Want to know more?

There are so many exciting stories coming out of Rick and Paula Miller's work in Sierra Leone. In a week's time, I was able to talk to a few dozen people, take lots of photos and videos, and see firsthand Rick's vision  creating waves in a culture so foreign to mine. 


You are going to hear more and more about the development in Brigitte Village and all of the Sierra Leone Peninsula. There are so more exciting changes taking place for the kingdom! 


I want to personally invite any of you who are close enough to visit Athens, Illinois, to come at 6 p.m. Sunday to hear my presentation about the Millers' ministries. It is so uplifting the transformation there, and I want to share more of it with you. I'll be speaking, but I'll also have a book of photos and brochures. You can learn how you might get more involved or just get plugged in so you can keep hearing the stories! I hope to see you there!

Rick and Paula in a sea of school children. 

Quari

This is Quari, a small village a few miles along the Penisular Highway from Brigitte Village. It was founded in 2001 by a forester named Mbaimba, and the village is in the process of renaming their community after its founder. There are about 125 adults living in Quari, plus many children and a lot of orphans. Most of the men and even women work in the nearby quarry. The work is almost all done by hand. 

This man is crushing rock into a fine material. 

These men are breaking up larger rocks into small rocks that can then be crushed by hand.

There are many orphans in Quari being raised by neighbors. There is no school in this village, and none of the children attend school. 

Please pray for the village of Quari. Pray for the children there -- the orphans and the ones unable to attend school. Pray that the Christian fellowship provided here offers them hope.

Meet Maritu

This is Maritu Tarawally.

She attended a program when Dwight Haymon, a pastor with Lifegate International in Georgia, visited Sierra Leone. 

"We prayed for people. There were a lot of Muslims who were healed and a few led to Christ," recalled Pastor Justus Koroma. "She became sick, and we prayed for her. God healed her, and she decided to accept Christ."

Maritu has been attending church since then. Please pray that Maritu will stand firm in her faith and share the Bible stories so that others may be reached. 

'It Takes a Village'

This beautiful baby boy...

is being raised by a widowed mom and with the help of the village. His father, a Muslim, became sick. Pastor Justus Koroma (pictured above) prayed with his father and encouraged him to accept Christ. And while he was healed temporarily, he became sick again. Like a lot of people in the villages, the man used charms and sought the help of witch doctors out of desperation and eventually died from his illness. In her grieving, his wife lost a baby in childbirth. 


This is not uncommon in Sierra Leone. According to the latest statistics collected by the government in 2008, 115 babies die for every 1,000 live births. Additionally, because of malaria, unclean water and a lack of healthcare services, there are 204 deaths for every 1,000 children under the age of 5. 


Right now, this boy's mother is going to trade school in another community. She must leave her son behind in the village in order to have HOPE of providing for him. The popularized phrase based on the book "It Takes a Village" certainly applies in Brigitte where siblings look after one another, neighbors take in orphaned children and everyone tries their best to do what they can with what little resources are available.


Please pray for this family and for others who endure untimely deaths and for everyone in the villages taking care of children.