Deborah knows!

If you were mailed a copy of our most-recent newsletter, then you probably already know that we recently received word from Pastor Emmanuel in Liberia that international adoption has be re-instated! This is exciting news to us. We have been waiting to hear this since May of this year! What this means for us now is that we can actually begin the adoption process!

After the New Year, Pastor Emmanuel, who is serving as our liaison in Liberia, will begin getting the procedures and paperwork on his end in order.

I have spoken with Pastor Emmanuel in Liberia just about every day since he shared the news with us. Last night (Christmas night), while I was speaking with Pastor Emmanuel, he shared with me that Deborah is VERY excited about her adoption! This was the first news I had heard that Deborah knows about our desire to adopt her… it really takes the emotional level up a notch, knowing now that she even knows of our desire, and that she is excited about it!

Our desire is to have Deborah here by summer time, so that she can acclimate to her new environment and new family for a couple of months before having to start elementary school. This assumes that we would start Deborah in school this Fall; there is the possibility that we would want to wait one more year, as Deborah will have just turned 5 years old, & she is really small for her age.

Please pray that this process would be free of hurdles and that the adoption process would move forward without a hitch.

Thank you friends,
Josh

Time's almost up

Josh's time in Liberia is almost up. Today is his last full day, they are leaving first thing tomorrow morning for their 29-hour trip home. Josh called me last night and they are staying at Pastor Emmanual's house in Monrovia. He gave Charlie and Josh his own bedroom. Josh said he had a bat and two mice in the room last night. I told Josh he better not get rabies this close to the end of his trip! Josh hasn't sounded as refreshed and excited since he left the orphanage. He told me he was ready to come home. Its really hot and he can't sleep. I think its finally catching up with him! He still is happy, but I believe he's looking forward to coming home. They went to the beach yesterday and he and Charlie really enjoyed it. Josh said it was so nice to swim and cool off. Apparently the orphanage is in the mountains and its much cooler there than in Monrovia.

They are having a farewell celebration tonight, Josh said he thinks a lot of people will be there. Please pray for continued health and safety and for safe travel starting tomorrow. They are leaving early tomorrow morning. Josh said they have had a few more issues with getting through checkpoints, so remember that part as well.

His flight home is the reverse of his flight there. He flies from Monrovia to Brussels to Chicago to Charlotte. I can't wait to see him! I'm leaving work a little early Saturday to pick him up!

Liz, a Liberian I work with

I talked to Josh yesterday morning. He had hidden a Mother's Day card for me in my car...what a surprise! They should be traveling to Monrovia, the capitol city, today and staying there until Friday, when they head back home! I can't believe how quickly the time has passed!

Last night at work, I talked with one of the Nurse Assistants. Her name is Liz and she is from Liberia. I hadn't had a chance to tell her Josh was there so I told her last night. She asked why and what he was doing. I told her and her face lit up, she started jumping up and down with a huge smile on her face. I told her how Josh and I both have a heart for Liberia. She shared with me that she was there during the Civil War, she escaped to a refugee camp in Ghana for a few years. She went back and brought as many of her siblings children here to America with her. We talked a little about how blessed we are here in America and how we take simple things, such as needing stitches and health care, for granted. I told her of the two boys Josh tried to help. She hugged and thanked me and started crying saying, "Deliver them, deliver them." It broke my heart. I didn't know what to do, so I just held her, let her cry and silently prayed for her. She told me that she appreciates what Josh and I are doing for her home country and that there needs to be more people willing to go over there and help. I asked her to pray for us and the child we hope to adopt from Liberia one day. It was such a neat moment! I can't wait till Josh gets home and I can share pictures and videos with her!

Please continue to pray for Josh and I. Pray for his continued safety and health. Pray for healing in Liberia, pray for those hurting from the recent war, where children watched their parents killed in front of them. Pray for us in regards to adoption, yes I am pregnant, but we hope to adopt one day. Pray that God will open up the right doors and help us to be in agreement about the right time, that we'll know HIS timing. Adoption in Liberia is currently closed due to some human trafficing and no rules. Pray that the rules will be set quickly and children may be delivered from Liberia. Thank you all again for your prayers, support and encouragement...We love you!

