The Job.

Liberian Asset and Entrepreneurial Development – what a mouthful. For a non-business major, that’s a lot of business words. I have to admit I was a bit intimidated by the title and by the vague job description. I feel like my offerings are often petty and my experience minimal, and these overseas exploits require me to do: program development. A similarly opaque title.

Opaque, though it may be, thus far, my daily grind with LEAD has been anything but. The “office” is a small, single room that has been sectioned off into 5 tiny rooms, two of which are located in a hand-made “loft,” a couple steps up from the ground floor. With nine people sharing a space fragmented only by thin bits of plywood, we have all become quite good friends J Aside from the occasional outburst, all nine, of the 30-somethings employees are always cracking jokes and sharing bowls of macaroni and stew for breakfast. Strangely analogous to my own household growing up, a friendly wrestling match continually ensues between the guys in our 8x8x8 box.

My workday takes place in the “loft” where my duties, as my enigmatic title would suggest, vary from day to day. Yes, the walls are cracked, the ceiling is so low, I have to duck to enter my office, I just saw a mouse crawl up one of the bookshelves, and there is not always electricity. But, this is a place of joy and vivacious energy. I get to work with young Liberians who have a passion for national change. As the country prepares for is next presidential election, in just three weeks, many fear violence. The supporters for the powerful incumbent, set again the ruling party’s Ellen Sirleaf, are aggressive. The ruling party fears aggression will be set against them in the upcoming weeks.

However, this weekend, as I found myself between batches of South African stew, a chimpanzee couple, gianourmous rhino-beetles, and a 300,000 acre rubber plantation, I again wallowed in the fact that I love this game. The uncertainty, the challenge, the adventure, the struggle, the beauty amalgamates into a giant picture of grandeur. Where else can you go mudding as a part of your day job? Or live three blocks from the beach? Or meet so many different people; you forget you haven’t seen an American in weeks? To lose yourself in the wonder of God’s world and his people is beautiful.