Independence Day

Today I had one of those “what did I get myself into” moments.

Soon after we got to the orphanage this morning, Mama Betty sent the girls off to cut firewood for the kitchen – women’s work in Liberia. I figured they’d just walk along the side of the road and chop off some branches here and there and then we’d be back. So I asked to go with them. I should have known something was up when they handed me a “lapper” (a long, African cloth made into a skirt) and a long sleeve jacket. So about 10 of the girls and I, with machetes in hand, start walking down the road towards a nearby mountain. About 15 minutes later, the girls stop, look at me, say, “let’s pass,” and start pushing their way through some bushes nearby. As I follow, I quickly realize that we aren’t going down a nicely cut path through the jungle to find firewood. The girls in front are pretty much cutting their own way with the machetes. When I prayed for the Holy Spirit to lead me where I could ever go on my own, this is not what I had in mind! The girls laugh at me as I start gingerly walking through the forest, making sure not to step on any hidden snakes or get attacked by preying spiders. But seriously people, we’re in African jungles, what else do you expect!? Anyway, after a good 10 minute walk into the forest, we stop at a tree and the girls look at me, say “Sis Bekah, wait here” and then scatter in 10 different directions, leaving me in the middle of who knows where with not even a machete or a big stick to protect myself if some man-eating creature attacks me! After a good thirty minutes of waiting by this tree, too afraid to sit down or touch anything, and wondering if they had forgotten about me, finally one of the girls (Josephine) returns for me. She’s carrying an arm-full of big sticks and proceeds to take off her lapper (she has a skirt on underneath) and uses it to tie up the big bundle of sticks. Then, she puts the whole 40 lb bundle on her head, balances it (with no hands I might add), and walks back the way we came in without hesitation. I am embarrassed to say that I was the only one walking out of that forest without a bundle of sticks on my head (even the 5 year old had a smaller bundle) and the only one who fell walking down the muddy, slippery slope. I am definitely American.

I would end this story by saying, “at least I didn’t get bitten by some crazy African spider,” but the hard, red, egg-sized bump on my leg is telling me otherwise. But hey, at least I didn’t see it bite me… right?

My beautiful Josephine!

I got bored waiting so I carved my name in a tree

A few of the girls

Do I look African Yet!?

Today was also great because it was “America’s independence day.” To Liberians, their own Independence Day is a big deal, almost like Christmas, so we were prepared a small feast for lunch at the orphanage! Rice, bitter ball soup with pork, foo-foo (a form of Jebee), pineapple, and sugar cane! Almost every child at the orphanage came up to us at some point in the day and wished us a “happy America’s independence day). What made the day even greater was we (Tim, Shane, Charlie, and I) celebrated not with fireworks, but with Pancakes! Shane and I made pancakes with bananas, cinnamon, honey, and peanut butter for dinner!

However, the absolute best part of my day was when Shane and I accidentally stumbled across the ice cream cart! Besides being with the kids, I don’t think I’ve been so happy since we got to Africa! So Shane bought me this little cup for 50 Liberian Dollars (about 65 cents in America). This picture definitely doesn’t do justice of the smile I had on my face the whole time I ate it! Definitely a simple pleasure and a blessing from the Lord today. Needless to say I went to bed one happy girl!

This is Africa (Rain, Rain, Go Away)

This is Africa.

It’s a place where food is scarce, but fulfillment is abundant.

It’s a place where sickness is rampant, but healing still wins.

It’s a place where money is almost impossible to find, but I see riches in the face of every orphaned child I see.

In Africa, girls play with dead dragonflies like they are dolls.

In Africa, little boys with big, round bellies (that have nothing to do with being fat) chase each other tirelessly – stopping only to pick up their button-less shorts from around their ankles.

In Africa, the best part of a little girl’s day is when she gets to eat the fish head leftover from cooking dinner… eyes, bones, scales, and all.

In Africa, it’s the norm to play kickball barefoot. The privileged few wear one shoe – because one is always better than none.

In Africa, when mom is sick with malaria, seven-year-old girls stay home from school to watch their baby brothers.

In Africa, kindergarteners carry around razor blades in their pockets as scissors, play hopscotch with shards of glass, and carry around machetes like they are toy swords.

In Africa, 15 orphan girls pile on the bottom of two bunk beds, sharing what little rice they have, and telling stories until they collapse with laughter.

And in Africa, kids who were born during the civil war recount the killing of their own family with about as much emotion as you would read in a history book… but end the story smiling and saying, “but thanks to God, there is hope.”

It’s a place where if I pick up a crying toddler who was run over by the older kids, sit her on my knee, and give her a band aid for her bleeding leg, she doesn’t leave my side for the rest of the day. Because for one moment, someone saw her. And for that moment, it didn’t matter that her leg was bleeding or that her clothes were falling apart because as I held her, she knew she was being taken care of. Somehow I’m reminded of Christ and how when we are hurt the world still bustles around us, but He hears our small cries in the midst of all that chaos. He walks over to us, as if we are the only one He sees, and He quietly sits us on His lap, healing all our wounds. I wish I could say I was as faithful to never leave His side as Jamanas is with me.

You see, Africa is a place where people pray, knowing their prayers cannot be answered by anyone else except the Lord. A few days ago, a pastor stood in front of his church, praising God for three young Americans who came to Africa, not knowing exactly why they came. Yet God knew He wanted to use them to answer the faithful prayers of a church in the remnants of an African war zone.

