Sunday, February 26, 2012
Day "Something"
The days blend together. Justin Monts here blogging. Today was our last official day of public teaching, though John Smith will bring a lesson on Wednesday night before we leave. The day started off unappealing as David spotted a roach crawling through the bread at the breakfast bar and we chose rather then to have a smaller, more restricted breakfast. David and John went to Priscilla Street, and David preached. I went to Wellington and preached there. Afterwards, brother John Kargbo took me to see the Disabled Camp in Grafton. There is a church that meets here that is supposed to be a church of Christ but we were unable to find it. The one who knows about it, Peter Barnett, was not at the church in Wellington long enough to be able to assist us in locating it. I got to meet many victims of polio though and many were friendly and welcomed pictures being taken. John then took me to a Disabled House within Freetown. I was given a tour of the place and got to visit with many there. I finally got back to the hotel at 4 pm and was beat and dehydrated from having been out in the sun and on the dusty roads. It was a relief to be able to relax the rest of the evening. Tomorrow and on Tuesday and Wednesday we have studies scheduled with various men here at the hotel. It will be nice to stay within the cooler room to talk with them and encourage them in their faith. We are so looking forward to being done with the work and being back with our loved ones in the States. Please keep praying for this all-important work. Your servant in Christ, Justin
Saturday, February 25, 2012
We have finished our lectures at Priscilla Street! John, Justin, and I were relieved to accomplish this. It has been a profitable two weeks and equally exhausting. Tomorrow John and I will worship at Priscilla Street. Justin will worship at Wellington.
We have Bible studies scheduled for Monday and Tuesday next week. We are hoping to spend some time with some of the men of the congregation to help them. We will study I & II Timothy and Titus. There are good Christians in this part of the world. They have good hearts and are capable of doing the Lord's work. We intend only to help stabilize them in the faith.
We have Bible studies scheduled for Monday and Tuesday next week. We are hoping to spend some time with some of the men of the congregation to help them. We will study I & II Timothy and Titus. There are good Christians in this part of the world. They have good hearts and are capable of doing the Lord's work. We intend only to help stabilize them in the faith.
Friday, February 24, 2012
The baptistery is finished! The brethren at Priscilla Street have been repairing their baptistery since before we arrived. We have had to teach most mornings while work was being done behind us. When we got to the building today, three people were filling the finished baptistery one bucket of water at a time. Each bucket of water was filled from the public fountain and carried on their heads to the building. As soon as the baptistery was filled, Tommy Willis was baptized into Christ for the remission of sins. I cannot imagine a better way to start a Bible study!
Today, brother Theophilus Kartuche preached. He taught a lesson on the Fruit of the Spirit. Brother Kartuche presented a great lesson. He and brother Christian Asgill are excellent Bible teachers. Priscilla Street is greatly blessed by their diligent work. We were happy to work them into our lectures the past two days.
Tomorrow is our last day of lectures. John, Justin, and I will be preaching on the theme of "Choices."
Today, brother Theophilus Kartuche preached. He taught a lesson on the Fruit of the Spirit. Brother Kartuche presented a great lesson. He and brother Christian Asgill are excellent Bible teachers. Priscilla Street is greatly blessed by their diligent work. We were happy to work them into our lectures the past two days.
Tomorrow is our last day of lectures. John, Justin, and I will be preaching on the theme of "Choices."
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Greetings from Freetown, Sierra Leone. Today seemed to be the hottest day we have experienced. It was about 91 degrees with 70 percent humidity. The building where we preach is essentially an open air auditorium. There are fans, but it is quite uncomfortable. The weather creates an additional challenge to each day.
We are nearing the end of our lectures at Priscilla Street. Tomorrow and Saturday will be our last sessions. Sunday, John and I will be at Priscilla Street and Justin will go to Wellington. Next week, we are planning to have private studies with some of the men of the congregation at our hotel. We are all starting to look forward to next Thursday when we start our travel home.
Today, we had one of the men of Priscilla Street preach: Christian Asgill. He preached about the struggle to bury the old man of sin. Brother Asgill is a knowledgeable student of the Bible and an powerful preacher. The three of us were encouraged to hear him preach. Tomorrow one of the other teachers of the congregation will speak: Theophilus Kartusche.
David Flatt
We are nearing the end of our lectures at Priscilla Street. Tomorrow and Saturday will be our last sessions. Sunday, John and I will be at Priscilla Street and Justin will go to Wellington. Next week, we are planning to have private studies with some of the men of the congregation at our hotel. We are all starting to look forward to next Thursday when we start our travel home.
Today, we had one of the men of Priscilla Street preach: Christian Asgill. He preached about the struggle to bury the old man of sin. Brother Asgill is a knowledgeable student of the Bible and an powerful preacher. The three of us were encouraged to hear him preach. Tomorrow one of the other teachers of the congregation will speak: Theophilus Kartusche.
David Flatt
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Angels Are Singing!
