Dave and Tanya Spoon

July 29

Krystle here to send you another update:

7-28-09
First of all thank you in advance for your prayers. This team is doing well. We have been busy over the past week. I will give you the highlights.

We arrived at the airport and I was so grateful for Quamis presence. He IS a presence. It was chaotic and it was dark outside. Inside the airport was busy and full of people and luggage, people yelling and cutting in line for customs. We were struggling to make the last ferry so we were rushed and when 11 of our bags were not there we had to file a claim which took time. Half the team went in one car while a few stayed behind. Elaine, Jim and Jessica waited for me and Quami. I discovered that Elaine does not care much for the way they drive in Sierra Leone. She squeezed my arm the whole time we were riding. I just laughed because I dont much care for it either but what are you going to do? You got to get to the ferry. We met the rest of our team at the ferry landing. Again laughing at how different it is from our Bremerton Ferry- walking up planks that they set out for the cars to get on the ferry. You cant imagine the amount of people that they put on these ferries. Its loud and hot and has an interesting aroma of bodies and sweat, and food. They play music videos on a small screen for everyone to watch and then there is some sort of entertainment, a comedy act of sorts. Then they want payment or donations.

Our arrival was tough after our 7 hour puda puda ride. The roads are rough so I was pretty car sick. Kristen was feeling it too. Its funny you try to sleep but there is no place for your head and you end up looking like a bobble head along the whole journey. One time I even smacked my head on Margarets head. We saw the district medical officer and the hospital they are building. It was an interesting tour. Not unlike many parts of West Africa. The buildings are half finished and the contractor is no where. Donated medical equipment is sitting in an unopened box waiting for a room to be built for it. This hospital had an X-ray machine donated 5 years ago and it is unopened, most likely broken. When people send donations they have to be careful that its really needed and that there is a place for it, otherwise it sits unused. This is the beauty of COTN that we follow up and make sure what we are sending is what is really needed. After our tour we continued another few hours down this rough road.

We arrived at the COTN compound to the children lining up and singing you are welcome. One of the first people I saw was Christina Zendejas and she was smiling, I made sure I hugged her for her mama. I saw Albert and David and many other kids that I know. I saw Mary, our malnourished girl from last year. She looks great. She was at camp! What a praise! I was able to say to her nyan dango which means you are beautiful, she smiled shyly. It really is like a homecoming when you come back for a repeat visit. Just being close to these kids brought a smile to my face even though I felt like throwing up. We were welcomed by Auntie Chris and she cooked an amazing dinner for us. It was fun to meet the interns and get to know them a little. Its an amazing group of young people. They welcomed us it was nice to see Mark. He is definitely a Sierra Leonian- He speaks Creo and all the kids consider him part of their homes.

On Tuesday we were Oriented to Sierra Leone by Quami. He spoke of the ministry and gave us good information on the dos and donts. He gave a good history of the conflict in Sierra Leone.
We got to meet a new little survivor; He is yet to be named. His mother had given birth to him and he had a twin that was unable to pass through the birth canal. His sister and his mom died in childbirth leaving this little one to go into this world alone. We met his family and his uncle, a man named Sheck will take responsibility for this youngster. He has been alive for almost 48 hours and has not had any milk, there is no one in the village that can nurse him. We took formula to him and Nurse Agnes fed him from a spoon, He drank about 3 oz and would have eaten more. We instructed the family on how to care for him. We have gifts of clothes and diaper covers and formula. They have a nice house in this village. The hut that the interns from COTN first stayed in Ngolola 4 years ago.

Wed. July 22
Today we busied ourselves by orienting to the clinic and unpacking and inventorying all the supplies. This is a job and though I am thankful for the donations, Im pretty tired of unpacking and repacking these bags. There are not enough shelves to hold the supplies so they have to be built. This will take a few days so we unpacked, did an inventory, took pictures and put everything back in the suitcases. The supplies filled Mama Angies parlor. At camp the Kristen and Margaret gave a sex talk to the teenaged girls while I did the same with the boys. This culture does not speak of sex much..so I a had a few red faces and they were a little shocked by my use of language to describe such acts in a clinical way. The girls were equally awed by the visuals that Margaret brought of the female body and pregnancy. In the boys talk we did a lot of talk about purity, I was helped by Frasier and Tim. The girls talk was mostly question and answer so they will get a purity talk tomorrow.

Thursday 23
Today I got to meet Hawa. She is the most that I remember from a very busy day in the clinic. The mom brought her to us. She had most of her skin sloughing off she was unconscious and malnourished. So If you could imagine, a pretty rustic setting and now what do we do with this unconscious child. Kristen and I managed to find a feeding tube and inserted it into her nose to her stomach. We were able to start hydrating her but I was very concerned, we administered Tylenol to bring her very high fever down and began to hydrate her with Oral rehydration. I felt pretty helpless, the mom is young, and had stayed by her daughters side for who knows how long. She recently had her in a clinic a couple hours away and she discharged her to bring her to us..Why? We are much less able to care for this little one. We spent time making sure Hawa was comfortable and bringing her fever down. I was hoping that the mom could see that we did care but inside knowing that this little one would not probably make it. It was a hard day. We prayed a lot.

Friday 24
Today was wound care teaching for the nurses. Margaret did a nice job. Kristen taught on TB and then demonstrated an injection on me. It reminded me of nursing school. The nurses were very excited to learn new techniques and to learn to care for a wound differently. I think they desire to make this a really nice clinic.

Saturday 25
Village outreach
Today we started village outreach. The team went to Mogborie. We taught on nutrition and water sanitation, we then gave quick exams on all the kids and gave out de-worming medication and vitamins to the children for no cost. The adults that came in with their aches and pains were charged a nominal fee for the medicine which was mostly Tylenol.
I got to meet baby Tanya and baby Sam Macabe. I brought an outfit for her and it fit. She is fat and sweet and very content to sit on my hip. She also pee-ed all over me. I think it may have been the only gift she knew how to give- So Ill take it. Her mom IE, was the same and she looked happy although she told me she was hungry. I think Dave has been helping her.

The team then went to a town called DoDo. This is about a 60 minute walk down the mining road. We gave the same talk and did the same for this village. The interns had been there a few weeks ago so we got the kids de wormed that were missed in the last village. God is good, we run into many things but we are able to send them back to the clinic and make this community feel like we love them too.

