For the Love of Liberia

AFAA Mission Day 4-
The team was slowing down on the getting up part and for some the lack of sleep was starting to takes it toll. A couple team members needed a little extra time to rest, but that didn't slow the work or the workers down from the mission in front of them. Again the Liberian work crews began to arrive very early in the morning in hopes to beat the heat of the day with roofing. Today would bring the completion of the main roof, much of the electrical could be finished, the septic would be dug out and repaired, and the playground was going to take shape. The wire mesh on the windows was beginning to be replaced. A few shelves were built to store tools on, and the kitchen was going to get a much needed cleaning and painting. Throughout the day the team worked extremely hard in each of their tasks. Relationships among team members were really starting to take shape and everyone enjoyed taking a break from time to time to play with the kids. The more the team "gelled" together the more they accomplished. My main job continued throughout the day of making sure the team had all the supplies they needed and making many trips to the stores for tools, equipment, supplies, and a LOT of water!! We even decided to throw in a little surprise and bring back ice cream for the entire crew. Spoons and forks were given to each individual to take one large bite. This treat seemed to be a pleasant surprise and bring a little touch of home to the team. The Liberians thought it was funny how much sugar we consumed and figured out quickly why most of us were not in the best physical shape. ;) Tuesday was again another very challenging day and the team began to plan for future projects that could take place if we had more money and resources. That night we talked to Cheryl about the ideas and she went to work from there on getting us more money. Later that night we learned that the money had been promised and by the end of the next day we would have the money in hand to get the jobs done. It was determined that the walls of the orphanage compound did not need to be replaced, but if possible the gate could be moved to the side away from the quickly draining roadway to provide a safer, easier access for the workers and car that had been shipped at the end of the summer. Since the money was coming we asked for a quote of the projects remaining from the Liberian workers. Another decision that was made was through the generosity of a team member to replace the roof of the cooks outbuilding. By the end of the day we now had lights to the main kitchen and hallways along with new outlets throughout the house, the bathrooms were operational again as the septic project was complete, the kitchen had been painted and cleaned, the wall had almost entirely been painted, the main roof was finished, main water was going into the house, and the best part was that the playground was functional for kids. At the end of the day we invited the kids to play on it for the first time to see how it all worked out for them. What we didn't expect was that the most favorite part of the playground was by far jumping from high landings into the sand below. It really didn't matter how high the jump was or how old the child was that was jumping because they LOVED it! To watch the children with cerebral palsy swing in the toddler swings and the other children chasing each other around brought a much needed excitement to the team! While they played and played though my brother Bill was hard at work trying to figure out the electrical issues he was experiencing. He knew that the next day was our final work day and there were a ton of things to accomplish still on the electrical side. That night after devotions, prayer, and some games Bill and I headed to the Royal Hotel at 11:30 to get a few calls, texts, and emails out to his friend that was an electrician for some wisdom. When we had gotten the answers we needed we headed back to the house read to tackle the challenge the final work day! Tomorrow would bring the completion of many projects before we prepared to head home!