In the US a portion of all immigrants that are allowed entry into the country are brought in through a lottery system. Persons may apply from outside of the country to have their names put in a lottery and if selected they may enter the country and begin the citizenship process. This was the case with Alusine Bundu who is the principal of our Christian Secondary School in Kabala, Sierra Leone. He applied and in 2011 was selected to come. He ended up on the east coast of the US where he began to upgrade his teacher education degree and felt at a loss as to what he should do next. He remembered that at one time, when he was still in Sierra Leone, he had attended a workshop conducted by Dr. Jo Kuyvenhoven, professor of Education at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI. Dr. Jo has spent many years working in the education sector in SL as well as being a founder of our school in Kabala.
In his wallet he still had her business card. He gave her a call, one thing led to the next and he found himself at Calvin College doing his MA in Education. Alusine came alone, leaving his young family in SL. He was wondering what to do next when he was approached by our organizations to take up the role of Principal of our growing Secondary School. He humbly accepted that job, committed to serving for two years and returned during the height of the Ebola Crisis to take up his responsibilities in Kabala and move his family there as well. Frederick Buechner says, "The question is not whether the things that happen to you are chance things or God's things because, of course, they are both at once. There is no chance thing through which God cannot speak... He speaks, I believe, and the words he speaks are incarnate in the flesh and blood of our selves and of our own footsore and sacred journeys."
I know that Alusine believes that God has had his hand in this. We met this past weekend in Grand Rapids and it is wonderful to hear the reports of his challenging work at the school and how God has indeed used his gifts to further the mission of the school. He is a true and humble servant. I only wish we could keep him longer.
He was also able to update Global Partners and our US counterpart, Schools for Sierra Leone, of the need to increase our funding in order to meet some of the urgent needs they face in securing qualified teachers and bringing them to the north of the country. If you have a heart for this work, please join us with your financial support as well. When I hear the stories of students lives being changed, I am truly inspired to carry on despite the hard work ahead.
In his wallet he still had her business card. He gave her a call, one thing led to the next and he found himself at Calvin College doing his MA in Education. Alusine came alone, leaving his young family in SL. He was wondering what to do next when he was approached by our organizations to take up the role of Principal of our growing Secondary School. He humbly accepted that job, committed to serving for two years and returned during the height of the Ebola Crisis to take up his responsibilities in Kabala and move his family there as well. Frederick Buechner says, "The question is not whether the things that happen to you are chance things or God's things because, of course, they are both at once. There is no chance thing through which God cannot speak... He speaks, I believe, and the words he speaks are incarnate in the flesh and blood of our selves and of our own footsore and sacred journeys."
I know that Alusine believes that God has had his hand in this. We met this past weekend in Grand Rapids and it is wonderful to hear the reports of his challenging work at the school and how God has indeed used his gifts to further the mission of the school. He is a true and humble servant. I only wish we could keep him longer.
He was also able to update Global Partners and our US counterpart, Schools for Sierra Leone, of the need to increase our funding in order to meet some of the urgent needs they face in securing qualified teachers and bringing them to the north of the country. If you have a heart for this work, please join us with your financial support as well. When I hear the stories of students lives being changed, I am truly inspired to carry on despite the hard work ahead.