New ministry in Sierra Leone focuses on girls finding their value in Christ

A Dream in Motion

In early 2017 – when we found ourselves with two very vulnerable girls in a community where we serve homeless boys – God planted a desire in us to begin a girls sponsorship program in Waterloo, Sierra Leone. Fast-forward to March 2018, and the first steps to establishing our girls program are in motion!

For the past few months, we have been getting to know 25 girls in Waterloo, ages seven to nine, whose families are not able to provide more than one meal a day for them, let alone consistently pay for their school fees. Every Saturday we meet with them for a time of worship, Bible study, and a meal. On most other days, these girls help their mothers cook, wash clothes, and take care of their smaller siblings.

Yesterday, I took Zainab, one of the two girls we currently sponsor, to the hospital for continued treatment of a badly wounded hand. She decided to wear a princess dress for our visit. She bravely held out her hand for the nurse to clean the wound one final time. When she climbed back into the car wearing her Sleeping Beauty dress, I was amazed to see something so common in America right here in Sierra Leone. As I had watched her in the hospital, God reminded me that no matter where little girls are found in this world, at their core, they all long to be princesses.

God reminded me that no matter where little girls are found in this world, at their core, they all long to be princesses.

In a country where families choose to educate their sons before their daughters – where girls are arranged to be married before they are even 18 and where teen pregnancy effects 12 and 13 year old girls more than any other age – these girls long for what all girls long for: to be valued and loved as the princesses God created them to be.

Through this upcoming sponsorship program, we will have the opportunity to provide education, medical treatment, and meals as we do for all of our sponsored children. But most importantly, we are praying God will use us to show these girls that they are royalty – daughters of the King – who will find their value in God alone. We pray they will bring light where they meet darkness in their community. Please join us in prayer as God continues to lead this program and prepare us for upcoming sponsorship opportunities this year!

Shara Johnson, Director of Operations, Sierra Leone