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This year has been challenging to explain, filled with ups and downs that has tested our patience and resilience. While it’s tempting to express my frustration with strong language, I choose to reflect instead on the comforting words of the book of Psalms, which offer wisdom and solace in tough times. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. (Psalm 27:14) We began the year by… Read More
Today marks the 40th day of 2025, and I find myself yearning to rewind the clock back to 2024. In my previous entry, I confidently declared that we had navigated the challenges of 2024 with a sense of achievement, and we were eagerly anticipating the opportunities that 2025 might unfold. However, I must hit the brakes—stop the press! It feels as though time has warped in these past 39 days, compressing what… Read More
Even though there are plenty of funny memes on Facebook showing people with black eyes after making it through 2024, I’ve got to say, we had a pretty great year! Sure, we faced our fair share of challenges, just like everyone else navigating the ups and downs of 2024. But I genuinely believe we came out stronger by the end of it all. Let’s look at some examples that show just how… Read More
As a child, my mom set up bulletin boards in the school hallway that changed every month, often reflecting a holiday or theme for the month. In March, she stuck to the same theme every year: “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” For those unfamiliar with this saying, it implies that if the weather is terrible at the start of March, it will improve by the… Read More
This month, I celebrated my ten-year anniversary of living in Africa. It’s incredible to think that a decade has passed since I left my Washington, D.C. apartment and settled down in Juba, South Sudan. So much has happened in the past ten years – I’ve lived in four different countries on the continent, became a Country Director in 2015, tied the knot with Sheila in 2016, and welcomed Levi into the world… Read More
Voters in Africa’s most populous country go to the polls today to elect its next president and decide the political party makeup of its National Assembly. Over 93 million Nigerians are registered to vote. More than a third of those registered voters are youth between 19 and 34. There are 18 candidates in the race, but only four have the notoriety and money to compete for president. The four are Bola Tinubu… Read More
2021 was a very challenging year for the Barnes Family. We started the year in Mount Vernon, Alabama, eventually made our way to Kigali, Rwanda and finally returned to our home in South Africa in October. During this time, we made three trips to the US and took a much-needed vacation to Dubai. Sentell also had to travel to Tanzania for work twice. A baby dedication ceremony was held for Levi at… Read More
Booking a flight when the international airport and land borders closed is difficult. We had to wait until the US Embassy announced repatriation flights. At the end of June, the US Embassy released a list of flights through mid-July that included a July 11 flight to Amsterdam on KLM. We initially tried to book the flight out of Johannesburg but was too late. By the time I could talk to Sheila about… Read More
Wow! 2019 was a very busy and challenging year! It is ending very similarly to the way it began…extremely busy and a bit unsettled! It started in the heat of the Nigerian election season. There was not much time after getting back from the US after Christmas to rest before jumping directly into Nigeria’s over the top election process. Less than a month after getting back to Abuja, over 60 foreign delegates… Read More
I don’t often travel back to Alabama to celebrate Thanksgivings. I remember going back to Alabama in 2003, 2004 and 2016 (work event that took place around Thanksgiving). However, I have always found myself surrounded by family and friends despite not going back to Alabama. After arriving on the African continent, I spent Thanksgiving 2013 in Rwanda, 2014 with friends in Nigeria, 2015 in Rwanda (I was planning to propose to my… Read More
A FREDAY in AFRICA! 