Goodbye Foya, Hello River Gee

The last three months of transition were crazy as expected, but here we are at Christmas and I am already on my way home again! God certainly knew what he was doing over the last several months of transition.  It was not always easy, but I was able to say goodbye to my old projects and get excited about my new project. 

Last weekend I was in Foya to introduce the new sector manager to the projects and say my goodbyes up there.  It was sad, but good. Both the CDF and REAP staff gowned me and gave me some good bye gifts which made me feel very appreciated!  You can see some of the beautiful lappa’s they gave me below!  I will definitely find some occasions to wear them in River Gee:) And you can watch some videos of the fun dancing at the REAP end of year celebration (they made the white girls dance at the end, but I have no video of that and I am hoping no one else does either:)).

Me with the REAP staff

REAP staff gowning me

At the REAP end of year celebration

Agnes - one of the REAP staff, enjoying the dancing

CDF Program Manager Rachael and I after gowning by the CDFs.

At the same time as wrapping up my work with all the other projects, I was kicking off our new project in River Gee.  We started with an intense few weeks of hiring, getting the baseline survey completed and logframe revisions done.  We have also had some kickoff meetings and trainings with county officials and health staff.

SP staff at the county health training

Working in River Gee and using a model that heavily utilizes volunteers is not going to be easy.  The baseline survey hit home some of the challenges we knew existed - far distances, small communities, bad roads…etc.  I was sitting and reading my Bible one morning before devotions during the baseline survey and I read Isaiah 40 – one of my favorite passages.  Verse 26 says: 

“Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
    Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
    and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
    not one of them is missing.”

Some of the children in a community during the baseline survey

Furthermore, Matthew 6 reminds us that we are more valuable than the birds of the air and the grass on the ground; he feeds and clothes them, so certainly he will take care of us.  If God knows all the stars by name, he certainly knows each and every woman in River Gee.  The end of Isaiah 40 says that he will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom; he will give us the strength to run and not be weary, to walk and not faint, to rise up on wings like eagles.  It will not be easy to reach each of these women, but he will give us the strength and wisdom to do it.   

My staff went above and beyond during the baseline survey – some were hired and agreed to start the next day, some walked through swamps, some walked up mountains.  And this is just the start of the three years!  I believe that just as God knows each of the women, he brought this team together and will continue to bring it together.  I love working where others are not, it is one of the reasons I loved working in Papua.  Sometimes Liberia seems overrun with NGO’s, so I am excited that this project will allow us to go beyond where the crowds of NGOs are.  But sometimes, I wonder whether I can really ask my staff to have that same passion.  Our country director confirmed that not only is that my passion, but it is the aim of SP Liberia. At our kick off meeting, he told the county officials that SP Liberia works in the places others don’t go, and it will be the same here.  He said if the drivers are not getting stuck in the mud and the staff are not walking – we are not working in the right places (my staff weren’t so sure about this remark, but they had already walked many miles for the baseline survey:)).  My prayer is that myself and all the staff will continue to be motivated to work through the challenges to reach the people of River Gee.

Unloading motorcycles from the airplane to get us around the bad roads!

I want to close by just praising God for where he has brought me over the last year, for where he has brought our health projects and staff, and for what he is going to do in 2014.  I am looking forward to a little break before continuing on and looking forward to celebrating Christmas with friends and family.  My favorite Christmas song so far this year has been a gospel rendition of the Hallelujah chorus – I just can’t help but smile everytime I listen to it – 

“For the Lord God the omnipotent reigneth – 

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah…

And He shall reign forever and ever,

King of kings, forever and ever, 

and Lord of lords, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!…” 

A good reminder of the reason for the joyous season we celebrate each year at Christmas – Merry Christmas!