we were invited to lunch at auntie sally's.
sally is from sierra leone and works for Word Made Flesh.
she was an inspirational woman to me…loved hearing her story.
 
she prepared a traditional meal of groundnut stew over rice.
 

it was made with chicken and barracuda.
i had never even thought about eating barracuda…we just don't have many in kansas.
oh and also i don't really like seafood.
but it was good….tasted like chicken.  :)

she was a super helper…washing and carrying and cleaning.
i think this was sally's niece…or grand niece.
a sweetheart.

that is part of the path that the boys carried the sewing machine up…..wow.

teresa and kari ready to eat. 
 

we were taking pictures with our phones while the big camera was being passed around.

(**AND we were able to text the whole trip.
it was so good to be able to be in contact with craig all week.
he even threw in some Magruber quotes.
i love him.)
 
 

we asked sally if these children could have our food we had left that we couldn't finish.
she put all our leftovers into a  bigger bowl and they were eating it with their hands.
they were so happy!
it was…..hard to watch….humbling.  
again.
have you noticed a theme of humility on this trip?
it was obviously a lesson i needed to learn.
thankful to God for teaching me.
but i know i have so much farther to go….
 


we were each given more than we could possibly eat. 
she cooked for a long time in the hot sun for a group of women she had just met.
she was so generous.
thank you sally.

we stayed in freetown during our visit to sierra leone.
it was bigger than i thought it would be.
it was busy night and day. 
we arrived at night & we each asked things like "why are there so many people out in the dark?!"

and then in the morning….there were lots and lots more people….everywhere!
the noise was something that is a definite adjustment.
kansas is pretty quiet most of the time.  


the group of people in the middle are selling goods…on the ground.
i can see white sheets or linens behind the car and suitcases.
there is a baby stroller holding a cooler for water? i am guessing.

this photo above was taken out our hallway window at the YMCA.
the building is a rehab center.
and people also live in this metal covered structure.

these are homes in Kroo Bay which is at the bottom of a hill…the lowest point.
i would guess that the bags at the top that are stacked and stacked…are trash.

this is looking back into kroo bay.
 

this a street in freetown.
barbed wire is around everything.
if not barbed wire then there would be a wall with broken bottles cemented into the top of the wall 
to keep people out.
 

these are almost all taxis lined up.
 

homes.
i think they use their roofs to have some extra space…to dry things in the sun that get wet…
i also see buckets in this picture.
with no running water they fill the buckets at a pump and use it back in their home for everything.
we saw so many children getting water.
my own kids probably wouldn't even bring me a drink if i asked them i bet.
and these children would be carrying big buckets a long way back to their home.
 

these are shops in the street.
they are everywhere.
shops and tables of food and "stuff" EVERYWHERE.
 

these are homes.
and a shop in the front.
on the table to the right in a big tray with small plastic bags w=filled with sugar.
i didn't ask what was in the big bowls.
 

a clothing shop?
someone asked specifically about this.
it's just a man selling clothes on the street.
 

this looks like trash to me on her roof but i see a ladder
so maybe i just don't recognize the value of what she is saving on her roof.
we are a pretty disposable nation here in america.
rarely see the need to save something…we just throw it away.
 

this photo just makes you stop.
what an amazing skill she has.
so many of the people here have this ability.
but she is carrying so much!
wow.

a fruit stand with fruit i don't even know what they are!
they don't sell it at wal-mart.
the pink disposable bags are full of coal i think…for them to cook at home with.
 

the yellow building is probably a "nice" apartment.
that does not mean running water.
or flushing toilets.
and i will guess again that the big bags are…..rice?
total guess.
the backpack on the roof??  no clue.
it's a
mystery.

this is the good part of the river.
the worse part i did not get a photo of.
but it was the most unbelievable site i have ever witnessed.
more trash than water…big pigs snorting around in it…children playing…using the bathroom…

it was the most shocking site of the entire trip.
this photo is true.
we stood in the same spot but i didn't take a picture.

this is our group walking (standing out like crazy).
look at the man in the middle…8 baskets of coal on his head.
EIGHT!!

the rocks on the roof?
to hold it down…i assume.
these are questions i wish i would have asked.
there were so many questions.
and the paint cans?  well…i saw people selling them…and then i saw children sitting on them as toilets.
but i cannot say that it for sure what they are meant to be used for.
________________________________________________________________________________________
humble homes built with what they have or find…
children…babies…sitting in the dirt…
strong people able to balance their livelihood on their heads… 
and their babies on their backs.
more trash than there is space for…
pigs, goats, chickens, dogs and cats wandering where they please…
music and noise 24 hours a day…
bright colorful fruit that was hard to resist as you walked by…
sweating more than i ever have but no one notices because everyone else is just as hot…
people everywhere…walking and in cars or motorcycles or selling on the street…

being asked "ow di bodi?"  (how is your body?) many times everday.
"mi bodi fine" is the proper response (unless you are sick) 
 
just some thoughts i had while uploading these.