I hope you all had a wonderful day with your families and friends yesterday. On a personal note, I must saying thank you all for praying for us. It seems every day something else unexpected happens and yet, it all works together for the good.
(No pics in this post due to time factor to upload. I'll post them tonight when I get home)
Dec 23 Cape Mount
Today we had planned to go to Cape Mount with Christine. This was where her mother grew up and it use to be a more touristy part of the country. She was going to take us in her car with her driver. Problem was, her car was acting up and they were not sure what wrong with it. So, it seemed we might end up having a lazy day around the compound. No such luck when God has other plans. Dad talked to Robert about using the STS car and driver for the day to go up to Cape Mount and Robert agreed. So, we got to spend another day with Victor and really got to see his amazing driving skills in actions. I also got my first dose of real Monrovia. After getting up and having a delightful breakfast of oatmeal (yes Mom I ate oatmeal and I know you’re so proud) we got dressed, me in my new Africa outfit and Dad in another of Bimba’s shirts and the same old sweatpants, we waiting in the guest house for Victor. The plan was that Christine would leave earlier and drop of her car with her driver in Monrovia at the car repair place and we would pick them up on our way to Cape Mount. I then learned my next important lesson about Liberia that I had slowly been realizing. It take a long time to get anywhere in Liberia due to traffic and road conditions.
Danielle warned me about having to create coping mechanism while driving and today it happened. Driving through down town Monrovia I kept singing a song Miriam (sp?) sang at church last Sunday I think. I can’t remember it while I’m sitting here but the second I get into the car, it’s in my head on repeat till we get to our destination.
So we left Christine’s house and headed in Monrovia to get Christine. It was mind blowing to me the number of cars and people. You wonder where they all come from. Then to see the devastation of buildings and homes and it’s hard to picture this city as once a thriving. I was just overwhelmed seeing these huge buildings now reduced to nothing but a concrete frame looming over the city.
We picked up Christine and headed out to Cape Mount, which turned out to be about a 3 hour drive. After we got through the city, the drive was mostly uneventful. Most of the way was paved with some pot holes here and there. We did have to stop at 3 check points. The 3rd one was the most exciting because they were not going to let us through because we were from out of the country. They also took victors license and made him go inside some building. I showed the officer my copy of my passport and visa as Christine talked to him. The whole time we’re praying he’ll let us through and that Victor would come out so we could leave. The officer just stood by the car the whole time and, strangely, part of me wanted to take a picture because I kept thinking this was a perfect Kodak moment. I learned later that taking a picture would have been a horrible idea. Victor did finally come out and we were able to leave. The last part of the journey was spent driving on dusty roads. It was amazing to see the mountains and look down and there was the ocean. It was like the best of both worlds.
The city, despite its spectacular location, was very much devastated. We saw the base of what use to be a 5 star hotel right on the beach. Now all that is left is the bottom floor concrete outline. Yet, you can see what it might have looked like at one time. We also stopped at one of the orphanages there and it was heart breaking. The living conditions of those kids and the fact that most of them did not even have a seat to sit on to eat was enough to rip your heart out. Yet, the children still sang and were smiling. They loved the Lord and knew he was their provider. The children truly know what it is to have God be their father and their protection in a way I could never really understand. We were able to give them some candy and pray for them, but my heart wept for them and it tore me to pieces. Yet, I know that they are in the hands of a powerful God that can always be there when no one else can.
We prayed for them and left to head up to St. Joseph’s church. Christine wanted to show us the church which also use to be a very highly pristine school. The drive up there reminded me of the Indian Jones ride from Disneyland only without the safety of knowing you wouldn’t get stuck or the car flipping over etc. We got to the top and it was, again, devastated. The only thing really still looking strong was the church. The glass and rock still stood strong. We did not get a chance to go inside but I truly did want to.
