mooreHOPE: Love your neighbor as yourself.

Welcome Home Crew!

I can't believe it has almost been two months since I flew into Myrtle Beach with signs & screaming family members waiting on my arrival. After 24 hours of flying, 5 different planes, no sleep & one real meal..I would say I was ready to be out of the airport life! I could not have asked for a better welcome home crew! I know I had the biggest smile on my face, even though I had swollen ankles & malaria still lingering behind me! I am so grateful to the family God has given me to support everything I do! I could not have done this without any of them. As soon as we made it back to the beach house I had a nice juicy steak, baked potato and salad! A great first meal back in the states! Soon after that, I passed out around 7pm and finally was able to sleep after running on 3 hours the past 2 days! Spending the next week at the beach, relaxing and just enjoying time with the family couldn't have been a better way to come home. The days that I missed my family the most were Sundays. Sundays were always the days we would all eat together, all 45 of us! Sundays in Africa consisted of going to church & eating a late lunch with my kids! Oh how I wish I could have brought my whole family to Africa with me.

Driving home from the beach, I wasn't sure I was ready to be back in Locust again. My perspective on life has changed so much just to come back to a town that hasn't changed at all. I'm grateful for where I have grown up, but I already felt like I was home because I was with the ones I love..didn't matter where I was on the map. Being home was strange; sleeping in my own bed, using my own computer, getting food out of my own fridge. After living in an orphanage home for two months, taking bucket baths, paying to use internet and having to go on the street every time I was hungry.. I was in serious culture shock. I couldn't believe that at 1am I could walk down to the fridge and get something to eat. While in Africa, if I was hungry at 1am..oh well. Every time I ate I thought of the children, I thought of how small their little bodies are and I thought of how hungry they all were the first few weeks I lived there. I will never forget how hungry I was after trying (and failing) to eat one meal a day just like the kids and I didn't even work as hard as they did around the yard. I was lucky enough to have raised $2,000 to take to Liberia with me. I used $1,500 to pay for three meals a day and for more cups, plates, spoons and a few slippers for the kids that needed more! The kids faces would always light up after a day at Red Light, the biggest market in Liberia. They would come racing to the car grabbing all the food and thanking me for providing meals for them.

Back in the states..I was home a week and feeling sick again. I had a fever of 104 and didn't have the strength to even get out of bed. I head to the hospital only to find out what I already know, I have malaria..again. After experiencing the African hospital, I was much more happy to be in an American hospital this time. As frustrated as I was that I had malaria all over again, I was glad it would be fully treated and I would be finished with it! Spent three days in the hospital with multiple guests who I was glad to see! Got calls from all over Liberia saying they were praying for me hoping I would get better soon. Being sick with malaria gave me another understanding of how these people feel multiple times throughout the year. It gave me a way to be able to connect with the people even deeper and I have been changed by having malaria, a treatable disease that takes the lives of 2,000 people every year. It gave me a reason to go back to college. If this is treatable, I can provide medical care for the people to get treated for free.

Back at my house, trying to get back to "normal" was very difficult. I was trying to recover from all the malaria and sleep I didn't get and at the same time having to provide for these kids! I found out quickly that God wasn't going to give up on me, even when I felt like I was too weak to go on. I have collected money to provide three meals a day for all 75 kids for the month of August. I will send the money to provide three meals a day for September this week. When I specifically think of providing the kids with food, this teenage boy comes to my mind..Suah. Both his parents and siblings are living in Gbong County, about four hours away from Mother Blessings Home. Suah and his older brother were in another Home before, the woman in charge would only give them one meal a week..if they were that lucky. He talked to me about how hungry and weak he would be and how they would go looking for food anywhere. Ma Zoe (caretaker at Mother Blessings) found out this was happening and brought him to Mother Blessings Home to stay. After hearing of his experiences I couldn't bear the thought of him ever having to be hungry again. I knew this is where God was calling me and I know he would provide for these children.

I have been in prayer constantly since being home about my future. I do believe that my future will one day be in Liberia full time, but for now I will stay in His word. Learning more and more about my amazing Creator and growing in my faith. This has been a journey that I will never forget, another summer devoted to changing the lives of people all over the world..and this is only the beginning.

I believe that I went through all of this for a purpose. I was hungry, I was dirty, I was sick. I lived and experienced only a little piece of what my neighbors in Liberia, Africa experience everyday. Love your neighbor as yourself. I don't want myself to be starving, dirty or sick..so I don't want my neighbor to be either.