What a day this has been! Definitely a Sunday I will never forget. This morning Maree and I set out for Life of Light Church. We had been there before, and were planning to meet our friend Nancy who used to be a day volunteer on the ship. After walking up to the main road, Kissy St., we tried to catch a taxi unsuccessfully. Each one that passed seemed to be full of people. We had joked about taking okadas (motorcycles) since Maree has never ridden one, but I didn't want to because I was wearing a skirt. Sure enough, two guys on okadas stopped right beside us to offer a ride. We were already running late, and I knew this would be the quickest option. We asked them if they knew where the New England Police Station was, and we haggled the price - 5,000 Le (around $1.25) I reminded Maree to ask for directions if her driver got lost (which happens often). And we were off!
I quickly realized that my calf-length skirt was much shorter while sitting on an okada. I felt so immodest with my white knees jutting out while we were flying down the road. There was nothing I could do at that point. In african culture, a woman's knees are viewed in the same way that us Westerners view breasts. A woman is considered promiscuous for showing her knees. So as a white woman wearing an african dress while riding an okada...I was getting unwanted attention from pedestrians and other drivers. I had to laugh at how ridiculous it was. And it was odd to realize that back home I would never think twice about showing above my knees, and today I was blushing about it! Anyway, I was holding onto the metal bar behind me with one hand, and my water bottle with the other. I get so nervous when the driver gets to an open stretch of road and floors the bike. There are so many things that could go wrong! Thankfully, Maree and I reached our destination safely at the same time, even though we had split up for most of the ride.
Today's theme at church was Lev. 19:29 - "Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute." Some of the topics at church are things that we rarely if ever talk about at home. Of course, issues like prostitution may not be as common at home as they are in countries like Sierra Leone. The youth choir sang a song that was basically that verse repeated over, and over, and over. :) Thankfully, the sermon today didn't revolve around this topic, but around the Pentateuch, God's holiness, and our responsibility as Christians. Brother Charley Nelson who preached is a professor at Fourah Bay College, and he did a wonderful job speaking the Word! Honestly, I was more challenged and convicted today than I have been at any service here. Brother Charley reminded us that there's a difference in going to church and being a Christian. He said that "a position in the church does not give you a position in Christ's kingdom!" He wasn't afraid to step on anyone's toes for speaking the truth. It was so encouraging to hear this, because many of the messages I've heard here have been lacking depth, focused on success and blessings.
The only negative today was that the church service lasted 4 1/2 hours. I am not complaining, because those hours were full of worship and encouragement. Still, I think after hour 3 my attention began to wane. Add to this that the heat was stifling, and I sweated until I physically couldn't sweat any more. I will never complain again about a church's air con/heating or lack thereof.
Maree and were directed to sit on the right side of the church, near the speakers. During the music, and especially the preaching (which involves a lot of yelling) I really felt like I was going deaf. I kept putting my hand up on that side to plug my ear; hopefully it wasn't too noticeable. Well, at the end of the service, there was a big "unveiling" of something new that the church had purchased. This was a BIG deal to everyone. Once they took off the covering, I saw what it was. Two huge new speakers to make their sound system even louder! I laughed at the irony of it.
After the service, we went with Nancy to her aunt's home where she had cooked plantains for us. This was so sweet of her, because she knows how much we like the african food. We have plans for the coming weekend to travel to Bo where she lives, which is about 4 hours away. I'm sure this will be another adventure!
Two of Nancy's cute cousins.
Once we left, Nancy took us back to the main road, where we once again took okadas. Since I knew that Maree was nervous about it, I let her ride on the newer, slightly safer-looking bike. The one I was on seemed quite old. This was confirmed first when the engine started revving up for no reason, causing the bike to jerk forward and nearly throw me off. Then the bike began to cut off when we were slowing down in traffic. It can be pretty dangerous to have your bike turn off when you are in the middle of the road. Then, add to this that my driver took a side road that was very rocky. I had to get off the bike at one point so he could get over some large rocks. I offered to find another (safer) bike, but he wouldn't have it. Believe me, I was praying hard! Although my knees were once again showing, I was focused on getting back to the ship in one piece. Whenever he sped up a lot, I reminded him to go "slow slow" which is sometimes ignored, but thankfully he did slow down. I was so relieved to arrive at the gate to the port, and see that Maree had also arrived.
All this to say that today was great. I was so blessed by the church service, and I even enjoyed our okada rides. I will really miss Sierra Leone when we sail in December. Until next time...
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