I feel obligated to share my thoughts with you today. I feel obligated to share, not to make it sound like "hey look at us," or anything on those lines. I share because if you read this, if you pray for me at all, you are a part of my ministry here in Liberia. And we need your help.
We are in the midst of a war.
As you know, Liberia recently came out of a 14 year civil war that destroyed every inch of this country. All infrastructure. All agricultural areas. 250,000 lives. But I'm not talking about a civil war.
This one is pure spiritual.
Our office prides ourselves in being the NGO (Non Government Organization) that will work where no one else is working. We are not a "blacktop" organization, staying only where the roads are nice. We spend the majority of our time on the worst roads in the country, accessing and bringing development, and more importantly, the Gospel, to the most remote areas of Liberia.
This year our water and sanitation team took on a project in the Belleh Forest. This district is composed of a dozen villages that have NO road access at all. Since we are the only organization in Liberia that has a helicopter, it has opened the door wide to our work in this region.
Along with water and sanitation, our ministry team has started to work in the same villages as our water program, and has recently been piggy-backed with a VBS (Vacation Bible School) program.
The people in this region are from the Kpelle tribe. I recently read that this particular tribe first immigrated to Liberia from 900-1100 A.D. Which explains why their traditional beliefs run so deep.
Traditional beliefs such as bush societies- where the women take all the girls into the bush for a full year, bringing them through "rights of passage" rituals. Rituals such as female circumcision and other body scarring techniques. Rituals such as witchcraft. Rituals such as human sacrifices and cannibalism.
This is real. These things really do happen.
And we are doing our best at bringing the freedom that Christ offers us to these people.
Last week I went in with the 6 person VBS team to a village called Gbarngay (Bongay). The team taught 120 children in a small church building for three days. They brought them through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and offered a time for the children to nail their sins on the cross and accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
Sounds perfect right? Not exactly.
Evil is prevelant here. And Satan does not want us there.
Never have I felt so "heavy" being around children.
Never have I seen a 14 year old girl kicked out of her house for becoming a Christian, especially from a non muslim setting.
Never have I seen girls as young as two years old filled with scars on their lower back and legs.
Never have I seen a 8 year old color Jesus' ascension to heaven with black squiggly lines, because she believed that it was nothing but witchcraft.
Never have I seen a 7 year old know all of the answers, yet fully admit she doesn't believe because she did not see it.
But I witnessed all of these things and more in four days.
But the good news is that of the 120 children in Gbarngay, eleven came to know the Lord last week.
I also know that TWENTY-FIVE adults joined our family the next evening after the Jesus Film showing!
God is battling for His souls in the Belleh Forest.
Please, pray for our staff who are living and working in these villages. It is one thing to be away from your family, with absolutely no communication with home. It is a whole different ball game when you are fighting a spiritual battle every moment of the day.
Like I said before, we pride ourselves in going where no one else will go. But it comes at a cost. Pray for spiritual strength and protection of all of our staff. Pray for perseverence in these communities where everything seems against them. Pray for emotional strength as we cope with situations we have never imagined.
Most of all, join us in praying that God will prevail.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Since teams are constantly coming to help reconstruct the campus of ABC University, a lot of supplies and tools need to be here before they arrive to insure that their project can be completed. They do this by packing containers and shipping them months in advance, with everything that is needed for their job. So the container arrives in the port in Monrovia, and begins the long journey up to Yekepa. Once it is on campus, it is unloaded and the belongings are stored away until the team arrives. With all the containers coming, and no cranes available, I always wondered how they got the containers off of the trailers... well now I know. No cranes needed, just hook up a log chain and away we go!
Monday, June 1, 2009
ABC Ceiling Team has Arrived!
Last weekend the team assigned to the chapel ceiling arrived! After a nice, smooth, comfortable ride up to yekepa (ha ha) these guys got straight to work! So far they are ahead of schedule and things are looking great. Here are a few images of this past week:
All the wood that will be put over the sound cloth on the ceiling.
Jon decided to grace us with his presence yet again here at ABC- his third time in a year! Thanks Jon for coming!
Chet busy drilling away
Tom cutting the next piece to the exact specifications.
Even the president got in on the action on Saturday!
Everyone's favorite--- insulation.
Now that is some intensity. :)
Getting it JUST right.
Tom and Jon... now known as "Cut & Notch."
Right on the line.
Stay tuned for more in the coming days!
All the wood that will be put over the sound cloth on the ceiling.
