I would love to tell you about my life. But you will have to contact me for that : ) Email me. Call me. Facebook me. Or you can also look at my new blog at
http://thestoryofothers.blogspot.com I will be telling you other's stories on that blog. Hope to hear from you soon. Danielle
Friday, 12 August 2011
Sunday, 26 June 2011
June 26th
Location: Monrovia
The goodbyes are the most difficult part of my experience in Liberia thus far. Over the last year I had to say a lot of goodbyes and some of the hardest goodbyes are to come. You see, when you work in the development world people come and go. The intensity in which friendships are built here is incredible; they are strong, deep, and purposeful. In many regards the people I have called my friends have become my second family in this home away from home. The problem comes when it’s time to say goodbye, when I have to give them that last hug and I have no idea when or if I will ever see that person again. It’s in those moments when my world is shaken enough to make me reassess and remember why I am in Liberia, it shakes me up enough to remind me of my purpose. I am in Liberia to be in Liberia and as easy as it is to love the people I working alongside I have been reminded that God has called me to be fully here, at least for this season. So as I open my hands and surrender my friendships I also want to say thank you to everyone who has walked with me for one or many steps along this journey, for right now a thousand memories are flashing through my head and I am smiling at wonderful the journey that life can really hold.
Location: Monrovia
The goodbyes are the most difficult part of my experience in Liberia thus far. Over the last year I had to say a lot of goodbyes and some of the hardest goodbyes are to come. You see, when you work in the development world people come and go. The intensity in which friendships are built here is incredible; they are strong, deep, and purposeful. In many regards the people I have called my friends have become my second family in this home away from home. The problem comes when it’s time to say goodbye, when I have to give them that last hug and I have no idea when or if I will ever see that person again. It’s in those moments when my world is shaken enough to make me reassess and remember why I am in Liberia, it shakes me up enough to remind me of my purpose. I am in Liberia to be in Liberia and as easy as it is to love the people I working alongside I have been reminded that God has called me to be fully here, at least for this season. So as I open my hands and surrender my friendships I also want to say thank you to everyone who has walked with me for one or many steps along this journey, for right now a thousand memories are flashing through my head and I am smiling at wonderful the journey that life can really hold.
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
May 25th
Location: Monrovia
Ravi Zacharias, C.S Lewis and Tolkien are my favorite authors and although my time for reading has decreased since being in Liberia I have still found time to visit some of my favorite books. Lately I have been rereading pieces of Mere Christianity and of course I was challenged. It has been interesting to go back and read the writings I loved in the States and try to process them here in a Liberian context . In Mere Christianity C.S. speaks on the subject of giving and states, “I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. ” Wow, does C.S. know how to hit the right buttons or what? In Liberia many people ask for gifts and tons of resources has been given, this has lead to development but also dependency and again I am hit with that timeless question, as believers how are we suppose to respond to needs and poverty? Truthfully, I do not have a profound answer but I have been convicted of my giving all the same…What am I intentionally investing in, with my time, energy, and money. Sometimes missionaries and development workers are glorified and people think that they are the most intentional of all human beings, “saving the world” is the phase that comes to mind. But I am convicted that each individual is constantly required to answer to God on all that they have in that moment, no matter where they live or what job they are doing. Only when I can reply to God, yes, I am intentional about all that you have given me, during this moment, in this location, with these people, will I then hear “well done my child”. Even in missions and development work I have found myself slipping into the old pattern of doing a job instead of being focused on serving the people around me. It is one of the most humbling experiences when you realize that you are looking through people instead of truly at them. I could easily list off the dozens of tasks that I am currently doing yet I feel God has placed the question of who and what am I investing in on my heart and is asking me if it last for eternity.
Location: Monrovia
Ravi Zacharias, C.S Lewis and Tolkien are my favorite authors and although my time for reading has decreased since being in Liberia I have still found time to visit some of my favorite books. Lately I have been rereading pieces of Mere Christianity and of course I was challenged. It has been interesting to go back and read the writings I loved in the States and try to process them here in a Liberian context . In Mere Christianity C.S. speaks on the subject of giving and states, “I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. ” Wow, does C.S. know how to hit the right buttons or what? In Liberia many people ask for gifts and tons of resources has been given, this has lead to development but also dependency and again I am hit with that timeless question, as believers how are we suppose to respond to needs and poverty? Truthfully, I do not have a profound answer but I have been convicted of my giving all the same…What am I intentionally investing in, with my time, energy, and money. Sometimes missionaries and development workers are glorified and people think that they are the most intentional of all human beings, “saving the world” is the phase that comes to mind. But I am convicted that each individual is constantly required to answer to God on all that they have in that moment, no matter where they live or what job they are doing. Only when I can reply to God, yes, I am intentional about all that you have given me, during this moment, in this location, with these people, will I then hear “well done my child”. Even in missions and development work I have found myself slipping into the old pattern of doing a job instead of being focused on serving the people around me. It is one of the most humbling experiences when you realize that you are looking through people instead of truly at them. I could easily list off the dozens of tasks that I am currently doing yet I feel God has placed the question of who and what am I investing in on my heart and is asking me if it last for eternity.
