Total eclipse of the Sun

This morning many of us stood on the dock waiting for the eclipse of the sun. In nearby countries, such as Ghana, it was a total eclipse but here in Liberia it was about 85%. There were many discussions of the science behind this as we stared at the sun through x-ray film. Not all of us thought ahead for the fancy glasses, so x-ray film was used to protect our eyes. It was cloudy most of the time but we were able to see some of it. Most of all, it was just a nice break in the day.

Caught

Charles Taylor, described as " as one of the three most important wanted war crimes suspects in the world" has been caught in Nigeria near the Cameroon border.

Taylor missing from Nigerian home

What many were afraid of has happened. Charles Taylor, who is supposed to stand trial in Sierra Leone for war crimes, is missing from his Nigerian home.

Finally!!!

Nigeria has agreed to hand over former warlord Charles Taylor, who faces war crime charges, to the Liberian government. Taylor faces 17 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his part in the civil war in Sierra Leone. Read the full AP article here.

"An international tribunal indictment says Taylor is criminally responsible for the destruction of Liberia and Sierra Leone and for the murder, rape, maiming and mutilation of more than a half million Sierra Leoneans. An additional 2.5 million people were forced from their homes."

If all is successful, Mr. Taylor would be the first former African head of state to be tried for crimes against humanity. This has the potential to send a clear signal to other African leaders that they cannot destroy their people for their own gain.

Human Rights Watch has called for Nigeria to take Taylor into custody so he can't escape justice.

Lord, May justice be seen and may the people in Liberia be able to live in peace during this time.

World Water Day

Today is World Water Day

More than 1 billion people around the world, mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, do not have access to clean water. That's 20% of the population. The United Nations estimates that the lack of clean water leads to the death of more than 4,500 children every day.

To find out how you can get involved and make a difference go here.

Promise and Prayer

Many of you may remember last year when I wrote about a woman named Promise. She is a young woman who came to the medical screening to get help for her 6-month old boy. We were unable to help her baby but I visited her several times last year to pray with her and try to comfort her during this time. You can read more here and here.

When I returned to Liberia in January I had a lot of catching up to do and wasn't able to find the time to visit right away. A couple of weeks ago I returned to Promise's house to see how she was doing, I wasn't even sure if her baby, B.K., was still alive. Sadly, when I arrived to her house I was told she had moved and no one knew where. I wasn't sure what to do but to offer up a prayer that I would somehow find her.

I have begun a new literacy class this past week in an area called 'Patience Shop' and once again have so enjoyed these women and their eagerness to learn. Last Tuesday I was teaching from the 'classroom' which is someone's garage. As I teach, many people walk by and stop to check out what is going on. I noticed one lady that stopped kept staring at me and then I recognized that it was Promise! Here I am in a different area of Monrovia and God brings her right into my path. I have to honestly say that when I prayed that prayer of finding her I didn't really believe it would be so easy. I didn't have to find her, God found her and brought her to me!

I was only able to talk to Promise briefly but found out that B.K. is still alive and someone had paid for her and her son to go to South Africa to get the surgery he needed. He still appears to have some problems and I will try to meet with her next week to find out the full story.

Thank you to all who prayed for B.K., please continue to pray for him and his family. I will update more soon.

Embarrassed No More

"I don't want to be embarrassed anymore", "I want to help my children with their homework", "I don't want to get cheated in the market", "I want to be able to read to my children", "I want to read the Bible".

The first day I began the literacy class in Joe Bar I asked the participants why they wanted to learn to read and write. The above statements are a sample of the answers I received and I sensed the urgency in their voices. They were tired of being called names and told they were stupid. They so desired simple things that can be taken for granted like the ability to read to their children.

This was a month ago and yesterday I said good-bye to the class in Joe Bar so I can help start another class. The national teachers we trained back in January have been doing most of the teaching the last two weeks and they are more than ready to take over completely; I need to get out of the way.

This last month I have seen many of them go from not being able to write the letter 'f' to begin reading words on their own. They have a long way to go but to see their excitement because they know they are learning is so encouraging.

Before I left I gave them each a Bible and prophetically declared over them that they will all be able to read it. One of the participants stood up and spoke on behalf of the class, thanking me for all I had done and then she said, "We now have confidence and we thank God for that. We will not be embarrassed anymore".