It
was our last day in Ganta. We packed up
and checked out of the hotel. We went to
breakfast at Angel Hill. Then we went to the closing service of
Conference. When we got there, many
persons were still outside the building.
There was going to be a procession at the beginning of the service. The clergy all had white robes on and lay
persons were dressed in their finery.
There were last pictures taken with friends.
We worked our way through the crowd to go to our seats in the front of the auditorium. Music was already being played. Soon the Conference Secretary Rev. Dr. Labala announced the hymn for the processional – “Come, Christians, Join to Sing”. There were three verses but we sang it again until all had entered and taken their seats. This included the choirs, the newly ordained clergy, the cabinet, the directors, Bishop Quire and Retired Bishop Kulah.
After
a short greeting was said, we sang “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee”. The Bishop led the Invocation and the
Confession. The Conference UMW President
Muriel Nelson led the Act of Praise. The
St. Paul River District Mass Choir sang an anthem.
Then the Advance Committee led by David Farhat made an impassioned plea for giving to the Fund Drive that began a number of people making large donations and calling out others by name to do the same. At one point our leader Jon Reynolds walked up and gave $500 which the team had put together and pledged another $500 toward Ganta Hospital.
After
a long time the service continued with prayers, Scripture readings, a choir
anthem, and the singing of the Conference theme song – “My Hope is Built”. Then the Bishop gave the sermon. Afterward everyone stood and said the
Apostles’ Creed. The prayer hymn was
“Jesus, Keep Me Near The Cross”. There
was a Passing of the Peace by all waving their hands, a communion hymn, and the
Celebration of the Lord’s Supper. The
Sending Forth was the Hymn “Go, Make of All Disciples”.
There
was a final business session and the fixing of appointments. But by then our guides were encouraging us to
leave so we could get to lunch and our journey.
We
had lunch and gave last greetings to those who had come in later. We started back to Monrovia at 2:45 pm. We
had a couple other people with us. On the way back we stopped at a place that
had a fairly new well with the name of Rochester St. Paul UMC on it. That’s where Jon served before his current
appointment at Cass Community.
We
eventually dropped off the other travelers and arrived at the Mission Compound
by 7 pm. We unloaded and ate a supper
provided by our dear ladies Ocelia and Vision.
Devotions and debriefing and to bed.
Comments Off on February 2020, Feb 16, Liberia Annual Conference, Post 8
(I wrote this entry back on Feb. 15 but never posted
it. I did not have internet available
the rest of the trip. And while I took
notes from time to time, I didn’t write anything the rest of the time. We often were told that we needed to be ready
at a specific time to go somewhere and then would have to wait for some reason
before we left. Since everything was
packed away where we were staying, I wasn’t able to use that time to
write. Now on Feb. 28 after our trip
has ended and we are back to our lives at home, I’m going to try and catch
up. It may not be as detailed but it
will tell what we did the rest of the trip.
However, first is the post from Feb. 15.)
Short comments – Each day we have gone to the Angel Hill
Restaurant for our meals. There are
several long tables and chairs with white covers. There is a short table at the head for the
Bishops. There is a buffet consisting
of various kinds of food depending on what meal it is. All of the guests of the conference primarily
from the U.S.A. and Sierre Leone ate there.
(We found out later that the main cooks for our meals were persons the Conference had hired and brought from Monrovia to be sure our meals were what we could eat. In fact one of them was Mother Quire’s sister. Food was not quite as spicy as they usually eat.)
We have breakfast around 7:30 am. Conference has adjourned
for lunch around 2:15 pm. Supper has
been around 7 pm after whatever activity we had in the afternoon. Conference continues while we are gone. One evening was the memorial service which we
missed. Another evening was a music
program which we missed.
When we got to Conference on Saturday unlike the previous
day, we were the first persons there.
Hardly anybody was in the auditorium.
The conference secretary introduced a seminary student who gave the
devotions. His emphasis was on investing
yourself in what you are trying to accomplish and in the future. If you don’t work on it now, it may never
happen. Everyone has a part to play to
make a significant legacy. The Bible
Teacher Dr. Paul was next. He was
building on his ideas from previous days.
One interesting thing – he always started with a little exercise. Fist pushed forward into the air – Go, fingers
wiping tears – Weep, hands down to ground – Sow, hands gathering in – Reap,
hands in the air – Rejoice!
A time for the Bishop’s Appreciation had Bishop and Mrs.
