My departure time to Liberia continues to come closer.  In two days I will meet most of my team for the first time and the next day we will arrive at Camphor Mission Station.  My friend, Abby, will be going on the trip, but the rest of the team I have either never met or only met briefly.  I am so excited to befriend my team members as well as grow closer together through this experience.  

One of the most important lessons learned on my last visit is that relationships with others matter.  Kathy, the Camphor missionary, emphasized throughout the entire trip that building relationships with Liberians plays a pivotal role to understanding and helping them.  Liberians, as well as all other human beings, want to be loved and prayed for.  By giving them love and prayer we are doing our job as servants of Christ.  This is not to say that building projects, hunger relief, and well digging projects should fall to the way side.  Rather, Kathy emphasizes building relationships before, during, and after these projects.  Everyone can share love, so everyone can be the hands of Christ.  

Only four more days until I will be boarding a flight with my team to Liberia!! I am beyond excited and cannot wait to see all of the wonderful people I met two years ago!  In particular, I am excited to see how nine-year-old Ester and eight-year-old Annie-Joe are doing.  Both live in Camphor and they are best friends.  Everyday they would tag along beside our team, making it very easy for us to get to know them.  I have been praying for these two little girls and cannot wait to see them next week!

Ester on the left and Annie-Joe on the right

Ester:
A wonderful, outgoing little girl who came right up to me on my first day at Camphor.  Whenever walking, Ester would come right up to hold my hand and walk with me to my destination, using that time to get to know me.  After returning, Ester sent a letter to me.  In it she asked me not to forget about her when I return to America.  I am so excited to see her again and reassure her that I have not forgotten her and that I have been praying for her.  

Annie-Joe:
She is one of the happiest girls I have ever seen in my life.  Even though she lives in rural Liberia that has just come out of a civil war, is lacking in natural resources, without sanitation, and sometimes even short on food she is HAPPY.  Annie-Joe proves that being surrounded by loving people is the only necessity needed to be happy in life.  I should be happy, like Annie-Joe, because loving people surround me.

5 Days Away...

In five days I will be boarding a plane on my way to Liberia, Africa.  I am so excited and thankful to be voyaging to Camphor Mission Station in Bassa County for a second time.  In preparation for my travels I felt that sharing my first experience would be a helpful exercise, so everyday this week I will post a story from my last visit to Camphor.

The Car Ride
Camphor Mission Station is east of Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, in Bassa County.  The drive to the mission station is both fascinating and heartbreaking.  While looking out the window during the four hour drive I felt like I was looking back in time.  Mud huts line the dirt road.  Women are crouched over a fire cooking their daily meals.  Children are playing barefoot along the street in ripped up t-shirts.  The few other vehicles that share the road with our land rover are completely crammed with people who are in need of transportation.  Those who cannot fit, walk along the side of the road carrying their belongings on top of their head.  As the vehicle nears Camphor, children begin running along the side of the car waving and shouting Bassa greetings.  Matt, the driver, pulled the car to a stop and I was able to get my first glance at this little piece of heaven that I would call home for the next two weeks.

A look at part of Camphor and the road we drove in on.

A good example of what some of the houses looks like.  

The natural resources in Liberia were all destroyed during the civil war.  This includes the canopy of the jungle-like terrain there.  Now the land looks very similar to that of central Florida.

Things I realized this summer:

1.  I have a wonderful life

2.  Having a loving, supportive family is not as common as it should be

3.  Everyone is important

4.  Gay Street United Methodist Church is a great church.   

5.  Mount Vernon is not a lame town.  It gave me a safe and loving environment to grow up in.  

6.  My mother and grandmothers make the best food. Especially cookies!

7.  Kids should have fewer worries 

8.  Listening is always good

9.  Most people are kind and caring, it's just a matter of saying hello    

Ice Cream Truck and Chalk Drawings

The reading coalition of Palm Beach County graciously donated books to all of the CROS camps.  At the end of each camp every child went home with a box full of books at their reading level.  Also, books were donated to stay at the camps, these books were to be either read to the kids or put in the book bin that the kids had access to during quiet time.  One of the books that we read was about ice cream, so it was organized that an ice cream truck came to our church!  It was a complete surprise to the kids.  They all ran out to get ice cream off of the truck once they realized it was waiting outside.

That same day all of the kids had their bodies traced in chalk, then they colored in the outline to make it look as if they themselves were laying on the sidewalks.  This was really fun and the kids got really into it.  Here are some of them:

Fiesta Friday!

Today with the kids we had a Fiesta day.  It included: making sombreros and fake mustaches, taking a siesta, playing pin the tail on the donkey, breaking open a pinata, choosing a spanish name and learning a few spanish words.  All of the kids were great participators and made the day super fun.  

The awesome sombreros that we made!

Kids like candy.  Especially from a pinata.

Dance party!

The mustaches!

Kevin, Jasmine and Tecky showing off their sombreros.

All of these photos were taken by Kevin!

100 Things I'm Thankful For

Lindsey Brown, a missionary that lived at Camphor Mission, wrote a post on her blog sharing 100 things she was thankful for (http://InPursuitOfHisGlory.blogspot.com/).  I'm stealing her idea and am going to share 100 things I'm thankful for.

I'm THANKFUL for...

