Helping out at AGC

Today we were able to visit AGC. (All God's Children School) When we arrived each of us went off to a different place to help. G.G and I went to the 2nd grade classroom to help with reading. We read them a book out loud called, "Working together is good". It was about a little boy named Saa who learned to help his Mama and Papa make Cassava cake. It was cute. The kids love visitors:) I was glad for the opportunity to sit down and rest, after walking everywhere, because my legs are sore! Yesterday we were home bound due to the rain, and had nothing to do. So Mom and I did 3 P90X videos. My legs were not happy with that.
~Meg


After helping the kids in their classrooms we all went out to recess. All the Elementary school age kids ran outside into the court-yard and immediately came over to Meg and I. They like to touch our skin, hold our hands and arms, and push on them to see it change colors. They also run their fingers in our hair and say "It's soft!". Their hair is very short and pulled back tight into little braids, so I don't think they get to play with hair a lot. These kids are a little rougher and more pushy than the kids back in the States. My arms got tired from all their pushing and pulling, so I raised them straight up in the air. They copied my movements exactly. I started to spin in circles; funny enough all the kids did the same thing. I started to run around and they all followed me with their arms still straight up in the air. Meg and I were laughing so hard! We wanted to tire them out, so we decided to teach them how to play sharks and minnows. We lined them up against one of the walls and told them to run to the opposite one without getting tagged by us, otherwise they would have to be taggers along with us. They gave us blank stares, so we ended up saying "Run to that wall...and don't let us touch you! We will eat you!" That seemed to get the message across, well, for the first few times. They didn't stay on the opposite wall as a base. They kept running around. But that was fine. About the fourth time we said "GO!" one little boy made a bee-line for me and jumped into my arms yelling. The next round all the kids did that same thing charging straight at us and running right smack dab into us! We stopped playing after that:)
-GG


I was taken to a classroom of about 20 kids to help with writing. Each student has their own composition book and a pencil sharpened at both ends (because thats all they have in case one side breaks). Every class period they write "Name, Class, Topic, Subject, Date" in their books and fill it out. The teacher was really nice and basically handed the class over to me. I didn't know what to do at first and the teacher only smiled and said, "Yes, you teach!" I decided to write sentences on the board, have the class read them out loud, and then write the sentence in their books. At the end of the class I had written 15 sentences having to do with school. The kids all had fun and so did I!
*M.C.*


I didn't have to stay inside the school like the girls did today. Harris (the assistant coach to the school) pulled me aside right away and said he had a job for me. We stayed on the outside of the wall that surrounds the school and mixed paint powder into a bucket of sea water. We checked to make sure it was thick enough and then started smearing it across the wall. The paint brushes looked kind of like the bottom of a broom. I had to go over the paint a few times because it was thin and not exactly white. But I had fun. I got some paint on my clothes, and Mom said that I can scrub them on a washboard outside. I wouldn't like that too much (:



While my children went off to help in the classrooms, I got to play school nurse. Louise, the real school nurse is training me to help her out. The difficult part of this job is trying to understand what the kids are saying. They speak quietly and a little too quickly. I had complaints of diarrhea, stomach aches, headaches, fever, some sores in one girls mouth, and a couple kids said it hurt to breath. So I treated for parasites and worms, vitamin deficiency, gave antibiotics for the breathing problems even though the lungs sounded clear, and tested a couple of kids for malaria. I gave the kids their medications in little packets with the directions written on them. Louise treats for everything and can even put in stitches if someone cuts themselves. One little boy came in and asked me if I would be his friend to which I replied yes. Later he asked if I would buy him a bicycle from the states. I told him that would be too expensive and asked if that would be fair to all the other children. He said "yes because we are friends." Then he said that I could just buy him some shoes instead! I love these kids.
Kim

For Camryn

Here is a note from Beth B: "What a cool thing to be able to do on Memorial Day! We were able to visit Camryn's grave at the Haven of Rest this evening. The sky was clear and blue with little wispy clouds sprinkled in the sky. We left her a purple carnation for each member of her family and a little stuffed bunny rattle. Someone had already placed a pinwheel at the top of her headstone. What a great experience to share with my family."

We love you Golden family!

4 things...

So there are a few things that we have noticed thus far into our trip.
1. We have gone through 10 liters of oil in 4 weeks (Martha cooks with ALOT!)
2. It is definitely rainy season.
3. My family and I have finally acclimated!
4. Hair get BIG, No matter how much product you use!

