
Dear friends,
Our flight out of OKC was delayed for hours which caused us to miss our connection in London. We ended up spending an extra day in London and flying out Wednesday evening traveling through Nairobi, Kenya, with a stop in Ghana before finally making it to Sierra Leone!
The church service on New Year’s was lively with so much joy it was hard to contain! At midnight, everyone wishes you well in addition to saying “I hope you change.” I have to agree with that statement. I really hope to change! I think one of the biggest things that I came away with this trip was that it isn’t about me or my plans to make things happen in Sierra Leone! In fact, God doesn’t even really need me, but allows me to have a part in this work because He is good. Two of the main things I set out to do were sidelined and there wasn’t a whole lot I could do about it. 
This is very frustrating for my American mindset, but really a commonplace thing in Africa. I had to tell the Lord that I didn’t want it to be about me and confess that I was sorry for where I did make it about me. The books that I had gathered for the tutoring program didn’t arrive with our team, but only came on the evening we left. And the library books for the senior secondary school that were sent in the last container were mistakenly taken by Njala University with the books donated to them by OSU.
In a country with no libraries, it’s not too hard to understand why these books weren’t returned when someone noticed that they were all marked clearly “Wellington Sr. Secondary School Library”. In fact, I learned that the only library in the country was vandalized during the civil war and books are just too expensive to replace. So it was with a very discouraged heart, that I realized the room that stood ready to be stocked with hundreds of books donated by friends had only encyclopedias and a few other books that somehow made it to their location. The pastors felt the loss greatly when it was understood the books were gone, but I assured them that God was able to replace the loss and provide them with a library. These are men that have faced death at firing squads and have depended on God for their survival and the survival of the 90 children they took in with no means. How can I be discouraged about such a small set back? My God is able and mighty and nothing is too hard for Him. When the library is completed, we will able be able to look at how mightily God provided. They have a vision for this library to not only serve the Senior Secondary and Junior Secondary students, but they will also open up the library to university students and others to bless the community around them. So I am once again humbly asking for book donations.
We had the wonderful privilege of traveling with two amazing women, Shanna and Deborah. Deborah is staying for the next six months to tutor the children in reading and math and really be a mom to them. We had an amazing time getting the children into groups and starting the reading program. She is going to be such a blessing to them, and I’m excited that she gets to continue the good work started by Amy Kernal. Shanna has been to Africa four other times and loves more than any person I know. I literally asked God to help me love deeply like her all those around me. Every time I turned around, she was praying with someone, or studying the word with children, or just loving on someone.
We were there with another team from Dallas and had the incredible opportunity to take part in a community outreach. The children of the orphanage sang and performed for hundreds of people, while we got the chance to serve meals to those who came. We rarely see people who are truly hungry. We talked about it later with the older children and described all the ways that people can get food in America. There are no food stamps or food banks or soup kitchens in Sierra Leone. So when the word goes out that the church is serving a free meal – not just rice, but rice, meat, and something else I couldn’t identify, plus a cold beverage – the people came. They sat patiently while we handed out meals. But as time went on the children in the back of the room started to get panicky about not getting a meal. They began to mob us as we served, making it almost impossible. We kept assuring them that they would get a plate, but that didn’t help. They only knew that they were hungry and we had food. The orphans served food and drinks to those around them. Isn’t that just an amazing thought! Orphans, who are usually at the bottom of the totem pole are serving others. We felt that Jesus was right there in the midst of these people caring for their needs and making sure they were fed.
The whole trip was filled with ways that God showed us each day, all day His faithfulness and provision. But one of the most amazing things that happened while we were there is still hard for me to believe! A group of us were walking down the hill with Pastor Hassan in the lead. A lady called out to him from in front of her house, and he walked over to talk to her. When he came back to our group, he said that she had just given birth on Christmas Day to a baby girl and their imam had told them that it was a sign that the baby should be blessed in the Christian Church! This family was Muslim!! The mother said that she had a peace about that and asked the pastor if they could bring her to the church. Pastor Hassan, who himself was raised Muslim, told the family that this happened because God wanted them to accept Jesus Christ. The father said he wasn’t ready to do that yet, but would allow his baby to be blessed in the church. Well, sure enough, just two days later, this woman came to church with her very small baby. She sat next to us at the front of the church through the service. Then the pastor called her to the front of the church where she sat with her baby. He told the whole congregation her story and how God used this baby to bring this family to know about Christ. He spoke directly to the baby, blessing her and when he asked the baby’s name, the mother said it was “Christiana”!! He gave the mother a bible and asked her if she would teach her child about God and raise her the way God wanted her to. The woman agreed she would and the church then blessed her with an offering. The pastor’s quiet, but very strong faith never wavers from the truth that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no man comes to the father except through the son. Oh, for boldness like that!!
My dear, sweet husband is called “a hard-working man” by all the children and adults at the orphanage. 
Hassan Oxford, his right-hand man at the orphanage, said that he is a man of works, not words. He works from sun-up to past sun-down on things that need fixing. He repainted chalkboards for Deborah’s tutoring and at the senior secondary school. He cleaned out the generator tanks that were contaminated with water and bolted the generator down so that it could be outfitted with a muffler he brought. He fixed the always breaking-down chairs and tables at the orphanage. He and two other men made a table for the kitchen ladies from pallets. They had nothing to set food off of the ground on. He made a cover for the water tank on the roof that was open to birds and bugs. He and his crew sprayed the orphanage three times for cockroaches. I have to think that this helped, but it seemed to make them only go running everywhere! He was also seen fixing lockers for children or anything else they brought to him that needed fixing! And one of his main jobs was to make sure that Deborah was set for her stay. He installed new mosquito screens on the windows and door, hung her mosquito net, built her a shelf, and sprayed her room for bugs! He loves all the children so much that it is very hard for him to say goodbye without tears. 
They love their Papa Greg and how hard he works for them! In addition to all this, Greg met with the Minister of Works and Infrastructure with Pastor Hassan to show him the bridge plans and to further the work that Crystal and Mike Webb are doing to build a bridge in a very remote village. The minister was an amazing man that has a passion for bridge-building in his country and cleared the way for 4-HIM’s new construction company, “Nehemiah Construction Company” to be licensed to begin the work. And last but not least, Papa Greg was given the privilege of preaching at church on Sunday and also sharing the word with the children during several devotions.
I know this is a very long at this point, but I have to share one more thing that the gave me so much joy! I feel like it was such a gift from God. I worked in the library at the orphanage to reorganize the books over several days and had many helpers and visitors. When the children came in, I would ask them to tell me about what they had read in the library or what their favorite books were. I had so many children describe to me their favorite books, even pulling them off of the shelves to show me. One girl pulled off of the shelf a Christian U.S. History textbook. This seemed like a very unlikely “favorite book”, but she showed me her favorite part. It was a section about how John Wesley came to America and shared the gospel with American Indians. This same girl told me that she wanted to be a journalist and write a book about the war. I was then able to show her books on the shelves that others had written about wars. I showed her Anne Frank’s Diary, Zlata’s Diary (a 13 year old’s diary about the Bosnia War), and also showed her Corrie ten Boom’s book written from prison. I encouraged her to read these and write her book! 
Isn’t it amazing that God loves these children so much that they have a wonderful, small library in their orphanage, in a country without libraries. And God is using these resources to build up these Nehemiah’s so they can in turn restore their country!
Thank you again everyone who shared in this with us through your encouragement, prayers, and support. God is good all the time!
Love,
Greg and Sherri