Liberia
Our visas have been sent off, we have each gotten at least three vaccinations, there are Typhoid pills in the fridge waiting to be taken in a few weeks and Malaria pills and antibiotics to be picked up at the pharmacy, we even bought some nasty stuff to wash our clothes in to further keep away the mosquitoes. We are doing all the things that we should have done a long time ago, like getting our affairs in order and having a will drawn up. I guess for some people hopping on a jet and heading to the West Coast of Africa to a war torn, post conflict country is no big deal, but we are feeling a little intimidated and looking for things to make us feel more comfortable with our decision.

We are going to Monrovia, Liberia October 2 - 18. Our church, First Presbyterian of Boulder, is working with a group called Global Strategies. Their mission it is to implement international strategies to prevent HIV infection and care for those affected by HIV by means of strategic alliances with those who share in a compassion for alleviating the suffering of women and children. We will be staying at St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital and working in the area of facility maintenance. I hope to visit a school and several other places while we are there.

We certainly didn't go looking for an African adventure (we thought Honduras was a big stretch). We are out of our comfort zone and also feeling a little out of control, but I guess that is exactly where God wants you sometimes. I always liked that saying, "Give Up and Let God".
I guess we will find out what that means.

On another note…
I just finished reading the book, "The House at Sugar Beach" In Search of a Lost African Childhood, a memoir by Helene Cooper. I have read several books on Liberia, but I especially liked this one. Through her story of growing up just outside of Monrovia and fleeing to the United States as the conflict becomes unbearable, you learn the history of Liberia, past and present. I have to admit, that before our adventure began to unfold, I didn't even know where Liberia was on the map, let alone its connection to the United States, etc., but slowly I am beginning to feel a small connection to that far away place.