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Gateway Church Congregational Trip

This is a report from the June 2010 team visit from Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas and New Life Church in Colorado Springs.

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The sights. The sounds. The smells. This was Africa. Not the Africa you would find flipping through a National Geographic magazine with lions, elephants, giraffes and vast sunsets burning in the sky. This Africa was one focused on people and, unfortunately, poverty. Walking off the plane straight onto the jet way, we were all stretching our legs and soaking in everything Africa. After sweating in line at customs and loading our umpteen bags on top of the van we had for the week, we were off to explore the adventures that lay before us.

We arrived in Freetown and stayed there for the first night; however, most of our time was spent in Bo with the Fresh Hope and Heaven’s Garden Baby Rescue Center. David Craig, the founder of Fresh Hope, worked alongside us all week. After settling in our hotel in Bo and enjoying a breakfast of bread and eggs, we were off to explore and experience Bo, Sierra Leone. The marketplace and neighborhood areas alike bustled with motorcycles and kids playing in the street. Children everywhere would run up to us yelling “Poomwe!” which means “white person.” They wanted us to snap them (take their picture) and hold their hands. These children would hold our hands and follow us even though they had no idea where we were headed; they simply wanted to be with us. We enjoyed playing with them and being able to communicate with them for the most part in English.

Though we didn’t want to leave the kids, we had work to do. The local pastor, Abenigo, who works with Fresh Hope, was headed to the ma"During the next hour or so, I saw heaven invade earth"rket place for street evangelism. A few of us went with him while the others helped out at Fresh Hope’s orphanage and Heaven’s Garden Baby Rescue Center. The men from New Life Church who joined us on this trip helped our guys fix a well that was broken at the orphanage. In the meantime, Abenigo was bringing revival at the marketplace! For a while, it seemed he was preaching to himself, but then slowly the locals gathered to hear. Many raised their hands after his preaching to receive Christ and be baptized with the Spirit. That’s the point when our team joined in. We split up among the crowd and laid hands on them as the Spirit led and prayed for them. Thinking this was what we came to do, my team and I began to think we accomplished our goal, and we were, therefore, about to leave ... when all of a sudden I heard a commotion in the crowd. I looked over and a woman was lying on the ground slain in the Spirit, and Abenigo was just going after her, motioning with his hands, and praying in Spirit and in truth. During the next hour or so, I saw heaven invade earth. Many more were slain in the Spirit as Abenigo prayed over them. Furthermore, many were healed of physical infirmities right before my eyes. "I saw a blind woman receive sight, a deaf lady receive hearing and demon-possessed people set free". There were many others who would have received healing that day; however, they would not give up their ties with Islam and/or the Secret Society (the name for witchcraft in Sierra Leone). We found this to be one of the main problems in Sierra Leone: multiplicity of religions. Most do not understand that to confess Christ means to renounce all others. Leaving the market place that day, we felt like we were walking straight out of the Gospels. People were bringing their friends to receive healing and many placed their faith in Christ. Though street evangelism was filled with excitement, our adventures had only begun.

Another highlight of this trip would definitely have to be the trek out to the bush villages (jungle). We saw the medical clinic that Fresh Hope started and met the chiefs of these local villages. The trek included some roads, but it also included log crossing, bridge balancing and a tropical rainstorm that poured on us before we could reach the bus. We were able to perform our Kids’ Program at the last village before the rain poured and give the children school supplies and toys; they in turn blessed us with songs glorifying Jesus Christ. They were so precious as they danced and sang to the Lord! At the end of our Kids’ Program that day, an elderly man with gray hair, which is an oddity in Sierra Leone due to the war, gave his life to Christ! He was filled with joy and tried to imitate all the song motions along with us. We were immensely blessed as we watched people who live in what seems the middle of nowhere praise our same God.

"God allow us to see such extraordinary things in a country where He is definitely at work"While there, we also visited the local hospital and the Baby Rescue Center as well as helped with street evangelism. The teamed gladly remained flexible as we filled in whatever roles David Craig had for us. At the end of each day, we met at the Zion Elementary School, also started by Fresh Hope, and enjoyed a freshly cooked meal. Because this school is in the middle of a neighborhood, we also enjoyed the opportunity to play and meet the local neighborhood kids who gathered outside the school and played until we were finished eating. They loved when we sang songs, took their pictures or simply hugged them.

A couple of days before we left, we took the Fresh Hope orphans out to a local river to play for the day. On the way there, these orphans began singing before we even had a chance to introduce ourselves or speak with them. Sitting on top of us and wherever else there was room in the van, we were all squished tight listening to them sing praises to Jesus.

Though many of us missed air conditioning and Mexican food, we all enjoyed our trip and returned not only blessed by the people of Sierra Leone, but also blessed that God would use us and allow us to see such extraordinary things in a country where He is definitely at work.