June Team Recap

A team trip to The Raining Season is about so much more than what can fit into a suitcase. It is about showing up. It is about sitting beside a child, sharing a meal, playing a game, listening to a story, praying together, and reminding the children and staff at The Raining Season just how loved they are.

In June, six team members traveled to Sierra Leone from Tennessee, Arkansas, and Nebraska. Led by Lisa Rippy, the team stayed at The Swiss Hotel, just blocks from The Covering. Staying so close meant they could easily spend time at the center throughout the week while coming and going, joining in the everyday rhythm of life, and simply being present.

One of the team members, Townes Garrett, was traveling with a team for the first time. It was not, however, his first time in Sierra Leone. Townes was adopted from Sierra Leone when he was just four years old. This trip gave him the opportunity to return as a teenager, experience more of the country where his story began, and spend time with some of the people who loved and cared for him during his earliest years. His story is one of the many reminders that the connections can continue long after they leave The Covering.

The team was welcomed to The Covering with a traditional welcome ceremony, where the children danced and performed for their guests. There were lots of hugs. There was volleyball, playtime, soccer games, coloring, conversations, and devotions. The team also had the opportunity to spend time with many of our young adults who are finishing senior secondary school or attending university. These young adults remain an important part of the TRS family, and having visitors take the time to sit with them, hear about their lives, and encourage them was a special part of the team’s visit.

The week also gave the team opportunities to serve both at The Covering and throughout the community. They celebrated the Day of the African Child with the children and staff at The Raining Season Preparatory School.

The team also visited the National School for the Deaf, where Moses, one of the children at The Raining Season, attends school. The visit was part of their community outreach, and they brought rice and other goods to share with the school community. These moments outside the walls of The Covering are an important reminder that The Raining Season’s impact extends beyond the children who call The Covering home. Caring for children also means caring for the communities around them.

Of course, the team also arrived with very full suitcases. They brought clothing, diapers, medications and vitamins, bandages, toothpaste and toothbrushes, along with many other needed supplies. They also packed special items for the children in the Hope Room, including Boppy pillows, teething toys, books, and adaptive clothing for some of the children with special needs. Movies, coloring books, and jewelry-making supplies were also included.

During their time there, they created beautiful canvases with the children, witnessed the delivery of new wheelchairs for Kadie and Mia, and delivered a personalized letter and devotional book to every school-aged child. Team funds also helped purchase items that meet practical needs at The Covering.

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Those things matter, but sometimes, the most important thing a team brings cannot be unpacked from a suitcase. They bring themselves. Throughout the week, the team had many opportunities simply to be together with the children and staff. Sometimes that meant participating in an activity. Sometimes it meant cheering from the sidelines while the kids played soccer. Sometimes it meant sitting down for devotions or spending time with a young adult at the center, and sometimes it was nothing more than a hug or a few minutes of play. Those moments matter because relationships matter.

The children at The Raining Season know the names and faces of the people who come to visit. They remember the teams who played with them, laughed with them, prayed with them, and made time for them.  The staff is also encouraged when people travel such a long distance simply to stand alongside them in the work they do every day.

On the team’s final night, everyone gathered for a big celebration for the children and staff. There was music, dancing, and plenty of food. Borbor, one of the boys, took on the role of DJ and kept everyone dancing, while the children also enjoyed a special meal. It was a fun way to end a busy week and a chance for everyone to enjoy being together.

Traveling to The Raining Season takes time, planning, sacrifice, and a willingness to step outside of what is familiar, but the value of that travel cannot be measured by the number of projects completed or supplies delivered. To the June team, thank you. Thank you for taking time away from your families, jobs, and everyday lives to travel to Sierra Leone. Thank you for filling your suitcases with needed supplies and your days with service. Thank you for playing, praying, laughing, listening, dancing, and loving. Thank you for showing up for the children and staff of The Raining Season. We are so grateful you came.

Many blessings,

The Raining Season