We've arrived in Liberia!

January 21, 2009

Greetings to you all in the name of our precious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!

There is so much security at the airport in Accra. Armed security everywhere! It's very peaceful and we feel safe here. And you think that's bad, the grocery store has security at the end of every aisle. Going to the grocery store is a major luxury as most people do market shopping. Inside stores are for the rich.

For all of you who have invested personally into our trip, just know that it is worth every dollar when you see the joy on these people's faces that HFA has kept our promise to return. The second time Marsha went, they just never imagined that she would keep her promise to come – especially in a world where they receive so many empty promises! And for those who donate to Hearts for Africa, know that EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR is spent as God directs and used with caution! We don't just walk around handing out money to whoever asks for some. We work alongside those who live there and know the needs best… unless, of course, God places a special burden on our hearts. When the people thank us, we remind them it is NOT us who is giving you the help. First, it's God's money; second, we have some very generous people in Canada who care deeply for you and love you. They are the ones sending us out.

We have now arrived safely in Liberia with Kathleen waiting at the airport for us. It was a 1.5 hour flight, excellent service and they even fed us a hot meal on such a short flight!! James & Kathleen have a comfortable home here in the district of Monrovia. Getting used to a new country is always a little overwhelming. We got the rundown on security tonight – all I can say is please pray for continual safety for this family!! We are only here 5 nights but they have chosen to live here to serve God out of obedience to Him. Reminds me of Moses: He chose to live with the suffering Israelites rather than the passing pleasures….. The generator runs only in the evening for the lights and the fridge is powered by solar, but they will run the small generator tonight for us so we can run the fans – they are so accommodating!!! . Good thing we love camping!! :)

The Ngenda's have 4 children, 3 of them are boys. Our boys are thrilled of course!! When we got here, they were ready for the beach so off we went, piled in the 4-Runner and it was just a 10 minute drive to the ocean. It was a great relaxing time, and our visiting was extended as the keys got locked in the vehicle. (see picture below of us breaking into the vehicle!)

Before we got settled into our room, Les and Josh had to catch a lizard in our room first to rest my mind!!!
Tomorrow Kathleen will bring us to meet our guy Chris at the school and we'll let you know what the day brings. Chris was one of our workers in Buduburam and returned to Liberia last fall. Thank you for your prayers. Praise God that He has everything under his control.

Arriving in Monrovia, Liberia:

Here is a picture of us breaking into our vehicle: