After having a conversation with my father over the Internet he asked me if I had gone back through my blog to see if my views had changed at all. I actually skimmed through my journal that I have been keeping and found it interesting that my viewpoint has changed quite a bit. My dad encouraged me to share with you all how my viewpoint has changed.
In an earlier post I wrote about how frustrated I was getting with the people here and how I didn’t understand the mindset of the people. I had a very enlightening conversation with Maria who is an amazing woman. Her story is incredible and she has a servant’s heart that is obedient to the Lord. She was explaining why the people here are the way they are. In helping me understand she said how the war affected all of the men, women and children in Liberia. Many of the young men were taken from their families and villages and were forced to join the rebels, carry guns and fight. Many of the men who work for WACSN were forced to join the rebel groups and fight…they survived by dancing and singing to keep themselves alive. The women were abused and raped by the rebel groups. These young men and women were robbed of their childhood, of their dreams and of their innocence. The war ended 4 years ago but there are men and women who are now in their 20’s and 30’s have the mentality of a teenager. They never had a chance to be a child or a teenager. Many had family members killed during the war…some had to witness the death of family members. Many people tried to flee the country to stay alive. These men and women do not understand the meaning of family as they were taken from their parents, they do not understand how to resolve conflict and they do not know how to think for themselves because for years they were told what to do and they didn’t question why.
When I first came to Liberia I questioned why the adults didn’t think for themselves, why they said the things they said and I questioned the mindset of the people. I assumed that the people here were like me in how they "should" act or how they "should" think. I never took into account what they actually have been through and that was wrong of me. Now I have a clearer picture and I am more understanding of where the people are at. The people of Liberia have been through hell which was caused by its own people and are now trying to heal and regain confidence in themselves. It takes only a short time to destroy a country and its people but it takes a lifetime to rebuild it.
In closing I would like to share something that Maria challenged me with and I will never forget it. She told me now that I am aware of the problems it now becomes my responsibility to help and I can’t say that I don’t know about it. I encourage you to do the same…now that you know what some of the problems are what are you going to do to help?
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