John Smith with a blog post:
Shush ... Be very quiet ... can you hear them? Angels are singing chorus of rejoicing as another precious soul has been added to Christ. Elijah Koroma was baptized into Christ this evening in the bath tube of our hotel room.
Elijah is a wonderful young man with a great story. He was raised a Muslim, but as a teenager left the Muslim faith because he saw the falacy of that faith. He did so even though his parents objected to it. Elijah said he had to obey God, not man. He later became a member of the Anglican Church and was sprinkled there thinking he had been baptized.
Last week Bro Jerry Lewis was walking near the house where Elijah lives and saw Elijah reading his Bible. Jerry asked him, "Do you understand what youare reading?" Elijah said no and Jerry began to study with him. Last week Jerry brought Elijah to our room for a study that went very well. Since that study Elijah has attended nearly every study at Priscilla Street (with the exception of when he was working and one day he was sick).
Elijah came to our room this evening for a study and brought a backpack with him. Being the perceptive individual that I am I never noticed the backpack. We studied for about 1/2 hour and I asked elijah if he was thinking of being baptized. He said,"No I am not thinking about baptism I want to be baptized." Thus, we wasted no time getting our tub ready and baptized him into Christ. As wigh the eunuch he went on his way to work, rejoicing!
It has been a great day. May the Lord be praised!!
Shush ... Be very quiet ... can you hear them? Angels are singing chorus of rejoicing as another precious soul has been added to Christ. Elijah Koroma was baptized into Christ this evening in the bath tube of our hotel room.
Elijah is a wonderful young man with a great story. He was raised a Muslim, but as a teenager left the Muslim faith because he saw the falacy of that faith. He did so even though his parents objected to it. Elijah said he had to obey God, not man. He later became a member of the Anglican Church and was sprinkled there thinking he had been baptized.
Last week Bro Jerry Lewis was walking near the house where Elijah lives and saw Elijah reading his Bible. Jerry asked him, "Do you understand what youare reading?" Elijah said no and Jerry began to study with him. Last week Jerry brought Elijah to our room for a study that went very well. Since that study Elijah has attended nearly every study at Priscilla Street (with the exception of when he was working and one day he was sick).
Elijah came to our room this evening for a study and brought a backpack with him. Being the perceptive individual that I am I never noticed the backpack. We studied for about 1/2 hour and I asked elijah if he was thinking of being baptized. He said,"No I am not thinking about baptism I want to be baptized." Thus, we wasted no time getting our tub ready and baptized him into Christ. As wigh the eunuch he went on his way to work, rejoicing!
It has been a great day. May the Lord be praised!!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Day 8 in Freetown
John Smith with a blog entry:
Another dear soul was baptized into Christ today. "David" is a very earnest and spiritually hungry young man. I do not have a picture of him as I left early having "hit the wall"and needing to rest.
David presented a great lesson on What Constitutes Scriptural Baptism. It was after this lesson that David asked if he could be baptized. It was a great lesson - presented in a very easily understandable way.
David is doing great work. His natural friendliness is making him a "fan favorite." All the brethren love him and gravitate to him. We are fortunate to have a young man of such great talent on the trip. His contribution is indespensible.
Justin spoke of Common Denominational Abuse of Scripture. It was an expose of Calvinism. The brethren wee introduced to some words they had never heard before, but listened intently. I can't say enough about Justin's courage in going to Kailuhn over the weekend. He has a genuine passion for evangelism.
I spoke on the Similitudes with a special emphasis upon encouraging the brethren to look beyond their own congregation to see where the gospel can be planted or watered. Tomorrow we will deal with sexual sin and divorce from the Sermon on the Mount.
Hope to write more tomorrow of spiritual victories in Sierra Leone.
Another dear soul was baptized into Christ today. "David" is a very earnest and spiritually hungry young man. I do not have a picture of him as I left early having "hit the wall"and needing to rest.
David presented a great lesson on What Constitutes Scriptural Baptism. It was after this lesson that David asked if he could be baptized. It was a great lesson - presented in a very easily understandable way.
David is doing great work. His natural friendliness is making him a "fan favorite." All the brethren love him and gravitate to him. We are fortunate to have a young man of such great talent on the trip. His contribution is indespensible.
Justin spoke of Common Denominational Abuse of Scripture. It was an expose of Calvinism. The brethren wee introduced to some words they had never heard before, but listened intently. I can't say enough about Justin's courage in going to Kailuhn over the weekend. He has a genuine passion for evangelism.
I spoke on the Similitudes with a special emphasis upon encouraging the brethren to look beyond their own congregation to see where the gospel can be planted or watered. Tomorrow we will deal with sexual sin and divorce from the Sermon on the Mount.
Hope to write more tomorrow of spiritual victories in Sierra Leone.