As this shaking old man stands in front of this church, he begs for continued prayers from the members, but this time it is for the rain to hold off – a seemingly impossible request as the it pours down at that very moment into the church that Sunday morning. But his words still ring clear. “I know that God has sent them to do this, so I know that God will stop the rain as well.” Such assurance. Such faith. My finite and doubting mind tells myself, “I sure hope he’s right.” That night, it rains and pours – much harder than usual. I wake up 6, 7, 8 times, and immediately start praying, “God, let it all pour now, but please, make it stop so the boys can work” When I wake up in the morning, my heart sinks because it is still raining… heavily. Shane comes into my room with a discouraged look on his face. We are all a little dismayed.

But soon, we are off for the orphanage on our “ping-pings” (motorbikes). It is still raining, yet it is beginning to let up. But I know the question on all of our mind’s asks, “Is it really going to stop?” The boys begin carrying the new roofing zinc from the orphanage to the church. And it’s still sprinkling. They grab the ladder next. And the rain is still coming. Then the wood and the nails. The rain continues to fall. And just as they begin to climb up the ladder and onto the roof, the rain completely stops. Everyone starts to look around. “Can this be for real? Surely it will start raining again soon.” But then Mama Betty starts dancing and singing in her native language “Jesus can do it easy. When you pray to Jesus, He can do it all easy” and she laughs as if she knew it all along. She did. We all should have known. It reminds me of all those Bible stories where people pray for rain in a drought and God answers. Yet somehow when we hear those stories in the Bible we assume that God sent them some super natural sign that it was His doing – in addition to the weather of course. Because the rain stopping at just the right time for the boys to start the roof was just chance… right? Ha!

So the rain stops for the rest of the day and again for the next day. The end of day 2 on the roof comes around and it is already 2/3 of the way finished. As the boys climb the latter again and finish hammering in that very last nail for the day, the rain starts to fall. And not a moment too soon.

All night the rain pours, the thunder booms, and the lightening flashes. I lay in my bed wide-awake for hours, mostly out of fear, but praying every moment. “Let it stop by the morning… let it stop by the morning.” Sometime I fall asleep and wake up to the sun shining through my window. Again, He has answered our prayers. Later in the afternoon I meet with the girls for our Bible study and we hit on “presenting your requests to God” (Phil 4:4-7) and the rain starts to fall again. I start to question why God has allowed it to rain while the boys are roofing, but we stop and pray. By the end of the prayer the rain is stopped and I get the feeling someone in there needed to see God’s goodness and the power of prayer. Maybe it was me.

As the end of the day rolls around and I walk towards the church to see the project. Thunder booms through the sky. Joanna, whom I affectionately call “my African sister,” looks at me and says in her Liberian English, “Sis Bekah, rain is coming.” We stand at the base of the church and the mountains begin to disappear behind the heavy rain as the final sheets are being lifted to the rooftop. Everyone murmurs doubts of finishing in time before the storm hits, but a bright, full rainbow appears between the church and the approaching rain. As the last of the nails are being hammered into the roof, the rain starts to pour down and everyone runs inside the church to take cover.  I am smiling from ear to ear because I know the rainbow was a reminder of God’s promise to us – that He would hold the weather off while the roof was being fixed. He did so too perfectly. I think back to the first day and how it rained until the time the work began. And now, the very minute the roof is finished, the sky pours down rain again.

So you see, this is Africa. Where most people would look around and say it’s is a place God has forsaken, but those who live here are assured that God has not forgotten them. It is here where the Spirit of God moves freely because He is begged to do so and the people cry out to Him with greater hunger pains that the ones screaming in their stomachs. And though everywhere people are dying of starvation, thirst, and preventable diseases, God is here and He’s making it known.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!

1. Sorry for the lack of witty title to this post.

2. This will be long

3. I fixed the comment section so any of you can now comment even if you don't have an account! 

Enjoy!

Thursday morning Tim and I went to the orphanage while Shane headed off to Monrovia to get supplies for the roof (this would end up being a 5 day trip for him). After giving the “mom” speech to Shane and saying goodbye to him, Tim and I started out the day with painting some of the orphanage buildings that needed to be finished. I also had the privilege of grading reading exams for some of the school kids. It meant I got to listen to them read me a few pages from their books and grade them on their pronunciation of words, length or pauses, etc. It was a little nerve-wracking at first but it reminded me of how sometimes I think because I don’t have a special skill like a nurse, a construction builder, an electrician, etc., that I have nothing to offer people. But I know how to read and can help others learn to do the same.

When Tim, Charlie (another young man who is visiting the orphanage for a few weeks), and I met up for lunch we found out great news! Not only did Shane not have to go all the way to Monrovia for roofing supplies because he found everything we needed in Ghanta (a 2.5 hour drive from Yekepa), but he also found it cheaper than we expected! This was such an answered prayer because we now have more money to use in other areas, the boys can start the roofing process earlier, and Shane didn’t have to leave for a few days. Once again, I am continually blown away by how the Lord is working!

Tim worked on small projects around the orphanage and school for the rest of the day while I hung out and played games with the kids. You should’ve seen their faces when I pulled out my ipod and portable speakers! You would have thought it was gold to them! The older girls will huddle around on one bunk bed, watching music videos on it over and over again. The younger kids just love to dance to it. It’s hilarious because they imitate every lame dance move I do, thinking it is some kind of popular American dance. Multiple times kids have complemented me on my “good dancing.” I told them my friends in the states would get a kick out of that!

