Smell-No-Taste

"...I will save you and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong" (Zechariah 8:13)

As we were planning our time in Liberia a few months ago and asking God what He wanted to accomplish, I was prompted that we should simply "bless" those that we came in contact with. In the past, we've been tempted to carry gifts and shower our friends with physical items in an expression of love, however, it's become clear that these items are not necessarily good for those that receive them and create a culture of dependency. So, the question is how do we "bless" without the giving of gifts?

After a time of seeking God's direction, it became clear that we bless through our time, relationship and the sharing of a meal together. Nothing creates more relationship than sharing around a table - or in Liberia - sitting on whatever you can find with a bowl of rice and soup in your hands.

With this, came God's goodness and faithfulness through confirmation.....

One of the communities that we plan to share time with is in an area named "Smell-No-Taste". Shortly after we were prompted about sharing a meal, we had a Liberian visitor in our home and I asked her if she was familiar with the "Smell-No-Taste" community and she said, yes let me tell you the story of how this village got it's name. Many years ago this area was populated with several white people and the Liberians helped to care for them by cooking, washing clothes, etc. The name of the village came about because the Liberians cooked the white peoples food and it smelled sooo good, but they were never able to taste it. Dan looked at me and said "Guess we're sharing a meal with them!" God is so faithful to confirm when you're walking in HIS way.

These photos are from that particular area. We visited there on a rainy day and the photo in the upper left is their outdoor kitchen. We look forward to bringing supplies for the meal and then sitting with the women and sharing with them as they prepare a meal for the community. I'm certain there will be much joy as we learn about who they are and hear their stories.