Funny how every morning it starts with dogs barking and then the fighting of dogs. I lay in bed and my brain seems to be thinking much faster than my heart can comprehend... I am reminded we are here for a purpose. Yes, a purpose! But there just seems to be so much to do and so many to help!! So we start our day by asking that God would make clear direction and light the way.
Our day starts off by waiting for our driver and Chris to come. They were to be here by 10:30 but that turned in to be 12:30. A reminder to us that we are on "African time".
We start the day off with intense heat. Again, a reminder of "Welcome to Liberia where it si HOT!" We adjust... We get our backpacks with our water supply for the day and we are good!
Our first stop today was to meet with a young man named Prince. We have a friend who is trying to finish her adoption in Ghana but needed some details fromthe birth dad. We met him and he was ver cooperative.
We went to Chris's house where the widows that we had helped set up small business back in November have been patiently waiting for us since 1:00. They do not complain about the wait but we all feel bad. Of course, both our driver Morris and our worker Chris say "it is no problem." We were greeted by the joyful voices of a "welcome" sond and dancing. It semed somewhat overwhelming and humbling at the same time! We were thanked over and over again. Our quick reply to thes was "if it wasn't for Chris being faithful, honest and a man of integrity, we probably would not be here." You see, to find an honest person can be difficult in Africa. Chris is quick to stand before those gathered and publicly declare that he is nothing without God. It's not him, but God that lives through him and to Hime be all the glory! Chris gets everyone's attention by proclaiming "Praise God" and the response is, "Amen, in Jesus's Name." The widows took turns giving their praise and are so thankful they are no longer sleeping on the ground but have a mattress! They are not concerned about new matching bedding but only a place to lay their head at night. (see the following post for pictures of this.)
There are children sitting on the ground and smiling and trying to touch our skin. For some, this may be the first time ever seeing a "white person". After our greetings and a prayer by Chris, we started to distribute our donations. Dr. Venier's office donated toothbrushes and toothpaste, so we handed the rest of these to the children. (see pictures in post below) They were so happy! By looking at some of their teeth, I think this may be their first time owning a toothbrush. Jackie quickly reminded them and did the example to "spit out the toothpaste and not to swallow it." We had one of the widows who came with an offering of bananas and other fruit as a gift of appreciation for all that HFA had done for her. She was set up with a small business of selling fruit at the market last November.
It was heart wrenching to see the Waylee family living in such a homeless situation yesterday. We asked each sponsor family if they were happy to be back in Liberia and they all said Yes, even though through all this hardship, they are so happy to be back home!! We made a little photo album for baby Sirleaf's mom of all the pictures of his surgery and his hospital stay. They women were ecstatic and so joyful to see themselves on a picture!
Today was a short day in matter of time but not in emotions. We had weveral pleas of assisting them with their children's school, small business and even to help with adoption.
Monrovia has a Red Light district here which we visited today... it's not what you think! It's this massive overcrowded market that most of the people in Monrovia shop at. No backpacks, hold on to your purse, keep the cell phone out of sight, you get the idea! Maurice was the leader, then 3 of us white women, then Chris. Chris really wanted us to experience this and we're glad that we did. Vehicle aircare could make a killing here with the amoung of pollution, walking on heaps of garbage, loud music, honking, crossing the road without getting hit, crowding and good prices! What a fantastic experience!!
All throughout the day, we are constantly speaking words of affirmation over Chris's life and encouraging him to continue to be a man of God. Again, a big thanks to allt hose over the last five years who have supported HFA through finances, prayer, and diligent work. Without you and your faithfulness, none of this would be possible. Because of you, you have made a huge difference and we sincerely thank you.
With love,
Marsha, Jackie and Ariel
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Pictures from February 23, 2011
When the people in Chris's village heard we were "in town" they gathered at Chris's house to sing songs of welcome and thanks!
Singing songs of welcome and thanksgiving!
One of the widows we helped out is singing her praises to God for what He has done for her!!