Today I also ate snake! Moses, one of the boys, proudly waltzed up to me holding something long, black, and skinny. With a smile stretching from ear to ear, he held it out to me and said in his Liberian English, “Sis Bekah, snake! Eat, it’s sweet!” After glancing an “is it safe?” look at Charlie and knowing I couldn’t refuse, I broke off a piece and started chewing… It wasn’t too bad. I can’t really explain my feeling of gratefulness even though it wasn’t exactly something I wanted or would eat again if I had a choice. There’s just something special about a person who has next to nothing sharing what they do have. I’m starting to understand a little better how God would rather have the widow’s two pennies than the rich man’s excess. I didn’t need or necessarily want what Moses cheerfully brought to me, but both of us walked away blessed. Oh, and about ten minutes later, this same Moses (who is 13 but the size on an 8-year-old), climbed a 30-foot coconut tree – twice – to get us some fresh coconut… with nothing but his hands and feet. Tim and I stood at the bottom with our hands out ready to catch him, being positive he would fall. All the other kids laughed at us. Apparently it’s an everyday thing for them. I’m still shaking my head at that one!

Here’s a couple other random cool stories from today:

-       The girls have now taken it upon themselves to teach me Mano – the native African language for this area. Boy, do they get a kick out of me saying whatever it is I’m saying in my white, American accent!

-       A little boy caught a lizard, tied a string around it, killed in, and then played with it for an hour before someone roasted it up and ate it.

-       I found out that here, suckers are called, “African stick-and-licks.”

-       Shane took a taxi back from Ghanta and the taxi car literally caught on fire. Then, after waiting for an hour on the rode by himself the car was fixed and they were on their way back to Yekepa. However, he didn’t make it too far before he got stopped at the county line and was interrogated by immigration. He didn’t have his passport (of course). Luckily he made it back to us in one piece, but it’s safe to say he had the most exciting day out of the three of us! If you would like to read the story from his perspective, his blog is here: http://sugarshane2013.blogspot.com/

-       I giant black bug hit me in the eye when I was riding back to our house from the orphanage on the motorbike. This is Africa. I now know why people wear glasses. It’s a lot more painful than I expected.

-       Pa Anthony (Mama Betty’s husband) told Tim that he was so excited about the new roof for the church that he couldn’t sleep at night. The church met last night (the day we announced we would be fixing the roof) for their weekly prayer meeting and Charlie told us that they spent literally half the meeting dancing and singing out of happiness and thankfulness for The Lord’s answer to prayer. That’s pretty cool if you ask me.

-       Shane brought Amos (the president of ABCU) a devotional as a gift and a “thank you” for letting us stay on the campus here and Amos told him that just last week his devotional was stolen so he has been without one… but God brought him another!

-       Along the same lines, I brought Ma Betty a pink wristwatch as a “thank you” as well. When she opened it she literally cried out of thankfulness and kissed me, thanking me over and over again. She told me that she has been without one for so long but it is so hard to find a nice one in the area. She then immediately went outside and called all the kids over, showing them her watch and exclaiming, “look here at my arm! Look at my arm!” Pa Anthony thanked me and said, “you have made my wife a happy woman” with a smile on his face. Now, I had no clue she needed or wanted a watch. My mom and I just picked it for her because we thought it looked nice. I’m so grateful that God chose to use both Shane and I to bless people with these gifts. It’s just proof that God cares about the little things too. Oh, and Ma Betty now calls me her daughter J

Friday the boys masked up and immediately started tearing down the outdoor kitchen hut near the school. This hut was also made of asbestos, but was low enough to the ground that the kids hang on it and play around and under it. So Tim and Shane decided it needed to be the first to go. They also got practice taking off the asbestos and putting on the new roof before they were 30 feet off the ground. My job was to keep both the school and orphan kids busy and away from the area where they could inhale toxins. And what better way to do this than to sing a few rounds of “Ayo-Ayo”!? After literally 30 minutes of singing and dancing with the kids I thought either my lungs were going to pop or I would collapse from exhaustion. I swear they never grow tired of stuff like that. I’m not sure what it is about this white girl making a fool of herself that they find so interesting, but hey, I’m definitely not complaining.

Later in the afternoon, the older girls took me to the market to “do some shopping.” It was about a 5 minute walk from the orphanage, but it felt like I had entered into another world. As bad as I think the orphanage is sometimes, it looked like a palace compared to this little town. The poverty here is so great. We passed a house that looked like someone had just thrown pieces of scrap metal on the top of their house as a roof. Most of it wasn’t even nailed down. Where there wasn’t giant holes, other parts were caving in. My first thought was “surely no one lives there. It’s probably abandoned.” And then I saw a mom and a few young kids come out from inside. What about my privileged American life made me assume that? No one should have to live in a place like that, but they do. It’s rainy season here. Every night so far I have been woken up by the intensity of the rain that beats down on our roof or the wind blowing against the screens. Last night a bat flew into my room. Being the baby that I am, I made Tim get out of bed to come and make sure it was gone. But what am I really complaining about?

