Christmas Update

When I was  child, every Christmas my parents would write a Christmas family update letter and send it our to all their friends.  To be honest, at the time, I though it was a bit strange and couldn't really see the value in it, I couldn't see why their friends would be interested in my latest swimming competition or play.  As I am aging though I have started to understand why they did it, it is a nice way, I think, to end the year by telling all those who have shared your life at some point, where you are and what you're doing.

Now, I confess that I do not send Christmas cards, and not really out of any environmental concern, it is just that frankly I do not have the addresses of all my friends who are spread now out across the world. I thought though that my blog is just as good a vehicle as any to deliver a family update. Here you go:

After a few year of back and forth, last September we permanently relocated to Sierra Leone with 3 children in tow (Thea 8, Kenneth 5 and Polly 3.)  Winston has been working for an orphanage called Jonathan's Child Care (JCC) in Bo, where we live, for 18 months. You can read more about the orphanage here: https://www.facebook.com/JonathansChildCareMinistry/..

The orphanage had a school attached to it which all of the children attend, they are doing well and enjoy the social interaction.  Thea is in Class 5 (year 5 equivalent), Kenneth is in Nursery 3 (Reception equivalent) and Polly is in Nursery 1 (Preschool or Nursery equivalent.)

We have recently decided to foster Mabel, a girl from the Jonathan's Child Care orphanage.  She is 17 years old and attends a secondary school in Bo.  She has been a wonderful addition to our family and we all love her, the children are thrilled to have a big sister!

Winston is non-stop busy with JCC, it is great fun and exhausting!  He enjoys the work a great deal and it is such rewarding work for all of us. We feel very blessed by JCC, the children that live there and all those amazing people in the USA who make it possible for it to be there!

I know that many of you know but I am in the process of setting up and registering my own charity to work with children here in Sierra Leone.  I have just been crowdfunding on Go Fund Me to get money together for my st up costs for which I have had an amazing response, it has been so affirming and has given me a great zeal to go forward! You can read more about it at:https://www.gofundme.com/launching-lilomi-for-sierra-leone.  I will keep you all posted on the launch of the charity which I am hoping will be in the first few months of 2018.

After the disappointment of losing our last palm plantation we decided to relocate and make a family farm in a village near to Bo called Lemblema. We have spent the last few months sorting out legal papers, planting fruit trees, sourcing coconut seedlings and planting peanuts.  It is a beautiful place and we are praying for a much more positive farming experience now that we have learnt from the mistakes of our last farming venture.

We will be spending Christmas with our JCC family this year enjoying a Christmas lunch which has been provided for my some of the wonderful American Sponsors and Christmas presents that have been provided by friends of JCC in the UK.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours.

With love from Sierra Leone