Day 8 - Reflections on the trip to Kailahun
Greetings from Sierra Leone,
Justin Monts is writing this blog. I wanted to comment further on the trip to Kailahun. The trip was exhausting but spiritually rewarding. Jerry and I took a bus to Kenema and from there we hopped in a car with several others seeking to go to Kailahun. Jerry had me take the window seat in front. There was a woman sitting in between me and the driver and so I was squished against the door, sitting sideways with my bottom on the door itself. We rode like this for four hours. The roads were extremely bumpy and dust flew freely into the car. I kept the window down to avoid suffocating in the heat. The roads were narrow and tall grass and twigs whipped against my arms and face as the driver sped along. It was a huge relief to finally arrive and be greeted by brother Lansana! The first hotel they took me to was not really a hotel but what appeared to be a woman's house. She did not have air conditioning or hot water and I stressed that coming from the States, such would be extremely helpful, at least for the first day. (I wanted to see if my body could acclimate to the environment before risking complete exhaustion and fatigue under the hot African sun.) They then took me to another place where there was air conditioning. But this place wanted to charge extra for hot water. Brother Jerry was angry at them, for he knew they made that rule when they saw that I was a white man, but I told him not to worry and that the room with cold water would be fine.
The next day (Sunday) brother Lansana met us to take us to the radio station. He flagged over two boys on motorbikes to drive us. My mother would have had a heart attack if she saw me riding on the back of the motorbike on the dangerous roads, having no helmet available to put on. Along the way, little children would run out of huts and mud brick houses shouting, "Pomweh!! Pomweh!! Pomweh!!" I told the driver I had already heard that word before and asked if they were saying hello. He laughed and said, "No, they are saying 'White Man! White Man! White Man!'"
We got to the station but (sadly) they were having technical difficulties so we could not get any air time. That was unfortunate for I was hoping to bring a short talk about the One Body (Eph. 4:4). From the station we went to the meeting house where we greeted the brethren. They were so excited for our arrival and touched that we made a sacrifice to be there. Lord willing, I will be able to see them again next year with brother Jerry and be able to conduct preacher training sessions for them.
On the return journey we took a van back from Kenema. It was quite scary when a man got on offering Islamic prayers in exchange for financial compensation. Brother Jerry challenged him saying if you want to pray for people just pray for people but do not ask for their money. In a country of extreme poverty Jerry gets upset at such exploitation for he knows many of these people will pay for the prayers though they are struggling just to survive. The Muslim man got upset at Jerry and shouted at him but then continued with his appeal to the rest in the van. Then, he raised his hands up and started in song and quoted a prayer from the Koran in Arabic. All around me I saw hands going up as the people prayed with him. (It was a reminder that nearly 70% of the country is Muslim.) And sure enough, after his prayer he collected from the travelers. I was also surprised when two women got on with live chickens tied at their feet. One sat by me and on the long drive back I felt the chicken brushing up against my feet. (Jerry tells me goats have been taken on these vans.) In America a van like this would only hold nine (at most!) but I am sure there were about 40 on there. I could not move. Bags of rice and tubs of palm wine and palm oil were slid under our feet. I had to put my luggage on my lap and that killed the circulation in my legs. It was a very rough journey ... and I'm glad to be back in Freetown.
Signing off from Sierra Leone,
Your servant,
Justin
Justin Monts is writing this blog. I wanted to comment further on the trip to Kailahun. The trip was exhausting but spiritually rewarding. Jerry and I took a bus to Kenema and from there we hopped in a car with several others seeking to go to Kailahun. Jerry had me take the window seat in front. There was a woman sitting in between me and the driver and so I was squished against the door, sitting sideways with my bottom on the door itself. We rode like this for four hours. The roads were extremely bumpy and dust flew freely into the car. I kept the window down to avoid suffocating in the heat. The roads were narrow and tall grass and twigs whipped against my arms and face as the driver sped along. It was a huge relief to finally arrive and be greeted by brother Lansana! The first hotel they took me to was not really a hotel but what appeared to be a woman's house. She did not have air conditioning or hot water and I stressed that coming from the States, such would be extremely helpful, at least for the first day. (I wanted to see if my body could acclimate to the environment before risking complete exhaustion and fatigue under the hot African sun.) They then took me to another place where there was air conditioning. But this place wanted to charge extra for hot water. Brother Jerry was angry at them, for he knew they made that rule when they saw that I was a white man, but I told him not to worry and that the room with cold water would be fine.
The next day (Sunday) brother Lansana met us to take us to the radio station. He flagged over two boys on motorbikes to drive us. My mother would have had a heart attack if she saw me riding on the back of the motorbike on the dangerous roads, having no helmet available to put on. Along the way, little children would run out of huts and mud brick houses shouting, "Pomweh!! Pomweh!! Pomweh!!" I told the driver I had already heard that word before and asked if they were saying hello. He laughed and said, "No, they are saying 'White Man! White Man! White Man!'"
We got to the station but (sadly) they were having technical difficulties so we could not get any air time. That was unfortunate for I was hoping to bring a short talk about the One Body (Eph. 4:4). From the station we went to the meeting house where we greeted the brethren. They were so excited for our arrival and touched that we made a sacrifice to be there. Lord willing, I will be able to see them again next year with brother Jerry and be able to conduct preacher training sessions for them.
