The Ebola-fighters.

Today TIME magazine announced their "person of the year." The honor this year goes to a group of people who continue to work, continue to risk their lives, continue to sacrifice their time-- the Ebola-fighters. Ebola is still here. Even though we don't hear much about it in America anymore, the fight for life continues in West Africa. Thank you TIME for your timely reminder that Ebola is still in town.

The Ebola-fighters. This video brought tears to my eyes. Thank you to all who have and continue to serve the poorest of the poor, the neediest of the needy. It is not a pretty job, but your life choices are making a difference.

"God is answering our prayers!"

I just got off the phone with my Liberian Ma, Mary. I do not have the words to describe how much this woman means to me. Throughout my years in Liberia she was my confidant, teacher, chef, shoulder-to-cry-on, cultural interpreter, prayer warrior, movie-watching-buddy and friend. I miss her more that anyone else I know in Liberia, sometimes so much it hurts. So, when I heard her giggling, happy voice this morning over the scratchy phone line, my heart was happy. I was talking to her from the cozy comfort of my American bed-- she is in the middle of a war-zone-- yet I could hear the light in her voice and it lit me up all these thousands of miles away. 

Mary and I together in the streets of Monrovia in 2012.

Mary and I talked for just a few minutes-- she assured me that even though she had to move to a different community because of so many people dying of Ebola in her own, she was safe and healthy. She even had a friend from church die of Ebola and now her entire family is in quarantine. She said that the Liberian president made an announcement this week that "Ebola is reducing in Liberia" and that "God is answering our prayers." Yet she went on to discuss how Liberians need to continue to be vigilant in keeping up health and sanitary standards so that this outbreak does not see a resurgence. She said that even though rainy season is coming to an end and the hot Liberian sun is burning down, everyone in Liberia is wearing long sleeves and pants to keep safe.

This is the story of so many in West Africa right now. I love that Mary can see the hope in the middle of the storm. In faith, she is praising God for answered prayers even as people she knows, her own life, continues to be affected by this disease. She can see the big picture, the thing I have to keep telling myself-- God is bigger than Ebola. 

The WHO did announce this week that the number of Ebola infections in Liberia seems to be slowing. But this does not mean we stop our vigilant prayers, miracles are still needed and this fight is not over. But today, I choose to rejoice with Ma Mary-- God is answering our prayers!

something scarier than ebola

I have been quietly sitting back these last few weeks-- watching the world react to the latest Ebola news-- at times frustrated, at times entertained, at times humiliated. It is mind-blowing to me, how uninformed, dis-compassionate, and judgmental people can be. We are talking about our human family here. West Africa... South Africa... Canada... Europe... America...Texas... all are human beings, members of a global family. We bleed the same and hurt the same and care the same and are all equally vulnerable to a microscopic organism that has the world on alert. But there is something scarier than the Ebola virus. Something that is taking the world by storm and unfortunately up to this point, I would say it is winning.

FEAR.

Four little letters that when joined together bring panic, judgement, and rash behaviors.

Fear is scarier than Ebola. We can not let an epidemic of fear paralyze us. Jeremy Writebol, the son of Ebola survivor, Nancy Writebol, said, "Compassion must proceed fear." Yes! Ebola is scary, but we have the tools to combat it. Reacting in fear and panic makes things worse, not better. In fact, I would strongly argue that, reacting in fear and panic is when the most awful mistakes are made. As a nurse I am trained in critical thinking, in standing back and assessing a situation, in gathering the needed data and acting on it in a practical way. Sometimes (most times) you don't have the answer or know how things are going to turn out, but you cautiously walk forward. When we are truly knowledgeable about a situation-- not flying off the hype of the most recent panic-inducing news report-- that is when we can react in confidence. We know there is a risk. We know there is a big scary world out there. But we don't have to react in fear. Fear is not going to fix anything.

