Special women...outstanding hospitality

Special women greeted us from the moment we first arrived in Freetown.  How can we every say "thank you" to Matilda?   Matilda is the United Methodist Women's Organization (UMWO) national president of Sierra Leone.  She greeted us at noon our first day with the women of West District preparing a  wonderful lunch. 

She then sent us back to the hotel for a bit of rest before we all returned to the church for some sigining, dancing and refreshments that evening.   Such joy they shared as they welcomed us to their country, church and community life.  



Randie, Vickie, Miss Lauren (director of WTC) , Matilda

Thanks Matilda.   She had so much to be doing in preparation for their annual meeting but she made time for us nearly each and every day.   Traveling with us to Konomusu to visit the Women's Training Center was just the best and returning with little time remaining to repack for the 7 day UMWO Annual Convention was sure to make her weary but we never knew that.   We couldn't have done it without her.   THANK YOU for everything.   We are still basking in the glow of RADICAL HOSPITALITY.   
Meeting the women who come to the WTC was one of our highlights.   Great work is being done to lift women and families out of poverty and into a life with dignity. Thanks UMW and UMWO.    

   

Message from Bishop Yambasu and more

Dear Vicki and all all my sisters on the 2012 Ubuntu team to Sierra Leone,

A big THANK YOU to all of you for choosing to come and share with us the love of Christ in Sierra Leone. You may not have known this but you all were a true blessing to all the women with whom you came in contact a tthe various places you visited. Thank you also for enduring the our Bumpy roads, hot and humid weather, mosquitoes and for sharing meals you may never have eating before all in the name of Jesus Christ. You warmed our hearts and made us feel that we are because you are and that you are because we are. Thank you for the light you brought into our lives and the joys you shared.Together with God, we all learnt what it means to "launch out into the deep" and by the grace of God, we will commit ourselves to doing just that.

May the joy of Christmas and the peace of a blessed new year be yours
now and always.    Bishop Yambasu

Vickie writes: 

As we continue to de-brief, un-pack and 'launch out' into our ordinary daily lives, we come to know God has surely imparted to us anything BUT an ordinary life! We have experienced the EXTRA ordinary and this experience is now part of who we are, in mind, body and spirit.

We are working to get in the spirit of Christmas after having such wonderful times, meaningful encounters, and making incredible new friends through Christ.   I really think our season of Advent began on December 2 when we departed on our Ubuntu Journey.  When asked how our new friends from SL celebrated Christmas, nearly everyone said....by attending church and sharing a meal with family and friends.   For us Northern folks, to be thinking and decorating and planning for Christmas seemed different.   Don't we have to be cold when doing so?   Enjoy the Christmas store we passed in Freetown.  Merry Christmas wherever you are.   

Santa is way over dressed... only about 90 degrees that day.

 

 

Being in the spirit of Ubuntu

Whenever there was singing, there was dancing.   Worship
is experienced fully.  

Gathered in a shady spot, the "Pink House" discussed issues
of gender equality and violence against women. Rita and Randie
lead  a discussion with biblical input and small group discussion.    

One day the USA Ubuntu team lead workshops for the UMWO membership gathered for their annual meeting.  We were facilitators and found common ground for our concerns in issues discussed and studied.    

Many of these women have also great expeiences with School of Christian Mission (now Mission U) studies.   UMW leadership empowers women throuigh education. 

 

 

 

 

 

We have much to be share with our women at home about how eager these women are for the opportunity to come together.   Remember.. this is their annual meeting.  It lasts for 7 days and some women walked for 3 days to arrive in time.  

 

In the weeks ahead, this blog will tell the story of the women's ministries that our Mission Pledge supports in Sierra Leone.   We are supporting amazing projects  and giving hope to many.  Hope you will return after the holidays to learn more about these projects.    

 

40 plus sets of knitting needles were put to use teaching
women to knit.   A big hit thanks to Mary and Cindy.

Some adventures never end

What a way to bring to a close our Ubuntu Journey to Sierra Leone!!!     We've been 8 since December 2 and for awhile we were going out 2 by 2.   

 

As we rode the ferry to the airport we had heard rumblings that our plane was going to be delayed 5 hours.    We were on the 2 o'clock ferry to make our 8:00 p.m. flight so another 5 hours seemed long.   IT WAS!!  

 

It began to be appearant that our flight was not going to depart at 1:00 a.m.  The new word that was spread about was our flight would depart at 3:15 a.m.    What's another few hours?    Hot and tired all 8 entered the plane and were on our way to Brussel's by 4:00 a.m. and only dreamed of making the connecting flight to Chicago.

Well, it was a nightmare turned into a dream as we arrived in Brussel's just a few minutes after the plane to Chicago departed. So the nightmare of ticketing (along with several other delayed passengers) the 8 of us.   As I write this afternoon we are praying Carol and Sally have found their way to the US as directed.   Bonnie, Vickie, Cindy, Rita, Mary, and Randie have been given a new lease on life...they have to spend the night in the Brussell's Airport Sheraton Hotel.   We are enjoying showers, a great drink of refreshing water in the midst of cooler temperatures.  This is not how we had planned to bring the actual journey to a close.

 

Please continue to lift us up in prayer as we one by one are once again home.   

 

 

The Day of Ubuntu

After our worship and commissioning, women of the conference were sent out in our "house" groups to villages around Lunsar on Wednesday. Women attending the convention had brought items from home to share with the families in the villages. Lots of blue bags had been prepared until 3 in the morning to be carried on this day.
Having no control over the photo placement, you should find Cindy in a sea of yellow and green shirts and all with blue bags on their heads. You will also see Matilda from the pink house all ready for the journey to the village assigned to pink. Another photo shows a woman (yellow) getting her offering adjusted for the walk. Another photo shows a proud young man sporting a new suit of clothing. Thanks Rita for capturing that moment.
The Day of Ubuntu was an amazing journey and what made it amazing was it was shared with our sisters in Sierra Leone. Memories were made, friendships were deepened and we will be moved as we continue to pray for and with our new family. We are one in the spirit...we are one in The Lord.

As you can tell, we are back in Freetown

We traced just 4 hours today and two of those hours were just getting through Freetown traffic. Unbelievable! Doesn't seem to matter the time of day... Traffic is bad and it isn't all vehicle traffic. Street vendors and shoppers make their way through the narrow streets as well.

UMWO 1st morning.

After arriving Monday afternoon we got settled in to the Baptist Retreat Center for the Annual UMWO Convention. The evening service ... No words to describe it. All of the Sierra Leonean Women were dressed in white, and we had worn dark skirts and white tops with a red scarf. The service was beautiful, full of the spirit of women inspired by God's call to make a difference in the world.
On Tuesday morning we dressed in our special house shirts. A house was a way of grouping the women for the conference and throughout the year. Two by two we were divided between the 4 houses. Great way to build community among the women at the conference. We were blessed.  When I return home I will use a different team picture...one that includes "green" Vickie.
To open the morning session we gathered as houses and marched into town singing choruses.
In the pink house one of the cooks got our singing started in full swing. Mary didn't have her pink shirt  on as she was to be cleaning up from breakfast. Sing Mary, sing... Her joy was every where. Thanks for getting us in tune. Not long after that photo of Mary was taken , someone reminded her of her responsibilities and off she went to serve us all.