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David and I were moved to Waterloo. It's a bit more country out here and I like it! We'll be here for a week or two. It should be nicer here. We have to wake up at 5 AM for morning praises, and then head out to the construction site to make cement blocks. Bro. John Noel has been working on that project with little help and he makes over 300 blocks a day. We're excited to get to work. We would have been doing much more of this but the building plan has not arrived yet and a brother in Australia is supposed to have furnished this by now. I think I have already been slated to do something else for the rest of my stay here. I will most likely be teaching in the Christian school.We had an interesting experience today. We were walking along some of the streets in Waterloo, and some of the kids playing in the street began waving at us and calling us Opoto (White man in Timini, another local dialect). I am neither white nor black. I used to be brown, but I am quite a bit toasted now from the Equatorial sun. Bro. Samuel said that most people here don't often see our color. They're used to white or black. Talk about not fitting in!! People however are EXTREMELY friendly and approachable. They love visitors and welcome us with broad smiles.
I met a family who are Liberian refugees. The son who is 18 will be immigrating to New York on the 4th. His is able to do this through the UNHCR. They had registered at the border when they fled to Sierra Leone in 1990. After all these years, James finally got the opportunity to go to New York and hopefully make something out of his life. I understand that only families who are utterly poor get such opportunities. How can you determine that? Seems SO MUCH of the population is utterly poor!
It's such an irony. Sierra Leone could really be one of the wealthiest countries in Africa. The country is rich in natural resources. Diamond mines are plenty. There is a pretty decent population of Lebanese and Indians here who own a lot of businesses. There are many who are rich, but as they say, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It is really sad to see the livelihood of the poor here in Sierra Leone and I am sure the rest of Africa. A tiny shack made of branches with a tin roof is home to so many. They eat, shower, cook and wash outside, and only go in to sleep at night. I have visited some of these shacks and many times, I am moved to stay in one of them just to know what it feels like. I am sure these people will accomodate me even if it might be hard to squeeze me in. But alas, I am not allowed to do that.
For more info regarding the diamond industry in Salone, click on the photo below:
The church has been taking pretty good care of us so far and I feel inadequate. I feel it's really not what I came here for. I did not come here to eat and sleep. I came to live like a local. I mentioned how I feel to the brothers and they understand, but it's a weird situation here and I wasn't prepared for it. I don't think I ever will be. Female leadership. It's causing so much agony for so many people here. This is as much as I'll say about this. I can speak to you in person about this if you'd like. The brothers are all absolutely wonderful, and there is really no power struggle of showcasing of power. I don't think many will really understand how and why I feel the way I do about this subject. But I feel strongly about it and no matter how much I try to persuade myself to think otherwise, I just can't help feeling that I am not wrong in thinking this way. I have had some very deep conversations with the brothers here and they all feel the same. Funny that many of the sisters feel it too. I think I should stop here about this. I came here to surrender and by God I shall try as hard as I can!It's 10:40 PM now and the generator went off 10 minutes ago. I am typing in the dark on battery power. Off to bed now.
posted by bthomas24 @ 3:35 PM
2 Comments:
I think you're saying too much my dear.
I sort of realize now and I will be more careful. Thank you for the feedback.
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