Anywhere with Jesus

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Another January Update

Pekin, pekin everywhere!!

How many pekin (children) climbing on the opatoo, does it take to drive the said opatoo insane? Thankfully, I do not have an answer for that yet!

Kids are fun, loud, hyper, etc, in general, but add an element of West Africa, into the equation and watch out! Laura’s term of endearment for the kids when they are in a wilder mood then normal is “the darlings”, I settle for “pickles” or something similar!

But they make you want to love them, most of them:) The life here is communal, everyone watches out, basically, for everyone else’s kids, or the kids just care for themselves. There is not much affection shown to these children in general. So, you want to love them. Of course, there is an exception to every rule, which I am always grateful to see, but it is so rare.

I would like to share a few pictures of kids I get to interact with here in Baomahun.

First up is Tolo! You know how you can always recall the name of the trouble maker, but the child who sits sweetly listening, you cannot recall their name? I have seen Tolo since day one and his was one of the first names I remembered. Guess why! He is a sweet boy, but an instigator!!!!! He is always in the middle of something.

This little guy is Emmanuel! I must say that Emmanuel is the total opposite of Tolo.

He has his moments of trouble making, but they are much fewer and far between! I can always pick Emmanuel’s voice out in a crowd of kids yelling “AIMÉE” because his voice is so high and just a little shrill!! He is one of the cutest kids. He has a twin brother, that is nice, but not as cute as Emmanuel is. Yes I am biased!!!

This little girl is Mamu. S He lives down the hill and has the most fun putting me through my Mende greeting paces. Boa! (Hello) Bisa! (Thank you) etc. Whatever makes them happy. She is pretty good at throwing a Frisbee too!!

This is not as common a sight anymore. The novelty of following the white girl everywhere, has ceased somewhat, but also many of the kids are no longer in Baomahun.

Around the first of the year there was a major drop off in the population in town, many of the pekin are gone to other villages
So there is just a small sampling of the kids in Baomahun!

If you would please remember to pray for these kids, they are the future of Sierra Leone! While they know the name of Jesus, they are taught about Him in School, they know songs about Him, but they really do not know who He is and why He came to earth. It would be easy to have every child pray a prayer; they would eagerly do it, but to help them understand their need of Salvation personally! That is the challenge.

Mark 10:14

…..Suffer the little children to come unto me,

And forbid them not:

For of such is the kingdom of God.

From the other side of the Atlantic,

Aimée

Sunday, January 19, 2014

On the 10th and 11th of January, Bro. Stephen and I, with 3 men from Bible school left Baomahun to venture out into some villages where Bro. Stephen had never gone. Along the road to Bo, there is a Junction, Gema Junction. David Johnny had told Chief about these villages, and he wanted Chief to visit them. So away we went!

In the course of 2 days we visited the villages listed :
1.      Gima
2.      Mosera
3.      Njailuhun
4.      Ngakema
5.      Nyiahun
6.      Ngbodama
7.      Kpangubu
8.      Foya
9.      Talia
10. Mano

   We arrived at the first village, Gima, at 8:30, and had a great time of evangelism. Brother Stephen used a visualized book telling about the “One Way,” which Laura had drawn, and the attention of the people was fixed for the next hour. We did this in at least 7 more villages along the road. The sizes of the villages varied. A couple were quite large, at least 100 people lived there, but others where small.

But we had not reached our destination for the night. The truck was left at the bottom of a steep and very rough road, and we began to hike up the rocky road 2 ½ miles to the village of Foya. About an hour later we arrive, and are fed, ground nut soup and rice, what a supper! If you ever have a severe head cold, Sierra Leone food with all the peppers will clear your sinuses right out!!

We spent the night in Foya, which is a very nice village! We spent an hour or so singing hymns, and the crowd that was drawn by singing! Many of the people did not understand the English, but all gathered around to see and hear us sing! We had a great time.

The next day after doing some evangelism in Foya in the early morning, we trekked another 3 miles into the bush to my final destination of Mano. Mano is a small, yet very clean village in the middle of nowhere. To get there, we crossed a river and several logs spanning pits along the way. It was fun, even when I remembered I would have to return! ;)

   In Mano, the Chief and all the people with important names and titles gather at the meeting hut. During all the introductions, I learned that I was the first white person to come to that village. WOW! That was pretty amazing!