1. Friends and family who love me
2. Parents who care about me
3. Technology that allows me to stay in contact with others
4. Parents who are married
5. Having older parents
6. Four grandparents that are still living and that love and support me
7. Safe neighborhoods
8. Areas that have high employment
9. My mother's cooking
10. Andrew and Phil
11. Places that I feel at home
12. Friendly people
13. Air conditioning
14. People who laugh and smile frequently
15. My church family
16. A car
17. Long-time friends: Catherine, Jenny, Jordan, Keli and Macie
18. My roommate Kati
19. Organized and clean grocery stores
20. Washers and dryers
21. Mint chocolate chip ice cream
22. My bed
23. Showers filled with good smelling shampoo and soap
24. cleanser, toner and moisturizer
25. Movies
26. Trees that provide shade
27. The beach and swimming pools
28. Responsible parents
29. Rain, storms and rainbows
30. Fun-loving kids
31. Nail polish
32. Music
33. Gay Street United Methodist Church
34. The music at Gay Street UMC
35. Sunblock
36. Packages and mail
37. Clean water
38. Photos and videos
39. Places to go within walking distance
40. People that drive me places
41. The home I'm currently living in
42. People that give hugs
43. Understanding and forgiveness
44. Help and guidance
45. People who listen
46. Books and magazines
47. Pets that provide companionship to older people
48. Walls to keep bugs, lizards and other critters out of the house
49. Travel opportunities
50. Claribel and Abbie, the director and assistant director to C.R.O.S.
51. Praise, Sam and Nathalie, the people I work with in Boynton
52. Mount Vernon
53. A well equipped kitchen
54. Financial stability
55. The opportunity to go to the college of my choice
56. Expectation and pressure put on me to do well
57. The freedom to pursue the career of my choice
58. The time and energy that people have invested in me
59. High school softball and club volleyball
60. Mr. Arnold, the best teacher I've ever had
61. Coach Lanning always believing in me
62. Happy kids!
63. Toothbrushes
64. Contacts and glasses
65. Strawberries, yogurt and granola
66. The trust that my parents give me
67. Fresh avocados and mangos
68. Finding and getting into Washington and Lee
69. My house and the people in it
70. Trips to Colorado
71. Skyping with and talking to Jeremy
72. Interesting people you meet even though you'll never see them again
73. Planes and trains
74. Reusable grocery bags
75. Public schools
76. People who give happily without expecting anything in return
77. Snow
78. The Olympics
79. The time I spent with my Grandpa Ken learning how to drive
80. The many wonderful role models in Mount Vernon
81. Quiet time at C.R.O.S.
82. Pretty dresses, heals, makeup, and my hair straightener
83. Older siblings that take care of their younger siblings
84. Growing up on high street
85. Being able to take the C.R.O.S. kids to water parks and pools
86. Andrew's visits home
87. Phil always watching out for me
88. Summer family dinners on the back porch
89. Johnson's inspiring graduation speech
90. All of the people I've played sports with, it has been so much fun
91. Positive encouragement
92. Random calls or texts from Macie
93. My room, closet and bathroom back home
94. The Blencowe family
95. New friends
96. My extended family
97. The time I will get to spend with my family in less than two weeks
98. Camphor Mission Station
99. Being healthy and safe
100. Everyone that loves and cares about me

There are so many more things to be thankful for! God is so good!

Meet Lamar!

This is Lamar!

He is one of my favorite kids! 

Lamar is five years old and is the youngest in his family.

For the most part he was very well behaved and kind to all the other kids.

When he grows up he wants to be a pro basketball player.

Here's a video that will help you get to know him a little better.

  

Happy 4th of July!

To celebrate the 4th, myself and my roommate, Nathalie, went to Lake Okeechobee to see fireworks with the town of Pahokee and Belle Glade. While there we were able to interact with the locals and see some of the kids that came to CROS camp.  We ran into Makayla, Darien and Dwayne (all siblings).  They were there with their mother, little brother and little sister.  Makayla was so excited to be seeing fireworks!  She is a very energized little 5-year-old girl who is constantly moving, laughing and answers every question by screaming NO!  Makayla's little sister was equally as vibrant, she shadowed her older sisters actions when she was with us.  The older brothers, Darien and Dwayne, are both very intelligent and introverted.  During camp they read constantly and were very talented at art.  It's amazing how different the females and males of this family are; nevertheless, they all enjoyed the fireworks and had a lot of fun  Another interesting thing, there are a ton of gators swimming in Lake Okeechobee.  I was shocked and felt that the area might not be the safest place for an entire town to congregate around.  The locals felt very differently, they pointed out additional gators swimming in the lake that I didn't notice and were humored by my fear of the gators.    

Makayla yelling!

Makayla laughing, I wish this wasn't blurry!

Just sitting and watching.

Makayla's little sister.

Just Some Pictures :)

Sara out on the playground

Nictorus 

Makayla and Lamar, the only two little five year olds.

Sara

Sara, Makayla, Jothia and Ilionese

Molina during nap time.  She always hugs everyone before she falls asleep.

Lunch Time
Dwayne, Chandler, Narvous, Makayla, Lamar, Alex, Nictorus and Joseph

Lunch time again

Sara, Molina, Lamar, Ilionese and Jothia during lunch

Lamar!

Lamar smiling

Sam, Joseph and Narvous

Nictorus and Chandler

Nictorus, Chandler and Jeremiah

Narvous, Jeremiah and Meriah on the tire swing.

Swinging

Mya, Dwayne and Alex climbing. 

Jeremiah and Mya

Meriah, Narvous, Ilionese, Joy and Jothia

Some of the kids playing in the water.

Jothia and Joy

Derian

Derian and Dwayne caught a frog, they named it Mr. Hoppy.