Jon decided to grace us with his presence yet again here at ABC- his third time in a year! Thanks Jon for coming!
Chet busy drilling away
Tom cutting the next piece to the exact specifications.
Even the president got in on the action on Saturday!
Everyone's favorite--- insulation.
Now that is some intensity. :)
Getting it JUST right.
Tom and Jon... now known as "Cut & Notch."
Right on the line.Stay tuned for more in the coming days!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Discipleship and Evangelism Training
I wanted to share with you a short write-up I did for our Discipleship and Evangelism program recently:
Sixty-four lower level graduates proudly sang these words in a hilltop church of Vahun on their graduation day, May 5, 2009. Excitement was in the air as the participants waited patiently for their certificate and Bible, marking their completion of the discipleship and evangelism course for 2009. Among the sixty-four graduates were three women, a new and exciting concept for the church in the Vahun District of Lofa County.
The Vahun district is no different than the other areas in Liberia that are receiving this same program, for the whole country of Liberia has experienced unbelievable heartache and turmoil. In 1993, six Senegalese Peacekeepers, doing their best to protect the citizens of Vahun, were caught in the middle of Charles Taylor’s forces and were brutally murdered. The people of Vahun refer to it as the “day of terror.” But they have moved on. They have moved on and are moving forward. Residents have returned after fleeing for their safety, rebuilding their churches with the help of Samaritan’s Purse. Rebuilding their congregations, rebuilding their leadership.
A. Francis Brima
When A. Francis Brima returned to his home in 1991 and again in 2005, he stated, “I know God is present in Vahun. I just know it.” He, along with sixty-three other participants, chose to build their foundation further. But this time it is a foundation that will last for eternity. “I needed this course to help me trust in the Lord. I needed it to build my foundation of faith. There are villages around Vahun that do not have any Christians at all. They need to know about Christ too. They need to have their frustrations forgiven also.”
Gabriel Ansumana
Twenty-two year old Gabriel Ansumana held his certificate and Bible proudly after the ceremony, although he could not see them. Gabriel lost his sight in 2001 after having a dream about a snake attack, which left him blind. When asked why he wanted to attend the leadership classes, he responded, “The Gospel of Christ needs to move and I want to be there. I want to teach about love, and the love you need to have for your friends. I want to share with others, what I have learned myself.”
The Vahun district was not in the original plans for the program this year. But because of the dire need for leadership training in this district, an additional Lower Level class was added. This increased the original number of 1080 to 1144 persons attending Lower Level Training.
*** On a total side note... after the graduation ceremony, I was looking for certain participants to interview. I saw Gabriel and approached him about going outside where the noise was less, so I could ask him a few questions. He quickly agreed. So I held his arm and led him towards the frond door of the church, where there were three steep steps down. We were on the top step when I turned to him to tell him that we were going to take our first step downward. At this same time, someone came on the other side of Gabriel to help, but there was not enough space for all three of us on the step. Thinking there was enough space to my right to move over, I took a step.... and fell down three more! No worries, I had let go of Gabriel's arm so I was the only one who took the fall... but talk about the blind leading the blind!
“Go tell it on the mountain
over the hills and everywhere
Go tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is Lord.”
over the hills and everywhere
Go tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is Lord.”
Sixty-four lower level graduates proudly sang these words in a hilltop church of Vahun on their graduation day, May 5, 2009. Excitement was in the air as the participants waited patiently for their certificate and Bible, marking their completion of the discipleship and evangelism course for 2009. Among the sixty-four graduates were three women, a new and exciting concept for the church in the Vahun District of Lofa County.
The Vahun district is no different than the other areas in Liberia that are receiving this same program, for the whole country of Liberia has experienced unbelievable heartache and turmoil. In 1993, six Senegalese Peacekeepers, doing their best to protect the citizens of Vahun, were caught in the middle of Charles Taylor’s forces and were brutally murdered. The people of Vahun refer to it as the “day of terror.” But they have moved on. They have moved on and are moving forward. Residents have returned after fleeing for their safety, rebuilding their churches with the help of Samaritan’s Purse. Rebuilding their congregations, rebuilding their leadership.
A. Francis BrimaWhen A. Francis Brima returned to his home in 1991 and again in 2005, he stated, “I know God is present in Vahun. I just know it.” He, along with sixty-three other participants, chose to build their foundation further. But this time it is a foundation that will last for eternity. “I needed this course to help me trust in the Lord. I needed it to build my foundation of faith. There are villages around Vahun that do not have any Christians at all. They need to know about Christ too. They need to have their frustrations forgiven also.”
