Root Report – Sierra Leone

Project Restore Hope Sierra Leone - Sada Herrera

We started our journey to Sierra Leone this past May. We were trained by and sent out from  our church family. We are working with a project called Restore Hope which fits perfectly as Sierra Leone has just recently ended a long civil war. While preparing to be sent, God gave us the verses from Isaiah 61:1-3. These verses talk about ” finding the brokenhearted” and “freeing the captives”. In the context of Sierra Leone this could be the freedom from Islam which has infiltrated their country. The last part of verse 3 says “they will be called oaks of righteousness a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” Whoa! We believe God has His hand on Sierra Leone and wants to draw her unto Himself and through it all God will receive the glory.

Moving away to another place is always hard. Moving to another country is REALLY hard. However, even in the midst of hardship God is faithful and has been teaching us to depend upon Him more and more. While we were struggling intensely with culture shock and homesickness, God used Psalm 126:5-6 to bring peace to our hearts. “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping carrying seeds to sow will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.” The tears have come and will continue to come but in the end God is our King and our Victor!

We are working with two tutors, diligently learning to speak their language, Krio, which is a fun language to learn. We have built some really strong relationships that will eventually turn into lasting friendships. We have met some really strong and faithful men of God. One such man happens to work very closely with us. His name is Donald. He is a man of integrity, faith, and passion for the Lord. He is active in his church and has a heart for teaching others. Another man is a missionary in his own country and to his own tribe. He has been a disciple and is currently co-pastoring a church, as well as working a full-time job and traveling 6 hours on his motorbike to his home village to tell stories from the Bible.

Gabe and I (Sada) had the opportunity to help a man in a carpenter shop. He was limping and after some conversation, we discovered he had been hurting for quite some time. At that moment we offered only prayers in the Name of Jesus with his permission. Two days after we found him worse than before and felt led to take him to a clinic because he could not afford medical help at that time. With the carpenter shop owner’s help, we were able to get him the services he needed for healing. The clinic met his physical needs and we continued to check on him throughout the week while in the midst praying for him and sharing with hime about Jesus. This simple act of kindness led to significan relationship building and opened doors wider for sharing Jesus with our new Muslim friends.

Please pray for our work in Sierra Leone as we continue to learn Krio, share Bible stories, and begin dental and medical ministry.