Dr. Gary McKean and I left Salt Lake City airport on Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 8:30am and arrived in Sierra Leone at 9 PM on Sunday, December 5, 2010. We were greeted by a Police Chaplain escort. We retrieved our luggage (all of it arrived and in good condition) including a Honda 1000 watt generator.

Highlights of the trip included:

4-day training seminar for approximately 180 Chaplains from the Police, Army, Prisons, Fire Department, OSD (special branch of police; Operational Support Division), and the Metro Police. The seminar topics were “Who I Am in Christ”, “Godly Christian Marriages”, “The Role of the Minister”, “Christ in the Old Testament”, “Where in the Bible?” and “The New Testament Church.”

While we were in the Freetown area we met with Herbert A. George Williams, Mayor of Freetown and Chief Al Gbsowa (Bumpeh Chiefdom Moyamba District).  The Chief requested that we begin a Christian Church in the village called Pendeh.

After Freetown we began our journey to First Baptist Church-Gbangbatoke. This work is sponsored by First Baptist Church, Roy, Utah. While in Gbangbatoke we conducted seminars on the topics of “Who I Am in Christ” and “Godly Christian Marriage.”  We met with Paramount Chief Russell and informed him that a pump water well was going to be dug on the church property within the next two weeks. He requested help to determine what crops could be grown in the region to offset the problem of starvation. We are in process of compiling that data. He also asked that we consider starting a training center for adults. He asked for 6-sewing machines (non-electric), Ty-Dye kits, and soap making equipment.

From Gbangbatoke we headed to Mochas to visit the Lighthouse Ministries Christian Church in Mochas. The “forgotten people” are no longer forgotten. The village is so remote that representatives of the government have not visited there. But God is gracious and we now have a church there sponsored by Lighthouse Ministries Christian Center of South Ogden, Utah. The people of the village gave the church approximately 600 acres of prime land for growing rice. They requested help in developing a plan to do so. They would like to build a church building and have given the church 3 acres to put it on. The church also requested help in starting a new church in the village called Naagohun, which is about 16 miles away.

We then moved on to Moriba Town where we conducted seminars on the topics of “The Role of the Minister”, “Godly Christian Marriage”, and “Where in the Bible?” These seminars were attended by 40 people (20 was the original plan).  We held a crusade in Moriba Town where approximately 55 accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  From here we headed to Bo. 

In Bo we conducted 4-days of seminars, attended the JBC church there and visited the Maple Leaf Army Base. We then met with the members of Jah Section Christian Fellowship, a new church in Pujehun. From there it was on to the village of Gboyama. There is no Christian church in the village and the Christians and Muslims agreed that there should be one. Met with the leaders of the village and committed a new church work. The people of the village gave the church 6-acres of land to build their building on. The leaders of the village also presented to me a bowl of rice and two chickens in public as well as a new name: “Momoh Moiguah” which means “First Son.” I am officially a member of the village and have been extended all of the benefits.

I returned to the Maple Leaf Army Base and met with the Base Commander, Lt. Col. Koroma and preached to the entire battalion. We then left for Jendema where we held more seminars.  After Jendema we drove to Kenema and then on to Waterloo (after some vehicle repairs in Kenema).   While in the Waterloo area we preached at Philomath Community Church in Lumpa on Christmas Day and Pastor Elisha Turray’s church the day after Christmas.  Christmas in Sierra Leone is quite different than the U.S.A.  They do not exchange gifts, no Christmas trees and “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Christmas” is only said on Christmas Day.

Two days after Christmas we left for the Kono District. We conducted four days of seminars in this area and were anticipating 120 people, but 280 showed up.  During are time in this area we also met with members of Mercy Ship as their advance team was in the area. They shared all of their information and we passed that on to the pastors who attended the seminars. After the seminars we headed back to Waterloo for New Years Eve. 

Over the next several days after New Year’s Day we conducted more seminars in the Waterloo area at the JBC church in the refugee camp.  We also met with Chief Gbsowa in Jui. He wants a “Baptist” church by his home. Want to give us 5-lots for us to build our compound on. That would include a concrete brick 7-foot fence, a church building, a guest house, parsonage, house for Ben & Kuya, a training center, house for driver and garage for vehicle, and a pump water-well.

I left for London at midnight on the 8^th of January and arrived back home in Utah at 9pm the same day.  Things that I will address for the next trip: (1) Allow a day in between seminar locations to travel and rest (2) Avoid the last two weeks of December and the first week of January as this is the Christmas-New Year Season (3) Allow time for counseling sessions for Pastors and Chaplains.

In His Service and Through His Love,

Dr. Paul G. Paquin

International Ministry Director

The Light of the World Ministry                                                        John 12:26    

The mission team from Grace Community Church in Chico, California led by Pastor Dave Workman was in Tissana, Sierra Leone in November 2009. The 3-member team was there to follow up on several past educational and agriculture projects, present a seminar for local area pastors and laying the groundwork for the next G.C.C mission trip slated for April 2010.

This is the fourth trip for the G.C.C mission teams since 2007 and one thing that teams members noticed was Freetown’s appearance has been cleaned up to a certain extent with more shops open for business and less people selling their wares on the sidewalk. The throng of people walking the streets and doing business has NOT diminished.  Commerce appears to be on the rise and people appear to be “normalizing” their lives.

Activities while we were in Sierra Leone included: (1) procuring medicines for the clinic in Tissana, (2) meeting with old and new friends in the village of Tissana, (3) checking out the continuing construction of the church building, (4) pastor training seminar, and (5) meetings with our local team leaders.

November is the end of the rainy season but rain did fall on the land very heavily one afternoon and making travel an adventure.  The rain made the main road (only road) into Tissana impassable, so the team had to hike in and out of the village that day.

Also on the agenda for the trip were the details of registering the church with local officials, getting a driver’s license for our assistant pastor, and setting up a bank account. What seem like mundane, easily handled tasks here in America are much more time consuming and challenging in Sierra Leone. Multiple trips to government offices are required to complete things that would be a snap here at home. “Minor” details such as no Internet access and lack of ink for a printer in a government office could test the patience of Job.

Overall the trip was a success and another team from G.C.C. is headed back in April to complete several projects and get a couple more started. 

Greg Colby

Mission Team Member

Grace Community Church, Chico