Sierra Leone: City of Rest

The Aberdeen West Africa Fistula Centre front door in Sierra Leone where we went to an international Christian fellowship.

We walked through a metal door in a high concrete wall with a sign on the side that says "Mercy Ships Sierra Leone: Aberdeen West Africa Fistula Centre".  Years ago, Mercy Ships helped to construct and staff a women's fistula clinic in this area of Freetown, Sierra Leone.  Slowly and carefully it is being turned over to the Freedom from Fistula Foundation. We went there and made a quite expected connection.

The courtyard of the fistula centre from the back seat of our cab.  Notice the bumper sticker theology on the dash.

This women and children's clinic is a beacon for good medical practice in Sierra Leone, but also a beacon for a small international fellowship group that meets there once a month. We spent the evening there connecting with people from all over the world who have the same heart for the local people and are doing work in ministry, construction, training, health, and infrastructure.  One woman we met  from the Netherlands is an advocate and administrator for a place called "City of Rest" in Sierra Leone.  We visited there and met some of the most forgotten, poorest, and socially outcast individuals in the city of Freetown.  These are the mentally disabled and those battling drug and substance addiction. City of Rest is trying to give them a second chance in life.  They do what they can with what they have but with a vision to do more.  We salute the many amazing people who do this work.  Here's a short video of our experience at City of Rest that we edited on the plane back to the US. It's rough, but gives you the idea.

A short video we put together about "City of Rest", a ministry which works with mentally handicapped people and people struggling with drug addiction in Freetown, Sierra Leone

We only spent 10 days in Sierra Leone before we caught a plane back to the US, but it truly was a restful and encouraging time.  The people we met, the tranquil seas, and the rolling mountainous land impressed upon us that those words, "City of Rest" summed up our experience in  Freetown.  Of course, this is in spite of the obvious difficulties the country is experiencing.  Today, we encourage you to find rest in your own surroundings despite the pressing problems and the stress of life around you.

We left Sierra Leone to the US.  We will be back in Sierra Leone in January.