Quire sitting in front as persons passed by putting money for them in
baskets. Later Dr. Brewer spoke during the Hour that Inspires
and challenges. We went to lunch very
late. Afterwards part of the team went
back to the conference to experience the Ordination Service.
Others of us including me went back to the Guest House to rest. Very soon after getting in the room, I got out the computer to write some more. After I had written one post, I tried to get into the internet so I could send it to my son. It wasn’t taking the password even after checking with reception to be sure I had it correct. After about an hour I gave up and took my computer and phone to team member Jill who seemed to have the only 110 volt plug. After getting the phone set up to charge, I showed her what was happening with the login for the hotel internet. Turns out I had the user-id wrong. Once I corrected it, I could send to Dave. I got the computer charged up again too.
It was time to go the supper. The vans came and took us. The ones who had attended ordination told us
that there were 2 commissioned, 9 ordained elders, and 44 ordained associate
elders. They have a different system of
levels of ordination.
After supper we came back to the hotel and sat in the patio
area. We shared our high and low moments
and had devotions. It was a good
day.
Comments Off on February 2020, Feb 15, Liberian Annual Conference, Post 7
We were awakened by our alarm at 6 am after having a good night’s sleep. It’s Valentine’s Day! We both thought the other one would forget but we both had cards for each other. There was also a nice surprise. There was hot water in the shower.
I was able to get on
the internet much easier than last night. I enjoyed seeing that Dave
had put up my posts. I was able to charge my phone using the Mophie
charger. We got ourselves around and met the group downstairs. We
went to breakfast at the same place.
(I neglected to
mention on the last post the Liberian friends who welcomed us at the
conference on Thursday. They greeted us throughout the morning. The
UMW president Muriel Nelson, The Women’s Director Rose Farhat, the
director of the Bishop Judith Craig Children’s Village Robert Sieh
Jr., the district superintendent of the Kakata Farmington District
Paul Gartor, the former UMW president Christiana Harmon who served at
the same time as I did, Emmanuel Saywon – a pastor who was a
district superintendent whom Duane met on his first trip in 2002, and
the Bishop’s wife Richlain Quire who had been at the Michigan
Annual Conference last year.)
When we arrived at
the Conference Friday morning, the delegates were in the midst of a
prayer meeting. We took our seats and then listened to the prayer
leader. From time to time they were encouraged to personally pray
all at the same time. It reminded me of Korean praying. I don’t
think I have witnessed the Liberians doing it. Duane says he
remembers experiencing it. It was very powerful. We joined in once
we caught on to what was happening. It ended up with singing and a
final prayer.
We realized that the electricity was off when it got time to start the conference session. We were late in starting the morning events because they were hoping the electricity would come back on. Bishop Quire called the session to order, announced about the electricity and what was happening next. It meant that the sound system wasn’t working. And the fans weren’t on. Fortunately the weather was cooler. Then the Bishop came down off the stage and sat right in front of us so he could hear the the morning speakers.
Paul Perez gave
devotions for the morning. Paul was incredible speaking to the large
crowd without a microphone. He used the text of Jeremiah 29:11 – “I
know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans of peace
…to give you a future of hope.” He connected Michigan with
Liberia. Paul laid a great foundation for the covenant of
partnership we would present later renewing our relationship. He
mentioned the three parts of the Liberian Strategic plans that we
were hoping to assist with – Education, Sustainable Agriculture and
Water. There were amens heard. There was silence when he first
mentioned the 2019 General Conference. He talked about the Liberian
Summit in Cleveland Ohio where Bishop Quire apologized for any harm
that the Liberian Conference may have done to the partnership. Paul
apologized for any harm that we may have done to the Liberian Church.
His message was that, though there may be changes in structure,
the relationship does not change. We continue to build on that
relationship. We have a future with hope.
He was followed by
the Bible Study Teacher Dr. Hilary G. Paul. He is the Chairman for
the Department of Theology, Bishop John G. Innis Graduate School,
United Methodist University.
When he was
finished, Bishop Quire asked someone to lead in prayer and music
while they got ready for the business of the morning. The first item
was the Partnership Covenant. The Secretary of the conference, Rev.
