Embroidered African elephants

Oh, Freetown! This morning my team returned from Banana Island where we spent 3 days of relaxation and reflection. This mini-retreat was planned to mark the 2 month anniversary of our trip; we are now officially half way done with our Servant Team. Banana Island is not far; it took us a one and a half hour car ride to get to the wharf at Kent beach, and a 20 minute boat ride to reach the island shore. We stayed at Dalton's Banana Guest House (pretty neat huh??). It rained the first night, and the roofs leaked :) But the beach was beautiful and Dalton and his wife and kids treated us so kindly. Being on an island, they catch a fair amount of seafood every day. So yes, yours truly tried for the first time and truly enjoyed lobster, crab and barracuda! I could barely believe it myself!

Monday morning, the poda-podas went on strike in Freetown(podas are the main mode of transport, exactly like the matatus in Nairobi, for those of you that have been faithfully reading this blog of mine!) Steph, Chris and I go into town for a Monday morning all-staff meeting and breakfast, and yesterday was our turn to get there early and buy bread, fruit, oats, sardines (I admit they're not that bad) and boiled eggs for everyone, but because of the strike, we walked a full hour from Murray Town to downtown, with guitar in tow!

But what was really neat is that everyone was walking. The various crowds of school kids - distinguishable by their different bright uniform styles and patterns - fruit sellers and bread sellers, carpenters and tailors, everyone on their way to work. It kind of felt like a community event! It's typical for people to yell "white man! white girl!" or make "Sssss" noises with their teeth until we look their way, but yesterday morning we were also approached by friendly faces, some friends of ours and some new acquaintances.

Memories of the war are never far from what you see day to day. Though it has been easy to forget the war, for me, as a visitor. Meaning, it's not on my mind all the time. Yet, you do wonder with each Sierra Leonean that you meet where they were and how they fared during the war. Just today our Krio teacher shared some of her war experiences with us. The bullets firing, homes and people burning, it's too much to imagine living through. (Read "A Long Way Gone" for a boy's retelling of his life during the civil war). Even with the youth I tutor, as I meet with Papane, Santigie and Victoria during the week, I cannot assume anything about their current and past situations - whether their parents and siblings are alive or the degree of harmony in their home lives. All I know is that the war has left deep scars inside each of them, and I am thankful we get to see each other on such a regular basis. I am trying still to be as effective a teacher I can be. Please keep praying for us in this endeavor!

One of the Lighthouse boys, Sheku, is a tailor and loves to make bags. I asked him to repair my Indian elephant bag a few weeks ago, and he came up with an amazing creation - a new bag with a whole new elephant etched into it, using African colors and patterns to fill in the body of the elephant. I could tell he was very pleased with the work he did. I love having this memento of how WMF (Word Made Flesh) has helped these kids through vocational training, allowing them to make a living and do work they enjoy and can take pride in.

Returning to the bustle of the city definitely left an impression this morning. The loud music, traffic, wheelbarrows tumbling along the uneven roads coming straight for you every other second... It felt like our first couple days here in Freetown! We haven't gone back to the Zizers yet, but please keep praying for us, for peace and strength coming from the Lord every part of every day.

Thank you all ~ "We go see back!" (See you later! in Krio) :)

Freetown