Into Africa!

Written by Alvin Smith

On the 23rd of October at 8:30 am myself and David Duckett (a young seventeen year old from Charleston, SC) along with Pastor Edward Saffa, journeyed from Freetown, Sierra Leone to the city of Bo as well as the Moyamba Township. The reason for the trip was to see firsthand the two completed building projects that were funded by our charity. Driving into the heartland of Africa is one of the highlights of going to Africa. Sierra Leone being a tropical paradise is incredibly beautiful with rolling hills, not to mention the overwhelming Gola Forest. It’s a welcomed get away from the hustle and bustle of the over-populated Freetown. What a joy to see the young school kids walking to school along a hardened dirt footpath the goes from one village to another. And though it seems to be a long distance from point A to B, the kids don’t seem to mind. One thing for sure – there is not one case of child obesity. As we arrived in Bo, we were greeted by Pastor Freeman along with a host of area pastors as well as many young, vibrant disciples. The hospitality of the Sierra Leonean people is pure, heartfelt and mindboggling. I later found out that the congregation had been waiting for two hours for our arrival – not knowing exactly what time we would arrive. I was moved by the welcome and gratitude of this young congregation. Pastor Freeman started the services with a number of songs and opened in prayer. He gave me a sterling introduction – as the man responsible for raising the funds in order to make it possible to have a place of worship and to also utilize as a school for grades K-6. I stood and greeted the congregation in the local “mende” language in – saying “Boa” and their response is "Bissia”. I gave a brief exhortation and encouraged them to take the land for Jesus – and that their best days are ahead of them. After the informal service we retired to the Pastor’s office for refreshments. They served one of my favorites; snapper, plantains and cold ginger-root beverage – what a treat! After taking a number of pictures by my photographer (David Duckett) – and bidding our people of Bo farewell, we were back in the vehicle and on our way to Moyamba. Moyamba is about 94 miles from Bo town. 72 of those miles are along a fairly new stretch of highway. The last 22 miles from Moyamba Junction to Moyamba town is something that every person living in the Western Hemisphere must experience. It took us nearly two hours to drive 22 miles! It was rough, but it was exciting to know that we were on our way to see the next building project that Into-Africa had funded and completed. As we approached Moyamba town, standing on the side of the road awaiting our arrival was Pastor Adornis Ngegba. Adornis and wife Victoria were able to come to the Tucson Bible Conference in June of 2011. Adornis directed us to the guesthouse that was prepared for us to get refreshed. We were then taken to the new building facility and given a tour. I was astonished! Right in the heart of the Moyamba Township was this beautiful church structure. I would liken it to a light on a hill. It not only spoke of dominion, but hope and dignity to a community that was off the beaten path and somewhat forgotten. I cannot explain to you what this has done for the congregation of Moyamba. We arrived in Moyamba about 5:30 or so and the pastor had scheduled a service at 6:30. So we hustled back to the room – got ready and were off to the service. As we were about to leave – it sounded as if someone was standing on the roof of the guesthouse with a firehouse and spraying water directly on the roof. October marks the final month of rainy season – that evening the heavens were opened and rain was descending in a torrential manner upon that village. We walked to Church tucked underneath an umbrella with no light to guide us, only the trusted eyes of a young disciple that knew every inch of the road. It was fun. It was a regular service – the music was electric, the worship was glorious, and the ministry was anointed. After the service Pastor Adornis presented me with a gift from the Church as a token of their appreciation for not forgetting about Moyamba. His words were “this village will never be the same”! We had planned to leave in the morning – but Pastor Saffa received word that one of church vehicles was broken down along the road. Earlier that week a medical team from the US was upcountry in an area called Kabala and was utilizing the service of that particular vehicle. So, needless to say, we loaded up and began the long, arduous trek back to Freetown. Oh yeah, don’t forget about 22 miles of rough road. We were able to meet the brethren, who were stranded, give them food and water, and continue our journey to Freetown. We arrived in Freetown at about 1:30 am. This was young David’s first trip to Africa, indeed a trip that we will never ever forget. I want to thank all those who have given in their own small way to make this possible. We couldn’t have done it without your prayers, finances and support. May God’s blessing rest richly upon your lives. Let’s continue to do together what we cannot do alone!