Dr. James Labala, read the covenant to the conference. A motion was
made and seconded and the voice vote was going to be taken. There
were some questions asked and the motion got tabled until the
following day while a committee would look at the covenant. We
realized that, even though they had had the covenant for some time,
it had not been reviewed by others. The committee was named and was
asked to meet immediately to go over it. Jon and Paul were able to
attend and comment. We felt it was a covenant of relationship not a
legal document.
After they left,
some reports were given. The first one was the Commission on
Archives and History. The chair presenting it was a friend Rev. Dr.
Anthony Dioh. I had not realized that he was the chair. Their
conference commission was working very hard at encouraging churches
to write down their histories so they would not be forgotten as time
passed. They were going to hold workshops for church historians to
show them how it could be done. As he ended his report, I sent my
Commission business card up to him then walked up to stand by him. I
had been sitting just a few feet away. The Bishop mentioned that he
had originally been assigned to the General Commission four years ago
but then went to another Commission. Anthony introduced me and I
greeted the conference on behalf of our General Secretary Dr. Alfred
Day. I also commended the Conference for working on their histories
and hoped that copies would be sent to the General church archives in
New Jersey. Later Duane and I had lunch with Anthony and his wife
Jennifer and talked more about it.
Another report was
given by the chair of LUMEF – The Liberia United Methodist
Foundation. Then the order of the day brought us to the time of The
Hour That Inspires and Challenges. The speaker for the conference
was Rev. Dr. Daniel S. Brewer. He served at the Gbarnga School of
Theology in Liberia and in the Minnesota Conference.
He spoke about
allowing our Human Spirit to cooperate with the Holy Spirit so we
were sensitive to what God wants us to do. He emphasized six points
of moving to live in God’s will – Loyalty to the Mission of God,
Gratitude of the Grace of God, Sensitivity to the Will of God,
Confident in the Faith of God, Enjoyment of the Presence of God, and
Commitment to the Justice of God.
After his message,
there was more music and prayer that became overwhelming as it
continued. Then Conference was adjourned to go to lunch. It was
1:30 pm.
After lunch our afternoon was spent at Ganta Hospital and Mission Station. More on that later.
Team on Thursday 2-13Guest House in GantaConference Stage 2-13-20Auditorium 2-14-20Jon receiving conf programDiana at podium, Bishop behindLiberia Team Feb 14
Comments Off on February 2020: Feb 14, Liberia Annual Conference, Post #5
When we got to the Mission Compound in Monrovia it was 10:30 pm. We were assigned to our rooms and got our luggage in there. We were served light supper of cheese sandwiches and fruit.
We got up after a short night to have breakfast and get ready to go to Miller Mc Allister United Methodist Church in Ganta City, Nimba County. Before we left Monrovia, some of us left some luggage at the compound. Our friend Eva Barchue came to greet us and to get three pieces of luggage sent by her husband Rev. Albert Barchue of Negaunee in Michigan. We thank one of the drivers of our caravan for taking Eva and the luggage back to her home.
We got to the
conference just as someone was finishing an address. We were seated
in a guest section. In a short time we were introduced by Bishop
Samuel Quire. Soon we adjourned for lunch. Our group were guests
along with some of the others at a luncheon at a restaurant hosted by
Bishop Quire.
After lunch we went
back to the conference. We sat in a different place but it was close
to the front.
President Muriel
Nelson gave a report of the United Methodist Women. It was great to
see her.
Planning to create a
village with dormitories and technical high school. Also making
plans for a disability center and rehabilitation. Four pillars were
mentioned – health, empowerment, leadership, partnership.
There was a report
on the United Methodist University by Dr. Coleman.
United Methodist Men
gave a report.
Pastors’ Wives –
Richlain Quire, wife of the Bishop, who attended the Michigan
Conference in 2019 gave that report. They are doing a lot of work to
help wives learn skills.
There was a panel
presenting about The Theology of Worship. Part way through at a
break we were given permission to leave and go back to the hotel to
rest.
After an hour’s rest, we met in the outside lounge area and were taken to the same restaurant we had been at before for supper. It was very good. When we went back to the hotel this time, we sat in the lounge again and discussed the rest of the week’s schedule. We also had devotions. Now it is time to get settle for a good night’s sleep I hope.
Tonight there are too many people trying to use the internet. I’m going to send #3 and #4 to Dave and see if I can get them out. Then he can post them.
