Episode 24 – Meet Josephine Smits – A Sierra Leonean Dutch Refugee Far from Home with Mabel Ninan
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- Christianity
Josephine Smits was born and raised in Sierra Leone, Africa and moved to the Netherlands as an adult in 1992. At first, she felt alone and missed home terribly. But her local church made her feel at home and became her family. Even as she was settling down in her new homeland, her frequent visits to Sierra Leone after the end of the civil war, brought her face to face with the needs of the communities and she resolved to help them.
With the help of her Baptist church and other supporters, Josephine founded the Wanda organization which established a church and schools in Sierra Leonne. In this episode, she talks about how God helped her every step of the way, miraculously supplying the needs of the people of Sierra Leone through the Wanda Foundation.
Takeaways:
* Churches play a huge role in helping immigrants and refugees feel welcome and find a community they can count on for support, encouragement, and practical help.
* Josephine saw the needs of her people in Sierra Leone and she was moved to help them. Her efforts over the years evolved into her ministry and became her calling. Sometimes, we can spend too much time wondering what God wants us to do, forgetting to pay attention to the potential opportunities He places right in front of our eyes. We can begin by serving wherever we see a great need.
* If God has called you to do something for Him and His people, He will provide all the resources and people you need to carry out His plans. Trust Him and follow His direction, one day at a time.
About Josephine
Josephine Smits emigrated in 1992 from Sierra Leone to Netherlands where she studied and worked as a truck automotive assemble technician. During her thirteen years of work as a technician, she also helped with charity work for the Baptist mission, less privileged and orphans. Eventually, Josephine became a full time volunteer to help achieve the Baptist Mission goals in Sierra Leone. She pursued development and management studies to guide her work . Her trips back to her motherland inspired her to start a nonprofit organization called Wanda Foundation which works with rural children and women in the eastern province of Sierra Leone. The organization has established the Boyd Primary Schools, Boyd Senior High School and Boyd Institute of Innovation and Technology School.
As a believer who is hard working and respectful, Josephine focuses on connecting her work with the hope and love of the Lord. She is now a grandmother and works as an international development professional.
Learn more about Wanda Foundation here - https://www.wandafoundation.nl/en/
About Mabel
Mabel is an author, speaker, and Bible teacher. An immigrant from India who has lived in seven cities across the U.S. in fourteen years, Mabel navigates between cultures, feeling at home everywhere and nowhere. In her award-winning book, Far from Home: Discovering Your Identity as Foreigners on Earth, Mabel draws from her personal experience as an immigrant and examines the lives of biblical heroes to shed light on how we can find purpose and joy as sojourners on earth.
Learn more Mabel here.
Buy Mabel’s book, Far from Home: Discovering Your Identity as Foreigners on Earth, on Amazon.
Buy Mabel’s book from a href="https://www.endgamepress.
Josephine Smits was born and raised in Sierra Leone, Africa and moved to the Netherlands as an adult in 1992. At first, she felt alone and missed home terribly. But her local church made her feel at home and became her family. Even as she was settling down in her new homeland, her frequent visits to Sierra Leone after the end of the civil war, brought her face to face with the needs of the communities and she resolved to help them.
With the help of her Baptist church and other supporters, Josephine founded the Wanda organization which established a church and schools in Sierra Leonne. In this episode, she talks about how God helped her every step of the way, miraculously supplying the needs of the people of Sierra Leone through the Wanda Foundation.
Takeaways:
* Churches play a huge role in helping immigrants and refugees feel welcome and find a community they can count on for support, encouragement, and practical help.
* Josephine saw the needs of her people in Sierra Leone and she was moved to help them. Her efforts over the years evolved into her ministry and became her calling. Sometimes, we can spend too much time wondering what God wants us to do, forgetting to pay attention to the potential opportunities He places right in front of our eyes. We can begin by serving wherever we see a great need.
* If God has called you to do something for Him and His people, He will provide all the resources and people you need to carry out His plans. Trust Him and follow His direction, one day at a time.
About Josephine
Josephine Smits emigrated in 1992 from Sierra Leone to Netherlands where she studied and worked as a truck automotive assemble technician. During her thirteen years of work as a technician, she also helped with charity work for the Baptist mission, less privileged and orphans. Eventually, Josephine became a full time volunteer to help achieve the Baptist Mission goals in Sierra Leone. She pursued development and management studies to guide her work . Her trips back to her motherland inspired her to start a nonprofit organization called Wanda Foundation which works with rural children and women in the eastern province of Sierra Leone. The organization has established the Boyd Primary Schools, Boyd Senior High School and Boyd Institute of Innovation and Technology School.
As a believer who is hard working and respectful, Josephine focuses on connecting her work with the hope and love of the Lord. She is now a grandmother and works as an international development professional.
Learn more about Wanda Foundation here - https://www.wandafoundation.nl/en/
About Mabel
Mabel is an author, speaker, and Bible teacher. An immigrant from India who has lived in seven cities across the U.S. in fourteen years, Mabel navigates between cultures, feeling at home everywhere and nowhere. In her award-winning book, Far from Home: Discovering Your Identity as Foreigners on Earth, Mabel draws from her personal experience as an immigrant and examines the lives of biblical heroes to shed light on how we can find purpose and joy as sojourners on earth.
Learn more Mabel here.
Buy Mabel’s book, Far from Home: Discovering Your Identity as Foreigners on Earth, on Amazon.
Buy Mabel’s book from a href="https://www.endgamepress.