What is done and yet to come, Amen!

There is a song by Dave Barnes called Amen, that I think describes so many of the feelings and emotions that I have had throughout my experience here in Liberia. I have never been great with words, but this song inspired me to write this blog.

In the last 9 months I have experienced love. A love that I have never felt before.. I have fallen in love with a country, a school, and a community in a way that I never thought was possible. This love will forever be a part of me, and this place and these people will always have a piece of my heart.

In the last 9 months I have experienced pain. A pain that comes when you watch someone that you have come to love suffer from the effects of poverty and corruption. A pain that forces you to react and respond. A pain that brings tears and hope.

In the last 9 months there have been days, and days, and days that feel the same. Sometimes these days are discouraging, and sometimes they are so refreshing. These days happen a lot more than I ever thought they would.

In the last 9 months I have experienced fear. A fear that brings frustration and worry. Will my students learn? Do they understand? Am I really making a difference?

In the last 9 months I have experienced pure joy! These are the best days and the best moments. There are times when I can do nothing but smile. The moments when the giggles of children become contagious, and the laughter of friends turns a bad day around. The people here bring me joy!

In the last 9 months I have built friendships. These friendships are genuine and sincere, not bound with conditions or obligations. I have made life-long friendships with people who have literally changed my life. People who love and care about me, and don’t expect me to be someone that I am not. People that I love and that I want to continue to learn more and more about every single day.

In the last 9 months I have experienced peace. Peace in a country where 200,000 people lost their lives during 14 years of civil war. Peace in a country where the majority population was displaced and people are re-building their lives. Peace when all I can hear at night is the sound of rain and crickets. Peace when children run and play, and when students talk about their dreams for the future.

In the last 9 months there have been nights of lights and music till we sleep. There is music that comes from the lips of families singing together before they go to sleep. Music comes from the students’ dorms, and from the radios of security as the walk the campus grounds. The best is when you see a person walking alone, singing so loud, so into the song, not caring about who hears them.

In the last 9 months I have been strong, but I still break. Like when a 9th grade student dies from complications with chicken pox, or a 2nd grader gets pregnant and kicked out of the house, or there is an accident and a child gets burned by boiling water, hot oil, or a coal iron. Sometimes we break, but still have the strength to keep going.

In the last 9 months I have experienced hope. Hope that our students will be motivated, inspired, and empowered. Hope that individuals and churches will continue to support the work being done at Ricks Institute. Hope that this country will continue to develop and prosper.

In the last 9 months I have experienced doubt. I have doubted my ability to teach my students the things that they need to know to succeed in life. I have doubted my strength and have doubted my hope. With doubting comes questioning. Sometimes the questions have answers and sometimes they don’t.

In the last 9 months there have been memories made that I will never live without. There will be endless stories to share, and pictures to show. There are people, places and experiences that I will never ever forget.

In the last 9 months there have been tears. Tears that I have shed out of frustration, out of sadness, and out of happiness. I have watched tears flow down the cheeks of friends and children. Tears come and go, for good and bad reasons.

In the last 9 months there has been grace. The grace of God has been so evident since the day we stepped off the airplane. Grace that is seen in the smiles of laughing children. Grace that is seen in a sunset on the beach. Grace that is seen walking through the market. Grace that covers us all.

In the last 9 months there have been prayers that I never thought I’d make. Prayers that came out in so many ways because I didn’t know how to pray them. Prayers in strange places and at strange moments. Prayers that were prayed alone and with others. Prayers that I know God heard, and that I know will be answered in Gods own timing.

Amen. What is done and yet to come, Amen.

Things are quickly coming to an end

Five weeks from today Holly and I will be boarding our plane, headed for home. Our departure date of June 11 gets closer and closer with each passing day. It is hard to believe that our time here is coming to an end.

Yesterday marked the end of our basketball season. We played Don Bosco in the semi-finals of the high school tournament. Our girls were defeated by a large margin. The team we played was the team we beat in the super cup championship last semester. They came fired up, ready to beat us yesterday. The lady Dragons put up a good fight, but Don Bosco played better and they were more determined to win. Although the season is over, the girls have asked us to continue coaching them through the end of the school year. This showed Holly and I that they are committed to the team and want to continue working to get ready for next year. Coaching this team has been a highlight for me this year, and it will be one of the things I miss the most when we leave in June.