On the return journey we took a van back from Kenema. It was quite scary when a man got on offering Islamic prayers in exchange for financial compensation. Brother Jerry challenged him saying if you want to pray for people just pray for people but do not ask for their money. In a country of extreme poverty Jerry gets upset at such exploitation for he knows many of these people will pay for the prayers though they are struggling just to survive. The Muslim man got upset at Jerry and shouted at him but then continued with his appeal to the rest in the van. Then, he raised his hands up and started in song and quoted a prayer from the Koran in Arabic. All around me I saw hands going up as the people prayed with him. (It was a reminder that nearly 70% of the country is Muslim.) And sure enough, after his prayer he collected from the travelers. I was also surprised when two women got on with live chickens tied at their feet. One sat by me and on the long drive back I felt the chicken brushing up against my feet. (Jerry tells me goats have been taken on these vans.) In America a van like this would only hold nine (at most!) but I am sure there were about 40 on there. I could not move. Bags of rice and tubs of palm wine and palm oil were slid under our feet. I had to put my luggage on my lap and that killed the circulation in my legs. It was a very rough journey ... and I'm glad to be back in Freetown.
Signing off from Sierra Leone,
Your servant,
Justin
Monday, February 20, 2012
Day 7 - Return from Kailahun
Dear Brethren,
I just got back into Freetown tonight from a preaching trip out to Kailahun in Eastern Sierra Leone. The distance is about 300 miles but it takes 12 hours one way to get there. Brother Jerry Lewis of the Priscilla Street church accompanied me. We met with the brethren in Kailahun and preachers from various congregations in the neighboring regions joined us for worship Sunday morning. Jerry brought a lesson on Denonminationalism and I brought a sermon on Why I Left The Institutional Church of Christ. Both lessons were very well received. After the services we met with the various preachers to discuss the situation of the churches in Kailahun. The brethren here are very eager to have religious material and have expressed a desire to have preacher training sessions take place. I passed out material related to the work, worship, and organization of the New Testament church and told them I would work hard to see that more material could be brought in the future.
Now I am very tired so I will have to go to bed. We appreciate so much your prayers and support!
God bless you all and keep you!
Justin
I just got back into Freetown tonight from a preaching trip out to Kailahun in Eastern Sierra Leone. The distance is about 300 miles but it takes 12 hours one way to get there. Brother Jerry Lewis of the Priscilla Street church accompanied me. We met with the brethren in Kailahun and preachers from various congregations in the neighboring regions joined us for worship Sunday morning. Jerry brought a lesson on Denonminationalism and I brought a sermon on Why I Left The Institutional Church of Christ. Both lessons were very well received. After the services we met with the various preachers to discuss the situation of the churches in Kailahun. The brethren here are very eager to have religious material and have expressed a desire to have preacher training sessions take place. I passed out material related to the work, worship, and organization of the New Testament church and told them I would work hard to see that more material could be brought in the future.
Now I am very tired so I will have to go to bed. We appreciate so much your prayers and support!
God bless you all and keep you!
Justin
Day 7
God is good...All the time...All the time...God is good! This is the call and response which begins each service at Priscilla Street. God certainly was good today. We were blessed with safety. More importantly, two people were added to Christ today. One was a young man who asked us several questions before making his decision. The other was a young lady who was nine months pregnant. We do not do the baptizing. This is due to the heath risks of getting into water. Maybe this is why Paul did not do much baptizing in Corinth.
All in all, it was a good day. We continue to get many questions from everyone. The question and answer session is probably the most important part of our work at Priscilla Street. It enables us to more directly discuss the concerns and any misunderstandings the people may have.
After the session, we had our driver, Abu, take us past the United States Embassy. The Embassy is located in the mountains. It is a fortress and is probably more elaborate than Sierra Leone's Presidential Palace. I told our driver I wanted to make sure he knew where to take us if there was any trouble. He laughed and said there would be no trouble. After a week in the country, he has been proven right. The people have been generally kind and welcoming to us. It has been a privilege to be in their country.
David Flatt
All in all, it was a good day. We continue to get many questions from everyone. The question and answer session is probably the most important part of our work at Priscilla Street. It enables us to more directly discuss the concerns and any misunderstandings the people may have.
After the session, we had our driver, Abu, take us past the United States Embassy. The Embassy is located in the mountains. It is a fortress and is probably more elaborate than Sierra Leone's Presidential Palace. I told our driver I wanted to make sure he knew where to take us if there was any trouble. He laughed and said there would be no trouble. After a week in the country, he has been proven right. The people have been generally kind and welcoming to us. It has been a privilege to be in their country.
