First Email Update June 12, 2008

This is an email we sent out when the team first got here. Was not a part of this travel experience because I had travelled a week earlier then them, but it is quite humorous so I wanted to share it!

Greetings from Marjay Town on the edge of Freetown!

We are excited to report to you that we have arrived safely and are in good health. A couple of us have endured the stomach churns (we will spare you the details!), but all are strong enough to carry on for daily events. Thanks be to God who is our strength.

The trip was, without a doubt, quite lengthy. IN short, out flight time totaled 14and a half hours, our layover time added 23 hours, our hover craft time clocked in a one hour and our exhaustion topped the charts at 38 and a half hours!

Noteworthy highlights from the journey include:#1 Getting lost (almost) at the JFK airport in New York. Come to find out, airtrain maps aren't easy to read. Some of us were thinking we were already out of the country. Three cheers for New York.
#2 Attempting to sleep on the tile floor at the Casablanca airport for a good 10 hours. As we wearily boarded our plane that night, we found out we could have rested and showered in a complimentary hotel. The next COTN team will greatly benefit from our discovery.
#3 To our surprise we got to fly over and past Freetown to make a stop in Monrovia, Liberia before going back to Freetown. Evidently the Liberian football (soccer) team is more important than us (the sweet action COTN team). If only….

We arrived at the guest house on Monday morning around 7:00am after our long journey. We were grateful to be able to nap horizontally and spend some time at the beach. Needless to say we still crashed under our mosquito nets shortly after dinner. Sierra Leone gave us a more official welcome at 2:30am when we awoke to a "tropical typhoon"- as we lovingly called it. Fear, not, dear loved ones, it wasn't really a typhoon, but it did get our attention. With adrenaline pumping, we joined forces to attempt to stop the incoming deluge, but soon realized the windows failed to close completely. No worries, it was just water mixed with extreme wind. All thrives in the experience with laughter and unbelief.

Well there truly is so much we would love to share however some details are best relayed with hand motions (you will simply have to wait).

We will conclude with the update about out time in the Freetown COTN School. We have been leading in-services for the teachers and also co-teaching in the classrooms. With only two school days under our belt, we've already felt welcomed in the children's lives as they excitedly call us Aunty, and are quick to grab our hands. The teachers have graciously allowed us to teach in their classrooms and are patient to repeat things over and over again when we can't distinguish their accents. All of us wish our schools would begin with daily songs, dances, and devotions. The kids sing wholeheartedly each morning- one of our favorite daily joys. All of us will take these experiences with us when we leave and trust they will challenge and encourage us even after departure.

Please continue to join us in prayer for the following #1 100% health for each member
#2 Wisdom as we spend time in the classrooms
#3 A heightened ability to understand the nationals' accent.
#4 Our journey to Banta on Saturday.

Praises include
#1 Safe arrival to Freetown
#2 In-service presentations are going well
#3 The multiple short rain showers which momentarily cool the air
#4 We are learning so much about Sierra Leone's history and God's heart for Sierra Leone's future.

Thank you for your prayers and for joining us in this adventure. We are grateful and we send out love.

The 8 white chicks! (Written by Allie Clark)

Now for the team leaders perspective
The girls are doing an awesome job with their in-services. They are planning and preparing culturally relevant in-services and doing a great job presenting the in-services to the teachers. It is so neat to be able to watch them interact with the children and teachers! Everyone has positive attitudes and are open to learning about the culture and education system of Sierra Leone.