Two Worlds (?)

So, I find myself amazed, and perhaps a little disgusted, at how quickly I have forgotten the lovely land of Liberia that I have just left, as if West Africa was something less than my current calling in life. Certainly a week-long journey over sea is less abrupt than flying out of Monrovia and into JFK 24 hours later, and it allows for a certain amount of processing, but these overarching life inconsistencies should not fall so quickly out of mind. We've gone from serving the poorest of the poor, visiting the dying in the Sisters of Charity (Mother Teresa's establishment), worshipping in the bush with hand drums, gourds, and dance, and wild all-terrain adventures in Land Rovers....to a modern, european city. Here my biggest concerns are which store to buy new clothes at, where to order a coffee or what kind of beer to order, how I'm going to manage the tiny, paved streets in the Land Rover, etc. You get the picture.
Sometimes there are reminders. I hear that many Africans risk the dangerous trip from African nations of Western Sahara or Morocco in search of a better life. Many die, as they are trying to cross open seas in some small, perhaps unworthy vessel. Many also survive, or get here other ways, I guess, and you can encounter them in the market, wearing their lovely "lappas", selling various goods in the street. I see them and I realize I'm not living in 2 different worlds. I have seperated them in my mind. In Africa I'm ministering, in Spain my life is about me. But there aren't two worlds, that is a constructed idea that I have had and accepted. We live differently, but we are one people before God. It's so much to process, and to think through, rightly, with truth guiding. I love the time here in the Canaries, but don't want to forget what and who we've left, and don't want to seperate the places out as two different worlds, because they are one.

The Seas of Change

5 days of leisurely (slow- 10 knots) travel could not produce a greater change in environment. We are out over the watery blue deep, sailing toward Spain. The air is getting cooler and dryer. The seas are getting bigger. Due to our current course, we're charging straight into the waves, not rolling, but being jolted with strongs bursts of energy coursing their way through the entire ship. I got a little whoozy today while trying to make some Christmas cookies, quite unexpectedly, and met an urgency to get in the supine position. The atmosphere is festive and celebratory as we prepare for Christmas. We're looking back in Thanksgiving for the things God has accomplished over the last 10 months, and in joy over a work started and completed, lives changed, hope and healing received by many.
Today my Nepali friends, the Ghurkhas (sp?....the guards we hire to watch over the ship), are cooking Napalese food for the entire ship for dinner.....curry, I'm sure. Yum, yum. It was my idea and request, so my assistance has been requested in return. I'm not so helpful, but I can peel the eggs, watch in amazement as they toss in all the various spices, and, I hear, I'm to be assigned the forming of the small breads that we will fry in a pan to serve with the curries. I watched them deep-fry 300 hard-boiled eggs, I see something new most every day. I stand amazed and overwhelmed at the opportunity to live in community with people from all over the world, what a rich gift.

Being on the sea is wonderful, even when it's playing mean tricks on one's sense of up and down. Feeling small and insignificant must be healthy for us, and the sea seems to be just the trick to this. I slept out under the stars last night, on the 8th deck of the ship. One full moon, one meteor shower, several friends, just the right ratios. The sail is a quiet time, people are in the mode of resting, reading, being together. Simply put, no one can leave, so we are together unlike any other time. We stop to look and listen and reflect. For me, it feels almost magical, all being together, looking for the small, simple joys, enjoying each other, finding fascination in the sunset, the dolphins and flying fish soaring about around us, the skies. Being on this sea is bringing us great change in our environment, bringing us into transition. But we're given this gift of time, a padding, between the stages of our work and play. And I hope and pray not to come away unchanged, with a new perspective of myself and the world around me. Well, I'm overdue back to my Nepali boss, Lok.

Heading Back

Well, after several kind, gentle, yet persistent urgings from my mom to write an update, I'm finally doing it! So, that picture of the canaries map at the top of this page is still there from my trip a year ago, some might call it ridiculous, I prefer to blameshift and say "That's just how I am", too bad it's such a pathetic excuse! Anyway, I'm going to try to start writing again, as we're packing up to leave Liberia for good. This place has been my home for the last year and a half, although probably only 10% of my home, if a percentage can really be assigned, since most of my life, work, and social interaction occur her onboard the Africa Mercy. Regardless of the amount of time spent here, it's sad to go and say good-bye to such a loving, warm, beautiful, strong people. I will remember some people and stories for the rest of my life, and trust that I am not departing unchanged.
So, sorry if you wasted time checking this blog every so often for weeks or months. I'm sure you've given that up a long time ago, now, so I hope someone will even read this, if not, I'm sure it's still a good exercise for me. I was about to make promises about my next entry, but we both know how reliable those are, so I'll stop there.