Photos

I finally got the photos uploaded from the trip!  So go to the link below to view them.  Enjoy! :)

https://plus.google.com/photos/112953638646905653920/albums/5750991048700712449?authkey=COG4r6iTmMzvfg

Episode 3

The third episode. This one is shot and edited entirely with my iPhone 4S and shows what a typical evening looked like for us.

Heading Home

As I write this post, I'm thousands of miles in the air speeding along at 596 miles per hour. With every hour that passes, the distance is increased between me and Sierra Leone. We left the hotel yesterday at 12:00 and drive to the ferry. It was pouring down rain... It is the rainy season there, and we've been praying constantly for the weather. Praise God we had decent weather most nights, and the last evening was sunny and quite warm. But as soon as the campaign was over, God opened up the rain clouds.

Our plane left at 7:30 last night. We made a short stop in another African country, then flew to Paris, arriving there at 6:00 local time. We ate breakfast, slept, and played games while we waited for our last flight which left at 10:55. And we've been in the air ever since. We should get to Atlanta around 2:00 where we'll catch our ride to Southern.

I guess I'll sign off for now. Make sure and watch for video updates in the near future.

It's Over

It’s over.  The last sermon has been preached.  The projector has been turned off for the last time.  And all I’m left with is with memories.  Sitting in the darkness tonight, staring up at the moon, my mind was whirling.

One of the first people that came to my mind is a man who is in his fifties.  He is the district pastor’s landlord.  He came the very first night and never missed a meeting.  I’ve been praying and preaching for him every night since.  But I was worried, because he never came up for any of my calls.  So Friday night I sat down with him before the meeting and asked him how he was enjoying the meetings and such.  And he told me that the reason he wasn’t going to be baptized today was because his wife is gone at the moment and he wants to study with her and then be baptized together with her.  So I am so excited!  He has been an LDS for a long time he said, but he wants to become an Adventist now.

And then my mind goes to all the friends that I have made while I’ve been here.  From my translator and elder, to my pastor, to my five best friends I have from the church – two of which were baptized today.  Somehow each of these has found a place in my heart, and made my time in Africa so special.

And then there’s the 14 other evangelists.  We’ve spent the last three weeks together, praying together, crying together, laughing together, working together.  These are definitely some of the most adaptable people in the world.  And some of the most fun.  These people have become some of my best friends now.  I’m really going to miss them when we get back.

So as I sit here this evening, all I can say is that this has been 3 of the best weeks of my life.  Yes, we’ve had problems.  Yes, we’ve been hungry.  Yes, we’ve been tired.  But we have seen God work miracles.  And that’s something I will never forget.

5/31

Life is definitely an adventure!  Yesterday we went to a Chimpanzee Sanctuary.  The conference picked us up and took us.  Those apes were so funny.  Some of them had a blast throwing rocks at us.  One came up and swung his arm a few times winding up, before letting the rock fly in our direction.  And then another one just started clapping for no apparent reason.  They were pretty humorous.

After that, we headed back down the mountain and we drove right into trouble.  We went by the US Embassy, and several people took pictures out the window.  Big mistake.  The guard stopped us and made us all get out of the vehicle to be questioned in the police station.  They searched our cameras and questioned us before finally letting us go.  Then we stopped at a house for the 4 who hadn’t been measured for their African clothes to be measured, and the second vehicle decided to die.  So they made two trips to the mission office where we had lunch, but on our way back to the hotel, all 16 of us had to pile into the one vehicle.  Yeah, it was pretty tight.

The meeting went well last night.  We talked about the four horses of Revelation.  It’s hard to believe we only have 4 more meetings left…  Anyway, I’ll sign off for now.  The pastors are here for a meeting, so I’d better go.

Interference

This is definitely a battlefield!  Satan has been working so hard to cause problems!  Every night he tries new ways to distract and harass us.  Tonight it was computers.  Both Jennifer and I had our laptops shut down for no apparent reason.  Last night it was bugs that were bothering me, and the night before was wind and power issues.  But it makes me happy knowing that we’re doing something right!

