One week later...

I woke up this morning and realized that it has been one whole week already since I left Sierra Leone. This week has flown by...perhaps because I was in a jet lag fog until Friday! Or perhaps because life seems so much easier here. Seriously, it doesn't take hours for every meal, or hours to drive across town!

It was so sweet to go back to church yesterday and today and be reminded of how much I love the kids and people at Crossroads. I got so many hugs and "welcome backs" that I felt like a celebrity for a moment. I so love each of the children that come to Kidz Crossing with their smiles and tears! They are so precious. I love it when they laugh and when they sing about Jesus. I had so much fun with them this weekend, and I was so glad to be back with them.

I have spent the last week processing what happened during those two weeks in Freetown. The pain of seeing children, whose smiles are still very like the little ones I know here, and not be able to help them. To give what was promised to them or to change their circumstances. I pray that each of those little ones caught a glimpse of God's love for them as we interacted with them. I have to believe that we were able to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and at least for a few hours they knew they were loved by him. And really, they were Jesus to me. I look back over pictures and video and I see him...whatever we do for the least of these! So, although I don't understand the plan that God is working out in them, I believe that there is hope. That this is not the end of the story! We continue to pray for them and work towards the goal of providing each of them a place where they will be fed, loved, educated, and given hope. By God's grace it will be so!

Today, I know that there are several children living in the building we worked so hard to get ready. That those we left behind to continue the work have had the joy of welcoming little ones into the home and into their hearts. I am sad to have missed those moments but confident that there will be a time for me to go back again and see it with my own eyes. And until then, I will pray that each of them grow and flourish in this new place! Welcome home.

It is a marvelous thing to serve a God who loves everyone. (This was our lesson in the elementary room this morning) A God who loves everyone wants us to show love for everyone too...and that's a terrifying idea. That means that we need to love those who do the unthinkable too. How hard it is to see people like those exploiting these children for money and gain in Sierra Leone with God's heart. A heart that holds justice and compassion in perfect balance. That understands the deepest motivations of the heart and the causes of those motivations and doesn't excuse them for a moment, but continues to woo them towards himself. What a crazy love! One I cannot seem to come to grips with these days. That our God, who's kingdom is continuing to grow on earth, wants all to come to him. ALL!! So I am working on praying for those who seem like enemies, and loving my neighbors, no matter who they are, and living in the tension between righteous anger and mercy.

Romans 8

All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. Romans 8:25-27

Home...

Last night I had a shower (IN CLEAN WATER!) and slept in my own bed. It was marvelous, to have a few hours to just enjoy things that are so simple. It was good to leave behind the weight of all that has occurred in the last few weeks and just enjoy the warmth and comfort of being home.

Today though the heartache comes rushing back. I left Sierra Leone without seeing those precious children again, knowing for the last 10+ days they have been without enough food and water, locked in rooms, beaten, neglected, and scared. I am still hoping that God will rescue them, bring them out of danger, and move them into a new home...it doesn't even matter if it's the home we prepared for them, just a place where they can sleep in peace, knowing that someone will feed them and shelter them and bring them hope in the morning.

What does that mean for me here, so far away from them? I don't know yet. I know that I have them in my heart and wear their pictures around my neck. I will continue to pray for them and hope that the chance will come to support them and see them again. And there is the knowledge that there are so many children in our world who suffer, some because the people that love them cannot care for them and others because no one shows them love, works to see them cared for, or offers them hope. I long to figure out where God is calling me to step into that and then go!

I also want to share the whole story with others. Much happened that we could not share because of security issues. Our team could write a book...and perhaps we will when God answers our prayers!

Thank you all for your prayers. I hope to keep updating this as the days and weeks go on.

Still Waiting

We are still waiting! Each night we go to sleep with the hope that it is the last night we will have to wait and each day we work in hope until around 1pm when we hear...it will not be today. I cannot begin to express the frustration and opposition we are facing. It makes me wonder about so many things. But I know that these babies need to be rescued and there is still hope. I knew, the first day we were here, in my spirit, that I might go home without seeing the children in the center. That the timing on this would not be what I wanted or expected. I had forgotten that until this afternoon, when once again we were faced with the reality of our situation here and that we have no control.

