Met a girl named Blessing today

The past few days have taken my eye lids and pried them open using the forks of realization and unbelievable circumstance.
I make children urinate.
so, Monday I arrive in Foya and Tuesday, yesterday, we begin the impact assessment. We travel to 3 villages a day. start at 7 am and usually end around 5pm. granted it has only been TWO days of this but I feel like a pro... and like Ive been doing it for weeks.
We go out with the motive of tracking down mothers in the community to talk to them and see how Samaritans Purse has impacted their daily lives and households.... We cant interview everyone so we narrow it down using this complicated-but-not, random selection method (the houses are numbered, then clusters are chosen at random out of the total sum... then the total number of houses in that cluster is divided by 10.. and whatever your answer is, THAT is the number in which you you count up by and use to divide the houses among the interviewers. ex. take 70 houses in a cluster... divide by 10... gets you 7.. therefore each surveyor is given two houses that falls within every 7th house count)
blah. I dont know if that makes sense.
Anyways... I skip around and sit with each surveyor during an interview, supervising their technique and skills during, hoping they are getting the adequate and accurate results we need. I am there to make sure the information we give is translated properly and to see that their answers are recorded correctly. At the end of each interview we weigh the mothers children who are under the age of 5 on this compact and ingenious scale. You have to first place the child and their little chubby legs into this big black diaper looking thing that has one long strap attaching both sides of it which allows you to hang the child from the hook on the scale... that is hanging from the ceiling on a rope.

Well I have asked around and no other surveyor has had an issue like mine. Most of the kids scream and cry when you weigh them. thats fine. They are being hung up like fresh meat, I understand their discomfort. BUT do I understand their instant and desperate need to pee everywhere as soon as their diaper is almost on and my arms are grabbing their two legs?
No. I dont understand it. It has happened three times now. Three spray downs. Two yesterday, one today.
It gave me a new and fresh meaning to the word peeeeee[king]
People laugh alot when it happens. I just try and not weep. I am the only one its happened too. When I sat with Lawrence today and it happened he just laughed and laughed and ran away... proclaiming this was his first peeing encounter.
But its all part of the job, and once the child calms down and I calm down, life is a'right again.

I won tonight, in a rowdy game of Spoons. If you haven't once taken part in this game of vigor and alacrity, either on holidays, camping trips, vacations, night in with your friends, I suggest you try your hand at it (pun pun pun). Emmanuel and I were neck and neck at the end of this game tonight... and I even had my own cheering squad. I was dealt 2 kings right off the bat and I knew the winnings were looking up for me. When I was finally slid the 2 other Kings, one right after the other, I paused a minute to look at my opponent in the eyes as I nonchalantly slipped my hand across the table to grab my treasure.
He wasn't happy, but my victory dance WAS

Tomorrow we gear up to go out again, and I believe Friday we have some more villages to attend.
I plan to wear a plastic bag for a shirt for the remainder of my time out on the field so that I may be peeeeeking proof

My-story meat.

My last day at the Think Home was lovely!!
I was suppose to arrive there Friday at 11am to start 'games day' with them, but my ride didn't show up. He went to town. So I didn't manage to get over there til 1pm. My substitute ride just dropped me off in front of the compound instead of taking me in through the gate like usual. So I had to go run up to the huge iron gate and pound on it for entry myself. When the guard swung the door open I was exposed to all of the girls playing in the front yard of the house. As soon as we all locked eyes it was like a wave of joy sprinkled with happiness that rolled me over and knocked me down. They all came bounding over to me, yelling and screaming and laughing. MERRYY LEEE!! I felt like I was on The Price is Right and just guessed the right amount for the mansion house in Napa Valley with two complimentary new cars and my own private vineyard... then comes your entire family and extended family, and friends, rushing up on stage hysterical with excitement. The Think Home crowd of girls were wild out of control excited and delighted. Of course I thought about crying, because it was more love than I could handle. I dont know how else to describe it besides overwhelming. 20 some girls so happy to see you, surrounding you, ALL hugging you and dancing... unable to contain their joy... if that doesn't take your heart and squeeze it, I dont know what else will. They bombarded me with love... they constantly did... all week.
We ended up playing more games, then eating lunch, then having a dance party. I have videos of some of the dance party.. maybe they will go up on here one day. For now I am trying to put up a video of Lunch time!! Its having trouble loading so if it doesnt show I will just have to try again laterr. Janet, one of the counselors, insisted she document me and Rita sharing lunch together. I have no idea what I was really eating. Inside the bowl was a freaking crab body and a fish head... and then pieces of fish...swimming in a red sauce... and it was called Pepper Soup. I ate the dang thing. And I ate a Sardine Sandwich.
When in Africa...