Josh can fix anything...well almost

Well, Josh is doing his thing in Africa. He's been working on the electrical stuff. They have twice the voltage that we have here (240v). There isn't any electricity except when they occasionally run the generator. Josh has been checking to make things safer. He also built 4 picnic tables TODAY! He's so good! He told me the kids could hear him working all day while they were in school and they ran over as soon as they got out. They all said "Thank you Brother Josh" and started singing. They didn't know what a picnic table was! He said he enjoyed seeing their faces when they saw it for the first time.

He also worked on the child with the gash in his leg. He told me he cleaned it thoroughly, using his finger. That really surprised me, I can't even begin to tell him my stories from work without him getting pale and sick! He said it surprised him too; he's just doing what he has to I guess. He put some bandages on it and instructed the child to keep it clean. Just when he thought he was done, another kid came up with a wound and Josh did the same thing again! I'm so impressed!

There is one thing, and its HUGE, that Josh hasn't been able to fix. The freshwater well broke, and he and Charlie only have three 1.5 liter bottles of water to share until it gets fixed. There is another well, but it isn't safe for them to drink. He said the water has spiders and other gross stuff in it. The orphanage was going to wait a few days and get a part from Monrovia, Josh said it needed to be fixed sooner. He went ahead and paid someone to fix it sooner, but they had left for the day. Hopefully it will be fixed tomorrow.

Josh said he now has a rash allover his body. It doesn't sound like a heat rash or allergic reaction. He said its small little bumps that ooze when he brushes his finger over them. When I got off the phone with him this afternoon, I just cried. I'm so worried about him. I don't think the pregnancy/hormones are helping any. Please continue to pray for us. Pray for his health, that he'll get clean water soon, and that the rash is nothing serious. Pray that my worrying will stop, I know God is in control. Also pray that my worrying won't harm our little Thumper. Thanks again! We couldn't do this without your support!

Rough Night for me

Last night was very rough for me. I've been staying at my mom's since Josh left. I decided it would be best for me to come home and stay on the weekends. I'm closer to work from my house and Asher, our cat, likes to be outside. I won't let him out while we're at my mom's. So this way, I think, is a fair compromise. I get the weeks with my mom and Asher and he gets the weekends outside. So, last night was my first night at home without Josh. I'm so spoiled, I know. I just don't like being alone. I hear every noise and don't sleep well. Last night was not any different! I cried for a little while and then just went to sleep.

This morning, I was still sad, but I'm trying to be an adult. :) I got ready and headed to work. I wasn't very far in to my tearful trip and my phone rang. It was none other than my beloved Josh! We talked for a while. He said they found one of his bags, the smaller of the two, which has the tools and stuff he needs to build the picnic tables. Hopefully he will get them today or tomorrow. I'm not sure how they will get from the airport to the orphanage. He still won't have any clothes, hand sanitizer, soap or other meds, but he can get by without all that. Its preparing him for the back-packing trip he has shortly after he gets home!

Today they are going to the African Bible College; someone there has a shop with power tools! We all know Josh is thrilled about that! They are taking the hardwoods and cutting them to proper size for the picnic tables. Hopefully the bolts and nails will be there soon.

Josh has been helping Charlie pass out meds. He said they have a little room they are calling "Brooke's office" for now. They keep medications and supplies there. Papa Anthony said it is where I would've worked if I'd have been able to go. I thought that was so sweet! Josh has given Motrin to someone who felt warm, he thinks had a fever and Motrin to someone else with facial swelling and a toothache. Apparently, Josh has been learning from watching me take care of people. I thought it was so cute! The nurse coming out in my sweet husband!

I'll update more when I can! Thanks for following and praying! It means a lot to Josh and I both!

BUGS & Fruit

I talked to Josh this morning; he called right after I woke up! He told me he woke up with his face and eyes burning. He slept with a mosquito net on his face, he doesn't know if something sprayed him through the net or what. He said it felt like a chemical burn in his eyes. He thinks it might have been a praying mantis. He washed his face as soon as he got up, but said that made it worse, he thinks it spread it. He got some alcohol wipe from Charlie and tried that. He said after about 4 hours it went away. He said his face isn't red and he's not having any vision problems.

He took a "shower" last night. The boil a pot of water and put it in a room with a drain. Josh rinsed off right before bed last night, he doesn't have any soap though. He said its very hot and humid there as well!

