Makeni

After a three-hour drive from Freetown, I arrived in Makeni and was introduced to Fr. Francis Sedhu Sessay and the house in which I will be staying. Fr. Francis actually grew up in Makeni, and has been ordained for nine years.


For an air conditioning enthusiast like myself, these two months will certainly be an extreme test of character. The little A/C unit that comforted me in my Freetown setup is long gone. I don’t think there is any power running in the house until at night when the generators may kick on for a few hours, so I will be using my laptop sparingly. Also, there is no internet here in the house, but Fr. Francis teaches at the local university and I will try to utilize their computers as often as I can. The town uses no electricity during the day, which is culturally quite jarring. Please forgive me if I do not update for a while more, as I get my bearings and figure out where is power/internet available. Especially to my family (ESPECIALLY to my mother), know that I wish I could be more in contact than my environment allows.


Fr. Francis took me to meet Bishop George Biguzzi. He is a very humble and Spirit-filled man hailing from Italy. As soon as I arrived, he told me that before anything else I had to meet “the Boss.” I wish I had brought my camera, for the Bishop took me to his private chapel filled with carvings from a local artist. Intricate designs were etched into the wood that made up the altar, ambo, and the tabernacle (the top chamber was a carving of a hut with a lamb at the door, literally a “house” for the Lord). We spent a moment in prayer before chatting about the details of my trip. It was a warm welcome.


From here on out I will be shadowing Fr. Francis and helping with the local youth organizations. Tomorrow I will be attending a deaconate ordination for their diocese, which is pretty cool since I just witnessed two for St. Petersburg, but now I will get the African taste. PLEASE pray for my continued courage in the face of this new culture. It is jarring, sometimes scary, but very much full of love. I have encountered nothing but smiles and hospitality when introduced to the people. For a population possessing little or nothing, they are spiritually rich indeed. Please also pray that my body might adjust to this climate quickly.

I don’t think I’ve sweat this much in one day in…well, ever.


Thank you for the thoughts and prayers, know that you are in mine constantly. I love and miss you all.


In prayer,
-Bob

**I'm at the University of Makeni now. Fr. Francis teaches here, and has allowed me to hop on his computer. I should be able to access the internet at least a few nights a week...thanks be to God!