Seven eager Solar Oven Partners (SOP) packed their bags and boarded a plane to West Africa last Friday, March 17th. The team will be introducing the concept of solar cooking to a people who enjoy abundant sunshine but struggle with extreme poverty and environmental degradation due to deforestation—including the overuse of wood as a cooking fuel.

“SOP has been considering Sierra Leone as a potential future mission field,” explains SOP Director Rick Jost. He adds that an invitation by the Rev. John K. Yambasu, the United Methodist Bishop of Sierra Leone, opened the door, providing a unique opportunity to test a pilot project through the United Methodist Church (UMC) of Sierra Leone.”

The opportunity in Sierra Leone first became apparent through Roger and Melanie Reiners of Milbank, SD. The Reiners have worked for years with the Gess UMC Eye Hospital, formerly Kissey Eye Clinic, in Freetown, the capital and largest city of this West African nation.

“Because of this special connection to the United Methodist Church in Sierra Leone, and Roger’s willingness to provide the introductions and get us up and running on the ground, this is an amazing chance to assess the possibilities for a significant solar cooking project in Sierra Leone,” says Rick. Twenty ovens, tools and supplies were shipped in 2016 in anticipation of the pilot project.

Over a two-week period, the team will educate the Conference leadership about the solar oven program and then head into the rural area to share the concepts of solar cooking, solar baking, and solar water pasteurization. “We will invite people attending our demonstrations to work with us in hands-on experiences with assembly and use of family-sized solar ovens,” says Rick. “Our goal is to share the economic, health and environmental benefits of solar cooking and ask families whether or not solar ovens would be helpful to them.”

Members of the team include: Rick and Lorna Jost, Volga, SD; Phil Lint and Bill and Connie Smith all from Montrose, SD; and Barbara Krumm, Zeeland, ND. Roger Reiners will travel with the group and assist in introductions and orientation. They will be traveling March 13-27th. Please keep the team in your prayers as they explore this new opportunity!