More pics!

Here are a few more pictures of life in Sierra Leone :)

The BEAUTIFUL River #2 Beach

The worlds best roomies!

My Handy-Dandy Scale! :)

Hannah & Alicia

Some crazy German...

Helping out in the Pharmacy

My favorite Pharmacist got a bag full of drugs.. :)

 

My favorite Pharmacist got a bag full of drugs.. :)

We've had a busy week on board-what with the President coming to visit, the International Management Board arriving, the Academy getting accredited, and all of this is on top of the normal everyday things we have to do! Its been crazy but completely wonderful and we've been praying that the Lord works through this crazy time and that everything runs smoothly. So far so good :)

At this point in time it looks like the Africa Mercy will be sailing to Lome, Togo at the end of this year to do a shorter (about 6 month) outreach! It will be crazy, yet incredible to go back to Togo and to see all the people and places that made me first fall in love with Africa. I'm so excited to see how things have changed there! :)

We are currently heading into rainy-season here in Sierra Leone...not too excited about that. So far it hasn't been too harsh and hasn't rained tooooo terribly much, but I have a feeling that the further into rainy season we go, the worse it will be...I'm praying that we all don't go crazy... :)

I'm still praying about changing jobs (potentially to a position as an administrative assistant in the Hospital) and I'm hoping that the Lord simply provides a way. It has been wonderful working in the Post Office but I know it would be an incredible opportunity and such an amazing experience to work in the Hospital! I'm so excited to see what the Lord has planned.

Anywho thats all the update I have at the moment! I'll try to keep the pictures coming...

It's getting a little bit ridiculous...

Ok so this is ridiculous! I've been in Sierra Leone for over 3 months now and I've epically failed at keeping this blog updated...goodness gracious me. Well hopefully the following pictures make up for the great lack of updates in the past month..enjoy!!

Fire Panel Trained!

I'm not sure how they got that much stuff on top of this car..



Mirm & Jess





Sorry this won't stand up straight...



More pictures to come! :)

I'm too tired to think of a clever title so this will have to do...

I read this the other day and it was totally amazing!

Fellowship of the Unashamed
(An African Martyr's Last Words)

"I am a part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed." The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure.

I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear.

I won't give up, back up , let up or shut up until I've preached up, prayed up and paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ.

I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ."

I pray that this is the heart that I have for my Savior.

And now (FINALLY) some totally wicked photos from the past few weeks! :)



A bit of Sierra Leone...





Arrival of the Ship!



The Ship is currently docked where that empty space use to be!!!!

  

African Lizards

God of this City

This past Monday, March 7th, was the first day of screening for Sierra Leone. It was located at the national stadium and we had some major plans to have an awesome day. Unfortunately our plans did not work out.

 

When we arrived at 4am there were already over 2000 people lined up and sleeping in the streets waiting to be screened. That number only increased as the morning wore on. By 10am we had over 10,000 people waiting to be screened. Unfortunately, due to many different reasons, the crowd became more and more unruly and desperate. The gate to the stadium held them out and kept us safe inside until, at about 10:30am, the gate broke open and the masses began pouring into the screening location. The people at the front of the gate were pushed so hard that they began to fall and were then trampled by the people behind them. Unfortunately, even when these people saw what was going on they couldn't do anything to stop because of the thousands of people outside, all surging toward this one opening. After what felt like forever, we (along with help from the local police) were able to get the gate closed and could then attended to the people who had been crushed by the crowd. There were 12 injuries and one death due to that mob. In over 25 years and 5 times in Sierra Leone, nothing like this has ever happened during a screening before. Sadly there was nothing we as an organization could have done to predict that this would happen. I also personally believe that there is some major spiritual warfare going on over Sierra Leone, and specifically Freetown.

 

The positives are that we were able to screen many people and they now have surgery dates. Also this situation could have been 1000x worse and it is only because of the grace of the Lord that more people were not injured. Also not one Mercy Shipper was injured which was a miracle in itself! God is good all the time and even in the midst of this situation I have complete confidence in His perfect plan. I don't believe it was His will for these people to be hurt or for that man to die, but I do believe that He can bring completely amazing and wonderful things from this that might not have happened otherwise.