Another one of the widows with a HFA pillow.
And another widow that we also helped out is praising God!
This is the red light district (not as we know it) but is the main market where people go to buy their things.
Another picture of the red light district in Monrovia.
Ariel with some students at one of the schools we visited.
Marsha and Ariel handing out toothbrushes and toothpaste to kids in Chris's village.
The kids holding up their new toothbrushes!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
February 22, 2011 ~ update
This morning we set off with suitcases full of pillows, toothbrushes, shirts and other small donations from our Canadian sponsors for the sponsored families to visit as many of them as we could in one day.
Our first sponsor child we visited was Gifty Wah. We went to her school, then to her mother's house. Her mother is unemployed so Chris will help her set up a small business selling used clothing.
We navigated through rough terrain to our next school where we saw Nathaniel Doebah. We made extra photos of these kids so they could have a picture of themselves - this is very exciting for them! Then we went to Water Street, one of the poorest/dishonest places in Monrovia. (see following post for pictures) George Waylee and his family live in an abandoned building. This was the worst situation of all our sponsor families - 5 people are sharing one little room in the filthy upstairs and are cooking on a little coal burner downstairs. The roof leaks in many places so they are careful where to sleep. We're going to help them with one year's rent ($15/month) and also a small business for the mother, selling used clothing. It won't be great but it will be better than what they have now! We asked the mother how much they could rent a one or two bedroom place for that is better than this. Her reply was, "I don't know so I cannot lie." Currently she makes 70 LD (Liberian Dollars) which is abnout $1 USD per day! That is barely enough to buy one bag of rice in a month. You cannot even imagine the joy there has been among these families today!!! Chris mentioned we were coming but never told them when. We stopped at Muni and Alisha's home and waited for the girls to come from school. They thought Ariel was Skye - so cute!
Driving along the road we saw a graveyard that was all fenced and barbwired for security. "Hey Chris, what's up with that?" we asked. Maurice (our driver) and Chris both chuckled. "well, you see then people will steal the caskets and sell them and also throw their garbage in there."
There are a lot of motorcyles on the roads in Monrovia. They pass in the middle of two single lanes, they pass on the right sied or two can pass each other in the middle of a single lane road that has no median or turning land for room. They seem to have right of way here. Pedestrians have no rights.
We stopped by the cement factory, pricing out cement bags for Chris. He wants to sell cement blocks - something that is booming right now because of all the buiding going on. One of the managers at the guesthouse where we are staying at is a businessman and will make a few phonecalls for us as he is very knowledgeable in this. God is putting the right people on our path. It's truly amazing to see. We're not sure how to start out our day, but we just go out and start making the stops and God just directs us!
We just marvel at Chris's knowledge in getting around Monrovia. He knows where all the kids are living and where their schools are. He checks in with the teacher to see if it's ok if we can come in and see our kids. There are so many rough back roads we've travelled through today!
Then we went to Chris's house and saw his two daughters and a niece living with him. Chris says they have been "preparing for our arrival" and were so escited to see us! We will be setting up a small business for his niece who is 20 and is a seamstress.
Remember baby Sirleaf and the major surgery he had in his groin last year? We paid this family a surprise visit. Wow, this mom was so overjoyed to see us! We saw baby Sirleaf (see pictures on the other post) and he is healthy and well. We had set up his mom with a fish business last fall and she is doing well, enough to put food on the table. Ariel handed out more candy.
Emmanuel Richards was the last stop. What a cutie! Emmanuel's father asked if adoption was pat of our ministry program. Unfortunately not, but he pleaded with us to bring Emmanuel to Canada so he can get a good education. The father also has a 19 year old son who speaks fluent French while he was a refugee in the Ivory Coast. He wants to attend university so he is going to do some research and get back to Chris.
We asked a lot of questions to Chris and Maurice about the war and they were very open. He says a man can be walking with his wife, the rebels will grab his wife and say she is mine for the night. You have two choices: either try and defend her and get killed in the process or let her go and live.