For the past few days it has rained every few hours, but today it poured all day. Good thing we brought personal umbrellas. With the rain, also comes a cooler front. It is still warm and muggy outside, but the Liberians pull out their thick coats, heavy sweaters and shawls to wrap themselves up with. In the Pediatric Unit the other day the Play Nurse, Rose, told G.G. and I that she thinks she is coming down with a cold because of the weather affiliated with rainy season. G.G. and I both laughed, but understood because it doesn't feel as hot to us as before.

The other night we taught Martha how to make real American food. She loved our homemade mashed potatoes, fried chicken and mixed veggies! While watching her cook, we realized how much oil she uses in each dish! We are trying to teach her how to conserve and cut back on this less needed product:)

~Meg

All I want is a salad

I miss salad so much that my stomach started hurting when I began to play a game on my Dad's i-pad called more salad where I make really BIG salads.

sincerely, Lawrence. :)




I told mom the other day, during a big rainstorm, that the rain on the roof sounds like hail! But then I remember that we are in Africa and with this heat it is pretty much impossible. The rain, thunder, and lightning are pretty serious here. The lightning is so scary sometimes. But I think that is very exiting.

*MC*

(I hope every one back home is still happy.) (:

A trip to the orphanage

Today our friend Sister Kimball, a missionary from our church, picked us up in her pick-up truck to take us to an orphanage. This is something that we have really wanted to do since we arrived here in Liberia. The kids and I packed up all the supplies that we brought with us to donate to this orphanage. We had toothbrushes and toothpaste, fleece blankets, children's books, soap, handmade baby hats, and handmade flower clips for the girls' hair. Sister Kimball was donating five twin mattresses. We looked like the Beverly Hillbilly's with all those mattresses crammed into the bed of the truck as well as tied to the top of the shell. The drive was beautiful with lots of vegetation on both sides of the road. The further we drove the worse the road became. Thank goodness we had four wheel drive because of all the mud and huge puddles that we had to navigate through. We made a short stop to pick up Quita, a Liberian woman who founded this orphanage. She too is a member of our church. What a beautiful woman both inside and out.Quita had tender heart towards all of these homeless children who either lost their parents during the war or got separated from them. She supports this orphanage with her own money which is very tight. The government is supposed to offer subsistence but none of the orphanages are receiving it. There is just enough money to pay the rent for a two bedroom house, teachers, cooks, and caregivers. The children eat one meal a day, mostly consisting of rice. There are currently 39 children living there and no room for anyone else because of the money issue.

When we arrived all the little kids were outside playing soccer with a tennis ball or whiffle ball. They were curious as to what we were doing there and what all those mattresses were for. They ran up to us with huge smiles on their faces and wanted to shake our hands or touch us. Their ages ranged from around 2 to 10 years old. We were then introduced to the staff and given a quick tour of the house. It was pretty spacious inside. There were two bedrooms for sleeping, one for the boys and one for the girls. Comforters, used as makeshift beds, were spread out on the cement floors. Close lines were strung across the living room with laundry hanging from them. I'm sure this was because it's rainy season.

Now it was time to show the children what we brought for them. MEG and GG gave a demonstration on how to properly brush their teeth and showed them how much toothpaste to use. The girl's did a great job and interjected their fun personalities into the demonstration. The kids thought they were funny! Next we passed out all the books and told them these were to share. We separated the children into four groups so that we could read to them. I was proud watching MEG, GG, MC, and Lawrence reading to these little kids. When it was time for us to leave it was difficult to say goodbye. We definitely want to go back for another visit soon. We are contemplating ways to help this orphanage in the future.

Love, Kim

My Day . . .

