God is Good

The past four days have been so wonderful. God has been good to me. So much has happened in the last four days that they have become a blur to me. I have been on the go since our arrival. And through all of this, the peace in my heart has been very real.

I stepped out into the open air on deck seven of the M/V Africa Mercy on Wednesday morning at 5:30am to see the sunrise over Monrovia. The first thing that I noticed was that the air held a distinct smell. The air of Monrovia smells like a campfire of pine wood and pine needles with a hint of burning rubber. There were also a few dugout canoes with small sails out in the water. They were fishing. At a distance, we sighted the Anastasis, the vessel that we were sailing to meet. As we approached, it grew larger and larger. With time we could see all of the crew standing either next to the railings or on the dock. There were drums and singing and dancing. Once we were close enough, we cheered together. It was grand. There was much to celebrate; the Africa Mercy had finally arrived! So many people had waited so long and had worked so hard to make this happen.

Out on the dock I was reunited with a friend from college that I had not seen for two and a half years- Steph. I have been following her adventures with Mercy Ships in Ghana and Liberia through her blog for the last three months. She has helped me navigate the waters of the application process, but more than this, she has helped me prepare for living purposefully in this land. Later, in the evening, she guided me on a tour of the Anastasis, a ship that I have heard a great deal about, and finally was able to meet.

On Thursday, I devoured my first Mango here. The local people call them plumbs. I’m not sure why though. Oh, it was delicious. I say that I devoured it because by the end of my tastebud sensation, juice was dripping all over my hands, beard, napkin, and plate. Yum Yum.

In the afternoon, four of us ventured out into one of the local markets. Three of us were newbies. One of us had been in Liberia for quite some time. It was an experience riding with eight of us in a taxi the size of an old Nissan Sentra. The rest was a blur of sights and smells that words would do a dismal job of articulating. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. If I had some, I would offer them. Unfortunately it is better for me to not carry a camera with me when I go out, so I don’t. What I can say is that I’m learning a lot here, and have a long way to go.

In the evening the Mercy Ships crew came together to worship on the Anastasis one last time. It was a wonderful time of worshiping through singing, praying, and sharing where all the Anastasis has been for the last 25 or so years of missional service. Again, it was a time of celebration for the community here, and for me. I felt so at home and at peace as if I was at Cran-Hill Ranch or at the Gathering at Hope College or at Mars Hill. Afterwards we ate ice cream together and talked for a long time. It was good.

Yesterday I had the privilege of venturing out into a series of remote villages with Pam who works with our community development services here, and with Ann who was also along to learn. We visited a few wells that World Vision had helped the community dig and a few that Mercy Ships had coordinated as well. Beyond this, I am still processing everything that I saw and experienced. It is a lot for me. I will need more time. What I will say was that the people are so incredibly hospitable and genuinely friendly. And also, in the conversations that our group had we were asked on two occasions to pray for specific requests. One time was at the request of an amazing teacher in the village. He asked us to pray that as he teaches that the students will learn and be empowered. In particular, that those who were child soldiers would learn new ways and forget those other experiences. The other request for prayer was from a respected woman in the community who is suffering from Malaria right now.

Today I meandered through a different open market with Steph and four others. Again, the people here are so friendly. We had a great time people watching. On our way a few people purchased some cloth for clothes. We also picked up a few plumbs (mangos), coconuts, and tiny peppers that looked good. We bought our peppers from a little kid who was walking around with a basket on his head. When we asked how much they were, the little guy was quite confused. It was probably because of our funny American accents here. Anyway the confusion never left, but a little crowd of mostly children gathered. In the end, we offered to pay him too much (which wasn’t too much for us.) After we gave him the money, another child said that we had paid too much and gave us some of it back. In the end, Steph gave it to him to keep. I was amazed at how honest and straightforward the people were, everywhere. Everywhere we went, there was no bartering and no one inflated their prices for us because we were white. Many people saw us and immediately asked if we where from Mercy Ships. I asked one man, Alfred, how he knew that we were from Mercy Ships. He said that the Africa Mercy had arrived two days ago, and that he was waiting for us to make it out of the port. He said that last year his brother had been helped in an operation. Even our taxi driver who drove us home knew before we said a word. He said that he listens to the BBC here and that they told him about it. Also, about four times, groups of people would look at me and say ‘Jesus, Jesus’. They thought that I looked like Jesus! When I asked why, they replied that it was my hair. I would smile and tell them that ‘No, Jesus had dark skin like you’. But then fifteen minutes later, someone else would feel the same way. I just laughed. I must have looked Palestinian today.

I am well. I have a tremendous amount on my mind and heart right now, but God has been good to me. He has been very close the past few days. And for this, I am thankful.

Tomorrow will be my first day walking to an African Church. I am eagerly anticipating this with excitement.