It was so hard to say goodbye to them. We ended the day with a rowdy game of kickball then we hugged alot, then I departed. I am camping out with them sometime in mid May and also am doing all of their makeup for their graduation May 29th. I cannot wait!! I love them. I love this. I love Jesus for allowing me to be here. I am very blessed and very thankful for all that he is doing in me and hopefully through me.

more.

I'm going to put up a picture of the monkey I met the other day. I'l just put it riiiiight there... ahh, k. I just posted this picture on my facebook but I wouldn't want anyone that looks at this blog and not my facebook to miss out. Like my eldest sister gsauce... who refuses to use fb... which is probably a wise choice because it does ruin lives.This, this is here for her. And for Mrs. Muff.

The monkey is female and she was very nice. I touched her on her shoulder and hand.

Being at the Think Home this past week has restored my soul. Its where I have wanted to be for so long and where I hope to be forever.. in places like that.
Tomorrow is sadly my last day there for this round. The next two weeks I will be away up-country in various villages helping out with Impact Assessment that SP is conducting to see how well their projects have been working on and in the villages. We will be measuring the 'impact' of our programs on the lives of the beneficiaries. I am very excited to get out and get my hands 'dirty' again.

Thursday, thursday was grand. Yesterday and today I did dramas with the girls. The first one explained Jesus as the substitution for our sin, and today was a skit on Luke 14.. the parable about the wedding feast. The main gist was that we should humble ourselves.. all the time.. in every situation... and God will lift you up in due time. I think both skits, today and yesterday had a clear impact on them. Many of them thanked me later and the teachers asked me many questions afterward about the text.
But yes thursday, today... I received my dress!!! Hand made by the girls in the sowing class. It is a beautiful peach sunset color. They were beaming with pride when they showed me it, and I was glistening with tears. I was so thankful. I tried it on and twirled and hugged them. It melted my heart all the way down inside my chest.

I sang for all of the girls, the teachers, the counselors and the cooks... the National Anthem. I printed off the words and gave them copies because they were eager to learn it as well. I belted it out... I gave it all I had. Im sure if someone was video taping, it would end up on youtube along with all of the other National Anthem travesties. But nonetheless it was exhilarating and I felt crazy. I did it for them though, not meee. or youtube.

When I got home today I was greeted by a silky black lab named Annie who is now going to live with us! She is sweet and I pet her often and I think she might like me.


I read this today and appreciated the imagery used in it. I couldn't help but picture God up there in heaven, with mammoth size white branches protruding forth from his middle lower back.. each faction of the marshmallow limbs soft like bunnies fur, yet sparklingly like fairy water... and he is hunched over waiting to hug me... in all of His glory and beauty


He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart

psalm 91:4

Tuesdays with Maurylee

Peeeeekchas! of peeeekings. and me. and the girls at the Think Home... they arent great ones of me but its all I haaave. Some were taken yesterday, and then some today. I played a game called 'find the kitty' with the ladies today... there is a picture of me in the circle with them. Dance moves were flying, thats all I will say. There is also a picture of two of the girls whose makeup I did! It really was the funnest day. For two hours I was able to draw on their beautiful canvases.. they really liked it I think. Up there is a picture I took of one of their outdoor classes while in session. Oh! and I taught PE as well during 5th period today. That was funny all in itself.

Hope.

As the locks of my freshly washed hair were being tousled today, simultaneously, by 7 different young ladies, while 3 little peekings sat on my lap, [one of which licked my sp name tag like it was a candy cane on Christmas morning], and the African sun was beating down on my already bronzed (ya right) skin, I couldn’t help but think to myself… “How did I get here???”

This question was then followed up with an immediate prayer to Jesus, thanking Him for the opportunity to even be in this place…to see what I’ve seen and experience the things I have. All I know is that I’m here because HE willed it. I had to follow. I had no choice.

Today started my 5 day visit to the Think Home… This is a home/shelter here in Liberia that takes in women who have been rescued from the malevolent throngs of society, who led lives filled with desperation and compromise. Many of them come who have been abused sexually and physically, while some come straight out of prostitution, and still some were victims of the horrid and monstrous sex trafficking industry. There is a total of 24 women there, ranging from the ages of 14-24. The nursery was filled with the giggles and screams of 10 adorable peekings whose moms are residing and growing in the Think Home. It’s a packed haven for healing and rebirth.

