It's been awhile . . .

I realized the other day that it had been over a week since I last wrote. I then thought I needed to write, but it has taken me a few days to actually get to that point :) At least I can say that I have been busy lately and really busy since the middle of last week. The summer program started on Monday and the couple who were coming from the States only were able to come last Wednesday night. They have done summer programs before with Mercy Ships, but have never been in Liberia and never on the Africa Mercy. The weekend was a mass of trying to get things together and figure out plans for this week. On Monday I had 9 kids come from 9am-12 for the preschool age group. I thought it would not be too bad, but when you get six 2/3 year olds and 3 four year olds together, it can get a little crazy. I think the first day was also hard because I was not completly prepared the way I should have been because I did not really know what to expect. Yesterday was great and today went well. The summer program is a little like Vacation Bible School, so there are Bible lessons that I am trying to teach. It is a great series - Kids Believing God, but it is a little too old for my age group, so I have to think every night about what I need to say and how to say it in the simplest way possible. Ah, well, life continues and I think that the kids are having fun and learning about God as well.

Monday was a big day because the summer program started but also because I got my hair cut. I signed up for the appointment weeks ago and have been debating how I wanted to get it cut. There is a woman on board whose job it is to cut hair for the crew. You would not think that it was very important, but having her here is such a blessing and since she open a few weeks ago, she has been full. In a place like Liberia, there would be nowhere to go off the ship to get your hair taken care of. Anyhow, I finally decided on short and just went for it. Lorah did an awesome job and everyone has been saying that it looks good. I like it and it is fun to have a hair cut that people actually notice - when my hair was long, I could get four inches cut off and no one would even say anything. Now, it comes to around my chin in the front, but the back is really short - a couple inches. If I put the right cream in, I can also make it really curly which is nice.

The Differences

Recentally, I have been frustrated by how worldly this ship seems -- I don't know, that may sound a little stupid, but somehow I thought that working with Christians would somehow be amazingly different from other jobs that I have had. I was frustrated to find out that I was working with Christians who were human :) Several times today though, I was reminded me of how this work environment is different.
It started by being reminded of was how I need to depend on God for my strength - that I cannot survive on my own. I was talking to someone about Alaska and how I had gotten so stressed by the end of the second year and just was not enjoying it any more. The more and more that I think and reflect on my time in Alaska, the more I see that I tried to do everything on my own and that when I couldn't do it, I got stressed. I was praying the prayer of Jabez (oh, that you would bless me indeed, you would enlarge my territory) but forgetting the second part (that your hand would be with me, that you would keep me from evil so I would not harm others). In talking with this person about my time in Alaska and then with a gentle reminder from Marcel this evening while we were talking, I was reminded to be turning things over to God and trusting Him for everything. In all the other jobs that I have had, it was so easy to walk away from other Christians and not hear what God had to say to me through them - all the little reminders He has to give me. Here, it is impossible :)
Then, the community meeting here tonight was amazing. Community meetings happen twice a week - Tueday morning and Thursday evening. It is not required to attend, but it is highly suggested and I hope that I never get to the point where I have trouble getting up the motivation to attend. The meetings are not always exciting, but to be in a room of 300 people who I work and interact with every day and know that we are all worshiping God is amazing. Tonight was just a reminder that even though we are all human and become frustrated with each other and do things that are frustrating to other people, we are all Christian and because of that, there is a hope that God is still working on all of us, especially myself. Since I got here, God has been changing my reason for being here - yes, I am here to be a teacher, but I am here to love God and in loving God, he will work in my life so that I can work in the lives of others. I think that is the biggest difference in this 'job', I am encouraged not to focus on the job, but on my realtionship with God knowing that if I focus on God, everything else will fall into place.

It has been a busy week.

I realized over the weekend that I had not written and then after an email this morning from someone saying I should write again :) I am finally getting around to it.

Last week was busy because we moved boxes and equipment for the Academy from the Anastasis to the Africa Mercy. On Monday, we were told that we had until next week to get everything together, but then on the next day we were told things were ahead of schedule (good) and that the movers could move boxes that day (bad). There was a bit of a rush for about two hours trying to get things into boxes and then the moving started. Some of us were on the new ship trying to figure out where to put 200 more boxes, some were on the old ship saying which boxes needed to go and some were still packing more boxes. By the afternoon, people had helped us to move about half the academy, but it still took until the next afternoon to get everything over. The next two days were spent sorting through boxes, trying to figure out what went where and what needs to be gotten rid of. The high school science teacher spent an entire day going through all the old science equipment, textbooks, materials and chemicals trying to figure out what would be used, what could be donated and what was just so old there was a fear that it would catch fire if plugged in and used :) Over the entire ship, there is a sortage of storage space and shelving, so everyone is trying to figure out where to put things. I think it is just a matter of the ship being new -- I can't wait to see what this ship will look like in a few months and wish that I could see it in like 10 years. It will be turning from a ship into a home.


Was able to go on a trip on Saturday into the country. Every other weekend, they have tried to organize a trip for people on the train up to an old quarry that is now filled with water and makes for great swimming. The train ride is about 70 km and takes about 2 hours - it is a really pretty ride through the 'busch' - junglish areas of Liberia. The two Land Rovers are strapped onto a flatbed rail car, a passenger car and engine are attached and off we go. The way it works out, people can actually sit on top on the Land Rovers for a good view of the country as it goes by. The weather was a little wet on the way out, but on the way back, I climbed on top just for the fun of it. It was fun to see the people come out and wave to the train as we went by - the kids were especially excited. They would wave and yell as the train went by and everyone would wave back. It was pretty amazing to think that I was sitting on top of a Land Rover, on a train going through Liberian busch headed back to the ship that I live on -- What an exciting life I have :)

Homesick

Been feeling a bit homesick the last few days - which is a little weird considering that I have not 'lived' anywhere for more then two years recentally :) I think it is that pattern when moving to a new place - first there is the high of being there and the excitment of something new, then comes the down time when there is that 'what am I doing here feeling' and then things start picking up again. I think it is also a little about being in Liberia. Although this is a really amazing country, there are a lot of security issues and you begin to feel a bit trapped on the ship. To go out, there needs to be a group of at least two people and they highly suggest that women go out with a guy - so you cannot just go take a walk somewhere by yourself - and even if you wanted to, there are not really any places within walking distance. Then, you need a car, but there are a limited number of those and you need to have a 'Mercy Ships driver.' Usually you can find someone going somewhere with a free spot in the car, but there is a limit on freedom of movement here. It does not help either that there have been so many changes right now with changing ships and adding crew. Lots of changes for everyone gets a little trying.

I was able to get out yesterday, though. Heard someone at breakfast talking about walking about 40 minutes to a market down the road and asked to go along. It was good to go along and the walk was nice, but HOT! It is the rainy season here, but yesterday the sun was out strong. I was looking for some fabric for a dress or skirt, but didn't see anything that really caught my eye. I need to get some 'African' dresses for church and just for wearing around (although it is changing a little bit, most Liberian women wear skirts - and skirts that cover the knees) but I want to get something that I would actually wear when I am not in Africa as well. This would mean that the pattern would have to be a bit tamer than most of the fabric I have seen so far. I just cannot see myself covered head to toe in a bright yellow with crazy print on it or something like that. Once I find some fabric, I am thinking about making a wrap-around skirt myself and then getting a tailor to make a dress. I have heard a couple people mention people they know here in Monrovia who would be recommended. Ended up at the beach again in the afternoon - really, I did two of the three things that there are to do regularly in Monrovia - shop, go to the beach and church on Sunday :)