Sunday 26
Today we walked to Jaminga for church. This is another long walk about an hour. We had church and I got to see baby David. He is thin but Dave says he looks better. His caregiver is doing a nice job with him. He is eating and we are supplementing his meals with bennie mix. The outfit I bought for him fits him just like it fit baby Tanya. He looked cute. He cries when you take him from his caregiver- so we let her hold him. This village is doing well, they are building toilets and a clinic and they have a good water source and seem to be doing very well.

Monday 27
Physicals and TB testing for all the home kids- we were able to all of them in one day. Praise God! We started on the staff too. I love being able to have this time with the COTN kids. They love that we come and have a connection. Its fun to get to know each of them. Margaret and Jessica doing the vital signs and TB injections and Kristen and I doing the physicals we are like a well oiled machine (slight over exaggeration).

Elaine did office training today. What an amazing ministry she is having here. She is excited about the staff wanting to get their work areas in order. From the office staff in banta to the office staff in Freetown all are here for the training. Its amazing.

Jim has been working since he put his feet on the ground here. He is busy building a small building for the generator. I am amazed at the things he can accomplish. He doesnt rest much. He knows the local carpenter and is getting shelves built for the clinic. He is having the camp kids collect rocks for his foundation. He is fixing things he can fix. Its amazing to watch.

*Edit at 11:00 the baby they were trying to save, died (email from Mom on tuesday-Krystle).

Tuesday 28
Physicals and TB testing on all the staff, and aunties as well as some VIPs like our Health animators. The TB testing is really an amazing thing that we can do here. This is a high TB area and if we can find known cases and treat them its better for this area of Sierra Leone.
Please pray for our safety in getting to all the villages. We have many places to get to and lots to do in these villages. Please pray for the children. They are so vulnerable. God is good, He is faithful, He is providing for our wellbeing.

Email from Mom, Tuesday July 28

July 22

Hello, it's Krystle again. My Mom just sent an update:

things are good. We are doing well, my team finally got our bags today. God is blessing us in many ways. Its different coming back for a second time--its like they are so excited you would actually come back. Im excited to see all the people that we met last time. Its fun. We got to see a new baby born yesterday, his twin his mom and his sibling died in childbirth- he weighs 4 pounds but he is healthy and we gave him formula and clothes and the women in the village and his uncle are caring for him. We are tearfully loving on these people. We are very needed here. So sad but also so joyful at the progress. The clinic is making amazing progress, they have set up a documentation system. We are doing physicals on Monday as well as TB testing. Our vaccine is fine..in an ice chest. We are doing well as a team.

July 13 to July 19, 2009

Primary camp started Monday 13th. We had about 150 kids come. Because we did not know for sure there was going to be camp until a couple days before the numbers were lower than last year. We had 250 primary kids last year and I hope we get 250 for youth camp like last year also! The kids did not know the difference and it was a smashing success. Kingdom Kids was the theme. Rev James brought the daily message and the interns backed it up through quizzes, games and relationship building. It all ended with a night of dancing, fun and skits. The kids were very tired and went to bed late. The next morning after the kids bathed at the river and ate breakfast we handed out awards. All of them got at least a certificate. It was fun to get a picture with a happy child holding his certificate. Many kids accepted Jesus and they did not want camp to end. If there was more funding we would have gone from Sunday to Saturday like last year but you do what you can do. The youth camp will run from Sunday the 19th to Saturday the 25th because of some generous contributions that are coming in. Pray for the youth who come to camp. They need this kind of activity because they need good guidance and a safe environment to socialize. There are too many ways for them to get in trouble and they can learn about Jesus and how to stay pure from people who really care about them. The body or sex talk run by Tanya Spoon or some of the interns provides a venue for many questions and answers. Last year Tanya could have continued the talk for many hours because of the myths and wrong thinking that goes on here!

Our malnourished and frightfully skinny Alfred from Dodo is now admitted to a Doctors Without Borders clinic in Gondema just outside of Bo, Sierra Leones 2nd largest city about 2 hours from Banta. The clinic is known as MSF here. Medical Sans Franciose? Not sure about the spelling but French never the less. What great news! They only take extreme cases and they are mostly free! That is the word you want to hear, FREE! The Aunt came to report the good news and said they need only $20 US dollars for blood and I gladly gave it to her. She will return Sunday the 19th to make sure Alfred gets what he needs. Im not sure if it is a transfusion or they are just topping him off. Sorry for bad bedside manner but Im not sure what to say. Where is Tanya when you need her? Oh yeah, she arrives tomorrow, the 20th, in Banta! Praise God! I need a health care provider bad here. We would love for her to be able to be here at least as long as I am---Keep praying, we make a great team!!!!! So Alfred is recovering and it will take a while to get him strong enough to leave the hospital. He was almost dead. Please pray for this boy who God has put in our midst. I wish we could all go see him but it is too far and we have too much to do here. He is in good hands and hopefully we will see him running at camp like Mary Lahai this year who nearly died last year. What a blessing! YES! Mary Lahai from last year!!!! Interns from 2008, did you hear?

Wed the 15th to Friday the 17th, 3 women from our Sierra Leone COTN board came to see the Banta improvements. Milli Lavaly, Joyce Wilson and Mrs Caulker. 3 retired educators who all love kids! They were informative and fun. They toured the ministry site, talked to the kids, met with the staff, ate dinner with the interns and I set up a tour of the Bauxite mine for them. They were very happy about their time here I hope they visit every year.
Baby Mamie from Mosekie was brought back to the clinic this week and looked so much better since she was given some Bennie mix. Ashley and Christina held her and fed her. The grandmother seemed more interested and maybe because she is being given food so there is hope for this baby to live. Baby Mamie held her own cup and drank ORS, oral rehydration solution, all by herself! What a change. She also ate the Bennie mix like crazy and then ate some rice and cassava. Food! What a blessing. Remember, she is around 3 years old and looks like an infant. Hopefully she will be eating normal after a year of Bennie mix. This made Chrstinas day and she danced around so happy!

Baby David Spoon is doing so well also. He eats like crazy and Betty is doing a great job with him. Maybe because me and the clinic are providing Bennie mix and she too has hope this boy will live. I dont even know what to say or ask, only to thank God for providing for these little ones. Maybe the under 5 mortality rate is dropping because of people who come here to minister and we get to be part of it! God is using all of you to help save lives, physically and spiritually, all the way into the West African jungle!