Afterward we went to visit a close friend of Christine’s named Agnus Peabody who was the owner of Gertrude’s Bed and Breakfast. Her B&B sat right on a hill overlooking the beach and it was gorgeous! The inside was spectacular along with an amazing view of the ocean. She cooked us a wonderful dinner and showed us her vision for the B&B which included solar powered panels she was in the process of putting in. We discovered through talking with her that the panels were being shipped using our good friend Chuck Clark. We have picture proof with one of the boxes with STS and Chucks name on it. Agnus was an amazing woman who was called back to Liberia by God and obeyed. It was awe inspiring like so many of the other stories I seem to hear on a daily basis. After dinner, Dad and I walked down by the beach in the water. I can now say I have touched both sides of the Atlantic! It’s amazing to see God’s glory here. The beach was almost empty, clean and breath taking. We prayed with Agnus then left to head home. The drive was uneventful with no need to stop at any of the road blocks thankfully.
We got home late and has a late night snack of rice. Dad, thinking there was a nice juicy tomato in the rice, took the whole thing into his mouth chewed and swallowed. Lesson number whatever number I’m on, Liberians love hot spicy food. Turns out Dad’s tomato was actually a nice juicy hot pepper. His face turned bright red as his throat cought fire. He kept drinking water and we had to tell him to eat more rice, bread, and pineapple. It was frightening yet, slighty humorous. We thought the pepper incident was over, but not yet. Not thinking, Dad thought he has a bug in his eye and rubbed it, apparently with the same hand he had touched the pepper with. Your imagination can probably fill in the rest rather easily. He was in the bathroom with Christine trying to flush it out and holding a cold wash cloth on it. Again, slightly scary but still morbidly humorous. I think Dad will not think twice before consuming anything shiny and red that is located in rice. Still, I can’t figure out who would put a tomato in rice anyway, but that’s neither here nor there. Just another lesson learned.
December 24 WRT Youth Enlightenment and Empowerment Center in Bento
This was another day full of unknowns, but I was getting use to this idea. We talked to our driver the night before about getting our bags from downtown Monrovia. We could only pray that they would all be there. We got ready and had breakfast waiting anxiously for our driver to show up with my bags. To my pure excitement, breakfast was a fish stew type thing(pure sarcasm). I stuck with pineapple and prayed our bags would show up. I never wanted a granola bar so bad in my life! I know the Bible says be anxious about nothing, but I went anti biblical in this case and was jumping up every time I heard a car horn. Sad, maybe, but I was needing a little bit of home to continue to make it through. That and some toiletries and my Dad’s sweat pants were beginning to change color from being worn so much. I’d venture to say we might have to burn them if they don’t crawl away first.
Around 10:15 our bags showed up and I could have hugged Victor to death from pure joy of seeing all the bags. We both automatically changed into our clothes and, the same morning, we got internet! It was the best Christmas gifts I could have ever gotten in Liberia. After a quick update and looking to make sure all of our stuff was there, which it was including the recorder (that’s for you Stacy) we headed out to the WRT Youth Enlightenment and Empowerment Center in Bensonville.
The ride there was INTENSE. We had to go through the red light district which is a market area, to get to Bento. I can only describe the drive as being one of the most intense experiences of my life. It was literally wall to wall people and no movement from the cars. It took us an hour and a half to get through a distance of a mile. People were pressed up against the cars selling buying yelling. It was literally sheer utter madness. Atlanta traffic looked like a walk in the park compared to what we saw. Even Christine who was with us said she had never seen it so bad. There had to be close to 500-750 thousand people there easily. We had to lock our doors and roll up our windows almost all the way to keep the people from being pushed into the car. It was literally dreading the ride home from the moment we got out. It wasn’t until later I realized that these were not just people but many of them were lost people. Some just trying to get by with no knowledge of the Love of Christ. Again, this was just such an overwhelming thought. However, we later found out that Franklin Graham, Billy Graham’s son, would be hosting a crusade in Liberia in 2011 which was super exciting to hear!
We reached the village and the second we pulled up kids were everywhere! We were expecting maybe 40 and got almost 100! The children sang for us and the chief danced and we all prayed for the kids. We then provided them with Juice, cake, and candy. Amazingly, a cake baked for 50 fed 100 people! It was like reliving a bible story! The joy those kids had was so amazing and awesome to see. Just to have them hugging on you and thanking you for coming and asking to be your friend. I felt my heart melt for these children in a way I could never imagine. It was hope, real hope and joy unlike anything I could ever imagine. They were helping one another, playing and just being kids. Even though their environment was not, what we could call ideal by any stretch, they made due. They still were going to school to write and read. They still love the Lord with all their hearts and it shows in their smiles. We were not there very long which was sad, but it just gave me so much encouragement and hope. Even in such horrid states, children, the heart of God, still see the light.
