A,S,K = M,M,J

The clouds rolled in over Tokeh Beach just as we arrived. Even the rain could not have quenched the excitement in the air as we gathered for the baptism service. Many of you have been praying for my friends A, S, & K. Their journeys have been quite different and quite long, and today their journeys merged at a crossroad. My brothers have trusted in Jesus Christ and have begun traveling His road. They have boldly made a public profession of this life change to the world on this day!

It was an exciting day. Over 40 people traveled together to the beach for the celebration. We began the service with prayer and praise. Pastor Emmanuel shared the Gospel with the 12 Sierra Leonean guests invited by my three brothers. I followed his talk with an explanation of baptism and the announcement of the commitment my brothers have made. Each of them then stood up and gave a short testimony of how their faith in Christ began and will remain. They also led us in songs of praise. Their excitement was contagious and the Spirit of God was moving and blessing throughout.

After the service, we headed to the beach for the actual ceremony. The rain began but did not stop us. My mind was so elevated on higher things, that I barely noticed it was even raining. I cannot tell you all how my soul soared today. Tears of joy filled my eyes as I had the honor and privilege to baptize my brothers one by one. Above all, God was glorified and the new lives in Christ were celebrated to the highest today. After the baptism, we had a wonderful time of fellowship, play and food on the beach. It was a glorious day of celebration. So I am proud to announce to you today that my brothers A,S,&K now will be known as M,M & J (Mark, Moses and Joshua).

These moments are not always as common as one might think on the mission field. I am thrilled that God allowed me to be a part of the reaping of this harvest. As I lifted my brothers from the waters today, I could not help but think about the thousands of missionaries who have served and are serving who have labor years to see the first fruits of the Gospel. I also could not help but also think about the thousands of unreached peoples throughout the world that have yet to hear the message of Christ.

Let us praise God today for the harvest, yet let us be sober minded and not forget that in our hands the seeds and watering cans still remain. The harvest is plentiful and the workers are few. Let us continue to proclaim the glory of Christ until He comes to gather His faithful workers.

I love you all and thank you for your prayers!

Tokeh Beach

 Rest and relaxation is few and far between here in Sierra Leone. I am thankful to God at any opportunity to take a break and slow down. This past Saturday was one of those blessed days of R&R. My friends “S” and “K” had planned to venture out and visit Tokeh Beach for the first time. Many of my teammates had been there before, but I had not. We planned to have a day of fun, sun and fellowship together. My teammates Becky and Christine called and offered us a ride and said they wanted to get away as well. It worked out perfect. We even saw our newest teammates, the Bonnet family, once we arrived. It turned out to be a wonderful beach party!

My first reaction when I stepped on the beach was a dropped jaw. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The crystal sapphire water and white sugar sand lifted me away from work and ministry directly to the presence of God’s wonderful creation. I think this is my new favorite getaway! The resort was destroyed during the war, but since has reopened and rebuilt. Rooms are available at a steep price and the food is good.

It was great just to have fun with the guys and with Bobo, Tom and Becky’s adopted son. So much of our lives are dealing with hardships and challenges. It was refreshing just to laugh, play and enjoy God’s creation. I was a little nervous because “S” said he could not swim, but it did not keep him from diving in under the biggest waves. As they would say here in Sierra Leone, “my heart was hanging” (I was nervous). We had a great time of chicken fighting, sandcastle building and swimming. We had a nice lunch of grilled barracuda and pasta. I even got a couple of catnaps in.

All in all, this day was much needed and much overdue. I am thankful to God for the beauty of this country and the opportunity to enjoy His creation. Thank you all for your continued love and support. Don’t forget to check out the latest with the Tree of Life Project at my other blog site www.miracletreeoflife.blogspot.com.

To be continued…

Easter in Sierra Leone

A couple of weeks ago, the father of a close friend of mine came to visit. It was my first time meeting this man. His daughter and son-in-law were my neighbors who moved last year to a new house. They are not believers, but over the past couple of years, I have built a wonderful friendship with them.

The daughter came to my house pleading on behalf of her father’s health. He had suffered with a larger hernia for many years that affected his ability to work and walk. She shared with me that he had experienced many sleepless nights secondary to the pain. She asked me for medical advice, and I was happy to help her and ask her to request that her father travel from the village to Freetown so that I could exam him and make a recommendation.

Within that week, her father came to see me. He is a very polite and cordial man. He is a village chief of a small Temne village several hours from Freetown. After my assessment, I knew that the man suffered from a large hydrocele. Over the next few days I made phone calls to some local nurses who work with me at the Hope Center. They made a referral for the man and we were able to find a doctor that could perform a surgery to help him.

After much talk and arranging, God opened the door for the man to receive treatment. He was hesitant and nervous of course, but he was very grateful that God had provided this opportunity for him to be healed. Within a week’s time, the man’s surgery was a success and he was well on his way to a full recovery.

Easter Sunday night, I invited this man and his family to spend the evening at my house. Me and the guys (A,S, & K) prepared a special meal of Jolof rice and chicken accompanied with soft drinks for the celebration. We had a great time of fellowship, prayer and we ended the night watching The Passion of the Christ film. Of course, I had to translate the subtitles into Krio as we watched.

As I observed the man watching the film, I noticed a keen interest and magnetic stare. He is a strong “M”, yet kept muttering under his breath asking, “Why are they doing that to Him. He is innocent!” I prayed throughout the duration of the film. After everything, the man invited us to visit his village. I was honored and delighted to see an open door to continue building a relationship with his family. He said he wanted to know more about God and the Tree of Life project. He even offered land if we wanted to plant Moringa trees in the village.

Through this experience God has reminded me of an important truth. “They will know we are Christians by our love…” I believe this man could be a man of peace for this village. I also believe the seeds of Truth from the Word of God have fallen and fallow ground. This experience has rejuvenated my love for reaching out to those areas where the Gospel is scarce and it has challenged me to rethink of how to execute the Tree of Life project.

Please pray for this man, “A.K.”. Pray that God will continue to soften his heart and that the seeds planted will continue to germinate and grow. Pray for me and the Tree of Life project as I assess strategy and pray for God’s guidance on the questions of “where” and “how”. Ultimately, I am here in Sierra Leone for one purpose, and that is to “Make Disciples”. May God give us all strength as we depend upon the Holy Spirit to lead us and empower us to fulfill Christ’s mandate.

I love you all! Love God. Love People.

Graduation Celebration

This past Saturday, I had the privilege to attend a graduation ceremony with my friend “A”. For the past two years, “A” has been taking a skills course to learn to do electrical work. He has now completed his course and received his certificate of achievement.

The ceremony was to begin at 12:00 PM, but as usual here in Africa, time is theory and the graduation actually began at 2:00 PM. There was such a spirit of excitement in the air as the 20 students came together to celebrate the end of their studies. Stepping Stones, a Christian based program, facilitated the classes and program.

The students marched in with the big sound of drums and trumpets. We had numerous choirs and artists who sang of God’s faithfulness. We had a guest speaker that proclaimed a challenge and the Word of God to us. It was a wonderful program and completely God-centered.

I am so proud of “A”. He was beaming, and his smile and joy was obvious. After the program, we celebrated together with some Sierra Leonean music and soft drinks. The program ended about 5:00 PM, and we then returned to Jui to my house. “S” and “K” also accompanied me to the graduation. It was great to see their support of their brother in Christ.

“A” made the comment to me that he felt proud to have me attend the service. I assured him it was an honor and privilege for me. Today I felt more like a “Papa” to him. This is his first education since his school days and the first certificate he has received. I am praying that this new skill will open doors for him to provide for himself and his family.

As you can see in the picture, “A’s” little boy, Bobo, attended the graduation as well. This was the first day that he did not scream when I came near him. “A” pulled me aside and informed me that he wanted to give my full name to his son. My heart was full of joy to hear this and I assured him that it would be a huge honor for me.

Continue to pray for the guys I am discipling. They are growing and stepping out in faith day by day. I am thankful to God today for the opportunity to live life with them and to teach them all that Christ has taught me. Thank you all for your prayers. LG+LP.

This and That

Today I am praising God for his continued faithfulness and grace. Prayers are being answered in regards to my hand. I traveled to the Hospital last Friday and had the final sutures removed. The only remaining “attachment” is what they call the “pull-out”. It looks like a fishing lure that goes into the skin on the tip of my finger and is attached to the tendon. The Doctor assured me that things are improving, yet I still do not have full movement or sensation. I am trusting God for the healing that remains. Thank you all for your continued prayers and encouragement.

For all of you who are praying for “A,S & K”, please know they are doing fine. We are continuing in our discipleship and planning a future baptismal service together. They have asked that it be postponed due to my hand. They have asked me to baptize them. My heart rejoices over this! “A” is working full-time as a security officer for GCPN/Hope Center and will be graduating from an electrical skills development class at the end of this month. “S” is also working fulltime to provide for his family. He is preparing to build a small house for them. “K” is still pressing on and learning to read the scriptures. Pray for his learning and understanding of God’s Word. Pray for protection from the Evil One who longs to distract and deceive them. Pray for courage and boldness in their walks of faith. Pray for their learning of the scriptures. Pray that they can discern biblical truth from the cultural norm. They greet you all and are thankful for your prayers from afar.

