I'm Home and God is Awesome.

It is a cool (80 degree) Sunday evening and I am sitting alone in the dark (generator not working), listening to the dance party happening next door at Menitama. I have been back in Liberia for 2 days now and believe it or not, it is SO great to be home. Men yelling in the street, late night thunder storms, roosters crowing, ridiculous drivers, showering outside under the stars…

I believe it would be accurate to say that my Liberian journey started about 3 years ago when I was in Ghana working on the Mercy Ship. On my last night there I found myself outside on the promenade deck reflecting and wondering- what next? I remember asking God that question. Almost immediately a woman, who worked with the dental team, walked by and started talking to me about Liberia. For at least an hour she told stories of extreme poverty, people dying in the streets, suffering and war. Then she got up and went on her way. I thought to myself, “is that it God? Liberia?” A year later I met the Orphan Relief and Rescue (ORR) team at my church and 2 years after that I am starting my second stint working with ORR in Liberia.

This morning we stopped to pick up a friend on the way to church. She works at Trinity Dental Clinic and brought another visiting dental hygienist with her. As soon as the other woman got in the car I thought she looked familiar, but when she told me her name I knew... Carol is the woman from the ship! The woman that God used to spark this Liberian flame in me. Can you believe it? I told her “I think you are the reason I am in Liberia.”

What are the odds of meeting her again, 3 years later and in a totally different country? This might seem like a small thing, but for me it is not. I have told countless people about this woman and often thanked God for her passion and honest sharing. For me this is confirmation, once again, that I am where I am supposed to be. I am so grateful for a God that can bring things full circle even (especially) when we don’t know where we are going.

(And in case you were worried, the generator is working again so I am no longer sitting in the dark.)

Blessed

This afternoon I gathered with a small group of people from my church to talk about Liberia, the kiddos, my experiences there and plans for returning (this Thursday). I was telling stories and showing pictures as we went along. The last picture was of the kids at Frances Gaskins praying for me on my last day in Liberia last spring. A picture that I love because it captures one of the most precious moments of my life. Those kids knew exactly what I needed and sent me home blessed by their words of prayer for me and my family in America. When I was done sharing this afternoon my church family came around me to pray. I found myself sitting in a chair surrounded by loving friends and tender hands and looking straight at the picture of the kids from Frances Gaskins surrounding me in the same way last May. It felt like I was looking in a mirror.

How blessed am I to have such amazing people on both ends of my life?