Calling all volunteers! We’re rolling out the red carpet for you! Join us for a great night of fun and celebration on Wednesday, June 12 at 7:00pm. Use this form to RSVP. See you there!

RSVP

She’s one of the most popular performers today. Her songs top the charts time and time again. Because of her giftedness and opportunities, she lives on a stage few people will ever experience. But there’s something about her life that everyone can relate to, no matter who we are. In this message we will discover the Bible has something to say to Katy Perry. And as we hear about her past and discover what God has in store for her future, we will see some very telling lines that are actually meant for our lives.

It’s the longest Tuesday ever when you leave Africa in the morning (actually Monday morning), try to sleep on the airplane as we travel overnight towards home.

On our layover in Brussels, we had a 4 AM debriefing meeting discussing all the things we hope and pray we can do to follow up and improve the physical and spiritual life of our adopted village of Katherie in Sierra Leone. As we write this, we are boarding the plane in Newark hoping for a safe last leg of our trip home.

Thank you for your prayers for this trip and continue praying for success.

This morning was our last time we got to spend with our Katherie Village and how appropriate that it was Sunday! We were welcomed once again with their singing while four young boys played the drums. We worshiped with our new family outside under the mango tree.

Pastor Samuel talked about planting seeds….this seemed to be our theme for the week. We literally gave them seeds for planting this week and we also talked last night amongst our group that we were planting spiritual seeds.

Pastor “White Queen Mama”, Kris Dekker, followed next giving her personal testimony and sharing the Bridge to Life lesson of how Jesus and the cross are the only way to bridge the separation between us and God.  We witnessed a few new and innovative ways to collect the offering which we will be sharing with Wes when we get home.

The Village women fed us lunch of chicken over rice before we set off for our 3 hour trip back to Freetown.   It was hard to say good- bye but we told them that many more of you would be coming from Daybreak in the months to come.

We’ve just finished our dinner over-looking the Atlantic and the transport boats shuttling people across the bay. We’re finally winding down and looking forward to seeing your smiling faces when we return. Please pray for our safe travel home and we’ll see you soon!

She’s one of today’s most popular television personalities. She is known for her humor, her wit and her charm. For a living, she interviews the most famous people in the world and has fun doing it. Next week in Wes Dupins message, he will look at what happen in a one to one conversation between Ellen DeGeneres and the ultimate guest, Jesus Christ. And as we peek into this interview we discover some things that are really meant for our lives.

Today was a fantastic Vacation Bible School (and more…more later) complete with a surprise ROCKIN’ sound system. Here we roll up in the middle of the Sierra Leone jungle in Katharie with no electricity for miles and they have a DJ cranking up African pop tunes (powered by a gas generator) hundreds of our new best friends dancing up a storm. After we all settled in, the children sang some fantastic Sunday school songs. Next up Tim Batdorff lead storytime with the book A Hat For Ivan complete with a hat making craft. Next Kris Dekker led everyone in a few Sunday school songs from the US. The Katharie kids did a skit that was hilarious even though we had no idea what was going on. Then Ron Van Timmeren and interpreter Pastor Samuel read Heaven Is For Real for the group. Lunch for 300 was next…served up by five village women (rice and “soup”). After lunch we handed out gifts for the town leaders and all the children. Then there was a dance contest. Those kids can dance!! White man Tim wasn’t bad either (video to come). The grand finale was a futbol (soccer) game with USA vs. Katherie. While the Chief of the Village and white queen Kris Dekker sat together watching, the USA team with Tim as keeper and Ron on defense, USA won 3 – 2. Ok, Tim recruited some ringers from the village. A good time was had by all. We said goodbye and ” see you in church tomorrow”. We just finished dinner and we’re pooped. After church we head back to Freetown. Stay tuned!

The next question Tim Batdorff asked our hosts from Katherie that served us lunch today was how does one eat a chicken head. We have fallen in love with our adopted village people and wanted to eat what they served…it was actually delicious -  they just use all the chicken parts.

Today our main goal was the distribution of ground nuts (peanuts) which is a staple crop for both consumption and sale. Each farmer will use them for seeds for planting before the rainy season (June – August). Peanuts, rice and mangos provide the bulk of their income and food. They raise chickens for meat.

We toured the fields they are preparing for planting the ground nuts. It’s brutal, back breaking work…all by hand – in 90 plus degree heat. First they cut down the brush, then they control burn the field followed by stump clearing and hand-tilling before planting. We explored the village source of water which was a shallow well of grey water or a stagnant pool. Not sanitary or clean but they survive. We continue to bond with our adopted village as Kris Dekker handed out prayer shawls to a blind man and others, saying prayers for each of them.

After we left the village we made several stops to see how other villages are raising chickens, storing grain, building schools and other projects.

Before we returned to the hotel we visited the grave site of the first missionaries that came to Sierra Leone in the late 180′s. They didn’t live long in this hostile land…mostly because of malaria. One headstone said “We have done the best we knew. We leave the rest to God”

We are doing our best to be missionaries representing Daybreak here in Sierra Leone. Our hope is to preach the gospel through Vacation Bible School tomorrow and Sunday as Kris preaches in church in Sunday. God Bless Us All!!

Tell Them That You Love Them. Put Your Arms Together and Praise The Lord!! That was the song nearly 200 children sang to us as we arrived in our adopted village of Katherie. It was a truly amazing, emotional and blessed moment to be welcomed so wholeheartedly be an entire village of over 400 people.

After this prolonged welcome with much singing and smiling we were invited to a village meeting where the Chief, the Pastor and other leaders of the village took turns introducing themselves, thanking us profusely and sharing their needs with us and the two World Hope leaders who accompanied us.

The needs are many and basic…like clean drinking water and slates for school children – but also the need for bigger church which is now a stick walled/ thatched roof structure with only  enough room for about half of the people who want to attend (since the church has grown from 70 to 140 attendees). This Christian church is growing despite the Chief and others in the village who are Muslims.

Our main project today was the distribution of 180 mosquito nets…one for each sleeping space in the village. We literally went door to door handing out nets that will save villagers from contacting malaria from mosquito bites. Living conditions defy description – especially compared to the opulent conditions of us Westerners.

The heat and emotion of this day got the best of us and we returned to Makeni by mid afternoon and began making plans for our return tomorrow.

Tommow is going to be another big day…plan to check this blog tomorrow for news of how God’s will and your prayers are making a difference andimproving lives in Africa!!