Greetings and Happy Friday!

This story comes from Kailahun District, Sierra Leone:

"Alhaji Lansana fills the door frame of a home which is smaller than most walk-in closets of the west. His five foot long bed/couch/table protrudes from the wall taking up one third of the shelter. When Alhaji was still a toddler, he lost the use of his legs to polio. For over two decades, friends and relatives have carried Alhaji everywhere. Five trips a day to the bush bathroom. Two times a day to the outside "kitchen". And one time, for many, many miles on someone's back to escape the bloody civil war in Sierra Leone which ravaged this nation and this district in particular.

"'The war started here in 1991', he states, 'and ended here in 2002. People carried me on their backs to Liberia so I could escape the war, but there was fighting in Liberia as well, so we had to return here even before things cooled down. I thank God for those people who have assisted me in the past and now thank God for those who continue to assist me by giving me this new chair with wheels!'

"The simple, yet solid wheelchair, donated to World Relief by Free Wheelchair Mission, is one of the first to be distributed to this region. Ever! As the least developed nation on the planet, Sierra Leone's road system has prevented civilization's most basic commodities from reaching this corner of the earth. Mud block and thatch roofed homes bear testimony to the rugged life of those who have subsisted on agriculture produced by human strength and God's providence. Pray for the staff of World Relief as they continue to work in this remote location with young people, the local church and the handicapped. May Alhaji dance before His throne as a result of a new chair with wheels!"

John Connelly, Director of World Relief in Sierra Leone, Africa.

God bless,

Don