Port Loko visit and school

Backing up in time again....

November 9 to 12 we traveled to Port Loko about a four hour drive out of Freetown. We visited a family that moved there last year to help the congregation. Port Loko was a small group that had not had an elder or servant in over 10 years. The brother his wife and three children age 4, 8, 10 arrived last september. they are doing very well,

We had the priveledge of working in service in port loko saturday and sunday, the family has many studies so asked us to conduct some for them while we visited. Dennis had the priveledge of delivering the public talk it was amazing over 70 in attendance!

We hope to visit every few mos. it is like a mini vacation to go upcountry and out of the city. There are few generators there or motorcars, so at night it is pitch black and quiet, oh so quiet.

We are enjoying the hustle and bustle of the outskirts of Freetown where we live. It is always busy and many ask us for literature as we walk by. As dennis related in his post earlier this week.

I missed posting and emailing on Tuesday as I was not feeling well, I have been exhausted so am taking anti malaria as a precaution as well as an antibiotic as i ran a high fever on monday after service. It is easy to get perscriptions here and medicine is very reasonable in price. I will lay low this week and should be back to normal on Monday. The kids have been doing very well, Hunter had a bit of tummy trouble so is taking an antibiotic as precaution, but seems fine with energy and all.

the kids started school the week we arrived, but only were able to stay two days, as the head mistress was not allowing them to not sing the devotionals in the morning, we tried to reason with her, that the children would stand respectful she said "no", then we asked if they come 15 minutes late, when devotionals are finished, she said sternly "no" " if they don't sing devotionals they cannot be in this school, take them out!" so the missionary sister I was with and myself went to each classroom and collected the children. (the sister came with just in case there was difficulty with the language, but it was just an over strict head mistress) when we collected the children the teachers asked why, when we told them that the children would not be singing the devotionals they said it was not a problem, one even went to the head mistress to plead for the children, we latter saw her come from the office head hung low, the head mistress is so stern....... latter in the week Dennis met Kadences former teacher in service she again expressed her sorrow in there not attending shchool. but she understand and respects our stand. She was glad to hear we have a tutor for the children and they are continueing their studies.
Our stand has made a good witness. Some of the friends in the hall even brought the 2007 year book to show us the experience in it of others thrown out of school for the same reason, it was encouraging for us.

The kids are doing well, in a way it is a blessing, they are now able to take turns in morning service with us and we have a sister coming four times a week for lessons to supplement what Dennis and I are able to do with them. They enjoy being all together to learn and Kadence said she was being picked on at school alot for being a witness, it was even effecting her studies as we could see from her report card.
She is so happy to be with her brothers and sisters now.

I will try to post pictures soon, Dennis will be visiting the US Dec 11 and will bring our camera chip with him to make pictures. But I will try before then to see how to post them.

The kh reconstruction is going very well, the last hall was only able to hold 100 or so and they often had many sitting outside. the new hall will seat 300 plus, what a blessing! we had 169 at sunday meeting this week in our home. they seat over 90 inside the rest outside and on our back varanda. it is hot but joyous!

the sound equipment didn't work on sunday, so we sang without the music, still thunderous, I think if we shut the glass window they would break!

christian love to all,
Lorie