Last Thursday was Thanksgiving, a holiday for spending time with close family, giving thanks for all the blessings we have. For the second time in a row I spent the holiday away from home. Last year I went to a restaurant with my housemate and some friends who I didn't know too well. It was good food, but I wasn't sharing it with those I was close to, so I went home from the restaurant feeling quite homesick.
This year was different though! I wish I could have spent it with the family, but I did have my close friends. Friends of mine run the bar 'Tides' where they held a potluck with 'authentic' Thanksgiving foods! I tried my hand at green bean casserole, something I'd never made before in any country, and had to improvise with a bit of spicy extruded snack bits to get that crispy layer on top. I'm told by close sources that it was pretty good. The meal in general was fantastic, and I felt almost miserably full at the end of the night.
At the Thanksgiving potluck with a few of the folks I'm happy to call friends!
Before we sat down to eat my friends insisted on participating in the 'go around and say what you're thankful for' tradition. When it came to me, I knew exactly what I was thankful for. I'm thankful to have learned to live in the moment this past year; to enjoy life as it comes instead of always pulling myself toward some future goal or event and ignoring the present. I'm thankful for my close friends here in Liberia who have enabled me to do that, to God for constantly watching over me in that process, and for you, my friends and family back home (or wherever you are) who have encouraged me in my venture to Liberia, letting me know that its okay to be here, where I am now, and away from home.
This first week back has been a ride! I'm so happy to be back with my friends and co-workers that I've missed. I was homesick for the places of Liberia that I've come to love, and I've even learned to pick my fights when it comes to the inevitable irritations. I've been busy re-settling in. There has been a lot of hanging out with friends, already one trip this past weekend (into the bush - I mean legitimate jungle - to help a friend set up a camp) and plenty of details to work out. My biggest daytime activities last week were looking for an apartment (I'm crashing at my friend Richard's apartment for the moment while I find long-term housing), and fixing the Land Cruiser I've been driving.
I came back to find the 'jeep' in need of a LOT of work:
3 used tires $105
alternator $120
used front shock absorber $50
locally made suspension bushings $10
glow plug module $50
engine oil $45
oil filter $15
fuel filters $30
car electrician $30
labor for all that plus repairing both front door windows, both rear doors and the horn $25
TOTAL: $480
While the mechanic had the jeep anyways, I asked him to take a look at the 4x4, which has been out of service even well before I took possession of the vehicle, with the front drive shaft removed and rolling around in the back seat. We were happy to discover that it will only take the repair of a u-bolt ($55) and new bolts ($5) to get it working again! My friends occasionally chide me for being the son of a former trucking yet getting stuck so often - in the mud, on wet grass... - but conveniently ignore the fact that I'm driving a vehicle with crippled 4x4 and bald tires. Well no more! I figure with the whiteman price to get pulled out of the mud at around $10USD/incident, the extra repair price will have paid for itself in around six months.
A souvenir purchased at the book store while back in Grand Rapids. I can guarantee you this is the first and only vehicle in Liberia sporting a Calvin sticker.
As you can imagine, I wasn't too impressed with the damage that over $500 in unexpected repair bills would do to my vehicle fuel/maintenance budget, and I'll now almost certainly go over budget on that line item. I ask you to please consider making a donation to help offset these costs. If it helps, you can think of it as your year-end tax deductible Christmas gift of 4x4 to Derek. As always, your continued monthly and one-time donations are very much appreciated!
Well, its 5:00 and I still need to finish up the monthly prayer calendar, a calendar of daily items of prayer relating to LEAD, its partners, Liberia and West Africa. If you'd like to check it out, you can download it at leadinliberia.org.
Hi folks, if you'd like to support financially, look at column to the right, at the top and click on the link 'Ways to Give' where you'll be redirected to Partners website. You can mail in checks, set up monthly automatic payments, or go the easy way and just use a credit card. Chow.
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