It's amazing how much we got accomplished today! We met with most of the sponsor families
(see pictures in the following post) and we will finish them tomorrow. We had a busy busy day but it was a good kind of busy! Thank You God again for allowing us to be Your hands and feet! We serve YOU first!!
Love Marsha, Jackie, Ariel
Our first sponsor child we visited was Gifty Wah. We went to her school, then to her mother's house. Her mother is unemployed so Chris will help her set up a small business selling used clothing.
We navigated through rough terrain to our next school where we saw Nathaniel Doebah. We made extra photos of these kids so they could have a picture of themselves - this is very exciting for them! Then we went to Water Street, one of the poorest/dishonest places in Monrovia. (see following post for pictures) George Waylee and his family live in an abandoned building. This was the worst situation of all our sponsor families - 5 people are sharing one little room in the filthy upstairs and are cooking on a little coal burner downstairs. The roof leaks in many places so they are careful where to sleep. We're going to help them with one year's rent ($15/month) and also a small business for the mother, selling used clothing. It won't be great but it will be better than what they have now! We asked the mother how much they could rent a one or two bedroom place for that is better than this. Her reply was, "I don't know so I cannot lie." Currently she makes 70 LD (Liberian Dollars) which is abnout $1 USD per day! That is barely enough to buy one bag of rice in a month. You cannot even imagine the joy there has been among these families today!!! Chris mentioned we were coming but never told them when. We stopped at Muni and Alisha's home and waited for the girls to come from school. They thought Ariel was Skye - so cute!
Driving along the road we saw a graveyard that was all fenced and barbwired for security. "Hey Chris, what's up with that?" we asked. Maurice (our driver) and Chris both chuckled. "well, you see then people will steal the caskets and sell them and also throw their garbage in there."
There are a lot of motorcyles on the roads in Monrovia. They pass in the middle of two single lanes, they pass on the right sied or two can pass each other in the middle of a single lane road that has no median or turning land for room. They seem to have right of way here. Pedestrians have no rights.
We stopped by the cement factory, pricing out cement bags for Chris. He wants to sell cement blocks - something that is booming right now because of all the buiding going on. One of the managers at the guesthouse where we are staying at is a businessman and will make a few phonecalls for us as he is very knowledgeable in this. God is putting the right people on our path. It's truly amazing to see. We're not sure how to start out our day, but we just go out and start making the stops and God just directs us!
We just marvel at Chris's knowledge in getting around Monrovia. He knows where all the kids are living and where their schools are. He checks in with the teacher to see if it's ok if we can come in and see our kids. There are so many rough back roads we've travelled through today!
Then we went to Chris's house and saw his two daughters and a niece living with him. Chris says they have been "preparing for our arrival" and were so escited to see us! We will be setting up a small business for his niece who is 20 and is a seamstress.
Remember baby Sirleaf and the major surgery he had in his groin last year? We paid this family a surprise visit. Wow, this mom was so overjoyed to see us! We saw baby Sirleaf (see pictures on the other post) and he is healthy and well. We had set up his mom with a fish business last fall and she is doing well, enough to put food on the table. Ariel handed out more candy.
Emmanuel Richards was the last stop. What a cutie! Emmanuel's father asked if adoption was pat of our ministry program. Unfortunately not, but he pleaded with us to bring Emmanuel to Canada so he can get a good education. The father also has a 19 year old son who speaks fluent French while he was a refugee in the Ivory Coast. He wants to attend university so he is going to do some research and get back to Chris.
We asked a lot of questions to Chris and Maurice about the war and they were very open. He says a man can be walking with his wife, the rebels will grab his wife and say she is mine for the night. You have two choices: either try and defend her and get killed in the process or let her go and live.
It's amazing how much we got accomplished today! We met with most of the sponsor families
(see pictures in the following post) and we will finish them tomorrow. We had a busy busy day but it was a good kind of busy! Thank You God again for allowing us to be Your hands and feet! We serve YOU first!!