I went to Wonde for church today with 18 year old Steven Michael. The same Steven Michael who is in a wheel chair from our home, who is an evangelist/preacher in this village and has been written about in our Hope Encounter magazine. We trekked through the hard rain and mud today, both of us soaked but Steven was the worst. We arrived and were met by the village pastor who gave Steven a rag to wipe off with. You could see his upper body through his white shirt as if he had no shirt on. He never even spoke of the rain. He is driven and nothing can stop him. In his mind he is not in a wheel chair and that doesnt even faze him. He can get out of his chair and move 20 feet faster than anyone I know. It shocked me when I first saw him do it and after that I never regarded him as being in a wheel chair. Especially when he goes through the jungle to preach the good news! We have gone on 15 mile round trips to villages across big rivers to bring the gospel. Forget about a wheel chair. It can be fixed and has been while sitting in a far away village talking about Jesus to Muslims and unbelievers. He preached from Job 2:6-10 today. It seemed appropriate because his life has been tough and yet he is faithful and praises God for all things. We walked home in the rain and mud and Steven never said a word about it. He only praised God for the opportunity to tell of His Good News!!!!

The big kids are coming for camp as I sit here and type. Many come to my room, Ishmael, Albert, Emmanuel, Mohammed, Esther, Joseph, Francis, Kadija to sit and talk to me, Uncle Dave/Grandpa Dave, and ask questions about everything or just sit and say nothing. They also want me to sponsor all their friends who cant afford the 10,000 Leones ($3 US) to come. If you arent one of our home kids or a village sponsorship kid then they are asked to pay. Of course I will not have any kid turned away so we will work all that out especially since I have told everyone to make sure no one stays home this week! We need to have every young adult come so that the gospel will be heard and these lives will be changed! As Mama Angie says, Pray that God will snatch all of them from the fire! This camp will go until Saturday the 25th. I cant wait to go over and get involved with all these beautiful and thankful teenagers! They are so excited. It is like the big event of the year or at least summer here and all the kids talk about it being an international event in the next couple years. They want our other 3 countries represented here for camp! Imagine that? I tell them that we need to get all of Banta here first but not to dampen their dreams. It is so amazing that they look at camp with such grandeur. And to me it is such a simple approach to giving the gospel. Maybe that is why God had me living at Island Lake Camp with Tanya and my kids for 10 summers discipiling, mentoring and having fun with the college kids from all over the USA while the campers enjoyed a great experience. I completely understand this way of presenting the gospel and believe me it works! I know so many kids whose lives have been changed forever and understand ministry and discipleship and make it their lifes work! And here we are in Sierra Leone, West Africa, Upper Banta Chiefdom, in the middle of the jungle, reproducing Christian Camp! Thats cool!!!!!!!!! Someone is knocking on my door again, it hasnt stopped for a couple hoursthe kids are so excited!!!!!!!!!!!
Got to go. I love you all very much and I will get some pictures up soon!!! Thanks for the amazing support! Keep praying for my time here and for Tanya and team to arrive safely, first in Freetown tonight and then Banta tomorrow the 20th!!

God Bless, Dave.

Email from Mom July 22

July 19

Hello everyone - this is Krystle, Dave & Tanya's daughter. My mom wanted to let you know that the vaccines got through security just fine and nothing has to be checked throughout the trip there! Please pray that the team doesn't miss the connecting flight and that the rest of the trip goes well, and all the bags arrive! Thanks :]

Phone call from mom July 18

July 17

my (Tanya) team is leaving today. Oursupplies came in, the team is ready, the vaccine is in the refrigerator.God has been faithful to supply all we need. Please continue to checkfor updates. I will send information as I can get on line.

Email from Dave 7-13-09 Monday

July 1 to July 12

We returned to Jeminga Thursday the 2^nd for a health talk. Two of our women interns, Ashley and Christina, talked about malaria and diarrhea. Nurse Agnes translated with 2 other national nurses. The people listened intently and asked questions. Agnes also taught on sanitation. It seems so weird to have to teach about clearing the jungle away from the huts to help keep mosquitoes away, to dig toilets away from the huts-most villages have only 1 or no holes dug, to drink clean water and to use mosquito nets and to eat more protein. All this while the nurse is swatting tse-tse flies away and other nasty bugs, mommies breast feeding, hungry kids sitting close while we smile, rub their feet, take their picture, hold them, make faces at them and hope the adults will really change some of their habits so life is better for the children. The village chief, Muslim leader and Pastor will usually come and introduce the men and women leaders for such an event and even stay to listen or nap or leave after a while. Baby William David Spoon was away this day to visit with his new mommy Betty in a near-by village. I was sad to not see him. I did get to see Mesi, a 12 yr old girl who lived in Wonde last year. I brought her to the clinic last year for a nasty infected leg wound the size of a fist. I fed her and held her hand that day. She remembered me and stayed right by my side and told me she was hungry. So sad that these kids dont get enough food and it breaks your heart when they tell you. I only had some lollypops for her and she smiled. I gave her a picture of her and me taken from last year, a couple lollypops and she walked me to the edge of the village. I gave her a hug and said I will be back. You want to cry the whole way back but God gives you the strength to deal with it.

On Saturday, July 4, the interns, me, Quami and Aunty Chris went to Moyamba for Precious High-school graduation ceremony. She is our first child from our homes to graduate from High-school. This was a big deal! She attended a big secondary school for girls in Moyamba called Hardford. About 50 girls graduated, all dressed in beautiful white dresses, hair done nicely, pretty shoes and lots of smiles. The chapel was filled to the rafters and we arrived a little late. 3 hours of back road potholes the size of small swimming pools with water coming up to the top of the tires. This is the shortcut from Banta and Im not sure if it really is faster but as he crow flies it is. We were looking in from outside by the front stage and a nice gentleman from inside saw us and welcomed us in to the front of the crowd near the stage! Perfect, we had a great view of Precious and all the grads. When her name was called the COTN contingent all cheered very loud and the band, yes marching band in the back, started playing loud, drums and all and this impromptu celebration broke out. Much more noise than when any other graduates name was called. I felt like the loud Americans but other Sierra Leoneans who knew Precious also participated in the celebration. This is a girl who was rescued off the streets of Freetown and now has a dream to be an International lawyer and she WILL have an impact on this nation! COTN should be very proud of Precious, who is an intern with us as well.

