Fambul Tok

Well, this has been quite a weekend! Every six weeks, we have a ship holiday on a Friday so that the crew can have a three-day weekend. This gives nearly everyone a much needed break to rest or get off the ship. So this weekend has been a restful one for me. Still, I was able to get off the ship several times. I will try to summarize what I've been up to.

First off, I had the rare opportunity to attend a book launching and movie screening right here in Freetown. When a friend of mine, James, was flying here, he struck up conversation with the man sitting beside him. This man, John Caulker, is from Sierra Leone, and has started a non-profit organization called Fambul Tok International. Fambul Tok means "family talk" in Krio. This organization seeks to bring community led reconciliation to post-war Sierra Leone. There is a huge need for reconciliation and forgiveness here in Sierra Leone. Since the war ended, many of the rebels who committed unthinkable acts against their own countrymen have moved right back into the villages they came from. This has created a lot of anger and bitterness, and people have avoided talking about what happened in the war. 

Take Nyumah and Sahr (above) for example. The two used to be best friends before the war. They stood to testify before the village bonfire in Gbekedu as a part of one of the first community ceremonies in the Fambul Tok process. Boyhood friends, the two were barely teenagers when the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) invaded their villages, which are located near the Liberian border. Sahr and his father fled into the bush, only to be captured by RUF soldiers. At the bonfire that night, Sahr spoke of how the rebels ordered him to kill his father and of his repeated refusal.  His close friend, Nyumah, had also been taken by the rebels and was there in the bush, Sahr testified. The rebels ordered Nyumah to beat his friend, under threat of death, for defying their orders to kill his father. Nyumah complied, beating his friend so severely that even today Sahr’s body remains misshapen, and he is able to walk only with great difficulty, supported by a cane.  The rebels then forced Nyumah to take the knife and slit the throat of Sahr’s father.

Living since the end of the war in villages just a mile or so apart, the former friends had not spoken about these events until the bonfire. Acknowledging what he had done, bowing in a deep gesture of deference and apology, Nyumah asked his friend for forgiveness—which Sahr immediately gave. As was the case with each pair of testifiers that evening, villagers broke into song as the young men embraced and danced around the bonfire.

There are many other stories like this one of forgiveness that have been taking place in villages all over Sierra Leone. So John Caulker sent James (their pic is below) an invitation to the launching of the book Fambul Tok and the showing of the documentary based on the book. He said that James could bring friends, so he did - 10 of us! 

 While we waited outside of the British High Council, we had a lovely view overlooking the city. This is Rhoda, Emma, and I.

The next day I went with a group of ladies to visit Christ's Evangelical Church. A friend of mine, Rosie, recently attended there, and learned that this church really tries to reach out into the community. On weekdays they have a school for children who are orphaned or don't have the funds to pay for schooling. They also have a vocational/technical school to teach trades to women who were abused or raped during the civil war. This includes teaching them tailoring, cooking, and how to use computers. The church has almost nothing as far as buildings or finances, but I was so impressed with how well they are doing. 

This photo is in the church building (one room). What is extraordinary is that there were FOUR separate classes going on at the same time, ranging from kindergarten children to middle school. I was so impressed by how well the children paid attention to their teacher. 

Don't you just want to take him home?

The women learn how to braid hair, which is a very popular trade.

We told the women that we wanted to put lotion on their hands and paint their nails to show them Jesus' love. So they brought in as many benches as they could find and lined up to be pampered! It was such a unique, humbling experience for me. The weather was scorching hot, so as I was painting nails, sweat was just dripping from my head onto their hands. It was so sweet when a woman beside me took a cloth she had and wiped my head so that I could see to keep going. I'm sure they wondered what was wrong with us, because they were barely sweating at all. One lady pointed to her toes to ask if I could paint them. I did, and soon several other ladies wanted that also. They were so kind, and couldn't believe that I would sit on the ground and dirty my clothes to paint their nails! A woman went up to Pastor Richard afterward and said "I didn't know they loved us this much!" As I painted their nails (which didn't have a trace of polish on them) I felt so much love for them. I cannot fathom the abuse that they endured during the war, or from men since then. But I knew that I could make a small difference by showing love in this tangible way. 

That is Pastor Richard in the brown suit. They were so glad to have us visit. We are excited to go back to visit. We took up an offering on the ship a week ago, and raised enough money to fix the roof on the school, buy several sewing machines (they only have one) and help out in several other ways. I feel so blessed to be able to help out the ministry of this church! 

Well, there are so many other things I want to talk about...but sleep is more important. :) Keep me in your prayers, and God bless.