God Has Not Forgotten You

                 Without writing a novel about our “travel woes” to Liberia, let me fill you in on the basics of our unexpected “adventure” traveling to Liberia.
        Forty minutes from landing in Liberia, our plane hit very unexpected turbulence, causing ice to crack the first of four layers of windshields in the plane’s cockpit. Knowing they were unable to fix/replace the windshield in Liberia, we were diverted to Senegal. Without any word of where we were going (other than to a “hotel”) or how long we would be in Senegal, all 150 passengers (baggage included) were herded like sheep to two small busses. Considering the average bag per passenger was probably around 4, it took us 3 hours from landing to get our luggage and ourselves to a hotel (which happened to be a beachside, 4 star hotel). After two days of absolutely no information of when we would arrive in Liberia, we were finally put back on buses and taken to the airport. We boarded the SAME PLANE (new windshield) and flew the 1:30 to Monrovia, Liberia - over 48 hours later than expected.
        We were picked up by our friends, Pastor Emmanuel and Wintee Jonah around 10 in the evening - but not before the power blacked out while we were getting our bags in the “arrival terminal” (aka - a small shed with a baggage belt). We piled into two cars (we had a lot of bags - and people) and rode the 2 hours to Emmanuel’s house - where we would stay until our departure for Yekepa.
        The day after our arrival happened to be a big holiday (Liberian independence day - kind of like Christmas), so we were unable to start our long trek to Monrovia. However we were set to leave the next morning (Tuesday) at 5:00 am. When I woke up at 6:30 am I quickly realized our taxi never arrived. After waiting a few more hours, we decided our taxi was not coming and we piled into an unreliable van and left Monrovia at 9:15 am.
        A broken van and two different cars and a motor bike later, we arrived in Yekepa at around 9:30 pm. Now while the fact that our travels took 12 hours may mean nothing to you, this was a journey that should have taken us about… six hours (198 miles). There is a newly paved road from Monrovia to Ghanta (161 miles and an estimated 3:30 hours). However, between broken cars, having to barter for a new one, and the craziest, most-hole-filled, muddiest, hilliest roads I have ever seen made the trip double the time. If only we could have taped out trip from Ghanta to Yekepa - I can honestly say I do not think I have ever prayed so earnestly for such a long stretch of time in my whole life. God is so good because we made it to Yekepa by the skin of our necks.
        However, there wasn’t a single moment I would not have done the trip ten thousand times over again - and I mean that. To see the kids standing on the corner of the street in pitch darkness (there aren’t street lights - or any electricity for that matter), singing a beautiful song at the top of their lungs in their native language brought tears to my eyes. They later told me the song was saying “I have brought Good News.”
        Once we pulled into the orphanage’s gates I couldn’t get out of the car fast enough. And thought I could make out nothing but teeth and eyes in the darkness, to have all of my kids surrounding me was the ultimate reward for the 4 day journey we had just been through.
        You see, there were definitely times when I let deep discouragement set in. I kept thinking about how short our trip was and how the unknowns made it impossible to guarantee our arrival. There were times in the car when we were spinning out or losing traction in our truck that I honestly doubted what the heck we were doing in the middle of a jungle in Africa.
        But then the Lord gently reminded me of all that He went through to show me His love. The heights He went through were unimaginable and un-replicable. He stopped at nothing, and if conditions had demanded even more of Him, He would have willingly given more.
        And even if we had gotten stuck in the mud in the middle of who knows where - if we had had to give away every penny and piece of clothing and donation we had away to make it to the orphanage we would have done so. As much as I am fearful to even say it, if we had had to spend the night on the floor of a hut if it meant getting to see the kids again I would have done it - because reminding a child that they are loved and prayed for and thought about daily is worth whatever height we must go through.
        Because how often do I need to be reminded of my Father’s love? I live in the privileged country of America. I have a home, a job that I love, more food that I could eat in a month, clothes enough for the entire orphanage, an incredible family and church family, and a husband who has never once gone a day without telling me how much he loves me. And yet there are times when even I doubt the love that the Lord has for me. I can’t imagine what a child may doubt about God’s love who is either orphaned, abandoned, or given away due to a lack of resources.
        During my first trip to Liberia, our leader, Tawn, wanted us to focus on a theme for the children: God has not forgotten you.
        I still desire to be an ambassador for this theme. I want our journey, no matter how difficult or how long, to serve as a reminder for what God has done for us to show us love and to continue to remind us of the depth of His heart. He has never once forgotten us.


A note about short term missions:
There are benefits and hindrances to any mission trip - short or long. If God has not called you to go long term, do not count out His calling for a short term trip. God is a big, BIG God and can do the unimaginable with even a brief contact. You could be the meal that gets a person through another day, the contact between two people who God wants to be connected, the prayer that stops an unthinkable act, the face that reminds someone years later of how deep the love of the Father is.
It was amazing to me how often our Liberian friends thanked us going to Liberia. When we were thanked for the donations or the money we brought for the orphanage’s needs, we explained how many people had given to this trip. We explained that while we are the faces they see give, there are countless people in the states who gave donations, money, and who covered us and the orphanage in prayers. And what Ma Betty said in response I will never forget.
"But if you don't come, the people will not give."
Short term trips have a place in missions. They may look completely different. They should have different goals and realistic expectations of the outcomes. However just because they are different doesn’t mean they shouldn’t happen.
Its popular today in the Christian culture to hate on short term mission trips, but I'm here to tell you that it does has a place. If you are being called to go on a short term mission trip, don't let the disapproval of others to discourage what God is asking you to do.