At night I wake up because of the heavy pounding rain against the single paned windows, and roof. There is lightening, bright enough to read and write by, that shoots its way through the heavy curtains. The thunder makes your rib cage vibrate and will shake you out of a deep slumber.
The next morning I am very much awake and invigorated after the P90X workout my Mom and I do. We've done it religiously every morning since we've moved into our apartment. I love it, and it gets me out of bed in the morning. Then I will go and attempt to take a shower. Which is also very slow like all Liberians sense of urgency. The water pressure isn't very high and there is limited warm water in the tank for our building. So the water needs to be shut off in between the 'Shampoo, Rinse and Repeat". After this, all of us see Dad off to work and eat breakfast. So far it has consisted of eggs, cream of wheat (which was new to us) cereal, a piece of bread the size of my palm with PB+J on it, homemade doughnuts from out cook Martha, hot chocolate or juice. Me and the kids do our individual school work or studies until lunchtime, when Dad returns home. We have had egg-salad, spaghetti, grilled cheese, tuna, sausages (which is hot dogs) and a few other native foods.
The family will then go about doing the different activities set out for the day. But yesterday my Mom and I went shopping in town at our three favorite grocery stores. Payless, ERA and Stop and Shop. We have compared prices at all three and shop at the least expensive one for more of our bulk items. Some things that shocked me were seeing the $18 ten pound bag of potatoes, $13 dollar Costco sized bag or Tortilla Chips, $7-11 cereal and the little 8 to 10 ounce Ben and Jerry's Ice cream on sale for $15! We don't buy these things, but its crazy how much more expensive they are here compared to the States. We are sticking to the off-brand Lebanon food items, which taste just as good. Everywhere we have looked, there has been no lettuce. The restaurants have salad on their menu, but say the don't serve it anymore when we ask. That is the one thing I miss most from my meals back home! Luke had tears in his eyes when he started talking about our food back home.
The African food is really really good, but it is always jut one course. ALWAYS rice, with some stew or soup over it. There isn't a night here we haven't had rice. Once I am home, my diet will consist of all greens and no spicy foods! :)
Martha, our cook, laughs at us when we tell her a dish is too spicy. She says we are "Crazy white people!". But our taste buds have become more accustomed to it thankfully.
Its been great so far, and am excited for the rest to come.
~Meg

A Day of Leisure

I wake up every morning feeling like a princess, and John...who knows what he's thinking, but I soon realize that it's a mosquito net surrounding our bed. It's another hot and humid day where rain would be welcome, as it brings a breeze and slight cooling of the air. The rain storms over here are intense. It rains so hard that it wakes you up at night, or if you're caught without an umbrella you're drenched in a minute. The rain is almost always accompanied by lightning and thunder that is loud and ominous.
We have made friends with all the guards who watch our apartment. They look forward to the kids and I coming out to play soccer in the small courtyard. I think it cuts down on the monotony of their day.

Today, the kids and I went to the hospital with John so that he could check on a few babies. We arrived just in time to wheel the babies from the NICU to another room. The air-conditioning was broken and has been for days, so the babies are getting over heated. The overhead lights have also been broken for days and John has been asking for these things to be fixed, but no one seems to be in any hurry. We have started to realize that this is the way it is in Liberia. MEG, GG, and I spent some time taking babies out to their mothers to breast feed. These babies hadn't eaten for close to 24 hours! Over here c-sectioned mother's spend their first 24 hours flat on their backs recovering. I'm not quite sure why this is, but think with some education we could change this to maybe 12 hours and then 6 hours. I was proud of the girls and how they helped the women with their babies. I also taught these mom's how take care of the umbilical cord. I haven't noticed any nurses teaching breast feeding or cord care to these new mother's. I think this is something the girl's and I could get the nurses involved with and then help with this ourselves.

We ended our day by going to the beach and playing a little soccer, but this soon became a huge game with boys from all over joining us. Balls are pretty rare over here; most kids use a bottle or a bunch of bags all bunched together for a ball, so I think they were excited to play with us. This beach was fairly clean. Most of their beaches have trash strewn all over the place. If the Liberians could just clean up all the garbage I think this country would actually be beautiful.

Goodnight,
Kim (mom)

Hi to everyone - a little further discussion on the state of Pediatric care at hospitals in Liberia.

Today was a good and busy day. Arrived early to find no babies were admitted that were born at home, or rushed into the Emergency room and then up to us in the NICU. But it seems often now, that I turn my back or leave the unit for 10-15 minutes, and when I return they tell me a baby has shown up from the ER -" born at home 6 days ago, had a fever, not feeding well, came to the ER" and they just zip them over to the NICU (mostly without asking - it is just their routine). Some who read this know it is not good policy to readmit patients who have been home, are possibly infected with something contagious, and could infect preemie or sick babies in a Neonatal ICU. However here there is not much choice - the Pediatric ward already wages many battles against disease.

Have had my first baby with congenital malaria (born with the protozoan that causes malaria in his blood) - Mother and baby both looked surprisingly okay. Baby started treatment in the hospital and will complete his quinine syrup at home, as will mother get re-treated.

