On the far side of the Atlantic

So...the beach! Bethany, David and I set out for White Sands beach with Roseann (our driver who is from New York and makes a great Liberian driver!), Judy, Frankie, Marylou, and Joan. I don't have pictures since my camera was around John's neck on his hike through town, so I'll try to describe what it was like on the far side of the Atlantic Ocean.

The drive to White Sands was just as worrisome as the other drives through town have been. The kids and I were sitting in the back of the vehicle which I think is an old Land Rover or something. We had the advantage of being able to look back behind us as we rode. There are so many people in and around the streets that it amazes me that there aren't casualties around every turn. Although the roads are supposedly two-lane, there are sometimes two cars in each lane, passing at will with plenty of horn taps to alert the driver being passed.

Anyway, we made it safely to the beach where we discovered the sand is not white but a burnt orange and the water is the color of tea. There was a pretty strong under current, so we ventured out only thigh deep into the sea. There were palm trees with some green coconuts visible above umbrellas made of palm branches. This made for great shade over plastic chairs and lounges. The kids and I spent most of our time down at the edge of the water, though, and had a wonderful time!

I want to tell you, also, about the church service we attended this morning. Each Sunday there is a service in the ward for the patients and anyone else who is early enough to get a seat in Ward A. (I hope to add a picture for you to see when we clear it with the right people.) There was a mix of folks that included several patients in their beds, ambulatory patients from other wards, nurses on duty, and all of us!

This morning's service include a Dress Ceremony for four ladies who had had the VVF (vesicovaginal fistula) repair and were ready to go home. Recovery from this procedure is about two weeks and when the surgeon clears them for release, they are celebrated, given new dresses, head wraps, a bar of soap to symbolize that the blood of Jesus cleanses them from their sin, a mirror to remind them that they are fearfully and wonderfully made by God, a Bible and a witness bracelet that makes it easy for them to tell the salvation message to others.

What a blessing to have been a part of this service this morning! We were able to witness the abandon with which the African people worship the Lord. It brought tears to my eyes and blessed me so! I hope to learn some of the songs that we heard this morning, too. And there is a special handshake that I want to perfect. There's time....

There is so much more to tell about this past week, but my time is up for now. Until next post...

Jenny