Another shout out to my daughter Shelby for introducing me to the music of All Sons and Daughters. This song is not only for missionaries, but it certainly does minister to this missionary.
Friday, June 19, 2015
Monday, June 15, 2015
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Score!
Our daughter Shelby gave me the idea to use pita bread for homemade pizza. We have Lebanese pita bread here that is very good, so I thought I would try it. To our delight, It worked! We have a new favorite to go along with homemade baked pita chips and fresh guacamole. Score one for the home team.
Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs…
Imagine the challenges of effectively communicating the reality of an unknown pathogen and its devastating affects on an unsuspecting and skeptical population. Complicate that with widespread illiteracy because of years of interrupted education due to civil war and restricted travel due to inadequate road systems, and you begin to get an idea of what Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia have faced for well over a year now.
Though Liberia has been officially declared Ebola-free, caution is still being taken, and efforts are still being made to advise citizens of the need for continued diligence in health and hygiene as it relates to the disease. Every means possible is being used to spread the word that Ebola is a real disease and poses a real threat to people’s lives.
Since being back, I have noticed signs and notices everywhere highlighting Ebola awareness. Here are just a few of the examples of some of these. The first two are long segments of wall painted as public service announcements. (I have divided the photos since a panoramic photo would be too small to see.)
Friday, June 12, 2015
Greetings….
If you are familiar with African culture at all, you know how very important it is to greet one another when meeting. Children are taught from an early age to present themselves and greet visitors. It is not uncommon to shake and hold hands long after the initial meeting while inquiries are made about the condition of the person, the wife, the children, the church, the animals…. One comes to understand and appreciate this exchange so that you realize it is not time to start the conversation until proper greetings have been made.
Several have asked our thoughts about the status of the people in Liberia after the Ebola crisis. Overwhelmingly, all we have met are thankful to God for his protection in sparing their lives. At first, I couldn’t quite explain it, but it seemed as if the people were a bit sadder or more withdrawn. Then it dawned on me, most people are not greeting in the same manner as before.
To avoid the spread of the disease, buckets of water with chlorine were placed outside homes and businesses, and people were required to wash their hands and have their temperature taken before entering. All were advised to refrain from shaking hands, hugging and kissing. Now that Liberia has been declared Ebola-free, some of that is reverting back, but there is still caution since cases are being reported in neighboring countries with which we share open borders.
Imagine your friends who once greeted you with smiles and handshakes or embraces, now being confined to just looking at you and trying to convey the same feelings. It is a little uncomfortable – for them and for us. Liberians are not keen on repeating what they have just lived through. While we certainly don’t want to seem aloof, we also don’t want to minimize what they experienced by encouraging them to violate these restrictions.
The next time you shake someone’s hand, remember that there are many in West Africa who no longer have the luxury of such an exchange. Please take a moment to reflect on their plight and say a prayer that this dread disease would be contained across all affected countries.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
it’s the little things…
upon our return i had a few household items to sell.....a lady who bought one of my small appliances sent me an email and said it was surprising how happy a small item like that could make her in this setting....i understood...i found a bottle of blue shoe polish at the store and revived my trusty crocs that were destined for recycling... #smileonmyface #callmepathetic
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
On Ebola…
Even in our short time back in country, we have been able to meet some of our pastors, Bible school students, and acquaintances. All seem to be so appreciative that God was merciful and spared their lives.
As we were driving, one young man pointed to a spot in a certain area of town and said that was where dead bodies were piled with no services to pick them up, while dogs began eating their flesh. One said that being confined to his home with the shops closed and streets emptied reminded him of the same circumstances during the war. Fear was rampant as one never knew who might be a carrier of this dread disease. It seems that the images we saw on our television while in the USA may not have done justice to the realities of what these dear people struggled with day in and day out.
A local radio station interviewed Gaylord last week. They asked about the relief efforts of the Assemblies of God USA during this crisis. He was happy to report that in partnership with Convoy of Hope and Assemblies of God World Missions, a total of 15 containers of food and/or medical supplies were provided. That represents almost 4 million meal packs and medical equipment that were distributed across the country.
The radio interviewer likened this intervention to Matthew 25:35,36: For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in; naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me. He expressed gratitude for the contribution made to Liberia by the American church. Ebola has not yet been contained in the neighboring countries of Sierra Leone and Guinea, and the borders between them and Liberia have been re-opened. Medical personnel project that there will probably be another spike in Liberia. Pray with us that this is not the case and that soon West Africa will truly be Ebola-free.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
My Favorite Recipes
In our absence it seems that My Favorite Recipes were those of the mice as well!
Friday, June 5, 2015
On Transitions….
A friend wrote us a note of encouragement and said that it was good to have us back in the saddle (Texas idiom). Fredna’s reply, “We are standing by the horse but are not quite back in the saddle yet!”
When we evacuated Liberia ten months ago, we had less than two days to try to organize matters for an uncertain length of absence and unknown direction. We secured essential ministry tools and assigned a young man to come by weekly and oversee our property in our absence. While we were gone, some other mission furniture and household items had to be stored in our house, so we returned to the task of sorting and organizing before we could even occupy our little space.
Happily, there was not an abundance of mold and mildew as we had feared, but it seems that roaches and mice made themselves very comfortable instead, especially in the kitchen. That meant that every nook and cranny had to be inspected and every item washed, disinfected and put back in place. For days this project continued, all the while struggling with the gut-wrenching emotions of having left family and familiar and returning as the lone AGWM missionaries assigned to Liberia. So we worked and cleaned with interspursed moments of crying and missing home.
If you have never travelled to this part of the globe, you probably cannot fully understand that we have not just changed locations; we have changed worlds. At the end of the first very long day, Gaylord said, “Fredna, you have worked so hard today. You don’t need to cook tonight.” That was appreciated, but the reality was that if Fredna didn’t cook, we didn’t eat! Good-bye fast-food and restaurants on every corner. Hello home cooking, filtering water, and disinfecting fresh fruits and vegetables. Gaylord pitched in and washed the dishes because, you guessed it, there are no dishwashers either!
But now, a week later, we find ourselves back in the office ready to put our figurative feet in the stirrups. The work before us remains, and we pray for divine strength and wisdom for each task.
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