The cost of living in Sierra Leone is not cheap, so this can make living here a challenge. Anything that is imported from America is double or triple the price. This can be a challenge for any missionary’s budget. I have tried to go “All African” in my eating, but I am realizing that this is not always ideal in regards to my health. Eating african chop is cheaper, but of course it is a challenge for me. I am trying to find a balance and adjusting my budget to live a more “healthier” life. To continue to work, I must remain healthy. Please pray for me in this area. I am not worrying for tomorrow…for God is my hope and provider. Please pray that the extra monthly support needed will be provided.

I love you all and want to tell you that you all are missed. Please continue praying and writing. Let me know how I can pray for you all as well. Until next time…LG+LP.

"Be Still and Know..."

It has been some time since my last post. Life has been a whirlwind with several bumps in the road. Trials and testing are a natural part of the walk, so I am not complaining. I am taking the trials in stride and trusting God that the sandpaper of life will leave me polished and smooth. His hand of provision, protection and His unfailing love through the body of Christ has been evident, not just by myself, but to those around me.

Last week, my computer crashed. I lost everything minus what I had backed up on an external hard drive. Praise be to God most all was salvaged. Following that day, I left a knife in a pan of water and poured soap inside. I forgot the knife was there, so when I put my hand in to froth the suds, the knife cut my tendon in my small finger on my left hand.

We had a visiting surgeon that stitched me up, but soon after, I realized that I could not bend my finger. It was the following morning that I found myself at The Emergency Surgical Hospital in Goderich that is operated by the Italians. The doctor advised me to find a specialist in the U.S., but that I only had a week to find someone to do the surgery. Because of the cost and time constraint, I asked the doctor if he had done this surgery before. He said, "Yes, and it will be free!" Within an hour I had an IV and found myself in the Operating Room.

Praise be to God I was released the next day and that there were no immediate complications. I am now depending on my friends for daily chores and needs. They have been a great source of help and encouragement through this event. This accident also caused me to slow down and focus more on God, "to be still and know that He is God." I am trusting Him for healing and restoration. I pray that He will be glorified and that I will be able to proclaim as Job did to God, "I know you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted."

Thank you all for your prayers, emails and support. Please email me your email addresses to chuckpluke@gmail.com so that I can keep in touch and replace what I lost in the crash. I love you all! Press on loving God and loving people!

All Things New

It is amazing to see the movement of the Holy Spirit in the lives of new believers. My friend “K” has recently come to know Christ and has given me permission to share with you his amazing story. “K” never knew his father and his mother died when he was young. Growing up, he would live on the streets and fight for small jobs to eat. He confessed to me that he often slept in the local cinemas at night because he had no home to go to. He also became the caregiver for his small sister at a very young age. “K” has fought his whole life to survive and to provide for his sister.

As he grew, he became involved with the things of the world and began living a life of sin driven by his own feelings and the negative influences of the world. He began driving a motorcycle taxi and joined a group of peers that encouraged bad behavior. These were the things that “K” knew and all that he knew. He confessed that he had never known “Papa love” – the love of a father.

Over the past year, I have had a chance to get to know “K”, build a friendship, and to begin sharing the hope of Christ with him. One evening, I asked “K” if he felt that he was loved. He pondered and looked at me with tear-filled eyes and said, “No, I do not feel anyone loves me except my sister.” He began weeping and I was able to share with him the unexplainable, never-ending and all-surpassing love of Jesus. His weeping turned into a desperate confession and reception of Christ into his life.

“K” now has forsaken all for the sake of Christ. He now testifies of a new hope and purpose in life. “K” cannot read or write but has told me he longs to read the Word of God for himself. I have begun teaching him to read, and amazingly enough, God is somehow causing this process to move very quickly. As I write this, he is reading to me the book of Romans verse by verse. His determination is inspiring. “K” is now sharing his faith with his sister and friends. Some have forsaken him and have come against him, but “K” remains grounded in the new “Papa love” that he has found.

This week “K” brought a friend with him to our weekly Bible Study. He has begun sharing the Gospel with his motorcycle taxi friends. He even came to me yesterday asking if he could go serve the orphans in the community by giving them haircuts. He said, “I don’t have many skills. I know how to cut hair and do carpentry work, but I want to use those skills to do God’s work. I want to go cut the hair of the small boys and encourage them and teach them God’s word.” I celebrate with him as he is learning to serve God with the small that he has. I trust God that the increase will come.

Please pray for “K” as he comes against road block in his faith. Pray that God will continue to sustain the fire that has begun in him. Pray that God will supernaturally touch his mind so that he can read the Bible quickly. Pray for my other two friends, “A” and “S” who are also growing in their faith. All have expressed the desire to be baptized. I am humbled and can only say one thing…to God be the glory for ALL the HE has done. I love you all!