Comments Off on February 2020: Annual Conference, Post #4
We boarded our flight to Brussels in time to take off around 7 pm. The seats in our section were nine across in three parts. Paul, Duane and I sat in the middle of Row 52. Again we had screens that allowed us to watch TV show episodes, movies, or just relaxing music and scenery. The schedule list on the screen was Departure, Meal Service, Lights Out, Lights On, Meal Service, Arrival. The flight was about 5 hrs 45 min. It seemed to be a long time before they got around to serving a snack for appetizer, a meal, and then a sherbet cup. When we were finished, we barely had 2 hours to sleep. Most of us did not sleep well. 45 minutes before landing they quickly served a croissant and yogurt.
We landed in
Brussels at 7:25 am. We discovered that, this time since we had the
check in tickets for the Brussels Airlines flight, we didn’t have
to get our luggage, go through immigration and check in again. We
went directly to an area where we could rest and relax and walk
around if we wanted to. We also finally met the eighth person of our
group – Jill Woodard from South Lyons. She had taken an earlier
flight. Since it was morning, I did my devotions. Others visited.
Eva worked on her thesis. A few slept for awhile.
The flight to
Monrovia was to board around 11:30 am for a 12:05 take off. We knew
the plane was at the gate. But the gate wasn’t open. There were
many people standing around waiting for two gates to open – one to
Dakar and ours. Finally we were able to check in and then sit and
wait until they had everyone. Then they let us get on board.
The seats on this plane were three – four – three. Duane and I were D and E. This flight was 6 hrs. 45 min. to Freetown Sierra Leone, a 1 ½ hr layover while we stayed on the plane. We had dinner also. I had fish in white sauce with orzo and carrots and parsnips. Duane had beef, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots. We both had cole slaw and a little chocolate pie with a soft crust. During the layover in Freetown, we got to visiting with the persons in front of us. They were on a mission trip also. Some were from California and some from Texas.
Most of the persons
who got on the plane in Freetown were going to Brussels. The plane
would land in Monrovia, left a lot of us off, change crew, take on
more passengers and go back to Brussels.
We landed in
Monrovia around 8:05 pm. As we got off the plane, we went through a
long gateway and immediately realized that we were in the new modern
airport. What a difference! It was beautiful! We were greeted by
persons in masks who checked our temperatures. There were still
lines to go through customs but it moved pretty quickly. When we
got out of customs, we were right by the luggage claim area. And we
met our friends Sam, Ruth our guide, and the VIM person Decontee. We
managed to get all the luggage together and go out to the pickup
area. They had two vans there. Both had long bench seats in back.
They put all the luggage in one and we got in the other. And we
headed for Monrovia.
Comments Off on February 2020: Continuing our Traveling, Post #3
As I begin to write, I’m realizing that my audience for this will be a variety of ages and persons with different concerns. Some have children and grandchildren who will be reading about travel. Others will be looking for interesting things about places we will visit in Liberia as we have time. So take from this what has meaning to you.
Duane and I got to sleep early Monday night. We set our alarms for 4:30 am. We dressed for travel, did our last packing, had breakfast then got things in the van. It was easier using it because of the big suitcases. Two of the suitcases were being taken to friends in Liberia so we each had two suitcases and two smaller bags to take on the plane. We left home around 6 am.
We got to the Lansing International Airport in DeWitt by 8 am. We were the first to arrive. We had to leave our coats in the van because we wouldn’t be needing them. Rev. Paul Perez, Conference Staff, was next to come. Rev. Jon Reynolds from Cass Community UMC, Rev. Lindsey Hall Associate Pastor at Birmingham First UMC, and Rev. Ava Euper from Elsie UMC soon joined us.
We all had to check in because we were going on an international flight. We showed our passports and got our luggage weighed. We got our boarding passes for four flights then sent our luggage through the security scanner. Next we went to the TSA security area. It took a little while to go through. They were looking carefully. Soon we all were done.
We went down to Gate 5 to wait for the flight. We began to get more acquainted. We all have United apps on our cellphones that are telling us about our flights. The flight was scheduled to leave at 10:25 am. It was a small plane so it didn’t take long to board. We were seated in three rows of two seats each. We were on time taking off but arrived in Chicago a half hour early.
That was good because our next flight would have been leaving in 45 minutes. As it was, it had been delayed a half hour giving us more time to get there. We even had time to get some food for lunch. Some got some caramel corn from Garretts – a favorite of those who had attended Garret Evangelical Seminary. I got my personal favorite – a Auntie Anne’s soft pretzel. Later we had a little more substantial food.