Gabriel AnsumanaTwenty-two year old Gabriel Ansumana held his certificate and Bible proudly after the ceremony, although he could not see them. Gabriel lost his sight in 2001 after having a dream about a snake attack, which left him blind. When asked why he wanted to attend the leadership classes, he responded, “The Gospel of Christ needs to move and I want to be there. I want to teach about love, and the love you need to have for your friends. I want to share with others, what I have learned myself.”
The Vahun district was not in the original plans for the program this year. But because of the dire need for leadership training in this district, an additional Lower Level class was added. This increased the original number of 1080 to 1144 persons attending Lower Level Training.
*** On a total side note... after the graduation ceremony, I was looking for certain participants to interview. I saw Gabriel and approached him about going outside where the noise was less, so I could ask him a few questions. He quickly agreed. So I held his arm and led him towards the frond door of the church, where there were three steep steps down. We were on the top step when I turned to him to tell him that we were going to take our first step downward. At this same time, someone came on the other side of Gabriel to help, but there was not enough space for all three of us on the step. Thinking there was enough space to my right to move over, I took a step.... and fell down three more! No worries, I had let go of Gabriel's arm so I was the only one who took the fall... but talk about the blind leading the blind!
Beautiful Liberia
Many people make the comment to me about how it must be "rough" to live right on the beach. Well, someone has to do it. :) But honestly, I think it keeps us emotionally stable- as stable as you can be when you've been here for a while! You may have just had an awful day at work, but when you walk home and you are met with the incredible blue sea in front of you, it just all melts away for awhile.
Our living room is situated so that we are able to enjoy the sunsets. This particular night, our curtains were closed, and an unbelievably strong orange glow was on our far wall, letting us know that the colors of the sunset were brilliant! So we headed out onto the beach to enjoy the view-
Taya watching the handiwork of God!
I feel as if I'm spoiled with my surroundings in Liberia- When I'm in Monrovia, I have the ocean at my fingertips, and when I'm at ABC, I am surrounded by the beautiful mountains. God is good.
Are you sure you don't want to come for a visit? :)
Our living room is situated so that we are able to enjoy the sunsets. This particular night, our curtains were closed, and an unbelievably strong orange glow was on our far wall, letting us know that the colors of the sunset were brilliant! So we headed out onto the beach to enjoy the view-
Taya watching the handiwork of God!
I feel as if I'm spoiled with my surroundings in Liberia- When I'm in Monrovia, I have the ocean at my fingertips, and when I'm at ABC, I am surrounded by the beautiful mountains. God is good.
Are you sure you don't want to come for a visit? :)Robertsport '09
Two weeks ago Thursday was a Liberian holiday. Since most of the time I have teams with me, I don't get to take these holidays off. BUT this time I had no team, and we planned a trip to Robertsport, just a little over 2 hours from Monrovia.
Robertsport has probably become the "vacation" spot for Liberia.. at least for aid workers. It is known for its waves- surfing waves that is. One of the top undiscovered spots for surfing in the world. What is nice about Robertsport, is that there are safari tents that are available to stay in, but you can also camp on the beach, free of charge. You are not obligated to spend the $100 per night if you don't want a tent. They do have a restaurant on the beach also, and you can even bring your own food if you want- again, no obligation to pay $13 a meal if you wish.
I first tried surfing when I was in Liberia in 2006. I really enjoyed it, became pretty brave and found myself getting pummeled by some really big waves in Monrovia. Ever since then I was too scared to go out again. This year though, a couple of us realized that we need to do something in order to keep us sane in this insane country. So, we took the boards back out and tried again. This time, I loved it!
So we loaded up our boards and 8 of us escaped for a couple days to the untouched paradise of Robertsport. Not a soul around to bother us on the beach. It was great!
You can see the safari tents in the background- two double beds, hard wood floors, two easy chairs and a fridge, with a view overlooking the ocean.
The current was SO strong the first day- when you got in the water and rode a wave, you were 500 feet down shore within 30 seconds. Thats a workout!
Are you sure you don't want to come for a visit? :)
The five girls that went- Emily, Taya, Bev, Janell and myself. The green board is my new surfboard! Everytime I take it out, Emily says, "ohhhh... such a pretty board!" LOL It makes me laugh. I figure if anything else, at least the board looks good. :)
Tay paddling to catch the wave!
