Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our EVERY affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.

-2 Corinthians 1:3-4



I have set before you death and life. Choose life!

-Dt 30:19



"Let us meditate on what it means to take delight in the law of Love by which Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose again from the dead. The Gospel offers a paradox: we must choose to die to self in order to live for God in Christ. Only then will we grow and bear much fruit for the well being of the world."

-Magnificat Feb. 26



"Jesus declares, "Whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." This is sacrifice: handing our imperfect self over to the One who responds by handing us back our true self through this gift of self on the cross. The Lord sets before us life and death, and asks us to "choose life" by obediently taking up Christ's cross of death. "without a 'dying,' without the demise of what is simply our own, there is no communion with God and no redemption"

-Pope Benedict XVI



I first want to thank everyone for sending there prayers for all the people here and myself. Not only have we felt their power, but we have desperately needed them over the last couple of days.



How great is our God? And how silly are we when we let wordly issues get to us...normal and human..but definitely silly..



Frustration, Anxiety, Worries, Sorrow...through it all God is always there and always provides..

Now i'm saying this, but it is only because they are all the realizations I have come to by falling into all these things myself. For instance I was so frustrated the other day because time after time of trying to get on to the internet and update this thing or send emails to my friends and family failed..Either we went to a place where it literally took 5 minutes to load anything, or the internet was down or some other crazy circumstance that I as a citizen living in the States was not used to at all...

But then I had to take a step back...This is Africa..This is a 3rd world country..I should not be worrying about some stupid machine when our well is dry or these children are in front of me. How could I get frustrated about something as silly as the internet when these people are trying to SURVIVE. The average Liberian makes $400 US a year..think about that...how quickly do we blow through that ...and these people feed their families on that money -- FOR A YEAR!

So I had to give it up to God...and He quickly reminded me and showed me He had a reason for not using the internet - learning patience, seeing what is important, being real to Him, His people, His kingdom.

Walking through this Heat - Walking through the Poor - Walking through this place broken and devastated by War...I get the chills...Because LOVE IS HERE. God is moving. And as he's walking by he's inviting each and every one of us. Inviting us to share this perfection, this fulness that is brought by community, selflessness, sensitivity, tenderness, compassion. I can't describe the beauty of it. But it makes me want to SING. Nothing compares to the greatness of knowing He Loves- even through our own leprosy, our sin - He's always there with arms wide open ready to show us the way.

Yesterday we went through Monrovia. Like usual, I made some new friends: children playing in the street. I absolutely love seeing people smile...It's like seeing a glimpse of God every time. "God gave you style and gave you grace - God put a smile upon your face"..Don't ever stop smiling - In everything Rejoice - It's God's greatest gift, and His greatest advertisement. In a world full of fear, pain and sorrow it makes people wonder what you've got..so SHINE

As we walked through the crowded streets, the buildings looked beaten and worn and the streets were trashed and cluttered..These people ahve been broken by war - Murdered by Hate - Imprisoned by Fear. They don't have running water. Most dont have a pair of shoes. And its extremely rare to find a person with more than 2 shirts and a decent pair of pants..Whenever I think about these things I get sick to my stomach - to think about the times I complained about what I was eating instead of rejoicing I had food - to think about the times I was bitter for not getting my way - to think about how much I had and that I felt I was hoarding it all since I had not giving it all away..WE take what we have and we either take it for granted or we abuse it.. and it was making me sick to think about my selfishness..

I pray that I might be completely taken over by God's will. I want to end my life of selfishness, or bitterness, of hoarding. I want to live for ALL others. I want to be last. I want to serve. I want to make the most valiant run at doing everything I can towards bettering my God's kingdom as an act of gratitude for the debt that I will never be able to pay back..His unconditional Love.

I HOPE ALL OF YOU ARE DOING WELL!

WE ARE ONE BODY BOUND BY LOVE.

Life, Love, and Peace

Uncle Matthew