He's eating well, they had just eaten rice, broth and fresh pineapple. He said all the fruit tastes better there. The pineapple is so much sweeter than here. He said one of the little girls probably about 5 came up and asked Josh if he sang. He said yes, so they kids started singing all sorts of songs for him. Then they asked if he played futbol (soccer) so they all went to a field and played for a while. He watched a few kids run into the jungle and come back with fruit. He asked them where it came from. They said they'd show him, so he filmed the whole thing. They took a 10 minute journey into the jungle and he said when he looked behind him, there was a line of 25 kids single file, following him. They got to the trees with fruit and one kid got a cane pole and started knocking down the fruit. Then several of the kids started gathering the fruit in their shirts. They showed Josh how to eat it. He said it was so sweet and it had the texture similar to a peach. He then said all the kids were shimmying up the trees about 40 feet. He told me they were about 5-7 and that high in the trees. It was amazing he said. He told me the kids even at 5 walk around with machetes.

They found one of his bags in Belgium and it will be delivered around tomorrow night. Lets pray it has some clothes and the tools needed to get started on the picnic tables! Oh, and some bugspray, sanitizer and soap!

Josh's arrival to the orphanage

I got a few more phone calls from Josh today. The first one was very brief, I could tell he was on the road. It sounded like a bumpy rough ride. He had to go suddenly and told me he'd call later. He called just a little later and told me about how bad the roads were. He said most of it was from the civil war in Liberia in the beginning of this century. He told me he was about 10 minutes from the orphanage and he'd call later tonight.

He called shortly after his arrival to the orphanage and told me about his grand arrival. He said the kids ran out to greet him about 1/2 a mile away and ran behind the vehicle the rest of the way. They sang songs and danced. One of the songs they sang was, "Welcome Visitor." It sounded like an amazing moment. He told me he met the 3 kids we sponsor and how exciting a day it was for them. Nohn, the girl we sponsor carries around the picture we sent her several months ago. Josh said he had been greeted by the most beautiful children on earth! He doesn't have his luggage yet, he'll find out tomorrow night if he'll get it soon. He has one change of clothes and bought some stuff more clothes today. He doesn't have any bug spray or medicine or any of the tools. Please pray they find and deliver his luggage soon, for the children's sake!

Then he called not very much later and when I said hello I heard a bunch of children saying, "Hello Brooke." It was breath-taking. Josh told me the kids wanted to talk to me, he passed the phone around and I got to talk to Nohn first. She sounds as beautiful as she looks. I also got to talk to Luogon, one of the two boys we sponsor. It was so neat to be able to talk to them, I can't imagine how awesome it was to meet them! I got to talk to a couple more kids, we were basically just saying hello and they would introduce themselves. Then Josh said, who else wants to talk to Brooke and I heard a dozen voices say "ME!" So, Josh put me on speaker phone and I said hello and they all said hello Brooke. I started laughing, it was so beautiful. They all laughed at me laughing. It was a neat moment. I told them I wanted to be there and meet them and that I prayed for them often, then they all told me goodbye.

Josh called once more tonight and he was free to talk for a few more minutes. He told me the food was really good and that he can't even come up with words to describe the events of the day. He told me the kids were amazing, they just want to come and sit in his lap and be loved! How I would love to just sit around and love those kids all day! He said that they have bugs and lizards different than here. The bugs are like lightening bugs, but don't fly, they just crawl around on the ground. He said, "it looks like there is glitter allover the ground." He seems to be doing so well.

Please continue to pray for him and his continued safety. Pray that he gets the tools needed to do the projects arrive soon or that God will provide another way!

Leaving for Liberia

Today I depart for Liberia. This morning I have been a basketcase. It really hit me this morning how much i'm gonna miss Brooke while I'm away. We're an inseperable pair; we do everything together. This morning we both cried & cried. I know...I'm a softy when it come to my wife.

Packed my bags in just enough time to leave. One bag was 50lbs exactly...WOW! The other one was 65 pounds, so I had to pay $50 extra for it. Checkin at the airport in Charlotte went smoothly; it's probably the first time I got through metal detectors on the first try! This was the place where I saw Brooke for the last time (more tears).

I made it to the gate, only to board the plane, pull out from the gate, then pull back up to the gate and deboard. It seems there is a problem with the de-icer, so as it is now, my 12:25pm flight will be a 2pm flight (best-case). That's okay though...better safe than sorry.

UPDATE: Plane was broke, so now I am on a new flight (US AIR) to Chicago, on a packed plane, in a middle seat, but I'm getting there!

Best Wife | Awesome Family

I just have to take a moment and brag to you about my wife Brooke. As many of you know, she had planned to spend time alongside me in Liberia on this trip, but due to the pregnancy she was unable to go. We are best friends, so being away from each other for even a week would have been difficult (we've only spend 3 days apart at one time since being married); 3 weeks is a lifetime.

