Sierra Leone - Sounds pretty doesn't it?

Sierra Leone is a pretty name, like Brentwood, but in fact, it is rated by the United Nations to be the poorest country in the world and it is known as the worst place in the world to live. Think about that. The worst place IN THE WORLD. Can we even imagine that living here in our beautiful American suburb?

Erica and Jason from The Raining Season based in Spring Hill, TN recently spoke at the Leonard's home in Brentwood about their mission of food, shelter and education for families in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Their non-profit organization, The Raining Season, is named for hardships that Sierra Leone's residents suffer during their rain season. They only have two seasons there, rainy and dry. Their website describes the season, "We found that the rainy season is a constant struggle for the people of Sierra Leone. Roads are impassable, labor jobs are difficult to find and disease is rampant due to the stagnant water. malaria and typhoid fever deaths are at their highest peak during this difficult time of the year."

In a 2008 Christmas trip to the region, TRS coincidentally found a group of 80 children living in a facility with no food, water, beds, education or medical care. They were simply trying to visit a little girl who was in the adoption process for another couple in America. What they found was a lot more than they bargained for. Over thirty children were malnourished and in urgent need of medical care. Every child in the operation had not eaten in four days. The TRS members took the sick children to the hospital and found that one child was within two days of death by starvation. Thanks to sponsorship and feeding programs, that child, Festus, is now healthy enough to throw a normal toddler tantrum. Miracles are at work here.

TRS is on an urgent mission to open their own children's home for these 80 children called The Covering in September 2009. They are working diligently to raise all of the funds needed to: lease the building, hire staff and caretakers, and to cover all start-up costs associated with utilities, meals, and medical care. They are even facing the atrocity of children disappearing from the orphanage. Locals believe there is a possibility of human trafficking. To see a video of the orphanage: http://www.therainingseason.org/The_Raining_Season/Gallery.html

You can help by participating at their fundraiser close by at the Legends Golf and Country Club on July 29th at 8 a.m. where teams can register to golf with the proceeds benefiting the new children's home. Details below on their flyer. Contact TRS if you or a team of you and your friends would like to participate in a great day of golf for a good cause. Click on this site to register: https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:Join/signupId:58855/mailingId:1905550/acctId:34631 .

A little history: Erica and Jason first found Sierra Leone while attempting to adopt their daughter five years ago. After discovering their adoption agency was fraudulent, they themselves went to West Africa to adopt their daughter. It took two trips and approximately twelve court appearances, but their persistence paid off with a beautiful daughter. After several years of normal Tennessee life, they just couldn't forget. They remembered all they had seen: the displaced families, the orphaned children, the lack of income. They decided to help one family at a time and that is exactly what they were doing when they found the orphanage. I hope you will take the time to explore their site and see their story through video. Thanks for taking the time to read my site. Peace and blessings!

...ONCE OUR EYES ARE OPENED WE CAN'T PRETEND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. GOD, WHO WEIGHS OUR HEARTS AND KEEPS OUR SOULS, KNOWS THAT WE KNOW, AND HOLDS US RESPONSIBLE TO ACT. -PROVERBS 24:12

Details are on their website for how to donate or sponsor a child. http://www.therainingseason.org/