After a round of pictures with the graduate we were off across town to a primary boarding school that we have ties with and have received several of our children from them. As the party for Precious was being set up we all went to the covered worship area and sang and danced with the children from the school. They first sang to us and then Mark and Quami took over and got them all dancing and singing loud for Jesus! This lasted a couple hoursyou never see anything like this with kids in Americathe faith and dependence on our Lord is very strong in this nation especially among children and they will go forever. We were called to the chapel to start the party. I was asked to set up on the stage with Precious, Rev George the acting Country Coordinator, Aunty Chris our first home mother and our fabulous cook for the summer, Aunty Christiana who was responsible for setting up the rescue of Precious, Jane Lahai the head master of the school we were at, and the party was on. Many nice things were said by all of us especially Aunty Chris and Christiana. We ate dinner, cut the cake, gifts were given, Precious had her speech to thank the people in her life who loved her-holding back tears and the dancing began. The loud sound system was perfect for the joyous dancing and celebrating. Little kids and big kids, adults and grandparents and even me Grandpa Dave! Precious had several fellow grads come and one of them had an aerosol can and a lighter. Right when the music started she lit a flame that nearly scorched the ceiling and a couple heads but that was exactly what we needed to FUEL the excitement. Everybody got excited and it was the closest thing to a 4^th of July celebration we would experience during our independence day. We all danced with Precious and it was truly her moment. What a model to the younger children in our homes. Then we loaded into the Puda-Puda and off we went for our 3 plus hour drive in the dark back over the same beaten road we had come on. All worth every bump!

I traveled to Senehum, Andy Chinns village that you wade through crotch deep water to get to, for church the next day. Mr Elle and Joseph, Andys dad, greeted us and the service began. I held Baby Andy and sang for Jesus! What a treat, I really feel so close to these people and I feel like I am representing Andy and there is such a deep connection that it really feels like family yet so far away from anything we are used to. Baby Andy had a fever and Musu another girl Andy sponsors had a nasty infection on her foot. We asked them to come back to the clinic with us and get treatment. After lots of talking after church we started leaving. Neanda got Baby Andy ready and Musu held my hand, she was limping badly. I stopped to talk to Idrissi who remembered me from last year and came straight to me to shake my hand and hug me. He was the old Muslim man that I sat on his porch and helped him untangle his fishing nets last year. He smiles so big and wants me to come back to meet his child who he visits in Senehum but I have never seen them. We continued to walk to the edge of the village at the water, Joseph on one hand and Musu on the other. I could never explain how amazing it is to be walked out of a village with people who love you the way they do.

On the way home a Muslim man walked along and started telling me about Jesus the great man and prophet. He was genuinely excited about what he knew about Jesus and I celebrated that with him but I began talking about Jesus the God. He had pieces of it right but he listened as I told him that Jesus not only came as God to die for our sins and then to be resurrected to defeat death but He would return as the King of Kings to rule the new earth and that sin, poverty, hunger, death, disease and corrupt governments would not exist. This man was happy but Im not sure convinced. This was the best part of church for me that day and proof that more church and worship goes on outside the building. Praise God for the many opportunities we have to tell of His God News!!!!!

As we passed through Ngolala on the way home we saw a baby boy and his 6 yr old brother who had both been burned badly by boiling water. The babys face, arm and buttocks had 2^nd to 3^rd degree burns and the older boy had burned the back of his leg just as bad right behind the knee and he couldnt straighten his leg. We encouraged the care-taker to bring them to the clinic. Where is Tanya when you need her? I feel so helpless but do the best I can. I said to Mark that I should have been a doctor and he agreed that he too should have been. But God uses all of us if we are willing.

We got back and the rain started pounding. I got everyone into the clinic and the nurses took over. Musu squeezed my hand and cried as her wound was cleaned and Baby Andy got his medicine for malaria. The burned boys would come tomorrow.

I walked down to the homes where I go for my meals. A quarter mile plus walk down a long hill that I have to walk back up in the dark every night looking for snakes to dodge. The rain let up a little but came down so hard when I got there. It rains harder here than anywhere else I have ever seen. Harder than the Hoh valley in the rain forest on the west side of the Olympics where I have seen it rain 6-10 inches in 24 hours. Many of the interns ran and danced with some of the kids getting completely soaked. How fun!!!

Tuesday the 7^th we went to Mosekie, 6 miles through the jungle to the big river. We got a ride and then crossed the river in a dug-out canoe. We repeated the same health talk but these people were not as receptive. The further out you go the dirtier, more poverty, and more desperate situations you run into. Of course I am splitting hairs but there is a difference and the kids are not used to white man who scares them especially the babies who have never seen white skin. They scream and cry. This trip will be different also because a 3 year old girl who was the size of an infant was brought to us. Mamie looked like a skeleton, extreme malnutrition and didnt look like she would live much longer. Ashley and Christina were shook like all of us but God pulled them together and used their compassion in an amazing way. They made an ORS/oral rehydration solution of 8 parts sugar, 1 part salt in 3 pints of water and began feeding Mamie with a spoon. She took it down like crazy then they took one of the boiled egg yolks we brought for our lunch and fed it one piece at a time to Mamie and she would have eaten so much more. After nearly half of the ORS and the egg yolk she seemed better but this battle has just started. Mamie was left by her mother to die and the Grandmother is now responsible but not doing a very good job. The grandmother blamed the situation on the baby and Nurse Agnes told her she better shut up or she will be turned in to the police for causing this child to die! We convinced her to bring Mamie to the clinic the next day and she came to get Bennie mix for the child. I hope the child gets it and she returns for more later. Oh God Bless these people in the midst of the extreme poverty! I know why she blames the child because she too is starving and she didnt give birth to Mamie. The value on life here is so messed up. I guess this is what a desperate and poverty stricken culture goes through but it is so hard to understand from western culture eyes when you know there is enough resources in the world for this not to happen.

The next day, 8^th , children from our school graduated from nursery school to primary school and primary school to Junior Secondary school. I had the honor to hand out certificates. Oh they looked so cute in their dark blue graduation gowns and caps! Esther, the first child in our home graduated to Junior Secondary school and Aunty Chris and the other house Aunties gathered around her after she gave her speech and Esther cried from all the excitement. I am so proud to these kids grow up and begin to have an amazing impact. They will transform their nation soon!