It is going to be difficult on us, especially for my 19-week pregnant wife. Brooke has been very strong though.

All the supplies!

On Thursday, she found my packing list among my pile of paperwork, and she went to Wal-Mart and purchased EVERY single thing on the list. It's important to know though that this wasn't my personal packing list...it was one of those "you might need these things" kind of list. Needless to say, my wonderful bride purchased $300 worth of supplies for me! I have flashlights, batteries, medication, canned tuna (for protein), camping knives, etc. It looks like I'm going to backpack the Appalachian Trail. I guess when you are embarking on a 3-week trip to 3rd-world Africa living in the bush, it is a lot like backpacking! What a wonderful surprise....my packing is now 80% done! Look at ALL the stuff Brooke got for my trip!

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An additional surprise: Last night Brooke, along with her dad and stepmom, planned and hosted little going-away cookout for me with family and friends.

There were even cowboys and cowgirls at my farewell cookout!

What a neat time! We had all sorts of good food, but the best part was when my father-in-law Rick gathered the family around for a time of prayer and commissioning. It is a practice within the Christian community to "commission" someone before they leave to do mission work. Rick setup the moment by talking about his experience in missions, then he and the entire group gathered around me, layed hands on me, and prayed for my time in Africa. It was exactly what I needed. Up to this point, I haven't perceived many folks interested that I'm traveling to a country with no power grid to live in an orphanage in the Liberian wilderness for 3 weeks to serve the orphans and the community. Last night though, there was a lot of conversation, questions and answers, and the beautiful time of prayer. I feel much more prepared to travel now. HUGE thank you to the Richardsons, Crockers, and Giambrones for making the evening special for me.

Love,
josh

My time is running out...

Last minute preparations are now underway for my departure to Liberia, just 5 days away now. As tends to happen with everything else I do in life, I have over-committed myself, and am now forced to now scratch some things off my "to-do" list.

I have been very busy with Graybrooke projects, which is a great thing!
In the past month, Graybrooke constructeded a 200 square foot deck nine feet off the ground (at the highest point), and have started work on a bathroom project in Huntersville. It is looking like the bathroom project will have a 3-week lapse, because we are behind schedule on it. Because of the timing of my trip, I have also had to turn down a $17,000 project because I will be gone, and the homeowner couldn't wait for me to return. I pray Graybrooke will still be busy with projects when I return.

I completed my classwork for my contractors exam a few weeks ago, but since I haven't had any time to study for the big exam, I had to also put that off until I return from Liberia. With my bad memory, I hope I'm able to remember all that I need to for the exam, now over a month away.

Some of you remember that when I was leaving for France when I was in college, I packed my bags the morning of departure. I am hoping (planning) that I don't do that again this time. There are way too many odd items that I need to acquire that I need to take with me to Liberia (manual tools, bolts & hardware, money belt, etc.). I also have to prepare to preach a few of times while in the country....and I haven't preached in years!

Lots of things going on.
Trying to determine what HAS to happen, and what can WAIT until my return.

- josh

Prayer for Charlie

In just one week, I will be in Liberia joining up with Charlie Godfrey, the American high school student already in Liberia (Charlie has been in Liberia since February). Even though there is no power or electricity at the orphanage, Charlie can use a cell phone because there is a tower located high on a mountain in the vicinity, and the signal reaches. For the past few weeks or so, we have received phone updates from Charlie about everything that is going on, and what I need to bring with me.

Yesterday Charlie phoned home with some not-so-great news. Charlie was left alone to teach the Liberian Children and some of the older students got into a fight. The youth who were fighting were around 17 years old, right around Charlie's age. I can only imagine that it shook Charlie up...there was probably not much he could do to stop it.

I will be there in just a week to join Charlie and offer him some help. I've always enjoyed working with somewhat challenging students (some of you remember our times at Sutton Park Community Day Camp*), but this will certainly be a new challenge for me.

Pray for the children at the orphanage. West Africa is a hurting land with a history of violence. Many children have been orphaned because of the 2nd civil war that occurred in Liberia (2001-2003); many children witnessed their own parents being killed before their own eyes. They have a lot of hurt and stored-up emotions. Please pray that their hearts would be softened, that the peace and forgiveness of Jesus will flow over them, and that Charlie will be equipped with everything he needs to tackle another day.

