COTN–Sierra Leone students wrote essays as part their application for COTN’s University/Vocational Program. We are so proud of their hard work, and we had to share some of our favorite excerpts with you.
A group of our most recent Sierra Leonean graduates with the gifts that they received at their graduation ceremony.
Many of the students wrote about the difference being part of COTN made in their lives.
Massah wrote, “Life before COTN was not easy for me. I had no proper meals to eat, clothes to wear, and I was not going [to] a good school.”
Thanks to partners like you, Massah was able to receive food, clothing, an education, and a loving home when she came to COTN. Now she hopes to study business information technology at university.
Massah is going to study business information technology.
Charles writes: “My spiritual life without COTN was different. I never had a chance to choose who or what I want[ed to] serve because my family were all Muslim, and they force[d] me to follow their footsteps. . . . I was lost; my life was full of [crisis].”
He adds that after he came to COTN, “There came a yearning for [Christ] in my heart, and that is the time I realized that earthly things will fade and die. And so I wept for something that would satisfy. That is the time I felt Christ.”
After university, Charles hopes to become a business administrator.
Charles plans on becoming a business administrator.
Idrissa was also born into a Muslim family. But through COTN, he was able to hear the gospel. Idrissa writes, “[The pastor] made an altar call, and I went out not knowing what I was doing. As he was praying for me, I felt cool air entering my lungs. Since then, my life [has] not been the same.”
Today, Idrissa wants to study either theology or medicine, and he's studying to retake his national exams.
Idrissa wants to study theology or medicine.
At COTN, Mabinty discovered that she has a gift for singing, and she writes, “With this talent I might be able to influence people to fight for justice in this nation.” She adds, “Since I gave myself up to do the will of God, I started experiencing many wonderful things happening in my life.” She hopes to continue singing, but she's not sure what she wants to study yet.
Mabinty hasn't decided what she's going to study, but she definitely wants to keep singing.
All the students have big dreams, but perhaps Hawa, who wants to study business, puts it best. She writes, “The good thing is that I don’t have to know everything right now. His everyday plan for me is to be His hands and feet wherever I go. He guides me one step at a time, one day at a time. My passion is to seek Him every day, be open to what He wants me to do, and express His love to whomever He [puts] in my path. I believe that what we go through in our lives shapes our character for the people we become, if we let it.”
Hawa wants to study business after graduating, and she knows that God will guide her no matter what.
Hawa (first on the left), Mabinty (third from the left), and Massah (first on the right) celebrate their graduation with friends!
Thank you for helping to raise up these remarkable children who will transform their nation!
P.S. To help more students like Massah, Charles, Idrissa, Mabinty, and Hawa pursue their dreams, join our Rally for Education!