Updates from Krisnee

Loved ones,



My “Salone” name is Bendu – a Mende word that means “born here” – which I earned while beating peppers with the ladies in the outdoor “kitchen” in Kamakwie last year. For some reason Krisnee is difficult for Sierra Leoneans to hear or pronounce, so most of the people in Juba know me as Auntie Bendu. There is a young girl who lives right by the Juba church whose name is also Bendu. She was afraid of my white skin when I first started going to Juba, but she has warmed up to me and now greets me with a hug and has even slept in my arms as I’ve held her a couple times. I could tell lots of stories about the darling Conteh family (who keeps inviting me to eat rice with them – even though they didn’t have enough money to take one of their sick daughters to the doctor recently) but thought I’d just let you enjoy the picture of the three middle daughters – Mabintsy, Gama, and Wendy. A couple Wednesdays ago Sister Katta told the kids to invite their parents to church, and we all clapped for Tania whose mother came with her the following Sunday. Nearly 40 adults and up to 60 children regularly attend this newly planted church, and Kathy witnessed the baptism of 13 new converts in this community earlier this month.

Thanks to generous donations from friends in America, the church building is progressing and is a comfortable place to meet. Please pray that the church in Juba will grow healthy and strong and that the members will know Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit in their personal lives. It’s common to hear the phrase “Open your mouth and go to the Lord in prayer” in our church, so I was surprised last week to hear Mrs. Naomi command, “Open your mouth and pray a silent prayer.” It made me laugh. Prayer is loud and active in Sierra Leone. People pace, clap, shout, and sing during prayer times at our church. (Let’s not even talk about the tambourine!) It took some time to get used to this new prayer style and not be distracted by it. At the end of a service, Pastor Peter often leads us to pray for ourselves and our families rather than just praying for those things himself. I appreciate that the responsibility to pray is shared and not just placed on the pastor. On the other hand, because the prayer leader always directs how we should pray, I’m not sure how much of the congregation knows how to be led by the Holy Spirit as they pray. Please pray that God would continue to teach us all to pray as we make that a priority in our lives. At the beginning of March, I spent two days visiting our Foursquare churches and schools in Kamakwie and the surrounding villages. Kathy and I are returning there next week to attend the Sierra Leone version of field day – called Sports Day – at the school in Kagbaray village. We are also hosting two days of training for our Foursquare pastors, leaders, and church members in the Kamakwie area. In addition, I am hoping to teach the Easter story while I’m in Kagbaray. Please pray that Kathy and I will have wisdom and discernment as we teach and that God will accomplish His work in the children and adults in the communities where the Gospel is preached. Mrs. Weekes and Violet teach our Sunday school at the Freetown church. Mrs. Weekes shared with me a few months ago her vision to start a group for children to learn and fellowship together on Sunday evenings. After some encouragement and a couple meetings, Mrs. Weekes started this new program on Sunday, which will meet for one hour the third Sunday of every month. Many of the 33 kids who attended our first meeting are from the neighborhood and do not regularly attend our church, so I’m excited to see this outreach grow and impact our church neighborhood. I know several people whose ministries focus on children in Sierra Leone. Children here are hungry for encouragement, love, and a nurturing touch. One family I know fills up their compound with over 100 impoverished kids every Saturday morning for coloring, play time, food, a movie, and a Bible lesson. Please pray that God will impact the future of Sierra Leone as He transforms the hearts and minds of the children with His love, truth, and salvation. I am so thankful for each of you – for the way you love and encourage me, for your prayers, for the way you know me well. Please continue praying for my health and safety and that God would use me to accomplish His purpose in Sierra Leone. With love, Krisnee krisneep@yahoo.com www.uptosomethingbig.blogspot.com


For His Glory, Krisnee Pipatanangkura