We had baptisms on Sabbath.  Zone 1, which is Deborah, Jennifer, and I, all had our baptisms at my church.  There were 19 total.  And we experienced something we’ve never experienced before.  One of the girls was demon possessed.  She started struggling as soon as she touched the water.  It took the pastor 5 minutes of praying before she calmed down enough for him to baptize her.  But as soon as she went under, she threw herself and the pastor over.  I have never seen the devil so active as here…

Anyway, I need to get to bed.  I will update more later!  Just keep praying for us!

5/21/12

I’m sitting out here on the porch right now, waiting to start editing tomorrow night’s sermon with Jennifer and Jackie.  So I decided to write a quick update.  I think we’re all quite exhausted, but doing well.  Pastor Dobias is with us from Share Him, and he said that he’s never had it so rough in all the trips he’s made.  So I guess we’re sort of roughing it. J

So I’ve taken a break between these two paragraphs.  We worked on the sermon until lunch, then a lot of us went for a walk.  It was so nice to get out of the compound we’re in!  One of the hotel workers went with us to show us the way and keep us safe, though.  Even so, a guy starting stealing Jennifer’s phone out of her back pocket.  Thankfully Sarah caught it quick enough and said something.  So I ended up holding her phone for the rest of the walk. =P

My translator’s wife came over yesterday and today to help the cooks with ideas about what to feed us.  So the food has been getting better. J  Anyway, I guess I’ll go take a shower and get ready for tonight’s meeting.  We’re studying the 2,300 day prophecy…

From Sierra Leone

5/19/12

I could definitely feel the Great Controversy tonight.  That was the topic of the sermon, but it was definitely played out during the meeting.  I’ve been feeling the battle ever since I’ve been here, but it was especially evident tonight.  I was having trouble speaking and getting confused at times.  But it seemed to turn out.  There were 317 people there when they counted and at the appeal, at least 100 or 150 people came forward.

The meetings have been going well.  And we finally got internet!  Sort of…  We have a little cell phone thing that we can plug into the USB ports on our computers.  So I’m using that to post this.  But I need to head to bed now, so goodnight!

In Sierra Leone!

5/16/12

So we still don’t have internet – may not get it before we leave…  But we are here in Freetown.  I’m writing this Wednesday night…  We landed in Accra, Ghana, where we went through a brief security check, transferred to Kenya airways, and then took off for Freetown.  When we landed 2 hours later, we were met by a large group of very happy pathfinders, welcoming us to their country.  Then all 16 of us piled into this somewhat small van, while our luggage was in a Land Rover.  They took us to the ferry, which was about a half hour drive away.  Since the ferry didn’t leave until 6:00, and we got there around 4, we had quite awhile to wander around the boat and visit with the church members who had met us.

The ferry ride only lasted about an hour, then we all piled back into the van for the hour long drive to our hotel.  This place is very nice, compared with everywhere around us.  It’s actually clean!  The food has been extremely spicy, though.  I could hardly eat the pasta dish we had for supper last night.  We told them we preferred our food less spicy, so they asked if they could try the same dish again today and make it less spicy.  So that’s what they did, and it was better.  Definitely still way spicier than anything I’ve had before and my stomach actually felt like it was burning for most of the afternoon, but it was at least tolerable.

We had orientation at the Three Angels’ Messages church where Jackie is going to preach.  It’s a really nice church.  And all the pastors and translators were there as well.

Tonight we started going over one of the sermons as a group, then we had a supper of fruit.  I’m getting ready to head to bed now.  The power’s back on at the moment, so we have a fan.  But it’s been on and off all evening.  And they’re using the generator, because the town electricity has been out nearly the entire time we’ve been here…

Anyway, more updates to come! J

On Our Way

5/12/12

As I write this post, I’m sitting on a Boing 767, soaring over the Atlantic Ocean, somewhere just past Bermuda.  Still haven’t quite grasped the fact that tomorrow we will be in Africa – as soon as the wheels on this jet touch the ground.  But it’s true.  And as we rush along at 544 MPH at 33,000 feet, the realization is becoming ever stronger.  I think I’m going to catch a few winks of sleep though right now and hopefully I’ll be able to post this when we land in Ghana.  God bless!

Episode 2

I was able to interview several people who are going on the mission trip. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 1

The pilot episode of a new series documenting my mission trip to Sierra Leone in May. Check out the blog at missionsierraleone.blogspot.com

Music: "gymnopedie" by Alastair Cameron (http://www.cameronmusic.co.uk/)