WWW.SAWORLDMISSIONS.CA
GLOBALLINK TERRITORIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE WORLD MISSIONS DEPARTMENT IN CANADA AND BERMUDA
Lieut.-Colonel Br
enda Murray po
ses with studen
ts from John Gow
SPRING 2019
ans School, Libe
ria.
EDUCATION EMPOWERS By Lieut.-Colonel Brenda Murray
T
he sound of children playing echoes as we pull up in front of the John Gowans School in Monrovia, Liberia. It’s recess and the students are happily pouring out of their classrooms and into the hot, humid air. Some head up the street to a local shop to buy a drink, while others mill about, huddled in small groups as happy chatter fills the air. We’re ushered into a classroom where 15 girls spanning in age from 10 to 23 are seated. One by one, each student smartly dressed in her uniform stands up, introduces herself and shares her favourite subject with us. The students are proud to talk about their studies and the dreams they now have because they’re in school. This has not always been the case. “I was not able to attend school because
my parents couldn’t pay my school fees,” says Naomi. “I heard about this sponsorship from the Headmaster. Now that I’m sponsored by The Salvation Army, I’ll be able to graduate. I thank God and say thank you, thank you, thank you!” I ask Naomi what she would like to do in the future and with a big smile she proudly answers, “I want to study law.” As we pull away from John Gowans School, I’m thankful that The Salvation Army’s Brighter Futures Children’s Sponsorship program is making a difference by empowering young women through education.