One of my favorite things about Liberia is a small thing that happens every day. In the morning when you see someone you usually ask, “How are you?”, “How was the night” or “How de body?” The usual reply is “Fine”, “Yeah” or “Thank God.”
I love that last one!
The first time I heard someone say it I was like, “What?” The man said, “Oh, thank God for what he has done for us. We made it safely through the night.” I smiled, nodded in agreement and said, “Yes, thank God. We did.”
I’m not sure if it started during the 14 years of civil war that plunged everyday life into chaos or if people were saying it before then, but I like it. Both Muslims and Christians say it - it's great! Since coming to Liberia, I have found that I wake up with a new level of thankfulness. My bed is REALLY uncomfortable. The power goes out in the middle of the night and the a/c goes off. Sometimes I wake up with random bug bites. During rainy season, the roof leaks sometimes.
Every night when I have dinner, I thank God – not everyone here does. When I have had a good night’s sleep, I thank God. When I wake up in a comfortable temperature in my own apartment, safe and sound, with no bug bites and no new water stains on my ceiling, I thank God.
Thank God for all he has done for us.
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