I've said it here before and I still believe it-- God is bigger than Ebola. The Bible says that, "perfect love drives out fear." If you find yourself drowning in fear today, I urge you to ask God for help. If you are not comfortable with that, ask me, or a friend you trust to pray with/for you. Worry and fear do not add a single minute to your life. Walk forward in the knowledge that God is in control. Even if it feels that way, the world is not spinning uncontrollably.

Get the facts, make a plan, be cautious and take precautions, but do not let fear be the controlling factor in your life.

Below are some related links--

Don't let this guy's quirky style distract you, he's got some good things to say--
Ebola: What IS Terrifying (video)

Don't Worry, Be Rational: Why Extreme Fear of Ebola is Bad For Your Health

Threats to Americans, ranked (by actual threat instead of media hype)

the latest radio and TV links to Ebola info

Listen here to hear the latest from Orphan Relief and Rescue in Liberia. (My Liberian Ma, Mary, is even interviewed!)

 Here is a first hand look at a day in the life of an ebola ambulance worker in Monrovia, Liberia.

My friend, Kent Bubbs Jr, was interviewed on Canadian TV about his role and thoughts on Liberia.

And I absolutely loved this news anchor's response to the ebola panic in America!

Stop the Traffic!

I just want to take a moment to address another great need in West Africa. It is not one that we are hearing much about these days. Getting buried under all the ebola news is an ongoing problem-- In Benin children are being sold into slavery... by their parents. Desperate mothers and fathers, at the end of their rope with no money or way to provide for their children, are doing the unthinkable. Convinced that they are doing the only thing they can to save their family, they are selling their children to into slavery for mere pennies.

Orphan Relief and Rescue has an anti-trafficking team that is out in these villages, educating and advocating for these vulnerable children. Officially they are not orphans, but they need to be rescued. Our team there has identified 160 children who are at risk for being trafficked right now. We have been able to raise enough money to save some, but 114 of these children are still at risk today. If we can not find the money to help them, next week they may be gone forever.

Only $360 can save a child from slavery for a year. This will keep them with their family, well fed and in school. For only about a dollar a day you can literally save a life.

Please consider helping.

The orphan crisis in West Africa is growing.

Below is Orphan Relief and Rescue's response to the growing orphan crisis in West Africa. Please join in praying with us for wisdom in how to combat this need and serve the vulnerable. Thank you.

Orphans of the Ebola crisis: Why our job in Liberia is growing

Yes, we are still in Liberia, even with the Ebola crisis. Children still need to be fed and taken care of, and we are not about to ever abandon them. We have over 120 children that we are feeding on a daily basis, and there are an additional 100 kids from our graduated orphanage homes that, though self-sufficient, are still part of our regular check-up schedule so we can ensure they also have what they need to be protected. Our mission continues to remain strong, even in the face of crisis.

Our Liberian staff are doing an amazing job making sure all the children on our programs continue to get the care they need to be healthy. We are so grateful for that. We call them daily, and not one of them is feeling alone through this. Our Liberian employees and children all know they are a part of the ORR family and because of them being taken care of, they are able to help their neighbors and those around them as well. We have been keeping everyone stocked with food, diapers, formula, bleach, sanitizing materials, medicine and many other necessary items to ensure everyone has what they need to be safe and protected.

There are many needy kids that have or will become orphaned due to Ebola, and because of this, we know the magnitude of our job in Liberia is only going to grow. We are now in conversation with key people to prepare for the big influx of children who are and will soon be coming into the system due to losing parents. Having a partnership already established with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare with our Transitional Safe Home, we are the organization the government is already looking to for coming up with answers on how to help these children. This is no easy feat, as a place of quarantine has to be established before kids can safely be put into our Transitional Safe Home or another foster situation. We are putting plans together to safely and lovingly care for those who have just lost parents and who are coming into the social welfare system.

More than ever, we need you to stand with us in these efforts to fight for these precious kids lives through this unbelievable hardship of loss in Liberia and the other nations affected. Extra donations towards these efforts are appreciated. Please consider giving today.

