An Unjust Summary

There's no way I can do justice to all of the interesting experiences I've had since I last posted, but for the sake of keeping you informed, I will try.

The rest of my time in Makeni was a bit of a blur. My host at WHI contracted Malaria and was hospitalized. By God's grace, he recovered quickly, but his illness meant that I had some free time. I used this free time to arrange a visit to Gbedembu, the village where the child I sponsor lives. It was an amazing visit. He is a beautiful child. He's thriving in school, and wants to become an English professor. His grandmother and the WHI staffers arranging the visit credited me with his success. I didn't feel like I deserved the praise, but the visit was so encouraging. Before I went to Gbendembu, I was becoming very overwhelmed with the poverty, cultic practice, and abuse I was witnessing in Makeni. It seemed like the problems facing the city were way too big to be solved. Just when I was about to give up hope, God showed me that good things are happening in Sierra Leone too, and that He has already used me to make them happen. It was definitely a turning point in my perspective about Sierra Leonean development.

On Monday, I met the CEO of Africa Felix Juice (AFJ), the juice company that will be buying the mangoes from the villagers I met in Makeni. He's an enthusiastic Italian who has high hopes for the factory and for its impact on Sierra Leone. In my interviews and conversations with people in Makeni, I had heard many doubts expressed about the project's reception in the community. But when I visited the factory site on Tuesday, it became clear that these concerns are ill-founded. Africa Felix Juice has already had a profound positive impact on the cities of Waterloo and Newton, which are close to the FIRST STEP site. The factory's construction manager, also an Italian, has built the factory in 90 days with the help of only 28 local workers who previously had little-no construction experience. They have thrived under his guidance, and their loyalty to him is evident. An impromptu canteen has arisen as well. Women from the community bring food to sell to the workers, and AFJ is considering hiring them when the factory opens to work in the factory's kitchen. In my opinion, this company will be a great blessing to the community, and seems to be very well-received.

Easter is typically a very big holiday in Sierra Leone. This year, Easter Sunday comes just a few days before the country's 50th Anniversary of Independence, on Wednesday, April 27. Most people are taking the entire week off to celebrate. FIRST STEP, and I will still be working. They have a lot to do before the AFJ commissioning ceremony on May 5. But I hope to take a few days off to celebrate. I plan to attend an sunrise Easter service on the beach on Sunday. Later in the day, I plan to attend an Easter march that has been organized by the churches in Sierra Leone. The march will start at the famous Freetown Cotton Tree and end at the Leone Stars' stadium, where there will be a thanksgiving service. According to legend, when the first freed slaves arrived in Freetown, they held a thanksgiving and prayer service beneath this cotton tree. I'm excited to participate in a similar celebration on the country's 50th birthday!