David Flatt
Sunday, February 19, 2012
The Lord's Day in Freetown
Sunday, February 19, 2012
John Smith with today’s blog entry:
It has been a beautiful Lord’s Day here in Freetown. The temperatures are quite mild for this time of year and we have enjoyed sitting on our veranda watching the sunset. Supper is always eaten at the outdoor café of the Lighthouse Restaurant. I actually felt a faint chill as we finished supper. That is such a relief to the weather we have experienced in the past. If you move away from the beach to the city, weather conditions change rapidly and markedly. There is very little breeze in the city and the air quite stagnant. The smells cannot be described.
David went to Wellington to preach this morning. The east side of town is totally different from the west end. The poverty is greater, crime more pronounced and there is a stronger Islamic presence. The building at Wellington is little more than a thatched, dirt floor building, but it serves their purposes quite nicely, except during the rainy season when it floods with some regularity. Property laws are different that in the states. While the church owns the building they do not own the land on which the building sits. As a result, the land owner is evicting them as of April 1st. As of yet they have not found any alternative and are not sure what they will do. For most of them travelling into Priscilla Street is not an option because of distance and cost of transport.
David preached a sermon entitled, “When in Baptism Scriptural?” There were somewhere around 30 present and most of them are young. John Kabul does a wonderful work among the youth of his neighborhood.
After services David got to tour a typical Sierra Leonean house and gardens. To say the least it was an eye opening experience.
I went to Priscilla Street this morning. Attendance started off slow, but gradually grew till we literally had a packed house. I would estimate the crowd at over 80. Theophilus taught a lesson on the Victory of Faith which melded well into my lesson on the Road to Salvation. At the end of service two precious souls made the good confession and were baptized into Christ. One more is giving it serious consideration and a young man said he would be ready tomorrow. Let us pray for these two souls.
I have had my first Sierra Leonean accident. I was sitting on the veranda and turned to tell David the maid was coming in when the leg of a plastic chair broke sending me rapidly to the tile porch. My hip hit the tile and my head hit the sliding glass door. The door is not broken and no tile was broken in the fall. However, I cannot say the same thing for my hip. It appears to be bruised and is very sore. Tomorrow might be a challenge.
We have profited from and enjoyed our first Lord’s Day in Freetown and look with pleasant anticipation to the next one.
John Smith with today’s blog entry:
It has been a beautiful Lord’s Day here in Freetown. The temperatures are quite mild for this time of year and we have enjoyed sitting on our veranda watching the sunset. Supper is always eaten at the outdoor café of the Lighthouse Restaurant. I actually felt a faint chill as we finished supper. That is such a relief to the weather we have experienced in the past. If you move away from the beach to the city, weather conditions change rapidly and markedly. There is very little breeze in the city and the air quite stagnant. The smells cannot be described.
David went to Wellington to preach this morning. The east side of town is totally different from the west end. The poverty is greater, crime more pronounced and there is a stronger Islamic presence. The building at Wellington is little more than a thatched, dirt floor building, but it serves their purposes quite nicely, except during the rainy season when it floods with some regularity. Property laws are different that in the states. While the church owns the building they do not own the land on which the building sits. As a result, the land owner is evicting them as of April 1st. As of yet they have not found any alternative and are not sure what they will do. For most of them travelling into Priscilla Street is not an option because of distance and cost of transport.
David preached a sermon entitled, “When in Baptism Scriptural?” There were somewhere around 30 present and most of them are young. John Kabul does a wonderful work among the youth of his neighborhood.
After services David got to tour a typical Sierra Leonean house and gardens. To say the least it was an eye opening experience.
I went to Priscilla Street this morning. Attendance started off slow, but gradually grew till we literally had a packed house. I would estimate the crowd at over 80. Theophilus taught a lesson on the Victory of Faith which melded well into my lesson on the Road to Salvation. At the end of service two precious souls made the good confession and were baptized into Christ. One more is giving it serious consideration and a young man said he would be ready tomorrow. Let us pray for these two souls.
I have had my first Sierra Leonean accident. I was sitting on the veranda and turned to tell David the maid was coming in when the leg of a plastic chair broke sending me rapidly to the tile porch. My hip hit the tile and my head hit the sliding glass door. The door is not broken and no tile was broken in the fall. However, I cannot say the same thing for my hip. It appears to be bruised and is very sore. Tomorrow might be a challenge.
We have profited from and enjoyed our first Lord’s Day in Freetown and look with pleasant anticipation to the next one.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Day 5
Today, we conducted lecutres on the topic of the family. The congregation requested we do some teaching about the family. Yesterday, Justin taught about serving God as a single. Today I preached about serving God in marriage. John preached about serving God in your older years. Justin is single, I am married, and John is old(er). This was the first time the church held Saturday lectures. Saturday in Sierra Leone is much like Saturday in the states. People work around their homes. For this reason the brethren were unsure how many people would attend. However, the attendance was about consistent to what it was all week.
After the lectures, we went to a market. We kept calling it the African market, but our driver did not seem to know which market this was. This is because all markets in Africa are African markets. The official name of the market we visited was "the big market."
Tomorrow, we are planning to split up. John will be at Priscilla Street and I will be at the church in Wellington. Wellington is a small country church located on the east side of Freetown.