In the market I told the girls I had some money and they could buy whatever they wanted between the 6 of them. They started excitedly talking in their Liberian English faster than I could understand. A few moments later, Julie looked at me and said, “Sis Bekah, we would like to buy to make soup!” So we walked around the market (which was a bunch of wooden stands with wooden roofs lined up tightly next to each other) in search of fish, chicken feet, pepper, seasoning, chile, onion, and peanut oil (for us to eat as a treat). All of this, which was enough food for about 15 of us, only cost $2 USD… and I’m pretty sure one the girls kept my change. Crazy how far a little bit of money will go here – yet no one has even that. Once we got back to the orphanage, I watched as the girls sawed the head off the fish and then gutted it. They thought it was funny how wide-eyed I got watching them. I had the privilege of trying the first spoonful of the soup. Honestly, after seeing them tear that fish to pieces and putting it in the soup, I didn’t have much appetite, but I smiled and tasted it. My mouth was literally on fire from the peppers (If you know me at all, you know I can’t handle ANY kind of spicy… I later found out they hadn’t even crushed up the peppers inside of it yet because they knew it would be too hot for me. Ha!). I feel incredible snobby saying this, but God is definitely using the food here to stretch my comfort zone a little more! After I had tried the soup, all the girls dug in and split the remaining amongst themselves. We sat in their little tiny room, all 13 of us piled onto two bunk beds, laughing and talking about America, school, and of course, boys. I start my Bible study with the girls on Monday, but it’s encouraging to know that they are already starting to get comfortable with me. I’m just praying the God continues to open doors and create opportunities for me to connect with them on more than a surface level!

On Saturday the boys spent a good couple hours tearing down the awning in front of the church. The awning was about 6X8 and made of concrete with rebar in the middle of it. It had been there so long that it was sagging and had started to crumble. I don’t even want to think about what would happen to someone, adult or child, if they were standing under that thing when it finally gave out.

While the boys worked on that project, I helped Charlie take pictures, measurements, and shoe sizes of all the kids for the sponsorship program (http://www.liberiachristian.org/Sponsor-a-Child.html). After I took their picture with Charlie’s camera, I gave them an “American” stick-and-lick (aka: a tootsie pop) and took their picture with a Polaroid camera so they could each have a picture of themselves – a luxury many of them do not have. The look on some of their faces was just too much as they ran off laughing and smiling to show all their friends. Who knows how long each of them will keep their picture – as I’m sure some of the pictures are already ruined from the kids carrying them out in the rain – but it was a blessing just to be able to put a bigger smile on their already shining faces.

I read some stories to the kids in the afternoon. The first book I read to them I’m almost sure none of them understood (they have a hard time with my “American English” sometimes… though technically we speak the same language, Liberian English is very heavily accented so there is always a little bit of a language barrier.) So I tested out my Liberian English with the second book. They all laughed and laughed. It’s a good thing I still have a few more weeks to learn it. We finally compromised on the third book when I read in “American English” but asked them questions so they could better understand. Sadly, they wouldn’t join in with my dog sound effects when we read 101 Dalmatians. Pretty sure they now think I’m crazy!

However, probably my favorite moment of the whole day was when Moses danced for me! This little boy is one of the true orphans at the orphanage (many have parents but they send the kids to the orphanage because they are unable or incapable of taking care of the children themselves). He had a sister at the orphanage, but a few years ago she was adopted by a family in America before Liberia stopped allowing international adoptions. I'll try to post a video of it soon so it can bring a smile to your face like it did mine!

This morning we went to church at Redeemer Baptist – the church next to the orphanage and school where we are replacing the roof. I had the privilege of teaching Sunday school to the kids before the service. I was nervous at first, not knowing what to expect since I’ve never been to a Sunday school in Africa, but was calmed down immediately by the sound of 40 small, but very loud voices singing at the top of their lungs. The kids (12 and under) started the singing on their own without being told and kept singing for probably 20 minutes. I was amazed at the heart these children have. They sang because they wanted to. They danced with pure joy. And when it was time for me to teach they listened intently to the story of David and Goliath – though they’ve heard it a thousand times. They laughed at my pathetic attempts to be funny. They answered my questions with sincerity. And they copied my hand motions for Joshua 1:9 over and over again tirelessly and with as much excitement as when we sing “Ayo Ayo.” I don’t know how anyone can’t help but to fall in love with these kids.

The regular service was much like the one we attended in Monrovia last week, but what I loved most was the prayer that Pa Anthony prayed during the service. I’m not sure when the last time I heard a prayer that consisted of nothing but “thank you God for..…” In fact, I don’t think I have ever heard a prayer that was 100% thanksgiving. There is nothing wrong with asking God for needs (as, in fact, we should), but there is something special about hearing every voice in the room shout out “amen” as Pa Anthony thanks the Lord for “the clean water He has given us,” or for “allowing us to see the end of the month.” There is nothing in this single-room building but a few pews, some ribbons hanging from the ceiling, and about 20 hymnals that have seen far too many years, yet it’s walls are bursting with thankfulness and praise. I can’t help but to think of how many decked-out yet completely dead churches across America (as well as many others parts of the world) have lost their focus somewhere along the way. I wish everyone could experience the sincerity and love for our great God that I felt in this little church today.