Written by Rebecca Pratt

www.orphanreliefandrescue.org

Day #2 - Pray to End Ebola

As of today, the official death count is 3100 people who have died from Ebola.
In actuality the number is probably much higher.

DAY 2. Pray that God would intervene to end the Ebola crisis. Also, pray for courageous health workers who risk their lives to care for Ebola victims. #praytoendebola

Here's an example of one  courageous health worker. I know Dr Zarway from my time in Liberia. She treated several friends of mine, even delivered a good friend's baby. In this article she explains-- "I'm a doctor, so we can't run away."

Hope

The news coming out of West Africa continues to be devastating. The number of deaths and projected deaths from ebola is climbing exponentially. The global response is increasing slightly, but the needs still outweigh the help that is being offered. 

Somehow though, through all the bad reports and discouraging information, I have noticed a shift inside myself-- a glimmer of hope has infiltrated my soul. Where it used to feel hopeless and too heavy to bear, it now feels ever-so-slightly lighter.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful"

Hebrews 10:23

I read an article about a woman who cared for her entire ebola-stricken family by herself. She fashioned her own protective garments and loved several of her family members back to health. It is stories like these-- human beings overcoming the odds, survival and love-- that boost my hope and help me to believe there is an end to all of this ugliness. 

Dr Rick is ebola free and back home with his family!!

In the midst of the danger and craziness, my friend Marthalyn gave birth to a healthy baby boy. After being turned away from the hospital, Small Andrew was born in the middle of night on Ma Mary's porch. It was a scary night for all, but thank God it ended joyously! (I don't have a picture of baby Andrew yet, the above picture is of Small Ashley, born a year and a half ago.)

Please join with countless around the world to pray an end to this vicious epidemic.

Day 1. Pray that God would intervene to end the Ebola crisis. Also, pray that victims of the Ebola virus who are sick and dying will have access to the treatment they need. #praytoendebola

Shining as lights...

Today I find myself sitting in the El Paso airport, sipping an overpriced, yet delicious coffee, and skimming the WHO's Ebola Response Roadmap as I wait for my flight home. 

Ebola has caused so much change. 

I should not linger too long on the changes in my own life. Instead of preparing to return to Liberia in a few weeks, I now feel commissioned with a new call to spread the word about the current situation there. To spread the word of the enormous and ever-growing needs. To spread stories of entire families that are dying and babies that are dying because their pregnant mothers can not find a hospital to have a c-section and friends of mine who are now refugees in their own country because their neighbors have ebola and children who are being orphaned and an entire region that is in a downward spiral, out of control. And all of it should be preventable. That's the worst part. It didn't have to get like this. 

Lives are changing in Liberia. The country was, as Liberians say, "coming up." Things were getting better, at least on the surface, for the country as it rebuilt after years of civil war. Children were graduating from high school and starting college-- now schools are closed indefinitely. Men were finding jobs, they were at least finding a way to make a little money each day and provide for their families-- now community quarantines are in order and the price of food has quadrupled. Women were starting to have dreams for their children's futures, for their own-- now everything has come to a standstill. 

The normal cadence of life and death-- greeting others with a handshake, a finger snap, crowded cars full of promise, caring for loved ones who are sick, gathering around the one who is lost-- everything has changed. The only thing on everyone's tongue is Ebola. Death and despair are everywhere. 

Thankfully, Liberians are survivors. They are fighters. As a nation, they have already survived war and hunger. They've struggled, but they've survived. I have to choose to believe they can survive this fight as well. It is a different fight. The enemy can not be seen. The enemy is not the ill person dying outside the clinic, but the invisible virus within. 

I also have to choose to believe, and claim it for all to hear, God is bigger than Ebola! He is bigger than the despair. He can pick this little country, the entire region, up out of this pit and bring restoration... healing... refreshing... peace. 