We appreciate everyone who has been reading our posts. Also, we are grateful for all the prayers that have been made on our behalf and our work. We have been praying for our brethren at home daily.
David Flatt
Friday, February 17, 2012
About the Poverty
Sierra Leone is an extremely poor region. This was explained to me before I arrived; however, nothing could have prepared me for what I have seen. There is virtually no infrastructure. The roads are extremely rough. They feel more like trails than roads. We spend on average about two hours driving. The drives are almost painful. The sewer water runs through open ditches. Water for cooking, bathing, and drinking is taken from a public fountain. One day during our lectures, I watched a man brushing his teeth next to the church building. Garbage is everywhere. The smell of burning trash is practically inescapable. The people live in houses made out of tin, garbage, and whatever else they can find. On the first day, I noticed a hillside stacked with a wall of trash. While I was looking, I saw people walking inside. As we drove closer, I found families living inside the walls of garbage.
The people of Sierra Leone are poor, but extremely resilient. If they were not, they would just die. They have survived a horrific civil war. To hear the locals talk about it is chilling. They continue to survive the challenges of poverty one day at a time. Even more impressive is the contentment and optimism seen in the Christians at Priscilla Street. I wish you all could hear them sing! For me, their singing has told me all I need to know about these wonderful people. They have taught me more than I could ever hope to teach them. Surely, Heaven will be filled with souls from Sierra Leone.
David Flatt
Day 4
Today started at 6:30 AM. We went back to the Broadcast Building. John was interviewed on Good Morning Sierra Leone. This is their version of Good Morning America; although, it is a much more scaled down version. John was asked about our Bible classes at Priscilla Street. The interview lasted about seven minutes. He was able to briefly talk about Jesus and the purpose of His teaching. While he was being interviewed, Christian was interviewed on the radio.
The lectures were productive. We are looking forward to tomorrow. We are scheduled to spend the day teaching about the family.
David Flatt
The lectures were productive. We are looking forward to tomorrow. We are scheduled to spend the day teaching about the family.
David Flatt
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Day 3
Greetings from Sierra Leone, This is Justin Monts writing on behalf of John Smith and David Flatt. Every day has been filled with activities and today was equally exciting. Elijah, the friend of brother Jerry Lewis, came early in the morning to meet us at our hotel and drive with us to the Priscilla Street church of Christ. Elijah has been truly encouraging and he is not far from the kingdom. Jerry found him reading his Bible outdoors and asked if he understood what he was reading. Elijah said he did not and Jerry began a discussion with him about the Bible and the New Testament church. Elijah had come out of Islam, standing in opposition to his Muslim parents, and had been sprinkled to be added to the Anglican Church. He listened very intently in our Bible study last night and has come to understand that the Anglican church is not the church of Scripture. He is very close to being Scripturally baptized but we wish to have a few more studies with him to make sure he understands certain aspects of the kingdom (Acts 8:12). He is so eager to learn and grow and has such a tender heart at receiving the doctrines of Sctipture that it has been a true joy to meet him and assist him in his studies.
On the way to Priscilla Street church our driver Abu answered questions about life during the civil war of Sierra Leone. He talked about hardships that he personally witnessed that are almost too terrible to report. I will do so here only so that we can have a better understanding of what the people of Sierra Leone have come out of. He said that the rebels would take pregnant women and make a bet if the child they had was a boy or girl and then they would cut them open to settle the bet. He said that the rebels might force a son to have sexual relations with his mother. He talked about the senseless killing and atrocities. All the people were called out in Makeni (you had to come or you would be executed on the spot) to witness the deaths of those who had challenged the rebels. He spoke with great emotion about having to watch the rebels lock certain families in a building and then burn it to the ground. They were also called out to a field where hundreds were gunned down in cold blood. The rebels ruled by fear. But by the providence of God the nation is now healing and the violence is ended. We are very blessed to live in the country we do and have the safety and freedom we enjoy.
Our driver Abu is a Seventh Day Aventist but he has come faithfully to the studies to listen, learn, and grow in his understanding. My lesson today was on the Old and New Testaments and I stressed that the Sabbath observance was given to the Jews who had been delivered from Egyptian bondage (Deut. 5:12-15), had never been bound upon the Gentiles, and was not a part of Christian service today (Col. 2:16). He wrote down questions that we in turn answered and has shown promise in his ability to be open-minded and listen to reason and Scripture. Please pray for him. David brought excellent material on Islam. It is very much needed here since about 70% of the popluation is Muslim. David has a lot of talent in preaching the truth and has shown a great love for the souls of all who are out here. John continued his series on Christian living and the Sermon on the Mount and has a great personality in working with the individuals and churches over here. It is a true honor to be with these men.
We then went to the radio station to log a 10 minute presentation of the truth but the power kept going on and off (such is a common occurance out here), and finally went off for the whole day. Brother Asgill patiently reminded us that all things work together for good to those who love God (Rom. 8:28). We will try again early in the morning.
