A New Normal

Heyo!!

This update is long overdue, i apologize for my tardiness!! I left the ship end of July and moved to Monrovia, Liberia! I'm living on a missionary campus that is home to a community of several different NGO's and Liberians, conveniently located right on the beach! The campus started with a radio station, hospital, school, and church, that by God's grace survived the country's recent civil war. The dentist who introduced me to dentistry in Africa, Keith Chapman, lives here with his family and has built a clinic onto the existing hospital. I worked at this clinic briefly last year and learned more about Mercy Ships, as Keith served with them for several years. I'm so happy to be back working with this clinic, it's an incredible ministry and witness to the surrounding community and every patient who is treated.

So here i am with my incredible roomate, Jackie . . .living in a real house again with the ocean right outside my front door and a backyard jungle, complete with banana trees!! Before you get too jealous, this paradise comes with it's own negatives. For instance, the salty, moist air combined with the warm climate makes a coat of mold on everything...everything. So certain procautions have to be taken, basically keeping all food in the fridge, assuming the fridge works, of course ;) Keeping laptops and electronics covered, and making sure your damp clothing (no dryer) is ironed dry. Things rust and deteriorate very quickly, a reminder that the things around us are very temporary. Including these mortal bodies! It's almost a part time job trying to stay healthy! While I'm consistently amazed by this body He's created, I've realized many times recently how weak they are and how fragile life truly is. Learning to praise Him even in our weakness is not easy but praise God for never leaving us and sustaining us through hard times.

So this new normal includes :

Sleeping under mosquito nets. . .which is kinda cool, except in the middle of the night when you're racing to the bathroom :P

Trapping, chasing and squishing multiple mice, rats, cockroaches & other uninvited housemates.

No A/C...but there's a nice breeze off the ocean.

Cold Shower. . .just make sure you're hot before!

Security guards, one during the day and one at night...perfect conversation opportunity!

Three mangy african dogs...who bite the guards and each other more than someone who is an actual threat. At the moment, one of our dogs is dying. According to the night guard a stray rabid dog came and got into a fight with our dogs, biting one of them. Despite our best efforts to make a quick end of it, Liberty (the dog) is still alive. So sad to see our favorite dog so miserable, another reminder that life is fragile.

Fresh Papaya, Coconuts, & plenty of bananas!

Inconsistent internet - i'm blaming this for my delayed post :P

No TV...so we entertain! A lot! It's fantastic, at least twice a week we're serving dinner to random friends and coworkers or going out into the city to grab a bite. Through this we've been able to make incredible friends and have so many long, wonderful conversations learning about this country and it's children.

But most of the time we stay busy at the clinic, always expecting the unexpected. So like i said we're living in this new normal, but I only have one more month before i'm headed back to the USA! It's going to fly by and while I can't wait to see my family and friends again, once again i'm leaving a home i've come to love. Thanks to everyone for your love, prayers and support. Keep fighting the good fight of faith and serving Him wherever you are. Remember wherever your "normal" is, He's working, look for Him and see how He's equipped you to serve those around you, there's plenty of opportunities right where you're at!