I believe God can move in ways that we do not understand. I believe He could speak the word and the Ebola virus would dissolve and be no more. I also believe that He uses us, He wants to use us in the process. He calls us to action, to help the hurting, to give, to pray. He builds us up and makes us stronger-- all of us-- through the process of taking steps of faith and choosing to believe. Choosing to act. Choosing to make changes that may not make sense or seem practical, yet lead to deeper faith, deeper fellowship of community. We need each other. And today, West Africa needs us.

Last Sunday I had the honor of sharing about the current situation in Liberia at my parent's church, Christ Community Church, in Alamogordo, NM. As I was preparing, God reminded me of a passage in Philippians (chap 2)--

"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."


We have been called to be united, to be of one mind, to look out for other's interests over our own (for Christ's sake)... even to death. I know that I don't live up to that, but I do not feel condemned by these verses, instead I feel encouraged to action (even a small action, like writing this blog).


The passage goes on to say—


"Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world..."

I think an entire book could be written of my grumbles and complaints alone. The current situation in West Africa puts my troubles into perspective, I have much to be thankful for. But, we do indeed live in a crooked and twisted generation. The problems of this world are not limited to West Africa-- Americans are being beheaded in Iraq, Christians are being tortured and imprisoned, countries are at war, diseases rage throughout the world, and there is so much more! Liberia is close to my heart and so it is where a lot of my thoughts and prayers go, but the point I want to make here is, are we shining like lights in the world? Wherever in the world we may be?


If my grumbling and complaining is all that others hear from me, the answer is no. I am scared for West Africa, it is not easy for me to hear the constantly horrific reports coming out of there. It is also hard for me to share it. I like to share good news, don't we all? Unfortunately, the news is not always good, yet I am called to share it the same. The world is a dark place, yet I am called to shine as a light to it. We all are.


Please shine with me today. Spread the word. Share this blog. Grab the hand of a loved one and pray together for those hurting in the world. Miracles can happen. We are part of it. 

"Be the change that you wish to see in the world." -Gandhi

Ebola is still in town.

I feel like I am being bombarded everyday with such a magnitude of overwhelming Ebola news that it is difficult to process it all and then compile it here. Some reports are saying that this has been the worst week of the Ebola outbreak so far. Nearly 2000 people have now died from Ebola, and that does not count people who are dying from other treatable diseases who can not get access to medical care. All the people "in the know" are continuing to say that this Ebola outbreak is out of control. This is a crisis with world-wide implications. Here is a link to an article that explores why.

It was also reported this week, that a long time American Missionary doctor in Liberia has contracted the Ebola virus. I know Dr Rick Sacra from my time in Liberia. For a long time he was the only doctor around that I could take the kids from the orphanages to. He played a big role in caring for several of them, including diagnosing a little girl who had been failing to thrive for years, with an easily treatable infection. I believe Dr Rick's expertise and treatment of this dying girl aided directly in her recovery. Today she is alive and well, and he is fighting for his life. 

Here is an article that talks a little more about Dr Rick. Attached to this article is a video with President Obama's response to this West African crisis and an interview with Dr Besser, who works for NBC and just returned from a tour of Ebola-effected Liberia.

Dr Rick's wife, Debbie, who I also know, made a powerful statement in a press conference yesterday. You can watch that statement here.

Dr Rick with patients he was caring for at ELWA hospital in Liberia.

The Sacra's have a blog. The last entry was August 31st,  just a few days before Dr Rick got sick. In it he describes the work he's been doing in Liberia.

Croftsblog - h1n1, still continues to have all the latest ebola-related updates.

This picture was taken towards the beginning of the outbreak. In the foreground is my friend Eric Buller. Eric and his family have been serving in Liberia for several years and have become good friends of mine. The man in the doorway who is wearing the PPE, is Dr Brantly, who has survived own fight with Ebola infection. 

I will leave you today with another catchy Ebola awareness song called Ebola in Town. There are a few graphic images on the video, but this is the real situation in Liberia right now.

And PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, keep praying for Liberia and the rest of West Africa.
A miracle is needed now!

20,000 reasons to keep praying

The latest WHO and CDC reports on the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa are projecting that 20,000 people will be infected before this crisis is under control. That is over six times more people than who have already been infected by the Ebola virus since the beginning of the year. The outbreak has also spread to a 5th West African nation as a case was diagnosed in Senegal this week. Another, unrelated outbreak of Ebola has also started in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

I was asked today by a Liberian friend why Ebola is keeping us (expats) away? I didn't know how to answer. He doesn't have the choice to leave and is stuck in this mess... while I spent the day at the mall. My heart is breaking for the people of Liberia. There are survivor stories coming out of the dust, and I do choose to rejoice in those, but the road ahead is long. We must continue to pray for healing in the land of West Africa, for healing in the physical bodies of those who have Ebola and other diseases, for healing in the hearts of those left behind and those who choose to stay and help.

A collage I put together last week.
Jesus, hear the cry-- Heal our land!

Ebola is Real.

"Ebola is real," seems to be the theme for awareness campaigns in West Africa. This may seem obvious to those of us who grew up in America, but many Africans are having a hard time believing it. Ebola is something that they have never heard of before and it is something that they can not see. So, the big push has to be to convince people that not only is it a real thing, a real threat, it is also something that can be prevented with proper precautions.

Listen here to hear the PSA jingle that the Ministry of Health in Liberia has put out on the airwaves to  increase Ebola awareness in Liberia. It's a pretty catchy tune!

The number of people being effected by this outbreak is constantly increasing. Ebola is not only effecting people who have it. It is effecting everyone in the region. Hospitals are closing. I have a friend who is due to have her baby next month and she doesn't know if she will even be able to go to a hospital to give birth. Ebola is killing people who don't even have Ebola. Countless others are dying because they can't access medical care for non-Ebola health concerns. Ebola is expensive. The price of basic necessities is also increasing, a bag of drinking water that used to cost $5 Liberian (about 8 US cents), now costs $20 Liberian. While the price for a bag of rice, Liberia's staple food product, has almost doubled. Stores, markets and roads are closing and people are out of work, which makes it even harder to obtain needed supplies. 

Even though the topic of Ebola in the news reports of America has diminished greatly, the actual need has not. Prayers and support are needed now more than ever. We can not give up or forget the crisis that continues to attack West Africa. 

This past Sunday, I was able to share some of the current Ebola situation at Evergreen Foursquare church. While my sharing time faded into worship, my amazingly talented friend Glory Cancro was prayerfully creating a painting. As she continued to paint, others from the congregation were invited to come forward and write down their own prayers for West Africa. This turned into a beautiful expression of interactive prayer that the entire congregation was able to be a part of. It was such an honor to be a part of such a meaningful and encouraging time of focused prayer for a need that is so close to my heart. 

The painting created at church on Sunday.
Still a work in progress as the prayers continue.

(Here's a link to the latest Orphan Relief and Rescue Newsletter. In this month's newsletter we explain how the Ebola outbreak is effecting our programs in Liberia and addresses current needs.)

good news. bad news.

I'm going to start with the bad news-- the situation in Liberia is spinning out of control. Not only are the number of Ebola cases skyrocketing, but unrest is bubbling under the surface. Violent mobs are gathering, curfews have been mandated, the economy is crumbling, people are going hungry. Countless others are dying of other common ailments for the region, like Malaria and Typhoid, because they can't get any medical help. I read one statistic that said that since Ebola has struck West Africa (killing over 1300 people so far), over 300,000 people have died of Malaria.

