Different

Yup! Different--that's what I said.  Everything is different!!  I'm so glad we lived here before.  Of course, if we hadn't lived here before, the Sheppards probably would not have asked us to fill in for them.  I'm thinking it would be next to impossible to come out here with no experience and no other missionaries to lead the way.  Life would have been very difficult and different for the pioneer missionaries, but a few things to their advantage would have been less red tape, less congestion, less noise!, etc.
Let me just list a few random thoughts to explain "different":
     --a motorbike carrying a passenger with a mattress folded in half between him and the driver;
     --a UN helicopter patrolling the city Sunday morning;  we think they were looking for demonstrators who were opposed to Monday's inauguration.  They had threatened to demonstrate on Monday, too, but an agreement was reached so they attended the inauguration;
     --a convoy of UN vehicles driving by our house after the inauguration, including tanks with soldiers and their guns in the turrets.  We're praising the Lord for a peaceful inauguration;
     --a motorbike carrying the driver and 3 passengers;
     --"music" from the bar down the road that "entertains us every night until 4 a.m.  I say "music" because it's really more like noise.  I am a person who always moves to music--even music I don't like--even music I can't stand!  This does not tempt me to move at all.  It just invites me to put in ear plugs when I go to bed.
     --people walking between the lanes of slow-moving traffic selling all sorts of things--and remember that the motorbikes also drive between the lanes of slow-moving traffic!  I'm not sure how people survive;
     --men sitting on one side of the church and women sitting on the other;
     --using 2 types of currency for 1 transaction.  No coins are used here, but  US bills are used along with Liberian bills.  One US dollar yields 73 Liberian dollars, so Liberian dollars are used instead of coins;
      Well, I think you get the idea!
Another thing that's different is this trip compared with the 3 week visit in 2010.  I'm so glad we realized before we came just how different it would be this time.  Last time we were visitors with few responsibilities other than ministering.  Now we're still trying to get the paperwork taken care of:  licenses, residence permits, etc.  None of that had to be done last time.  Last time we were involved in ministry immediately, Darrell especially.  This time we're still trying to stock the cupboards and get some meals prepared.  Last time a welcoming committee was at the airport to meet us after our 28 year absence.  This time many people don't yet know that we are here.  Last time we were flying high with adrenalin because of all the excitement.  This time we are living reality.  We knew it would be like this, but I wonder if the readers of this blog who also read the updates from the last trip understand the difference.  I certainly can see the difference between this blog and those updates and wonder if you might think we are struggling or doubting.  That is not the case!  We are right where God wants us to be and have His peace.  THAT IS NOT DIFFERENT!!!