Home sweet home.

I know, I know -- it's a been a while since I've posted. Please forgive me. Life has been...well, crazy (to say the least) and blogging has simply fallen to the bottom of the to-do list.

As you know, I made it safely back to the good ol' US of A on June 29th for a time of rest, relaxation, and fund-raising before I head back to Liberia in the fall. I'm in Pennsylvania until August 2, and then I'll be driving up to Ontario to visit my family in the Guelph/Toronto area. I'll be back around the 14th, only to fly out on the 17th to see my Mom and siblings in Alberta. I get back to Pennsylvania again on the 26th of August, and have a little time left at home before I have to head out to Seattle sometime around the 9th or 10th of September. And after all of that, it's back to Liberia.
(WOW. Talk about a full schedule; it's even making my own head spin a little bit, to be honest!)

Life at home has been wonderful, though. Busy, yes, but also absolutely wonderful. It was definitely a little weird at first; part of me felt like it was still in Liberia while the rest of me was trying to jump into life here head-first. After a couple of days of adjusting and getting acclimated, I quickly fell back into the routine of life here. I have so enjoyed catching up with old friends and making new ones, talking about all that has happened over the past seven months. It's so much fun to share stories and pictures and videos from Liberia, and I am continually overwhelmed by all the love, encouragement, and support I've received. (You guys are the BEST!) And, of course, I can't deny how nice it's been to take a hot shower. To walk around Target and bookstores and sit around my favorite coffee shops. To drive my car again--on paved roads! In a place where there's actually traffic laws...and people who abide by them! To grab my iPod and hit the trails at Gring's Mill (one my most favorite ways to unwind!) To see my church family (who, by the way, are amazing. Absolutely, hands-down, 100% amazing. I love you guys!) To straighten my hair (I know--totally girly and a little high-maintenance. But I'm being honest. I really missed my flat iron while I was in Liberia!) To eat something besides rice or bread. Liiiike....salads. And cereal. And Panera. Oh, wow. I'd almost forgotten how much I love Panera...

Anyway, like I said: life at home has been wonderful. I am so thankful to have this time, and I want to savor each and every moment.
(And if you and I haven't gotten together yet...well, we really need to. Send me an email or Facebook message, and we'll make it happen.)

Crafty Kiddos

Last week, Ashley's mom Karen came to Liberia to visit, along with Jake, who goes to Ashley's church in Atlanta. Some of their time was spent working at Danny Feeney, the new orphanage that we're building for 37 kids who are currently squatting in a deteriorating building that was once a radio station. (You can read more about the project on our blog.) The rest of the time, though, they were at orphanages, participating in the Child Development Program. They brought fun and colorful foam crosses for the kids to decorate with stickers, markers, stick-on jewels (which the kids call "shine"), and glitter glue (which is called, funny enough, "shiny-shine.") Below are some favorite pictures from the week--thanks Karen and Jake (and Ashley) for the great photos!

"Do you know that I love you?"

Many of you have heard me talk about Beyan, the little boy who captured my heart when I visited Liberia in 2008. Actually, he is one of the main reasons that I came back here. You see, there are so many Beyans in Liberia--so many children who are stuck in seemingly hopeless situations, children who are starving for love and care and attention, children who just deserve...more. So, when I heard God telling me that He wanted me to "speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves" and "defend the rights of the poor and needy" (Proverbs 31.8,9), I knew that, in a way, I was being called to speak up for the Beyans. If I truly loved them with the heart the Father, there was no way I could stay silent...and no way I could walk away from them.

The first time I saw Beyan after coming back to Liberia was on my birthday (talk about the best birthday present ever!) I wasn't sure if he remembered me or not, but he sat in my lap while I hugged and squeezed and loved on him as I choked back my tears. Since then, I've tried to make it out to the orphanage he lives at every two weeks. Through spending time with him, I've learned so much about Beyan's personality. As adorable and lovable and snuggable as he is, he has quite a temper as well, and can throw some pretty intense tantrums. He can also be extremely stubborn when he wants to be (especially if he's in trouble for something), refusing to talk to look at, talk to or even acknowledge you. As we say in Liberia, "that boy is frisky!"

Still, I make it a point to pull him aside and say goodbye to him every time I leave. I hug him and tell him that I'll miss him and I'll be praying for him. Then I ask, "Beyan, do you know that I love you?" He always looks down at the ground and shakes his head no, so I give him another hug and make sure to tell him, "Beyan, I want you to know that I love you so much." Over the past six months, this has become our routine.

Yesterday, I made my normal visit to the orphanage. Beyan and I sat and colored, played with one of his toys, and then he took me behind the building to show me some purple (which is his favorite color) flowers he discovered, all the while smiling and talking more than he has in weeks. In fact, he was so animated and chattering away so quickly that, most of the time, I had no clue what he was saying!
When it was time for me to go, I took Beyan's hand, told him I would miss him and be praying for him, and gave him a big ol' hug. Then I asked him the question. "Beyan, do you know that I love you?"

This time, his response was different. Instead of looking down and shaking his head like he normally does, Beyan looked right at me, gave a little smile, and nodded! My heart felt so full at that moment that I was sure it was going to burst.

For all I know, I could go back to the orphanage next week, and Beyan could be back to his old, feisty self, wanting nothing to do with anyone, staring at the ground and answering no when I ask if he knows I love him.
But that's okay. I still have the hope of yesterday to hold on to, and I still have the promises of my God which tell me love is the greatest of all gifts, the one that can never, ever fail.

Timothy

Timothy is a shy, soft-spoken little boy who is in my small group on Friday afternoons. He's usually pretty quiet, but he always gives me a hug when he sees me and flashes me a smile that just melts my heart.