At the end of church, both Pa Anthony and Ma Betty stood up and pleaded for the members to get involved in helping with the roof by “earnestly pleading” God for good weather during the upcoming days while the boys are working on the roof. Again, it’s rainy season here, which means it can rain a lot, and it can rain often. We’ve been blessed enough for the past few days to only have it sprinkle in the morning, allowing us to both work and play outside during the day. But now that Tim and Shane will start replacing the roof tomorrow, it is more important that ever that it doesn’t rain during the day until they are finished (they will be replacing it piece by piece, so at night, rain can pour down all it wants). Please keep praying with us that the weather doesn’t slow down or affect the boys and their project!

-       Please also be praying for all of us for wisdom. There is a lot of need here so it can sometimes be difficult to decipher where to spend time, money, and energy.

-       Pray that the enemy’s traps do not distract us and we remain open to where it is the Lord is trying to lead.

-       Continue to pray that we are all stretched and that we are in positions where we are desperate for His Spirit.

-       Please pray that we remain listeners, learners, and servants. I do not want any of us to have the mentality that we know the proper way to fix everything (or even the idea that we can fix everything!).

-       Tomorrow, I start my Bible study with the older girls. We will meet every MWF. I’m very excited for this opportunity to build into them and teach them what it is that God has been teaching me lately. Pray for understanding for both me and the girls and for words to speak – that they would not be my own.

-       Also, I haven’t felt great the past couple days so pray that it doesn’t keep me from doing what I need to be doing!

Thank you for all of your continued prayers and encouragement! 

And here's a few of the bazillion pictures I've taken so far!

First Few Days

Sorry for the long delay in our update! We have hardly had internet since we left the country… or time to write for that matter! But here’s a run-down of the past few days – minus yesterday, so I’ll post about yesterday and today’s tonight! It’s long, but I just can’t help be so excited about all that the Lord has done already!

Considering we had a 13-hour layover in London, the three of us decided to leave the airport and go on a mini excursion around the city! We took the subway to Piccadilly Circus and from there walked to the a national museum, Big Ben, the London Eye, the parliament building, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and St. James Park! I’ve never been to London, so it was great get out and see what I’ve only seen in movies!

We had another red eye from London to Monrovia, Liberia, so by the time we arrived in Africa it was already 6am. The moment I stepped off the plane I was hit with a big wiff of “Africa” and immediately my heart started racing. It all started to feel a little more real. We were picked up from the airport by Emmanuel Jonah, the son of the Anthony and Betty Jonah who run the Betty Jonah Orphanage in Yekepa, who then took us to his home church in Monrovia. I don’t know about anyone else, but there is something about worshipping our Lord in another culture that really makes you step back and remember how awesome God is. These people worship Him with so much passion and love, literally begging Him to send us His Spirit, desperate for His power to rescue them. I couldn’t help but be inspired by their contagious hunger for our Lord. We spent the rest of the day with Emmanuel and his family and also attended a graduation for the elementary students at the school he runs. Any kind of educational graduation is such a big accomplishment here in Africa that basically the whole town came to support the kids! It really made me step back and realize how much I take my education for granted.

We stayed at the ABCU’s guesthouse in Monrovia for the night, but so were Scott and Kevin, two men who were working on a project for Vision Trust in Liberia. Scott was kind enough to “show us the ropes” down here in Africa. After we made it through his very helpful list of do’s and don’ts, he asked us to share a little about why we were here. He finished our talk with his own testimony (which was incredible) and words of encouragement for us. It’s amazing to me because I know he didn’t realize how the Holy Spirit was using Him in that moment. It was a very strong reminder to me of how we must take advantage of every opportunity we have to serve, encourage, and build into the lives of others. This man was put in our path for literally 1 hour, and I am still being encouraged by the words he spoke to us. This man could have easily minded his own business and ignored the three young kids who sharing a house with him (which we weren’t even supposed to be sharing in the first place!), but he chose to take time for us, and I will continually be encouraged for that.

The next day (Monday) was spent gathering supplies to take up to Yekepa with us. Monrovia, the largest and most developed city in Liberia, is an 8 hour drive from Yekepa, so we had to get enough supplies for the 5 weeks we would be spending there. We had the evening and night to spend with Emmanuel and his family, who was kind enough to open his home to us.

We woke up early the next morning (5am) for our long and bumpy drive to Yekepa! One of my favorite parts of this whole trip was when we stopped for a bathroom break and I shared some gum (called “cheek-lays” here) with a little girl standing by herself on the side of the road. I should have known that when I gave gum to the only child I saw that somehow 15 others would hear about it and come running! It continues to amaze me how something so simple and small can make a kid’s day.

Monday was also the day I have been looking forward to for literally a year – when I was finally reunited with the kids at the orphanage! I practically broke my leg falling out of the car out of excitement. The first thing we did, or course, was sing, “Ayo-Ayo” (for those of you who don’t know, that was the song that the Lord used last year to connect me with the kids. Little did I know that now all the children at the school and orphanage have nick-named me “Ayo-Ayo” and have called me that for the past year! My spirit (along with my smile) was bursting as I greeted all the kids who I have thought about and prayed for every day for the past year. My heart felt at home as children ran and hugged me.

