Today started off great, with 2 more
hours of sleep than normal and pancakes, cheese, scrambled eggs,
plantains, bologna and oatmeal for breakfast at the compound. We then
went into an hour of quiet time to just spend time taking in the week
and connecting with God. I ended up spending some of that time
walking around the compound and just taking in a different type of
nature than I am used to seeing in America. It was wonderful to just
think about all of the different plants and animals that God has
created around the world.
We then headed to the Market, on the
way to the market there were so many different sights to be seen. We
drove by the Executive Mansion, and also a church that didn't look
incredibly important from the outside but we learned from our driver
Robert that it was the oldest Church in all of Liberia and where the
Declaration of Independence was signed. Then at the market Robert and
Victor (our wonderful drivers) guided us around to the types of shops
that we were interested in going to. Erica and I found beautiful
lappas (fabric) and others bought bracelets, soccer Jerseys, and
scarfs. The market is a very busy place where you have to be on alert
to what's going on at all times, there's always something interesting
to see and interesting people to meet. Robert and Victor were very
helpful in showing us around and helping us get the best deals
possible- bargaining is defiantly an important thing to know at the
market, I think I'm starting to get a little better at it.
On the way home we stopped by a tailor
for Erica and I to drop off our lappas to have a couple of things
made, I decided on a dress suit and Erica had something made for her
mom (I won't reveal what so her mom doesn't know by reading our blog
and spoil the surprise). It was very interesting to see the equipment
they used and how their shop was set-up. One very interesting thing
that we noticed is that they use irons with charcoal in them to iron
the fabric.
While driving home we drove by Service
to Servants and saw all of the containers covering the land, that
were full of materials that had been recently shipped from America.
It was awesome to see the containers full of materials covering the
land! Service to servants is a non-profit which Rodney from our team
founded. They focus on figuring out what materials those who serve in
Liberia need and doing what they can to provide for them.
After getting back to the compound we
relaxed and some of us napped while others played an intense card
game of spoons. We then spent time together before dinner eating
yummy coconuts that we bought earlier in the day.
We had a special guest, Florence at
dinner who went around with us to all of the orphanages during the
winter 2009-2010 team and was a huge help in us understanding the
culture throughout that time. Danielle, Rodney, Dave and I were very
excited to see her again after 2 ½ years! Last time we saw her she
was having trouble with conceiving and ended-up getting surgery which
some of our team members helped to provide for financially and we
prayed for. Shortly after greeting each other Florence shared with me
a beautiful picture of her nine month old son! It was such an amazing
answer to prayers. We spent time catching-out and enjoying Florence's
company and beautiful spirit.
After dinner we decided to watch a
movie and now we are finishing up our second movie of the night with
just four of us left up and everybody else off to bed. We had a
wonderful day of relaxation and exploration around the city. Well I
guess it's bed time for me, can't wait for us to be able to share
with you about tomorrow. We're so thankful for you all :)
God Bless,
Amy
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| Walking into the market. |
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| Me and the sweet lady I bout 3 lappas from. |
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| A boy learning how to sew outside of the tailor. |
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| Jonathan enjoying a fresh coconut and Rodney enjoying the company. |
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| Danielle with Florence right after she stopped by to see us. |
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