Pictures!

Here is a view from the chopper of Gbarngay

Our friend Joni with some of the girls during one of the sessions

Lisa and I sporting our massive rain boots. It might be a bad sign when you get laughed at, but oh well!

The above picture is the kids who accepted Christ this week. Please keep them in your prayers!

Our Family is Bigger!

Let me start this out by saying a big THANK YOU for praying! We knew people were praying, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that. We made it back safely this afternoon and are thankful to have one week of vbs behind us.

My heart is heavy-o (working on my Liberian English here). What a week this has been. I am not sure that my heart is done processing all that we experienced, but I will do my best to paint a picture of some of the highs and lows of the week. 

We flew into Gbarngay (Bongay) Monday morning and were greeted by a lot of people when we stepped out of the chopper. We were taken to a hut where we sat with tons of little eyes glued on the white women. Immediately I was overwhelmed, and I thought what have I done? By the afternoon, we knew where we would be staying and had begun to settle in for the next 4 days. We ended up staying in one of the village elder's houses. It was a tiny hut, so that meant that 2 people slept inside and 2 of us were outside on the porch. 

From the moment we stepped foot off the chopper to the moment we got back in, we had very little moments without children staring at us. We started our first lesson Tuesday morning, and I quickly learned that I was going to have a tough time of communicating with the kids. The older kids could speak Liberian English, but we don't think most of the younger kids really could. Lisa ended up taking one for the team and did a lot of the talking. She snapped right into her Liberian English and did a great job. My conversations with kids went something like this.... they would say something... I would say what? They would repeat themselves and I would say Huh? One more try to which I would reply, "Lisa!" She would come and rescue the conversation. 

On the first day, I was faced with extreme physical heaviness and tiredness. At first, I just chalked it up to a lack of sleep and new environment. It wasn't until the kids left the last session of the day and had left the building and immediately the weight was lifted that it hit me that this could be because of the spiritual darkness in the village. It was rough. This place was so extremely dark. There are the traditions of the bush that result in the girls coming out with markings down their backs and legs. There are the strong beliefs in medicine necklaces that children must wear around their necks. There is a sadness as you watch the children interact with one another through constant hitting. It just hits your heart and makes you hurt. 

I was also trying to do my best to adapt to village life filled with none of the commodities that I am accustomed to at home. Our bathroom was now a latrine. Our shower was a bucket of water in a circular structure with a lappa covering the opening (and let me just say those warm bucket baths at night were quite the highlight!). The food was a struggle for me as I learned that when it comes to pepper I am a wimp! :) I had been excited about the thought of going to bed at 8 when the sun went down every night, but I had forgotten 2 minor details. These being that 1. not everyone else would be going to bed then and 2. there are animals roaming around that don't just get quiet. We would wake up some mornings to goats jumping on the ledge of the porch. I was convinced that one day, they wouldn't just jump back down but that they would end up jumping on my tent. Fortunately for me, I was not attacked by a goat, although I did find myself dreaming about attacking them and the roosters just to get some peace and quiet! :) Overall though, village life was not as hard as I had anticipated. I know I have God to thank for that. He guided us through every day moment by moment.

Day 2 of vbs was critical for us because at the end of the second session, we were presenting the gospel to them. We were hoping that they would get the connections. And some did! We now have at least 10 new brothers and sisters in our family of God!!! Praise the Lord for this! After we ended day 2, we told the kids that if anyone had questions to stay behind, and some did. We were then able to talk more in depth with them to find out if they really did understand what Jesus did for us on the cross and how we were now able to have a relationship with Him. 

It was hard to say goodbye because my heart wonders how they will do now. This village is not a "safe" place to leave a new believer. I pray these kids stay strong. They were being shown the Jesus film tonight, so we pray that what they learned these past couple of days will touch them even more as they see visually the story and hear it in their own language. Tears started to form in my eyes as one of the boys that I was privileged to spend a good amount of time with picked up the megaphone minutes before we were to leave and starting quoting the Bible verses they had learned. He then helped all the other kids with the last one that we spent the least amount of time on. He was then able to explain what that verse, John 3:16 meant, and he finished with singing Father Abraham. I turned away for a few seconds as the tears were forming as now it was ok to get on the chopper. This boy knew what decision he had made, and he could then be a leader for his friends. My heart was happy. I know that God is in control, so no matter what temptation comes or what these kids are faced with He has got them in His hands. 

Here are the names of the children who said yes to making Jesus Lord of their lives. Please join us in praying for them as they have a lot ahead of them. They are Maly, Josh, Danil, Gballea (Balla), Mark, Regina, Ruth, Mary, Hauwa, and Princess. I could go on and on with stories, but I will try and wrap this up. God did awesome things this week!!!! 

