Heading Up Country!

I leave for the villages in about one hour! I get the opportunity to take public transportation with the matron of the Panguma hospital. It should be an adventure. We will be spending the night in Kenema, then we are going to Panguma on Thursday. I will have the opportunity to meet with the nutritionists, do home visitation, work in the hospital a bit, and present the Peanut Butter Project to them. Then, I will be heading to Taiama to spend some time learning from the healthcare workers at the clinic. I will be holding two peanut butter project clinics during my time. One will be in the UMC Taiama clinic and the other will be across the river where mothers will have easier access to the program. Mrs. Betty Sam and one of the healthcare workers, and I will be doing some house visitation to follow-up on some cases that have not been back to the clinic. I will not be back until Nov.25. I will post an update when I return. May the grace of God be with you all!

Psalm 8 is one of my favorite psalms. Sometimes I look at the natural beauty of God's creation and I don't even have words to express how in awe I am of God. I love this psalm because it is a prayer to God exactly how I feel. "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens...When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place...O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" The countryside of Sierra Leone is by far the most beautiful place I have ever seen. In just one day, about a month ago, I experienced the grasslands, rainforest, mountains, and the ocean. I feel so fortunate to be able to work in such a beautitful country.

Peace Presbyterian

Melissa and I attend Peace Presbyterian Church. We visited the church the second Sunday I was in Sierra Leone. We keep saying that we want to visit other churches to see what they are like, but we haven't been anywhere else. I am pretty sure we have found our church home! The church is close enough, that I can walk to it from my apartment in the morning. It is a small church that has wooden frames and dirt floors. The hymnals are falling apart, and it is hot, especially after walking up a steep hill to get to the church. Despite not having the luxuries I have grown up in the church with, I have discovered that all you need is a group of people and a place for them to gather in order to worship God. The people are so excited and upbeat during Sunday morning worship. They sing a song each week that has the line, "Tell Papa God tanki." They thank God for their church and the opportunity they have to worship God each week. The pastor is from Ghana, and his theology is very good. Currently we are studying the book of Ruth. The atmosphere is wonderful! As you can see from the picture, there are so many children! If a baby begins to cry, instead of the mother running out of the church, she just passes the baby around from one mother to the other.... with hopes that one of the mothers will be able to stop the baby from crying. The service lasts about two and a half hours, but it is divided up. There is a Bible lesson for the children and a Bible study at the beginning, then the worship service begins.