We left for the mid-summer retreat early on the 9^th. We stopped at Dodo to give another health talk on the way. It was the same talk as before but here too would be another stirring find. After playing with the little kids new born baby mongoose, I think and giving out worm medicine and vitamins as we have at all the talks we were taken to a hut. This Aunty from another village was visiting her relatives and wanted us to see Alfred. He is somewhere between 6 and 10 years old. But he can not walk because he is as skinny as a skeleton literally. We were told Alfred has epilepsy and will not eat anymore. He was left to die in the back of the mud hut. This Aunt is educated enough that she exposed him to us or we would not have been able to do anything. How many are dying all around us that are hidden in the back of a mud hut? Oh the poverty and the dying children!!! God help bring education and resources here in abundance. The people said that the men use the mosquito nets they have for fishing and in the mean time everyone gets malaria. Seems so foolish but they need fish for protein. So the discussion about what to do with Alfred begins. The pastor, Muslim leader and relatives are all asked what they can contribute to helping this dying boy. Dying fast right before our eyes. Christina holds Alfred in her lap and talks to him and touches him and loves him. You would cry so hard to watch this brave young girl hold this dying boy and not worry about how dirty and unlovely he is. She graduated from High school and jumped on a plane the next morning to leave the only comfortable life she knew and now is sitting in the dirt in one of the poorest villages in the poorest country in the world with the highest under 5 mortality rate in the world loving a dying boy!!! Her parents should be very proud of her. The relatives tell us there is no money until the cassava farm begins to produce and they just finished planting. We told the Aunt and mother to gather the food they will need for a trip to the hospital and bring Alfred to our malnutrition clinic Saturday night and we will pay for him to go to the hospital. When we got back from the retreat Saturday night they were at our clinic and I embraced the Aunt and confirmed we will get them to the hospital the next morning. She was so grateful. I cant imagine carrying this 10 yr old boy on your back like a baby on public transport to the hospital. That would be such a long trip for me. I cried for this boy and his Aunt and mom over the shame I would feel to show him all the way to get help. He is in Gondema with a nutritionist and I have not heard back yet but I am sure Alfred will be there for many days until he is strong enough for other doctors to figure out what is wrong exactly.

We got to our retreat at the miners compound only 45 minutes away. These men are mostly from N. Ireland, Marks home, and live most of the year here mining bauxite/aluminum ore. They have a nice compound with air conditioned duplexes, hot and cold running water, yes, hot showers, and a modern kitchen all sitting on a lake. The interns were excited to rest and get recharged to return to take care of Gods work that was still waiting. Cold bucket baths, always sweaty and dodging bugs would have to wait. They gave us 6 rooms so we divided into 2s except it worked out that I got my own room. Too much! 2 nights was more than enough, it would be too easy to get used to this. I came here to sweat and serve but I appreciated the hospitality of the miners. We prayed, worshipped and debriefed over what we all had been exposed to. There was great conversation and I am proud of the servants hearts that are with us. Precious talked through tears about how Banta scares her and liked Freetown more. Her tears were because she has a new found compassion for the people of the villages of Banta and understands why she is here. I was moved to tears because this is what we hope to see in our children, that they would be moved to want to transform their nations and Precious is on track in the name of Jesus! She is our model for achieving education and wanting to give back to their country. Pray that this does not become too much of a burden for her and God gives her the strength to persevere!

We went into Moribatown just 10 minutes away by truck. The miners taxied us to where our older Junior Secondary students are taking the national exams for 2 weeks. They are staying at Galilee Baptist Church a partner of ours. They were so excited to see us and we walked through the town with all of them to see the school where they take the exams. It felt like a parade with people waving and saying Pumaa, it means white man. We were welcome and the kids loved it. We got to talk to the exam leaders and teachers of the school. Nice men and curious about our mission. They were glad to hear we are not an adoption agency and that our children were being raised by nationals to transform their nation. They thanked us for keeping them here after they go to the University. Precious is our first so pray that is how it works out. She starts her first year in September!

We returned Saturday night for dinner with Aunty Chris. Alfred was waiting for his big day the next morning to be given a chance to live. I praise God for my life and for Alfred and Mamie to get healthy!!!

I went to Mogborie for church Sunday the 12^th. I was asked to preach and said yes. I always go prepared because they really want to hear the old white guy preach. I think they just like to hear what we have to say. The gospel message went well and I was able to hold Baby Tanya and Baby Sammcabe. I was told Baby Tanya wasnt doing very well but she was suckling and looked very good, praise God! Her mom I told me she was hungry and I gave her some Leones for rice and walked her home. Her left foot is curved in and she cant walk far. I greeted her Grandma and other relatives. I also went with Erin our girl intern who goes to Mogborie to a blind mans hut. His name is Ernest and he was a Muslim who is now Christian. Erin has spent lots of time with him and he waits for her on his porch Sunday morning to hold his hand and lead him to church. He was converted because of this amazing love and now his wife and others are gradually coming. His wife came from the Liberia border and found Ernest during the rebel war. She stayed by his side dodging bullets from refugee camp to refugee camp. After the war he wanted to return to Banta and she stayed by his side the whole time! Is this undying love? To sit and hear the story told by this man, how he was blinded by a wild dog biting his face and how he survived the war blind being led by his wife. To see this old man, Ernest, wait for this young American girl, Erin, and smile so big when she sits with him and holds his hand all through church and back home. Words cant describe this kind of love. It is the love of Christ that surpasses all understanding. I am thankful to be here and supported by all of you is making a difference. You are all connected to these people and children and are making a difference more than I can ever explain!!!

The kids are coming here right now for primary camp and they will be here until Friday morning. Pray God will snatch them all from the fire and that Jesus will be their Lord and Savior! This is a tight Muslim community and God has lots of work here. Ask Ernest!

I love you all and pray for Tanya and her team who will be here in Banta July 20 God willing. We need lots of medical attention!! God Bless you all!!!!!

Dave

Email from Dave- 7-2-09 THURSDAY

6-23 to 6-30

From 6-20 to 6-29 we have worked our way through sponsorship for Mokpangumba, Mosenesie and Ngolala Village Partnership children in our schools. Nearly 700 children! They all filled out a letter to their sponsors and an annual update form with our interns help. We also took 3 pictures of each child. This is not an easy process.

The nursery and 1^st through 3^rd graders either are too shy or cant speak English and there are only so many translators to go around. They shake their head yes to every question. What is your favorite color? Is it yellow? Yes. Is it Red? Yes. So which is it? This is how they answer every question and there are many on the annual update forms. Then they write a letter to their sponsor and there are certain things we ask them to write about and you are lucky if you get them to write about a couple of them. And most this age cant write very well so we dictate for them. The 4^th through 6th graders are easier to work with but it is still difficult. The 7^th through 9^th graders were a breeze but there are only about 36 of them. Thank God I had Mark Drennan, who is practically a Sierra Leonean from living here all year and Uncle Lawrence our Sponsorship Coordinator along side to lead this endeavor. Now we have to find the children who have been absent or dropped out or got pregnant or are busy working on the family farm or are sick or died or whatever else contributes to the children leaving school in this destitute part of the world. It wont be easy because the children travel by foot from villages that are scattered all over across big rivers and down long trails deep in jungle. This will be harder because they will not be around because school is coming to an end and they are beginning their summer. But we will find them one by one. Pray for us! I hope the sponsors understand how hard we work to get them the pictures and letters! We will do our home children next but they are close to us all the time!

