August 18, 2010

Someone who went: Anna

Posted by Anna Hamlett

Well, I’m back from Africa and the trip was amazing! Malawi and its people are beautiful. It’s incredible to see people who love so fully regardless of circumstances. The love I was shown was overwhelming. I’ll never forget how the kids rushed to dust off my dirt-ridden skirt, while they remained covered in it. I was genuinely moved by that act of service.
It was hard to keep track of time while in Africa, but I almost didn’t need to. I just lived. The days were long and full. For once I felt as if I was living in the moment. It was amazing talking to strangers who genuinely wanted to know your name and were eager to learn more about you. People never seemed to be in a rush to end conversations. They value and enjoy community life.
My favorite thing to do in Africa was listening to the singing and watching the dancing. The people of Malawi are gifted with rhythm and soul. As I look at the pictures from the trip, I can I see myself filled with joy and a sense of freedom.
To make a long and beautiful story short, the trip was incredible. Being in Africa has taught me that to live simply is to live joyously. It was a joy to serve the people of Malawi. I hope they received half as much as we received from them. It’s hard to put into words everything I learned, but I experienced first-hand that God moves, God works and God is good all the time.

“And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” Isaiah 58:10

July 29, 2010

Sierra Leone Team Update

Posted by Dacia

Hello Family and Friends of The Sierra Leone Team!

Below is an update I just received from Dacia Kanaan:

“Buwa” Family and Friends, Greetings from Banta, Sierra Leone!

We arrived in Freetown safely (and with all of our luggage!) on Friday evening and spent one night in a motel before making our journey to Banta (about six hours away).

We were able to visit the church on COTN’s property Sunday morning and visited the nearby village of N’Golala (pronounced ‘Gwala’) in the afternoon. The entire village was welcoming and friendly. Everyone allowed us to practice our Mende (one of the languages) and was extremely patient with us :)

These last few days working with the Youth Camp have been amazing. We’ve been divided into teams by color (red team, yellow team, blue team and green team), and the competition is fierce, to say the least. Each group is compiled of about 40 kids, and all of them are so thankful and excited to be here at camp. We have a soccer (futbol, as they say) bracket being played each day and the youth treat it like the World Cup. It’s spectacular.

Our days are long and packed full — breakfast is at 7:30am and camp ends around 10:30pm each night (which gives us just enough time to take a bucket bath and plan for the next day’s activities). We perform skits, hear a lesson from a Children of the Nations pastor, facilitate craft time and two soccer games (one for boys and one for girls), play organized sports for a few hours, have breakout sessions, have another assembly after dinner with everyone, and then we have “Dorm Time”.

Dorm Time is really special because we’re able to spend quality time with a small group of the youth, just talking through and debriefing from the day. There are over 160 kids here and it’s difficult to get to know all of them, so this is a great way to connect with a few kids on a more intimate level.

The team is doing well; everyone is in good spirits. We’re learning so much about the culture, as well as growing closer with our team. We’re also all amazed at the beauty of this country — the landscape looks like something out of Jurassic Park, so lush and natural. We’re exhausted at the end of each day but it is wonderful to be here with these kids. We’ve had a few people with some minor stomach issues, and Terah needed to rest the first two days of camp, but after treatment from the COTN clinic’s nurse she is doing just fine and was able to return to camp today.

Everyone we encounter has been overly friendly and kind, the COTN staff is incredibly accommodating and helpful, and we’re all enjoying the time we’re spending with them. Uncle Magnus (COTN’s new Venture Coordinator in Sierra Leone) is super knowledgeable and hilariously funny.

We’ll send more updates if we’re able, but there is only electricity for a short window during the day, and we’re not always sure when that window will appear. :)

We miss you and love you all — thank you for your prayers and loving support, it is so greatly appreciated!

Maloway! (goodbye!)

July 14, 2010

Progress Team Update

Posted by Gabe Romano

It’s mid-way retreat! This means both intern teams–Chitipi & Chiwengo all meet back up at Njewa (COTN’s home base) for a great weekend filled with catching up on sleep, food and each other’s stories. I got to lead some of the Chiwengo team through Mgwayi today to show them around. It was super fun for me to be the tour guide and show off my favorite village and kiddos! Today we are all going to church together then we have an afternoon of rest and enjoying each others company.