Sunday, 15 May 2011
May 16th
Location: Monrovia
Today I slept in and had three cups of coffee which is so not wise but at least I’m awake enough to write a blog post, so that is a plus. I started a blog so that my family could feel close to me while I’m in Liberia I have struggled to maintain the blog but my family keeps me motivated : ) I know I promised a sentence a day but I am recommitting to a paragraph a week, so you get more but just less often : )
Vacation Bible School is starting up again and I have been put in charge of it this year. The location as remote as you can get, located deep in the Gbarpolu County, specifically the Goun’wolaila District is where the VBS team will be. I use the word remote because the communities we are going to be working in are completely inaccessible by road, one either walks/canoes in or is helicopter in and out. It is about a 3 to 4 hour walk to the main community in the district and then about another hour walk to the different surrounding communities. Tomorrow morning the VBS team and I are flying into the main community and then will spend the next 3 days walking to each of the surrounding communities to explain to the local council that VBS is ready to start. I have not been able to leave Monrovia for the last month so the idea of being in a remote community couldn’t sound more appealing, sometimes I wonder what I will do if I ever move back to the states for adventure : ) Speaking of the States I got my plane ticket to come home for a month! I will be home from July 15 to Aug 13. This also means that I will officially be living in Liberia at least until July 1st 2012! Wow it’s been a while since I could say where I would be in a years’ time!
Location: Monrovia
Today I slept in and had three cups of coffee which is so not wise but at least I’m awake enough to write a blog post, so that is a plus. I started a blog so that my family could feel close to me while I’m in Liberia I have struggled to maintain the blog but my family keeps me motivated : ) I know I promised a sentence a day but I am recommitting to a paragraph a week, so you get more but just less often : )
Vacation Bible School is starting up again and I have been put in charge of it this year. The location as remote as you can get, located deep in the Gbarpolu County, specifically the Goun’wolaila District is where the VBS team will be. I use the word remote because the communities we are going to be working in are completely inaccessible by road, one either walks/canoes in or is helicopter in and out. It is about a 3 to 4 hour walk to the main community in the district and then about another hour walk to the different surrounding communities. Tomorrow morning the VBS team and I are flying into the main community and then will spend the next 3 days walking to each of the surrounding communities to explain to the local council that VBS is ready to start. I have not been able to leave Monrovia for the last month so the idea of being in a remote community couldn’t sound more appealing, sometimes I wonder what I will do if I ever move back to the states for adventure : ) Speaking of the States I got my plane ticket to come home for a month! I will be home from July 15 to Aug 13. This also means that I will officially be living in Liberia at least until July 1st 2012! Wow it’s been a while since I could say where I would be in a years’ time!
Thursday, 5 May 2011
May 5th
Location Monrovia
There are moments in Liberia that I just want to cry and yet I have no idea how…people who know me well from home know that I have no problem with tears but in Liberia on days like today I don’t know how to cry. I guess there are so many mixed emotions when I see the pain. Today I visited a young lady at the hospital who is at the final stages of AIDS, her biceps are the size of the distance between my fingernail and knuckle and yet her smile covered her whole face. She is 19 years old and has been fighting HIV and AIDS for 10 years her appearance made me want to cry but so did the light and genuine joy in her eyes, she knows Christ and knows where she will be going. I think my life is better from just meeting her. I know I do not write as often as I should and when I do I talk about surfing or strange critters but there is also a very real, challenging, and inspiring part of my life here in Liberia and I want to work on sharing that with you. I need your prayers…we need your prayers and God’s strength to approach each case, each situation with gentleness, love, and strength.
Location Monrovia
There are moments in Liberia that I just want to cry and yet I have no idea how…people who know me well from home know that I have no problem with tears but in Liberia on days like today I don’t know how to cry. I guess there are so many mixed emotions when I see the pain. Today I visited a young lady at the hospital who is at the final stages of AIDS, her biceps are the size of the distance between my fingernail and knuckle and yet her smile covered her whole face. She is 19 years old and has been fighting HIV and AIDS for 10 years her appearance made me want to cry but so did the light and genuine joy in her eyes, she knows Christ and knows where she will be going. I think my life is better from just meeting her. I know I do not write as often as I should and when I do I talk about surfing or strange critters but there is also a very real, challenging, and inspiring part of my life here in Liberia and I want to work on sharing that with you. I need your prayers…we need your prayers and God’s strength to approach each case, each situation with gentleness, love, and strength.
Friday, 29 April 2011
April 29th
Location: Monrovia
Okay so I know it has been over a week therefore I will list a few of the many interesting things that have happened this past week.
1. I went up to Yakepa (a boarding town between the Ivory Coast and Guinea) while in Yakepa I watched a 7 foot long by 6in wide boa constrictor float under the bridge Alisa and I were standing on, not only did we see the boa float down the river…it was actually eating a foot long catfish while it floated past us…pretty crazy.
2. Turned in my first grant for an external donor, the European Commission (EC) for Educating Liberia…just met with the EC and it looks like the proposal was approved!
3. Joni brought me a french press from London to replace my broken one, made my week!
4. Amazing Easter service on the top of the Yekepa Mountains, worship, communion and great preaching.
5. Developed a 4 step game plan for my life.
6. AND I was as officially offered the position as Child Protection Program Manager for SP Liberia which means that in a few weeks I will sign the paper work for at least another year in Liberia!
Location: Monrovia
Okay so I know it has been over a week therefore I will list a few of the many interesting things that have happened this past week.
1. I went up to Yakepa (a boarding town between the Ivory Coast and Guinea) while in Yakepa I watched a 7 foot long by 6in wide boa constrictor float under the bridge Alisa and I were standing on, not only did we see the boa float down the river…it was actually eating a foot long catfish while it floated past us…pretty crazy.
2. Turned in my first grant for an external donor, the European Commission (EC) for Educating Liberia…just met with the EC and it looks like the proposal was approved!
3. Joni brought me a french press from London to replace my broken one, made my week!
4. Amazing Easter service on the top of the Yekepa Mountains, worship, communion and great preaching.
5. Developed a 4 step game plan for my life.
6. AND I was as officially offered the position as Child Protection Program Manager for SP Liberia which means that in a few weeks I will sign the paper work for at least another year in Liberia!
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