Thinking about trying to get up...
Getting there...
I paddled back out and the ocean went calm... as if I was on a lake...
But all of a sudden a very LARGE wave came right up behind me... in this photo I am literally yelling "holy moley!" becauase I know I have no where to go but with it!
But I was able to get up on this one- it wasn't as bad as it originally appeared.
At certain times of the day the waves in Robertsport can be 10-20 feet tall... I stay away from those with my rookie abilities... These are the "joni" sized waves :)
Bev and I waiting for the next set as a boat of fisherman go by.
Isaac following Mom and Aunty Joni with his boogie board.
All in all it was a fantastic getaway! Nothing beats surfing during the day, and eating with good friends by candlelight on the beach in Liberia.
I would personally like to thank the UK team for their departing gifts to allow us to take this much needed time off. Thank you plenty!!!!
Robertsport has probably become the "vacation" spot for Liberia.. at least for aid workers. It is known for its waves- surfing waves that is. One of the top undiscovered spots for surfing in the world. What is nice about Robertsport, is that there are safari tents that are available to stay in, but you can also camp on the beach, free of charge. You are not obligated to spend the $100 per night if you don't want a tent. They do have a restaurant on the beach also, and you can even bring your own food if you want- again, no obligation to pay $13 a meal if you wish.
I first tried surfing when I was in Liberia in 2006. I really enjoyed it, became pretty brave and found myself getting pummeled by some really big waves in Monrovia. Ever since then I was too scared to go out again. This year though, a couple of us realized that we need to do something in order to keep us sane in this insane country. So, we took the boards back out and tried again. This time, I loved it!
So we loaded up our boards and 8 of us escaped for a couple days to the untouched paradise of Robertsport. Not a soul around to bother us on the beach. It was great!
You can see the safari tents in the background- two double beds, hard wood floors, two easy chairs and a fridge, with a view overlooking the ocean.
The current was SO strong the first day- when you got in the water and rode a wave, you were 500 feet down shore within 30 seconds. Thats a workout!
Are you sure you don't want to come for a visit? :)
The five girls that went- Emily, Taya, Bev, Janell and myself. The green board is my new surfboard! Everytime I take it out, Emily says, "ohhhh... such a pretty board!" LOL It makes me laugh. I figure if anything else, at least the board looks good. :)
Tay paddling to catch the wave!
Thinking about trying to get up...
Getting there...
I paddled back out and the ocean went calm... as if I was on a lake...
But all of a sudden a very LARGE wave came right up behind me... in this photo I am literally yelling "holy moley!" becauase I know I have no where to go but with it!
But I was able to get up on this one- it wasn't as bad as it originally appeared.
At certain times of the day the waves in Robertsport can be 10-20 feet tall... I stay away from those with my rookie abilities... These are the "joni" sized waves :)
Bev and I waiting for the next set as a boat of fisherman go by.
Isaac following Mom and Aunty Joni with his boogie board.All in all it was a fantastic getaway! Nothing beats surfing during the day, and eating with good friends by candlelight on the beach in Liberia.
I would personally like to thank the UK team for their departing gifts to allow us to take this much needed time off. Thank you plenty!!!!
Canada Team Visit
Bev and I hosted a team of 7 Canadians in May. We drove the rough road up to Foya, where I gained a new nickname- "Indiana Joni", and packed in as many projects as possible in those ten days! One unique aspect of this team, is we had a country music artist, Aaron Lines, with us. He has a number one hit in both Canada and the US! Here are some images of their trip.
This is one of our schools that we do the school feeding program in. We partner with WFP (World Food Program) where they provide the food, and we distribute it throughout two counties in Liberia, feeding children, disabled and the elderly. Currently, SP Liberia is feeding 160,000 people each month.
It is a great program, especially for girls, since not only do they get a meal, but it encourages the parents to send their girls to school. Typically the girls are not educated and have to stay at home and help there, leading to a lot of illiteracy in the country.
Bryan was taking pictures of the kids and watching their faces light up when they get to see it on the camera!
At a few of the schools, Aaron busted out his guitar and had the kids singing and dancing- here, our crazy Canadian Paula, was dancing with the chief! I'm sure this village is STILL talking about that white woman who danced with the chief!
The team was able to hand out food at a couple of the schools.
As soon as the guitar was out, the crowds would gather!
