Our last day in Liberia was Friday, July 5th. We spent the morning packing, visited a local Christian school, and finally headed to the airport. Travel was smooth and mostly on time. Security wasn’t a problem and we all got right through at all the checkpoints. It was a huge relief. 

I don’t have a specific quote, just two experiences from the flight. I have flown at night one other time, when flying to Ireland. This time, however, I had a window seat. I cannot properly describe the incredible sensation of looking out the small airplane window and seeing the pitch black sky dotted with stars. It was breath-taking. I felt like I was up there with the stars. The other experience was similar. As we were flying into New York City and JFK Airport, the sun was beginning to rise. The sight of New York City at night was an intense one, but seeing the sun begin to rise over it was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. It’s moments like those that I remember than the Ultimate Creator makes all things with just a word. Nothing man makes can ever compare. 

After we arrived in New York, we went through customs and security again, had a short flight to Atlanta where we had a two hour layover, and a quick hour flight to Indianapolis, where our families picked us up. It was a bittersweet arrival, filled with joyous reunions with family and heartfelt goodbyes to the other team members. 

And that, my friends, brings my recap of my Liberia trip to a close. If you want to hear more, please feel free to contact me by Facebook, Twitter, email, snail mail, morse code, or smoke signals (I can’t guarantee that I’ll understand or respond to the last two, though)! I could go on and on about the experience, probably longer than anyone would care to listen. Next week, I’ll be back to my twice a week schedule with random topics.

Thanks for listening to me ramble!

We celebrated the Fourth of July with a quiet morning before heading to the University of Liberia, where Gina spoke to a class of agriculture students. After that, we headed back into the main area of Monrovia to do some more souvenir shopping. We had dinner at a wonderful restaurant on the beach. After going back to the guest house, we had a long debriefing period, where everyone shared about their experiences. It was a great time to hear everyone’s thoughts about the trip. 

“The streets are just lined with people holding things to buy. It’s incredibly sad. I don’t know how they manage to scratch out a living. There’s no knowledge of business or marketing. Food is sold as soon as possible or eaten because there is no way to preserve it.”

It was eye-opening to see how the Liberian people had to survive. I would see people selling things on the side of the road that just baffled me. Kids were walking around holding wads of rubber-bands and bundles of scarves. People just stood by the side of the road, hoping someone would just happen to need what they were selling. Of course, that person would also have to choose to buy it from one of multiple people selling the same things. 

That’s why Gina’s presentation at the college, and Hope in the Harvest’s work in Ganta, is so important. Because of the civil war, an entire generation was essentially lost and many others left the country for safety. A lot of knowledge has been lost, and rebuilding that is so important. 

We left Ganta on Wednesday, July 3rd and drove to Monrovia. It was a long day in the bus, about seven and a half hours. After our arrival, a few of us went for a walk on the beach. It was so much fun! Because we were so close to the equator, the water was the warmest I’ve ever felt in the ocean. I hadn’t planned on getting more than my feel wet, but well…let’s just say things didn’t go according to plan. The current was strong and the waves were big! I enjoyed myself, nonetheless. 

“I’m feeling solitary, which is hard after hours on a bus and being in a few rooms. It’s raining, so outside isn’t even an option….My introverted self is in shock. Two weeks with the same people nonstop with essentially no time by myself to unwind or decompress is really starting to get to me.”

A word of warning to anyone going on a missions trip, especially introverts; you get very little alone time. Chances are the quarters you live in will be close and cramped. There will be little time and few opportunities for you to have time to yourself. You will be surrounded by the same people day in and day out. 

I don’t mean to make it sound miserable. I ended up really enjoying being forced to be social. I got to know so many incredible people and I found out that talking to people for extended periods of time won’t actually kill me. Surprising, huh?

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.

That second Monday was the first day of July. The men worked on their projects in the morning as much as they could, although it was very wet. After lunch, they went to the leprosy and tuberculosis rehabilitation colony to shop for souvenirs. I helped Kathy with a watercolor paint class in the morning and a Bible study for women in the afternoon.

