To America and Back

Four months since our last blog! A lot has happened since we last wrote an update. In May we left for our annual leave. We spent three weeks in the Netherlands, visiting with Heleen’s family. It was so good to see everyone again, especially Heleen’s parents, who had faced some health troubles over the past year. Because of the limited time we had in the Netherlands, we prioritized time with our parents, but we were also able to see most of Heleen’s family and some friends, including those who came to our “Meet & Greet” on the Saturday before we left. In between visits we enjoyed the beauty of Holland in spring, with mild weather and flowers everywhere. On two Sundays we shared about our work in Sierra Leone in churches in Ede and Utrecht. 

Enjoying a typical Dutch walk - one of Heleen's brothers lives close to the famous town of Kinderdijk where tourists come to see the many windmills.

In early June we traveled to the US. The first two weeks we were based in Atmore, and we enjoyed a very precious time with the children and grandchildren. Since our last leave, three of our children had moved to a new location and we were glad to see them all in their new homes during our leave. We also appreciated catching up with our Atmore friends and the church. After two weeks it was time to pack our bags again as we set out on a long tour, from South-Carolina to Virginia to Pennsylvania to Delaware! We were able to see Jon’s parents and many others of his family, some good friends, and we had a very valuable time at MCC’s Welcoming Place in Akron where we met with our leaders from EMM and UB Global.

With all the children and grandchildren!

With Jon's parents and Uncle Paul, who was a missionary doctor in Ethiopia for many years in Ethiopia and has been an inspiration to Jon from an early age. 

On July 2^nd we had a very smooth trip back to Sierra Leone and Mattru Jong. With our aim to leave in December we have now only about four more months left to serve at the hospital and “Nyandengoh!”

Some of you may wonder what “Nyandengoh!” means. Well, we are very happy to introduce you to a small, new initiative for the children with disabilities in Mattru Jong. As you know, Heleen has been working with these children for the past year or so. From one young boy with cerebral palsy the work grew to over 40 children with all kinds of disabilities: children with cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, learning disabilities, children who are blind and/or deaf, etc. Children with disabilities are often feared and looked down upon in Sierra Leone. They are frequently seen as devils, and their parents, especially their mothers, are believed to have done something very bad that caused them to give birth to a disabled child. “Nyandengoh!” means “he/she/it is beautiful!” in Mende, the local language spoken here. To counteract the many negative words that are spoken out over children with disabilities and their families, we want to say to them: “You are beautiful, you are created in the image of God. He made you and He loves you, and so do we.” Heleen has been joined in this ministry by two local friends, who share the vision of “Nyandengoh!”: Sylvanus French and Esther Sopay. Sylvanus is a son of Pa French (see “Tribute to a Faithful Worker”, our blog in April). Heleen has worked with him for many years in Freetown and is glad to have him on her team again now that he has returned to his home town. Esther is the mother of a 17-year-old boy with multiple disabilities. We have written about her before in our newsletter. Every day, Sylvanus and Esther visit the children and their families with developmental/educational toys. They counsel the parents, and liaise with the schools that some of the children attend. It is a small beginning, but we are already seeing fruit on our labor, as communities are beginning to respond differently to the children with disabilities. We have some exciting plans for the coming year, and will keep you updated!

On Easter Monday in April we officially launched "Nyandengoh!"

Sylvanus and Esther standing by our "Wall of Fame"in the small office we rent at the hospital.

Jon’s work at the hospital continues with many challenges. He is the only expat worker there since our colleague Pam’s stay in Mattru came to a sudden end when she had to go home in May with some health challenges. Her term in Mattru expired while she was home and she will only return to pack up her things and hand over. We will miss her as we continue to serve without her… Some days we feel like giving up, but we pray that God will give us strength to be faithful to the end, to follow His example of sacrificial love, and to daily “bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things.”