Doing something for someone else

As I'm preparing for my trip I can't help but wonder why and how Africa is the way it is. It is an absolutely beautiful country and the culture is unbelievable but what happened along the way to bring the country to poverty, orphans, AIDS and war? I'm taking an International Environmental class and I've been reading about how we as humans destroy the environment due to technology, overpopulation, over use age of our natural resources...the list can go on and on. It wasn't until I was reading Collapse by Jared Diamond and in talking with my friend Katie that I realized maybe it is the other way around. Maybe the environment influences human behavior. I think about Liberia and how the country has been torn apart by civil war and how that left the country with an unemployment rate of 85% (and that is generous) and that left Liberia as the third poorest country in the world. The people of Liberia do not trust anyone...not even their own people. What country would want to invest in a Liberia when it is unstable? The only reason another country would invest in Liberia honestly is for its natural resources. Then once those are depleted then they will pull out and Liberia will be back at square one.

I have spent many hours thinking and talking with my dad about what needs to happen to bring hope and life back into Liberia. Most of us would think - structured government, education, health care....that's what I thought until last week when I went to church with my dad. The pastor just got back from Liberia as he adopted 2 beautiful twin girls he was saying how he was thinking about what needs to be done in Liberia and he thought the same ideas..government, education, health care, etc. however all of those ideas were previously done. Liberia's government was modeled after the United State's government, a university was built and modeled after the schools in the US....so what needs to happen how? What Liberia needs now is prayer. He said how when you hear the cry of others how we need to respond. Does that mean that you have to go adopt or travel over there? No you don't need to do that but we as a nation need to do something....support a child, send supplies that are needed, pray for those who live in Liberia or support people going on mission trips. I encourage you to help out in any way possible. We are all in this together....look outside yourself and do something for someone else.

I heard this quote and it says "You will be blessed when you give to one knowing that will never be able to repay you".

Fathers Day

Fathers day......a day in the American culture where we honor our fathers. It occurred to me yesterday as I was spending time with my dad that there are so many children around the world who do not have fathers, mothers or people in their life who unconditionally love and nurture them. Why.....why is this happening all over the world? There are multiple reasons why - selfish reasons, disease, war, death...the list could go on and on. It blows my mind that 143 million orphans (orphanshope.com) worldwide are left alone to fight this harsh world by themselves to survive with nobody to support, love, encourage or guide them through life. I have been mentally preparing myself for my trip. I know that I will have a hard time emotionally seeing people living in the conditions that we as Americans are not used to and seeing this beautiful country that has been destroyed by its own people. How do you prepare youself to experience Liberian women begging you to take their children so that they can have a chance to live a life without being susceptible to the hardship that they will endure if they stay in Liberia. All I can do is pray that I am equipped to be able to soak in the culture, life, emotion that Liberia has to offer.

Is this real?

My trip is rapidly approaching and I still can't believe I'm actually fulfilling a long time dream. I got my shots and have my itinerary but today it really hit me that I'm leaving in a month. I'm excited, nervous and scared all at the same time. I'm excited to be able to go over to Africa and help these men, women and children who have no hope and I have been praying that I will be able to make an impact on just one person...if that was to happen it would be totally worth it. I am excited to go to the place where Vengee and James came from. To see where they lived, to meet their friend and family will be an experience that I will treasure. It will be in some way bittersweet. To be able to take the project that I am developing over there to see if it would work and help the citizens of Liberia is an honor. I'm definitely nervous to be traveling such a long way by myself...if you know me at all I'm sure you're just as nervous as I am! I'm also a little nervous of the unknown. I'm a little nervous that I'm going so far away by myself...I've always traveled with my family overseas and to be going to a place that is totally outside of my comfort zone is a little scary. However I am glad that I'm going alone - I will be able to grow and only be able to rely on myself and the Lord is very exciting. I just can't believe that my time has finally come to live out my dream. This is going to be a crazy ride and I hope that I can savor every minute of it!

WACSN

The West African Children Support Network is a non-profit organization that was established in 1995, WACSN is dedicated to the rehabilitation of orphans and abandoned children in West African countries ravaged by war. Their vision is the development of alliances and collaborations with existing organizations to improve the lives of those we serve, especially children and mothers living in difficult economic circumstances. There are so many ways in which you can help WACSN - you can support a child, send supplies for food, building supplies, medical supplies...the list is endless. Check out WACSN's website at www.WACSN.org and please remember your donation doesn't need to be a huge amount....every little bit helps!

Background on Liberia

Twenty years of civil war were brought to a close in 1997 when free and open presidential and legislative elections were held. President Taylor now holds strong executive power with no real political opposition. Years of fighting, coupled with the flight of most businesses, have disrupted formal economic activity. A still unsettled domestic security situation has slowed the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country. In 2001, the UN imposed sanctions on Liberian diamonds, along with an arms embargo and a travel ban on government officials, for Liberia's support of the rebel insurgency in Sierra Leone. Renewed rebel activity has further eroded stability and economic activity. A regional peace initiative commenced in the spring of 2003 but was disrupted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) indictment of President Taylor on war crimes charges.

Facts:

Area: 43 000 square miles

Population: 3 million

Unemployment: 87%

Language: English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic-group languages

Natural Resources: Deposits of iron ore, rubber, timber, diamonds, gold and tin, hydropower; crude oil along Atlantic Coast