The flight to Newark finally boarded passengers and was ready to go at 12:45 pm. We sat on the tarmac awhile waiting to take off. This time our seats were still two by two but spread out in different places. There were screens at every seat showing all kinds of TV shows and some movies. I slept part of the time finally catching up on some sleep.
We arrived at Newark ahead of time – the wind was pushing us. We had an 11 minute walk to our next gate. We went from C72 to C 139. As we reached our gate, we greeted Rev. Mike Seymour, Jon’s grandfather, who was going with us. Our flight is not until 7 pm so everyone is either visiting or studying or walking. Or in my case writing this. Stay tuned for more adventures.
Comments Off on February 2020: Beginning to Travel, Feb.11, Post #2
We have been planning to go to Liberia again. Duane and Jon Reynolds,
who is the chair of the Michigan Conference Liberia Partnership Ministries, have
organized and will be leading the trip.
Seven other persons including myself will be on the trip.
Duane and Jon and their Partnership group have been working to revise the
covenant the former Detroit Conference has had with the Liberia United
Methodist Church for 22 years. The new
Michigan Conference has authorized the creation of the new covenant. We are going to Liberia to attend their
Annual Conference where they will sign the covenant. Later at our Annual Conference in late May,
which their Bishop Samuel Quire and some others will attend, our Bishop David
Bard will sign the covenant.
After our arrival in Monrovia Wednesday Feb 12th and a night’s rest, we will
travel to Ganta on the 13th to attend their Annual Conference.
After the conference we will visit a variety of mission projects in different
parts of the country before heading for home Feb 21.
We have been busy getting our flights and getting our immunizations up to
date. Recently we have been packing what we will take so we can determine
how many bags we need to use. We are starting our trip from Lansing on
Feb 11. Keep us in your prayers as we
journey forth.
Comments Off on February 2020: Preparing to Go to Liberia Feb.10, Post #1
When we got to the airport, a man from Brussels Airlines who had been at the downtown office in the morning had been watching for Duane. He took us right in and found a chair for Duane. Then he took our passports and got us through immigration. Then he came back and took us to the security area. Their machine for carry-ons was not working so they were checking everything manually. We didn’t have to take things out and we could leave our shoes on. The man was still with us and took us into the waiting room.
We had to wait a couple of hours. There were a few other internationals who had been with us at the conference. About 8:30 pm, when it was time to start sending persons to the plane, our airline friend came back again and took us to the front of the line. He gave me a piece of paper with his phone number and name so we could call him when we got home and let him know that Duane was doing ok. It wasn’t too long before we got in the shuttle and went to the plane.
After we were in the air, we were served snacks and a drink. Within a little while we were served dinner. The flight was about 8 hours. We watched some shows on the little screen and then tried to sleep. I’m feeling tired right now just remembering. I think we both got some sleep. It didn’t seem too long before the lights were going on and we were given a breakfast box with a croissant and cream cheese. There was also coffee, tea, and fruit juices. We landed in Brussels at 5:15 am.
We had to wait 7 hours before the next flight. We had to go through customs and security again before getting to the next terminal. We sat in a seating area. But lots of persons were sleeping. It didn’t take too long until Tom, Bill and Duane were sleeping. I was watching out the windows and working on blog comments. Everyone took turns getting up and walking around. Then we came back to the same area and the others went to sleep again.
Our flight was at 12:10 pm so we gathered our things and walked down to the gate by 10:30 am. Again we saw others we had been with in Liberia going on this flight. It didn’t take long for them to start loading. We were going back in time so even though the flight was almost 9 hours long, we were going to get to Dulles by 2:55 pm. We settled in to our seats and realized that the screens were both going to work this time. I was able to watch Inside Out and The Intern. We had lunch shortly after the flight took off. Then we had a snack just before we got to Dulles.
We had to go through customs using check in machines. Then back through security again. After we were free to go to our gate, we went by an Auntie Anne’s pretzel stand. Duane said it before me. I needed to get a soft pretzel. Our next flight was at 5:10 pm. We got to the gate. Then I called Nelson to find out how things were going with Mother. It was not good. He had gotten a call from the Physician’s Assistant who said that Mother was not doing well and she was prescribing Hospice care. Obviously I was very unhappy about this. She told Nelson to have me call the nurse and see how things were going. So I called Newcomer Hall where she lives. They said that she was not doing well. They said to call again in the morning. We boarded the plane and left for Detroit. We were to get there near 6:15 p.m.
