Since my last blog, I traveled home for two months to
America (February-April). I had a chance
to spend time with my family. It is always good to be loved on by my siblings
and friends, and they went out of their way to do so. We all got to spend a
long weekend together at the beach – which is a stretch when you have seven
siblings! We laughed and caught up on life. We made memories that will forever
be remembered. Thanks guys!
I had opportunities to see some of my donors and to speak at various churches while home. A special thanks goes out to Crosspointe Church of Valdosta, Georgia, First Baptist Church of Lake Park, Georgia and Northside Baptist Church of Valdosta, Georgia.
I had a wonderful time home connecting with other
missionaries at Pioneers’ base camp in Orlando. I was refreshed and pointed in
a slightly new direction as I sought God on my future work. Many of you have
been in the loop of the growth and progress of our Tree of Life ministry. Last
year, our first year, we served over 110 students and 5 communities teaching
community health, Moringa education and the Gospel. As a result, a house church
was planted by our lead instructor Pastor Emmanuel Sesay. I cannot say how
thankful to God I am to see his passion and desire to use Tree of Life as a
tool in bringing hope and health to Sierra Leone. Pastor Emmanuel will be
traveling to Ghana this month for training with Pioneers Africa. I am excited
to see how this opportunity will grow him and challenge him as he perseveres in
doing God’s work in Sierra Leone. I also would like to share that last Sunday
Pastor baptized 9 new believers at his church in Deep Eye Water.
My good friend, Mark, is now back in Jui and closer to
Pastor Emmanuel. He is co-teaching with Pastor and telling the Bible stories
within the class. Pastor has nothing but praises to ring about Mark and has
taken him under his wing to be mentored. This is exactly what I have been
praying for through the birth of Tree of Life – disciples training disciples.
Mark has even shared with me that he is feeling that God may be calling him to
be a pastor. Please pray for both Pastor Emmanuel and Mark as they continue to
follow the path God lays out for them.
I will be here in Sierra Leone for the next two months and
will return in June. I feel that it is time to pass the Tree of Life baton in Sierra Leone
to Pastor Emmanuel and Mark. This will mean that they will take my place as a
in-country director of the ministry. I will move into more of a consultant/support role as I
pray about expanding the project to other countries and people groups. Because
West Africa is predominantly comprised of French speaking countries, I have
been advised to learn French. This will allow me to travel into countries that
have an interest in Tree of Life and do training in the national language of
those countries. Because immersion is the best way to learn French, I will be
raising funds to spend a year in France at a language school. This is a leap of
faith for me and a big cultural shift from where I am living now. I will be coming
home in June to begin fundraising for the extra monthly funding needed for the
difference in the cost of living expenses.
·
Please pray for me as I enter this time of
transition. I still will be traveling to Sierra Leone each year to reinforce
the work and to encourage Pastor and Mark.
·
Pray for Pastor and Mark as they take on more
responsibility and realize their autonomy in making Tree of Life a thriving
ministry in Sierra Leone.
·
Pray for more students to come forward as
teachers within Tree of Life – Sierra Leone.
·
Pray for my team that I will be leaving behind
(temporarily) as they continue to be faithful to God’s call on their lives and
to the people of Sierra Leone.
·
Pray for the Ebola outbreak in Guinea and
Liberia that potentially could affect Sierra Leone and other surrounding
countries.
·
Pray for me as I strive to raise the monthly
quota needed to make my transition to France.
I love you all and encourage you to share this blog and
prayer requests with your churches, small groups, and others. I am forever
grateful for your partnership, love and support. We all are beginning a new
chapter of this adventure. Thank you for walking with me! LG+LP
-Chuck
