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 At first, I couldn’t quite explain it, but it seemed as if the people were a bit sadder or more withdrawn.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.