Here At Last!!!

Thank all of you for the prayer and e-mails and concern and I will try to keep you updated on all my adventures.

God placed so many wonderful people around me during my travels that I had no doubt of His divine protection. I met a very sweet couple that lived in Brussels. They insisted that I visit them Europe and try the chocolate. "Real Belgium chocolate is like art." I also met a very friendly lady named Liz who was headed to Monrovia because her husband is a professor in an African school. And Amanda and John. Amanda is also working in food service on Mercy Ships. She is definitely one of my closest friends so far. John is a doctor on the ship from England and acts as our surrogate father. Monrovia was crazy. The airport was tiny. As soon as we got through security, people fought over who would carry our bags (hoping for a tip.) The ride was quite an adventure. Honking and swerving our driver, Isaac, sped through people and traffic. Oh, and I also met Natalie. She's from Australia and has the most amazing accent. "Aye mate?"

I have met so many people from so many different places-the UK , England , Australia , America , South Africa , Sweden UAE etc. My roommates are very friendly as well as the girls that work with me. My dining room team works two days a week and 5 days the next. We also have breaks between the meals, which is really nice. I sweat buckets, but the food is delicious and the work is satisfying.

There are plenty of things to do to get involved with the crew as well as the community. A few days ago I went to market. What an experience! Debris mingles with the dust. The trash I can get used to, except for one item. Occasionally you see a single flip flop lying in the road; dusty and grey and smaller than the palm of my hand-that I can't get used to. I want to find that precious child and give them a new pair of flip flops. Children that look less than 1 year old are constantly running around on their own, only the smallest ones strapped to their mother's backs. That was the first time I had seen the children here and it was love at first sight.

The market was quite intimidating at first. Adults shout from sidewalks and stands and taxis. "Beautiful white woman, come here! White woman, why don't you wave to us? White woman, buy this, see it matches what you are wearing!" They crowd around you and follow you closely, vying for attention. We had to hide our Mercy ship ID cards. There are so many people that need help here and we can't help everyone at once and that was the most heart-wrenching realization to me. I had to separate my mind and my heart to keep in perspective that in their desperation some simply saw me as an opportunity.

I am definitely still adjusting and have yet to go on any of the organized trips. I really want to go to one of the orphanages and a church on Sunday-it just depends on my shift schedule. I went to an African style Ward Service last Sunday. They danced and sang and there was a brief message. Near the end we laid hands on a little Liberian boy who was staying in that room. I held his tiny hand. It made my day. I went to the community service that night. I enjoyed knowing the songs, but found myself longing for the freedom of the African worship service. I guess the strangest thing to me so far is that I don’t feel like I’m in Africa . Africa is distant and filled with things I can’t relate to, but these people are my family. I have discovered that God is still here.
The ship itself is very safe. Almost every other door is a fire door and the driveway leading to the ship has a high concrete wall on both sides. It is about a half mile long so I often see people jogging back and forth. We are only allowed out past the gate in groups and everyone must be on the ship by 11:00pm. Once on the ship they let us wonder as long as we adhere to the quiet hours. So in a sense it is very safe and yet I have a sense of freedom. I have become quite well acquainted with the ship thanks to jet lag. I haunt the library and find myself exploring the halls or reading for hours on the top deck. I feel close to God up there.

Well, that's my adventure so far. Keep me updated on what is happening with you all.