<Editor's note: stay alert, this is a snark-free post; quite unusual.>
In a few short days, I'll be joining with 4 other like-minded wanderers travelling to Sierra Leone, to visit our friends in Maboleh, a village near the middle of the country. Most of you know of my previous trips to Africa, in conjunction with the commitment our church made with our sister church in that village. This will be the 7th trip our church has made since 2009, and my 5th. 
In previous posts, you've learned of our activities there, including building a new church to replace the war and time ravaged building they had. Our commitment to this village and its people has evolved into 4 separate components: spiritual, educational, medical and economic. During each visit, we touch on each area but often focus on one special project/task. This trip is no different; our project this time is painting the Primary School that is situated on the eastern edge of the village. The school is a long, single-story structure with 4 rooms; it houses more than 200 students in grades 1 - 6. Classrooms are often divided into halves - one class facing one way and the other facing the opposite way; yet teaching and learning continues - amazing! In addition to painting the school, we will attempt to finalize plans to build teacher's quarters near the school grounds. The teachers (pictured below) do not live in the village, and making the commute from the nearest city, Makeni, about 7 miles away, often requires an expensive ride for the teachers - typically, costing more than they earn that day. We're also taking school and medical supplies with us, as their access to these items is limited.
I'm anxious to get back and reconnect with friends we've made there. I love playing in the dirt. I'll likely not be in contact while I'm in country, owing to the still-decimated infrastructure and dearth of internet availability, especially in the village. You may expect a full recounting of our trip in my next post. Tempus volat, et sic facio.....
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