Conakry Mission Day 4, 5, 6 & 7 Conakry Mission Day 4, 5, 6 & 7 Page 1
Conakry Mission Day 4, 5, 6 & 7 Jamie s Blog Wow what a blessing this trip has been to this point. Day 4 was an awesome day here in Conakry... we made the trip to Kakossa today. An island off the coast filled with multiple tribes. We stopped and visited each tribe along the way of a long 3 hour journey. We were blessed with the seat of honor at a tribal council meeting where we were able to see the inner workings of the tribe. Jeremy, who is a missionary planted on the island to teach and was himself taught by Pastor Khanu, was officially accepted and welcomed. We were able to meet the chief of each tribe and surprisingly enough we were greeted with joy and warmth at each stop. These people are very welcoming and open; unfortunately, they are very lost in the darkness of their Muslim faith. On our way off the island we drove past several mosques and the vast blank stares of the people praying there was heartbreaking. So thankful we serve the one and only Living God. Day 5 started off as each day has with being blessed by the wonderful African style cooking of James wife who, to say the least, has shown us much love and kept our bellies full. We had planned a trip to the island of Kabak, which was postponed as brother James did not have a peace about taking us at this time. James was nearly beaten to death on that same island not so long ago. We informed him that we had been praying about that day for some time and were ready to make the trip if Conakry Mission Day 4, 5, 6 & 7 Page 2
the Lord was leading. He hopes to return there in the near future. With the change in plans we ended up helping James with pouring part of the concrete foundation for a wall at the church for his expansion plans. His vision is nothing short of incredible and inspiring. Plans are set in motion to work towards a 6 story university where the church is now sitting. In Africa that is quite an undertaking with such short supply of resources and tools. To say that James Khanu is a blessed man with vision from the Lord would be an understatement. Day 6 was filled with great joy as we were blessed by going to the larger school today which has around 150 children ranging from 6-16. These kids are awesome and the joy in their hearts and smiles on their faces will melt you down. They love to have their picture taken and we were happy to do it. Hundreds of pictures later and a few crazy moments with these hams. We gave out candy (dum - dums) hundreds of dumdums. You d think I was giving out money. They came running. AWESOME!!! We played for hours after that in 90º heat. Didn t slow em down at all. Our next stop was to visit the former Arch-bishop of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. We sat and talked with him about his experiences, and we left with his blessing to return anytime. Lunch? Yes please!!! Shawarmas? Um, I guess so... Delicious...especially since we sat in the AC for the 1st time in over a week. After lunch we did some shopping in a roadside store where we picked up things for our families made by the locals. The African culture is so bright and vibrant and they are proud to show it off. With the help of James it was a successful stop. Conakry Mission Day 4, 5, 6 & 7 Page 3
After some rest we had dinner at James home with many of his church leaders and pastors. Once again we were blessed with a great meal including the best potato salad I ve ever eaten. Yes, in Africa.. After taking part in some good conversation about the past week James presented the leaders with certificates of appreciation for their service to the Lord and His church. Unexpectedly he then presented each of us with the same certificate, but he wasn t done. His wife then presented Josh, Ron, and myself with a full set of African clothing to show their appreciation for us coming to help him in serving the Lord from America. After dinner we had more great conversation with the leaders and family before heading back to the compound for the night. As we prepare to leave this place tomorrow it s easy to say I will miss my brothers and sisters here in Guinea, and I will leave another piece of my heart far from home. 2 Timothy 2:1 2 (NKJV) You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Ron s Blog Day 4 Go to the first island, Kakossa - We ate breakfast at James home as usual. Very good. Conakry Mission Day 4, 5, 6 & 7 Page 4