I try to remain hopeful for our team. To think through the possibilities and share encouragement instead of despair, and I know in my heart that if I do not get to see my little friends again this week, there are others that i have hired and trained that will. And I am praying that they will pass on to them how much they are loved, how much we have fought for them, and how much God cares.

Tomorrow is my last day at the center. Thursday morning I leave here for Bo, and I am excited to go there but also torn. I long to be there for the moment that these special ones realize that they are safe. I want to see Jusu, Sam, Melicent, Marie, and all the other in Bo.

This is not so upbeat today. Pray for our spirits. Pray for me to remember that it is not about me and what I want, but ultimately it is about God, and what He is doing.

I am going to bed early tonight as there is nothing more to do except wait.

I hope that there will be good news tomorrow.

A whole week!

I think that this has been the longest week of my life, but in some ways it has flown by as well. In the past week I have become and HR manager--I have developed some really good interview skills and an employee handbook, discipline policy, and hired 20+ staff members. With the help of some of the others on the team I think that we are nearly ready to welcome the children into our home. Today is another day of interviews, tomorrow we'll be training and then we throw open the doors!

We have also become child protection field investigators! I hope that you have seen some of the pictures on other sites and hear the whole story. I cannot wait until I have the freedom to write it all here. God is amazing.

We are comparing the next several days to giving birth...something which I have not done myself, but I've heard the stories...You know that moment when the new child arrives and you feel such joy but then there is the moment that you realize you are responsible to care for this child and to protect them and nurture them and you have no idea what you are doing? Imagine that times 100! YICKES! I understand just a bit more what it means to lay them at the feet of Jesus because only he can accomplish this amazing, overwhelming task.

So we are overwhelmed! I knew last Monday that this was going to be much bigger than we anticipated and planned for and today I can see just how right that sense was last week.

I have one more week here, to release the care of the children into the hands of this staff that we have hired that I pray are trustworthy. I am confident that they will love these children well! To go to Bo and visit my Samai, Jusu, Melicent, and others, to buy a few souvineers. (I bought Baby Logan an elephant but the girls say it's scary...it does have mean eyes...so I might need to look for another!) Pray that we will get as much accomplished this week as we did last.

Also, if you all could pray for my new friend Peggy. She came along to care for her new grandchild whom we have yet to get the papers on. She is overwhelmed by the culture and the emotions that are swirling around her. I have so appreciated her mothering heart...she is trying her hardest to look out for us and care for us. I have encouraged her to become our prayer warrior, to turn her worries and confusion into times of prayer, because we need that so desperately. Pray for her heart and that this trip will be a defining moment in her walk with Jesus!

Love to all!

Adaptability

When I took the StrengthsFinder test several years ago, adaptability came to the top of the list. Seriously, that has come in handy the last few days. I came on this trip not exactly sure what i'd be doing when i got here, and even the first few days I was frustrated with what was going on...but the last few days have been full of changes! I have been forced to change my plans and expectations multiple times a day. I am learning very quickly what it really means to adapt! God has been revealing so many other things to me this week as well...it's hard to believe that I have been away from my home for a week now! It was only last Saturday that i was waiting anxiously at the airport for President Obama to go away...I saw Air Force One out the window on the same tarmac space as my plane!!! I aksed the ticket lady several times...will I make my connection in Chicago? She said, "Ma'am I cannot control the President of the United States!" I told her I wasn't expecting that but I NEEDED to get to Chicago! It's funny now but at the time I was not happy:)

So after one week we are tired and still wondering how all of this will come together and get done. Wondering why God send us here to rescue children. It's a huge responsibility! But we are trusting!

We drove by CrowBay, the worst slum area in Freetown, a place that I did not see last year. One of these days soon we will drive through it and see what it is like but it is a garbage dump filled with tents and 3000 men, women, and children. Just seeing it from a distance I know that it is one of the most horrible places on this earth. Tonight I am falling asleep with those children who live there on my mind. I pray that somehow, someway, we might also be able to rescue some of themn too.

The View!

