Back from Binkolo Sierra Leone
Greetings to you all!!
I made it back from Sierra Leone in time for Thanksgiving and in pretty good shape! (My bum was sore & I had a few bug bites–nothing to complain about–just happy to be done with a near 40 hours of travel !) Thanksgiving with family was wonderful and no I didn’t feel guilty for our abundance–just blessed.
Going back to Binkolo was eye opening in so many ways because it was different than I remembered. The difference wasn’t that it had changed but that we spent time in the town & with those who live & minister there. On my first trip two years ago we were only there briefly & it seemed less populated (probably because of the time of day & week we were there), tribal and Muslim in religion and without basic services. As it turns out there is a large Catholic Church & School, education seems to be a high priority & there is a large population in the region (10,000-15,000).
We also found a wealth of resources in lush farm land, a skills development center, and what appears to be a good water source for most of the community. In the nearby city of Makeni where we stayed, we also discovered the Salome Microfinance Trust which administers micro loans and appears to be a reliable, corruption free source of low interest short term loans.
The best part of this trip was meeting our friend & the Pastor of Grace & Glory Church Binkolo, Pastor Daniel Kamara and his family. The family just recently moved here and that has added credibility to the church. The city fathers have given us the use of a covered open air building and will be considering a gift of land once the elections are settled for the “Paramount Chief” in December.
Some of the strategies for growth that Pastor Daniel is taking initiative on are:
- Starting a nursery school–the first of it’s kind in the community
- Teen development & discipleship for the over 1000 students that are at the Catholic High School
- Starting home groups for study & prayer during the week with training for the future leaders
- Cooperative farming to support the church & nursery school
- Applying for a microloan to get the farming started
Some of the areas we will be assisting in are:
- Funds for school supplies
- Assistance for building when appropriate
- Helping with transportation needs for Pastor Daniel
- Assistance for additional staff as needed for school & church
Though I am just back — I can’t help thinking about the next mission trip! The students at the church have asked about us putting together a soccer tournament in the community. This has us thinking about a youth leadership development/sports camp. Also once the city fathers have considered the land we might be able to acquire–there will be many details to attend to. And though there are resources in this community, health education and medical resources are a great need for many (the child mortality rate is still 25% according to UNICEF for children under 5 here).
Thank you all for your prayers and support. I will continue to give you insight & updates (these are just a few thoughts as I try to clear my head) and you can learn about other efforts in Sierra Leone & Liberia online at West Africa Partners Blog.
Marc Johnson, Pastor
Grace & Glory Community Church
Vancouver, WA