About a month ago, Timothy was a participant in the Bible Contest (you can read more about the contest here). When I asked him to recite the books of the Bible, I noticed that he seemed to be having some difficulty saying certain words. Curious, I asked the director's wife if she had noticed Timothy having any problems with his speech. She told me that he'd always struggled with it and, though the other kids at the home could usually understand him, he did get picked on and made fun of at times. Hearing that, my heart just broke. I hate knowing that any child is being teased -- especially sweet Timothy, and especially for something that isn't his fault.

I made up my mind that day that I was determined to help Timothy any way I could. Now, in America, if I noticed one of my students having problems with speech, I would arrange for him/her to go to speech therapy; in Liberia, however, kids don't have that option. There is no speech therapist at Timothy's school and, as hard as I tried, I was unable to find a contact in the area who could give me advice. Disappointed, I started praying for God to send someone to help Timothy.
I had no idea that the someone would end up being me.

As I was laying in bed one night, thinking and praying about the situation, the figurative light-bulb finally went off. I remembered that I had brought a whole bunch of phonics materials with me when I came to Liberia, as I had planned on using them to assess reading levels in the kids. But then I realized that I had seen the same phonics materials used for speech lessons, since they help children practice letter and special sounds! It appeared I had found the answer. Quickly, though, my excitement faded as my fear and insecurity started to set in: There's no way I can do this. I'm not qualified. I've never done this kind of thing before. It's not going to work.
But then I heard Him -- clearly. Distinctly. "I've never given you a task that I haven't equipped you for." And then I saw Timothy's precious little face and that sweet smile of his, and it was such a gentle, beautiful reminder that the whole thing wasn't about me at all. It's about the God who loves Timothy so deeply and so fiercely, the Father who desires for His child Timothy to have every opportunity and chance to succeed in life, just like any other parent would.

So, for the past two weeks, on Wednesday afternoons, Timothy and I have been having "our special time." (It's very important to me that he doesn't think I'm meeting with him because he's in trouble, or because he's different or has a problem, or because I've singled him out. I want him to know I love him, and I like spending time with him -- and that's why we meet.) We practice his speech with flashcards, by reading together, doing alphabet puzzles, or just telling stories and talking with one another. Timothy seems to be excited about our time, and he's eager to "study" his sounds throughout the week (I've left some flashcards that I made with him, and he practices saying the letters, sounds, and words.)

Please remember Timothy in your prayers in the coming weeks. Pray that he and I will continue to bond with one another and build our relationship, and that he will continue looking forward to and being excited about our times together. Pray that, with practice and over time, he will be able to clearly communicate with his friends, his peers, his family -- everyone he comes into contact with. Pray that his self-confidence will increase, and that he will come to believe that he truly can "do all things through Christ" who strengthens him. And pray that, above all, he will know that he is a dear, special child of God, uniquely created, "fearfully and wonderfully made."

Everything In Its Place

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm all about order and organization. While it's true that I have gotten much better about keeping my cool in the midst of a mess, I still have a hard time leaving anything laying around; it's like I feel compelled to pick it up and put it back where it belongs!
So, something I'd been wanting to do for a while was to create a "supply area" here at the team house for the Child Development Program. All of the crayons, pencils, construction paper, scissors, etc. were scattered throughout the office in various bins, boxes, and suitcases, and that made it difficult to keep an inventory of our supplies. (Plus, they were just taking up too much space!) So, we decided we would take some measurements and find someone to make us a shelf for CDP materials.

This weekend, though, Ashley and I decided to go check out a local garage sale -- and we found a shelf that was just like the one we had in mind! We got a great deal on it and happily took it back to the house.

The next task, then, was to dig through all the program's supplies and organize them accordingly on the shelf: one bin for markers, one bin for glue sticks, etc. -- and labeling everything, of course!
We had some time this morning, so we eagerly got to work. A few hours later, we flopped down on the couch (drenched in sweat, might I add!) to admire the finished product. Ain't it pretty?!

New Creations!

As a follow-up to our Easter lesson, the kids in the Child Development Program are making butterfly crafts this week. We're relating the metamorphosis that the caterpillar goes through to the change that occurs when we have Christ in us. We're also reading the story of Saul and what happened to him on the road to Damascus; he's a great example of a life completely changed by Jesus!
The kids had a blast decorating their butterflies with crayons, paper and glitter-glue, and they loved showing off their creations. Please pray that the message will sink in and stay with them for years to come: that they, too, are just like butterflies -- new creations in and because of Jesus!"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5.17, NIV

Guess My Skin Disease!

If you guessed miliaria rubra (also known as "prickly heat", "heat rash" or "sweat rash"), you're correct.

About a week ago, I started noticing some red bumps on my shoulders that were extremely irritating in a sting-y, burn-y kind of way. Not thinking too much of it, I lathered up with some antibacterial soap in the shower and went to bed. I woke up in the morning to find the bumps had spread from my shoulders almost down to my elbows. As time went on, it appeared on my chest, back, neck and jawline. And I won't lie to you -- it's making me pretty miserable.

Apparently, treatment options include moving to an air-conditioned environment and avoiding sweat-provoking activities. Umm...yeah right. Not gonna happen. (It's also recommended that I take frequent cool showers, which I plan to start doing. I have this pretty awesome antibacterial soap that turns your skin blackish-blue when you lather up. And it also smells a little bit like Lysol, so that's pretty interesting, too.)

Please note that this rash is completely separate from the one that I have on my left forearm, which I suspect is also heat/sweat-related. That one consists of about a dozen red bumps (some raised) that are more spread out across my skin. And that one doesn't sting; it only slightly itches every once in a while.

Fun, fun, fun. : /