The women are split into 3 different classrooms during the morning school time. (They awaken at 5am for devotions! Then breakfast, then school starts at 8:30 sharp) There is a level 1 class, level 2, and level 3. In which ever level they test into, that is where they remain and hopefully accelerate in their education during their 9 month stay. Math, science, reading, history, spelling, government, social studies, bible and PE make up their academic schedules. During the bible course in the level 3 class today I was asked on a whim to get up and teach the girls about the Easter story in Matthew. Feeling unprepared I hopped up there and told them all that I knew. Some didn’t understand exactly why Jesus had to die, so that was the topic of great conversation for a while. I explained how Jesus’ sinless blood became the way for us to have a relationship with a Holy perfect creator. No more sacrifice, no more ritual or tradition, no more animal blood… Jesus became the new covenant. They asked very good questions and I hope God used me to speak to them.

After a spicy lunch I was taken around to the “skills” classes. At 3pm they split off again into 3 different sections to learn life skills. One day, and for these women its coming up this may when they graduate from the Think Home, they will be out on their own, needing to make money for themselves and for their family. Therefore they are taught ways to make a living that will last a life time. One class was the pastry/baking section, another was a class on needlework/sewing, and my favorite was their cosmetology class. There they were taught how to style/dye hair, how to apply makeup, and how to give pedicures/manicures. I spent the last half hour of my time in the sewing class though, where they sized me up in order to make me an authentic African dress. I told them they didn’t need to do that at all, but they insisted. All day today I felt so loved, which felt backwards. I thought I was supposed to go there and love on them, but in all reality it was their love that moved me deeply. I can’t even fathom the wounds and despair they have undergone throughout their broken lives, yet their willingness to rejoice and extend love to me was outright overwhelming. I didn’t know what I could do to repay their kindness. I am glad I get to go back the next four days. I’m hungry to learn from them.

Which reminds me, tomorrow during their free time section I get to do ALL of their makeup!!! The head counselor told me today it will be therapeutic for them. Whatever I can do to make them feel beautiful and take their mind off the worries in their life, even if it is momentary, I will gladly jump at the opportunity. The fact that it involves applying makeup is a plus for meee

I read today in Isaiah that God will hold my hand. I broke down at that thought. He will hold my hand. My little hand. This past week has been an emotionally stripping one and a spiritually bountiful one at the same time. He knew I needed to read that he’d be here for me. He gives strength to the weary (me) and increases the power of the weak (me). That sounds like a good promise. Pluuus I get to hold his hand.

Isaiah 42:6 a

pineapple banana strawberry with a splash of coconut

Im sitting here on the couch in our living room with hot goose bumps.
I got sun burned today and my legs are on fire. With the standing fan gently giving my body a cool lick every time it swings my way, I have managed to become freezing.
From the inside out I am a hot searing pan, but from the outside in, I am rippling with little shivers.
My body is crisp, and sleeping tonight should be interesting. I want to flop down into a bed of chilled jello. Fall back gently in the position I deem most comfortable, land into the sugary pad, letting the fresh feeling of the cold dessert press against my hot outter layer... and not move all night.
I woke up at 10am today because it was a holiday here and by 10:15 was laying on the beach with my girls. (and Bevs handsome young sons)
We played and swam and dove and boogie boarded til about 12:30 or 1pm. Occasionally coming back up to the beach to fall asleep in the sun or read. After the sun soaked me up and spit me out, we all took cold showaas... and Christy, Elizabeth and I went to Sajj for good conversation, smoothies and for luuuuunch I ordered a schwarma wrap... perhaps its spelled differently. I bet it is.

We came home and watched Casino Royale and I think I hate love. Bond chooses to be with Vesper and forsake all others, including his position as agent double O seven... only to find she has betrayed him, taking all of his money to give to the enemy. She dies in the end, even though he tries to save her deceiving heart., he is too late.

Yuck

I got home last thursday from my two weeks of up-country fun... then had a 4 day weekend, (LOVELY easter including: sunrise service on the beach followed by cini buns and coffee, then a wild brunch where I took home made gravy and Elizabeth made biscuits, then fell asleep on the beach on this resort only to wake up and watch the sunset as it tip toed across the sky).
I've had much time to relax and reflect. Its been 3 weeks since I arrived here from Boone NC.. and a month since I left Ohio. Time has really flown.

Jesus is good to me... and it is nice of him to let me get to know him better.
He is the right example of what love is really like and what it is suppose to be.

I should sincerely stop watching dumb movies

Harvesting fish in a village