I was privileged to share the Gospel with the crowd of people, which included 2 Chiefs, and 3 Imams. Bro. David Johnny translated into Mende for me. What made the time spent there even better was that the people actually had some very good questions. There was confusion in their minds about Mohammed and the Bible. They had been taught that John 1:27 (He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.) is being spoken by Jesus, not by John. Thus giving the impression that Jesus said someone, Aka Mohammed, would come and be greater than Him! Also in John 14:16 (And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;) they have been taught that Jesus is referring to Mohammed coming. Good question Brother David asked “Is Mohammed still alive?” Answer of course is no! Then he is not the Comforter, because the Comforter will remain forever! I enjoyed working with Brother David, he knows a lot of Bible and of course is able to explain it in a manner that will be understood culturally.

Soon it was time of the 5 ½ mile walk back to the truck, over the rocks, and pits, through the river etc. It was a little tough going on this Flat land Florida girl, but I loved it!! And it was well worth it to shared the Gospel with the villages.

What a thrill getting to spend 2 days sharing and observing the Gospel being shared with people, many of which had not heard it presented so clearly before! It is amazing to watch God at work in the lives of the people of Sierra Leone!

It is often difficult to get pictures to send through the internet, but they will be posted at some point on my blog.

Psalm 37:5
Commit thy way unto the LORD;
trust also in him;
and he shall bring it to pass.

Aimée Noelle

Monday, January 6, 2014

January Update

It has been a pleasure to be able to meet and get to know believers in Sierra Leone. What I would like to do is tell you a little bit about some of the people I have had the privilege to meet in Baomahun.

Alfred and Family

The pekins down front are (L to R) Yoseph, Elizabeth and Julius

With Fanta and Alfred in the back!

Alfred and family live just across the way from the Holt’s and from the bunkhouse; I get a very clear view of the goings and comings at their house. I often get caught spying on the neighbors!

Alfred has gained such an understanding of the word of God, and is able to teach it well, in such a way that his audience should have no trouble understanding the truth he is preaching. It is a joy to be able to listen to him preach.

Alfred has been helping me learn the Krio, so I am able to teach and be understood by the Pekin (Children) without the need of a translator, at least most of the time! He has an excellent grasp of English, which he reads and speaks very well and is a fun and amusing teacher of Krio, as well as some Mende!

The other day I was able to go with Alfred on evangelism in a village near Baomahun. While much of what Alfred said, I could not understand, as he was speaking in Mende, the love of his Saviour was evident in his manner of presenting the Gospel to the people!

Fanta, she makes the best Ground Nut Soup! Your mouth will be mildly burning the rest of the day, but it is very good, and I would eat it again any time she makes it. I have had other variations of Ground Nut Soup. Fanta’s wins hands down. Fanta keeps her house and Pekin, neat and clean. She almost always has a smile, she is just very, very sweet!

Yoseph, there are times I want to throttle the poor boy and other times I want to hug him to death. He can be one of the best kids in Sunday School, or he can be the absolute worst! He is a ball of energy and just has no direction of to how to control it. But I love the kid! Some days he will yell "Hello" to me from across the way, and like his mother, he usually has a smile! At the moment his is a toothless smile, which makes you love him even more! If a flannel graph piece falls down during class he is the first to jump up and pick it up for me, and often instead of going out fast after church, he will stay and help me put things away.

Elizabeth, oh Elizabeth! She is the Princess in the family, and she knows it! She is about 4 years old, and this is her first year to school. She is often tired, and so regularly throws a fit or two. She is mischievous, and likes to get Yoseph in trouble. The two cannot sit beside one another or across from one another in Sunday School, because they feed off one another and then are both in trouble!! Because she is so small, she is often called simply Pekin. I must say I like Elizabeth!

All hail Prince Julius!! Just over a year old, Julius or JM as most people call him is the Prince Royal for sure! Many mornings start with Julius crying, because he is still tired, or not getting his own way, which is often followed by the shout of “Sing Julius Sing” from a source, which I will not name! But it is not me and it is not Laura! J

Julius likes to be held by Bro. Stephen during the song service in Church, but then returns to the nursery/Sunday School area, to either cry, play, nap or try to escape. Occasionally he will come and help me teach, or at least be held so he cannot try to escape anymore!! J

So, that is a quick glance at Alfred’s family. Please remember to pray for Alfred that he would continue to grow, and that his focus would remain on his Saviour, and not swerve to anything else. Also, pray that his family would each see their need of a personal Saviour.

Some pictures of life here.....