A lot of information!

Hi yo! (Liberian English)
Sorry it has been so long since the last update! We have been pretty busy around here. So I will briefly tell you about our trip to Konia and update you on what has happened since we returned to Monrovia. We took a long 7 hour drive to the interior on terrible roads to Konia. I mean terrible! But we only had one girl throw up so that was pretty good! While we were there we took a 30 minute hike one morning to a man made twine bridge and we were able to see rice fields, palm oil plants, a "water tree" ;or a tree that water pours out of a branch you cut off; and eat sugar cane. The next morning we woke up early and started waling to a peanut farm at about 7am. Little did we know that it was about 4 miles away...one way, on the road with no shade. But, nevertheless, is was worth it! We got to harvest some peanuts and were able to see how hard these people have to work in order just to get their food. By the time we finished our 8 mile (2 hour) journey we were exhausted! But when we returned the LACES children from the village were waiting for us so we had to get to work. This is where my part came in. I took 116 head shots of kids and coaches and we recorded down all their information so we could enter it into a system when we got back to the office. We also helped some children write letters in response to some supporters from the States that had written them. Then we were able to take a quick nap before heading to the field to play relay races and watch some futbol! the people in Konia were so amazing and humble! They all had such loving hearts and really wanted to reach out to the children in their community! It was really awesome to see what LACES is doing for the communities in Liberia! The next day we returned home to Monrovia after a flat tire, a stop for food and a live chicken escaping its sack from under my feet! Yes. LIVE chicken...i screamed bc it came out of nowhere and I hadn't even known it was there the whole time! When we returned we rested until we went to sleep and then over the last few days we went to the opening of a new LACES community in Harbel and I also took more headshots of the kids and staff at the Duport Road community. It has been an awesome experience to be able to use my passion and talent of photography in order to help with this organization that is serving the Lord's purpose here in Liberia! The place we have been staying is the compound where the Samaritans Purse Liberia Office is located and where their staff lives. It has been soooo awesome getting to know some of the people here! I am so excited to see the relationships I have built in such a short time here. I am also praying that the Lord will continue to grow them even after I leave here. That is my hope, so that I can stay in touch and maybe have more opportunities to come back here maybe for an internship or work with some of these people again in the future! The Lord has been at work here in Liberia and it has been so great! I am excited about the second part of our trip as well! We pick up our team from the airport tonight and head to Bong County in the interior on Friday morning. I am so excited to see how the Lord will move through us and in us there! I want to say thank you to all of you for your support and prayers as I have been here! I know in my heart people have been lifting us up in prayer so thank you all! I won't have internet obviously in the bush but I will be in touch as soon as possible! We leave here the 9th and arive back in Atlanta on the evening of the 10th! I cannot wait to see you all! I hope your summer is going well and that the Lord is revealing Himself to you in amazing ways! Seek His great Love so that you may Love others unconditionally!! I Love you all so much!
See you!!

Recklessly Trusting,
Kathryn :)

Leaving for Konia

Hello all!

As I said in my last post today we went to Pastor Robert's house to see his family...they were precious! They have four children but I only met three of them and his wife. Their youngest is 8 months old and I got to spend some time with her today! (She is in the picture to the right) I also got to run around with some of the other children in that area. Then we came home and made spaghetti and toasted some bread! We also made some chocolate chip cookies...they were good. But the dough certainly looked different than ours haha. But I just wanted to write one more time before we leave in the Morning to go up country to Konia for the funeral and to see another one of the LACES sights. We will be there till Saturday but I will journal while I am gone and them hopefully when I get back! I love you all and cant wait to tell you more of the amazing work the Lord is doing here!! You are all in my prayers!

In His Love, Kathryn

We Made It!