We closed the day with a study with brother Eric and helped him to prepare a lesson.
Signing off from Sierra Leone,
Your servant, Justin
On the way to Priscilla Street church our driver Abu answered questions about life during the civil war of Sierra Leone. He talked about hardships that he personally witnessed that are almost too terrible to report. I will do so here only so that we can have a better understanding of what the people of Sierra Leone have come out of. He said that the rebels would take pregnant women and make a bet if the child they had was a boy or girl and then they would cut them open to settle the bet. He said that the rebels might force a son to have sexual relations with his mother. He talked about the senseless killing and atrocities. All the people were called out in Makeni (you had to come or you would be executed on the spot) to witness the deaths of those who had challenged the rebels. He spoke with great emotion about having to watch the rebels lock certain families in a building and then burn it to the ground. They were also called out to a field where hundreds were gunned down in cold blood. The rebels ruled by fear. But by the providence of God the nation is now healing and the violence is ended. We are very blessed to live in the country we do and have the safety and freedom we enjoy.
Our driver Abu is a Seventh Day Aventist but he has come faithfully to the studies to listen, learn, and grow in his understanding. My lesson today was on the Old and New Testaments and I stressed that the Sabbath observance was given to the Jews who had been delivered from Egyptian bondage (Deut. 5:12-15), had never been bound upon the Gentiles, and was not a part of Christian service today (Col. 2:16). He wrote down questions that we in turn answered and has shown promise in his ability to be open-minded and listen to reason and Scripture. Please pray for him. David brought excellent material on Islam. It is very much needed here since about 70% of the popluation is Muslim. David has a lot of talent in preaching the truth and has shown a great love for the souls of all who are out here. John continued his series on Christian living and the Sermon on the Mount and has a great personality in working with the individuals and churches over here. It is a true honor to be with these men.
We then went to the radio station to log a 10 minute presentation of the truth but the power kept going on and off (such is a common occurance out here), and finally went off for the whole day. Brother Asgill patiently reminded us that all things work together for good to those who love God (Rom. 8:28). We will try again early in the morning.
We closed the day with a study with brother Eric and helped him to prepare a lesson.
Signing off from Sierra Leone,
Your servant, Justin
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Day 2
Today the lectures at Priscilla Street began. John was the first to preach. He began a series on godly character. He is using the Beatitudes to make each of his points. John is very effective in his presentations. His close relationship with the brethren add to his ability to present the truth. Justin presented excellent material on the Holy Spirit. Justin is very logical in his preaching. He took a complex subject and carefully explained the Scriptures in a skillful fashion. His study of the Scriptures is clearly evident in his preaching. I began a series on Salvation. I used Acts chapter two as an introduction to this topic.
The question and answer session was productive. We give them paper and pens to write their questions for us. The questions the brethren ask are impressive. We were asked questions like "What does it mean to be successful; What assurances can we have to know we are going to Heaven; How can one know he has the Holy Spirit?" They have a sincere desire to understand the truth.
After our lectures, we were driven back to the hotel. We took some time to regroup, discuss the lecture session, look over tomorrow's material, and had dinner. After dinner, we had a Bible study with one of the men of the congregation and a friend of his: Elijah. Elijah seems to have a tender heart. We discussed the Church and baptism. We plan to pick him up on our way to the lectures tomorrow. All in all, it was a good and spiritually rewarding day.
David Flatt
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Day One
Our trip to Sierra Leone has gotten off to a great start. We are all healthy, safe and get along great with one another.
Today has been a slow leisurely day, by design. After the ordeal of 24 hours traveling we needed some time to catch our breath. We all help quite soundly last night.
This morning we drove (or rather rode) into town for a lunch at Crown Bakery and stop at Mono Prix market. The variety of items available has improved dramatically. Lunch was a Crown Special Pizza. It was wonderful!
Abu, our driver, has been helpful and friendly. His English is understandable and very expressive. He has taught me a new word. We were discussing marriage –vs- being a bachelor. He called a bachelor something like a “pile of poo.” Justin insists that I misunderstood what he was saying, but I know he called himself a bachelor a “pile of poo.” Can you guess what Justin’s new nickname is?
After resting this afternoon, we are to go to Priscilla Street this evening at 6:00. They have a song and prayer service planned. By their plan we will offer thanksgiving for our safe travel and ask God’s blessings on the work in the day classes. I look forward to this spiritual feast.
Just a few minutes ago David returned to our room with an air card provided free of charge by the hotel. Internet should be available all the time!!!!!
Today has been a slow leisurely day, by design. After the ordeal of 24 hours traveling we needed some time to catch our breath. We all help quite soundly last night.
This morning we drove (or rather rode) into town for a lunch at Crown Bakery and stop at Mono Prix market. The variety of items available has improved dramatically. Lunch was a Crown Special Pizza. It was wonderful!
