Lausanne WP: The Echo of a Saint

By Christopher L. Heuertz

We walked through an open-air market, down a side street in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, West Africa. The vibrant colors and smells of the fruit and vegetables filled our senses. The road was narrow yet full of life. We were surrounded by children laughing and playing all up and down the street. Nearly every vendor greeted us with warm and sincere hospitality.
Before we knew it, the market opened into what appeared to be a valley—more like a crater—on the edge of downtown. Slowly, we walked down a long concrete staircase, into the worst slum I have ever seen. Having traveled in nearly seventy countries throughout Asia, Africa, and South America, I was blown away by the density of poverty and texture of suffering that marked every detail of Kroo Bay.

Kroo Bay is the poorest slum community in the capital city of the world’s poorest country. It’s a former fishing village turned into an informal coastal slum with around six thousand residents—more than four thousand of them children.

Located below sea level, where two of Freetown’s major rivers meet and drain into the Atlantic Ocean, it floods with sewage every time there is major rainfall in the city. This forces residents to spend countless days and nights fighting to save their homes bucket by bucket.
It’s overcrowded, congested, and clogged with trash.

If it weren’t for the laughter of the children and the smiles of the vendors, it would have seemed one of the most hopeless places in the world.

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Updates (as of July 19th, 2008)

Here are just a few prayer points:

1. Pray for Christie--she has malaria! She called Karen 3 days ago now. Malaria & some other bacterial infection. She is on a new medicine and antibiotic. Pray for her recovery and her wisdom in decisions about resting and recovering when she would like to be with the kids and helping out. [Karen]
2. Pray for John's adoption--the family is awaiting word from the U.S. embassy (Dakar) on his visa. Pray for peace for all 8 family members!
3. Pray for Jerry's adoption, which is in the early stages. Pray for peace for his family also.
4. Pray for Rachel & Leah who are with their mother. Pray for Rachel's health that God would marvelously provide and answer prayers--and maybe even heal her! Pray for the influence they might have on their family and neighbors in their village.
5. Pray for Tenneh (adopted, home in Nov. '07) who has a heart problem. Pray for her parents as they make decisions regarding this. She will see a cardiac surgeon soon. Pray for her to be at peace with everything going on around her!
6. Pray for Roger (international director) who also has malaria. He was recently visiting Sierra Leone for several weeks. He is a full-time nursing student and all-around busy guy. Pray that God would restore his health.
7. Pray for the school. Over half of the funds have been raised to complete the building. The work on the foundation will begin this month.
8. Pray that the goats on the farm are quick learners with their new (& operational) solar electric fence. They have been a handful and there have been many options on trial for keeping them from running out into the road. Pray that this one works! The goats are given to foster families of JCC to help them out.
9. Pray for Pastor Peter and the ministry team in Sierra Leone.
10. Praise God for each and every supporter of JH!!