March

 We are often asked by visitors which month is the warmest here in Liberia. The answer is: “the first three months you arrive.”  After that is just becomes a fact of life. That being said, March can be rather hot. March can also be dry or wet. Once again it is a month of change, from the dry season of little moisture to the rainy season.  Each morning we do not know what to expect when we leave our air conditioned bedroom. It may feel like a blast furnace or a relatively comfortable 78 degrees (always with some humidity, though).
March is the month we usually start painting the exteriors of buildings here. The exteriors walls get painted every eighteen months. On a morning when rain has fallen during the night, the maintenance guys wash walls the till noon and then paint until quitting time. In the other months, it is either too wet or too dusty from the dirt road to paint.

The month of March has two holidays here. This year they came one day apart. The kids went to school Monday and Tuesday; then had Wednesday off. Back to school on Thursday and then off again on Friday. This gives every employee the chance to show their work ethic. “Do I get up and go to work on Thursday, or do I call in sick and take a three day vacation?”  There are always those who opt for the latter which keeps us well versed on how to do all the jobs as we cover for “sick” employees. 
 

A holiday means that it is time to do something special with the kids. It was decided to do a beach walk on Friday. Going to the beach is always fun. Babs helps the kitchen staff pack a lunch (like one hundred sandwiches and lots of cookies) and there are plastic bags available for the kids to save those special sea shells. To Dave’s chagrin, for some kids, the sea shells are not the main thing anymore. Older boys want to bury large logs in the sand and chase sand crabs into the surf; and then a few of the older girls are on the lookout for that special male day student who is “so cute!” Dave is not too excited about dealing with Jr. High girls and all those emotional fluctuations.   
 

We also celebrate three birthdays in March: Miatta, Darris , and Romeo all turned seven this year. Babs tells them that the most special people are born in March! (Can you guess what month she was born in?)
 
This year, Good Friday and Easter also fall in March. Most churches will have Good Friday services, beginning at noon and ending at 3:00pm. The mothers will take the children to church, and most families will leave the village by 10:00am, in order to get to church on time. And, of course, Easter Sunday will be a special day in every church. March is one busy month!

Kingdom Thinking

I sat on the swing and pulled him onto my lap.  We gently floated back and forth. He nestled into me and began to enjoy the ride. I considered this little boy. He was four years old, and unable to talk. He was a happy guy, full of energy and he could understood what was being said; he responded appropriately. However, it was obvious that he was not "normal." He would say a word correctly now and then, but would be unable to repeat it. He was scared of dolls and stuffed animals. He had the attention span of a gnat. Definitely some developmental issues going on here.

 

How could this be? We are certain that each child in this place has been chosen by God to be here. To cut through the maze of bureaucracy and with all the hurdles that present themselves as each child is considered for placement in this village, it is amazing that ANY child comes through the gates.  We are certain that each child here has been placed in this orphanage for a special purpose; that they will have the opportunity to do some great work in the Kingdom. This village places a high emphasis on quality education; it is basically a college-prep institution, with the long term goal of preparing these children for godly leadership in their country.

 

So how could this be? Here was a sweet little boy who probably would never be a clever CEO or a discerning Supreme Court Justice or a dynamic preacher or a brilliant surgeon. Very possibly, this child might not even finish eighth grade. What special job could there be for him?   Swinging back and forth with my friend, I considered these thoughts.

 

And suddenly, it came to me and I understood! 

 

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said "the first shall be last."  There was a lot of discussion about this statement in our Bible study, and several different thoughts were shared.  One idea was that part of what Jesus was telling the disciples with that declaration was "Hey, there is nothing the same about my Kingdom. It is totally different from this world that you are used to!  Like the first will be last, and the last will be first;  and to be great, you have to be humble and serve others;  don't hate your enemies, but in the Kingdom, you love your enemies!"  Jesus said to stop making things so difficult: just remember to love God first with your whole being, and then love others.  He said those that self exalt themselves here will be humbled later, and those humbled here in this world will be exalted in the Kingdom.