Here’s a photographic recap of my past week:

I caught Esnade on the pot on Monday!
On Tuesday I treated some of the kids to freezies for Malawian Independence Day
Chimwewe and I after an 8.5 mile walk to watch the boys play football!
At Chitipi with the littlest ones on Wednesday!
Sarah and I hanging out Thursday!
Netball team getting ready for Midway fun! (Friday)
Saturday Mgwayi Tour

July 7, 2010

Progress Team Update

Posted by Michael Sevilla

Three weeks in and the team is still holding strong here in Malawi,
Africa. We have now adapted to our current living situation in the Chitipi
children’s home. We have also visited our other villages (Mtsiliza and
Mgwayi) multiple times and have established relationships with the
children, our homes, and the schools. It’s very lively here and they keep
us very busy!

We arise early each and every day to help the kids go to school, do our
daily chores of sweeping the dirt and debris around the house (guys) and
mopping the interiors (ladies), and then finally making breakfast. After
breakfast on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays we are escorted to our
village for the day, on Mondays and Wednesdays we are able to enter into
times of solitude and devotion.

We have discovered how amazing it is to take time like Jesus did to break away from the busyness of life to pray
and seek the Lord. The remaining time of our days are filled with village
home visits, digging 10ft+ latrine holes, teaching in various schools,
leading devotions every night, walking to our kids’ soccer games, playing
soccer, having talent shows, attending different churches, feeding
programs, hand holding ministry, tutoring, trying to understand Chichewa,
trying to sleep when a demonic rooster keeps you up, avoiding crazy
screaming donkeys, jumping rivers, mice hunting, individual bucket baths,
learning names, remembering names, making efforts to be present in each
others’ lives…and the list will continue.

There is so much for us to do here but our most important moments are when
we are sharing and learning Christ’s love. God is stretching us and
showing us how to give thanks for each day that we are given. Having all
of our needs met while seeing so many suffering from being cold, hungry,
and deprived has given us a great appreciation for the blessings we have
in our lives that we often take for granted. Our national interns have
taught us to start each morning with a thankful prayer of life and how to
see the joy of being consistently grateful servants. It’s amazing how this
has changed how I approach the morning. We are blending well as a team and
have built strong friendships.

Please keep us in prayer as we continue to be present here, please pray
for good health and open hearts. We miss our loved ones and the longing
for home is strong, however, we recognize our blessing to reach out and serve our Lord daily.

Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers :)

July 6, 2010

Headed to the D.R.

Posted by Michael Murray

Goose Lopez-Torres, the self-professed “Snack Minister” of Student Ministries (he runs the snack bar at The Edge), will be heading off to the Dominican Republic on Friday as a leader for the Student Team. Goose was a leader on the Student DR Trip last summer as well. What made him want to join the team again this year? He loves seeing the impact the trip has on high school students.

“To see these kids voluntarily give up a week of their summer break is inspiring,” Goose said. “When I was their age, I would have never given up a week of my summer break to do something like this! For one week they unplug from their iPods, cell phones, and video games to do something that really matters. I get 3 weeks of vacation a year. To use one of them to be a part of this team is really a no-brainer for me.”

Goose hopes that the students will learn humility on this trip. If they can get a sense of what it’s really like to be in need, they may gain a new perspective on life. “I think sometimes kids, especially teenagers, believe that they have the worst life ever and no one can relate to them,” he says. “When they see some of the conditions we are about to see, it may give them a greater appreciation for what they do have.”

Goose thinks the trip will be a great way to be an example to his family and friends. He has two young sons and when they grow up, he wants them to know that their dad was faithful to God’s call. He also loves being able to talk about the trip with his unchurched friends as a way to share his faith. He hopes the high schoolers will do the same with their friends.

Please pray for Goose and the rest of the leaders and students as they get ready to go to the D.R. later this week!