LCMS World Mission Blog

“In December, we were anxious to make our last visit to the Kono District of Sierra Leone, where we planned to do agricultural training in four locations. We felt joy and a bit of anxiety about the opportunity to teach in Boindu, a new location for us in the extreme eastern edge of Sierra Leone, next to the Guinea border. An older lady in Boindu said through an interpreter that Linda and I were the second white people she had ever seen in her village. The first white person she had ever seen was Rev. Tim Heiney-a fellow LCMS missionary.

“Heading for Boindu, we carried with us leaders of the Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sierra Leone (CELCSL). Leadership planned to use our trip to carry some key leaders to Boindu who could help organize the Boindu area churches and bring them into better communication with the CELCSL. Boindu is isolated from the rest of Sierra Leone by a difficult mountain road. The 34 miles took us more than five hours, an average speed of 6.2 miles per hour; most of the time we were in four-wheel drive and shifted into low range. The reception in Boindu was very warm and hospitable. The first morning training session, ‘Management of the Harvest,’ drew more than 100 people from Boindu and surrounding villages. There were 70 people present for the second day of training. The reason there are Lutheran churches in the Boindu area is because Rev. Heiney trained a layman by the name of John Lebbie during the Sierra Leone civil war. John Lebbie and many others came to know about Jesus Christ while in refugee camps in Guinea. What a joy to see that God’s Word is spreading into various areas of Sierra Leone.

“Part of what we as agricultural missionaries work toward is the financial independence of the national churches. When mission churches start under missionaries, there is a tendency to rely upon the mission for everything, including money. After completing our second day of training at Gbandakudu in the Gbensi Chiefdom, Pastor Daniel Yarjah said that they wanted to show us their rice swamp. The fields were ripening, and the rice generally looked very good. Daniel explained that the congregation had given him that plot of land to have as his own and thus be able to support himself and his family. I asked, ‘Do you also work in the rice fields?’ His reply brought joy to my heart-’Yes,’ he said, ‘We all work on the fields together.’ Here was proof that the members of national churches are able to support their pastors. Pastors and members sweating together as they till, plant, and harvest in a rice field is a God-pleasing activity! Daniel went on to explain that the congregation has also given fields to two assistant pastors. They also work side-by-side in these fields. Is there some symbolism in this picture as we consider our roles in the Lord’s harvest fields?

“Another important focus of our work has been mentoring leaders to take over teaching in agricultural training, which is still very much needed in Africa. We have been very blessed to have a few gifted and dedicated men working with us over the years. During our sessions in Kono, we were thankful to have two men, Daniel Yarjah and Alex Lansana, work with us and be able to actually take over the training sessions with just a little coaching from us. Truly a joy for us to see, since we realized that we may not be going back to the Kono District again.”

• Pray for the Meyers in Sierra Leone
• Learn more about LCMS World Mission in West Africa
• View photos from the Meyer’s agriculture workshop in Uganda