On the 23^th Joseph Behai, Andy Chinns dad from Senehum, came by to great me. I was in Senehum on the 18^th and he was out in the farm so I missed him. We were just passing through. I had pictures for him from me and Andy and I gave them to him. He asked me to come see the farm project so I could report back to Andy. He gave me a hug and I told him I would come soon.

On the 24^th Neanda, baby Andys mom, came by for me to hold the boy. We took pictures and laughed. He is very healthy and cute! Are you reading this Andy? I held your boy and told him you love him!

On the 24^th Frances, the nurse who says she is the sister of Bindu, and delivered Bindus baby, William David Spoon in Jeminga last summer, came by to tell me the boy is doing better. I was asked to name this boy after me after I had prayed for him to be healthy 2 weeks prior to his birth last year. I told her I was sorry for her loss and she cried on my shoulder for a couple minutes. SO SAD! I heard from Mark before I left the USA that the boy was severely malnourished and would soon die. It was announced several days before that I would come to preach and see William David. I ventured to Jeminga on the 28^th and preached at the church there. When Uncle Samuel and I walked into the church during Sunday school, we were late due to the long walk and late start; there was Uncle Boima, Tholley, Ben, Swaray, all Sierra Leoneon teachers and evangelist from COTN, the pastor from Tongay, and all the Jeminga elders. I guess word got around that something was happening? It doesnt take much around here to constitute an event.

I met the care-taker Betty, who says she is the only living relative and Bindus sister. Who is the sister? Her and Frances? Often times the people here say they are brothers and sisters whether they are or not. Maybe because people die so often that the survivors continually reattach themselves. It is hard to know. Kind of like the way the little ones answered sponsorship questions! Baby David looked ok (very handsome and cooed/grunted to me lots) but he has a long way to go and is still pretty skinny, he is the size of an infant and is one year old nearly. His weight is half what it should be at best. He wont be walking anytime soon. She seems to be doing the best she can to feed him but needs help. Her husband is also helping the best he can. I passed around pictures of the people in the church from last year at the end of the service. Bindu, baby William and I were in some of them. They were taken 1 week after his birth last summer 08. Bindu died in March 09.

We all went to Bettys hut after church. We had a discussion on how she was doing and how she was caring for the boy. This was a very hard discussion because she felt like things didnt go right at the COTN clinic months ago and she had an attitude about it. She was challenged about the care she was giving the dying boy. Samuel Ngoneh, one of our very trusted Pastors with COTN, and several of the COTN teachers and evangelist helped with the translation for me. She had taken Baby David Spoon to a hospital where they gave the boy 2 blood transfusions 1 month ago, medicine and she bought some PlumpyNut (expensive compared to Bennie mix), a peanut butter and powdered milk mix that is becoming very instrumental in saving dying infants around the world (google it). So she is trying but she is out of money and no where to turn. I stopped the conversation and said in the name of Jesus the life of this child is more important than what happened or why this boy is where he is now. I encouraged her to come the next morning to the COTN clinic and we would work it out so the boy could live.

I did have a conversation with Aunty Agnes (head nurse), Charles (PA) and Mark (resident cool N. Ireland guy who has learned to communicate so well with this culture and understands pretty well what is going on) before going to Jeminga so I knew what to expect. She agreed to come and then brought out a great African lunch of rice and spicy chicken and sauce for me, all of the pastors and COTN representatives. This is a huge honor and as much as I wanted to give it to the boy and the hungry children and adults around me, it is the right thing to do culturally to eat it. I could only eat a little but it was enough to be polite. There was some left for others who quickly finished it. Then the village brought me a huge stalk of bananas, 3 pineapples and 10 big avocados! This is an even bigger honor or sacrifice, I think.

You have to question the priorities of how food is distributed here and it is hard because of the way the culture is. Questions, questions, questions and few answers that make sense. I feel their strange allegiance to me, the old white man. Maybe because they are so thankful for what COTN is doing or the hope that I will provide for this child and they are thanking in advance or they are genuinely that hospitable and sacrifice for those who are good to them from so far away? I didnt know what to say and asked Uncle Samuel if I could say thanks but leave most of it. They are the ones who need it. He looked at me and said it is a gift and to take it. I have had smaller gifts given to me many times but this was way over the top and took 4 strong men and boys to carry it all the way back to my house on their heads. I believe that Betty is the only living family member left here to take care of David after the long talk and spending the day there. She said she will see me tomorrow!

The next morning I was waiting and at 8:30am she showed up at our clinic on the back of her husbands motorcycle. I welcomed them and led her to the clinic. Charles, our PA, met us and examined David. After weighing him and checking him out he said the boy looked better and was heavier. But not much. At least we are going in the right direction. Charles interviewed her and asked her what she has been doing and if she was able to participate in buying food for the child. She stated that she had a business making and selling stuff, not sure what, and now it was harder because of raising this infant. She said she was out of food for David and began to cry. Betty truly cares for the life of this child but he will be another dead baby if there isnt help.

We gave Betty a couple days of Bennie mix (crushed rice, beans, sesame seeds and peanuts) for David and she left on the motorcycle after I held her hand, hugged her and the boy and said goodbye. She will be back tomorrow with her rice that she crushed and we will make a couple weeks of Bennie mix for the boy. They call him my African son. She says she will come every 2 weeks after that to get more food and to have Davids progress updated. AMEN!

One in three or four children will die before the age of five in Sierra Leone, the highest under five mortality rate in the world (depending on whose stats you read, I believe this is UN stats and is confirmed by our medical staff here). The UN also rates Sierra Leone as the 2^nd highest infant mortality rate in the world. People are numb about death here but they still grieve and are saddened by it. I am not surprised by Davids condition especially in this area but God has put us here to make a difference. I pray for the rest of the world to be moved by God to do what they can. This moves me in ways I cant describe and has an amazing impact on the way I look at life. It helps me understand where I come from and what kind of life I live. Americans, I dont care how poor, will never fully understand the situation here. There is no such thing as welfare, bread lines, soup kitchens, only death for the people group with the least amount of rights in the world, the orphaned child. Especially in Banta, Sierra Leone the worst area in the country with the worst death rate way out in the jungle

We had the teachers team farewell on the night of the 25^th and it rained so hard you could not hear anyone talk or sing. Quami screamed loud enough for people to barely hear. It was a classic Sierra Leone good-bye. Sarah Saunier did a great job leading this team and they did a great job. She lived here for 1 year 06-07 then brought a teacher team back summer 08 and again this summer. She said she would love to come back as one of the intern leaders next year and bring a teacher team. Hum?, Mark and Sarah next year? That would be awesome!