 

It occurred to me while sitting on that swing with this precious child of God that I had been thinking like the world. I was not "Kingdom thinking." With God's eyes, when He sees my little friend,  He sees the potential of a young man who loves others without judging. God sees this boy as one who CAN accomplish whatever work God has set for him to do in the Kingdom. God knows the abilities of this child. He knows his weaknesses and strengths, and God will use them for the Kingdom.

 

My thoughts rambled on: is the Sunday school teacher less important than the preacher? Not in the Kingdom. Is the janitor less important than the choir director? Not in the Kingdom. Is the school secretary less important than the Minister of Education? Not in the Kingdom. In the Kingdom, nothing is as it seems here in this world. So is a "perfect" child (whatever that is) more important than one who has learning disabilities?  Not in the Kingdom. "The first shall be last". 

 

As the swing lazily drifted back and forth, I was filled with awe. I held upon my lap a person who had a great destiny before him. I may never know what purpose this boy will someday fulfill, but I have no doubt that as a member of the Kingdom of God, he will do great things. My young friend grinned up at me, and I thought how God had ALREADY used this boy to teach an important lesson.

It's Starting to Look A Lot like Christmas

What makes Christmas for you? Is it the music, or the shopping, or decorations, or parties, or cookies, or the special Sunday school program? Here, we have it all!

"O Come, All Ye Faithful" is belted out in music class by the first graders, and the dining hall is quite festive with the Christmas tree and paper garland draped from the ceiling. It is the end of school, so there will be a special program for the parents of the day students with lots and lots of cookies. The average Liberian does not get to eat cookies ever, so our homemade treats are a big hit!  Oh, I guess the biggest thing missing here is shopping. Dave would say that is certainly not a big loss, but one of us is feeling slightly retail deprived.

 

Is it the weather that makes it feel like Christmas...snow or overcast days with rain or fog? OK, we do not do well in the weather category. It is hot, and mostly sunny and dry, with the occasional thunderstorm thrown in every few days. The humidity is high, so it is sultry and steamy. Not a mitten or scarf in sight! No. It does not feel much like Christmas.

Is it the gifts that you enjoy about Christmas? The children have been making Christmas presents at school for their mothers. Fingers slathered with paint. Glitter, glue, crayons all working their magic into wonderful cards. Amazing creations out of paper and wood and ribbon. Excitement and enthusiasm for the special projects crafted with maybe more love and enthusiasm than talent. Gifts wrapped in hand decorated paper. It is a time for secrets and smiles.

Is it time spent with family and friends that make the days special for you? We miss our family very much during the holidays. This is our fifth Christmas away from home, and it is no easier this year to be far from those we love most. But we are surrounded by sixty five children and forty two employees, so we are certainly not alone!  And it is a busy time, so the days fly by. Accumulating and wrapping gifts for the kids takes many hours, and special meals and treats must be planned and organized. As children make gifts, we help supervise craft making and we clean up a lot of paint. Christmas Day itself will be full of activities and special food, and as it will be a skeleton work crew, we will help the kitchen staff that day.

One thing that makes it seem like the holidays here are the Christmas birds. White cranes arrive early in December, and their appearance officially marks the beginning of the holiday season. When the first Christmas bird was sighted around the seventh of December, there was much excitement on the village. Christmas was coming!

Another activity that marks Christmas for us is the Annual Traveling Christmas Pageant. A few days before Christmas, the children perform the story of Jesus' birth to the neighboring villages. It is a fun event, with angels, soldiers, shepherds, innkeepers, magi, and prophets making the trek through the sand with Mary and Joseph. Dress rehearsal this week went well. Shining angels smiled and the wise men sang their solos beautifully. Mary dropped Jesus, but quickly scooped him up and held him close. 

