The Hard Life

Yesterday was another Sunday surfing session. After riding a wave in, I put down my surfboard and sat on a palm tree that had fallen over, after its roots had been eaten away by erosion. I sat there and watched the sun set over the Atlantic, the view peppered with cumulus clouds, and the sky a glorious red. Ahh, it’s a hard life.

Audry has started making homemade yougurt. A bowl of yougurt with homemade granola is quite possible one of the best things on this earth. That and guava juice. Ahh, it’s a hard life.

I’ve started helping Dave in writing his book, and we are currently focusing on his memories from the periods of war in Liberia. This country has a history of seriously messing itself up. It’s a story full of instances of genocide, assassinations, ritualistic killings, child soldiers, human sacrifices, and even cannibalism. It’s a country where over 80% of the population is unemployed. For almost all Liberians it’s a very, very hard life.

We were watching this film last night, and this one older, father-like figure in the film had a line that really resonated with me. “I’ve lived in a world that hates evil more then it loves good.” I think sometimes we get so revolted by the evil we fail to embrace that which is good. The kids here that smile and laugh and wave at you as you drive by. The ability of people here who pick themselves up from immense losses and still face life with determination to make things better. The immense power of the Gospel that you can see physically change whole villages into something beautiful.