Some Answers...

I just checked my email after I posted my last blog so I'm adding these answers to questions a friend asked me in an email...

Are they having you help with chores around the house and stuff?
No. In fact they are always trying to help me when I try to do things on my own like get my water for a bath. I'm sure eventually they will let me. The most they let me do is take dirty dishes to the kitchen. But their are so many people in this house at all times that everything gets taken care of before I turn around.

Do you help cook?
No again. It's a small kitchen and already looks crowded in there while they are fixing things. But I'm usually away or busy, and so food is waiting for Jerry and I when we get home.

Do you have a bed?
I am very blessed. I indeed have my own bed. I share a small room with the two oldest sons, Joshua and Jonathan. They share a double bed and I have a single of my own. No need for blankets because that small breeze from the window feels oh so good, I have to rotate as I sleep to put some coolness on my underside. I feel like my bags are taking up so much room in their room, but we are making it work.

Is the weather wet or just hot?
Both. One day it rain the whole day. One day it didn't rain any and was nothing but intense sun. but most days showers hit for a bit here and there at random times during the day. Honestly I think the 90s something heat of Georgia is worst, but we have A/C so I don't think about it much. It's here you can't escape it. Nicaragua was more comfortable temperature wise.

Is there running water into the house?
Only if you mean water you have to run to go get. Haha I'm so funny. No running water. just buckets filled with water strategically placed around the house (bathroom and kitchen). Some water comes from a well which is used for bathing and for pouring into a toilet to get rid of the waste. Then there is water from a pump which is used for drinking and cooking. All this water comes from people walking down the road some to fill buckets they carry on their heads back to the house.

Are there toilets?
Yes toilets and they work as I explained earlier. At the youth camp our toilet's bucket near by ran out of water and so I had to find another toilet with a filled bucket so I could 'flush' later.

Do you have to take bucket baths?
Yes I take bucket baths. You stand in a shower with your soap and a bucket of water. You wet yourself and then lather up, and then you pour the water over you. At the Kulah's house they always keep a little coal fire with hot water on top, so you can warm your bucket of water up some. It really isn't that bad.

Have you used your steri pen?
Yes, a lot. They have some bottled water, but I try to use the pump water more and just sterlize it with the UV Steripen. People look at it like it's magic or something. Then again so do I. I actually drank some water out of prepackaged bag. I was scared I was going to die after, but I was so thirsty. I have also drank after and with many Liberians, I'm not sure if that's an issue... short of mono. Man I'm sure their would be a lot of questions if I came back with mono... I was voted most attractive at the Youth Camp.

Are you totally healthy?
I am. Though they gave me some freaking spicey food I didn't expect at that camp. crazy old lady cook. I hade to drink a whole bottle of water and lay down after that. I'm not that into super spicey.

Have you seen any critters yet?
Jonathan Kulah and I were walking and he excitedly pointed out a squirrel on a roof to me at the camp. I was like, yeah so what. He had never seen one before except in a book. He'd love Georgia, so many squirrels.
Also saw something like a spider scurry across the floor one day in the house, I told myself I didn't really and haven't thought about again since. And then at the camp I was looking at the dresser and then noticed a giant spider next to my head on the furinture. I freaked out and grabbed a Bible, my sword, and tried to smush it! I removed the Bible and it wasn't there, but three feet away on a new part of the furniture. I gave up and said it won, because I was not fighting a spider that moves that quick. I then prayed to God I wouldn't get eaten by a giant spider. So far so good.


I want to mention what I did at the Youth Camp, because I didn't last time. I was asked to come an be a speaker and to speak on Goal Setting and Time Management. I thought it was strange topics for christian youth camp, but they are very much into empowering their youth here, which is cool.
So I made my talks a nice mix between practical and God inspired and made sure it was quite Biblical. I shared my stories of my trials and tribulations of just getting to Liberia to compliment what I was teaching.
But the first morning I we woke up at dawn and I was told as I was getting up that I was in charge of "Rise n' Shine". What? I said. They explained it was the exercises they do with the kids in the morning and I was to do a 20 minute workout routine as soon as I get outside. Not what I was expecting. SO I relied on my years of basketball and football pre-practice warmups. I made them do some stretches that they'd never even seen. All I could think as I was heading up to lead these exercise was my old PE teacher and middle school basketball coach, Coach Jones and how he'd yell "Exercise!" in his large hard to understand black man voice.
Then later after breakfast they informed me moments before that i would lead the 15 minute long devotional. I have no clue why they kept wanting to spring things on me last minute like that. So I whipped out 1 Corinthians 18-23, which was the verse I shared with them the night before as some of me favorite verses. Thought that would be appropriate since I said it was one of my faves.
Then I also was asked to lead some break out discussions. They talked about how they feel their churches could improve and what bad things have enter and what good things have left their churches. It was quite fascinating.
Gave my Goal Setting talk later in the afternoon, which went really well. They asked me a bunch of questions about what I talked about which was weird, because i clearly told them I was no expert on this, but some reason they kept asking like I had my Doctorates in Goal Setting. Most of my answers were, 'I don't really know, but I suppose...'
And then they told me I'd give the Time Management one later.
Later came and went, and because tons of things went too long and they had too much planned they couldn't fit in my last talk. So because of bad management of time I couldn't talk about Time Management. It made me chuckle thinking about the irony.
I later tried to explain "irony" to this young lady at the camp to show he why it was funny I couldn't give my talk on Time, because we ran out of time. She just couldn't get it and I just couldn't explain it. But I still enjoyed laughing about to myself.

But some of my best experiences were just getting to know the kids at the camp. Some would take me aside just to have a one on one talk with me. And many groups would invite me over where they would question me together. I shared so much from my life, explained my faith and what my Christian life in America is like, I prayed for a number of them (they are not scared to ask for some prayer), and I was even asked to explain Bible verses for them on number occasions sense they don't always understand everything they read in english Bibles. I had to explain at my devotional that "foolishness" means "stupid" from my 1 Corinthians 1 verses. One boy wanted to go into some 1 Samuel with me, which was fun explaining and teaching.

Ok I'm done for now. I am currently introducing the youth of Liberia to christian rap (Lacrae), among other things (fist pound and hand explode). Be scared America.


p.s.
+ 3 Kudos points to you