We have been back in the US for a week now. The 4th time was the charm and what a privilege it was! After having to cancel 3 previous trips for a myriad of complicated reasons, it was my first time to visit Africa, perhaps Devin’s 6th time. Several have asked how the trip was. I keep pairing these seemingly opposing adjectives: hard & beautiful. But mostly, beautiful. ☺ I have lost count of how many times I have started to sit down to write this blog post. Where to start? How could I possibly convey in my feeble words what we saw, experiences seared onto our hearts, extreme material poverty coexisting with such relational richness as revealed by their lavish kindness, deep connections, and tight-knit community, unlike anything we see in our culture?
Surely an impossible task in a short couple of paragraphs. Friends, how I so desperately wish that each one of you could go to Sierra Leone to meet these extraordinary people AND to see firsthand the incredible difference that your financial support and prayers are making! I was magnetically drawn to their journeys, to their smiles, to their fighting spirits strengthened by resiliency and survival. And I can’t wait to share more of these with you!
The highlight of our days had to have been Devin and I riding along with the girls to school in the mornings and then from school in the afternoons.
Such memorable ventures in a vehicle crammed with 20 of us inside, bumping along pothole-laden roads, fueled by the boisterous laughter and chatter of 17 very happy, energetic, precious girls getting to just be kids.
Although 5,973 miles from home, jostling along with girls on our laps, while looking into the sweet faces of the MamaLand daughters, I was reminded of my own daughter pictured here on her first day of school many years ago.
It never crossed my mind that little Avery would not get to go to school. I was struck with the reality that education is a priceless opportunity, not afforded to so many in Sierra Leone, nor many all over the world. Indeed, most of the girls now making this trek to school with us, looking so sharp and determined in their crisp, clean uniforms, could not afford to be educated before they arrived at MamaLand. Thanks to your partnership, these girls are going to use education to help transform themselves, their families, their villages, and ultimately their country for the better. What a privilege we have, not just to educate, but to house, feed, clothe, nurture, train, and encourage each girl to reach her full potential.
To conclude, here is a picture of all 17 girls ready to embark on another school day, standing from the oldest, M.M., at age 13, to the youngest, Kadey, age 4. If you can’t tell, feisty Kadey was not happy AT ALL about being the last in line!
In the coming months, we will be sharing more posts with some inspiring stories and pictures of the exciting development happening with Salone Rising through the grantee program and through MamaLand, the Children’s Village. My hope and prayer is that you will be inspired, as we have been, to see the remarkable difference that caring and giving can make. Your support is making a much larger, more significant, truly life-changing impact for 100’s of people in Sierra Leone, more than I could ever adequately express in words!
THANK YOU!!
Very nice seeing all of them so well taken care of and smiling and with much better futures!! I'm bet Kadey was back to being happy and smiling soon after the picture was taken 😆