 

We hope that whatever makes the season special for you will be present in your celebrations. But mostly, we pray that King Jesus will be in all your celebrations. No matter what the weather is like, nor how many miles separate us from loved ones, or no matter how "unChristmasy" it feels, none of these things change the facts:  Jesus was born;  He walked this earth; He died for us.  Wow. What a Savior!   

Merry Christmas!

Love, Dave and Babs

Ratatouille

I have tried to be a good sport about the unusual and various creepy things that live in this country. For example, when the green mamba came into our house and slid under MY side of the computer desk, did I immediately yell and scream and write a nasty blog about it?  OK, maybe I screamed a little, but I did not write about it.  And when the guards finally killed the black cobra which resided under the container, I was rather calm and level-headed about the whole incident. (The guards ate it, by the way!  Ick.)

When fire ants attacked my feet, I was careful about which words I uttered (children were listening!). When another green mamba climbed up on the window sill of the supply cottage, I remained relatively sane and collected (children were watching!). And even the giant cockroach that nonchalantly sauntered out of the laundry room did not phase me. Nor did the gnarly-looking beetle that Dave stepped on in the driveway. A bat in the dining hall? I was a model of peace and tranquility. See? I have come a long way in my tolerance of creepy things.

But yesterday's incident was too much. I met Ratatouille.

We knew that we had a rat problem in the kitchen (don't ask how we knew), so Dave set out super-duper strength rat poison. And this guy had definitely found it. I came into the kitchen at 7:00 am, happy and cheerful (like always!). I greeted the kitchen crew, and went over to the medicine box on the counter (like always). The kitchen crew was watching me closely. As I opened the box to drop in my keys, I glanced to my left, and there, two feet away, on the counter, within arm's reach, was a nasty, large, hairy rat, gazing at me with his beady little eyes.  This rat was particularly ugly, as far as rats go. I screamed.  And rightfully so. I had been set up by the kitchen crew. They knew Ratty was there and they thought it was hilarious that I kind of freaked. 

Due to the super-duper poison, Ratatouille was in no shape to move, but he could roll his head back and forth, like he was trying to intimidate me. And it worked. I screamed again and ran. I called my big, strong, hunky husband to come and take care of dying rat. He called the security guards to come and take care of dying rat. (So much for visions of hunky husband riding in to save me!) The kitchen crew was still laughing when the guards took Ratty away. And guards Peter and Alphonso are my new heroes (Humph! Too bad, hunky husband!).

My heart finally calmed down, and the kitchen crew sanitized all counters, and life went back to normal. Except that my exceptionally loyal kitchen staff told and re-told the story of me and Ratatouille all day, to everyone and anyone that would listen.  I suspect that I also was the hilarious story told over many cook fires last night. No problem. Just between you and me, the kitchen staff might not be getting a holiday bonus this year!

Wishing you a great rat-free day!

love, Babs

(No Christmas presents in the stockings of these gals this year!)

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

Before children can come in to the village to live, certain requirements must be met. For example, they must be true orphans, or abandoned children, or vulnerable children who have been made wards of the government. Another requirement is that they must be free of communicable diseases (as any orphanage can become a hotbed of illness very quickly), and there are some age requirements.

We here in Liberia have added another requirement to the list: they must be cute!  We believe that we have some of the best looking kids in Liberia living at this village. Maybe the best looking in the whole of Africa! It's quite possible.  Here are some pictures of a few of the little girls, hamming it up for the camera.  They are just cute! Wouldn't you agree?  Now, if only they would always act as sweet as they look...

Shop Class 101

            Take six boys, three broken fans, six screwdrivers, two pliers, and one rainy afternoon. A recipe for a good time!  With Dave supervising, the boys dismantled the fans into piles of screws, cotter pins,and various pieces of metal.  Dave showed the boys the difference between a Phillips and flat head screwdriver, and he demonstrated the correct technique to use a socket wrench.  An interesting, educational afternoon for the boys and a fun time for Dave.

Public Service Announcements

Public service announcements here come with pictures, as there is a large percentage of the population that is unable to read. Here are some public service messages that were painted on the walls of a large medical clinic.