I was able to hitch a ride to another busy inner-city hospital today, after I finished my rounds.. It is called "Redemption Hospital" and is on Bushrod Island, pretty much part of Monrovia proper.

The drive through the neighborhoods was quite interesting - busy, busy with people.

The hospital looked little like a hospital from the front facade; as I found my way to the Pediatric ward, and to Dr. Sankoh the senior Pediatrician, I was impressed by the sheer number of patients, and family members. Empty beds were rare.

About the beds: they were made of wood, and not like Children's furniture as you see at IKEA or Selden's. Crude bed platforms, with vertical posts looking like they were planks nailed together. The bassinets for babies were like square boxes made of wood raised up on legs. Each was covered by a mosquito net.

Dr Sankoh I put at early to mid 60s. He was fit and healthy, but serene and in control. He showed me 5 different rooms, mostly large - each as open bays, in essence. The first was the Pediatric ER and "Concern Room". This functioned as ER, urgent care, same day observation etc., and was busy.
Right next to the ER was his "critical, intensive care area" - newborns with breathing problems were mixed in with older infants and children that needed higher level care. This was also a busy room - maybe 2 or 3 nurses i noted here.

Out of this building to the North was a large 12-15 bed "Malnutrition Ward" - when they make it here they are out of trouble but in serious need of special nutritional formulas, such as F-50, F-75, F-100 - high protein milk products I am told. These children varied from sadly undernourished to a reassuring appearance. Some children I noted had a reddish hue to their hair - Dr Sankoh told me this is due to Vitamin B deficiency.

Measles and polio are still real diseases here in Liberia; as are tetanus, HIV and Tuberculosis. The next ward was a typical Pediatric Ward - many children with various maladies. This was in another building to the south of the first building. There was still an infectious disease ward where the children with HIV are managed, which we did not visit.

In each case - each child or baby had a family member at their side; that person is needed to give care, feed, change, comfort and console their child since the docs and nurses are crazy busy! And generally it was fairly peaceful, with the children placid and the family members lounging or sitting with them on their beds, etc.

Lastly, and it just seemed to keep on coming - we went to the OB and Labor Ward. The post-delivery mothers and babies were in 2 large, long rooms. Each room (every room I saw - no A/C) had 8-10 mothers along the 2 walls, just lined up on their beds - sleeping, nursing, caring for their baby etc. 30-40 mothers and babies all out there in an open bay setting - the sights, the smells!

Through it all Dr Sankoh seemed calm, he walked and talked with authority - yet seemed to express concern and was clearly respected. I only spent 45 minutes with the man, seeing his operation, talking about clinical issues in a tropical and developing nation arena - yet I felt as if I was in the presence of someone great. He is assisted by one other Pediatrician, a young guy from Uganda. Two pediatricians - the entire operation looked like all of our children's hospital, with about half of our NICU and half of our Pediatric ICU thrown in, along with a whole bunch of newborn babies, and an emergency care area! 2 doctors.......

It was humbling to see this, and I cannot get Dr Sankoh off of my mind.

Sincere best wishes to you all -

John, the Dad

The Girl's Visit to JFK

Today we got up and ate some Marshmallow Matey's (the African Lucky Charms). We got going on our school work and worked until lunch time. Martha made us Grilled Cheese,YUM! After that we got to use Skype for the first time here in Liberia and talked to mom's dad and his wife! After that Meg, mom dad and I went to the hospital and got to carry babies down the hall to their mothers to eat and get their diapers changed, they were so cute! After our afternoon in the hospital we came home to cool off and eat dinner. We had a vegetable stew over rice,it was good. We played in a pickle then caught up on emails. Meg was so excited when she got to Skype one of her friends. It was a very hot day but the hospital was fun and seeing family and friends was great!