Missing Home....

I know that today only marks 6 days since I left home, but I woke up this morning really wanting to be home. I'm not sure what the driving force behind the feeling was other than maybe because it is Father's Day and Sunday and with those two biggies I was hurting. This marks the second Father's Day to be away from home with the family, and I don't like it. I know I am where I am supposed to be, but it can still be hard. All that to say, Happy Father's Day, Dad! I love you.

I knew that I would probably struggle today with going to a different church, so a few days ago I asked Lisa if we could go to the most Americanized church this week. I know that may sound bad, but I figured singing songs that I was more familiar with would make a huge difference. And it did. It was cool to sing "Great is Thy Faithfulness," "How Great is Our God," "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord" with the African church. It was so loud! I loved it. I tried to sing louder and louder but still could not sing louder than them. I can't wait to sing songs with the little kids blaring them at the top of their lungs. It will be hard to wipe the smile off my face then. Today was a good reminder of the church around the world worshiping the same God! It doesn't matter where we are, God is the same. I can't tell you what a comfort that was for me this morning. 

It was quite the culture experience for me to step out of the building after service and see ice cream and other treats being sold. Just another reminder that I am not home! Ice cream did sound like a good idea although I passed it by because as they would say here, "It is hot-o!" I think today has been the hottest so far. 

With that being the case, it was definitely time to take a plunge in the ocean. It still amazes me how beautiful the ocean view is. It is a different feeling sitting on the porch, looking out at the ocean, and it not being commercialized. It is nice.

We had to send our clothes bag up to Bopolu today in preparation for the drop off in the bush. Sure hope we packed all we needed. This is going to be fun! I've decided to turn it into my very own version of Survivor! I figure if I keep thinking of it that way, I will be fine! :) 

In all seriousness though, please pray. Pray we don't get sick. Pray we get good sleep. And pray God changes so many lives! 

We are so not in Kansas anymore

Reality, I do believe, is starting to set in because I am starting to see things that make me go wow that is different! Today as we were driving, there was a truck just packed with people all around the bed of the truck. As you looked further, you could see a casket, and it was just a wow moment as you realize that is how they carry the body to the funeral. Along the street was a crowd of people in shirts saying something like, "In Loving Memory." And that part of what a funeral is here.

American food is very accessible here, but you have to pay top dollar for it. An example would be a box of mac and cheese costs 2 bucks here instead of 50 cents like I am used to seeing at home. It is nice to have the "comfort" of seeing things from home, but I am quite content with their rice and sauce so far. The biggest thing for me with the food is how much pepper they put in it! My word... I thought my mouth was on fire yesterday! :)

We met with the team again yesterday, and I think we are pretty set for Tuesday. Lisa and I have some work ahead of us as we prepare to teach. I am excited, but at the same time, I am getting nervous at the thought of standing up in front of lots of kids and teaching about the most important thing in life. Pray God gives me the words to say. I don't want these kids to miss out on truth.

I tried to post pictures on here yesterday, but I can't get it to work. Hopefully I will be able to get that working soon, so I will be able to share just a little bit of Liberia with you.

Thanks again for all of your prayers. 

But God....

We made it! We got here safely on Wednesday night after two very long days of travel. Connections were mostly hassle free, so we are very thankful for that. At times, it is hard to believe that I am actually in Liberia. I don’t think it has completely hit me, but I imagine that when we go into the bush on Monday that I will be hit with it full force.

 

I have entitled today’s entry as But God…. because Lisa’s mom has titled our trip that. There have already been several instances where things haven’t worked quite like we would have wanted them to, but each time we can end the sentence with but God…. We are waiting on Him and trusting Him for our every move, so even when those hurdles come we trust Him to have His way and look forward to answering many more sentences with but God…..

 

Well one thing I have now experienced about Liberia is the rain. It rains harder here than I have ever heard before in my life. That is one reason I find myself awake at 12:30 in the morning. The best way to describe it would be to say that the sky must open up and every water particle that is in the clouds comes out all at once. It was incredible. I can only imagine what it would be like to get caught outside in it, and I am sure my imagination will become reality before long.

 

We met with our team this morning for a little bit which was exciting, and tomorrow we will meet again to go over some more things in depth. It is going to be fun to see how God is going to take 6 individuals and form us as this VBS team.