It seems like things here are deeper and more complex than last year for me. People are more familiar with me and I feel they must care more because I returned. I dont know but it is different and I feel like I have a different role with the people. Pray that I adjust ok, continue to look for guidance from the nationals and that I am doing Gods will. I dont want to wreck what God has done through me here. It really seems like I belong and am blessing others and being blessed even more!

God seems to be putting the COTN school boys from the villages that are junior and senior high school age in my path a lot! I have been mentoring, discipling, encouraging, feeding, loving and hanging out with 4 boys in particular. Joseph, Francis, Emmanuel and Albert. 3 of these boys have nothing and are close to going to Senior High but have little or no means to take the tests and pay for school fees. 2 have strayed away and I have encouraged them to get back in school and work hard, to never give up and dont be lazy! These village boys need sponsorship or more sponsorship or we are going to lose them. That would be a shame because they are bright and speak good English. We cant afford to have them disappear when they are this close. It is so hard to tell them that things will be alright if they trust in Jesus and never give up when they are surrounded by such poverty and lack of resources. Please pray for these boyslife is hard for them and we in America would never have to live in the conditions they live in! If they even have a place to live or food to eat.

I have been having a blast visiting with Kadija (our sponsored child), Agnes (Grandma Spoons and Gabe and Linda Smarts sponsored child), Julius Pastor (Grandma Janices, Tanyas mothers sponsored child) and all the beautiful children in our homes! They are alive and well and doing great. I wish all the children who are struggling in this area could be part of a home like COTNs orphan homes. They eat at least 3 times a day, all their school fees are paid, they have unlimited medical and receive so many nice gifts and letters. I know it is impossible to help every need but GOD is much bigger than we will ever know and we have to keep praying for the care of the needy in this world and never turn our backs. God is the Father of the Fatherless (Psalms 68:5) and we are called to be the voice of the voiceless (Proverbs 31:8-9).

Betty returned the next morning, Tuesday the 30^th, just like she said. On foot this time with Henry, a nurse who is looking for employment and has been sent to Jeminga to possibly open a clinic there. She was quite but very thankful and ready to prepare the 2 weeks Bennie mix for handsome David! She had her rice and we provided 1 cup ground nuts (peanuts), 1 cup sesame seeds (bennie) and 1 cup white beans. We started a fire under a thatch roof and put the beans in a big aluminum pot and began stirring. This is to preserve the food by drying it out. We then crushed the beans with a pestle and mortar. I had a long stick and Betty had a long stick and we pounded the beans to dust in this big wood bowl. She sifted and we pounded. She sifted and we pounded. This took a while because we did the same with all four ingredients. The peanuts ended up in a big ball of peanut butter. We put all the ingredients into another bowl and rubbed all four ingredients together into a pile of powder. She will boil the powder in small amounts like oatmeal and feed to the boy in a pap form after it cools. We fed David some Bennie that she already made and he ate so much!!!!!! This is a great sign and Betty said he is eating continuously. His belly was full and hard when she left as I walked her to the road holding her hand and said good-bye. She will bring baby William David every 2 weeks. I will probably go see them before then. I hope Betty is ok. She doesnt say much but Henry assured me she is alright.

6-30-09

Spoke to Dave yesterday. They have had storms and no internet. He has stuff for me to post as soon as they get internet again. He is checking daily so some more stories will be up soon.

He is doing well and working on sponsorship. He has been preaching each Sunday.He got to see William David Lahai (the child named after him) and they are hoping to help with some resources for thatchild. Im sure he hasmore to say about it so I will let you wait until he tells the story, he writes much better than I.

Dave has been working with some of the young men in a village near by, encouraging them to go back to school. Encouraging them to be men of Gods Word.

Please continue to pray forhis safety and his health as well as his leadership.We appreicate all of your prayer.-

EMAIL FROM DAVE 6-22-09MONDAY

We got to London fine then missed our flight to Sierra Leone by 15 minutes! We were rerouted to Nairobi, Kenyayes, the east coast of Africa! But we would only be a day behind and it didnt seem bad. The view was great from the plane, sunrise, mountains etc. After 2 days of travel we arrived in Sierra Leone-yes, the West coast of Afriaca on the 11^th it seemed bad. Swollen ankles, tired etc. Enough planes already and we were missing all of our luggage, 24 pieces to be exact. All the teachers team supplies for school, COTN sponsorship forms and personal stuff all missing. But we were here safe and it felt good to be home. The smell, heat, Krio language, friendly people, stuff being carried on heads, everyone selling something, and Quami, OH it was good to see Quami. He hustled us to a van and rushed us to the ferry. People and vehicles loading from the same place. Bumpers scraping the ground, people stepping in the water to get on the ramp, everybody going to Freetown from the Lungi peninsula to sell their stuff. Fishing boats full of people and more stuff. There is something about all this that makes me very calm, I dont know why? It is very chaotic and in America it would drive me crazy.

We stayed the night at our school in Marjay Town, West Freetown and left early in the morning for Banta. I shared my room with a cockroach the size of the palm of my hand. He stayed out of my bed thank goodness. We got up early and headed for Banta! After we drove for 5 hours, not like the 8-9 hours last year, because the road is paved farther out this year, we turned into the mission site at Banta Mokelle the next day. Our children were lined up down both sides of the red dirt drive, signs of greeting and all smiles. They were singing You are welcome very loud and all of a sudden you knew why you were here for real!!!!!!!!!!!

We drove through like a parade then got out and greeted every child with a hand shake and a hug. Little Pastor, Kadija and Agnes, they were all there. A long line of short girls, of course girls on one side and boys on the other, then a tall girl. I raised my head to see her and it was Mary! Mary, Mary, Mary, you look so beautiful! I was amazed to see Mary Lahai. She was left for dead in her Ngolala hut last year at 15ish. She was the girl Andy Chinn helped carry out of her hut last year all the way to the clinic as she screamed in pain. She eventually had an operation to remove a large abscess in her stomach from money collected from many of us last year. I even mentioned how cool it would be for her to run at camp the next year, not believing it was possible at the time. Mary, Mary, Mary, I couldnt stop and we may very well see her run at camp. We were escorted to the church where we were given a more formal welcome, not as good as what just happen but formal. I spent the next 3 days talking with Mark Drennan, the Northern Irish lad who was an intern last summer but stayed the whole year and will be the intern leader this summer. We had great talks and set up the interns schedule for the summer.