-GG

Liberia Time, Liberia Pace

We are now into our 3rd week in Liberia and gathering experiences with new friends, as well at places we frequent or visit.
The hospital here is John F Kennedy Memorial Hospital, the main public hospital in Monrovia the capital, as well as the country. It is fairly old and portions are under renovation. We visit the Pediatric ward here which is where Meg and GG play with children who are inpatients. They color, read books and play games with them. JFK also has the Pediatric outpatient clinic, which is pretty crazy and busy each time I go in there, but I have been spending most of my time in the NICU and with those patients, their families, and nursing staff.
There is a newly renovated hospital next to JFK - "The Liberian-Japanese Friendship Maternity Hospital" and it does look nice inside and out. Each time I walk in on the first floor - I am impressed by the large number of pregnant women waiting to be served - they wait in a non air-conditioned assembly area and sit on benches for what seems to me to be a long time. The same center serves for prenatal care, prenatal labs, Gyn. surgery, admission for Labor and Delivery, post-delivery care.
The NICU is on the 2d floor, and the actual patient care area is much too small. 2 babies are often in the one incubator (not twins) and today there were 3 small babies in one incubator (each between 2 and 2.5 pounds). There is just not enough equipment such as incubators and warmers in the place - it is a matter of resources to purchase it, to pay for nurses so that with enough staff more rooms could be open for patient care. But bless their hearts, the Nurses and others try hard and want to do a good job.
There are many little roadblocks and hiccups that make the day and patient care anything but smooth. Lack of the simplest items such as gloves, paper towels, hand cleaning gel, soap, trash cans, alcohol wipes - constantly looking for these things, asking for them, searching for them, buying them at local stores. It is sometimes the easiest way out. And my little list of sundry items just scratches the surface.
There have been several interesting cases coming through the door since I was awarded my Liberian Medical License, and began to practice, help in the NICU. This has been challenging given the absence of some core items such as respiratory support, only rudimentary labs, minimal Xray support. We can get most basic medications, but many other supply items are in short supply or absent. There is one Pediatrician practicing full time in Liberia and he is from Nigeria. So he and we do it all with no specialty support.
Way too many babies for my taste are born outside of the hospital - most at home, fewer at small clinics or outlying general hospitals. Today a 1.09 Kg baby (this is a small baby!) came to us through the Emergency Room - 5 or 6 days old, spent a few nights at the birth hospital, WENT HOME (aaaaaaggghh) and per the parents was not feeding well and had a fever (a sure comment to get a baby admitted). Well this kid is tiny by standards of any US NICU and would NEVER have gone home in such condition. THis is one of many stories for me in only a few weeks! Many are admitted to be treated for suspected infection; some are truly infected with something, get very ill and pass away because they came to late and we have so much less to offer for care. Some babies born at home come in with pretty severe effects of birth asphyxia and again are too bad off for us to do much that is good for them. And in more than a few cases the family waits 12 to 48 hours until they come to the hospital.
Survival of the fit has true meaning here in more than a few ways. It is a very different scene in so many ways - hospital care for mothers and babies; when we walk through the communities and neighborhoods (and we walk a lot), when you drive or shop at markets.
Well I have rambled quite a bit - I must say babies are just as cute here as they are in USA; so are the children and when they smile it warms your heart. But when you also lay eyes on a child who is very ill from malaria, or a diarrhea illness, or severe malnutrition, this is heart-wrenching. I have not lost that sense of hurt when I see suffering, nor have Kim or the kids.
We are well, we are together, we are having experiences that lead to stories, and we are fond of the Liberian people (except for Abraham who scared Kim and the kids! :) ) We remain fond of each other as well and we are all growing.
We miss you, our family and friends. All the best - John (aka Dad)

P.E. at AGC

Today GG Mom and I went to AGC so we could help with P.E. and it was FUN. WE played a game called "in the pool", duck duck goose, and then we did calesthenics. We went home for lunch, followed by mom and GG going to JFK Hospital where Dad works. The rest of us the watched t.v. until the generator went off at the usual time (which is a bummer because it gets really hot in the apartment). When they got back the missionaries came over to visit. We all ate dinner then went to the Hotel restaurant for ice cream. I had a great day!


Sincerely,
Lawrence

Soccer Game

Today we were invited to a soccer game by Joseph, the coach at AGC. WE arrived at the stadium at 2:00 for a girls soccer game which was cancelled because the other team was not showing up. We ended up waiting there until 4:00 to watch a mens premier club game. It was so hot. The game finally started and it was going to be a very exciting game because it was between the two top teams in the league. The teams were very skilled at controlling the ball. But the best part was when a big commotion happened on the field, and everyone in the stands went into an uproar. WAS LOUD! Everyone was yelling at each other because the two sides disagreed on the ref's call - the fans kept at it for another 10 minutes! The game ended in a 3-3 tie.
That night we all came home very hungry, and the dinner waiting for us was a super-spicy Liberian African dish! We kids could hardly eat it and our lips got numb, our eyes watered, and Dad was sweating (again!). But the day was exciting.

