Lifegate is offering HOPE with its three ministries

Welcome to Stories of Salvation -- the new blog for Lifegate International. Here we'll be sharing the stories of how God's love and grace are shaping the people and villages of Sierra Leone, the headquarters for Lifegate International. 


First, we want to explain a bit about Lifegate's vision to transform villages through education, training and an everlasting relationship with Jesus Christ. 


Seven years ago, Rick and Paula Miller entered the missions field in west Africa. It was in those first months that Rick's vision began to take shape. He desired to transform a village through Christ. 


So he began the research. Surveying dozens of villages, he settled on one -- then called Compound Village. There was no Christian presence in this village then. And Pastor Justus Koroma set out to evangelize on their ministry's behalf, facing much opposition and persecution in those initial days. 


Rick discovered early on that this transformation would need to be grounded in HOPE. It would require educating, training and empowering the people. Not in just the words of God but also in the kinds of skills that would sustain their families. 


Today -- a year after the Millers got their ministry back to Sierra Leone -- that hope is taking shape. The Bible Telling School is no longer just a vision but a building that will soon combine training in Bible stories with trade skills for programs that will send evangelists out into other villages to live out stories of HOPE and salvation, while being able to work in a trade that will give them an income. 


Additionally fueled by the dedication of a German woman named Brigitte, who donated money to Compound Village for its first healthcare center, this community is already undergoing a transformation. She has now also given money for a new primary school and a high school (first time for one here!) to be constructed in the village, which was renamed Brigitte Village. The village chief handed over the responsibility for running the schools to Lifegate, which will partner with the government and bring a Christian-based element to the school. Also, Lifegate is partnering with Children's Redemption Orphanage Home to build an orphanage in Brigitte Village -- relocating 17 children from Waterloo and giving them a chance at the same opportunities as others who live in the area.


So you can see the people here will soon be able to get an education and training in such a way that they can provide a living wage for their families and know Jesus Christ. It's the story of HOPE, and these are their Stories of Salvation. 

Rick Miller with a group of boys from Brigitte Village.