Wow...after 2 days of traveling we finally made it! Seren Frost (The founder of the organization we are working with) met us at the airport and then we got some dinner. I had a hamburger...or what they said was a hamburger haha. It certainly was nothing like our hamburger meat in the US. But, never the less I ate it and it hasn't bothered me yet. Then we drove about 40 minutes to the place where we are staying. We are in a guest house with two beds, a bathroom and a small kitchen. Oh...and it is right on the Atlantic Coast! I can literally hear the waves crashing outside my window! As for this morning we woke up and went to a grocery store that caters to Americans haha...it was crazy. And a lot more expensive than home! But we only bought a few things for when we go out into the bush for a few days. Today we will just be helping Seren with a few things in the office and we are also going to visit Pastor Roberts family at their home. Anything beyond that is a little up in the air because one of the coaches for LACES out in Konia past away yesterday so we are working around that to know when we are actually headed out to Konia to work. But first and foremost we will be going for the funeral and to see his family. I will try to update again tomorrow! I love all of you and hopefully I will be able to post a few photos in the next few days! Talk to you soon!

The Night Before

Wow...After a LONG LONG day packing and getting things together I am finally done! And ready to head to Liberia! But it wasn't an easy day...Satan surely tried to get me down by throwing almost every obstacle in my way! So ya'll know how I am going a week early to be a photographer for this organization called LACES...well that would mean I would need a camera which I have; well had...my Nikon D70s SLR camera decided to stop working today of all days after being a charm for 4 good years!! I was so upset and didn't know what to do but the Lord prevailed and I ended up purchasing a new Nikon D90 SLR! She is a beauty! But...that's not to say it didn't almost rip my heart out to drop that money on an unexpected purchase the day before I left for Africa! To be a photographer at that...God-1; Satan-0. Then I realized that the 2 brand new memory cards that I purchased 2 days ago don't work with this camera so I had to take them back to Walmart. Well I was already on the eastside so I decided to return them there...they told me I couldn't after I had already called ahead to make sure I could. But this lady wouldn't budge... So hopped back in my car and went across town to the Epps Bridge Wally World to not only exchange those cards for the right ones but also pick up a couple last minute travel items all for the price of the original memory cards. God-2;Satan-0! After being up since 7am and having a taxing day of errands and mishaps...here I am; writing to you all.

I am soooo excited about this trip! But I feel that today I haven't had a chance to really experience that excitement. Please be praying that during our travels, Amanda (my traveling buddy :) ) and I will be able to just REST in Him and in His presence! So that we can re-cooperate for what He has in store for us in Liberia! Thank you all so much for your prayers and support over the past few months! But with the major camera purchase today, please be praying for the Lord to send me a financial encouragement!! I know that the Lord wants me in Liberia...and Satan schemes cannot stop the power of the Lord! I love you all so much and I will be praying for you while I am gone! Get ready to see some pictures of the most precious and beautiful people!! Off to bed now...I have to leave my house at 5am to get to the airport by 7! I LOVE YOU ALL!!

Recklessly Trusting,

Kathryn

10 days prior!

Hello All!

I am now 10 days out from leaving for Liberia!! I leave May 23 and I can't wait! Some of you know that last summer I had the opportunity to go to Uganda for a little over a week. And I fell in love. Uganda is my heart! And I will go back eventually but this past semester God revived my love for Africa and opened a door for me to go to Liberia with my home church! I was so excited and also a little shocked to have another opportunity so soon. But here I am...10 days prior to my second trip to Africa! God has shown me that if I trust in Him and surrender my life to Him then He will reveal Himself to me in amazing ways. His hand prints have been all over happenings in my life, especially the past few months. It is amazing to see that God completely orchestrated this whole trip and how everything has fallen into place so perfectly. And I give Him all the Glory!

I will be spending the first week with a ministry called L.A.C.E.S: Life and Change Experienced Through Sports. They are re-doing all of their promotional stuff for their ministry and needed a photographer....guess who!! Yep! God blessed me with an AMAZING opportunity to use my passion and talent as a photographer through missions!! I am so excited! And the last two weeks of the trip, I will be meeting up with the group from my church and we will be working in a village doing a VBS for the kids in the mornings and I will be working in an orphanage in the afternoons. This trip is going to change me in amazing ways and I am so excited and being able the be His hands and feet and just love on His people!

I will update you all on any information that needs to be added before I leave on the 23rd! As of now...I just want to ask you all to be praying for this trip! Please be praying for God to prepare my heart so that I can absorb all that He has set out for me! Also keep the rest of our Classic City Community Church Team in your prayers! God is going to move to greatly through us in Liberia!

I hope you all stay tuned for more! I love you all!

-Kathryn-