 

It hasn’t really hit me that I am indeed in Liberia. Sure there are moments when I am hit with the difference such as when I am greeted with “You are welcome” or when I shake someone’s hand and they snap their fingers at the end, but for the most part I think I am living in a surreal world not quite grasping where I am. I know that will all change when I experience bush life but for now it is a slow and steady change.

 

Liberian English is hard for me to understand. We sang a song in devotions this morning, and, at one point, Lisa turned to me and asked if I knew what they were saying. I had no clue. It helps that she knows mostly what they are saying and in time I think I will find it easier to follow the phrases they say. Even though I don’t understand it all, it helps to hear English words. It makes a little less lonely.

 

Please continue to pray for us. Pray that we will have a good time with our team tomorrow and that all of us will be unified. Pray for travel with it being rainy season. There may be times when we find ourselves stuck in the bush because the chopper is unable to get to us due to the rain. If this happens, please pray for our flexibility to kick in as plans will change. Pray that my time with God would be renewing each day, and that I would trust Him like I never have before. Thank you so much for all the prayers. 

Tomorrow is the Big Day

Well, the time has finally come to head out. We leave tomorrow morning around 11:30. Please keep us in your prayers as we fly. We should be in Liberia on Wednesday afternoon, so we have a couple of long days ahead of us. We both are extremely tired, so pray that God would give us the strength to trust Him to put one foot in front of the other. We know He has great things in store! Can't wait to share them with you. 

All Part of His Plan

We found out today that although our itinerary is not what we originally thought it to be, we are still going to Liberia. Instead of leaving on Monday, we will be heading out on Tuesday, flying a different route, but it is all good. God has been continually guiding this trip, so although this was not our plan, it is ok because apparently it is His.  

Excitement is starting to really mount as the big day gets closer and closer. I am not going to lie though because with the excitement is apprehension for what these weeks hold. So it is with mixed emotions that I pack my bags, but it is with great anticipation that I go as I wait to see how God will get the glory. 

Music is a big part of my makeup. I often find other people's thoughts ministering to me in the moments of my life and then in turn use them to paint an outward picture to those around me of my inward pondering. I am sure that over the next seven weeks, I will write many people's thoughts to show you mine. This next song is a prayer for life but now more specifically for this trip. It is a raw picture of pride, so I would ask that you would pray that I cling to God more than I ever have. Pray that I wouldn't allow pride to tear down His plan, but that I would continually hold His hand.

Savior, please take my hand 
I work so hard, I live so fast 
This life begins, and then it ends 
And I do the best that I can, but I don't know how long I'll last 

I try to be so tough 
But I'm just not strong enough 
I can't do this alone, God I need You to hold on to me 
I try to be good enough 
But I'm nothing without Your love 
Savior, please keep saving me 

Savior, please help me stand 
I fall so hard, I fade so fast 
Will You begin right where I end 
And be the God of all I am because You're all that I have 

I try to be so tough 
But I'm just not strong enough 
I can't do this alone, God I need You to hold on to me 
I try to be good enough 
But I'm nothing without Your love 
Savior, please keep saving me 

Hallelujah 
Everything You are to me 
Is everything I'll ever need 
And I am learning to believe 
That I don't have to prove a thing 
'Cause You're the one who's saving me 

    -Josh Wilson

God as we walk this world,
We want to be a sign
Our prayers flow into love,
Giving your life
Broken but singing
Our hearts keep shining
Let my life shine, come and let my heart shine
We’re going to walk the world and lift the bread and wine
Like the stars shine, come and let our hearts shine
In a dark world, we lift the bread and wine
And we were born for this
Born for this day and time
Our prayers flow into love
Giving our lives

     -Charlie Hall

As I sang this song for the first time a few months ago, I immediately claimed it as my Africa song. It says it all. So as Lisa and I journey into what is unknown to me, I want to WALK THE WORLD! 

Our plans are to head to Liberia, West Africa sometime next week. We are currently waiting to hear when it will be for sure due to some travel complications. Already we are being given an opportunity to trust that God already has this whole trip figured out. He is in it, and He is all throughout it. I am so excited to see what He is going to do through this trip. 

We are going as volunteers with Samaritan's Purse to teach Vacation Bible School in different villages. This will be challenging because we will be flown in to each location every week and will be stretched as the whole experience will be nothing like we know. 

Please join us in walking the world by praying for us. We definitely need it! Come along on this journey with us to see what God is going to do in Liberia. Please pray that travel arrangements will come together, that God will prepare Lisa and my heart for all that He has for us, that we would be moldable vessels for Him, and that He would be preparing the hearts of every child we meet in VBS as well as allow us to be a blessing to every single person we come in contact with!