One evening we took the team to our favorite lookout in Foya. From here you can see Guinea and Sierra Leone. It is a gorgeous spot!
Buzz was up in Foya that same week, so he came with us to the lookout. The three amigos!
There are STILL a lot of shells from the war. Everytime we go up there we gather handfuls. You would think that we would have picked them all up by now, but they keep getting washed up. Just another reminder of what this country has gone through.
Another project the team was able to participate in, is our fishponds. It was time for harvest, and they jumped right in- literally! We have over 100 fishponds in Liberia, and is an amazing community project, plus many people have come to Christ through it!
This is Sandi showing off her catch.
Paula and Bev goofing off with the tilapia while the others try to catch the remaining fish!
Pa Vannie, our livestock extradenaire, shares with the team about how to sort the fish.
Ramsey, our Aquaculture coordinator, helps with the sorting. The small ones are dumped into the most recently harvested pond, in order to keep a steady rotation of fish coming.
These teenagers had found a baby owl.. and wanted to eat it... we did our best to encourage them not to!
It was so soft!
Next was our cattle project. Pa Vannie has been commended for running the only successful cattle project in Liberia! SP is incredibly proud of him and his dedication to our ministry. He is a godly man who cares deeply about animals, but even more about the hearts of those who own them.
One of our beneficiaries and his cow.
A cute little baby. The father (on the right) was so proud and rushing up to all of us to show off his new son.
The team was also able to do some manual labor for our LIAP (Liberian Integrated Assistance Program). Here they were constructing a community drying floor, which is fenced off in order to keep the animals away from their crops as they dry. Mixing cement this way is not easy-o.
This to me was a perfect picture of a village in Liberia... the thatched roofs, mud huts, women selling a few things, and beautiful trees.... and our SP vehicle. :)
Paula is helping the guys water down the floor before laying the wire and cement.
This is one of our schools that we do the school feeding program in. We partner with WFP (World Food Program) where they provide the food, and we distribute it throughout two counties in Liberia, feeding children, disabled and the elderly. Currently, SP Liberia is feeding 160,000 people each month.
It is a great program, especially for girls, since not only do they get a meal, but it encourages the parents to send their girls to school. Typically the girls are not educated and have to stay at home and help there, leading to a lot of illiteracy in the country.
Bryan was taking pictures of the kids and watching their faces light up when they get to see it on the camera!
At a few of the schools, Aaron busted out his guitar and had the kids singing and dancing- here, our crazy Canadian Paula, was dancing with the chief! I'm sure this village is STILL talking about that white woman who danced with the chief!
The team was able to hand out food at a couple of the schools.
As soon as the guitar was out, the crowds would gather!
One evening we took the team to our favorite lookout in Foya. From here you can see Guinea and Sierra Leone. It is a gorgeous spot!
Buzz was up in Foya that same week, so he came with us to the lookout. The three amigos!
There are STILL a lot of shells from the war. Everytime we go up there we gather handfuls. You would think that we would have picked them all up by now, but they keep getting washed up. Just another reminder of what this country has gone through.
Another project the team was able to participate in, is our fishponds. It was time for harvest, and they jumped right in- literally! We have over 100 fishponds in Liberia, and is an amazing community project, plus many people have come to Christ through it!This is Sandi showing off her catch.
Paula and Bev goofing off with the tilapia while the others try to catch the remaining fish!
Pa Vannie, our livestock extradenaire, shares with the team about how to sort the fish.
Ramsey, our Aquaculture coordinator, helps with the sorting. The small ones are dumped into the most recently harvested pond, in order to keep a steady rotation of fish coming.
These teenagers had found a baby owl.. and wanted to eat it... we did our best to encourage them not to!
It was so soft!
Next was our cattle project. Pa Vannie has been commended for running the only successful cattle project in Liberia! SP is incredibly proud of him and his dedication to our ministry. He is a godly man who cares deeply about animals, but even more about the hearts of those who own them.
One of our beneficiaries and his cow.
A cute little baby. The father (on the right) was so proud and rushing up to all of us to show off his new son.
The team was also able to do some manual labor for our LIAP (Liberian Integrated Assistance Program). Here they were constructing a community drying floor, which is fenced off in order to keep the animals away from their crops as they dry. Mixing cement this way is not easy-o.
This to me was a perfect picture of a village in Liberia... the thatched roofs, mud huts, women selling a few things, and beautiful trees.... and our SP vehicle. :)
Paula is helping the guys water down the floor before laying the wire and cement.
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