Abu, our driver, has been helpful and friendly. His English is understandable and very expressive. He has taught me a new word. We were discussing marriage –vs- being a bachelor. He called a bachelor something like a “pile of poo.” Justin insists that I misunderstood what he was saying, but I know he called himself a bachelor a “pile of poo.” Can you guess what Justin’s new nickname is?
After resting this afternoon, we are to go to Priscilla Street this evening at 6:00. They have a song and prayer service planned. By their plan we will offer thanksgiving for our safe travel and ask God’s blessings on the work in the day classes. I look forward to this spiritual feast.
Just a few minutes ago David returned to our room with an air card provided free of charge by the hotel. Internet should be available all the time!!!!!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Arrival
Thanks to God and the prayers of so many, John, Justin, and I arrived in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Our flight began in Indianapolis, to Chicago, to Brussels, to Banjul, to Freetown. The airport in Freetown was as chaotic as John had described. However, our arrival went smoothly. The brethren made many arrangements which made our arrival as smooth as it could possibly have been.
After navigating the airport, we were taken by SUV down a horribly rough road to catch the water taxi. This was all done at night. The water taxi was an experience of a lifetime. We walked across a floating dock which was bouncing up and down from the waves. Thankfully, we all boarded without incident. The ride lasted about 45 minutes. The boat ride across Pelican Bay was rough and wet. I laughed to myself thinking how no one at home would ever believe me when I told this story. It was truly an adventure.
We met up with more brethren from the Priscilla Street congregation at the dock. Seeing them was an amazing experience. We estimated they had probably been waiting for us for at least three hours in the heat.
After another SUV ride down through the streets of Freetown, we finally arrived at the Lighthouse hotel.
David Flatt
After navigating the airport, we were taken by SUV down a horribly rough road to catch the water taxi. This was all done at night. The water taxi was an experience of a lifetime. We walked across a floating dock which was bouncing up and down from the waves. Thankfully, we all boarded without incident. The ride lasted about 45 minutes. The boat ride across Pelican Bay was rough and wet. I laughed to myself thinking how no one at home would ever believe me when I told this story. It was truly an adventure.
We met up with more brethren from the Priscilla Street congregation at the dock. Seeing them was an amazing experience. We estimated they had probably been waiting for us for at least three hours in the heat.
After another SUV ride down through the streets of Freetown, we finally arrived at the Lighthouse hotel.
David Flatt
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Leaving Sunday, February 12th
Lord willing, Justin Monts, David Flatt and I will be flying out Sunday afternoon the 12th of February at 3:00. We will connect through Chicago and Brussels. We ask for your prayers for safe travel.
We have daily classes scheduled for Priscilla Street for the first two weeks. Then we will have small group studies in our hotel room primarily with those who are the most interested. On Saturdays, we will have day long lectures at Priscilla Street. The first week will deal with family related issues and the second will revolve around making wise choices.
At this point we do not know how often we will be able to get out to Wellington. They have lost their building due to some goffy real estate laws in Sierra Leone. They own the building but not the land it is on and the land owner wants it back. They hope to meet there until the first of March or April. They are still in the hunt for a new place to meet. I will up date you as more information is available.
The head of Global MIssions, an institutional organization associated with liberal churches of Christ, will be in Freetown at the same time we are there. He is wanting to talk with Christian Asgill who wants me to go with him. Bro. Asgill has invited him to present his position at Priscilla Street with either Justin or I answering what he has to say. Brethren, this may be a turning point for many churches in Freetown. They have never had the institutional and non-institutional positions presented side by side. Please make this an object of prayer.
Bro. David Flatt will present a series of lectures on Islam. Sierra Leone is over 60% Moslem. There should be no shortage of people who need these lessons. Please pray for David's courage and clarity as he addresses this false religion.
As long as internet access is reliable and available at the hotel, we will be posting daily or semi-daily reports.
We have daily classes scheduled for Priscilla Street for the first two weeks. Then we will have small group studies in our hotel room primarily with those who are the most interested. On Saturdays, we will have day long lectures at Priscilla Street. The first week will deal with family related issues and the second will revolve around making wise choices.
At this point we do not know how often we will be able to get out to Wellington. They have lost their building due to some goffy real estate laws in Sierra Leone. They own the building but not the land it is on and the land owner wants it back. They hope to meet there until the first of March or April. They are still in the hunt for a new place to meet. I will up date you as more information is available.
The head of Global MIssions, an institutional organization associated with liberal churches of Christ, will be in Freetown at the same time we are there. He is wanting to talk with Christian Asgill who wants me to go with him. Bro. Asgill has invited him to present his position at Priscilla Street with either Justin or I answering what he has to say. Brethren, this may be a turning point for many churches in Freetown. They have never had the institutional and non-institutional positions presented side by side. Please make this an object of prayer.
Bro. David Flatt will present a series of lectures on Islam. Sierra Leone is over 60% Moslem. There should be no shortage of people who need these lessons. Please pray for David's courage and clarity as he addresses this false religion.
As long as internet access is reliable and available at the hotel, we will be posting daily or semi-daily reports.
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