Home ....but I left my heart in Logantown

After being up for 51 hours for our final day and trip home, we are taking a couple of days to get acclimated and adjusted to being home. This blog sight will remain active for several weeks as Jerry and I and team members use this forum to reflect on our trip and to ponder how God is speaking through our experiences. I will begin today with just a brief review of our last few days in Liberia for those of you that have been faithfully following this blog.
Friday was our last work day. We started the morning touring the Operation Classroom offices, and shared worship with our fellow United Methodists at the UMC compound which was a block from where we were staying. Then we were back to St. Matthews to finish up. When we arrived the workers had already done a lot of work, so we helped with the final stucco work around the lower outside foundation, and some final areas inside. Some of the guys helped hammer wooden frames for the windows, and after lunch we used different looking brooms to attempt to sweep the entire inside and newly cemented floor. The week saw all of the stuccoing finished inside and out, sand laid inside as well as 2 inches of cement over the entire inside. That may not sound like much, but bear in mind that all of the cement and stucco was mixed by hand and shovels as there are no "modern" cement mixers around, and each load when prepared was moved and spread by wheelbarrow and hand. Before we left on Friday we joined with the workers, School teachers and leaders, and ourselves to have a brief dedication service in the new cafeteria. Rev. Cindy Reynolds held the hand of the Vice Principal and prayed, and then Cindy Gack enlisted two taller men, Pastor Jim from our team and one of the workers from the Liberian group to reach up over the threshold of both sides of the entrances, and administered anointing oil. Some of the school personnel spontaneously began singing "What a friend we have in Jesus", and we all sang. American and Liberian hands made the sign of the cross over the entrances. We really were united as one at that moment in our love for one another, Jesus, and our concern for children everywhere. It was very difficult and sad to leave the sight, and it was like leaving family behind.
Saturday was spent in the van, touring the countryside. We wanted to have a vision of what the area outside of Monrovia was like. We toured the "red Light" district in Monrovia, which is an area around two intersections that at one time had a working red light. It is now a market area that is extremely crowded with people and anything that anyone in the area might want to buy. As we entered the country we saw more evidence of the civil wars that had taken place from 1989-2003. Places that at one time had been prosperous with large homes were gutted with destruction, with small mud huts next to them with new people living there. We visited a UMC retreat center and again met up with our singing women from St. Matthews that were there on ad district women's retreat. They again welcomed us with great hospitality. The country reflected the poverty conditions of the country in a little more laid back fashion, and gave us some good views of some of the natural resources of the land in bananas, rubber plants, pineapple plants and rice plantation. As we finished our tour we tried shopping the streets of downtown Monrovia, which in itself was an eye opening experience.
Sunday was worship. Rev. Cindy Reynolds preached at St. Matthews, the church that houses the school where we had worked. Pastor Jim, Pastor Mary and Pastor Bill all went to various other churches in the area to preach, and then were brought back to join us for the latter part of the service. Pastor Cindy G. chose to stay at St. Matthews to worship with Jerry and to sing with the Work team choir. It is impossible to totally capture the awesome experience of the worship service, but I will give my impressions. Hopefully other members of the work team will comment with their impressions also.
The service itself followed a definite order of worship that generally followed a typical book of worship format. The choir had no instruments other than drums, bongos, and their voices. They did not let that keep them from singing and dancing their praises to God. We sang some hymns together as well as praise music that was really animated with dancing and singing. The youth choir from the school sang an awesome song. Pastor Cindy Reynolds offered an inspiring message, and everyone came to the front in joy to give their offerings to God. At each part of the worship, it was emphasized by the church at how grateful they all were for our presence there and the Warsaw District's help in building their cafeteria.
Toward the end of the service they took time to officially honor us and they had a surprise for each of us. They called Cindy R up and gave her a beautiful hand made African dress, and head dress to match, which they preceded to have her wear. Then they called each of the work team up individually for recognition, and we each received African dresses or shirts to wear for the rest of the morning. This was an overwhelming display of generosity and thanksgiving by a church that didn't even have the funds to pay their Pastor over the past month! We were all humbled and so appreciative of this gift from the heart of a group of people that we each had learned to love.
We were able to give back. We had decided as a group to buy them a keyboard, which we presented to them that morning. Cindy L played the keyboard and the "district choir" sang 'Amazing Grace/Our Chains are gone' with the Liberians. They were so excited and thrilled to have an instrument to play for morning worship! We also presented a check for their offering and for the pastor so that he could get paid for the month.
We reluctantly again said good bye, and went back to the compound to pack and get ready to leave later that day.
Though the trip home took a chunk of two days, we were grateful to sleep in our own beds last night. The blogs over the next few days will be more of a reflection of the Liberian experience by myself and other members of the team.
I am thankful to be home, to have a toilet that flushes and electricity that runs my house. But a part of my heart remains with the people of Liberia that shared such joy of living, love and gratefulness for our presence, and hope in the Lord despite so many reasons not to. CG (Or Cindy #2)