The drive back was not as eventful as the drive there thankfully but it was still intense. I was more or less deep in thought about all I had seen and all I was going to see in the coming weeks.
We got home and Dad began to plan for his men’s fellowship meeting that night. I began to finally type up the novel that is our blog. We were called into dinner, yes we do seem to eat a lot but we really don’t eat a lot when, for me at least, there is not much to eat. Dad made sure not to eat another tomato. Afterwards, he and Victor headed off the men’s fellowship while I stayed at the compound and typed the rest of the night. We both slept soundly this night which was starting to get Dad worried since he was sleeping 10 hours a night here and only sleeps 4-6 at home. I think it’s his beard that he’s growing but that’s just me.
Dec 25 Christmas with Alvina
I woke up Christmas morning, jumped out of bed and ran downstairs… just kidding. This is Liberia and that story, I found out, doesn’t happen here. Actually it’s really rather nice. Our mornings are starting at around 8 which is a good time my body has let me know. I read some and chilled out until we were called for breakfast. We had a devotional time before breakfast with Christine, Lawrence, Dixon and some other folks. We sang, read scripture and prayed. Afterwards, I went back to the guest house to do my typing and Dad did his quiet time. We left for Alvina’s house at around noon. Alvina is Christine’s niece who lived in the states, got her degree in law, and moved back to Liberia and works with the ministry of public works.
We drove through the northern ‘red light’ that is also normally jammed, called Duala, n and it seemed almost deserted compared to what is was like when we went through when we went to Cape Mt. We made a detour because Dad wanted me to see the Hotel Africa and I was rather interested myself from all I had heard about it. As we saw it from a distance I was stunned. It was huge! The closer we got, the more I came to realize the true splendor that had once been here. Even seeing the front covered area where people would be dropped off in cars now overtaken by nature itself.
We headed back to Alvina’s house to a Christmas party I will never forget. The house was beautiful and set right near the mouth of the St. Paul (?) River where it dumps into the Atlantic Ocean. Across the river you can see the Hotel Africa and the sunset was beautiful! A picture can’t even begin to show what it looks like in person. The spread of food we had ranged from foo foo (no idea what it is), pork, seafood stew, rice, cucumber tomato salad, and pineapple. I stuck with the rice, pineapple and cucumbers. I also watched Christine play Dad at checkers, we had to teach Christine the American rules which are much different then African Rules. Then again, we were not sure if they were African rules or Christine rules but it was fun regardless. They ended in a tie even though I didn’t know you could tie in checkers. We also learned Ludu which is a game sort of like Sorry but slightly different. I won once which was exciting. I also got coned into dancing. There is a song called Yodi Yodi that I kept hearing all over the place here. Every time we were driving around I kept hearing it and they played it at the party. And, sure enough, one of the girls dragged me up to dance but it was fun! No, I don’t have mad dancing skills but it was an experience. I am now bound and determined to find the CD with that song on it while here in Africa. It was a blast, the whole day.
We got home that evening at around 9:30 and it was pitch black at the compound. Luck for us, we had PK’s handy dandy… FLASHLIGHT! We unloaded the stuff we brought while they tried to start the generator. First it was the battery, then it was the starter. While all that was going on, I was able to finally look up into the stars clearly for the first time and they were magnificent. It’s amazing how often the stars are overlooked or shadowed by our artificial light. Yet, when we turn our lights out, God is able to show us his true majesty! We ended up just going to the guest house and used flashlights to read or do whatever we needed to do (AKA eating our granola bars ;-) ). Dad and I also just sat and talked for awhile which was good. We also knew that, in 2 days, it was not going to be this quiet anymore. Yet, I am so excited to have the team come! I learned that if you really can just stick it out the first few days, you really begin to love this country. Tomorrow, we’ll be exploring the city and seeing things like the STS property, ELWA and some other places. Tomorrow night we are going to some big political party thing so that will be an adventure to be sure.
YAY I AM ALL CAUGHT UP!! Miss and praying for you all!
Lindi
PS. Pray for Dad’s right ear. It has been feeling funny and has been having a pulsing feeling that is not normal. Pray for healing for him.
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