Tuesday, July 2 was our last day in Ganta. I helped Kathy with a watercolor color class in the morning and the afternoon was busy. Kathy, Gina, and I went to the leper colony for souvenirs. Then, we were graciously invited to lunch by the Bangladesh UN engineer base. It was so cool to meet them and eat with them. After that, we toured the local hospital, which was absolutely heartbreaking. It was the most primitive conditions I had ever seen, with so many people crowded with very little privacy. The doctors did what they could, but they have very limited resources. After dinner, we attended a chapel with the college staff and administration, where we were gowned, or presented with traditional shirts for the men and dresses for the women. It was an incredible honor. After we arrived back at the guest house, Pastor John, a local pastor, came to see us again and presented each of our team with gifts. Again, it touched my heart to realize how generous and thankful the Liberian people were.
“The corn is growing so quickly! It’s already about 2 inches high. When we got here, it wasn’t even a field yet! It’s so awesome to see the fruits of our labor in person before we leave.”
It’s always neat to see the product of your work. I was a little discouraged when we left though; while for the most part there were physical improvements, like the corn growing and the greenhouse that was built, I felt like it hadn’t been obvious that I had been there. Despite the amount of books I cataloged, there were probably hundreds more I hadn’t gotten to. But I had to remember that not all growth can be seen or measured. It’s something that I think we all need to remember at times. It’s not what you see that matters. It’s what you do.
Kate G. Jameson 