The Road Less Traveled…

Discipleship is a word that carries much weight and depth. When Jesus told his disciples to “teach ALL that I have commanded you”, I can only imagine what their minds were thinking. If it were me, I probably would be a doubting Thomas wondering how I was going to teach ALL that Jesus taught me. I would think that I didn’t understand half of it myself, or think that I could not remember it. Thank God for the clincher within Jesus’ Great Commission: “I will be with you; even until the end of the age”. I am thankful to God for that promise of the Holy Spirit to empower us to bestow the truth of Christ to the world, even though we are frail, unpolished and imperfect vessels.

This lesson is becoming more and more a reality to me as I walk beside my new friends in the faith. I have begun meeting daily with Kassim, at his request, to study the word of God together. Kassim’s challenge is that he cannot read or write. He speaks Krio and a small amount of English. Kassim shared with  me the other day that his desire is to know the Word of God and to be able to teach it one day. Though he was a bit hesitant, due to his inability to read, I reassured him that with God, ALL things are possible. I have begun teaching him to read Krio since that is his first language. The New Testament has been translated in Krio here, and I am a firm believer that reading the Bible in one’s heart language allows for much more understanding. Also, I shared with him that many people in the outskirts of the country will not be able to understand English. Krio will be more beneficial in sharing the Gospel with the unreached.

I have been talking to all three of my friends A,S & K about their new faith and about Baptism. Baptism is not emphasized here, yet I am hoping to show them that it is a mandate and act of obedience to Christ. I am praying that soon I will have pictures to share of my friends showing the world of their allegiance to Christ through baptism.

Please continue to pray for my friends and for their roads of discipleship. Pray that God would give me wisdom and patience as I humbly guide them toward Truth. Pray that the norms of their culture would be brought under a heavenly microscope of truth, so they can see what is truth and what is false. Pray that they would stand firm against persecution and discouragement. I love you all and thank you for all your support!

Alhaji’s Celebration

For many months now, me and my friend Alhaji “A” have been praying that God would provide work for him. For the past few months, he has been working as a contract security guard for the Hope Center in Jui. This past week, Alhaji interviewed for a full-time job as a security officer at the Hope Center. He received high marks from the interviewers and was offered the position.

To celebrate, Alhaji, Kassim “K”, and myself went to Aberdeen Beach in town for dinner. Alhaji picked the place and agenda for the evening. He wanted to eat at a beachside restaurant named Montana. We had a great time sitting on the beach at sundown eating grilled chicken and pizza. I think he was a little overwhelmed at all the “apoto” food on the menu, so when I asked him what he wanted to eat, he simply said, “I want something with rice”. I smiled and was not surprised.

After eating and enjoying the breeze, we walked about a mile down the beach to the junction. We took plenty of pictures and enjoyed talking and spending time together. Alhaji shared with me how grateful he was to God for the provision of this new job. He asked me to pray for him that he would work diligently to maintain his integrity at the workplace.

After our walk on the beach, we headed back home in the poda poda (public transportation). It took almost an hour and a half because of the difficulty in trying to find transport. I am thankful for all that God is doing in the life of my three friends. I praise God that they all have come to know Christ and are all depending upon him to provide for them.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support for them. I love you all. More to come soon…

Return to Sierra Leone

I have landed safely in Sierra Leone and have had a blessed time catching up with friends and the latest news here. It was hard to leave my family, but I am thankful for the three months I had in America and to have been able to spend both Thanksgiving and Christmas with them. All good things must come to an end, but I am learning that just as one good thing ends, another good thing is on the horizon.

My friend Donald, “K” and “S” all met me at the water taxi when I arrived in Sierra Leone. After hugs and greetings, we headed back to my house to unpack the loads of luggage I brought back. I was glad to see my house was in tact. My friend “A” had cleaned everything for me. It was a kind gesture and w much very much appreciated. I was so surprised to see how much the flowers and papaya tree at my house had grown. As humble as my home is, it was still a sigh of relief to be “home”.

The next day was a day of cleaning and unpacking. I did manage to make it to the Hope Center office and greet all of my friends there. Everyone complimented me on my “fresh white skin” and “bump body” (that means plump). I laughed because I am anything but plump. I also was surprised to see the moringa seedling I had left behind had grown significantly (see picture). “A” transplanted it for me and has been taking care of it while I was away.

I am so excited to be back and to be working on the project. Please read more about our experimental plot of Moringa Trees at my other blog www.miracletreeoflife.blogspot.com.

Thank you all for your prayers and love. My time home with you all was blessed. I wish I could have seen you all and spent more one on one time with you, but I thanks God for the time that was allowed. I am truly humbled by your generosity and love for the work and people of Sierra Leone. More to come soon…