February 1, 2010
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3: 16-19
Hello from Freetown!!
We hope that this letter finds you all well. We first just wanted to take the time to thank each of you for your prayers and financial support this past year. We greatly appreciate your generosity. We also want to thank you for your prayers and support of the Sierra Leone field. Because of your help and prayers, we are able to support and love on hundreds of children in Freetown. We pray that God would continue to use us over here and that he would bring so many more children accross our paths.
At the start of a new year, we look back on 2009 and look ahead to 2010. In 2009 our focus was largely community dynamics and growing together as a community. As we look to 2010, some of our goals are centering around spiritual growth and formation on a personal level and as a community. We want to go deeper in our personal walks with Christ and also in our corporate times of worship and study together. One of the most memorable quotes I’ve ever read says, “discipleship requires discipline.” It is difficult to walk as a disciple without personal discipline. Discipleship requires self-control and the discipline of follwing Christ and drawing nearer to him. As we seek to draw closer to that life-giving source this year, we look for God to speak to and through us more. You can be praying for our community as we intentionally seek to grow in our spiritual maturity.
As we write, we are anticipating the arrival of Erin’s parents (Mark and Gloria Hauan)!! We are so very excited for their visit and I think that they are equally excited to see little miss Keyara! God has blessed us so much this year with visitors. We love getting to share our lives over here with friends and family. By the time you get this letter, Mom and Dad will have come and gone. You can be praying for their transition back home and that God would continue to teach them even as they process what they’ve seen and experiences and give them the words as they share with friends and family. Please also be praying for our hearts as we have to say good-bye yet again. It is never easy….
We wish you could each experience the excitement and buzz at the new ministry center, as we hosted our youth there three days this past week, for tutoring. It just feels so right to have them drop by Ale’ Ale’ House after school, visit us, come with homework questions, and spend time reading a book in the shade of a quiet tree. It’s so fun and it energizes us to see dreams just beginning to germinate and grow. Thank you for being a part of this ministry of hope alongside us. We will continue to keep you posted as new avenues for ministry open up through this new life-giving center.
With Love from Freetown,
Erin, Chris and Keyara Harrell