The quote I’m going to share isn’t actually about the trip; it’s about my writing process.

“I’m not speaking to Oliver (one of my characters). The idiot won’t listen to me and we’ve been arguing all day. Stupid boy.”

I’ll be the first to admit it; it’s a little embarrassing. But I talk to my characters, even argue with them. More often than not, I lose those arguments. Fortunately, I can claim I’m a writer rather than crazy. It usually works. 😉

I’m not saying that I actually think any of my characters are real; I just have to get to know them so intimately as their creator that they take on unique and intricate personalities. Arguing with them actually helps me build their character; if I know how they’ll react and what they’ll say to me, it makes it easier to figure out how they will react to situations I put them in.

With every story I want to write, every idea I come up with, I reach a point of decision. Do I keep developing the idea or scrap is as not enough to actually spend time with? I’ll think about the story and there is one way to tell. When the story starts playing like a movie in my head, when the story tells itself  to me and I no longer decide what happens, that’s when I know I have something worth pursuing.

So there ya go folks! A peek into my creative process, confusing as it may be.

I know. This is long overdue. I’ve been home almost a week, and I’m finally getting back to this. I’d say I’ve been busy and stuff, but let’s face. I’m just lazy. Can you all forgive me? I hope so! Anyway, the most recent post is up! Enjoy! And comment. That way I know what you think. Also, that way I know people actually read this stuff. I’d hate to think I’m just rambling on the internet. Thanks for your patience!

Sunday, June 30^th was a very interesting and special day. Our group split up and attended five different churches in Ganta and surrounding villages. We spent a leisurely afternoon chatting together and simply relaxing after a week of hard work. On the way back to the guest house, we stopped at Liberia’s northern border with Guinea and walked across for a few minutes. While there, I received a marriage proposal that I’m sure was only a little bit serious. It was a slightly unsettling experience, but I can laugh about it now. Mostly.

I don’t have a quote for this day, just a phrase that I wrote at one point during the sermon. It had to do with my attitude as I walk through life. I’ll ask you the same question I asked myself: Do you walk with your hands out, up and open? I’ll walk through each option.

As we walk through life, we can keep our hands and arms close to our bodies or extended out in front of us. The first is easier, safer. The second is more risky, but it allows us to reach out to others around us.

We also have the choice of which way we point and push ourselves and those around. We can point and encourage either upwards or downwards. Often, if we find our hands facing down, it’s unintentional. That doesn’t make it any less hurtful to us and others, though.

Finally, we have to choose whether to open or close our hands. Again, keeping them closed is easier and safer. But unless we open our hands to catch the things that God rains down on us, we will miss incredible blessings. Granted, we will get cuts and bruises from the pain we will also catch. But we have to choose to catch the bad with the good, or neither at all. We can be exclusive.

I promise I’ll keep doing this daily until the trip is over. So, until tomorrow!

I’m traveling this weekend, so I’ll be postponing the rest of the recap until I get home on Monday. Sorry guys!

Our first Saturday was pretty busy. We got to sleep in a little, then boarded the bus to go visit another college about two hours away. We returned, ate a quick lunch, and had our last VBS. It was a smaller one, with only 40 kids attending. We had 80 come the night before, which was quite chaotic. Unfortunately, I didn’t journal much that day. Nothing noteworthy to quote, but overall, it was a good day. Busy, but fun.

The weather in Africa the first week we were there was dry and hot. But on Thursday night it rained. It rained and it rained. I honestly don’t know that I’ve ever heard it rain so much.

Here’s what I noticed Friday, June 28:

“The rain gauges say we got five inches of rain last night (most of it in about two hours). And there weren’t even very many puddles this morning. The mud is almost dry.”

I thought that this was also a really good representation of the people I saw in Liberia. They are so thirsty for knowledge, both practical and spiritual. They eagerly soak up any chance to learn.

So what do you thirst for? Do you soak up opportunities to learn and grow? Or do you let the chances slide by you?