Love Marsha, Jackie, Ariel
February 22, 2011 ~ pictures
Here are some pictures of our day today:
Water Street - Monrovia ... such filth!
Water Street... the worst area in Monrovia.
Nathaniel Doebah, one of our sponsored students, at his school.
Ariel with Muni and Alisha Sharba, Skye's sponsored girls.
Baby Sirleaf's mother who we helped set up a fish business.
Marsha with Gifty Wah, another sponsored student.
At the home of George Waylee ... 5 sleep in this room!!
George Waylee with his family.
Emmanuel Richards with his gift from his Canadian sponsor.
The family of Emmanuel Richards at their home.
Baby Sirleaf, who had the groin surgery last year, with his mother.
At the home of Chris with his twin daughters, whom Marsha sponsors.
TIA... no air care here!!
We set up one of the widows we randomly blessed at Christmas with a small business of selling oil and gas in smaller quantities so it is more affordable for people to buy. This is her little stand.
Water Street - Monrovia ... such filth!
Water Street... the worst area in Monrovia.
Nathaniel Doebah, one of our sponsored students, at his school.
Ariel with Muni and Alisha Sharba, Skye's sponsored girls.
Baby Sirleaf's mother who we helped set up a fish business.
Marsha with Gifty Wah, another sponsored student.
At the home of George Waylee ... 5 sleep in this room!!
George Waylee with his family.
Emmanuel Richards with his gift from his Canadian sponsor.
The family of Emmanuel Richards at their home.
Baby Sirleaf, who had the groin surgery last year, with his mother.
At the home of Chris with his twin daughters, whom Marsha sponsors.
TIA... no air care here!!
We set up one of the widows we randomly blessed at Christmas with a small business of selling oil and gas in smaller quantities so it is more affordable for people to buy. This is her little stand.
Feb. 21, 2011 update
Wow, Liberia is sure a step down from Ghana!
Our plane left one hour early for Monrovia this morning - good thing we got to the airport hours ahead. Out here, when the plane is ready to leave, it leaves! We arrived in Monrovia with sweltering heat. The lady at Customs checked our luggage and saw all the donated item plus the HFA pillows, and claims we need to pay money to Customs. I dug out the HFA letter stating we're here with a mission and these are all donated items. However, she still insists we need to pay. We said "NO! These are donated items." "OK , OK, OK," she says, "I need some pillows" (bribe). "Ok, fine, take one." She takes one, and then another, then some toothbrushes, then some toothpaste, the some paper and pens. Marsha said in a very authoratative manner, "NO! you can't have those, they are personal items." "Ok, Ok, Ok, Ok," she says and she let us finally go!
Our ride hadn't arrived and were just leaving town when we called them. We couldn't get our cellphone to work and we were frantically trying to protect our luggage from those so willing to help. Foreigners really stand out! We found some shade and met some other foreigners from Canada. They're leaving for home after spending a month up country with medical missions with Canadian Baptist Mission. They gave us their SIM card so we could work the cell phone again.
Chris finally arrived with the driver from the guest house. He was SOOOOOOO excited to see us!!! He kept saying. "Thank God!" over and over again. He hasn't been well, he has a bad cold and dealing with malaria.
We stopped in at Chris's property on the way to Monrovia. We've helped him purchase a small piece of land while another Canadian donated funds for him to build his house. We handed out candy to the kids in his community and the group grew large very quickly!! As one of the children opened his little hand out for a candy, we quickly noticed that the flesh on the palm of his hand and between his tiny fingers was burnt badly. It seemed as though his layers of skin were separated and it looked just awful! We quickly found one of our bandages and put polysporin on it. We knew it wouldn't fix the problem but we hoped it would help at least a bit. There is lots of scabies among the children. Chris's land is being cleared. These guys do it for no charge because they need the wood and soon they will just burn the stumps and brush and it will be ready for building.
