A few more words about Liberia...

Sitting down with a cup of soup and cuddled under a warm blanket, I am now going to attempt to share some initial thoughts about my incredible time in Liberia.

Arriving at the airport was an interesting experience.  We were asked why we came?  Were we here for NGO or government?  I was stopped and I had to open my bag... I was concerned, because I had about 20 paintbrushes, 40x pairs of scissors and you know those things that people like me carry around.  As the official looked in he saw my We Have Hope manual right on top.  "Are you here to help our children?"  he asked.  I replied in the affirmative and he sent me on my way, with no bags searched.

Our welcome was very sweet.  The team in Liberia have been praying for this training to come to their nation since 2004.  I got to be on the fulfillment of many other peoples dreams, prayers and... I had not paid the price of preparing the soil.  It felt wonderful to be so warmly welcomed in a foreign place. This was my experience the whole time I was there... I was welcome :)

The roads were a huge shock.  The cars, motorbikes and people seem to all move chaotically in what felt like thousands of all three... and in this first journey I actually was most concerned about my physical safety on the roads.  The other thing that struck me was the amount of foreign aid vehicles and the presence of the UN cars.

After about an hour on the road we reached the home of our hosts for the time of our stay in Liberia.  We were warmly greeted by an amazing family.  The hospitality we received from them will forever remain precious in my heart.

It rained a lot while I was there but I was never cold... rain that is treated like snow.   People prefer to stay indoors... but they came out for the training... paid lots of money for transport and simply were willing to pay the price...

The training started on the Monday and after the initial confusion about how many people turned up... too many that is... the need to do a screening process had to happen.  This was not an easy day.  Once we had done the selection and established our purpose for coming, we were then ready to really get going on the Tuesday.  Liberian people are hungry to learn...

Then we jumped in and worked hard and had fun.  There were 42 participants who battled heavy rain and bad roads to get the venue each day.  The eagerness to learn made the space an ideal environment for learning to happen on all sorts of levels.  We had two intense weeks of training on all sorts of topics that these people may encounter as they work with vulnerable children.

At the end of the process 42 people received manuals, had experiences with children and were sent out to go and implement what they had learned from us and one another.  It was a beautiful time and in time I will share more stories...
At the moment I feel like I have a book in me :)

This was an amazing life impacting trip.  Every single day had something to rejoice about and experiences that will never be forgotten.  Every single day I heard at least one story that impacted me and made me cry...
Each day I heard something that gave me HOPE.

I am incredibly grateful that I got to have this experience...