The four "G"´s

Are you curious what the four "G"´s stand for?

This is the story of:
the God´s children´s home
the Girls
Going Shopping
and... Good bye!


Once upon a time... we came with two landrovers to God´s children´s home orphanage with an exciting plan: we got to take all the teenage girls of the teenage group I (Andrea) am involved in ... shopping for new clothes!!!
What sounds like a normal thing to do for us is something absolutely extraordinary for these girls! The clothes they have are usually donated, and they never get to go an PICK something they LIKE!
A very close friend of mine from home works with teenagers that had taken on different jobs to earn money for a good cause - and had donated parts of it for "our" girls at God´s childrens home. We used parts of that money for school uniforms, books, but also baking utensils to teach them baking.... and to make this exciting trip possible! Come along with us!!!


Here we go... still some wild roads to drive on till we get to the "city"!


I have to say, I kind of enjoyed the offroad driving experience! Definitely more the offroad one than driving in absolutely crazy Monrovia traffic - where using the horn is not an exception but part of normal driving! ( Will I ever get used to driving in GErmany again? Well, the potholes I will not miss too much unless we will have a car like the landrovers!)


First stop: a lebanese fabric store! The girls were allowed to pick the fabric they like, and we planned to have a nice outfit have tailor-made for them (the normal way to get clothes here for there is no H&M whatsoever in faaaaaaar reach!) We thought we will have to wait for ages... but they were done in less than 10 minutes (wow, they must have dreamed about it in detail for weeks!)

Next stop: The market! It is a market where you can buy second hand clothes from wheelbarrels and wooden stands - clothes mainly donated from the States and other "western" countries. People buy them in bulk and sell them on the market. At first I was really frustrated to see that they sell what we donate at home for people that cannot afford clothes - but I realize that it creates jobs, and that is something really good.


Each of the girls received some money from us that they could spend on any clothes they needed and liked - and that was one of the first times they got to do that! Can you imagine, being 15 and never had the freedom to chose something you really like? Or not having a bra because you didn´t get one? It was a joy watching these girls being so excited!


Next stop: Shaka´s tailor shop! For about 7 US Dollars he made a nice skirt and top for each one of the girls...


... and they got to pick the style themselves!


This is how it works: there are many posters with all kinds of styles, and you try to imagine which one would look the best on you (it is not so easy - I´ve been there, done that!)


And then: taking measurments! (It is not a garantuee though that it will for sure fit! I had to take my ordered outfit back twice until it really fitted me... changes are included in the price though!)

Now I tell you about our last - and hardest "G" - the Good bye!

We though long and hard how to have a special event for the 9 teenage girls that we became so close to after over a year of fellowship, studying the bible together, praying for each other, praying for food when there was none and seeing how God was providing, helping them move to their new place..... and also having lots of fun together!

We decided to take them to the...


... beach! And believe it or not - even though they live so close to the beach, this was their SECOND time only at the beach (the first one was also with the ones from the who had started this teenage group last year!)
None of the girls can swim or possess a bathing suit!
At first they were quite afraid of the water....


... but after a while we had so much fun with them there!
We hardly could get them out of there, but we had some more surprises:


We had snacks, time to chat and laugh - and then a wonderful time of reflection back on our time together! We played a little game - passing on a roll of yarn, and each person receiving it had to say what they remembered most about our times! Then that person held on to the yarn and passed the roll on - and we created something like a net and a beautiful pattern - something so symbolic for the memories that make us so thankful to God and will also remain even after we have to leave...
We read different passages from the bible together like the one in Jeremiah 17:7+8:
"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stram. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit".
It is hard to go, but it is our prayer that they will learn more and more to put their trust God and not in us - and experience who he will guide them on in life and form this precious young lives into something strong and healthy in this damaged and needy country!


Before we had to take them back to the orphanage we surprised them with some gifts, cards...


and then, their beautiful new outfits we went shopping for the other day! I will never forget how their faces lit up! We have a saying in German: It was like Christmas and Easter together! I was never so moved by seeing such joy over "simple" gifts!



I pray that we all can learn from them, taking things not so much for granted, having a thankful heart that can be surprised with little things and can be content even without those things!


Being in Africa has taught me alot and challenged my perspective on things in many ways.
My prayer is that especially during this Christmas season we can take the focus off the material things, about WHAT we get and WHAT we give to others, but to really focus on what Christmas is all about in the first place! Let us look up from ourselves and look to God, who made a way for us through Jesus to receive forgiveness for the things we do that separate us from God, and gives us this unbelievable offer of reconciliation with him, the creator of everything!
" For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, tht whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life!"
That is real genuine hope, the greatest gift you can think of, and a reason to celebrate!

On behalf of all 4 Edeles....


... have a blessed and peaceful Christmas season!
Thanks for your interest in our lives, our ministry ... and your support!

Amy´s stories....

Hello friends, it is time that I tell you a little bit of the excitements in my life lately....


But before I talk about myself I want to show you a friend of mine whom I met here on the ship. And even though I don´t understand fully all the wonderful and complex things that are being done here on the ship, I think these pictures speak for themselves:

This is Amadou, before he came to us on the ship! He was found in the bush by some people from the ship, and he was close to dying because of this tumor that was slowly suffocating him!


I have to say that I like Amadou a lot better now after the surgery - and you can see in his smile how incredibly thankful and happy he is!


Here you see me and my mommy sitting in front of the entrance to the 6 operating rooms (the British call them "theaters" :-) ) where so many lives have been transformed already. Here on this bench the nurses and doctors offer prayer to every patient coming for surgery - well aware that they can only do their best, but God has to do the rest!


