After nearly two years away, we finally made it back on African soil and it feels oh so good…And hot, but that’s a given right?
Going into this trip I had a mixture of emotions. I was mostly excited, but there is always that sense of fear and what ifs? that replay over and over in my mind. Shortly after we decided to go the Brussels terrorist attack took place (we fly through Brussels) and I was nearly paralyzed with fear. Without much thought, I had already decided I wasn’t going.
Then Trent sent me this…
Security is mostly superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
Helen Keller, from The Open Door (1957)
I’m so thankful that Trent knows how to nudge me at just the right time to get a little bit outside of my comfort zone. He knows my limits when I’ve set boundaries. He’s never going to put me in harms way, but he’s also not going to just let me sit back and only do what is is my comfort zone. It’s safe to say that because of this I’ve already experienced some great things in traveling and in the great outdoors.
More than 200 pounds of luggage ready to go…
So many of my first impressions remain familiar. The sound of horns honking, the scent so distinct that I cannot describe it, but it’s Africa and an abundantly friendly culture.
It’s a little different this time around because we are staying in a hotel instead of at the orphanage. Sometimes I have to remind myself that we are in Africa. We have air conditioning, cable TV and what I suspect is faster Wi-Fi than what Trent and I have at home.
The trip here was fairly uneventful (other than me getting sick from Chicago to Brussels and momentarily losing out group in the Brussels airport). Three planes, a poda, speed boat, car ride and 24 hours later, we were officially in Freetown settling in at the hotel. The best part was having an ocean view from our hotel room and the amazing sunset that first night.
After a good night’s sleep, we headed over to the center for the welcoming ceremony and to get reacquainted with the kids and staff. As we walked up to the center the kids and staff lined the sides of the road serenading us with a welcome song. It was so good to see all their faces and hear their sweet voices. It was nice just spending the day with all the kids. It was amazing the little details they remembered from our other trips. Many of the kids remembered me as Auntie Megan even though it had been two years since they had seen me.
The welcoming ceremony…
It was so, so good to see these four again…
Today was our community outreach day. We started by packing bags of rice to pass out. Then we headed out into the nearby community with Pastor Daniel and some of the older kids from the center. We stopped along the way and talked to a few families. And we saw a blue goat, but that’s another story.
Then we walked on to a nearby school that the Raining Season helps to support. We visited it on our last trip, too. As we walked up it sounded like bees buzzing from all the noise the kids were making. We were most likely a teacher’s nightmare as we entered. The kids were so excited and any sense of organization went right out the window. God bless those teachers!
Faith International School…
After lunch we got ready to head to Auntie Margaret’s orphanage in Grafton, a village just outside of Freetown. This is another regular stop for teams when they travel. After our first trip in 2013 Trent and I felt a strong connection to Auntie Margaret’s mission. This orphanage was started after the war. Auntie Margaret’s husband was killed in the war and after she fled to safety she was asked to take in these orphans of the war. There are 20 children in all and they are mostly older now, as they’ve been with her for over fifteen years. Many of them have even went on to college.
This is Lulu. We met her on both of our previous trips to the village where Auntie Margaret’s orphanage is. She is not an orphan, but we were just so happy to see that she is finally in school!
This is Lulu in 2014…
This is Auntie Margaret. She is an amazing woman!
It was interesting sitting and talking with Osseh and Auntie Margaret. Grafton was deeply affected by Ebola with more than 500 deaths. By the grace of God, Auntie Margaret and her children escaped untouched.
It is hard to picture the streets of Freetown that are so busy and bustling each day quiet and empty. Ebola tore through Sierra Leone in some of the worst ways imaginable. The economy has taken a hard hit, but the country continues to come back. For the people of Sierra Leone, life goes on. It has to. There is no other option. The only sign of Ebola today are signs that are painted and posted throughout the city.
After a long day in the community we finally headed back to the center to spend some time with the kids. Kandeh and Zainab love to color so we brought along some coloring books for them to use. At the end of playtime I went to nightly devotions with the middle girls. It still stands to be one of my favorite things listening to them pray and sing. It is so pure. So genuine. So real.
To end the evening we jumped in some cabs and headed to a restaurant at Lumley Beach for dinner. Lumley Beach is an area that has seen a lot of development since the last time we were there. The trash has been cleaned up, walkways created and quite a bit of development. The restaurant was really nice and right on the ocean. It was the perfect way to cap off our second day in Sierra Leone.
{The Launes}
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