We have arrived in Liberia and are currently near Monrovia. We were warmly greeted by the children as soon as we entered the campus. We are happy to be here!
Going to the airport is a big deal for the kids, but there's not room for all 70 kids. So, it is a tradition at the orphanage that when someone leaves to go to the airport, a heads and tails game is played, where the winner gets to go to the airport. Our team with Linda, of Hope and Care, at the Monrovia airport. We arrived safely in America Saturday night. Linda makes multiple trips to Liberia each year, as she says the need is great . Although we are no longer in Liberia, we will still add to the blog until the end of this month. The team members will present about our journey to our church on Sunday, July 23rd.
On Sunday, we attended St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran church in Monrovia. Pastor Bob gave the sermon about the Holy Spirit. A deaf choir performed. They are an integral part of the the church. Pastor Nanning presided and has been a gracious host throughout our stay here. Before the service, adult Sunday school was held. The Sunday school teacher posed the question: which come first - sin or law. It was a great debate. The inside of the church before the service. The choir was in green and yellow robes, the colors of the Lutheran churches in Liberia. In addition to the choir, a group of ladies performed in playing an instrument called a saasaa. This instrument is often played by women, unlike the drums which is performed by men. The sound of the saasaa comes from beads hitting a gourd.
A group picture of all the children. Everyone in VBS. We loved the past 2 weeks! Throughout the VBS days, the children worked on designing a quilt square. Each square attached to each other through buttons. The quilt showed unity. The quilt being attached to a wall in the boys dormitory. Pastor Bob presented Hope and Care Executive Director Linda Kurtz with an elephant mask. An endearing name given to Linda by the Liberian people is elephant because she, like an elephant, plows through any obstacles.