Family Reunion

This morning I woke up and felt a little sad.  I wished that I could be going to church and celebrating Resurrection Sunday with my family in America. But then, as I sat and drank my morning tea, I realized how blessed I am. Some friends had offered to take me to their church, and I thought about how remarkable it is that even though I am an ocean away from my family, I can still celebrate Jesus with the family of God. How beautiful is that! In some ways it reminded me of a family reunion.

My extended family on both my mom and dad’s side is very large, and whenever we have family reunions, I always meet people I never knew before. When we meet, we get each other’s names - possibly hug - get a little bit of the other’s story, and there is a connection there because of our family tree. It is the same way with followers of Christ. In the Gospel of John, John talks about all who believe in Jesus being given the right to become children of God. All throughout the New Testament, the writers admonish their readers as brothers and sisters in the Lord – we are a family.

Yes, it’s true that clashes within Christianity have caused some of the most enduring, violent conflicts. But it is also true that there can be tremendous love and goodwill shown by Christians, and sometimes, meeting another Christian can be a bit like a family reunion. It has happened more than once since I have come to Liberia, that I will meet someone and when we find out the other is a Christian, we share moments of joy in the recognition that the other is a part of the family. It really feels just like meeting a cousin you didn’t know you had. Sometimes it is the beginning of a friendship; sometimes you both know you won't see each other again for a good long time. Whatever the case, it warms your heart. 

I went to church on Good Friday and today, Easter Sunday. There were some things that were different and some that were familiar.  It is so beautiful to me that people all over the world took time out to remember Jesus’ sacrifice for humanity and the price he paid to bring us into His family. It also makes me wonder what would happen if we thought about this a little more, if we as Christians thought of ourselves as family instead of individual Christians and individual churches focusing on their own growth, if we didn’t let denominational divides stop us from working together towards shining God’s light and building His Kingdom on Earth. I've thought about this some before, but I plan to think more about this issue and what my role might be in it. For now I will just say, that today I was especially thankful that Jesus died so that I might live and be welcomed into the family of God. And I am thankful that I have family members all around the world :)

Second Wife

At first I wasn’t going to share this story, but it is so crazy and random – I have to do it.

A few days ago, I was at work. I was sitting in my office preparing for a conference call later that afternoon. My boss called me and said, “Are you in your office? I have some visitors I'm sending down to you.” A few minutes later an older Liberian man and a younger Liberian man came into my office. I shook their hands and motioned for them to sit down. The older one, in his 60s I’d say, walked with a limp and was very rambunctious. He explained to me that he had recently returned from the States and knew the CEO of my organization. He then proceeded to tell me a half hour of stories.

Apparently he knew the founder of my NGO in the 1960s and 70s. He told me that he started branches of the organization in Chicago and Florida for him. He also told me how he went to college in Europe and then when he came to America, went to Alabama and didn't like it because blacks and whites had separate everything, but in Europe you could do what you wanted. He also told me how he sued 3 cities in Florida because when he worked for city government they refused to put him in leadership positions. He finally made it to management and they sent a beautiful white woman to his office to try and trap him. Through conversation she revealed she wanted to make love to him. He said, wow, hold on a second. He then called in all of his staff and told them, “This woman wants to make love to me. This office believes in participatory decision making - what do you all think?” He had a mixed race staff but everyone was upset and opposed to the idea. The woman left in a hurry and he didn’t have any more trouble. He also told me how during the war he refused to leave Liberia, but afterwards he had to leave for surgery because he's diabetic and had complications in Liberia that they couldn't deal with. In Liberia, they wanted to amputate his foot, but in America, they did a lot of scrapings of his leg and his foot was saved. All of this had cuss words sprinkled liberally throughout. (I censored for your benefit.)
 
These were definitely interesting stories and he was an interesting character, but I had a conference call to prepare for and work to do. While he was talking I kept wondering, “How am I going to get this man out of my office?” When a break in the stories came, I said "Wow, you've had quite a life." He said two things make for an interesting life - a good wife and a good job. And then he got ready to leave. GREAT.

He wanted to give me his number. The younger man who hadn't said a word wrote it down for me. I gave him my card. THEN, he asked, do you know __ ___ (I can't remember the guy's name.) I said “No...” He said, “No?? He said you were at his place on ____ Street last week.” And I remembered, “Oh!! He sells gari processing machines. Yes, I met him last week.” Then the man said to me, "He told me that they have a new woman, an American, working here who is fine! I don't know if you're looking for a second wife, but you should go see her."
 
WHAT?!?!?! WHAT?!? One, I can't believe the man told him that! Two, I can't believe he would TELL ME the man told him that! Three, I can't believe he actually did it!!! Later I went to my boss’s office and asked, "Who was that man you sent down to me???" He answered, "I don't know. He said he knew you. I thought maybe you knew him from the States."

Never a dull moment…

Fast and Prayer Day

Today is a national holiday in Liberia, Fast and Prayer Day!

Here’s a little bit about it taken from an online encyclopedia: Liberians reserve Fast and Prayer Day for collective reflection and self-discipline. The observance of the day is not mandatory since the constitution provides for freedom of religion. Nonetheless, many believe this national observance is in keeping with the spiritual convictions of Liberia's founding fathers. As President W. V. S. Tubman stated in an address commemorating a national fast, the country was established on a "deep and well-founded belief and trust in God through prayer." The day historically has been observed by Christians, as Liberian Muslims more commonly dedicate the Islamic month of Ramadan to fasting and prayer. While officially the observance spans only 24 hours, the time of fasting and prayer can extend to an entire week.

How crazy is that?! A day sanctioned by the government for fasting and prayer! A lot of people don’t observe it and just use it as an extra day off, but many people do. In my neighborhood, churches have been having services every night, all week long. The bigger churches even had calls for week-long fasting and prayer on the radio for a few weeks leading up to it.

At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to participate or not. I’ve ended up working most of the Liberian holidays, and I hoped I could stay home and relax through this one. But then I thought, how often do you get to join a nation in prayer and fasting? I had to do it. And anyway, I haven’t fasted since I came to Liberia, and I feel like fasting is so beneficial!

For me, it serves as a reminder of my need for God in everyday life. Those of you that know me well know that when I have been hungry for hours, I’m not really so great of a person to be around. I’m more blunt, not as patient, not as friendly or forgiving. I don’t think as clearly. In the same way, without regular time with God, I’m not as great of a person to be around. I’m not as loving, patient, forgiving or understanding. I can try and do things on my own, but when I consult God, he gives me brilliant ideas, helps me see things I might have missed and gives me strategies for accomplishing tasks. Food sustains me and makes me stronger, but that is nothing compared to the sustenance and strength I get from God.

I still ended up working for a few hours today, but it’s been good to take some extended time out and spend it humbling myself before God. I like this holiday J