*MC*

Family Home Evening!

Today we stayed home all day doing school work, uggghhh! Mom came up with a fun P.E. activity; we went bowling using all of our empty water bottles as pins and a volleyball as a bowling ball. Naturally I won, rolling the ball granny style. We finished by lining up bottles on the back of the couch and tried to knock them down with small rubber balls. The highlight of my day was when not one but two sets of missionaries from our church came over to have dinner with us and participate in family home evening. Dinner for them was great considering they are on a strict diet of rice, rice, and occasionally stew. We had spicy spaghetti, sausages, rolls, and a variety of fruit. They quickly devoured it! When we were finished one elder dared me to eat a spoonful of oil that was leftover in a bowl and I agreed to if he would also. It was nasty and it gave me heartburn. Liberians tend to use a ton of oil in their cooking. To wrap up the evening we played some games with them. We taught them Snaps, Spot It, and Blink. Blink was the favorite; it was always me (since I am the fastest) versus one of the two American Elders, I always won :) I'm very competitive!

-GG

Our second visit to church

Today we attended church for the second time. Our branch (congregation) is very small; I would guess no more than 40 people were in attendance. Lawrence and MC had fun in primary. They taught the children some new songs and showed them the motions that went along with them. MEG and GG had a different experience. First of all it is difficult to understand the Liberian English. The Liberians cut off their words early and often leave off the "th". Anyway, MEG and GG couldn't understand what was being said in their class and kept asking them to repeat what was said, and everyone would laugh. Then a question was asked about "what would happen to a theft (thief) if he committed a crime?" The teacher called on GG who answered that he would go to jail. Loud laughter followed causing GG and MEG to become more self conscience. A girl named Pinky turned around and said, "yeah, that may be in America, but here we kill them...with poisonous gas" Wow!

We have to take a taxi to church because it is a good distance away. I really prefer to walk as much as possible because of how crazy they drive. Plus they don't have cars large enough to accomodate the 6 of us. Four of us squish together in the back and Luke sits up front with Dad in a compact sedan. By the time we get to church all of us girls hair is frizzy and wind blown (BIG Hair). This is because there is no air-conditioning so the windows in the car have to be rolled down. The Liberians dress in their very best for church. Their clothes are very colorful and beautiful. Feel free to share your comments with us; we love hearing from you.

Mom

Around Town

Monrovia through my eyes:

Each day our cook Martha comes and prepares a great lunch and dinner. A few of the things we have had so far are spicy fish on rice, spicy chicken on rice, spicy spaghetti noodles, well you get the picture. Every day we have an assortment of fruits, some familiar and some that are new. Pineapple and bananas here are THE BEST! I have also been introduced to the many ways to cook and eat a plantain. Which took time getting used to.
Walking about the city you see women carrying all sorts of items on their heads and men working on different jobs. If they get thirsty they purchase a little plastic baggy of water. It was funny looking at first. The houses you pass by are usually no more than one or two rooms, some with only three walls and others with no door. The roofs are made of corrugated tin or metal of all different sizes and colors. The buildings look very old, as their colors are washed out and chipped. The floors inside the house are dirt or the foundation they were built upon. The roads and ground are full of litter. They throw their garbage on the ground whenever they are finished with it.
One little kid was bathing in a bucket in front of his house. Others maybe ages 7-11 were doing laundry on the side of their house in basins with washboards. At night we look out our window and there are no lights on. Over 90% of the city has NO electricity. So for them it is 'early to bed and early to rise'.The mothers wrap their toddlers tightly around their back with a piece of material. Some of the people wear khaki shorts or cut offs. Regular T-shirts (that I would consider a 'work out t-shirt' while others have nicer clothes and wear jeans and a nice shirt. A few of the women wear very brightly colored matching shirts and skirts and a head wrap (which is a more cultural look). Some of the children have flip flops too large for them, others don't wear shoes at all.
On the streets there are many people trying to sell you little things. And let me tell you... these people are PERSISTENT! Of course we'd like to help and give something, but a lot of the time we can't.
One of the big obstacles that my family is facing so far is not having power in our apartment for 8 hours during the day. This ACTUALLY means that 'you will have no air conditioning for 8 hours' . YAY! Yah, not a happy thing. Sometimes it feels better to walk outside where there is a steady breeze.
Sorry about the delay in some of our messages or responses. The internet is Very very slow and sometimes we can't access it at all. We will try to update this blog with pictures...at some point.

