Greetings family and friends,
For many reasons, my fifteen days in West Africa felt like fifty. Thankfully, Joyce and the kids were well taken care of back home with her parents even flying in to play. On the other side of the ocean, it was a rich time of serving, exploring possibilities, and seeing God at work in the lives of so many people. Niger and Sierra Leone are two of the poorest countries on earth and, as a result, have certain similarities. However, the two countries differ remarkably in many ways as well. Niger is a hot, dry, conservative Muslim nation in which the ever-present red dust punishes the sinuses. It is a harsh place softened only by the common language - French - that is shared among the tribes. Sierra Leone is a verdant, mountainous land blessed with abundant natural resources, albeit deadly water supplies, and a colorfully expressive culture. Yet, the beauty of the land stands in stark, confounding contrast to the extreme poverty and despair found in this English-speaking nation rent by war.
I've wrestled with how to communicate my experiences in Niger and Sierra Leone with you and decided to share about a few of the lives that touched mine on this journey.
Sanda is a 21 year old Fulani man who lives in a tiny village in southwestern Niger. He is a goatherd of someone else's goats, allowed to live on the land for his service. Sanda is married, but not yet allowed to live with his wife. He is a slight young man, looking more like 15, but has a gentle spirit and a servant's heart. He is one of only 20 believers in Christ within a several mile radius in his region of the country. His eyes displayed an eagerness for God's Word that sparked my soul.
Adamou, 49 is also a Fulani who lives in Niger's capital city Niamey. He is a tall and quiet man like most Fulani, but he is passionate about the Gospel and makes friends easily. He and his wife and three kids live in a house that couldn't be more than 400 square feet and they struggle to make ends meet on her sewing income and his teaching out in the villages. He is a courageous man of conviction.
Phillip, 18 lives outside of Freetown in western Sierra Leone. He was orphaned at the age of two when his entire family was burned in a hut during the civil war. Phillip has participated in the Orphan Sponsorship Program for the past four years and wants to become a lawyer. He has a big, broad smile and wisdom beyond his years. His innocent heart is a salve in a nation deeply marred by corruption.
Hawa, 16 was left to die of neglect in a hut after losing her baby and suffering a labor-related injury called an obstetric fistula. She had no access to prenatal or obstetric care and was cast aside like a tattered doll. She was rescued by a nurse from an organization called WAFF and brought to a hospital ward in Bo, Sierra Leone where she was nursed back to health. She then had her fistula fixed by one of only two surgeons in the country capable of doing so. Soon she will have her life back.
Sam is a middle-aged man who is a key partner of ours in Sierra Leone. He heads a non-profit development organization, runs a primary/secondary school, leads a theological school, and pastors a church. Sam is a wise, patient man who has an equally gifted wife as his partner in many of his projects. Oh, and they have five kids! Somehow, his life has been multiplied many times over as a blessing to his countrymen.
I thank God that my life intersected these lives and many others on this last trip. I'm even more thankful that it doesn't have to end there.
Aaron Pierce
Executive Director
Restore Hope
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