Sierra Leone Bound

I wrote this as a letter, but I thought I'd post it to my blog too...

This will soon be my view, and Buwa will soon be my greeting! As many of you already know, I am returning to Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa, tomorrow to continue working with the national teachers and the Children of the Nations education program. Returning has such a nice sound to it. I remember when I visited for the first time in 2008. Excitement met fear, and I wondered what in the world I thought I was doing. What happened that summer is that I met a lot of teachers, other adults, and children that were people just like me. They had strengths they shared, and I had mine. We took these gifts from the LORD and did life together. And I am excited to do this again.

This year, I am taking a leap of faith and adding Teacher Team Leader and Team Host to my in-country responsibilities. This had led to a busy season of preparation, but I look forward to being stretched and grown in new ways. As team leader, I am leading our team of 8 to work with the national teachers through inservices, co-teaching, co-planning, and modeling. Our inservices will cover assessments, teaching English as a second language, math strategies, cognitive development, being a Christian who is an educator, the reading and writing continuum, and leadership development within the school. When the teacher team leaves on July 3, I will be stepping fully into the role of Team Host. As the host, I will be working with the other Children of the Nations teams as a liaison between them and the national staff. It will be a wonderful opportunity to see other pieces of the puzzle that are building strong community and future leaders in the area of Banta Mokelleh. Perhaps, most importantly, it will give me more time to spend with my padi, or friends, in this special place.

I would like to ask for your prayer during my six weeks away. Summer is a busy season, but knowing that you are petitioning the Father on behalf of myself, our team, and Sierra Leone will be an immense encouragement. I know that HE can do great things in this nation, and my prayer is that I can be a part of it.

Please join me in praying:

v F For COTN (cotni.org), in its mission and vision as an organization in Sierra Leone.

v v For safety and health for myself, my team, and all the teams coming and going this summer.

v F For unexciting plane flights that come with no delays or problems.

vv For excellent interpersonal relationships between the team and the national teachers.

v F For an attitude of servanthood from both the national staff and the international visitors.

v F For cultural differences to enhance, rather than destroy, relationships.

v F For the LORD to meet team members where they are at and reveal more of Himself to them.

v F For personal wisdom, grace, and clarity in duties or conflicts that may arise as Team Host.

v v For personal faithfulness in spending time in prayer and rest before the LORD .

v F For our marriage to be strengthened as Eric and I are apart this Summer.

I value your prayers. What a blessing it is to have good and faithful friends on both sides of the Atlantic!