When we were in the field where Chris's land is, we found 3 girls digging in the stump of a tree. They were digging for worms (looks like maggots!!) for their African food. The older lady suggested we try "real African food". We nicely replied "another time". She said, "it is good food." We smiled :) (see picture below)
On the way back to the main road, some part of the rear end of the van fell down. No big deal, just take the tire off, tie up the loose part, tire back on and away we go... TIA! We kept reminding the driver to go slower as the van was wobbling. At 7- miles per hours and a part off and only being held together by a piece of twine found in the field, we were quick to remind the driver to "slow down"!
We had to pull over on the main road since there was a VP convoy, with sirens, police, UN vehicles and the Vice President.
There are so many new things being built in the city, but the effects of war are still seen through so much poverty and bullet holes in fences and abandoned buildings.
We arrived at the guest house with friendly familiar faces - a very nice place to stay! We feel safe here, with guards, dogs, high fences, and barbed wire. Chris ate dinner with us, prayed before he left with tears streaming down his face with his gratefulness to God for His faithfulness!!!!
Love Marsha, Jackie, and Ariel
In Chris's village.
Fixing the van ... African style!
Girls removing worms from the stumps to eat!!
Jackie and Marsha with Chris on his uncleared property.
People actually live in these types of homes!
Marsha handing out candy to children.
Ariel with some of the children in Chris's village.
Our plane left one hour early for Monrovia this morning - good thing we got to the airport hours ahead. Out here, when the plane is ready to leave, it leaves! We arrived in Monrovia with sweltering heat. The lady at Customs checked our luggage and saw all the donated item plus the HFA pillows, and claims we need to pay money to Customs. I dug out the HFA letter stating we're here with a mission and these are all donated items. However, she still insists we need to pay. We said "NO! These are donated items." "OK , OK, OK," she says, "I need some pillows" (bribe). "Ok, fine, take one." She takes one, and then another, then some toothbrushes, then some toothpaste, the some paper and pens. Marsha said in a very authoratative manner, "NO! you can't have those, they are personal items." "Ok, Ok, Ok, Ok," she says and she let us finally go!
Our ride hadn't arrived and were just leaving town when we called them. We couldn't get our cellphone to work and we were frantically trying to protect our luggage from those so willing to help. Foreigners really stand out! We found some shade and met some other foreigners from Canada. They're leaving for home after spending a month up country with medical missions with Canadian Baptist Mission. They gave us their SIM card so we could work the cell phone again.
Chris finally arrived with the driver from the guest house. He was SOOOOOOO excited to see us!!! He kept saying. "Thank God!" over and over again. He hasn't been well, he has a bad cold and dealing with malaria.
We stopped in at Chris's property on the way to Monrovia. We've helped him purchase a small piece of land while another Canadian donated funds for him to build his house. We handed out candy to the kids in his community and the group grew large very quickly!! As one of the children opened his little hand out for a candy, we quickly noticed that the flesh on the palm of his hand and between his tiny fingers was burnt badly. It seemed as though his layers of skin were separated and it looked just awful! We quickly found one of our bandages and put polysporin on it. We knew it wouldn't fix the problem but we hoped it would help at least a bit. There is lots of scabies among the children. Chris's land is being cleared. These guys do it for no charge because they need the wood and soon they will just burn the stumps and brush and it will be ready for building.
When we were in the field where Chris's land is, we found 3 girls digging in the stump of a tree. They were digging for worms (looks like maggots!!) for their African food. The older lady suggested we try "real African food". We nicely replied "another time". She said, "it is good food." We smiled :) (see picture below)
On the way back to the main road, some part of the rear end of the van fell down. No big deal, just take the tire off, tie up the loose part, tire back on and away we go... TIA! We kept reminding the driver to go slower as the van was wobbling. At 7- miles per hours and a part off and only being held together by a piece of twine found in the field, we were quick to remind the driver to "slow down"!
We had to pull over on the main road since there was a VP convoy, with sirens, police, UN vehicles and the Vice President.