Sadly, we didn’t stay at BJO (Betty Jonah Orphanage) very long since we had a long day with not much sleep, so we made our way a few miles down the road to ABCU to get settled on the campus we would be staying at. Our house has 3 bedrooms (appropriately), but the funny thing is 2 of the rooms have two twin size beds and the 3^rd room has a king-size bed with it’s own bathroom… Can anyone guess which room I ended up with!? J I swear, it’s because it means I get my own bathroom, but I’m definitely not complaining about this very large bed I get to sleep in! After getting settled, we met Dr. Amos (the campus president) and his wife and he had many encouraging words to say to us. We discussed a lot about the history of Liberia, especially with this recent civil war they had. Apparently, Yekepa used to be the wealthiest place in all of Liberia! It even had a golf course and a swimming pool! But when the war broke out, everything was destroyed. The only thing that once remained (before the community began to rebuild) was the run-down building foundations that had been destroyed during combat. What was ironic to me what that not only did Amos talk of the building debrief that remained as a reminder of the pain and suffering the people went through, but also all the debrief left in many people’s hearts. Many many people here still remember the war. It is fresh in their minds, yet no one discusses the pain they are dealing with. That is why, according to Amos and Emmanuel, it is so encouraging when people come from oversees in the name of Christ to visit them. It serves as a reminder that God has not forgotten them (a theme we took to the orphanage last year, not knowing that was a concept the people here struggle with… God is so incredible). The rest of the evening was spent checking my room how spiders and other creepy, crawly bugs… thanks for humoring me Shane J

Tuesday morning, we headed to the school/orphanage first thing (the children in the community come join the orphans at the orphanage for school). The three of us toured the BJO so that Tim and Shane could get a better idea of what projects they want to focus on during their stay here. Towards the end of our trip, it was made very clear what they will spend almost all of their time and the money we brought with us on.

On the BJO campus, there is a church called Redeemer Baptist Church. This church is helped run by Pa Anthony Jonah (Betty Jonah’s husband) and has been in the community for many years – even long before the war. The church has had some renovations, but one thing that has not been fixed in a while is the roof – made completely out of asbestos. For those of you who don’t know, like I didn’t, this is an extremely toxic metal that causes many health problems and is illegal in the U.S. Not only is the roof leaking with people meeting there on a regular basis (and have been for more than 40 years), but many of the children meet in this building for Sunday school, choir practice, and many other school functions. There is even a smaller “kitchen” next to it where women are cooking food for the school children to eat for lunch. The second Tim and Shane heard what this roof was made of, we decided that this need was urgent and the boys chose to undertake the task replacing the church’s roof, the school kitchen, and the roof of another small room behind the church – all made of asbestos.

Now, I am so thankful to have two strong men with me who recognized the seriousness of this situation and who are able to do something like fix this roof, but this is one of those moments where all the glory goes to God, for quite a few reasons:

1.     He orchestrated this “team” of three perfectly. Between Tim’s frugality (which allowed us keep track of money have enough to fund this project) and roofing/construction experience, and Shane’s good-humored nature, his willingness to literally “do whatever,” and (quite honestly) the buffer between me and Tim, I can’t really even imagine what other skills we could need between the three of us. I was originally going to do this whole trip by myself, and while I know the Lord would have provided for me everything I needed, I think part of Him doing that was through giving me Tim and Shane. Honestly, if it was up to me and my original plans/desires, neither of them would have been with me here in Africa!

2.     He provided financially for this trip very specifically. When I first started fundraising for this trip, I was overwhelmed by the amount of money we needed to raise. I was sure that God was going to pull one of those things you always here about where people go to bed with not enough money and wake up with just enough money at the exact perfect time. Honestly, I was kind of  excited for Him providing that way so that I would have a super-cool God story to tell! But that wasn’t the way He worked… at all. Tim and I raised more money than we had originally asked for (the amount we were trying to raise covered our plane tickets and food/housing/some transportation)… the bare minimum. It wouldn’t include visas, shots, or any kind of supplies we would need to work while here in Yekepa. Now, I wasn’t sure what God was doing when He kept providing for our trip, above what we had asked for. I wasn’t sure what God was doing when He had people continually pay for supplies/donations we were taking when we had money to purchase them ourselves. I wasn’t sure what God was doing when He had the airlines wave our baggage fee when we had enough cash on hand to pay for it. I REALLY wasn’t sure what He was doing when He started having random people come up to Tim and I telling us “the Spirit told us you needed this money for your trip” when we clearly already had more than enough. But, I was reminded that God doesn’t do things without a purpose and if His Spirit was working in such ways then there was a reason this money was being given. I knew we wouldn’t really understand until the time was right, but I didn’t ever imagine it would be like this. This project will be costly, but it is a HUGE need, and the ONLY way we were going to have money for this was if the Lord had provided it through donations (Tim and I would never have brought this much cash otherwise).  So – If you’re reading this and you donated to my trip financially, whether that be by buying a $2 bracelet from me, donating $25, or giving much more, from an even deeper part of my heart that I thanked you with before – THANK YOU. I’m so moved by the way He is using people from all over who don’t even realize the massive impact they are having on not only a church, but a whole community here in Liberia. I don’t think you’ll ever know the difference you are making, but I pray you all receive a little extra blessing in your lifetime for allowing God to use you in all of this… (on a side note, just to increase glory to God in this situation, all this came in the midst of some serious spiritual warfare regarding finances!).

