Moments...

There are certain moments of your life when you think you are in a dream or in some cases a nightmare.  Moments when you look at around and say "Is this really happening?"  I feel like a lot of 2014 has been like this...If you remember reading my first couple of blogs on adjusting with grace when things seem to go awry.  Well, I think a theme has been set for the year as it seems there are a lot of wrenches being thrown into my machine called life.

"God is our refuge and strength,

always ready to help in times of trouble"-Psalm 46:1 

Sweat + dusty road...

Don't get me wrong there have been some great moments of "This IS really happening!" When Alisa and I ran our huge run and seeing our SP marathoners peel off mile after mile.  Especially seeing Kendell keep running passed personal records every weekend.  My buddy Joni running, working out and reaching personal goals. Jamie taking her training to a whole new level, oh and she is the mother of 6... Running and training for your first marathon is not easy no matter who you are.  Kendell as the Country Director has a huge amount of work that he not only does but oversees. His day is unpredictable, everyone wanting a piece of his time-everyone wanting something it seems some days (including his wife!).  But he comes home get's his training gear on and heads out-running even as the sunsets.

There are moments of living in Liberia when it's a great privilege but it's not easy either.  Yes, we have a beautiful beach in our front yard, but we also observe first hand the ramifications of 14 years of civil war.  One of these consequences is the huge gap in the health system of Liberia.  I am not talking about a shortage in doctors, even though there is, or the lack of facilities, because that is also true. No, I am talking about capacity, capacity to take care of simple to complex health issues.  Very few incubators for babies that need it, no MRI machines or CAT scans here-hospitals are blessed if they have a working X-ray machine!  It's during these moments of realization of the lack of medical capacity that I am thankful for the prayers of many for good health for our team.

This is to be expected to a certain extent after the war left most hospitals with little to no supplies and many trained medical professionals left and still have yet to come back.  To add insult to injury we live in a petri-dish, the moist, hot and humid environment of this jungle country is perfect for diseases to reek havoc on the population.  It seems everything carries some sort of bacteria or deadly virus...and when it strikes, this deadly combo of disease and lack of medical resources...well you do the math-it's not pretty.

Never mind running in a petri-dish...

This has been no more evident than the last couple of weeks with the realization of a Ebola outbreak in Guinea and cases in Liberia.  I won't get into the details of this disease-Google it and you will get the grim picture.  I am not going to get into the details of how many cases, where they are in Liberia and what is being done-you can check BBC Africa or Reuters to get that information.  It changes every hour.  But trust me this has been a "Is this really happening?" moment.

2/3rds of team SP!

What I will tell you is how we can turn a nightmare moment into hope for the future.  SP is currently building a new hospital in partnership with ELWA/SIM.  Jamie, Joni and Kendell are running the London marathon to raise funds for this hospital.  I think you get the picture right?  Will this hospital find the cure for Ebola?  Probably not, but will it have up to date equipment to treat people, have a bigger OR and more room for patients?  For sure.  Will it build the capacity of medical workers to know how to treat patients with diseases like Ebola?  You bet.

" The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble!"

"The LORD of Heaven's Armies is here among us;

the God of Israel is our fortress"-Psalm 46:6a,7.

"Is this really happening?"  Am I really having to leave tomorrow because of Ebola? Yes, at this moment that is what is happening (along with all the rest of the SP dependents and kids). My choice is to either take this moment and see it as a nightmare or to see the hope through the darkness. Is God still in control?  Yes, in every moment He is. 

If you really want to encourage the marathoners during this "moment" of a little bit of stress, especially for Kendell and with us leaving-please consider giving -below are the links.  Thank you!

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/kendellkauffeldt/VirginLondonMarathon2014

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/KendellKauffeldt

http://runtolove-liberia.blogspot.ca/