There are so many new things being built in the city, but the effects of war are still seen through so much poverty and bullet holes in fences and abandoned buildings.
We arrived at the guest house with friendly familiar faces - a very nice place to stay! We feel safe here, with guards, dogs, high fences, and barbed wire. Chris ate dinner with us, prayed before he left with tears streaming down his face with his gratefulness to God for His faithfulness!!!!
Love Marsha, Jackie, and Ariel
In Chris's village.
Fixing the van ... African style!
Girls removing worms from the stumps to eat!!
Jackie and Marsha with Chris on his uncleared property.
People actually live in these types of homes!
Marsha handing out candy to children.
Ariel with some of the children in Chris's village.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
February 20, 2011
Dear Friends,
We were wrong about the temperatures yesterday, it was still in the low 30s. Today was in the high 30s with high humidity but we're slowly climatizing!
We're staying at a Bible Institute Guest House and we met someone from Chilliwack here. Can you believe it? God is amazing with His timing - He has all these God-ordained appointments and times of encouragement in total control!! The neat thing he is not even staying here - he came to meet with the guest house manager. "Where are you from? Canada. Oh, that's neat, so are we. Where in Canada? Oh, we're from Chilliwack. Oh, I grew up there. What road do you live on. Prest Road. Oh, I was on Yale Road, my dad makes pipe organs." It's Marcel. (insert note here: Jackie went to school with his sister! and we know the family quite well!) Marcel is in Ghana doing some work with rescuing children caught up in child slavery. It was one of those "Wow" moments that just makes us marvel in God!
Here is another cool story. On the plane from Vancouver to Frankfurt, this man was sitting beside us who was going to visit his family in Eritrea. I asked if it was dangerous for Christians to live there. Well, he says, there are two types of Christians. Orthodox-state church and Born Again Christians who are persecuted. He is a born again believer! We shook hands upon our arrival in Frankfurt, knowing that we will see on another again in eternity.
We went to church this morning with another Canadian who is staying at the guesthouse here as well. We were hoping for something with more African culture like they had at the camp, but instead we were at the Holiday Inn in an airconditioned room. That was too much like North America! Next week we will ask the taxi driver to go with him. Apparently Obama stayed at this new Holiday Inn two years ago when he was here. The story is that the whole area was blocked off during his stay and the airport was closed for two full days. The drivers all talk about it.
Tonight we are packing our bags for our flight to Monrovia, Liberia tomorrow. By the time you get up in the morning, hopefully we will have arrived there. Please pray for us; for safety and health. Life is much more primitive in a country that is just recovering from a 14-year civil war. We fully trust in God's sovereignty over us in every event. Please pray for direction and for our hearts and minds to be open to the Holy Spirit's leading.
We thank all those who are looking after our families while we are away. It's humbling to see everyone pulling together so we can be here to wrap things up and encourage our poverty-stricken brothers and sisters in the Lord.
We're not sure about internet access in Liberia, but we will try our best with updates.
Love in Jesus Christ our Lord,
Marsha, Jackie, and Ariel
We were wrong about the temperatures yesterday, it was still in the low 30s. Today was in the high 30s with high humidity but we're slowly climatizing!
We're staying at a Bible Institute Guest House and we met someone from Chilliwack here. Can you believe it? God is amazing with His timing - He has all these God-ordained appointments and times of encouragement in total control!! The neat thing he is not even staying here - he came to meet with the guest house manager. "Where are you from? Canada. Oh, that's neat, so are we. Where in Canada? Oh, we're from Chilliwack. Oh, I grew up there. What road do you live on. Prest Road. Oh, I was on Yale Road, my dad makes pipe organs." It's Marcel. (insert note here: Jackie went to school with his sister! and we know the family quite well!) Marcel is in Ghana doing some work with rescuing children caught up in child slavery. It was one of those "Wow" moments that just makes us marvel in God!