3.     He hears our prayers. After we told Emmanuel (who was giving us the tour and is tied closely with His parents orphanage and Redeemer Baptist Church), we would help with the churches roof, jaws were dropped, words were lost, tears fell, songs of praise and thankfulness were sang, a people danced. This need has been at the top of the churches prayer list for months as they have been begging God to send the means to fix their roof. In the words of Emmanuel, “God was preparing this way for you [me, Tim, and Shane] before we were even aware of what we would be doing here... you didn’t know why you came here, but He did.” We didn’t know we would be doing anything other than a few small upkeep projects the orphanage needed, but God had something bigger in mind. When I, along with many of you, prayed for the Lord to prepare opportunities to be used, I had no idea He meant something like this. I am in awe. I am humbled. I am speechless. And I am beyond blessed.

Now, all this to say, it won’t be smooth sailing from here on out. There are still many things that need to get worked out and I’m sure the enemy will make is as annoying, discouraging, and as difficult as possible for us. To be frank, we are scared out of our minds we won’t have time to finish. There are 3 of us (well, only 2 who would actually be of use in this situation!) to complete this roof in 4 weeks (the remaining time once all the supplies arrive. There will be a few Africans to help the boys, but like Emmanuel noted, “usually teams come in numbers of 20’s or 30’s to do this kind of project, but you come with 3” (again, 2 if we’re being realistic). Yet, multiple different people have already encouraged and affirmed us that since God has His hand on this and is clearly blessing this, the project will get finished. I’m reminded of the verses in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 that says, “He uses the foolish things of this world to lead the strong.” [again] because His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9) I know that if we can just stay faithful to keep our hearts, actions, and intentions pure that He will bless us!

So again, thank you for your support and prayers. They mean the world to me as well as the people in the community. You should see the way people’s faces light up when they learn that they have many brothers and sisters in Christ praying for them all the way from the U.S.

^“ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him.”

Going out in weakness

And we're off!

After finally going to bed at 2:30 am, this morning started bright and early for me at 4:30 am. I'm still not really sure if it was hard to get out of bed due to my exhaustion or because it hit me that I wouldn't be back in it for 6 weeks. After showering, stuffing my face with 5 pieces of fresh watermelon, and saying a long goodbye to Tillie, we (meaning my dad) hauled all 10 suitcases to the car and we set off for the airport. I would like to take this moment to point out that only ONE of the ten suitcases is actually mine! One for Tim, one for Shane, and the remaining 7 are donations for the orphanage, school, etc. 

Shane, me, Tim, and all our luggage! We warned Shane I don't travel light!!

Two super cool things happened while we were at the airport checking in this morning.

The first is that despite American Airlines trying to make us pay for all 10 bags, they waived every single baggage fee... every. single. one. They even waived my oversized suitcase which they told us usually costs $200 to check! And not only this, but they checked our bags all the way to Monrovia rather than making us pick them up and recheck them in London (which they had originally said we would have to do).

The second really amazing thing that happened is still blowing my mind. About a week ago, my mom and I went to a local travel store in Palm Desert and asked if they had any suitcases they were donating for humanitarian purposes (this store often has people come in, purchase new suitcases, and then leave their old ones there. The store then turns around and gives them to people, like me, who go on trips to other countries and can't go out and buy suitcases just to leave in some foreign country). At first, the store told us they didn't have any, but one of the employees decided he would go back and double check for us. Amazingly, he found one suitcase that had just been dropped off! They gave it to us and we went on our way with the beige colored suitcase that looked as though someone threw-up wildflowers all over it.

Fast forward to this morning while I am standing at the check-in counter, surrounded by a mountain of bags when I heard a woman behind me excitedly talking to my dad. I turned around to hear her exclaiming that that was her suitcase that she had donated to the travel store last week! What are the chances that we would not only be at the airport at the same time as this woman, but also on the same flight and that she just happened to walk in just in time to see us plop her overpacked suitcase on the check-in scale!? Just a minute earlier or later and we wouldn't have met. God is so cool isn't He!? Not only did I get to thank this woman for unknowingly donating to my trip, but I got to tell her that her suitcase was being used to take school supplies, sports equipment, and lollipops to little kids in Africa! By the look on her face, I'm not sure who was more blessed by all this, her or I!

______

As it's finally starting to hit me that all this is actually taking place and in a few short hours I will be back in Africa, a phrase that The Lord keeps speaking to me is,
     You are going out in your weakness
I'm not going to lie, at first thought of this I was stricken with panic. But as I kept listening, He reminded me that while we are in fact going out in our weaknesses, we are also going out in His strength. What better way to go!? The first part of 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." It is through our weaknesses that His glory is displayed all the more. By going out and serving in our weakness, uncomfortability, and insecurity, rather than with our strengths as we would like, we get to partake in the blessing of seeing God work in ways that is beyond ourselves. The second half of verse 9 and 10 go on to say, "therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sale, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

It's my prayer that through these next few weeks the Lord uses us not because of our strengths, our specialties, or what we're "good at" because we might try to take some of the credit for what He does. Rather, I'm praying that He chooses to use us through everything we are worst at so that at the end of every day we can look back and be blown away by the way the Lord chose to work through us and ultimately He can receive every ounce of the glory He deserves.

My best friend came to see me off, complete with a care package and all!

Surrender - The Gospel shall be preached

This video is long, but if you have the time, definitely worth listening to! I can't help but get fired up and encouraged!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvGg2KP_btg

If you REALLY don't have time to listen, here's probably one of my favorite part of his sermon. It was about when we continuously pray for something and our prayers go unanswered (something all of us can relate to) and how each of us should be literally begging God to constantly fill us with more and more of His Spirit while surrendering ours to make room for His. 

