The dust in the air is visible as it forms a cloud early in the morning Between the end of November and the middle of March here in West Africa is a season referred to as Harmattan.  It takes its name from the dry and dusty northeasterly trade win which blows dust from the Sahara Desert … Continue reading Harmattan

Sidie and Monjama This week we experienced our first traditional wedding.  Sidie Pumogie and Monjama Keifala were wed on Saturday in a traditional wedding, and then after church on Sunday, in a brief ceremony, their branch president married them in a “white man’s wedding”.  The reception and party were held Saturday night after the traditional ceremony. Their's … Continue reading Traditional Style!

Missionaries in the Zone begin to prepare the curbs for painting Last Saturday the Kenema Zone did a service project as part of the #LightTheWorld campaign.  The project entailed painting the curbs at the Kenema Government Secondary School.  This is the public high school here in Kenema.  The curbs were painted green, white and blue as these are … Continue reading The Colors of Salone

In the US, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipes are the most common non-metal pipes used for water supply. However, in much of the rest of the world, PPR (polypropylene random copolymer) is the pipe of choice for water. Instead of PVC cement, PPR joints are heated by a special fusion tool and essentially melted together into a single … Continue reading PPR and Christmas

This week we want to talk about the secret societies which are a part of the traditions of the Mende tribe.  We thought we would write about this because Saturday night there was a celebration outside our front gate that lasted all night long.  When we inquired what it was about, we were told that it was … Continue reading Secret Societies

With the dry season upon us, and as we mentioned last week, our solar panels tend to get a coat of dirt on them nearly every day.  This impedes the sun’s ability to penetrate the panels and create the electricity that we have come to rely upon.  We wanted to do something more permanent than get on … Continue reading Snake Rubber

Kingtom Power Station in Freetown In Sierra Leone, electricity is governed by the National Power Authority, generally referred to as NP. National Power has two utilities attached to it, the Electricity Generation and Transmission Company (EGTC) & Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA).  There are also two major sources of power in Sierra Leone. The first is the oil fired … Continue reading Power

This week we thought we would talk a bit about wood charcoal, how it is made and how it is used and why it is so important here. Kingsford Charcoal First of all, understanding the history of charcoal helped us appreciate the method used here.   Kingsford Charcoal is the number one charcoal company in America and … Continue reading Some Like it Hot

We were with one of the branch presidents one day and LaDawn asked him whether or not they have vacuum cleaners here.  He got a puzzled look on his face and asked her to ask him again because he did not understand.  She again asked and he was still uncertain what the question was.  I … Continue reading Appliances of Kenema

It’s been a busy and a rewarding week.  Therefore, this week we will only focus on the highlights and I will talk about the "Appliances of Kenema" next week. Weekly Highlights On Monday afternoon, Phillip Bunduka, a man we have spoken of a couple of times in the past, came to our apartment and told … Continue reading Return to Kailahun