The situation in Liberia was fragile before Ebola struck. The county has been working hard to rebuild after a long civil war ended a decade ago. The stress of this situation is exposing the fragile infrastructure. There are not enough doctors or medical resources in Liberia. The citizens do not trust their government. Then add to the equation-- no basic knowledge of what a germ is or how it is spread, a common belief that Ebola doesn't even exist, a culture that is based off of relationships, touching, and living in close proximity with others, and traditional burial practices that include family taking care of a loved one after they die, and you get the perfect storm that is tearing apart Liberia at this moment. Liberia needs help from the international community or it may not survive this emergency. God Help Liberia!

This article helps to explain further why Liberia Cannot Cope with Ebola.

This graphic helps to explain part of the problem in Liberia.
1 doctor for every ~70,000 people!

---------------------------------------------

Now some good news--

Something to celebrate!
This 22 month old girl is the youngest to survive this outbreak of Ebola. She walked out of an Ebola treatment unit in Liberia yesterday with a clean bill of health!

And more joyous news was announced today-- Dr Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, both American's who were fighting on the front lines of this battle in an Ebola treatment clinic in Liberia and contracted the virus, were released from the Atlanta hospital where they have been treated in isolation for the last three weeks. They are both 100% Ebola free!! 

Dr Brantly made some public comments upon his release. Here is a link to the video of what he and his doctor had to say upon being discharged from the hospital today. It was reported that when he was discharged this morning he ran out of his isolation unit giving high fives to all the staff who cared for him and praising God for his miraculous recovery.

I have never met Dr Brantly or Nancy, but I feel like I know them. Many of their friends and co-workers at Samaritan's Purse and SIM are mutual friends of mine. Many are still working for these two organizations who continue to sacrifice to serve the people in Liberia during this crisis. The people who work for these two organizations were leading the fight against Ebola in Liberia long before the rest of the world even knew it had hit. 

For more information about Samaritan's Purse and SIM, or to donate, follow these links.

gather and pray

This is what I am longing for-- To gather these precious ones in my arms again, to reassure them, to protect them. I am reminded of Jesus' words to the people in Jerusalem in Matthew 23, "How often I've ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn't let me." I find solace in knowing that our God is bigger than a tiny little virus and the havoc it is playing out on an entire region in Africa. He is bigger than the burning fear that comes with the mere mention of it's name. He is greater than the violent mobs who are their own worst enemy. Our God is greater than the growing empty stomachs and abandoned hospitals. He is mightier than the rain clouds that are pouring out death and despair, stronger than the thunder claps of threats to the nations. 

A few weeks ago, feeling heavily burdened by the situation in West Africa, I fled to the mountains to pray. I drove up as close to Mt Rainier as I could get and sat at the foot of the mountain. I felt like God had led me there. As I sat in awe under the snow capped majestic beauty of of the mountain and was dwarfed by the deep green valleys that surrounded me, I was humbled. Sitting on a rock, I asked God what He wanted to show me in this place. Instantly, a breeze brought a whisper to my heart-- "Remember who I am." He is the Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth! 

Earlier this week I was able to talk to my Liberian Ma, Mary. Tears came to my eyes when I heard her voice. She was so grateful to hear that people around the world are praying for her and her country. Prayer is a mighty weapon. I mentioned in my last post about the women in Liberia who have been gathering everyday to pray. These women's prayers were effective in bringing the Liberian civil war to an end. They are mighty prayer warriors, but our prayers are just as effective. God hears them all.

I believe prayer, understanding the truth about the situation (for both, those living in the effected zone, as well as for us world wide) and spreading the word of the need are going to be the biggest contributors to putting an end to this crisis. 

------------------------

Links for today:

An article written by my friend, Fin Young, who I met in Liberia, for Newsweek UK.

more Harrowing Images of Liberia's Ebola Outbreak

H1N1 continues to have all the latest updates on the situation.

Doctors Without Borders  is leading the fight against Ebola throughout West Africa. This week they opened the biggest Ebola treatment facility in history, just a short walk from where I call home in Liberia. 

helpful Ebola links

Today's post is going to be more practical. I've shared some links to articles, blogs and websites where you can learn more information about the latest Ebola news and how you can help.