~Meg

Another HOT Day!

This morning we woke up and made a fast breakfast so we could get out the door to go meet the athletic coach at a school we are involved with. AGC (All God's Children) is a tuition free educational program for grades K-9th. There are approximately over 300 kids attending the school and over one thousand on the waiting list.
When we arrived, the kids had just finished class and were coming outside for recess. Dad the kids and I played some of their native games with them. They use wadded up plastic bags for a ball and also used an empty water bottle for a soccer ball. They were quite talented! I was able to throw all the balls at once up into the air, and watch them scramble around screaming and laughing and pushing each other trying to catch them. A few of the young boys began hitting each other with their water bottles in attempts to steal the ball. They were rough...very rough. This didn't seem to bother them in the slightest. They kept laughing and smiling. The children wanted to hold our hands, and touch our skin. Our nails and hair fascinated them too.
Later that day we went to a girls Kick-ball game at a turf stadium. It is the SECOND most popular sport in Liberia following soccer. For the most part girls don't play soccer, so they participate in this sport instead. It is so big that they have a national team! It was really hot and humid sitting in the shaded stadium. We were all so sweaty. Today was definitely the most hot and humid day so far. Looking forward to the many more! We definitely are thankful for our air conditioning. Us American's don't know how well we have it.
Take a moment today to be grateful for something you have, this has been a very insightful experience thus far.

Kim

Gig Harbor says "So Long Goldens"

Day 4 in Liberia

We are on our 4th day in country and had a raging downpour last night. We heard it all as we are on the top floor - quite noisy.
Today I rounded with the in- pt. Pediatric team at JFK hospital, and it was an intriguing 2.5 hrs. Lots of serious malaria cases and fairly profound malnutrition. I was talking with a Nigerian doc who said those are the two major disorders they deal with.
He and I rounded later in the NICU and that service varies from 10-18 pts., most in the NICU and a few rooming in with mother. In another entry I will detail a variety of interesting differences - our unit in Tacoma is like a theme park in comparison.
Today we welcomed Martha who is a wonderful young Liberian woman that has agreed to cook for us and teach us some African dishes and cooking. She enjoys the kids and they adore her.
We walked in the afternoon to AGC school, founded by some men from Tacoma and Gig Harbor. It was so fun to interact with these lovable boys and girls; they giggled and ran to hide, then peeked at us all. Kim and Meg and GG played volleyball with some of the students and leaders for 2 hours in the hot, humid Liberian climate.
We are slowly getting over the time difference. More, much more to follow.

Dad

Our new home - apt.

Today we woke up and Dad went to the apartment we were going to move into. When he got back we went to breakfast. I asked for sausage and crazy enough I got hot dogs. Then we all got GIANT pancakes. I started cutting mine into a pattern that looked like the sun. Everyone liked it, especially Meg. After breakfast we went back to the hotel. Our apartment wasn't ready yet because they were repainting and refurbishing it. so we could't go until 5:00 p.m. We got our luggage taken a few blocks down to the apartment. After checking it out, we went into the city and shopped for a few groceries. We got something called finger banannas, the smallest one was as big as my pinky. I like these bananas better than ours back home. When we got to the apartment we looked around, it was really cool. And that was the highlights of our day sincerely,

Lawrence.

Day 2 in Liberia - Sunday! HOT! Humid!

We wake up and our bodies are not use to the time change. But we go to breakfast and have humongous pancakes with eggs. They also had some native fruits and veggies that were...interesting.

After that, we got ready for church and went in a taxi cab. The people there just stared and stared at us because of our newness in the ward. But the members were friendly and welcomed us to the ward. Each one came to us and shook our hands and introduced themselves.

The building had no AC so we were sweating so much that we could have filled up a water bottle. Gross.

After church we took a long nap until dinner. The restaurant served American and Lebanese food. Mom, Dad, and MEG got delicious Lebanese food. But Lawrence, GG and I, are having a little trouble switching to the more cultural foods. So in our final hoorah for American food we went all out. Greasy hamburgers with french fries and coleslaw. Yum.

After dinner we all sat in our one hotel room and played a few card games. That was fun! Now we are getting ready for bed.

**MC**