All you need is Love...

All you need is Love…

I have been slowly writing small portions of a blog everyday. I have not had time to post them, so thought I would compile them all together in one blog. So here it goes…


Today I met my angel. Today I met the inspiration to get me through the hard days when I head back to the United States. Today I met the biggest miracle I believe God has ever created…… Today I met little Lucy…. Who stole my heart forever. Let me fill you in on Lucy’s story so you can understand my love for this young girl.
Lucy was found abandoned on the beach as a newborn, and seemed to be handicapped. After she was found she was taken to an orphanage that thought of handicapped children as “abnormal” or a “curse.” She was left in a corner for days after days, while her body was withering away. No food, no water, and absolutely no love. After many months Lucy was finally saved and brought into the arms of TRS. Lucy has made SO much progress and now smiles, giggles, WALKS, and can respond to the things we say to her. What was once a girl close to being one of God’s angels is now a miracle in the making, and teaching ME how to enjoy my life for all that it offers. Lucy and I have bonded so much since meeting this week. She runs to me when I put my arms out and her laugh is SO SWEET! She giggles when I walk in the room and loves to play “peek a boo!” Tonight during prayer time before the kids went to bed I rocked Lucy to sleep. She snuggled right in my arms and I said a prayer in her ear thanking our awesome God for his child Lucy, and bringing this piece of joy into my life. I love Lucy with all my heart, and I think you can see why …… Praise God for this little bundle of joy.

I could go on and tell you how many days its been since I have showered, how unbelievably hot it is here, or how long its been since I have had a cold drink of water…… but all that seems so trivial when im surrounded by more love here in Sierra Leone that I never knew even existed. Recently my faith has been tested in so many areas of my life…. Being filled with doubt and worries that have made me question many aspects of my life. When I come to Sierra Leone all those doubts and worries go away… I see the Love of God in every single beautiful face and every smiling child. I find myself having more compassion and love for the people of Sierra Leone this time around. After my first trip I didn’t think my love could get any deeper for these people. They are all a family and always look out for one another. The love that surrounds me here is unlike any other. It’s truly a gift from God.

The guesthouse that our team is staying at runs a teen mom program. The moms and their children live in the basement of where we are staying. Today I walked down there and spent some time with the mothers and their children. Zainab and Hannah are little toddlers and boy are they CUTE!!! They giggle whenever they see me and run up to me to pick them both up. Today Zainab and Hannah sat on my lap out on the porch. (Keep in mind our guesthouse over looks the ocean and is on top of the hill to see all of Freetown) We laughed and played and laughed and played. I remember thinking in those moments that life could not get any better. I also spent some time with the teen mothers and we totally bonded. I asked how old they were and we all came to the realization that we are “sisters for life” because we are all 20! We shared a sister hug and prayed for one another. We thanked God for bringing together his sisters in Christ no matter their skin color and no matter where they live. I feel so blessed to have gotten to know these beautiful girls that I can now call my sisters …..

There is something really humbling about waking up in the morning in Sierra Leone, walking out to the balcony of our guesthouse that over looks the ocean and Freetown, and hearing 80 beautiful children next door singing and saying good morning to their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I’m in Africa. Friends, can I tell you something? We don’t have the kind of love Sierra Leone has back in the US….. we don’t have the kind of respect and compassion for one another as the people do here….. and we sure don’t have the zest for life that comes across here. How is that possible?? We have EVERYTHING we could ever want, and still choose to complain, and treat each other with complete disrespect. The people of Freetown live in garbage, have no roof over their head, and wonder everyday when their next meal will be, yet they have Christ inside their heart and it shows so much.. Its unbelievable. They give thanks to God for everything that they have in their life and praise him for all the blessings he gives them. How cool is that? THAT’S love and THAT’S compassion. We can learn a lot from them ……. I know I have.

Today was beach day! We had a BLAST! It was such a treat to watch the kids truly having so much fun…. They swam and swam and swam alllll day long. They are exhausted now, and so are we! It was the most beautiful beach I had ever seen in my life. Regina and I taught the girls cartwheels, leaps, toe touches, and all kinds of dancing moves. They LOVED it! There was one point while I was sitting in the water with children all around me and I looked up at the sky…. And had to pinch myself to be reminded that I was in Africa. Could it get any better than that? I feel like this trip is just filled with so many of Gods blessings. I am so grateful for the people of Sierra Leone and the love and friendship I share with them. I feel as if I have a family in the United States and a family in Sierra Leone, and I love them just the same.