One of the most wonderful things about Sierra Leone are the Pikins (pronounced "peek-ings").  Who are they?  They are the children.  Pikin is the Krio word for children – and they are everywhere.   Current population estimates indicate that 28% of the population consists of children 9 years of age and younger.  If we include those up to age 14, … Continue reading The Pikins

Since arriving in Sierra Leone we have always had an expectation about the 2019 fall District Conference for Kenema. In our minds, this would be the conference when the district would become a stake. We had imagined all the fanfare, general authority visits, new callings, new directions and excitement surrounding the creation of the seventh … Continue reading Gathering Strength

Saturday evening I stayed up late following the Saturday afternoon session of General Conference. The session ended at 10:00 pm and by then the Saturday morning session was available for download. The District President wanted to show one of the Saturday sessions on Sunday morning in lieu of sacrament meeting. The preferred session was the … Continue reading It Is Time

When you throw a rock into a lake, there is a ripple effect. Wikipedia defines the ripple effect as a situation in which, like ripples expanding across the water when an object is dropped into it, an effect from an initial state that can be followed outwards incrementally. Merriam-Webster elaborates further, calling the ripple effect … Continue reading The Ripple Effect

Malaria is a serious problem here in Sierra Leone and in another 86 countries around the world.  In 2017, the World Heath Organization (WHO) estimated there were 219 million cases globally.  In that same year, WHO attributed 435,0000 deaths to malaria, 61% of those being children under 5 years of age.  92% of the cases … Continue reading Hazardous Encounters

We are not sure how to express the full and complete gratitude we feel for the successful trip over and back to the United States for little Grace and her mom, Rebecca.  What joy filled our hearts as picked them up from the Sea Coach terminal here in Freetown on Sunday evening.  Their flight left … Continue reading Full Circle

On June 29th, 1909, Sierra Leone celebrated a significant milestone as their "14-years in the making" railway finally reached from Freetown to Pendembu, 227 miles east of the capital city. The British began surveying for the railway in 1893 and by 1907 the first line from Freetown to Wellington began operations.  Over the next two years, it … Continue reading The Forgotten Railway

After months and months of preparation, including logistical details, travel passports and visas, luggage, clothes, medical checks, hosting, and communication protocols, on Monday, August 26, 2019 the day finally arrived for 21-month-old Grace Koroma to undergo surgery to remove the teratoma tumor on her neck.  Dr. Fred Grimmer, an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist was the … Continue reading Amazing Grace

Consider for a moment what it was like the first time you saw a commercial jet up close.  Then think about what it was like to climb aboard and take off for the first time in your life.  Were you nervous?  I know I was. For me it was in 1976 when I boarded a plane headed to Munich, … Continue reading Faith in Every Footstep

In 1952, Gene Kelley, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Conner started in the now iconic musical, "Singin' in the Rain". The movie, set in Hollywood in the 1920's, portrays struggles of the film industry as movies transitioned from silent films to "talkies". The three main characters were caught up in this transition and the movie depicts … Continue reading Singin’ in the Rain