Ganta

Ganta...
Ganta is a little-big town in the north eastern region of Liberia, near the border of Guinea. Located here is a United Methodist compound of sorts that provides all sorts of services for the surrounding areas like, hospital, schools of various sorts from ABCs and math to a carpentree and seamtry school, farming, missions outpost, and various other things. It's quite a amazing little community within itself.
The compounds main ministry you might say is the hospital and many of the other ministries purpose is to either teach or help keep the hospital running, finacially or engery-wise. The compound missionary house they have here is for mission teams from other countries who come to help and work on short term projects, but it actually seems to serve them the most benefit be the money it brings in and not so much the services the individuals bring. Of course that's just me reading into what they have said, but they sure love to talk up the financial benefits that the short term missions house brings.

This place was on my itenerary to come and spend a week at to serve in whatever areas they have for me. Though, I didn't know it was on my itenerary until the day before, because there was an issue with my itenerary and didn't have it finalized until then. But when it was decided this was my new destination, they had not actually figured out how I would get there. So then a whirl of confusing phone calls were made until we found out how I was to get there, but we found a few individuals going that very day. So I had to quickly return to the Kulah's to pack some things for my week stay.
Upon arriving there close to midnight, after an uncomfortable five hour ride, I went up to what I thought was the District Superintendent's house and was greeted by some white lady who seemed quite annoyed with both my late night arrival and my early arrival sense she was expecting me later the next day. By candle light she quickly showed me where I would sleep and then left me alone. So I was very confused to say the least and my friends I made in the car ride up were no where near by.
The next day I was introduce to my house mates. Two older ladies from America who both seem to have been living away from the States for some time now. A German couple, Wolfgang (whom I call Wolf) and Lisa (I will speak more on these two later). And a med-student from the US named Matt. One of the older ladies in the morning at breakfast ask me what my major was (maybe she was thinking I was a bio-med major or something and could help out at the hospital) and I share I was an english major, upon which a few gave a little chuckle at the uselessness my major brings, especially considering the school was closed for break right now. I did not appreciate the chuckle, but I kept that to myself. They asked what it was I was told I would be doing. I informed them I don't anything about what I'm suppose to be doing and that I just figured I would serve where ever you needed some help. I've gotten use to telling people I don't know why I'm here and what I'm suppose to be doing when I go to places. They seemed confused with what to do with me, so they just said I would follow the Germans, but that I would probably get bored. Clearly they don't know me, I mean how can one get bored when you're hanging out with Germans in Africa!

I've enjoyed talking with Matt the medstudent mainly just because we get each other's jokes and American references.

Let me now properly introduce Wolf and Lisa. They are a young German couple in their 20s. Lisa just graduated as an economics and accounting major, and Wolf is a carpenter and just got done with his apprenticeship last year, though he wants to go on to college to become an engineer. Now that Lisa is done with school, they are hoping to get married after she gets a job. They've both been here since the beginning of April and will be return mid-August, about when I am. I absolutely love them and have already invited them to come stay with me if they ever come to visit the States. In return they said they would travel Europe with me and I am invited to their wedding.
They both work in the Missions Office as assistence, but their work is really all over the place. Wolf helps out in the carpentree shop here, but mainly to educate. It upsets him so much when he see or hears them using machinery incorrectly, it makes him cringe. Right now their big project is fixing up the missions house and making things overall improved in the house. And they help out at keeping things organized for the most part on the compound. I have in fact found ways to help them; I helped them write an email using proper english, I helped them do conversions with the english measurement system (yard>feet>inches can be so confusing, what has england and the US done to the world), and I helped them communicate with the fabric salesmen. So, I feel I did something.

I was very tired my first night here and so after dinner I went ahead and laid down and fell asleep soon after. I woke up in the night around 2am, feeling nauseous, headache, sweating, but most of all I needed to pee and was about to bust. I rolled out of bed and out of the tangle of mosquito net on to the cold floor, trying to keep quiet as not to wake up my German roommate, Wolfgang. I crawled over to my bag in the darkness searching desperately for my flashlight (oh how I love my flashlight), and then made my way to the bathroom. I found in the bathroom that the toilet was clogged by the evidence of the remaining waste, but there was no time, so I peed. But right afterwards I found myself gagging and then vomiting.
As I kneeled there spilling my dinner into the already filled toilet, my mind returned back to the week before I left for Africa, and the night that I spent throwing up every hour of the night. Fear struck me of the idea of having to go through a night of food poisoning and days of recovering. I had just gotten up to Ganta and I did not want to spend my time here in a bed. Afterwards I got some water to drink, laid down, and then prayed quite a bit. About an hour later I was awakened by nauseous stomach and quickly made for the bathroom. Not thinking, I went to the clogged toilet again. Afterwards I drank more water and prayed some more, and then fell asleep.
I woke up the next morning drained, nauseous, and overall feeling crappy. So I stayed in bed that morning. For lunch I ate some bananas and drank some terrible tasting electrolyte mix that they gave me. And then I would sleep more, because eating and being out of bed made me feel bad. For dinner I pretty much repeated my lunch routine, except the Germans also gave me some vegetable broth, which was my soup substitute. It was delicious and made me very happy. And then I went back to sleep.

Happy to report this morning I felt much better and ate some stuff of a bit more substance. I still don't want heavy starchy things like oats, rice, or biscuits they have, just the smell makes me feel a bit sick and I'm feeling a bit weak. But otherwise I'm alive. They say I just grabbed a bug from some where and that it happens to many, and it's just a 24 hour thing.

I've spent too much time on the computer so I must go now, but I do want to inform you...

Don't worry, I knew the morning it happened that Michael Jackson was dead. Yes, us here in Africa knew right away. In fact the first thing Jonathan said to me was that he was dead. I don't know how he found out with electricty in the house, but he knew.
I hear his music everywhere now.

I hope to answer some questions in my next post that people have been asking. I should get the chance sense they have a free internet cafe here.

Peace be with you,
Uncle Joshua