Cindy Hill's summary of trip

This trip to Sierra Leone began a year ago. Here I am back at home and can't believe it is over. I have never seen such poverty, people living in thrown together shacks you would think they would just give up and sit around and do nothing, but, that is not the way it is. The streets are always full of people trying to get by, working where they can or selling things in the street or even off the top of their head. We watched each day as cute children whose parents could afford it walked to school in their little uniforms. There were other children wondering around who could not go to school. We saw some of them playing with sticks and cans for toys there were no other toys to be found! The very first day we saw a young girl I would say about 6 or 7 in the middle of the road trying to pick something up as we got closer we saw she had dropped her coal on the road there was a man trying to protect her from the traffic so she could pick it up, I am sure she could not leave it because she either needed it for her family to be able to cook or she was trying to sell it. Connie and I thought of our granddaughters and counted our blessings Still in the midst of what we think of as a terrible situation they laugh, play, work, clean (dirt floors) wash dishes and do laundry, and raise their families as best they can. In a very impoverished neighborhood, on a dirt road, there is a bright blue building called the Priscilla Street Church of Christ. In that building were wooden benches with 2 by 4 backs and no air conditioning just a few fans and I quickly learned how spoiled I am (and thankful) for what we have. I learned that here was a group of people with a hunger to learn how to live their lives according to God's word. They wanted to share this with others and do there were 12 precious souls baptized in the time we were there and the members at Priscilla Street were starting a new convert's class when we left to encourage and help them to grow. They want so much to do things the right way and are full of questions as Steve said they have knowledge of the bible but are still learning to change it to wisdom for application. The members there prepared for the meeting by word of mouth, hanging banners, passing out fliers and the TV message Steve sent. That message is what brought a man named Solomon the first night. He was searching for truth when he heard Steve's message on TV he said he had never heard teaching like that before. He told me he did not have his own Bible so that night I shared mine and the next day we gave him one of the extras Steve brought. He was baptized that week. Solomon taught a college class and brought his 15 students and son Moses to the day time bible studies. Moses was also baptized they both want to know everything. I pray they keep their zeal for knowledge and wisdom. Connie and I quickly fell in love with the children there. It was a blessing to study and sing with them each day. The younger children 3-8 yrs. in the dark HOT basement loved to sing and look at the picture lessons we brought. They really liked the creation song and sang it with such enthusiasm, it was beautiful! Every morning we came they would all say at the same time, "Good morning Auntie Connie, Good morning Auntie Cindy" and when we left they said Good bye Auntie Connie good bye Auntie Cindy God Bless you we love you". We went upstairs for the children 9-12 they brought tears to our eyes with their zeal for learning and their deep thinking. There was no complaining they wanted to soak up everything we said and they learned so fast! When we talked to them about praying and Connie asked them what they would pray for they said things like wisdom, knowledge, understanding, blessings, peace and family. They thought nothing about themselves and there were many things they could ask for because they had nothing! Some of the older children lived in the neighborhood, Narome a 9 year old girl, Daniel a 10 year old boy came every night to the meeting walking by themselves and back home after dark, what a love they had for God's word! Daniel wanted to know what to do to be baptized but his parents would not let him they are Baptist. I know Theophilus will watch over these precious children and help them as best he can. We shed many tears with them I when we left, they will be in my heart and prayers. Our ladies studies went well, I wish we would have had more time with them and I pray the next ladies to go can work out a good schedule to have more study time. They are hard working women who when they see something that needs done they do it. They do not look at each other and wait for someone else they do it together. I pray the lessons we took will be a help to them in teaching the children's class. They also are in my heart and prayers. I am so thankful to have gone and to meet these wonderful people who have many struggles but do the best they can with what they have. While we were there and talking one evening, Mitch pointed out a verse I now have on my fridge. Lord, help me to be thankful for what I have! Proverbs 30:7-9 7 Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): 8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches- Feed me with the food allotted to me; 9 Lest I be full and deny You, And say, "Who is the LORD?" Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.