This blog, called H5N1, seems to have the most factual and up to date Ebola information. It is updated several times a day with articles coming from multiple trustworthy sources. It has become part of my daily routine to check this site.

This man is spraying a road just outside an Ebola treatment center with a chlorine bleach solution to prevent the virus spreading. Many patients are arriving on foot or via taxi which increases the risk of the virus being passed to others. All of this is happening less than a mile from where I live and work when I'm in Liberia. In fact, this is a road I have walked along countless time myself.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Follow this link to an article that shares many more pictures, like the one above, depicting the hard reality of treating Ebola in West Africa. 

Of course Orphan Relief and Rescue projects are continuing in Liberia. All programs are still running as the need at this time has not gone away, instead it is growing exponentially. I can say confidently that any donations made to Orphan Relief and Rescue truly go toward helping needy, oppressed, and neglected children in West Africa. 

My friend Shelly Timbol has started a GoFundMe project called Bucket Brigade Against Ebola. They are raising money to buy resources, like buckets and chlorine bleach, to give out to local women in the fight against the spread of this virus.

Kriterion Monrovia is an aid organization in Liberia that is spreading factual information about Ebola: causes, symptoms and prevention. As well as, raising awareness through house to house visits, community outreach, dramas and radio announcements.  

These ladies are gathering everyday and praying for the end of Ebola in Liberia. This is the same group of mighty women who came together a decade ago and prayed a peaceful end to the civil war. I have heard multiple remarks from Liberians that Ebola is worse than the war because, at least during the war you could see your enemy.

Spread the word.

It has been 18 months since I last opened this page and started typing. Eighteen months since I packed up and moved home from Africa to (re)start in America. Those months have been filled with transition, learning, hibernating a bit, being refreshed, traveling, family, laughter, tears and much prayer. I moved back into my house, started working again as an ICU nurse, settled back into my phenomenal church family, dealt with the death of three dear family members, continued to volunteer for Orphan Relief and Rescue, and traveled A LOT-- including three short(er) trips back to Liberia.

These 18 months have been filled with much reflection, but I have not felt, for lack of a better word, inspired, to put those thoughts into words that I could share. Lately, God has been speaking to me about using my words again. I've been reminded that my words matter more than I know.

And then a few weeks ago there was one word that rung loudly in all of our ears-- EBOLA. I was last in Liberia in June, and at that time Ebola was a quiet whisper in the trees. I am shocked at the difference only two months makes. Ebola used to be "that thing they make outbreak movies about." Now it is a real and deadly threat to hundreds that I hold dear (and countless more.) I spend more time than I should reading status updates and articles coming out of the effected zone. I receive phone calls from my Liberian friends telling me how scared they are. Multiple people have told me that they think of me every time they hear the word. Everywhere I go I am asked about it-- sometimes I feel like Ebola is all I talk about.

I am not physically in Liberia right now, but my broken heart remains there, and I feel split in half. Due to this state of emergency, it is not possible for me to travel there. I find that this furthers the divide inside my heart as I both long to be there helping the growing need, and am deeply relieved that I am not there, which leads to this cycle of guilt and relief that at times seems more than I can bear. I feel helpless. I feel that I've abandoned those that I've promised to rescue. I don't know what to do. Over and over again I've come to the conclusion that not only is prayer the only thing I can do, it is the best thing. And so I pray. I pray, and I ask others to pray, and I ask anyone reading this to please stop reading and say a prayer right now for healing in the land of Liberia, in all of West Africa.

Yesterday I was once again wrestling with all of this, asking God, "what can I do?" When I felt Him say, "Use your words" and "Spread the word." And immediately I was reminded of this old dusty blog site, a forum I have long neglected.

Today, even though I am not there, I dust off the placard that states, 'Deb in Liberia,' so that I can spread the word-- Ebola is ravaging a country I call home. I can not carry this burden by myself. Please join me in praying for a miracle and keep watching here for updates and prayer points as this crisis continues.