Dear Friends,
 
Just to let you know that your devotion to God, to us and our ministry has always been encouraging, humbling and excited. Please allow me to give you a detailed update on our recent visit to Freetown , Sierra Leone .
 
A long journey, muddy roads and fearful nights; but a greater understanding of God’s Word and opportunities to share his vision across borders.
 
On the 22 of May, 2008 Zinnah Yalleh (one of my key YL leaders) and I left Monrovia for more then a 350-mile journey on muddy and dilapidated roads to Freetown , Sierra Leone . We travelled throughout the day and night passing through wild forest and crossing over bad bridges and ridding on a wood made ferryboat at 2:14am, the next morning to cross over one of Sierra Leone biggest rivers before reaching Freetown.  A white Land river jeep took us from the side of the Sierra Leone border to Bo, the second biggest city in Sierra Leone .  The Jeep (see picture attached) was loaded with several goods and a total of 16 passengers. The journey was long, very long, fearful, especially at night and tiresome but it gave me a greater understanding of God’s Word and opportunities to share His vision across borders. How wonderful!
 
Like Liberia , Sierra Leone is also a small West African country that has suffered years of bloody civil war with young people being drugged and used as child soldiers. See the movie ‘Blood Diamond.’ Peace has returned to Sierra Leone , while the people are now trying to rebuild their lives after years of war.  Many organizations including the churches and mosques are among those groups that are striving to help the people rebuild their lives.  And the Sierra Leone International Mission School (SLIMS) is one of those schools helping to reach out to needy kids through a free tuition system.
 
Upon our arrival the next day, we met with Richard Wernick and Chris (Americans) and a number of Sierra Leonean friends Richard introduced us to.  Richard and Chris are leading the SLIMS project in Sierra Leone . Find these guys in Heaven; they are wonderful men of God who have experienced God’s love and have displayed His heart of love and compassion for the people of Sierra Leone through the power and name of Jesus Christ. They started a mission school that is reaching more than 2,300 kids in Freetown , especially in a populated Muslims community.  The SLIMS is a tuition free school that both Muslim and Christian kids attend, but a good number of these kids are neither Christians nor Muslims. One of the instructors told us that every Friday, the number of students that show up for school drop as compare to other school days and this is because many students go to the mosques for prayers on Friday.
 
At SLIMS, we had series of meetings with lots of people which gave us the opportunity to share the vision of Young Life with them and to look for some men and women who love Jesus and are willing to sacrifice to help lost kids in Sierra Leone know Jesus.  In each meeting we were warmly welcomed and given full attention as we talked about wanting to reach lost kids in Sierra Leone and as I look in the eyes of few people during these meetings, I saw nothing but a willingness to sacrifice for lost kids in Sierra Leone . Amen, Lord!  We met people, we prayed for kids, volunteers and the vision of Young Life.  I was thrilled being with such great people.
 
Mauirce Koroma was one of the new people we met. He is a teacher at the SLIMS and is presently my key contact person in Freetown .  Mauirce is a Christian who loves kids. Beside his teaching job, he has a small Bible study group that is reaching kids through scripture memories at the SLIMS.  Mauirce and other people we met we were engaged  so see how Young Life club looks,  so that they will begin building friendship with kids and having club meetings after we have left. Richard, Chris and the school principal gave us the permission to start YL at the SLIMS. They were excited about our vision and they wanted the school to be used as a base to begin YL.  Later we joined Mauirce and few others people for contact work, the next day 56 kids showed up at what will be the first ever YOUNG LIFE SIERRA LEONE CLUB. See club pictures attached.  The atmosphere was incredible. Kids enjoyed every moment of the club, they had fun as I lead the club, while Zinnah Yallah gave the talk and Mauirce played the guitar. After club, kids asked if we were staying for another club the following week.  They love club, they love the games, the fun and YL model of presenting the Gospel. The faces of  the kids at club tell you that they are deeply hungry for the Gospel.
 
The first ever YL club held at the Sierra Leone International Mission School (SLIMS) reminds me about the Parable of the Farmer and the Soils. And this begins the seed that fell on good ground, and will yield fruit that will sprang up and increase in size, which will eventually spread across Sierra Leone.  Amazingly, I called Mauirce yesterday and he told me that 63 kids showed up for the second club meeting at SLIMS.  What a blessings to hear how God is using our new friends to reach kids in Sierra Leone .  Let’s pray for Mauirce Koroma (our key contact person at SLIMS), Richard and Chris, Simpson , Josida, Patrick, Pastor Lebbie, Rev. Ngegba, Pastor Konteh and all those we met and welcomed us.  Pray that God will continue to bless them as they support our work in Freetown .  Pray for kids in Sierra Leone , pray for the SLIMS and students. Pray for Sierra Leone , and pray that God will bring volunteers to reach lost kids for Jesus in Sierra Leone .
 
Sierra Leone is a West African country that bordered Guinea , Liberia and Atlantic Ocean . And Muslims constitute 60% of Sierra Leone ’s population, Christian 30% and indigenous religions 10%. Indigenous religions in West Africa refer to traditional African religions which involve teachings, practices, and rituals that lend structure to African native societies. These societies reflect local conceptions o f God(s) and the cosmos. Even within a single community there may be slightly different perceptions of the supernatural.
 
There are big Muslim schools in every region of Sierra Leone . The Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School , Muslim Congress Boys Secondary and the Kankalay Islamic Secondary School are among some of the largest Muslim schools we saw in Freetown .  Mosques are in every corner of Freetown and lost kids are everywhere. Let's pray, pray for Sierra Leone
 
As we were leaving on Sunday, May 25, some of the students, Mauirce and volunteers escorted us to the bus parking and wished that we stay longer than the few days we stayed in Freetown . We left Freetown May 25 and traveled throughout the night and encountering the same experienced. At 11:20pm, while traveling in a pickup on our way back to the Liberian border, a big tree fell one the road in the forest. No one in the car had a cutlass and there was no way we could remove the tree from the road. Zinnah and other passengers left in the pickup, while the driver and I walked in the forest about 35 minutes looking for nearby villages before we found one and asked few men to help us remove the tree and we finally passed through.  It was certainly a difficult journey but God’s mission was accomplished and we met the right people who will help us reaching lost kids for the Kingdom.  Thank you Lord, for a safe journey!
 
Let’s pray that the small seed (YL club) we planted in Freetown will continue to grow and bless by God into a great harvest someday
 
A long journey, muddy roads and fearful nights; but a greater understanding of God’s Word and opportunities to share his vision across borders.
 
In Him
 
James Davis
Young Life Liberia
Monrovia , Liberia
West Africa