Many people have asked, "How was your trip?" That's a hard question to answer not knowing whether or not they really want to hear my heart. So I have a tendency to say "Good". Or on occasion I might add, "We accomplished what we set out to do" or "Liberia brings perspective back to my life". In all honesty, I could talk for days about the experiences we had, the people we love and are in relationship with and the seemingly unending needs that continue to stir my mind and heart. I continue to ask God to help direct where and how we should be involved. It's overwhelming at times, but I trust God to show us. So, to answer the question, "How was your trip?", I made an effort on the travel home to journal the events/people that touched me the most. This barely scratches the surface of all that happened, however, these events touched my heart and changed me.

• Isaiah and the prayer walk (story in an earlier post)


• Mary - On June 24th, 2003 she suffered a grenade injury during the war and continues to live with the injury today. We had a beautiful time of prayer for healing over her.


• The chance meeting with Steve's sister Catherine at Waterside. I had been unable to make contact with her and told Steve that I was looking for her along the street. He laughed at the idea, but sure enough, we found each other outside of a store and then had a beautiful time together in church the following Sunday.


• The way God uses Monrovia Christian Fellowship to minister to us while in country.


• The culture and educational opportunities in Bomi County. Our connection to the culture and people would be challenging and I'm asking God for clarity.


• The attentiveness, honesty and openness of the women.


• The role of men and need for Godliness in their lives.


• Of course, my care for Rufus as a son. Our departure was extremely emotional for him and it helped me to understand the significance of the role we play in his life. We are pursuing a student visa once more.

So, the "settling back into America" process is underway. I know that God refines me every time we travel and specifically know that the compassion in my heart is different than it was a year ago - but the question is what do I do with it?? That's probably one of the most difficult items to process when returning from Liberia, the "what's next"? I can say that I've been prompted to accomplish the "big" and "hard" things...

For those reading this, I would ask for your prayers that God would reveal the "what's next" and give us courage to be obedient and act. Please also pray for the part of Liberia that God has placed in our lives/home in the States.

I'm pretty happy today because I finally made my first trip to "the bush". I don't know that a Liberian would think it was the bush, but I was definitely out of the city and to areas of Bomi County that can only be reached by foot. Rufus and I traveled with our friend Pete Williams to Royesville, about an hours drive outside of Monrovia. We visited the village of Gbogbeh where the community gathered for a presentation/meeting. They decorated their outdoor meeting place with palm branches and hibiscus flowers. It was beautiful. The leaders of the village spoke about their need for schools, particularly a high school and their willingness to donate land for the purpose. I was then presented 4 kola nuts as a symbol of welcoming me to their community with a pure heart and the mother of the village gave me an African name of Jarblon which means leader of women. It was quite an experience. The people were a mix of Muslim and Christians and an interpretor was needed for those that only spoke the local dialect.

Pete then wanted us to see the area where the people live, so we took off on foot toward the ocean to visit their homes. One important point he forgot to tell me as we were planning the day was that the only way to reach many of the people was to cross a river in a canoe. So that we did. The footpath was very narrow in places and those we traveled with seemed to comfortably know the territory and which path to follow. We walked for quite a distance and then would come to a clearing where there would be a small mud house and a hut for outdoor cooking. We stopped on two different occasions for a coconut break. At one stop, one of the young men climbed a tree and coconuts came tumbling to the ground.

We finally made it to the ocean and it was beautiful to experience it without any sort of development. I believe some of the property may be for sale and Pete promises that there is a road to the area - not just a canoe and footpath. This may be the only affordable oceanfront property on the Atlantic for anyone interested. Ha!

It was a great day and amazing to be exposed to how other cultures live off the land and develop a community of their own apart from what we know as civilization. We (Rufus, the girls and I) will be returning to the area tomorrow to conduct a brief women's seminar and children's sport activities and then have a brief program. We also hope to travel to Daniel Hoover Village in the afternoon for their anniversary celebration with one of the Hoover siblings and his family.

Unfortunately, our "goodbyes" are beginning which is terribly difficult. We took Adama home on Saturday. You would have thought he was a hero when we arrived because all of the neighborhood children came running and shouting "Adama, Adama". It doesn't surprise me that he may be a bit of a legend among his friends. The joy of his arrival home quickly turned to tears though as we said goodbye and he ran to his house. Our tears typically follow when we reach the car to drive away. We've all learned to put sunglasses on and simply give each other space for awhile.

And then, here's your three African girls. One of our traditions is to go to the market to buy African fabric and then visit the tailor to have suits made. Michal's suit needed some work, so she's wearing an older suit. Michal and Hezz also had their hair braided today (an 8 hour process). They invited the young ladies from Westside Church to join them for the day and had a wonderful time with them. We're thankful for the relationships that have been formed.

So, we're beginning to turn our minds toward home, but wanting to remain sensitive to God's opportunities these last few days. The last days in country are difficult because of goodbyes and the last minute pleas for help. We're still trying to reach the Embassy for Rufus either Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning. For those that are praying, please ask God about these things and for our time back at Royesville tomorrow and our longer term involvement with that community and school.

We look forward to seeing everyone in a few days!