I got to visit the building for the first time today. It is amazing with plenty of space and light, and the view is amazing. The windows! The ocen! The breeze! This will truly be a beautiful place for the children to be.

We've hired some amazing staff and we'll be training them in next week. I have a lot of work to do to prepare for that but it is "No Problem"! They are wonderful people who love the Lord and children. I am so excited to see how they will love these children.

I will try to write again in the morning. Please pray that we'll get some real rest tonight. It feels like the first opportunity to really sleep since we left home. And pray for tomorrow. As always, things that look hopeful today might not turn out so well tomorrow...and thank goodness it can also go the opposite way too!

One of the women on the trip has been posting pictures! You can see them at http://www.ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com/

and don't forget to check http://www.savetheorphan.blogspot.com

Adventure

We have no idea what's happening today! That's the story of this trip. We hurry up and wait. We move quickly and then slow down. Each day is a new adventure.

Here are a few adventures I have had in the last few days...

1. I walked several blocks with my new friend Miss Francis downtown Freetown. It's hard to imagine the amount of people and the smell and the activity that swirls around. I found it to be fun. We talked and she met people that she knew and I met them and it wasn't long enough! (we only went 3 blocks:(

2.I have been meeting and interviewing some amazing people as we search for staff. We have discovered men, who grew up as orphans, adopted them into their homes, and long to have a minsitry caring for them AND he is a carpenter so he is working at building beds! Women who are cooks as well as tailors. One of the women used to have a business selling food at the school and had to stop because she gave away food to any child who was hungry and could not make a profit! A man who knows how to install solar panels and electricity showed up today.

3. I have learned some Mende and Krio from some beautiful children, and fallen in love with them. What little survivors they are. I am praying desperately that God will bring healing through the trauma that they are in.

4. I am learning AGAIN to patient and yet persistent, to listen at everymoment to what the Holy Spirit is stirring, and to trust. To leave everything at the feet of Jesus and beg for his provision and timing.

I have had little sleep in the last few days and am hoping to take a quick nap before our nightly team meeting and prayer time.

Thanks for your prayers!

Cari

Jaylo Ama!

The rain is coming...actually it has arrived. It just pours and pours here. But since we did not come to sun bathe we continue to say that's just the way we like it! 

For me, yesterday was spent in meetings. We interviewed several job candidates and several others who helped us with what our next steps are this week. The amount of forms and papers and registrations and government offices that we need to track down and complete is staggering. We are not on Africa time, yet we need to be because being impatient and in a hurry doesn't speed things up one bit. If you have a chance pray for patience today. 

We were up late again last night trying to figure everything out and I feel such conflict over what I should be doing each day that it is difficult for me to function. I want to just be with the kids--play with them and talk to them--but I know that if we don't set up the right system to care for the kids before we leave, then I feel like we haven't loved the kids for the long run. I need some help to wade through it all but we are all in a swirl about different things. Hopefully today will be better!

On Monday, we stopped on the road too meet Emily's family and a woman walked up to me and said, "you take my baby".  The need is so great here! I could tell that this was a woman who loved her child but probably had no way to care for her well. What do you do when you don't have food, water, and shelter for your child? When you cannot provide even their most basic needs? You pray for a rescue, and if you cannot be rescued for yourself, you give up your child, hoping desperately that someone will rescue them. I've been studying and thinking about the Kingdom of God, about Jesus' mission to bring good news to the poor...to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.

How should we respond to a world that desperately needs the good news...not just the good news that Jesus loves us and has a plan for our lives, but the good news that GOD himself is working out the restoration of all creation. That hope is not lost it simply for most of us has yet to be found!

Okay, that's my jumbled thoughts for today. I will try to be back tomorrow.

--
Cari Logan
Children's Pastor
www.crossroadschurch.info

"If there is something upon which God has put His pressure, obey in that matter, bring your imagination into captivity to the obedience of Christ with regard to it and everything will become as clear as daylight."Oswald Chambers

First, I have to say is THEY HAVE A NEW HELICOPTER! You wouldn’t believe how great it was to ride in…after 14 hours of flight, several hours wandering aimlessly through Heathrow airport in London, and 2 hours “anticipating” the helicopter ride, my excitement over climbing onto a new helicopter with real flotation devices and actual seats and storage areas was over the top! You might remember how much I HATED the helicopter ride last year; but it was the best thing that happened yesterday.

