http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Liberia/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Liberia en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 21:06:53 BST Sat, 26 Jul 2008 21:06:53 BST I returned from my trip to Liberia where I visited Bong and Lofa Counties and attended the 13th biannual convention of the Lutheran Church in Liberia. Each time I visit Liberia I am amazed by the vitality and ingenuity of the Liberian people. The country is recovering slowly but a lot remains untoched. It was quite an experience celebrating the 13th biannual convention of the Lutheran Church in http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Liberia/blog-270786.html Hello everyone My name is MD because my real name is too long. I am starting this blog to share my country thoughts ideas experiences and bad writting skills with all of you out there.I just got back to my own home country Liberia after 12 years of residing in Ghana as a Refugee. I have been doing a lot of activities to get myself up to speed here with everyone e http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Liberia/blog-269581.html From January 1527 2008 I visited Liberia with my friends and colleagues The Rev. Twila Schock and The Rev. Rodger Prois of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I am grateful for their leadership and commitment to Godrsquos mission in the world. I am equally thankful for the opportunity that I had to meet share and walk with the Lutheran Church in Liberia. Through the LCL ministries of http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Liberia/blog-258573.html From Swaziland we searched again fully and futilely for a nonflight transport mode to get to west Africahellip We found a pleasure boat ride that could take us from Cape Town as far as Angola and drop us off and we heard that from Accra you can take a motorboat to Monrovia but the journey takes about three days and sometimes the boat capsizes. Walking and hitching was seen and recommended a http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Liberia/blog-170260.html AllLogan and Adrienne have invited me for an eventful church mission to Liberia in West Africa. The long journey included several layovers in Washington D.C. USA Brussels Belgium and Dafar Senegal before finally arriving in Capital of Monrovia Liberia. After spending two days in a barbwired compound in Liberiarsquos Baptist Church we continued on to the village of Balama through http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Liberia/blog-169563.html Well... it's finally here... the Africa Mercy has arrived... after waiting and waiting and dates being pushed back and back further. But she has finally come and it was an amazing day of celebrating and fun We had everyone out there with flags and waiting on every corner of the Anastasis watching as the Africa Mercy slowly came through port and docked beside us it was a really neat experience http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Liberia/blog-161667.html Like I promised from my last entry I want to tell you of the story of Winndey... a patient that I admitted about a month ago here on the Anastasis... Winndey was found by one of the crew actually at the Bong Mines train station that I have now been to since going there last week. I am unsure of exactly how they met but I'm sure while waiting because there are many people that linger around us http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Liberia/blog-159047.html Well we have been in transition for a week now and I have found myself really missing the patients and working with the translators. It is an odd feeling so far to be here but not working as a nurse. I have volunteered myself and my services to te Operations Director Graeme Walls who is in charge of the whole transition. I am his personal assistant And you guessed it he's a bit stressed ou http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Liberia/blog-159020.html Screening day... the busiest day so far. It is a day where hundreds and thousands of people come to a soccer stadium in hopes of free surgery. As soon as something free comes up automatically people will come with whatever ailments they have just to see if they will be helped and get something for free in a country where nothing is free. It is a day where people will wait in line for hours on en http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Liberia/blog-154527.html Again I am reminded this day how lucky I am to be here serving in this way. Every sunday morning there is a worship service on the ward of the ship because of the patient's are unable to leave the ship to attend a church service. Many parents and caregivers stay with the younger patients as it is required that those who are under 15 must have a caregiver with them to help take care of them. We h http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Liberia/blog-152286.html Today is almost a sad day for me as it is the last day I will be doing admissions. No I didn't get fired ha ha... but we are shutting down the operating room to get ready for the transition period for when the Africa Mercy comes. I have not really mentioned much of this transition so let me give you a bit of background. The Africa Mercy is another ship that has been getting rennovated and com http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Liberia/blog-151929.html So here I am again finding myself sitting in a comfortable seat in the lounge with air conditioning on my day off to catch up on some emails and read and write in my journal that I am keeping and I can't help but think of how lucky I really am. I went for a walk this morning and there wasn't even a breeze and the morning sun was already SO hot. Not a cloud in the sky today. It is beautiful bu http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Liberia/blog-150582.html Hello All. I hope this entry finds you all well I must say... I have been having some pretty cool experiences here making friends and meeting new people. Everywhere I go everyone here in Monrovia knows that Mercy Ships is here... so people yell out and call to us... Hey You you from Mercy Ships And then we stop and say yes... then they proceed to tell us their problem so we can tell them ab http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Liberia/blog-147719.html I have now been on the Anastasis Mercy Ship for one week and it has been a week of new and exciting learning and adjustments. It's wierd to think that I am in West Africa because I live on a boat that has airconditioning. And sometimes because the ship is so big I forget that I am on a ship. I feel sometimes like I am back in college living in dorms eating in a cafeteria having certain meetin http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Liberia/blog-146459.html