james bon fyre.

Hello World.

In total I have been out in the ‘bush’ for a month now. But as of this past Friday Impact assessment 2010 is officially over!!! :Slaps the nearest moving human beings rear end:

I was co-supervisor with my boss and friend Elizabeth who was head supervisor, over five Liberian Numerators who, overall, did a fantastic job at executing the profession. I’ve already written about what we did, but let me REFRESH ya. Went into over 60 communities, talked to over 600 people, and traveled to two different districts, in one fantastic country, to find out if Samaritans Purse has made an impact on them! Woot woot.

I was peed on, stepped on, pooped on, kicked and I almost ate monkey.

Speaking of Monkey, I am putting up some pictures of a monkey who really had some spirit. You can see a couple of his different excited expressions/poses. One he is raising the roof, another he is fist pounding it, and the other one he is just ‘hanging out’ with his friend.

Hahaha get it. HANGing out

Anyways, I liked this guy. If only he weren’t dead. If only he still had a head? If only this family weren’t going to eat his dirty meat for dinner.

In between the 4 weeks of the Impact Assessment I had the privileged to come back one weekend and go to a campout with the Think Home ladies. We watched movies, made a bonfire in the woods, danced around like wild zebras, had a fashion show and enjoyed a day at the beach playing in the water.

The time shared around the bonfire that night were seconds in time I won’t ever shake from this brain of mine. Each girl, including myself, was given a piece of a branch that when it was their turn, they would stand up and throw into the fire representing the burning of their old life and old ways. When it was their turn they also each had the chance to say something to the rest of the girls and it was open for anyone to ask for forgiveness if there had been any quarrels or wrong doings that had transpired between any of them. Through sobs and tear stained cheeks some of the girls got up and laid their hearts out for all of us to see beating. I was struggling to hold it together. Many of them expressed how thankful they are to their teachers and counselors for bringing them out of the destructive and hopeless lives they were living; some got up and thanked Jesus for loving them despite who they used to be and what they used to do; and others got up and went to the girls around them asking for forgiveness for things done. When it was my turn I just prayed I would be able to talk, and I was.

It’s all kind of a blur but I told them that Jesus loved them no matter what they did, where they had been and even after the things they will do. I told them they were precious to God and that they had every reason to live confidently because their identity is found in Jesus… not in themselves, not in their friends, and not in men. I told them they are strong women who shouldn’t be afraid to take this world by force, because they can make a difference. By the time I sat down I realized that what I had said was what I needed to hear myself. I was preaching to Merilee just as much as I was speaking to those girls. The power that was in that place that night was overwhelming and I knew that God was there and that He would continue to work in their lives.

Nothing really can top my experience here in Liberia so far. Ive seen so much and done so much. I feel ripped up and sewn back up, and its beautiful and God is good. I only have 2 and ½ months left!! I am half way done. I can’t imagine leaving at this point. So I wont imagine it. I’ wont think about it. Aga gah gah

Tonight I am eating home made lasagna, and moist cake. Then watching movies on a projector on a huge wall. Yay life.

cup of water.

I love you, Lord, my strength.

You are my rock

my fortress and my . deliverer.

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation

my stronghold.

I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

The cords of death entangled me
the torrents of destruction overwhelm me.

The cords of the grave coiled around me
the snares of death confront me

In my distress I called to the Lord
I cried to my God for help.

From his temple he heard my voice!!
my cry came before him, into HIS ears.

The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains SHOOK

they trembled because he was . angry.

Smoke rose from his nostrils
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.

He parted the heavens and came down

dark clouds were under his feet.

He mounted the cherubim and flew

he soared on the wings of the wind.

He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him
the dark rain clouds of the sky.

Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

The LORD thundered from heaven
the voice of the Most High resounded

He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.

The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

He reached down from on high and took hold of me
he drew me out of deep waters.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.

He brought me out into a spacious place
he rescued me because he delighted. in. me. (rilee)

Psalms 18

This passage makes me tremble.