Peace,
Josh


*The Sutton Park Community Day Camp was a camp started by Shad Hicks in the lower-income community in Monroe known as Sutton Park. The camp used to last for two weeks at the church Shad was the pastor of. Unfortunately, the congregation never shared Shad's vision to reach-out to the community that surrounded their church, and so eventually Shad moved on and the church did not continue the day camp. At it's peak, however, a hundred or more youth (up to 18 years old) would come to the day camp from the surrounding area, to learn about Jesus, play some games, but mostly just to have someone adorn them with attention. Times were sometimes (always) challenging with the teens who were not used to supervision of any type, but the rewards were great!

FAQ 2 - Why Do You Ask Us For Money? Shouldn't You Spend Your Own Money For The Trip?

This is a question that has been asked, both directly & indirectly, since we've been raising support for the Liberia Mission trip. Since there are many different people getting our newsletters and following our blog, some who belong to the Christian faith and others who do not, I will attempt to answer this honest question respectfully and to the best of my ability. If there is somewhere in the post when I am not clear, or there is a part that you take issue with, please bring it to my attention so I may correct the oversight.

As a Christian, we have only one identity: Christ. Jesus set the example as He drew no boundaries between Himself and those to whom He chose to minister.⁽¹⁾

I liked the wording from that source, so I kept it in it's entirety. Basically, Jesus is the example for those who are of the Christian faith. When in doubt, look and see how Christ handled things. Christ told his disciples (those who followed Him) that they were to go into "the uttermost parts of the world."⁽²⁾
Without making this too long-winded, I'll summarize to say that those who follow Christ are to be involved in missions.

But how many of us can realistically take 2 weeks, or a month, or a year or more off of work and do missional work? Not all of us can. I know it has even become difficult for me to get away from work, and I own my own company! However, in Corinthians, the body of believers that are called Christianity are described as having different roles, just as a body has different parts that has specific roles.⁽³⁾ Even though we are supposed to be involved with missions, not all of us will actively serve; but we can all still be a part of missions by partnering with others who are willing to sacrifice on the mission field. Many of us will do this by coming alongside those who do physically serve, making their stint financially possible. Many will also be partners of encouragement & prayer to the individual. In most cases it's not easy for missionaries to leave the life of comfort & stability, and leave family behind; encouragement from friends can make all the difference in the world. There are other ways to partner too, like donating tools, equipment, buying food/clothes, etc.

There are some folks who can outright afford to fund their own mission trip in it's entirety. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, but it does take away the ability to have others individuals serve through the said individual, since there can be no partnership (at least, financially). There is something humbling that happens when people are forced to rely on God and others to supply their financial means. For me personally, it has been an eye-opening experience. Generally, those who are wealthy make little or no contribution; those who struggle from bill-to-bill generally make the greatest contributions. Sounds crazy huh? But it's been true for us.

Being dependent on contributions from someone with little-to-no income is a humbling thing, and it puts a new burden of responsibility on those serving (in a good way). I have shed tears for the contributions that have been made towards this trip. It also gives an opportunity for G-d to show up and give confirmation to the trip; if there are no funds, it's probably a good sign that G-d is saying to "wait".

If you are someone who still questions giving to a cause like this, then please find somewhere else to contribute. We are all at different places in this journey, and some are simply not on the journey at all. That's okay. I just ask that you be sensitive to how your heart is being led, then be obedient.

For those who do contribute in some form, thank you for the bottom of my heart. You'll probably never know how much it means to me personally, that you would entrust me to serve on your behalf. I pray that every moment I am serving on your/our behalf is time well spent.

Even if you don't agree with giving to missions and/or missionaries, at least maybe you now understand why people do ask.




References:
(1) http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cache:ByCakIV0CZMJ:www.cedarrockbaptist.com/sermons/060910%2520The%2520Biblical%2520Mandate%2520for%2520Missions.pdf+missions+biblical+mandate&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
(2) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%201:8;&version=51;
(3) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2012:12-31;&version=51;

Update...Big News and Africa

Well, we hid some great news for about 6 weeks. Most of you probably know by now, but Josh and I are going to have a baby! I'm 12 weeks pregnant today! I am due September 22! It has been an exciting 3 months, full of nausea, lots of emotions (a lot of tears for no reason), and lots of extra sleep! I have began to feel better within the last week. I'm close to the 2nd trimester and it is making a big difference. We have really enjoyed sharing this news with family and close friends. We have enjoyed all the responses, but noticed 2 things. After everyone congratulates us and asks all the questions about the due date and how I've been feeling, they always have one of two questions. One is, I thought you guys were pursuing adoption. Well, we still plan to adopt, but it will be after our first child is born! It is something we are still very passionate and excited about! We look forward to how our family is going to grow not only through the child we are expecting now, but through adoption of one or more children in the future!