Today I woke up to Nescafe and the ocean. There are people all over the beach cleaning up the garbage! Miracles do happen. I’m hoping for a walk on the beach some time this week!

Our day today was spent at the orphanage with the kids! It was immediately obvious that they were excited to see us and in need of so much care. I fought back tears all day, and had many moments wondering how our God could leave these little ones in a place like this. But I soon realized that He is not leaving them without hope. He is working…we just get to be a part of that movement! Which is absolutely overwhelming and amazing at the same time.

The kids were very sweet and everywhere. Two little girls stayed at my side all day. One carried my backpack around for me and the other clung to my hand.. Every once in a while, she’d whisper in my ear, “I need shoes for school. I cannot go to school without shoes.” They showed me their room, where 10-15 school age girls share an empty space with a small mattress in the corner.

We left knowing that we probably would not be going back to that building again unless something changes. I hope and pray to see them again, but we are waiting on so many things.

We have limited internet so I will not be able to share as much as I would like to. I will do my best.

Dallas Willard

Our concern for discerning God's voice must be overwhelmed by and lost in our worship and adoration of him and our delight with his creation and his provision for our whole life.

Hearing God's word will never make sense except when it is set within a larger life of a certain kind.

Any voice that promises total exemption from suffering and failure is most certainly not God's voice...God does not intend to make us infallible by his conversational walk with us.

In my listening adventure, I have been reading a book by Dallas Willard called Hearing God. I sort of stumbled across the book while on amazon one day last spring, bought it, and then it was mentioned by several people the week that I got it. So, I decided to read it and write down in my journal what I learned from it. Above are several of the quotes that jumped of the page today.

Most importantly I am struck by how often I seek to hear God only when I need an answer, direction, or comfort. God wants a conversational relationship with me...so that's what I am setting out to develop!

Then there's this Nearly all areas of life in which we could become spiritually competent (hearing God and receiving divine guidance among them) confront us with the same type of challenge. They all require us to 'bet our life' that the visible world, while real, is not reality itself.

And one more thing...I'm changing the name of this blog to "Jesus heartburn". That's what the guys on the road to Emmaus got when they walked with Jesus. When their eyes were opened they remembered how their hearts burned within them as they talked with Christ. That's really what I'm seeking...some Jesus heartburn!

Will you help?

We need your help to save orphaned children like Lucy!

Click here to see a video of Lucy and the children Lucy currently lives with.

I have the wonderful opportunity to travel to Sierra Leone in September with my friends from The Raining Season. The Raining Season is a licensed 501(c)3 non-profit organization with an office in Sartell, MN and Nashville, TN. Our mission is to provide a hopeful future to orphaned children and impoverished families in Sierra Leone, West Africa through meeting basic needs including housing, nourishment, education and small business grants.

Our latest project is to open an orphanage this September for 86 orphaned children The Raining Season found on a trip earlier this year. The center will be called, "The Covering". All the children we are working for are in grave danger due to malnutrition, lack of clean water and current disease so the situation is urgent. Last January when The Raining Season arrived, one 2 year old boy weighed only 9 pounds and was in the last stage of starvation.

I am excited about the chance to go and love on these babies and help with setting up housing, providing water & food, getting medical care, and finding caretakers for these children. I am also excited about the chance to love these babies. I need your help to make this happen. So, for the sake of them, I am asking you to help me go. If each of you donate $10-$20 towards travel expenses and The Raining Season, you'll be a part of making the lives of children in Sierra Leone better.

Your donations are tax-exempt and can be given online through paypal.

If you prefer to send a check (or are donating more than $50) please send your donations to The Raining Season at with my name in the memo.

TRS Sartell Office

1608 Boulder Dr.

Sartell, MN 56377

If you are interested in finding our more about The Raining Season and The Covering please visit therainingseason.org

Thank you in advance for helping me help them!

Cari