Accra, Ghana Oct 11, 2014 Trolling thru the UNs World Food Program site 3 days ago, I read that prior to Ebola, Liberia was anticipating superb crops of rice and maize, from the abundant rains this year. But the most food productive areas in Sierra Leone and Liberia had been hit the hardest by the virus, decimating the labor force. Harvesting was to begin in 2 weeks time. Families were paying 75-80% of their salaries for food, and this had driven the price of cassava, a staple of West Africans, up by 150%. Just then my eye caught sight of the brightly colored articles on the right side of the same page.... 1) Best Oyster Bars in America! 2) Banana Bread to Boast About! 3) Best NYC Restaurants 4) Punch up your Party! 5) Why You Crave Pumpkin Flavor now :) Bliinkk... Interview with US Army Colonel....334 American troops now in Liberia...4 labs built, getting test results in hours. Troops are used to moving toward the sound of guns. Ebola is the loudest sound of guns the world has heard in a long time. There is no better fight than the one we are waging here. Bliink.... Concern over newest food disorder...Orthoexia nervosa---when healthy eating becomes an obsession. 5 signs that obsessing over pure foods is affecting your social life. Bliiinkk... African Proverb: An abundance of food at your neighbors will not satisfy your hunger. Today we learned that our little Liberian bucket brigade hit the road again, with 25 bags of rice (50 kg each) 20 gallons of cooking oil Buckets Bleach Many Other Items :) They had to hire a truck this time, to haul those huge bags and cans in.... The tone and the jubilant sound in their voices is infectious. They are wading into the heart of the problem...AND the people....wearing the breastplate of righteousness. That is why the Amy Carmichael quote stabbed me in the heart. To give without loving... gets something done. No hungry person will refuse food because the person giving doesnt love them! But to give a hungry person both food and love nourishes the body and the soul. When Jesus sat down in the Temple, to watch people dropping their offerings into the treasury, He was waiting for someone. The wealthy leaders paraded by, thumping their chests and literally blowing their own horns as their golden coins glistened thru their well-oiled fingers. Then she was there. Poor, widowed, a nobody.... putting in 2 very small coins. The disciples were busy gawking at the grandeur of the temple... But Jesus saw her. He saw the depth in her. I tell you the truth...she has put in MORE than all the others....because she gave out of her poverty, all she had to live on. You can give without loving. But you cannot love, without giving. The Temple was a foolish place to put her money, as reason would dictate. 2nd in corruption only to the Romans in power. But her love for God over rode reason. And we are still in awe over her loving gift, 2,000 years later. What does Jesus see when He looks deep into me? Why Im craving pumpkin flavor right now? Today our goal was to get out to Buduburam, former Liberian refugee camp, where we had a BSF class from 1991-1992. We knew only one woman, who might still be there and prayed God would somehow help us find Chris. I was training a new leader, so John and Vivian headed out on Mission Impossible There are still 5,000 people out there. And someone knew someone who knew someone who knew her house. I love Africa. But when they got there, she had left.. but had left her phone number on the door! Chris! This is John! John Morris! Yes...BSF...we are here. At your house....where are you? Eh! John! Is that YOU??? I am in town! At Kaneshie Market... And 20 minutes later --in the midst of vegetables, cow heads, and yards of cloth-- was a long overdue reunion! Just as my training session was ending, John slowly opened the door.... Hey...look who I found...at Kaneshie Market! And there was the smiling face of my long lost friend. We had shared many sorrows over the years, and losing touch had been painful. A Nigerian Proverb says: Hold a true friend with both hands. And in our hotel room, the American and the Liberian held on tight! As a child, the sound I longed to hear more than any other....was our family all laughing together. That laughter has stayed with me my whole life...like a safety net, pulling us together, comforting my nervous little heart.. You are safe. You are loved. All is right with the world. What a sacred privilege to extend to those displaced, hungry, frightened, and lonely children....and to each other....Jesus arms enfolding, Jesus hands feeding... Ben, and Edwina, Augustine, and Pastor John...dying to self, overcoming their own fears, and living Jesus message...Love one another, as I have first loved you. I will not leave you comfortless...I will come to you, and remain with you...and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 02:11:21 +0000
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