Liberian Holiday

Yesterday was a national holiday in Liberia, Rusty said it was for his birthday, the way I've been bragging about him you could probably believe it. It was actually Liberian armed forces day, but it was also Rusty's 35th birthday. Most stores and markets were closed, so traffic and congestion was at a minimum. We went into Monrovia and did some sightseeing and visited an artist friend of Rusty's. We visited the Duckor hotel, a once beautiful expensive hotel. It is on the highest hill in Monrovia. I got some good pictures and when I can figure out how to upload them I will. I have tried numerous times, it takes a long time and then says I did it but they don't appear anywhere. The hotel is now a gutted building. They have guards there that let you wander around, they are there to keep the squatters out. I was taking pictures and one of the guards came over angry wanting to see if I was taking pictures of their positions. I showed him that I was just taking pictures of the building and the view and that seemed to satisfy him. A young school teacher was there and asked if he could show us around, he was off because of the holiday and did that to supplement his income. He showed us all around we even got to go to the rooftop. There was a guard and locked door up there because they have a number of radio towers there. Our guide got us through to what used to be a restaurant and bar with a commanding view of the city and ocean front. There were a bunch of kids playing in the empty pool, and quite a few tourists wandering around, but we were the only ones that got to go on the roof, that I saw. There was a great view of what they call West Point, a vast shanty town.

When I figure out the picture thing you can see.

We went to a small restaurant down town for lunch where I ordered a philidelphia sandwich. It cost $6.00 US, but it was a medium sized loaf of bread hollowed out and filled with meat and cheese. It was good and so big I had to take a picture of it. I couldn't quite eat half, Jamie had the same thing with chicken but she could only eat about a quarter of hers. Good thing we had Christopher with us, he cleaned up the leftovers.

In the afternoon we went to a market to pick up some clothes for Alice and Mercy, the girls that Rusty and Jamie were planning on adopting when they came over here. It is a complicated story, but they have reunited them with their mother. They visit them often and are trying to help their mother Fatu earn a living. They had us bring over a bunch of seeds so that Fatu can plant a garden and earn some extra income. She, Alice, Mercy, and her two other children are living with her Pastor and his wife and seven children in a 12' x 25' shack. There was a sign over the front door saying "We are cover with Jesus" and something about God coming in love, it was written in chalk and kind of smeared. They all seemed happy and excited to meet us. They are very hospitable people, it is obvious that their joy is not dependant on their circumstance. Mercy is a shy girl who clung to Rusty and Jamie while we were there, Alice was at a friends, so we didn't see her.

When we came back home Bill, one of Rusty's workers was waiting, Rusty had promised to pay him for some work he had done. I'm pretty sure Rusty doesn't get reimbursed for a lot of his expenditures. Even though this is a third world country it is expensive to live here. It costs Rusty and Jamie about $5000. US a month. They have to pay rent and utilities for their house even though it is owned by ELWA. They pay for health insurance themselves also. Rusty did extensive repairs to the house, new windows, new roof, air conditioning for two rooms, plumbing and electrical repairs and he was not reimbursed for them. Besides all that Rusty is constantly "loaning" money to people. I have only been here one week, but not one day has gone by that I haven't witnessed Rusty giving money to someone and I haven't spent that much time with him. One of the masons came to Rusty saying his Mother in Gambia was very sick and he needed $150 US to get her here to the hospital for surgery he was pleading at the point of tears, Rusty ended up giving him $30, all he had on him, and told him to try to find her cheaper transportation. He continued to plead and Rusty agreed to talk to Jamie to see if they could give any more. When we got home Rusty talked to Jamie and she told him that he can't keep doing that, that he has to say no. Later Akbar came by to plead with Rusty and Jamie, they ended up giving him the money. I'm telling the story because Ive seen it a few times now, just change the name. Jamie just talks tougher, really she is just as easy as Rusty. One young woman Rusty had loaned money to for rent, paid him some back, when he asked how her daughters were doing in school she said that they had to dropout because she couldn't afford it. He gave her money back.

Before They left for here Rusty and Jamie got pledges for support from numerous sources, many of those people and businesses have never given or have stopped giving. I have told Rusty to write and remind people, but he hasn't and I'm sure he won't. He won't tell me for sure, I'm not sure he even knows, with all the "off budget expenditures", how much he is going backward every month. I think it is in the range of $3000. US, not counting the house repairs. I know that the economy is bad, but if you can help in any way you can contribute to them through SIM or Sterling Drive Church, it is tax deductible and all of it will get to them if you note to them on the check.

I forgot first thing yesterday morning some women came by and sang happy birthday to Rusty, and thanked me and D'linda for him, maybe it was his holiday?