I'm here!!!

I'M HERE!! After 34 hours of traveling, we made it to Sierra Leone at about 11:00pm (7pm USA) .At the airport we met up with Faye and Ramon (Faye's boyfriend) and boarded a hellicopter to cross the bay. We were told we needed to get to the Zizers house quickly because at Midnight the Secret Society was taking to the streets and it would be unsafe to be outside. When we arrived at the Zizers we hurried in, met Marvel (my Sierra Leonean Mom) and Faye left ASAP because of the Secret Society. We had to close our window lastnight because of the nights events so the four of us (Katie, Eric, Jeremy, and myself) slept in the humidity with out any circulation. It actually wasn't that big of a deal, though. I slept very well b/c I had gotten so little sleep on the flights.

At about 11am Faye came and woke us up and we had breakfast together. I had instant coffee and a little loaf of bread. We met Mindy and Joe, a WMF staff couple. They are just great. Sadly for us, Mindy is leaving in 2 days to go to the States on maturnity leave and Joe will follow in a few weeks. The rest of the Zizer family was awake this morning so we met Marvic (15 ish), Marvin (9 ish), and Marvina (3). They are absolutely precious and I know we are going to have a great time with the whole family.

As we ate breakfast this morning Faye gave us a calender and talked about what our schedule would look like. Hearing about what we'd be doing made me increadably excited. I cannot explain the joy that sprang up within me as I heard about the people we'd be building friendships with. To be honest, one of the first things I worried about was not having enough time. I KNOW I am going to hate leaving my friends here. [Don't worry Mom, I AM going to come back in December ;)]

As I layed (lay?) in bed last night, my mind was wild with thoughts. I couldn't help but feel sad that the whole community was afraid to go outside that night because of a society. This is life for them. I am proud to say that we are not living in some nice hotel because I think I would feel SO hypocritical if we were. That is one of the things that drew me to WMF; no one acts as if we are above or better than any one else here. We are their equals, brothers and sisters. The only difference is skin color and I hope that I never EVER let that be a deciding factor in anything.

Now to tell you a little about my team. Katie and I are the two girls. Katie is 28 and she cracks me up. She was so funny last night when she whipped out a bag of dryer sheets, "I was told that this helps keep mosquitoes away. And it smells like home," she said as she placed one on top of the mosquitoe net over my bed. I know she and I will get along great and I am blessed to have her with us.
Jeremy, for those of you who don't know, has grown up with me at our church. I love him dearly and his humor is already been a blessing to us. I have known him for many years but I am really looking forward to getting to know his heart on this trip. He got engaged about 3ish months ago and his fiance is in Uganda currently, serving as an intern with Samaritins Purse (sp?). I know that it wil be hard for him to be away from her for so long so keep him in your prayers.
Eric is 20, making me the youngest (19). He is SO nice. He is also full of random, interesting facts so I kept asking him random questions and he could basically answer anything. He'll make a good tutor for the Light House and Kroo Bay kids. I on the other hand will not; I had a hard time just figuring out how to get my bed sheets on last night.
Three of us (Jeremy, Eric, and I) live within less than an hour from eachother which I am sure will be a HUGE blessing when we return to the State, if I return in December. (Just kiddin Mom.) My mom told me two things as I was preparing to leave: I had to come back on December 18th of this year and I wasn't allowed to fall in love here. Well, mom I promise to come back in December but it's too late, I am already falling in love with my team, my host family, and the Staff.

I won't be updating this everyday but I will as often as I feel I can. I have been over seas a couple other times, none even close to as long as this time, but I know that some days it will be hard to put into words what is going on. There will be days that I will want to ask God why He put me here because what good is it if I am just going to leave them again? Some days I will be overcome with emotions and feelings that I can't even make sense of. I am counting on those days to come but I am know that all the while God will be carrying me through it and with His grace, I will see the reason behind it.

I ask that you keep our team in your prayers this next couple weeks as we adjust to the changes and deal with the initial feelings and emotions. As I said, I cannot put to words the joy and excitement I feel. I KNOW this is where I am supposed to be and I thank God that He has graciously made this will so clear to me on this.

I am praying for everyone I can think of back home. I think of you often as I see things that remind me of you. I pray that through our communication here, we may be a blessing to eachother. I feel your love even across the Atlantic.

I thank my God everytime I remember you. I love you and pray that you will be immersed in the realization of the Grace of Our Heavenly Father.
Haley Kate

ps-my AU email does work so if you'd like to drop a personal note feel free to at hkmccracken@anderson.edu