God, creator of the Universe. Who rides on dark clouds and coughs up bolts of lighting... cares for me. Smoke comes out of his nostrils when He's angry!! When He sees that I am in need of Him, when I am in deep waters and am desperate to be pulled out.

He wants to be my protector and my strength. I need to let Him.

With a breath from Him the earth can be laid bare, in ruin... just a speck in the galaxies.

I serve a mighty and loving God. It’s too much to conceive of or wrap my head around. Maybe that is why most of my time I spend with Him I am silenced

Rainbow

I see fascinating and great things out in the jungle.
Its hard to write them all out... to paint the scenes for you so you can see them too.
Therefore, I took pictures of the beautiful people and things Ive come across. I shan't post them all. I think I have three though.
When I was growing up my sisters and I were mildly obsessed with this doll called Rainbow Bright. Anyone else?
She had rockin pink hair, a silk blue jumper dress, color splashed socks and she rode a unicorn over the rainbow. Every adolescent girls dream.
(a young confused boys dream as well)
During a survey/interview last week I just happened to look up and over as a hardworking teenage boy stomped by to go work on the farm. I glanced at his attire and when my eyes put together that his shirt wasn't just a blur of flashy colors but a captured scene of a legendary fictitious character that I once loved and cherished as a child, I almost had a seizure.
He was wearing a Rainbow Bright Shirt. This manly young boy, who was about to go work his day away making money to support his family and put food on the table by digging up vegetables and planting rice, was wearing a rainbow bright t-shirt.
I took a picture of it. I almost bought it off him but then thought that probably shouldn't happen. Ms. Bright needs to remain out in the jungle, colorful and happy, giving joy to everyone who gets the privileged of looking at her.
I asked him where he got it but he didnt understand me. He liked that I took his picture though, so we both win in the end.


I also took a picture of one of my favorite little girls I have encountered yet. Her name is Rebbecca and during a survey I was supervising, her grandmother brought her over to me. She told me that her granddaughter wanted to introduce herself. Rebbecca was rare and lovely, she is an albino African with the coolest hair possibly in the world. In the picture she is giving off such a gangster vibe, sucking on her little candy wrapper with her head tilted to the side. I loved her. She came and put her arm next to mine and said we were the same. Her grandmother says she never sees white people so this was a special occasion.


The third picture is of fish!!!! In tin foil!!! Whole fish, eye balls and all. We ordered 5 of them. Before our eyes our dinner was prepared on the busy streets of Gbarnga in central Liberia. The ocean reptiles were taken out of a big bowl, slathered in a tangy zesty almost bar-b-quey sauce and thrown on the grill over a fire. We watched them roast with much anticipation. Once cooked the fish were topped with fresh avacado slices and more sauce. The whole week we had been eating rice and granola bars, so this was a good mix up in our menu. It was our last night of the Impact Assesment journey, the closing of two weeks out in the jungle, and we wanted to celebrate. And you cant celebrate without eating an entire fish: tales/scales/eyeballs/skin. Right?

After they were roasted and we had piled up our plates with fried plantains and drank our cold sodas, we wrapped up our food and headed back to the headquarters to indulge. Looking for dinner in Gbarnga was thrilling, we trotted up and down the busy streets of the main road at dusk to search. The sun was setting over the city, chickens were wabbling across the road and the venders were calling out to the hungry onlookers.
There were many options of food at multiple different food stands yet we ended up at the fish lady.
I definitely enjoyed eating the crazy fish fresh from their watery grave, I mean it kind of made me feel weird, and later I did regret it, but at the time it was truly grand. I ate my whole fish minus the eyes and the bones. Some of you are already contimplating a nice way of discontinuing our friendship because of what I have done. But dont do that. It was just a fish. Not that gross.

Hopefully you can see the food in the picture sitting in the tin foil, waiting to be devoured. My expression says alot I think. A mix between worry, anticipation, hunger and sheer confusion.