Just another day

It was just a nice sunny average day. I ran on the beach, couldn't get one of the boys to go, so I ran alone. Then I walked a ways on the beach with D'Linda. We reflected on how different our world is. It is hard to figure out what is really needed here. There has been loads of money dumped in Liberia, but it doesn't seem to get to the people who really need it. If it does I wonder how much good it is or if it just makes them dependant? I think more free schools would be a good start, or more industry to employee people, or better health care, or help with agriculture, or, you see the dilemma. Many great efforts have been and are being made, but the only thing that seems there is more of is corruption. That may be unfair, there is definite improvement in the roads, there is peace, most people had enough of war. There are some pretty radical candidates getting ready to run for President, if one is elected all the meager gains could be lost. I don't have an answer, but I don't want to sound too pessimistic either. I have met too many good people who love these people, and I know that God loves them. I know that doing nothing is not the answer, God has always expected his people to help the fatherless and oppressed. Just because our efforts may not be the best we still must do something. Think about giving to Rusty and Jamie or Samaritan's Purse or Charity waters or one of hundreds of good causes, the next time your about to buy something frivolous.

One thing that stands out is their love and almost worship of the United States. Almost everyone here wants to go there. So we do have leverage, but how do we use it? How can we export what is good and keep the bad away? or is what they really want the excesses? Just some questions I can't answer, maybe you can. Most importantly pray, ask God to help and guide your efforts.

Rusty was still trying to deal with generator issues. He brought his skill saw by and said that the carpenters said it was sounding funny, so he left it for me to figure out what was wrong. It made a clicking sound, I found the problem pretty quick, It is missing a piece off of the armature. As it comes around one of the brushes falls into the hole and clicks as it is kicked out. I can't figure out why only one brush does it and not the other. If I can keep the one from dropping in, it should work fine, or if I can find the piece that's missing maybe I can glue it back. I'll have to think more on it.

Afternoon Rusty and Mel had to run back to town so Christopher and I road along. Ben, a young missionary here who coordinates housing for people coming here, rode with us to pick up one of the ELWA vehicles that was being repaired. Earlier in the day I had a conversation with Ben. He was preparing the little apartment above Rusty and Jamie's laundry room for a couple of the team members coming to work on the electrical system. Ben grew up in Maine, he married a girl who grew up as a missionary kid or MK as they are called here. He had gone an a couple short mission trips, but now is living here with his wife and young daughter. We discussed some of the frustrations I mentioned at the beginning and the cultural differences he has to deal with, but he was optimistic that good was being accomplished.

We had to drop off some parts that someone had just brought in to the same mechanic that Ben's vehicle was at. Rusty and Mel Had to check on a part for the generator that they had taken to a "technician". Mel had some real concerns that they had left the armature for one generator there in a little wood shack for him to rewind. When we got there I could understand his concern. His shop looked like a small goat shack, there were about 5 guys working there on the dirt floor, the work they were doing has to be pretty precise. After inspecting what they had done Mel was relived to see that they were doing a good job. After that we went back to the store we bought the pump at to exchange it for a smaller one. They had explained the problem they were having with the pump to someone back home and he told them that the pump they got was too large. The store manager, Sam, took the pump in exchange even though it had been installed. He said he trusted Rusty and Mel that it hadn't been damaged. Rusty is on first name basis with most of the merchants at the different stores we go to. One of the reasons is that ELWA is on such a tight budget that Rusty can't buy supplies in large quantities so he has to make frequent trips, costing Rusty more because he pays for the gas in his car.

Most of the merchants are of Lebanese decent and they treat their Liberian employees poorly. They order them around harshly and watch over what they do. They usually have 2 or 3 times as many employees as you would expect, but labor is cheep, and the Lebanese don't do anything, they just tell their employees to do stuff. Even when the transaction is made a manager will watch over the shoulder of the Liberian cashier.

Everything is cash here, Rusty said that there are places that you can use a credit card, but I haven't seen one yet. There are two monetary systems U.S dollar ($US) and Liberian dollar ($LD), the exchange rate varies, it is $71.LD to $1.US now. The local markets and street merchants deal mostly in LD and all the stores and restaurants deal in US. There are money changers seemingly on every block. They are men with a chair and a little table and a sign with their exchange rate on it. Payday at ELWA is every other Friday and they pay in cash, Rusty says that he is asked to help occasionally. He said that it takes over a million dollars to make payroll, and that it is a pretty impressive pile of money until you realize it is $LB. Most of the US bills you get in change are really well worn. Rusty said a missionary went home recently and deposited some cash he had in his pocket. The bank called him and told him the Secret Service would be in touch with him because about half of the money he deposited was counterfeit. I think Rusty told me so we will leave all our change with him.