The other popular question, if you haven't figured out and asked already, is about Liberia. It is with mixed feelings that I must announce, I won't be going this trip. I'm really excited about being a mom and want to protect my unborn child from everything I can. I wish that I could go, as I had began to get really excited about the trip. However, I must tell you, back in November, I wasn't so sure if I was supposed to go or not. I prayed and asked God to give me a definitive answer. I prayed, "Lord, if I'm not supposed to go, let us only raise enough money for one of us to go AND let me be pregnant." That way it would be easy for me to know and understand that I'm not meant to go. Well, He has answered that prayer! Part of me still wishes I could go, but then the mommy brain kicks in and I'm okay with staying home. If I were to travel to Africa, I'd have to get several vaccinations, including the Yellow Fever one. It is a Class C drug during pregnancy. When we asked my doctor about whether or not I could/should go to Africa, he responded, "Well, I've never had anyone ask me that before." The shot as well as meds for Malaria are class C and while there isn't a proven harm, it isn't for certain safe. He said it would be a decision I'd have to make. We decided that since it is an avoidable risk, we wouldn't take it. Then I asked him if it would be okay for me to travel to the mountains (I'll be 35 weeks then and travel isn't always advised) in August for Camp Horizon (the camp for kids with Down Syndrome). He said as long as things remained perfect and healthy he didn't seem to have a problem with it. He then said, "Y'all seem to have some pretty cool interests." This made us happy!! We scheduled our next appointment for March 23 and at that appointment we'll schedule the next ultrasound.

We did have an ultrasound on February 5th. I was only 7.5 weeks then, but they needed to verify my due date. At that ultrasound all we saw was a little tiny bean and a strong heartbeat! It was 154, which is excellent. We have nicknamed our baby Thumper, since the heartbeat was thumping. We hope to wait until delivery to find out what the gender is and didn't want to call Thumper "it" until then. :)

FAQ 1 - Why Support Children in Liberia When We Have Issues Here?

Some of our posts will begin to answer some of the questions we have heard from folks about our mission trip to Camp 4, Liberia. This is the first of such posts, addressing "Why Support Children in Liberia When We Have Issues Here in the US?"
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CHILDREN OF THE MOUNTAINS
There was a special that aired this past Friday night called “A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains”. It was a 20/20 documentary by Diane Sawyer that detailed the lives of families in Appalachia, specifically Kentucky (If you missed it, you can view it here). There is a high school senior they document who is a stellar football player, the star of the team, who sleeps in his pickup truck each night. Another scene documents two sisters who live in a broke-down trailer while their mom dips back into prescription pain killer addiction, spending any money they do have on pills. Yet another segment shows how young men follow fathers into the coalmines to make what living they can, having lost most of their teeth due to their high consumption of Mountain Dew.

Some of the feedback we have received while fundraising for the Liberia Mission Trip has questioned the notion of sending money to children in another country when we have our own issues here in the US. It is almost a valid point, yet naïve & ill-informed.

The children of the Appalachian Mountains are certainly an impoverished group of people when compared to you and me. But poverty is relative. The United States contains the majority of the wealth in the world. Africa, by comparison, houses the world’s most-impoverished people. The average annual household income in the US is $44,970, compared to just $140 in Liberia. The percentage of children under five who have severely underweight is 14%, compared to 0% here in the US. The number of children in Liberia whose growth has been stunted from the lack of proper nutrition is 39%, compared to just 1% here in America. I compiled a chart with some additional comparisons below:

(click image to enlarge)

There are certainly tough times in America – many of us have experienced financial pain first-hand. But consider this: when the US get’s a cold, the world gets pneumonia. The financial burdens we feel here are only exacerbated in Liberia and other third-world countries. We are still King and Queens by comparison.

All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
– Edmund Burke

Asher (our cat) Hit By Car, & Personal Responsibility

Friday night, our 8-month-old cat Asher was apparently hit by a car in the neighborhood. Asher didn’t die, which is certainly a blessing, but he did get hurt. He came up to our back door wanting in, which is normal, but when he came in, he hoped on three legs as best he could until he collapsed on the floor. He was crying out in pain. It was heartbreaking.

