Baby Wonderful

I met Baby Wonderful when I was in Liberia last spring. The first time I saw him he was very sick with pneumonia. A week later after a quick trip to the hospital and a run of antibiotics he was looking much better.

My co-worker (from the good old ICU at Tacoma General) Lisa's daughter had sent along her very own Webkins horse to share with an orphan who did not have any toys. Wonderful was the lucky recipient of her horse. Before I returned to Liberia in October Lisa told me that her daughter kept a framed picture of Baby Wonderful in her room and talked about him often. They were anxious for an update.

I was not able to visit the orphanage home were Wonderful lives until last week. I could not believe how much he had grown! He is the pride and joy of the orphanage director there and seems to be thriving (but a little shy of the camera). He was even running and kicking a soccer ball with the other kids. It was great to see.

So, Lisa and family- this is for you. :-)

(If anyone from TG reads this can you make sure Lisa sees it? Thanks!)

What is in a name?

The other day as I was walking to the beach I met some adorable children. They had names like Cabbage, Small Sand, SnowWhite and Bunch and it got me to thinking how different names are here than at home. I have never met a Cabbage in America. I have met lots of children working in the orphanages here. There are some names I am familiar with like Stephen, Joeline, and Victoria. And since we are in Liberia, it makes sense that there are also African names- Hawa, Foday, Koiboi. Biblical names are big too, I have met several Moses'. But then there are the names that fall into another category. Names like Blessed, Princess, Mercy, Wonderful, Big Daddy, Small Mother, Maybe, Handful, and Gifty.

And now, since I can and love to share them, I will include some pics of the adorable kiddos I get to work with every week.

Priscila

Joeline
Timothy and Jeremiah

Jogtu Koiboi

The Lazy Way Out.

I am taking the lazy way out this time and instead of double posting my entries from the ORR team blog I am going to ask you to follow the link on my blog to read the latest there.
Thanks.

Robertsport

For New Year's we took a 3 day vacation in Robertsport. It was a wonderful time in paradise. Robertsport is about a 3 hour drive from Monrovia (towards the Sierra Leone border). It is a quiet little beach town hidden from the bustle of the city. This was my first trip out of town and I loved every minute of it. I quickly ran out of words to describe how beautiful it was.

We headed out around 0600, hoping to arrive in time to spend most of the day on the beach, swimming and surfing. About half way there one of the cars had some technical difficulties and we had to tow it all the way back to town. Several hours and a car change later we were headed out again, finally arriving around 6pm. It had all the possibilities for a disaster, but everyone stayed in good spirits and even though we would have rather been in the water, it was actually a fun day in the car. We can just add it to our Liberian experience. Despite the late arrival we were still able to squeeze in a swim/surf before dark. And it was wonderful!

Most of New Year's Eve day was spent on the beach. We ventured back to the tent to BBQ hamburgers in the afternoon. There was a wedding on the beach that evening that we were all invited to. The happy couple was a South African man and a woman from Norway. They had a simple, intimate, yet elegant set up. Can you really think of anything more romantic than a wedding on the beach at sunset on New Year's Eve? A couple of my friends went to the ceremony, while a few others of us hiked up to the roof of a nearby abandoned hotel and watched from there. It was beautiful!

I have never had a New Year's Eve like I did at Robertsport. Attending the wedding reception of complete strangers, great food, delightful champagne, and dancing! (I don't think I have danced since like 8th grade.) At midnight we celebrated with shouts and sparklers. (We had practiced the words to Auld Lang Syne but forgot to sing it.) Sometime after midnight we decided to go for a swim and found ourselves glowing in the dark. There is a phosphorescence in the water that sparkles every time you move. Everywhere you looked you could see sparks, like a billion tiny fireflies in the water. I really did not know where to look, at the amazing underwater fireworks display or at the millenia of stars shining above. It was God's creation like I had never seen. After swimming we enjoyed a bonfire on the beach followed by more dancing and even a few cartwheels. It was 0500 (midnight on the East Coast) when I finally crawled into bed for a few hours of sleep. New Years Day was much more low key. I napped on the beach under a Lonestar umbrella and took occasional dips in the sea. We really did not want to leave and seriously considered staying another night, but in the end we piled into the cars and headed back to Monrovia both exhausted and rejuvinated.

(a self portrait with the beautiful beach behind me.)

(the view from our tent.)

(the wedding-beautiful! and the bride rode that atv to the ceremony.)

(the view from the top of the abandoned hotel.)

(the gang relaxing after a day at the beach. Jen, Christy, Andrew, John and me.)

How I spent my Christmas Holiday in Liberia.

Christmas in Liberia.
A very different experience. Let me walk you though my Christmas week.

Dec 21. Christmas Play at MCF.
My friend Andrew co-directed a Christmas production at a local church. We had 2 pews worth of people to cheer him and the Liberian actors/singers/dancers on. It was a joyful mix of improv and musical including a black nativity and white baby Jesus!
Dec 23. Delivering Christmas to Childcare Foundation and Frances Gaskin's Orphanage homes. You have probably already seen the video. Here are a few pics as well. We had a great time watching the kids smiles as we provided them with new clothes, slippers (flip-flops) and Christmas bundles. This is the reason we are here.

Corpu in her new Christmas dress. She often wants nothing to do with me, bursts into tears as soon as she sees me coming. Sometimes you can break through if you offer a peace offering of food, this time the new dress worked and she did not want to let me go. Precious!

The whole gang at Childcare Foundation.

Dec 23 (in the evening). Movie night at the Chapman's.

The entire ORR gang joined our friends the Chapman's for an evening of frozen fun. They turned the AC up in their TV room and we watched "Christmas Vacation" and munched on homemade cookies. It was so cold I was bundled in a sweatshirt and under a blanket!

Dec 24. Christmas Eve Service.

Dec 25. Christmas Day.

After a fun Christmas morning with my ORR family at home we joined some other friends for a Christmas brunch and pool party at Christy's apartment in town. Swimming on Christmas? It was wonderful and truly felt like a vacation. That night we had a great dinner at one of the nicest restaurants in Monrovia, Mamba Point.

Christy, John, me, Cramer, Andrew and Jen at Mamba Point.

Dec 27. Dorris' Wedding.

We were invited to attend a proper Liberian church wedding. It was quite the experience. When we arrived at the church at noon (the time it was supposed to start) the church was still locked and no one was around! That is when we realized we are not in Kansas anymore, this Liberian wedding thing is way different from what we are used to. 5 hours later, I can honestly say I had never sweated so much in my life and my wrist was sore from fanning myself. Still, it was a great Liberian experience and I felt honored to be a part of it. For the full rundown, check out Cramer's blog entry about it at Avenue of the Cramericas. There is a link to pictures too.

Dec 28. Edifice Dedication at PCC.

We were invited as special guests to the dedication of the new church building at the church where our 3 most precious Liberian employees attend. Mary, Winnie and Piko were there, dressed to the hilt for a celebration. We danced, sang, clapped, prayed and sweated as we dedicated the new building. It was another fun, Liberian experience punctuated with great friends and great food!

A Christmas Gift(y)

Gifty has been home in the States for almost a month already! Sorry for the update delay.

Here are a few pics that Ma Heidi sent me. Enjoy them, I know I did!

Listening to music.

Apparently she still does not like to share her food- "that's mine!"
And look at those fat cheeks!

In the hospital in Minnesota having tests done.

She did spend Christmas in the hospital but at least she got to meet Santa, I love that look- "What is that thing?" In the pic with her is her new Pa Dean.