Today is my turn to enter them!!! You want to know why? You don´t see any tumors etc? Well, it was nothing dramatic at all compared to all the African people who usually enter this door:


I had to have 3 fillings in my back teeth, that somehow got damaged and disfigured through a fever when I was small and these teeths were built in my gum.


This friendly man is dentist Dr.Dag from Norway - who was one of the 3 or so dentists here in Liberia - for 3 million people!!! 4 days a week he worked at a clinic outside the ship where many many people lined up daily for help - mostly pulling teeths! But there were also terrible and lifethreatening infections due to not having access to a dentist! We can be so thankful in our countries for having access to medical help!
Dr. Dag is also our crew dentist - and was willing to fill my teeths! But because I am so young he had to do it under full anaesthesia - so I went through the whole procedure of surgery (the hardest was to see David eat breakfast and not being able to have anything! The rest I don´t know for I was put to sleep...)


But everything went well - and in the recovery room was Mommy and Daddy and two nurses.. and....

... Doctor Bear waiting for me to wake up! Thanks to the biggest Doctor of all, my daddy in heaven, who watched over me!

Now I tell you something else that was very exciting when I woke up yesterday and came out of my bed:


The whole cabin was beautifully decorated!


Can you believe it - I am a big girl now! Yesss, i am 3 years old - and I had a wonderful birthday! I want you to see how much fun we had!


For example unwrapping big gifts sent over aaaaall the way from Germany....


.... and turning them into a big princess castle!


And who of you can say that they had a real firedrill practicing for emergency situations on sea (that will hopefully never happen) on their birthday? You would probably have to hire a special-event-company for that and pay lots of money - and I got it for free (smile)


I helped Mommy decorate my birthday cake (and she wondered why I wasn´t very hungry at lunch time anymore... :-)


And in the afternoon I had a fun party with 10 kids and some grownup friends on Deck 7 - with temperatures I will probably never have on my birthdays again (unless I stay in Africa!)

Honoring the time of the year though we had fun "winter" games:


.. like being blindfolded and having to stick a carrot nose on the snowman...

... or trying to fetch a chocolate snowman from a line ...


.... only being allowed to use our mouth and not our hands!
(Thanks for the package from Germany with these special goodies!)


Of course there was more sugar! And even though it is not allowed to light candles on the ship, my mommy got special permission from the captain to light REAL candles for me to blow them out! The wind wanted to help me too much though - so we had to guard the flames for I wanted to do it now I had the special chance!

We had other great games and fun in the sun - so to end my winter-summer-birthday we had a untypical special surprise game untypical for december in Germany:


You want to know what it is? Something really cool.....


.... a waterballoon fight!


Let me tell you - we had LOTS of fun and got really WET!

Well I think I shared enough....


..... I am really tired now!

Thanks for your interest!
Lots of love from your big 3-year-old friend Amy!!!!

African lifestyle

So many things here in Africa are very very different from what we are used to in our home countries - and we want to take you on a little exploring tour to various african lifestyle impressions we saw this last weekend when we had the chance to go to Gbarnga again for the weekend - a town 4 hours drive away from Monrovia (this time in a good car from a friend - thanks Simon for taking us!!!)


Need gas? Well, you buy it in gallons, about 3,60 US Dollar for one gallon Diesel (what would be equivalent to 1 Dollar per liter) or half of that for gas. You fill it into the tank by hand - and the colors vary from red to yellow to brown or even green! This was obviously the red before-christmas edition ... (just kidding)


... the smaller the village or area, the smaller the "gas station"!

Next stop: The "God´s gift BEAUTY SALON"!


To be honest, I didn´t check it out.... smile.

Right next to it: the Photo Studio!

Let´s go shopping now:


Pick the toiletries you want! (And don´t forget to bargain!)

You need a new watch? Or sunglasses? Here you have plenty-plenty to chose from (just don´t expect quality and never ask where it comes from....)


Oh, you are looking for clothes? You are lucky:


They might have something for you... but if you look for a dress room to try it on....forget it!

Sorry to hear that you got a headache! I am sure you didn´t drink enough in this heat. But o.k., you can also go to the "Pharmacy" and look for some pain killers:


Or rather drink lots of water - and maybe buy yourself some fruit:


This boy is WAITING to sell some watermelons to you! Just don´t expect them to be like the ones you know in your country - there are more seeds than you can count!


If you like seeds too much stay faithful to the Africa fruit nr.1 and eat the sweetest bananas you can imagine!

Aaaa-right (hey, your liberian English is really improving!) - you regained enough strength to work small small, right?


Collect the trash on the streets then!
(This was the FIRST picture I saw of someone actually DOING it here in Liberia - is there hope for this country?)

The following picture you see alot though - at every river, lake, or even the dirtiest puddle of water you can imagine:


...washing laundry!


And this is the African dryer - free of charge! (but with free-of-charge-mango-lavae that come with it, entering your skin and make terrible painful wounds! ) You would have to iron EACH item that is dried like this, but that is not really happening....

After all these African impressions we get really hungry - and decide to look for ingredients to make something that reminds us of Germany - Käsespätzle (a south German delicacy) and Marmorkuchen (marble cake):


We found flour and sugar at the market...


...and also onions and eggs.

But no butter in Gbarnga, no milk (only milk powder),no cheese, no fresh vegetables (not the season) for a salad!

Luckily we had brought milk and butter, cheese and other ingredients from Monrovia, so our cravings for some homestyle food were put into action:


The best "Kaesespaetzle" ever!!!!


The dream Spaetzle-team!


And for desert....


A wonderful marble cake! (Marmorkuchen)

Our resumè: When you are far away from home, you realize how much you are "different" - and even though we really enjoy to experience the African lifestyle (with all its pros and cons) it is great to have some moments that feel "like home"!
And to have friends like you that stand behind us! We are glad that we can share all of this a little bit with you!