On Saturday morning we drove to Tongo. It is a "diamond mining town" about 45 km east of Kenema. You may recall that I mentioned the people who came to District conference from Tongo in our blog titled "Generosity and “Limegirl”. That day, three weeks ago, we promised the people who came that we … Continue reading Tongo
Faith and Family
The Pain of Poverty
Without a doubt the most difficult part of our mission thus far has been the pain of the poverty around us. There are so many wonderful people here who are trying their very best to feed their families, get an education and improve their standing. The problem is that all of these things cost money and … Continue reading The Pain of Poverty
T-Shirt Wisdom
It has been fun for us as we have gone on walks around Kenema to come across t-shirts from familiar places. For example, one day we met a young man wearing a tank top from Idaho Falls Parks and Recreation. This of course from Idaho Falls, Idaho not far from where both LaDawn and I … Continue reading T-Shirt Wisdom
Generosity and “Limegirl”
One of the things we’ve learned about living in a place where just surviving is an everyday reality, people tend to be very much “me” focused. This is especially evident in the impatience of the Okada (motorcycle taxi) drivers, the aggressiveness of the fruit and vegetable vendors outside of the small grocery store where we … Continue reading Generosity and “Limegirl”
Food, Glorious Food!
From time to time we get questions from people back home about what it is that we eat on a regular basis. First let me start with the food many eat here in Kenema, and most of Sierra Leone. As many of you already know, rice is a staple here. Inexpensive, easy to find and buy, … Continue reading Food, Glorious Food!
Unfinished Business
In an earlier post we mentioned that there are many dwelling places in Kenema which are partially completed and then abandoned because of a lack of funding. This is primarily due to a lack of home mortgage availability. When someone sets out to build a home, it may take as many as 10 years to … Continue reading Unfinished Business
Kreativity in Kenema
When resources are scarce, creativity rules. It reminds me of the old adage, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” That is certainly the case here. There is little that is not used multiple times before it is trash. For example, Sierra juice plastic bottles are cleaned and then sold … Continue reading Kreativity in Kenema
Kritters of Kenema
SPIDERS AND LIZARDS AND BIRDS (oh my!). We had a great few days this week, so we hope you will read to the end to read about our experiences) It is alway interesting to come to a new place and discover the different kinds of critters that you come across. Here are some pictures of a … Continue reading Kritters of Kenema
The Signs of Government
As mentioned in an earlier post, where we live is not far from the majority of government buildings. I thought it might be interesting to show some of the many signs of government that are here in Kenema. First a little background on Sierra Leone. General elections were held in Sierra Leone on 7 March 2018 to elect the … Continue reading The Signs of Government
Weekly Highlights (the 4s’s of Kenema)
LaDawn wrote the post this week, so I thought I would add a second one with our weekly highlights. On Monday evening LaDawn still wasn’t 100% so I attended the Simbeck Branch FHE with the Young Single Adults. Only three showed up last week: James, Mohammed and Elizabeth. We had a good question and answer … Continue reading Weekly Highlights (the 4s’s of Kenema)
Kunz Corner 