Here is another cool story. On the plane from Vancouver to Frankfurt, this man was sitting beside us who was going to visit his family in Eritrea. I asked if it was dangerous for Christians to live there. Well, he says, there are two types of Christians. Orthodox-state church and Born Again Christians who are persecuted. He is a born again believer! We shook hands upon our arrival in Frankfurt, knowing that we will see on another again in eternity.
We went to church this morning with another Canadian who is staying at the guesthouse here as well. We were hoping for something with more African culture like they had at the camp, but instead we were at the Holiday Inn in an airconditioned room. That was too much like North America! Next week we will ask the taxi driver to go with him. Apparently Obama stayed at this new Holiday Inn two years ago when he was here. The story is that the whole area was blocked off during his stay and the airport was closed for two full days. The drivers all talk about it.
Tonight we are packing our bags for our flight to Monrovia, Liberia tomorrow. By the time you get up in the morning, hopefully we will have arrived there. Please pray for us; for safety and health. Life is much more primitive in a country that is just recovering from a 14-year civil war. We fully trust in God's sovereignty over us in every event. Please pray for direction and for our hearts and minds to be open to the Holy Spirit's leading.
We thank all those who are looking after our families while we are away. It's humbling to see everyone pulling together so we can be here to wrap things up and encourage our poverty-stricken brothers and sisters in the Lord.
We're not sure about internet access in Liberia, but we will try our best with updates.
Love in Jesus Christ our Lord,
Marsha, Jackie, and Ariel
Saturday, February 19, 2011
February 19, 2011 - update
Today we met with the women from Buduburam Camp.
This morning we spent a few hours with Jassie as she came to our guest house. She takes care of the sponsorship for us at the camp. We worked on paying the 2nd term fees for all the students today. All the high school students (gr. 10-12) are paid for the rest of the school year. We did not visit the camp this time due to some unsettling situation last week when 5 people were shot and killed during a dispute. Jassie took all the sponsorship donations back with her and will be distributing them to the children over the next few days. For Jassie's sake we decided to enroll the students into the 2nd term, even though this wasn't our initial plan. Jassie came with this letter from the school stating they are holding her accountable and will take legal action against her if she doesn't pay the 2nd term fees since the fees were overdue. Since there is little justice at the camp, this could mean jail time for Jassie. We took this very seriously and of course will do everything to protect Jassie as a single mother who has been faithful in her sponsorship work for us. TIA! (This Is Africa)
This is a picture of us (Marsha and Jackie) with Jassie:
This morning we spent a few hours with Jassie as she came to our guest house. She takes care of the sponsorship for us at the camp. We worked on paying the 2nd term fees for all the students today. All the high school students (gr. 10-12) are paid for the rest of the school year. We did not visit the camp this time due to some unsettling situation last week when 5 people were shot and killed during a dispute. Jassie took all the sponsorship donations back with her and will be distributing them to the children over the next few days. For Jassie's sake we decided to enroll the students into the 2nd term, even though this wasn't our initial plan. Jassie came with this letter from the school stating they are holding her accountable and will take legal action against her if she doesn't pay the 2nd term fees since the fees were overdue. Since there is little justice at the camp, this could mean jail time for Jassie. We took this very seriously and of course will do everything to protect Jassie as a single mother who has been faithful in her sponsorship work for us. TIA! (This Is Africa)
This is a picture of us (Marsha and Jackie) with Jassie:
This afternoon, Hannah (whom we had known since the first time we went to the camp 5 years ago) came to see us at our guest house. It was nice to spend the afternoon with her. We are looking at the possibility of relocating Jassie and Hannah to Liberia and setting up small businesses for them, but that is a pretty scary thing for them. Hannah has been at the camp for 20 years already! This is all she knows and this is comfortable for her, so the thought of moving away is intimidating, but there really is no future for her and her kids at the camp.
Here is a picture of Jackie and Ariel with Hannah:
It was a bit cooler today - mid 20s.
Thank you for your continued prayers! We pray God will break our hearts for what breaks His!!
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