The interns arrived the 16^th to the same fanfare we received and they were blown away. The next 4 days the intern leader, Mark, and I orientated this years interns. We also worked on getting the children in the school to fill out sponsorship letters in the AM. In the afternoons on Thursday the 18^th we went to Ngolala and Senehum. On Friday we went to Mogborie and Monicawe. On Saturday the 20^th we walked to the river 3 miles away through the thick jungle and crossed in a dug out canoe to Mokpangumba. In and out of the jungle through cassava farms. Uncle Spoon could be heard from the farms in the distance many times from the beautiful people who remembered me from last year. Kids and adults greeting you along the way who remembered my name and I remembered so few of their names. It made me feel like I connected with them last year even though I couldnt remember exactly in what way. There are so many that remember you and it is hard for me because I came in contact with so many of them. Of course I remembered many names of those I worked with lots.

In Senehum I was welcomed by many I fell in love with. I went there a lot and felt embraced in a big way. This is the village Andy Chinn has been accepted in as one of the family members because of the way he embraced their culture last year and has been back since to live there several days. In Mogborie I saw baby Tanya. Last year Tanya had her come to our clinic because she was pregnant and had already lost 5-10 kids at birth and she is not very old20s? After examining her Tanya told her she needed to have a C section or this would happen again. Her family pooled the money together and the new child is named Baby Tanya. Boy is she cute and I held her for a long time. Too long, she peed all down my side. It just mixed with all sweat and got a lot of laughs.

At Mokpangumba, after crossing the big river we were welcomed by all 60ish nursery school students singing for us as we entered the thatched roof school. Abu Habib, Charles Moribas grandfather held my hand all the way there. The kids recited 10-15 memeory verses from the bible, then several nursery rhymes followed by a little boy asking a little girl why she goes to school-amazing dialogue! The kids filled out all their sponsorship forms and we took pictures. Head teacher, Mr Foday, Abu Habib (oldest leader) and David Johnny (chief) all walked us to the river to say goodbye. I stopped to get a picture with Abu, Charles and 4 coconuts they gave me before we left. How sweet to be in the lush green jungle again with the snakes, bugs and monkeys. Why does this make me so calm? I thank PaPa God for how he uses me here so far out of my comfort zone. I have to figure out how to always have this calm in America. Is God teaching me something here?

Sunday morning I preached the gospel in the Ngolala church where our school is and enjoyed every minute of the beautiful singing and worship time. How fun to proclaim Gods word in a West Africa Church!!! The mother I prayed for while she was pregnant last year in Jeminga had a baby boy and asked me to name him after myself before I left last year. Bintu, the mother died while I was gone and the boy, William David is dying because of malnourishment. To think that I am the Feeding Coordinator for COTN and this is happening. There is so much work to do! Please pray that God will help work this out and He guides me on how to deal with this in the correct manner so this boy wont die. And if that isnt enough, they have asked for me to preach while I am there. Please pray for me as I go next Sunday to Jeminga to hopefully get this boy on our feeding program at our clinic and preach and worship with this great village.

From the country where 1 in 3 or 4 children will die before they reach 5 years old, the highest under 5 mortality rate in the world and a place that has the 2^nd highest infant mortality rate in the world and we are in the toughest area of this country. I greet you and ask for continued prayer for God to deliver and heal these beautiful people and their country. I cant express how blessed I am to be a part of this Kingdom building process in such a poor area of the world. I love you all and thank you many times over for supporting me in this journey. I will try to keep this up weekly as I continue to do Gods work here.

In His Grip,

Dave

Sunday June 21 7:30 pm

I have spoken withDave a few times in the last week.He is so busy welcoming the interns- who are doing great. He has been working on getting all the details set for my team coming in four weeks.

This week he has been working on sponsorship which means he goes out tothe different villages or schools and gets picturesand updates of the kids that are sponsored. This is for the village partnership program. If you dont know what that is, you need to go towww.cotni.orgcheck it out. There are so many kids to be sponsored. With sponsorship they get school and a meal daily. Its a big deal.

Today on Fathers day, he preached at Ngwala (sp?) church this morning and he got to open hisFathers Day cards that we sent. I got a short email that he loved them.

I have been working on him to send a short story and a picture but with all the different duties he hasright now, he hasn't had time. More to come in a couple days.

Friday June 12 11:00 am

Just spoke toDave. He arrived in Banta at12:00pm which was about 5:00 am our time.He and the teacher team rode in an 15 passengervan which felt luxurious to Dave and the road is paved for overhalf theway there. They made it in about five hours fromMarjaytown.

He arrived to all the school kids in their uniforms lining the sides f the road singing and waving and cheering. All the kids were excited to see him come back. He then did a welcoming and introduction ceremony for heand the teacher team.

He says he feels like he never left. He is so happy to be near our kids. When I spoke to him, he and mark (one year intern that has been in Banta since last year) were sitting in the parlor catching up. Our cook for the summer will be Auntie Chris, she was our cook last year.

They will be getting settlled and start planning for our medical team's arrival. Im so glad he is there ahead of me.

Im getting excited to go knowing that he is there....

ThursdayJune 11th 10:00 pm

Got a phone call from Dave -he left a message (I'm sad I didnt get to talk to him). A very simple message.

"Im safe in Marjaytown (outside of Freetown), Im tired, my ankles and feet are swollen, Im tired, and Im going to bed. I love you, wish I could have heard your vioce".

Ill let you know and new news when I speak to him hopefully tomorrow.

Wednesday June 10 5:00 pm

Got the word that Davedidnot get the flight out of London. He should have arrived in Freetown at 12:00 pm our time. I think he is on a flight to Kenya then to Sierra Leone but I think all the luggage stayed in London. Please pray that they arrive and that their luggage arrives prior to the interns and/or that their luggage arrives. Cant wait to hear from him and about this part of his adventure. God is Good!!!

Tuesday June 9th

Dave flew out today for Sierra Leone. He took American Airlines to Chicago he will then fly from Chicago to London and the London to Sierra Leone.

Please pray for his safety. ...Ill keep you posted on any news. Please check this site often.