 

Please be in some serious prayer for the Mercy Ships leadership as they are having meeting after meeting and trying to regroup to assess what went wrong. They are also trying to decide how we can do things differently so that we can continue screenings here in Sierra Leone. Please also pray for this country as there is a battle going on for the people of Sierra Leone. I am so very thankful that the Lord placed me exactly where I am and at this exact time. I know that this is where He wants me and that this is what He would have me do. I am looking forward to the future and am so excited to see what good the Lord will bring, even out of this tragic situation.

 

For the official press release see the below link:

 

http://navigator.mercyships.org/display/EOPublic/2011/03/07/Important+Message+re.+Sierra+Leone+Screening

 

Thank you for your prayers!

Below are the lyrics to "God of This City". Perfect fit for this situation. 

God of this City 

You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are

You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City

He is the Light in this darkness and He is the hope to the hopeless. He has not left us nor will He ever forsake us. I praise the Lord for this promise to us here in Sierra Leone. For the fact that greater things WILL come to this city.

Field Service Blog :)

Ok so I wrote this on the last night of Field Service and I haven't been able to post it till now. Oops :) Anywho enjoy.


February 28, 2011

Wow. Where do I even start? I’ve been in Africa for 18 days. Whoa. It seems like I’ve been here for years. And yet like I’ve just arrived. It’s almost impossible to explain the things I’ve done and the sites I’ve seen. The emotions I’ve experienced in these past 18 days have been astounding. I’ve seen so much that is absolutely indescribable. The beautiful faces of precious children have touched my heart. The blind eyes of a beggar have made me cry. The lives of my brothers and sisters in Christ have brought joy to my soul. The complete hopelessness I’ve seen in the faces of these people has brought me to my knees. I’ve had to continually seek God in these things. It’s been quite a journey. But I can tell you that He is here. Despite the poverty, the filth, and the divide in this country, God IS working. He is the same God here. He doesn’t change or give up. He doesn’t abandon ANY of His children. God is here working in the heart of Africa. He is changing and growing His people here. He is bringing them closer and closer to Himself. It is simply amazing to see how He can work through the poorest of the poor to change the world.

Example: We have been blessed to volunteer at an orphanage here for children who have been affected (both moderately or severely) by Polio. We came here to serve these children. We left touched beyond words. God uses the lowest of the low to bring joy into this world. He uses those who seem worthless, to show us how big and how completely indescribable He is. Who would have thought that a smile from a crippled orphan girl could affect your heart so much? He uses those “worthless” ones to bring value into this life.

“The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!”

                                                                                                            Psalm 118:22-24

God is also teaching me how much power there is in prayer. So take a moment and pray. Pray for your day. Pray for your friends. Pray for your enemies. Pray for your neighbors. Pray for this world. Praise our Father for giving you the gift of today.

May the Lord be praised for what He is doing here in Africa. May He be praised for what He is doing uniquely in each of our hearts. May he be praised for His wonder and His glory and His might. May the King of kings and Lord of lords be praised for His love for each of us.

A Gateway to Adventure

Well here are some pictures from the last 5 weeks of my life! We've been in class learning about ALLLL kinds of different things. We learned about the biblical principles behind living the life of a missionary, and we talked a lot about the different worldviews that we will encounter in Africa. There was also a week of Basic Safety Training where we learned allll about what to do when faced with an emergency! These past weeks have had their rough parts (8 hours of class per day can be a bit difficult) but I have learned SO much and have become so close with all of my fellow Gatewayers! God has truly blessed me in these past 5 weeks and I wouldn't trade them for the world!

Me & Melissa



Typical Sarah face




Group Exercises!!





A few of the Gateway Staff



My Small Group!

Birthday Party for Dan the Man

The Caf

I have had a BLAST these past few weeks and I am so excited for what the next 3 weeks will bring as we go and serve the people of Sierra Leone. Please be praying that the Lord will work through us to bring hope and light to His children.