First Shower Since Friday

Hi all, sorry for the delayed response the other night. We had a lot of unforeseen delays in the various airports on the way over here. AND we are in a fourth world country, so internet access is limited. We only have electricity (and WiFi) when the generator is on from 6pm-midnight. Last night the internet was down, so don't expect too much from us!

Things are going really well. The trip over here was...chaotic. Our flight didn't leave Atlanta until about two hours after schedule. The weather was bad so the flight took awhile to get off the ground. I, on the other hand, had taken two Tylenol PM's and was out like a light. The following 12 hours on the flight from Atlanta to Ghana consisted of me waking up to eat, and sleeping the rest of the time. I think Mackenzie and I were the ones who slept the most on our travels. (We're actually counting how many photos we can get of me sleeping in random places. Yesterday I fell asleep in the car. Roads in Liberia are BUMPY...I was awoken after bumping my head on the seat in front of me as people mocked my slumbering existence--as if I didn't get enough on the way over here...) We were on the ground for two hours in Ghana before leaving for Liberia--which I slept through--until our two hour-ish flight. We were in the Liberia Airport for literally three hours. Getting our visas approved was a huge process and one of the guys leading the trip got his luggage lost. We sat in the airport and sang and hung out with the Liberian "security". Going through customs was a JOKE. We were there so late that we were the last ones to leave aka no one was even working customs anymore. It's funny because we were all thinking about how our parents and friends would be worrying about us since it was about 6 hours later than we were scheduled to arrive. We were singing in a humid airport.

We're staying at the mission, and we've just been hanging out with the kids when we've been around which is mainly at night. The last two days we've gone to a Rehab center more in town for disabled people. It's unreal what I'm seeing. It's beyond words to try and explain the lives these people lead. These people have nothing and everything at the same time. Yesterday I was in a room full of disabled people who were singing their praises to God for giving them everything they need. People in wheelchairs with little to no use of their legs (if they even have both legs at all) are singing about walking and marching with God. It just doesn't make sense to me. And the people here are all SO loving. Someone stopped us yesterday as we were driving and asked us where we were from, how long we were staying, and told us we were welcome in Liberia and they were happy to have us. The director of the rehab center opened their little welcome ceremony telling us to not be afraid because we are free here. Their concept of love is so vast it's inspiring. I haven't met a single person who has said anything other than "Welcome to Liberia" or "You are welcome here" or "We are so happy you are here." We are seriously making these people's days. They are simultaneously making ours as well.

We're hoping to do some repairs at the rehab center tomorrow, and visit a local orphanage later this week.

Thanks everyone for the support, keep us in your thoughts!

Emily

P.S. - Dr. Cueto, if you're reading this, I think you should know that Anita and Carmen led the macarena today for a group full of disabled kids at the Rehab center. Carmen also did the worm. Anita recorded it...in slow motion...on accident.