from Stoughton to Sierra

Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world.  On top of the disease, filth, and corruption, it is still recovering from a devastating civil war that ended in 2004.   The people are friendly and greet you with a smile, but they are weary.  The physical struggles from the war, its emotional repercussions, and the daily burden of poverty have all taken their toll.   Living conditions are far from decent, but they have settled for it because the absence of the war is plenty enough.  Life, albeit arduous, is predictable again.  It consists of working all day to earn a dollar, amidst severely inadequate sanitation, healthcare, and other infrastructure.  Nevertheless they know what to expect, and so ironically, this is their sense of safety.  They no longer live in constant fear as they once had to live during the war in order to survive.  So even if the people had the energy and resources to bring about positive change to Sierra Leone, it is doubtful that they would, for they dare not make any movement that could disrupt this safety and stability they hold so dear.  And who could blame them?

And that is why the hope for Sierra Leone lies in its children, for they are not yet bogged down by the traumas of war or a lifetime of poverty. They too live in wretched conditions.  And many of them have already experienced trauma.  But they are young enough where these experiences retain motivating power.  But they need direction.  And education.  And faith—things that the weary and jaded population cannot adequately provide. 

And that is what makes Pastor Francis such a bright light amidst this damaged nation.  Thanks to his ministry, there are 72 children in Moribatown who are receiving that care, education, and spiritual nourishment; and are therefore growing not only into living testimonies to the transformative power of God’s love, but also into believers and change-makers.

That being said, support toward this project does not just serve to benefit its precious orphans.  It serves to build a generation of children who, equipped with resiliency from their past traumas, raised under the leadership of a compassionate and godly man, and guided by the Holy Spirit’s fire in their hearts, could one day turn this nation around.