It was after 8pm, so our normal vet was already closed for the day. I called Brooke at work, and explained that I thought his leg was broken or dislocated. Brooke called the emergency animal hospital where we found out it would cost us a few hundred dollars just for a visit and x-rays. Since we are in the middle of fund-raising for our mission trip, we didn’t feel this was a wise expense, even though we wanted to take care of our little kitty. We decided to wait until our regular vet was open Saturday morning, so we prayed over Asher, and did our best to keep Asher comfortable through the night.

Saturday morning we could tell that Asher wasn’t doing any better. He was still crying out in pain, and his right, rear leg appeared to be just hanging. We called my dad and asked him what he’d do. Knowing how frugal my dad is, when he said he would take Asher to the vet, we knew we had to go.

We got in a last-minute appointment where the vet took x-rays, and we discovered that Asher’s leg had broken where the ball meets the hip socket. How painful! We learned that it could not heal on it’s own. The vet sent us home with a $315 dollar bill, some pain meds, and a decision to make: we can amputate the limb, have a surgeon repair it for $3,000, do nothing and let the leg be useless, have a practitioner perform an operation where he would put pins in the bone to let it heal for around $700, or just put Asher to sleep.

Back home, we watched as Asher tried to walk, collapse, drag himself across the floor, and collapse again. We knew what we had to do. When we adopted Asher from the animal shelter, he became a part of our family, and we agreed to take care of him as best as we could. Even though we don’t have the money, we are opting to have the practitioner perform the operation; it’s the only option we can come up with that will give us a clear conscious at the end of the day. It’s called personal ethics responsibility, and that’s what we have to do. Financially, it also makes sense: put Asher to sleep for another $100, which would have brought a total of over $400, only to have nothing to show for it. The total costs, after the vet visit, will be just over $1,000, but at least we will have our cat back. $400 for nothing, or $1,000 for our cat.

Brooke is going to pick up some extra shifts at the hospital, and any extra work I can get will help too. You do what you have to do.

Now where did I put that VISA card?


"Doing the right thing often costs us something....that's why it's called the right thing, and not the easy thing, or the cheap thing"

Vaccinations for Liberia (many)

We’ve known since the beginning of the preparations for the Liberia Mission Trip that we would have to be vaccinated for a number of illnesses that we have overcome here in the States. Diseases like Malaria, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Polio, Hepatitis B, Tetanus-diphtheria, Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), and Yellow Fever are still rampant in the parts of Africa we will be traveling to. These diseases have never even entered my mind here in the US; I’ve not offered up even an afterthought to catching any of those illnesses. Malaria is one of the biggest killers in Africa, and the single biggest killer in children under five. Incomprehensible, considering that mosquito nets and medicine are available for less than $10 bucks per person. I’ve taken so much for granted living here in the “land of plenty”.

Brooke and I are contacting JAARS, one of just a handful of missionary centers around the US who focus of Bible translation and who send missionaries around the world. Even though we are not going on this mission trip through JAARS, they can help administer the necessary vaccinations (and we happen to be just 10-minutes from the JAARS location!). We have discovered that it will costs around $1,000 for us both to be vaccinated, and unfortunately insurance will not cover the cost, since there are vaccinations required for international travel, and not domestic living. It seems that nothing about this process comes without a cost.

An Incredible Update

On Saturday, as we were preparing our second newsletter mailing for the Liberia Mission Trip, an amazing thing happened. We met an older gentleman, probably in his upper 70s, and we were telling him about our desire to serve the orphans of Africa. We talked to the man (whom we had just met) for probably 5 minutes.

15 minutes later, this man walked up to Brooke and handed her something. It was some money to go towards our mission trip. She looked down at the wad of money and saw a $100 dollar bill! We graciously thanked the kind man. It’s really difficult to know how to respond when a total stranger hears your story and then unapologetically hands you money, only saying “when God tells you to do something, you do it.”

Later that night, on our way home, we took the hundred dollar bill out of our pocket, only to realize that there wasn’t just one bill….there were FIVE one-hundred dollar bills!

Wow.
A older man, whom we just met, just gave us $500 cash towards our Liberia Mission Trip.
That left us speechless.
Tears of gratitude seem like the only fitting expression.



This process is incredibly humbling.






(written by Josh)