Debt Free

      On March 31, 2014, we made our final loan payment! This accomplishment took 5 years of discipline, sacrifice, accountability, and lifestyle choices. Our debts and the efforts we have made to pay them off have been one of the defining characteristics of our early marriage. Despite the burden that it posed, setting the goal of paying off our debt has helped to unify our early financial decision making process and has provided us with measurable goals to accomplish together. We feel incredibly blessed, free, and proud.

To celebrate our achievement, we organized a debt free party

    About 24 of our closest friends showed up to celebrate with us while eating an abundance of excellent food. We also created and executed two money-themed games for the party: a country-currency match and trivia (questions were either related to US currency or to real-life examples of ridiculous money expenditures). It was awesome.
     We look forward to celebrating again this summer when we leave for our debt-free, 9-night, all-inclusive, luxury vacation to Riviera Maya, Mexico. We deserve it.

-David & Nicole

Diamond in the Rough

      If you haven't seen the movie Blood Diamond, you should. The country of Sierra Leone only recently (2002) achieved peace following a decade of civil war. In many ways, Sierra Leone is still tainted by the brutalities of that war. There is evidence that the country suffered significantly everywhere you look: limbless victims wandering the street, intense poverty, prostitution, evident mistrust, bullet holes, hazardous living arrangements, awful roads, etc. Not to mention that the streets are riddled with those ridiculous billboards, and the airport has yet to consider marketing for tourism.

    Still, Sierra Leone is a "diamond in the rough". If you can persevere beyond the war-stricken roads of Freetown, just past the groundnut soup cookery that will make you want to vomit, you will suddenly find yourself standing in front of the most pristine, and seemingly uncharted, beach. It's at that moment that you first begin to realize that Sierra Leone has such extraordinary potential....

    Our fondest memory of our trip to Sierra Leone is our time at Bureh Beach. We spent one night at Maroon View Guesthouse where our living arrangements included two beach bungalows and a tent for Steve. The sand outlining the beach was so soft that it felt as though you were walking on cotton balls. We spent our days body surfing in the lukewarm Atlantic, floating along the low-tide river current, kraaling jelly fish, and feasting on barracuda, crab, and fried plantains.

A panoramic view of Maroon View Guesthouse

On the hammock in front of our bungalow

A panoramic view of Bureh Beach

    Additionally, we perfected the art of digging up and catching sand crabs. There were hundreds of "crab holes" scattered along the sand. After selecting a hole, the boys would dig down carefully (about 2-3 feet) until they reached the crabs resting spot. Taking hold of its leg, they would quickly fling the crab into the air and out of its hole. Then...they would catch it.

The first of about 7 crabs caught...

Dave & Steve had a little too much fun chasing crabs...

Grudda "crabby" picture

Thanks for hosting us, Steve!

Back in Freetown with Amie (Steve's dog)

-Dave & Nicole

Picture This on I-95

     Some pictures to entertain you while we procrastinate on writing one last blog post detailing the remainder of our vacation in Sierra Leone:

Only in Sierra Leone...

-David & Nicole

The Zone

      The real purpose of our trip to Sierra Leone was to be able to experience the life of Dave's brother Steve. At just 25 years old, Steve has recently been promoted to the Chief Operations Officer of a fruit juice industry in Sierra Leone. First Step (a subsidiary of World Hope International) created a Special Economic Zone just outside of Sierra Leone's capital: Freetown. In partnership with another company, Africa Felix, The Zone has been transformed into an industry which is striving to positively enrich the economy of Sierra Leone. Steve has been involved with the company (off and on) since it first commenced production of juice concentrate in 2011.
     CNN published an excellent video and article in 2011 which details what the company is all about better than we ever could. Additionally, Steve's name is made infamous in the following articles:

• 2013: Bread for the World -a condensed history of the Outgrowers' Project
• 2013: Sierra Express Media - comparing Steve to a handsome Westlife star
• 2011: Houghton College - meeting Tony Blair

You can also check out Steve's blog which provides additional (yet rare) updates about his life and work in Sierra Leone.

First Step/Africa Felix main office building - where Steve works AND lives

 Inside the production plant:

The final product: Containers of pineapple, mango, and cashew fruit juice concentrate

Pineapple fields surround the compound:

    Pineapples that are not juiced are sold wholesale to various restaurants throughout Sierra Leone, such as the Oasis Juice Bar and Cafe. We had sampled some of the freshly squeezed pineapple juice from this particular juice bar on Christmas Eve. It was delicious.

     In addition to touring the juice factory, we also visited Makeni - the nearby city where Steve lived when he first began his work in Sierra Leone. Back then, Steve wasn't nearly as stressed out with the amount of responsibility he has now...so he had time to sign a contract with the Wusum Stars: A professional soccer club team in Sierra Leone. Again, he made the headlines and is recognized as the first (and only) white man to ever play professional soccer in Sierra Leone. We got to see the stadium where he played.

Wusum Stars 2011

     In Makeni, we attended a Sunday service at the church where Steve attended while living there. Considered to be guests of honor (likely due to the fact that we were the only white people in the congregation), we were coercively ushered into the front pew seats. The seating gave us a better view, but it did little to improve our understanding of the sermon in spite of the fact that everything was in "English". Among the few things we were able to gather was that the term "halleluiah" is locally translated into "Tell God Thankee".
     Dave and Steve also hiked up Makeni's highest peak: Wusum Hill. The round-trip hike took them less than 1 hour...which attests to how miniscule the elevation of this hill actually is. Regardless, they managed to work up a sweat and capture a decent picture.

A panoramic view of Makeni from the top of Wusum Hill

     While we admire Steve's evident accomplishments in Sierra Leone, we do not envy the responsibility that has been bestowed upon him (nor do we envy his current, closet-sized living arrangements). Please keep him in your prayers as he continues to work toward bringing this juice company to its full, promising potential.

-David & Nicole