- We gassed up the SUV and drove for 3 hours. Driving on the roads was like driving on solid ocean waves. Up down, Up down. Very very rough. We met with Tribal Chiefs Went to Tribal council to meet with the island prefect. He is over all the village chiefs. They all report to him. James presented Jeremy as the missionary for the island and asked their permission for him to live and minister there. The Tribal council openly discussed this and then cleared / ok ed Jeremy. There were a lot of Muslim people there at council. Some were upset that Jeremy was seeking permission to be there, but couldn t deny the work of love ( the well project ) that James has showed them. The Holy Spirit is in power. We were blessed by 2 more chiefs today, all are Muslim. They warmly welcomed us as did their village. These people are simple, don t have much, live in mud/grass huts. They farm rice, coconuts, and are fishermen. These are beautiful people. I wanted to stay longer and play with there kids but we had to go. I love them and hope to see them again. Day 5 Work at church in Conakry. ( We were supposed to go to the other island. Change of plans. Due to the leading of the Holy Spirit ) Conakry Mission Day 4, 5, 6 & 7 Page 5
Worked on a church extension wall. This wall will be the new exterior wall for this section of the church building. Mixed, poured, spread concert. We worked with 4 Guinea guys to get a beam ready for blocks which we will lay on Monday. Ate an awesome fish meal prepared by James family. Also met James elder son, Eric who is a teacher of chemistry in Sarah Leone. Lost power at CMA about 2300 but luckily the building has UPS. Power returned about 02:30. Day 6 Got up and James took us to his home for breakfast. He then dropped us back at CMA James picked us up and we went to church. We were again seated on stage and introduced. The power was out and so a tired generator was used until the power returned, which it did about 30 minutes later. This church was celebrating its 32nd anniversary this week. The way it started and the way God has used James is nothing short of miraculous. The church was filled with people ready to worship God. They were praising His name in words and song. You could strongly feel the Holy Spirit. Everything was done to honor God and give Him glory. Conakry Mission Day 4, 5, 6 & 7 Page 6
They collected 3 offerings. One for general tithes, one for Josh, and one for the building expansion. Josh preached a very bold sermon. It was for this church and for this time. He had an interpreter who spoke French for the church. The interpreter was a pastor from a local church. Josh was asked to close out the serve with prayer. There were 2 local US missionaries there with their families. Plus other local pastors were present. They introduced every pastor as they came in throughout the service. The pastors are held in very high regard. They are highly respected. Day 6 Today is Monday. We went to the church which was in school mode. The classrooms were full of students. They divided the sanctuary into classrooms and seated the other students there. The principal had the students gather in the courtyard. The students wanted pictures taken. They would say, Photograph. We took lots of pictures. What a blessing these children are. We then passed out candy. It was very well received. The courtyard was turned into a makeshift soccer ( football) arena. There are definitely talented soccer ( future stars ) players there. After about an hour the principal called everyone back to class, so we left. Conakry Mission Day 4, 5, 6 & 7 Page 7
We took a ride toward the south and visited a more wealthy part of Conakry today. James took us to the home of the Arch Bishop of Guinee/ Guinea- Bissau. His wife met us. She is very joyful and outgoing, a pleasure to be around, very open, very loving. The Arch Bishop is very humble and speaks softly. I found him to be wise, someone that you stop and listen to whenever, wherever he speaks. We went in search of souvenirs after leaving the Arch Bishop s home. We bought some things and then looked for lunch. Lunch was a treat. James took us to a small restaurant that had AC. It was the first AC we were able to enjoy all week. I m not sure which was better, the AC or the food. We enjoyed shawarma and pizza with cold coke and fanta. It was back to CMA for us until 18:30. James came and picked us up and back to his home we went. His wife and daughters had prepared another great dinner. This was for the church leaders and included a recognition ceremony for the hard work and dedication over the last year. We didn t realize it but James included us in it as well. We helped present and were also presented to. We received certificates and a very nice African dress which is a shirt and pant suit. The night was very well prepared and received. We then took pictures and went back to CMA. Conakry Mission Day 4, 5, 6 & 7 Page 8
Jamie s Pics Conakry Mission Day 4, 5, 6 & 7 Page 9
Jamie, Ron, and Josh Ron s Pics Conakry Mission Day 4, 5, 6 & 7 Page 10