Saturday, February 3, 2018 Monrovia, Liberia
After being here since mid-December, I was supposed to depart last evening for Brussels and then on to the US. A mechanical problem cancelled the flight so I have an unexpected additional day here – to host a birthday party for my namesake Deborah who turns 10 on Tuesday. Joy!
It has been an extraordinary time in Liberia! I was here for the US Presidential Election and Inauguration. I was here for the recent Liberia Presidential Election which concluded on December 26, 2017 and Inauguration last month. Great uncertainty and tribalism on both sides of the Atlantic. What is going on in the world??
After being here since mid-December, I was supposed to depart last evening for Brussels and then on to the US. A mechanical problem cancelled the flight so I have an unexpected additional day here – to host a birthday party for my namesake Deborah who turns 10 on Tuesday. Joy!
It has been an extraordinary time in Liberia! I was here for the US Presidential Election and Inauguration. I was here for the recent Liberia Presidential Election which concluded on December 26, 2017 and Inauguration last month. Great uncertainty and tribalism on both sides of the Atlantic. What is going on in the world??
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Despite the sense of dread which seems to be pervasive everywhere, I have faith and hope. From one of my spiritual readings this morning which I documented in my journal: Trust – know that the Universe is always conspiring for our own good regardless of what it looks like to the human eye. Spirit always has our back.
What a comforting thought and a necessary reminder for me, needed daily now. Despite the uncertainty and the continued polarization, I remain committed to goodness each and every day. The work of the Foundation for Women is beginning its third decade after touching the lives of millions of women and families all over the globe. That makes my heart sing!
This time in Liberia, we grew our microfinance loan portfolio substantially after receiving some funding for the first time from the World Bank. Bravo! Our School Loan Program continues to flourish with over 150 school partners having access to more than 200 loans in the last few years to enhance their schools, touching tens of thousands of children. Thanks to the generosity of a dear Liberian friend, we will begin the Foundation for Women Farm soon, giving many women the opportunity to enhance agriculture in this country which is so needed. And thanks to our partnership with Care 2 Communities www.care2communities.org we have begun implementing a fabulous business plan to bring community health clinics to a number of our partner schools in partnership with Benson Hospital. Really fabulous! Every day goodness is happening here in Liberia!
Yesterday afternoon the Foundation for Women Liberia team gathered for one final circle before my departure. We began by inviting the mindfulness bowl – and then treasured COO David Beyan invited comments from any who wished to speak. The love and joy and appreciation was truly heart-warming. Then Calvin offered this: You are going to America for a visit; this is your home. Yes, that is the reality. And David then commented: Now that dual citizenship may finally become a reality in Liberia, you will really be able to make this home. JOY!
I finished the circle gathering by explaining to all that everything we have been able to accomplish in Liberia is because of so many of you FFW supporters who have stood with us over the last decades. You have made everything we have been able to do all over the world possible. I want to personally once again acknowledge and appreciate each and every one of you – from the homeless woman Edith who somehow saved $35 back in the 1990’s so she could proudly become a member of the Foundation for Women to founding board chair Barbara Buskin and her husband Art who recently gave us a tremendously generous gift – and all of you in between! You are loved and treasured and so appreciated!!
Oodles of love and gratitude from Liberia,
I finished the circle gathering by explaining to all that everything we have been able to accomplish in Liberia is because of so many of you FFW supporters who have stood with us over the last decades. You have made everything we have been able to do all over the world possible. I want to personally once again acknowledge and appreciate each and every one of you – from the homeless woman Edith who somehow saved $35 back in the 1990’s so she could proudly become a member of the Foundation for Women to founding board chair Barbara Buskin and her husband Art who recently gave us a tremendously generous gift – and all of you in between! You are loved and treasured and so appreciated!!
Oodles of love and gratitude from Liberia,
Deborah Lindholm
“Faith is our assurance that there is a Divine plan of infinite love at work even in the most challenging moments, and that we are a part of that plan. Faith gives us the confidence to move ahead with vast visions in the face of enormous odds; it is an invitation to work in active partnership with the Divine in service of a better world.” - Women, Spirituality and Transformative Leadership
“Faith is our assurance that there is a Divine plan of infinite love at work even in the most challenging moments, and that we are a part of that plan. Faith gives us the confidence to move ahead with vast visions in the face of enormous odds; it is an invitation to work in active partnership with the Divine in service of a better world.” - Women, Spirituality and Transformative Leadership
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