Dear friends,
In Krio, which is the common language spoken in Freetown, the way to say “How are you?” is “How di body?” (How’s your body?)
A common response is “Di body fine.” (My body’s fine).
But another equally common response is “Tel God tenki.” (I tell God thank you).
I am learning from my friends to tell God “thank you” no matter what the circumstances. God set the stars in place. He knows us each by name. He knows the past, present and future, and I trust Him.
We held a regional staff retreat in April with WMF staff from Romania, Moldova and Sierra Leone.
Four Sierra Leoneans and one North American WMF Sierra Leone staff did not make it to our retreat. Because of visa stipulations, they were turned back at immigration in Bucharest. Our hearts were sad and burdened as we felt the absence of those we had anticipated for so long, and also felt the injustice of the situation.
Even so, they were able to have a small retreat of their own after arriving back in Freetown. Those of us here in Romania, in spite of the disappointment, still had a wonderful time together, eating, hiking, praying, singing and playing in the fresh air beneath a beautiful landscape of pine-covered mountains.
And speaking of beautiful mountain landscapes, my time of sabbatical rest is fast approaching! As I write, I have just one more month of a normal routine at our Community Center. On June 15, I will pull back from my major responsibilities. On July 7, I leave Galati for six months. (See my April letter for more details on my sabbatical plans.)
I am so grateful and tell God “thank you” for you who have faithfully walked with me, prayed for me, sent a check to WMF month after month for my salary, and sent encouraging emails, written letters and sent packages with peanut butter, soccer balls, djembe drums, candles, pajamas, teddy bears, stickers, markers, pens, hats, scarves, mittens and much, much more! Thank you. I am truly blessed and have never known want in these seven years in Galati. I have sought to live simply, have been able to completely pay off my school loan, and found joy in giving even as others give to me.
At this point in time I have $6,000 in my support account with Word Made Flesh. My budget shows that I will need at least $10,000 during the next 6 months to cover a $600/month salary as well as travel expenses, fees for spiritual retreats and the cost of books. If you’d like to see this budget please let me know. I will continue to receive a salary from Word Made Flesh throughout this time as my contract will be renewed for another three years. If you’ve never given financially to Word Made Flesh on my behalf and would like to begin, simply use the “donate” option on this new Word Made Flesh web page.
Thank you!
With love and respect,
Rachel Simons