Last evening we had some friends over two of which are Liberian nationals. One is a Physician studying ultrasound here in the U.S. , the second is attending a seminary to be come a pastor. What interesting after dinner conversation. It is neat to see how God brings people with common callings together. He is definitely given us a heart for West Africa, more specifically Liberia. He keeps pointing us that direction. After Kelly shared about his recent mission trip, we talked about the great need in Liberia. I was able to ask these two gentlemen about the movie "Blood Diamond" and their perspective of it. The seminary student said he had already seen it twice and that it was an accurate portrayal of Sierra Leone's bloody war and how the diamonds were trafficked through Liberia. The physician agreed and said he thought it was violent, but true to the events. We then started to talk about forgiveness and when you have lived through such horrific events. How does one begin to forgive the people who have murdered your children, raped your wives, and mutilated your bodies? The doctor then stated something that sums up the truth of the civil wars in both Liberia and Sierra Leone. He said "they were just children, forced by drugs to fight, many were just children." Wow, I could hear the forgiveness in his voice in this statement. I have attached a picture of a Liberian child solider to this post. I thought it was a touching photo in that you can see how young he is. Pray for this boy, the army of young men who have had to grow up amidst this terrible bloodshed, pray for Liberia and their healing- Crystal
