day 3, day 4. (happy new year!)

Hello everyone and Happy New Year from Liberia!

Apologies again for the 24 hour delay—I know you are all anxious to see what’s happening on this side of the planet.The wifi at Christine’s home is a fairweather friend, and when I need it most it seems always to leave me. There are moments of grace, but for now we have had to abandon the attempts at blogging in the house and escape to a remote location. I am presently located in an upscale hotel somewhere in the midst of Monrovia’s poverty-covered streets, sitting with two of my teammates and waiting for our expensive hotel food to arrive. Being the team blogger certainly seems to have perks!

Honestly, though, it’s strange to be on an island of luxury surrounded by an ocean of devastation and war recovery. The more I learn about the needs of the Liberian people, the more my heart and mind are overwhelmed by the thought of it. This place is real, their civil war actually happened and the devastation in its wake is evident everywhere you look. And yet, the hope that I spoke of last time I wrote is even more powerful than the tragedies I have seen.

Yesterday, our team had the privilege of attending an NGO reception at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Chapman, who live here with their children as missionaries for ELWA (Eternal Life Winning Africa). The reception was basically just a lot of teachers, doctors, dentists, nurses, and passionate people who are all living and working on Liberian soil to bring hope, life, healing and Jesus to this beautiful country. Jesse and I made it our goal to meet as many of them as possible, but every conversation was so full of mind-blowing testimonies that it took 3 hours to meet less than 10 of these people. By the end of the party, my feet were killing me from all the standing, but my heart was glowing with inspiration. I met one man who has been serving God in Liberia with his family of 8 for 23 years. That, my friends, is 4 years longer than I have been alive on this planet—doesn’t that just blow your mind a little bit? He works with EQUIP Liberia to fight against unconvicted rape, torture, secret societies that practice ritualistic killing, and many other enormously important issues—check out their website at www.equipliberia.org.

Anyway, seeing all of the beautiful faces of those missionary people helped me to realize that although the devastation and injustice may be larger than I imagined, the pool of people who are working against those things is large as well, and it will grow. There is so much hope in that. Later that night, I read a passage from Isaiah 44 that I believe is God’s heart toward Liberia. It’s a little long, but here’s a snapshot...

“O Israel, I will not forget you.
I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, 

your sins like the morning mist. 

Return to me, 

for I have redeemed you."
Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; 

shout aloud, O earth beneath. 

Burst into song, you mountains, 

you forests and all your trees, 

for the LORD has redeemed Jacob, 

he displays his glory in Israel.” (21-23)

Imagine Liberia’s name in there, and I believe it’s so true for these people and this land. Please read the rest of that chapter, and pray for that redemption over this country. It is so clear that God’s hand is here and He is working—we are all so blessed and so grateful to be able to take part!
After the reception, we put on our bathing suits and sprinted into the Atlantic to swim while the sun was setting. I don’t know if any of you have ever spent New Year’s Eve swimming on the shores of an African beach, but I highly recommend it! It was so beautiful and the water was the perfect relief for a day spent in the hot Liberian sun. On the drive home I couldn’t help but feel like I was just living a dream. We have spent these first few days assimilating ourselves into the culture and resting together, learning to be comfortable with one another even when the circumstances aren’t comfortable at all. It has been beautiful.
That morning we spent the morning in the market, and managed to make it in and out without any pickpocketing or panic attacks. I won’t spend very long talking about that experience, but I will say that it was a monumental one! We, a group of white Americans, looked like a circus attraction in the middle of the throbbing Liberian culture all around us. At one point, people were clapping and cheering for us as we passed by, shouting, “Eyyy, white girls! Americans!” We laughed. It was great.
That was yesterday, and it was wonderful. Today we traveled to the Rafiki Village, which is an orphanage that focuses on raising up responsible Christian adults rather than on adoption. Every child there is considered a “true orphan” and not just an abandoned child, meaning that their parents are either unlocatable or dead, and they have no other family members to take them in. This was our first day where the whole team got to participate in service, and it was so much fun we decided to go back again tomorrow! We sang songs, taught about Daniel and the lions’ den, made lion masks out of paper plates, played games, and loved every minute of it all. These 21 kids barely talked when we first met them all, but when Brent put them all in flag tag jerseys and shouted “Go!” the air was immediately filled with so much laughing that I couldn’t help but grin. These little ones have literally been rescued from certain death and brought into a place of laughter and life; there is so much redemption in that sound! Pray that we would see and act on the opportunities to learn from and give to these kids as we interact with them again tomorrow morning. I wish I could bring them to you—they would surely melt your heart like they have melted ours.
And, as a side note, I love watching my team do what they do. Jeremiah with his puppet, Brent leading flag tag, Danielle singing “Joy” with so much joy in her eyes, and Dimitri playing King Darius with a yellow paper crown on his head... these are the sights that make my heart smile. I thank God for putting me here with people whom I love so dearly. Pray that we would minister to one another and grow in unity as a team as we still have so many days ahead of us.

My battery is running low—I think I need to stop. Thank you to everyone who commented on the last entry! All of your messages have been read and I will deliver them when I get back to the compound tonight. It means so much that you think of us, and that you pray unceasingly! Praise God for your faith and intensity and love! One of our leaders, Dave, was talking to me the other night about the darkness that resides in the tribal religions of Liberia. He reminded me that although the darkness is great, the power of our God is greater, and we are covered in His protection through your intercession for our team. Your prayers are being sent up like a barrage of arrows coming over us from behind, stopping the enemy coming against us in his tracks. Your ferocity and passion in prayer are necessary and I can’t tell you enough—I am grateful!

Pray now for the wifi to return so I can keep keeping you in the loop. Pray that VBS goes smoothly tomorrow again, and every day next week. We are also visiting two hospitals tomorrow; pray that God would powerfully work in the people we meet through our presence and our prayers. We want to bring joy, hope, healing, strength—the Lord knows what these people need more than we do, for sure. Pray that He whispers those secret things into our ears, and give us the courage to follow Him wherever he leads! Pray for continued protection physically, spiritually, emotionally, and logistically. Pray we would all know our own unique calling and purpose both now and for our lifetimes.

Pray boldly. Tell Him you love Him—He is so good!

Love, as always,

Annie

P.S. Mom, Dad, Katie, Johnny, my fabulous girls, and my Ogle family, I am thinking of you all often. I miss and love you much! I'll be bringing back the music of this country I am in, and we will dance in the kitchen (or the common room, or around a pool table) when I return.