Landed

A little over two weeks ago I landed in Liberia with a plane full of cheering passengers. They cheered as if it was their first time ever on a plane, and were so excited to touch ground again…

Maybe it was their first time on a plane. Perhaps it was their first time back in Liberia since the war. They might have thought the pilot did an excellent job getting them safely back to earth, or they were coming from one of their many trips to Ghana. Or maybe they are always that excited.

Regardless of the reason for the loud cheering and clapping, joy filled the plane and a smile appeared on my face. That joy filled me and I became so excited to be back in Mother Liberia!

Two weeks later and I am still so happy to be back, I have a lot to do and I am ready!

Oh Monrovia

This past week we drove down from Yekepa to Monrovia, a bumpy 6 hour drive.


Top Left is Firestone rubber trees…I didn’t know rubber came from trees

The sites, the smells the noise of Monrovia is all her own. The streets are plastered with election campaigns, and are alive with the everyday commotion.

We spent long days in town shopping. We went shopping for Lapa, materials for the building, and followed up on previous orders. I meet with an aluminum company and ordered furniture I designed. And much much more…

The rain held up long enough to allow a ‘dry’ experience, and a few nice walks along the beach.

It was a very successful trip, we were in and out almost everywhere we went. (Which is unusual here.) I had a great time but was ready to go back to the peacefulness of Yekepa, where I hope to stay put until I leave the beautiful country of Liberia!

7 months

Last thursday marked 7 months since I left home. What an amazing time I've had. As I look back and reflect on everything that has happened, I see God getting so much Glory. From the challenging transition to Ohio then to Liberia, where he brought Stephanie and I together to build each other up, knowing that during our time in Liberia we would need the support from each other. Just as he sent his disciples out 2 by 2 he sent us to Liberia, and also provided a support all around me throughout my time. I saw how He was glorified as a nearly impossible fashion show became a huge success, two times over. How He protected me in my travel to Kenya, and really blessed my time with all the beautiful ladies at Amani Kenya. How now, being back in Liberia for over a month, he has continued to guide me, teach me, encourage me, and has grown my faith even deeper. He has allowed my weaknesses to be used for His glory, and has lead me to build up others as they build me up.

I have 6 more weeks until I go home, and while I am excited to see my family and friends, I am also excited to see everything through to completions in the coming weeks. I have a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time, but I have faith that God will continue to give me strength and the ability to get it all done. I have faith that God will continue to provide financially as he has the whole time. I thank God for my time here, I give all the glory to Him!   

Monkey Business

When I was four years old I asked Santa for a monkey. And what Santa brought me was not the monkey I wanted, it was one that was stuffed. Even though I loved that stuffed monkey like no other I was extremely disappointed that I did not get the pet monkey I dreamed about…

My collection of Monkeys from my childhood, I counted 16!

Until now! Meet Monkey

 I am watching her for a little bit while her owner is in Kenya. She is the cutest, funniest, sweetest monkey ever. And look at her poor eye, If you know me at all you know I have a big soft spot for animals who are what I like to call ‘special’. She makes me so happy! I love this little girl, she goes on walks with me, she sits on my lap when I am working on a project, she steals the crackers out of my hand, she loves to be groomed, she eats all the bugs that are flying around…

I can’t get enough of Monkey!

Thank you Jesus for answering my prayer for a Monkey!

Psalm 148

I took a walk by myself; I was fully taking in the beauty of Liberia. As I went along I started to look closely at each individual flower as I passed. I saw so many amazing creatures, some getting nectar from the flowers. I was seeing nature at it's core.

Some I knew: bees, grasshoppers... but others, I wasn’t certain what they were. When I looked closely I saw so much beauty, so much detail, so much mystery. They were brightly colored, strangely marked; they were a wonderful illustration of how God created everything. How He has taken the time to make each creature individually perfect.

Then there were the butterflies, how amazing are these creatures. They start out in this world as a caterpillar, that alone is remarkable, but then they metamorphosis into a butterfly! There are so many here adding splashes of unique colors to Gods artwork. God has created all these for His glory, nature just shouts out praises to God. Oh, what wonderful praises.

Now imagine looking so closely to these things as you walk, hardly looking up to see what is in front of you, then you see this.

You see so much beauty surrounding you. It is breathtaking, and to imagine all the wonderful things God has hidden in the Jungles of Liberia, how many beautifully colored butterflies, how many insects I will never know exists; all in their, giving praise to the Lord.

Psalm 148

Praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD from the heavens;

praise him in the heights above.

Praise him, all his angels;

praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon;

praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens

and you waters above the skies.

Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for at his command they were created,

and he established them forever and ever—

he issued a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth,

you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

lightning and hail, snow and clouds,

stormy winds that do his bidding,

you mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars,

wild animals and all cattle,

small creatures and flying birds,

kings of the earth and all nations,

you princes and all rulers on earth,

young men and women,

old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for his name alone is exalted;

his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

And he has raised up for his people a horn,

the praise of all his faithful servants,

of Israel, the people close to his heart.

Praise the LORD.