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.)