Saturday and Sunday updates

Please forgive the combining of these reports, but the reason for this will be made clear soon. Let me begin by saying it has been such a privilege for the three of us, John Smith, Jim Lee, and Jarrod Jacobs to be a part of this work of preaching the gospel in Sierra Leone. It has been a privilege afforded to us, and God's grace has truly seen us through these past several days. Saturday saw another morning session where the gospel was preached. The AM crowds are usually smaller than the PM, due to work schedules and the like in this country. However, this does not diminish the zeal and fervor these folks show for The Lord and for serving Him. What a blessing! Sunday saw a large crowd attend to worship God, and one more has been added to the Lord's kingdom this day! How wonderful to see #8 come and give his life to The Lord. In previous trips, there were more women than men be baptized, but this time the men are catching up, in that all 8 are young men. They are dedicated to growing in The Lord and serving Him in the days and years to come. What a blessing for us to witness how the gospel of Christ works in the hearts of folks still today when it is preached in its pure and simplest form (Rom. 1:16; Gal. 1:6-9). Now to the reason these updates are combined is because Jarrod's backpack was stolen yesterday. Someone came over and pulled it out of our vehicle when we were away from it yesterday afternoon. So, we had to spend most of Saturday afternoon and evening with the SL police, filling out forms, and explaining what happened and when. Many items were stolen, but the most pressing thing at the time is that Jarrod's passport was stolen. Thus, with our plane scheduled to leave on Monday (a holiday in SL) we are scrambling to do what is necessary to provide substitute identification (including a police report of the event). Thus, we ask you for prayers on his behalf that all can be remedied and Jarrod will be able to leave on the plane at the scheduled time. Brethren here say that this was an attack of satan because we have done such damage to his kingdom in these two weeks. we are so thankful that the God we serve is so much more powerful than Satan! Also, we ask for your prayers in general for a safe ride in the car to the boat, a safe boat trip to the airport, and a safe plane ride back to the States to our families and the brethren we love. In a way it is sad to leave our good brethren here that we have come to know, love, and respect in Freetown. However, we are excited for the return home. Please remember us as you pray.