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!

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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. 

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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.

Deb's day out

Today is World Water Day. 

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to join my friends from Universal Outreach Foundation (UOF) for a day out in a village where they were undergoing a well restoration project. UOF is a Canadian NGO that works in several much needed areas in Liberia-- education, small business development (specifically honey) and water & sanitation. The village we went to was about 2.5 hours outside of Monrovia so we had to leave early to get there in time to get everything done.

You gotta start every day right-- coffee and donuts the Liberian way.

The village was a tiny place with a name I can't pronounce or spell. The people were very friendly and grateful for the team's presence there. With the sun and temperature rising quickly, the well team got right to work fixing the only well in the village.

Fixing the well.

Their well had been broken for several months and the people had no other option than to drink from a nearby spring. The spring water was very dirty and literally bubbling with tadpoles. An older woman in the village told us that when they used that water to take a bath their skin would itch all night. I can only imagine how it was to drink it.

The spring the village had to drink from-- all the black you see in the bottom are tadpoles.

Photo op: Here the old woman is telling us about their horrid water conditions.

It didn't take long for the well to be functional again. The brilliant part of UOF's well restoration program is that they don't just come in, fix a well and leave. They spend time in the village teaching key people to be able to fix it themselves the next time something goes wrong. This village, that was drinking contaminated water for months because there was no one to fix it started the day with no clean water and a broken well. At the end of the day they had eight people trained, able to maintain and fix any problems that may come up in the future. The team also spends time teaching both adults and children in the village about proper hygiene and the importance of clean water.

There is not a lot that goes on in this tiny village-- all the kids lined up to watch the process.

This little guy was very shy and scared to come too close to the strangers in the village. I was able to lure him over with my camera-- 1st pic was as close as he would get, but I got his attention. 2nd pic, he had to come over and check out his picture. 3rd pic, what's that a smile? 30 seconds later he was curled up in my lap!

After a full day in the village we started the long trek back home. We were slowed down by a very uncharacteristic March monsoon rain storm. It was a 13 hour day, I was exhausted but thankful to be able to see first hand the amazing work my friends at UOF are doing every day. 

rain clouds

how i feel...

I find myself in an odd place these days. (and I don't mean Liberia, although it is definitely bizarre here.) I am not talking about a physical place either, it is more of an emotional place that I don't know how to define. It is like I am standing on the top of a hill and on one side I can see where I've been, where I've sacrificed and cried and laughed and grown and met amazing people and developed quite a love-hate relationship with an entire nation. On the other side is something new, yet familiar. Something I am excited, yet cautious about jumping into with both feet. On this side are old friends and dear family members. A house I love. A "real" job. Running water. Target. There are things I love on both sides of the hill. I am not leaving one side for the other because I don't love it, I am moving in a different direction simply because I know it is time. Standing on this hill, looking out over both sides I see things I love and will miss, things I dread and look forward to. Not only do I not know how to define this place, I don't know how to feel about it. Should I be happy? sad? excited? cautious? hopeful? torn? In fact, I feel all of these things and somehow they seem to have formed themselves into a huge conglomerate of nothing so that all I really feel is kinda numb. I've never really looked upon change as something I enjoy. I can identify that it is necessary and change does not mean bad. Change can be quite exciting and good. Yet still, I tend to be someone who prefers her comfort zone. How this small, strange land became my comfort zone is still a mystery to me, but it is true. I think I may have more concerns about returning to life in America than I have of leaving Liberia. There is a sweet simplicity among the chaos here that I fear will be lost in the midst of the rat race at home. I don't want to lose the person I've become here, I want so badly to find a way to bring her with me but am afraid in the process I will lose her. So, here I sit at the top of my hill so close to the peak that I know there is only one way I can go. I do have fears. I do have excitement. I do have peace-- sweet, deep, doesn't-make-sense peace. I know this is the direction I am supposed to go, but... it. is. not. easy.

(I do not write this looking for answers. I simply write to try and discover, to attempt to explain, where I am-- Because people keep asking how I feel, and I don't know what to say.)

forty days

Forty days seems to be a significant number throughout history.

It rained for forty days and forty nights after Noah built his ark. Moses spent 40 days on a mountain talking to God.  Jesus was tempted for forty days in the desert. We are currently in the 40 days before Easter that many observe as the season of Lent. (and there are more.)

Today, forty is the number of days left before I get on a plane and fly home. Yes, I’ve done this a few other times over the last five years. This time is different. It is not the last time (I will be back), but it is the last time as a full-time resident of Liberia. After five wonderful, horrible, fantastic, life changing, stretching, enriching, painful, years… a change is coming.

The quick and easy answer is that I need to spend time logging some hours to keep my nursing license current. But honestly, it is more than that. I’ve felt this transition coming, God has been preparing me for this and even though I don’t know if this is a temporary arrangement or the start of something else completely, I know this is the next step.

It is a little surreal. As I’ve been preparing for this over the last several months, it feels as if life has brought me full circle— In forty days I’ll be moving back into my old house. In forty days I’ll be starting back at the same hospital I used to work at. In forty days I’ll be returning to my church and friends and family (minus a few dear ones I’ve lost over the last few years) that I left behind when I started this journey. In forty days I say goodbye to the kids who have literally changed my life, my world view, my heart. In forty days I’ll be leaving behind friends and family here in Liberia.  And let’s be honest here, in forty days I’ll be walking the halls of Target and sipping a Starbucks.

In forty days everything is going to change. In forty days a lot is going to be the same as I left it, but somehow different… because I’ve been changed and the world has changed.

All this is happening in 40 days. A few weeks ago I realized that I am leaving on Easter, March 31, 2013. I booked the ticket months ago but never realized what day it was. (This is significant… are you ready for this?) When I left the US for Liberia five years ago, it was on Easter morning! Two words-- full circle. One more-- wow!

{I realized after I posted a status on facebook earlier today about ‘forty days to go,’ that, based on some of the comments I received, I have maybe not been as good at explaining to people my plans as I thought I have. If you have questions please feel free to e-mail me- debbie @ orronline [dot] org. I’m not trying to keep anything a secret, and am happy to talk about my plans (as I know them) so far.}