“I think God gets a different kind of glory when His servants pray and nothing happens. And pray again and nothing happens. And believe and nothing happens. And trust and look foolish. And step out in faith and are not rewarded. And their spirit persists. And they pray and pray and pray and pray, and nothing happens. And their spirit endures, and their spirit remains, and their spirit believes, and their spirit trusts. And they pray again and nothing happens. And the heavens are as brass, and the answer does not come.

When the spirit of man is subject to God under such duress and disappointment, God elbows the devil in the ribs and says, “Got anyone like that, devil? Got anyone like that? Got anyone so surrendered, devil? Got anyone whose spirit is so yielded and soft? Got anyone that trusts you unshakably? Do you have anyone with a surrendered spirit like that?”

Nothing strikes fear into the heart of that old serpent like the spirit of one completely surrendered to Jesus. For a surrendered spirit doesn’t have to know why. A surrendered spirit doesn’t have to be known. A surrendered spirit doesn’t have to be able. A surrendered spirit doesn’t have to be the center. A surrendered spirit doesn’t have to succeed. Yet, a surrendered spirit can be trusted with power from on high for a surrendered spirit is unlimited, and a surrendered spirit is unstoppable.

We must surrender the idea that this gospel will be preached to every nation in our own strength. For it is to the desperate that Jesus sends more of His Spirit."

Unmatched Generosity and Prayer

I cannot even begin to express my thanks to everyone who has supported both my brother and I - financially and prayerfully. I am humbled, literally to tears, when I think of the generosity of our family, friends, friends of friends, church body, and even strangers. This trip wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for the people God has placed in our path to support us, cheer for us, encourage us, bless us, and most importantly pray for us!

A year and a half ago, before I had even fully committed to going on my first trip to Liberia and it was just a mere opportunity set on the table in front of me, an elderly man in my home church heard about my desire to go to Africa. After church, he walked up to my dad and handed him some cash. He doesn't know this, but at that time, I was still debating on whether or not I should go on the trip. But once I heard about his donation, I decided it was too late to back out. I still don't think this man fully know's the vital part he played, and continues to play, in changing my life. If it wasn't for his faithfulness to listen to the Holy Spirit's prompting to give to my trip that day that I don't think I would have found myself, six months later, with a heart completely changed, a call to give my life in service, and totally in love with The Lord. This time around, it was that same man who began my journey back to Africa by being the first person, again, to donate to our trip.

However, this year, the Lord must have known I would need a little extra encouragement to make this trip happen. Now, between my brother and I, we would have to raise twice as much money. With the economy the way it is and being that I just asked people last year to support me, I was very afraid and nervous of what people would think when I sent my support letters out. However, I was shut right up when almost immediately funds started to pour in. Amazingly, it hasn't stopped. Each time I check our account, expecting it to be the same as last weeks report, there are more names on the list of people who have given. What is even more encouraging to me is the wide range of people The Lord is using - from people who have been faithfully supporting me for years, to people I have just met, to people who I know are struggling right now yet who's generosity is unmatched, to people I did not even ask for support yet gave anyway. The Lord knows just how to provide in ways which bless and encourage His children and turn all the glory back to Him!

Also, last night, a good friend of ours, Gina MacConnell, hosted a jewelry party at our house with Noonday Collection (http://ginamacconnell.noondaycollection.com/) - an organization that employs struggling women to make jewelry and run a business then sells the products to women in the US. Not only did the sales from this party help women and their families all around the world, but between Gina donating her cut of the sales percentage, donations, and my own bracelet sales, we raised almost $700 for our trip! When I found this out, I literally cried. I am completely blown away by the kindness of all the women who came to support my brother and I and who provided for women in places like Ethiopia, Rwanda, India, Guatemala, etc. Whoever said jewelry shopping can't make a difference in our world!?

Though I wrote this post mainly to say thank you to people who have supported me financially, I do not want to forget those who have been faithful in prayer. While sometimes focus can be centered on finances and the quantifiable numbers, I do not, in any way, want to make people feel like finances take  some kinda of precedent over prayer. Both are very important, but I would be nowhere if it wasn't for the people in my life who have committed to pray for me, my brother, Shane, and this trip. I have seen the power of prayer and will be the first to attest that it changes everything. Through prayer, I have seen everything from drug addicts and alcoholics set free, prostitutes redeemed and delivered, people plagued by a lifetime of diseases healed, broken families mended, even cars miraculously fixed and lost items found. The amazing thing about our God is that He cares about us so deeply that He listens intently to each of our payers. He hears the longing of our hearts and when our hearts and desires align with His will, He delights in answering them (Psalm 37:4). So for those of you who could not donate financially but are faithfully praying (and, of course, to those who are doing both), from the most sincere place in my heart - Thank you. 

Here is a few specific current needs to pray for:
- That The Lord would bless the supplies Shane, Tim, and I are taking over, allowing it to exactly meet the needs of the people where we are going.
- Opportunities to share Christ's love and words to say during those opportunities.
- Please pray that we are sensitive to the Spirit's leading - wherever that may be.
- That Spiritual warfare would be minimized and their would be a hedge of protection around all of our heart's and mind's. That the Lord would send His angels to guard us in all our ways (Psalm 91:11).