From Football to Freetown (Paperback)

In this autobiographical account, Jake and Ruth Schierling, from Van Nuys, California, take their young family to live among the Kuranko people of Sierra Leone, Africa. Through building both physical bridges and bridges of friendship, they fell in love with the people and their culture. Through many accounts of their experiences, the stories of early missions work in the villages of Sierra Leone are told.

From 1947 to 1983, this family and other missionaries learned the language, translated the Bible, taught reading and technical skills, and built a Bible school. While much was accomplished in these areas, their main mission was always to share the love of Jesus Christ with those God brought into their lives. Hear how God used Jake and his family to become "all things to all people, so that by all possible means I might save some" (1 Corinthians 9:22).