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.