The end of the school year is also quickly approaching. Next Friday, May 14, is a national holiday. School will remain closed for the following two weeks for the WAEC Exams. Ricks will be the hosting site for this standardized test. We will host 6^th, 9^th, and 12^th graders from all around the Monrovia area. School will resume on May 31^st for one week before final exams. I only have 9 days left to teach my students before their exams. Where has the year gone? My students and I have worked hard to get all of their quizzes and assignments done before the WAEC break, so that we can just review for the exams and have fun when they return to campus.

I have started making a list of things that I want to do during the two week break. This is a nice opportunity for Holly and I to get to do some last minute things before heading home. A good portion of that will be spent with people that have become a huge part of my life over the last 9 months. Leaving our friends will be the hardest part about returning home. Part of the break will hopefully be spent seeing places that we have yet to see. I have fallen in love with this country, and there is so much beauty to be seen and enjoyed. There are also several things that I want to buy before leaving. These things will be a reminder of the last nine months and the life changing experience that I have had, but they will never be enough to fill the part of me that I will leave here. Hopefully the two weeks will be enough time for us to do all of these things.

I feel like time is something that I so often take for granted, and forget how valuable it is until it is gone. In August I had no idea that May would arrive this quickly. So much has happened, but yet there is so much that I want to see happen. I have been reminded by friends and family of the seeds that I have helped plant here, some of which I have seen grow and others that I may never see grow. The things that I have done and accomplished here are the ones that are easy to talk about. I am excited to get to share about the ways I have seen students and teachers grow during the last nine months. I can’t wait to talk about all of the progress that has been made at Ricks Institute. But then there is this “thing” that I will never be able to fully explain. There is a life change that is hard to share with others, knowing that they cannot even begin to understand. There is a part of me that will always be in Liberia. Something about me has changed and I don’t know that I will ever be able to put that into words. I do know that I will forever be different than I was nine months ago.

Let it RAIN!

Liberia has two seasons- rainy season and dry season. Rainy season is normally June thru October and dry season is typically November thru May. Holly and I arrived in August, smack dab in the middle of rainy season. Over the last 8 ½ months I have come to like and dislike several things about both seasons.

The rain brings bugs, and I mean lots of bugs. Now I have never really been “scared” of bugs, but the bugs here are different than any bug I have seen at home. The spiders are the size of my hand. Large cockroaches fly right in front of your face. There are beetles bigger than golf balls. There are multiple winged bugs that are attracted to the lights around and in our house that range in size. The moths might as well be birds. The praying mantis’s can find comfort on just about any wall or screen. And the ants… they just never ever go away, no matter how much bug spray we use. Normally I would probably be fascinated with these bugs, but during rainy season they think that my home is their home, and that is when I draw the line.

Rainy season also brings cooler weather, and by cool I mean in the low 80’s or on a good day the upper 70’s. This makes for a comfortable nights sleep underneath my sheet. There is also nothing like going to sleep to an African thunderstorm (yes, I am still convinced that the thunderstorms are different here).

Rainy season also endures at least 4 months of abundant, clean water. For some children it even means an easy bath! After experiencing 6 months of dry season, I have a greater appreciation for the rain. It means full wells and water towers, enough water at the pumps for everyone in the community to use and have access to. It also means CLEAN water to drink, bathe, wash, and cook with. Water really is life!

Rain= Mosquitoes., which means MALARIA. Malaria is a harsh reality on the continent of Africa. It is a disease that for some can lead to death. Although malaria is very inexpensive to treat, most families living in poverty do not have access to good medicine or the money to afford it. Fortunately, most of the students at Ricks have access to healthy treatment, but that does not reduce the number of cases. During the course of this school year, 90% of my students have been out with malaria. For some with mild cases, they are back in school after 3 days. Those with more severe cases can be out for weeks at a time. Malaria affects everyone in Liberia, but with money and resources it can be prevented and treated.

Although the rain does not prevent children in Liberia from playing, it does put a damper on outdoor fun and learning. For the first few months of school I kept praying for a day with no rain, so that I could take my class outside. I wanted to be able to escape the dark, concrete classroom and do something active. That day didn’t come until early October, but when it did I welcomed it with open arms.

Holly and I have experienced an entire dry season in Liberia. We made it! The things that I like about dry season are basketball practices and games, beach days, outdoor events, playing with kids, and simply being dry. We survived the African heat and the obnoxious amount of sweat, but bring on the rain. After much time without running water, only one pump on campus with water, and lots of sunburn, we are thankful to be welcoming back rainy season.