We went to get our luggage and said goodbye to the others. Duane called the Oakleys – Susi and Brian – who had kept our van. Susi picked us up and took us back to her house. We visited with them a little while. Then we drove to Plymouth and a Comfort Inn. Since it was connected to our place that we stay in Mason OH, we thought we might be eligible for a free night. Duane didn’t have the cards he needed but the desk person gave him the 1-800 number and said they could search for him. It worked and we got the free night. We were put in Room 101 and given a bag with goodies and bottles of water. Duane managed to get the extra clothes we needed from the suitcases without bringing them in. It was 32 degrees out. He was very cold. What a difference!
We didn’t waste time getting what we needed for the night. And went to bed immediately – 9 pm.
Friday Feb. 19 – I woke around Midnight. I wasn’t sure where I was. Then back to sleep and awake around 3 am. Same basic feeling. Back to sleep to wake around 6 am. I took a shower. We didn’t have all clean clothes but we wore the new shirts from Mother Irene when we went to breakfast. It was a conversation starter for sure. Good breakfast. We finished up, reloaded the car, checked out and headed for home. We stopped in Bay City at the Meijer store to get some food then got home by 11:30 am.
It was quite an adventure! We were glad to participate in the conference and to see so many friends from different times we have been to Liberia.
Update on my mother – We were able to visit her Feb. 20 – 22. While she is confined to her bed, she is eating the food others feed her and is communicating again with those who are caring for her.
We are feeling much better and have pretty much caught up on our sleep. This is the end of the written posts related to our 2016 Trip to Liberia. I am hoping to put up some pictures at some time.
Comments Off on OUR FLIGHTS HOME – Feb 17, Wed – Feb. 18, Thurs Post #22
We woke up early and finished packing our suitcases. We had one less because one of the smaller ones went inside a larger one. We got our packs organized with what we would need on the planes and what we wanted with us. We put everything out in the dining area. The Ivorians had left the day before. This morning Duane and I went to missionary Nancy Carew’s house for breakfast. She lives across the way from Princess and Sam. It was another great breakfast.
We had thought we were going downtown with our luggage around 8 am. Turns out we didn’t have to go until later. So we talked with Nancy for a while. Soon all the luggage got loaded in Sam’s car.
First we went to the conference office so we could turn in the money we were donating to the Administrative Center in Kakata-Farmington District. We also gave money toward the hospitality we had received at the Annual Conference. There was some confusion about getting receipts so we had to wait for the treasurer to get them. Meanwhile our friend Frances brought Duane and I presents of shirts from Mother Irene Innis. They were a different kind and very stylish. Then Princess Jusu came looking for me to take me back to the UMW sponsored training center. I said that I hadn’t gotten a picture with Rose Farhat so Princess took me back to the Women’s Center to see her again. We got pictures taken. Then we went back to the car. The receipts came and Tom came back from having breakfast with George Wilson.
Sam drove Tom, Bill and us downtown to the Brussels Airlines office. We had to wait a half hour until they opened at 10 am. We were the first ones in. We got temporary boarding passes and turned in our luggage. While I was checking in ours, Duane passed out from the heat. Some men helped him to a chair. He came to almost immediately. One of the airline women brought him a glass of sugar water and another glass of regular water. He was also moved closer to the air conditioner. Sam and Bill went and brought the car closer to the office. He walked with us to the car. He was feeling much better.
We had one more place to go before going back to the mission compound. Sam took us into West Point which was a poorer area of Monrovia. Fishing is a primary part of their economy. As we went down the streets, we saw lots of smoked fish that vendors were selling. Sam attended the John Kofi Asmah United Methodist Church. When we got there, older students were taking exams in the sanctuary. Duane stayed in the car with the air on.
We began walking beside then behind the church following a narrow path between various buildings. We went past a large area where there were fish drying tubs. Soon we got to another building – the John Kofi Asmah United Methodist Elementary and Junior High School. It was built by the church with funding from the Illinois Great Rivers Conference. There was a large plaque on the wall indicating all the persons represented from both the Liberia conference and the Illinois Great Rivers Conference when it was dedicated to the glory of God: February 27, 2012. We had been asked by IGRC to visit this project so we could tell them how it was doing. The younger children were on holiday so there wasn’t anyone in the classrooms.
We went back to the car and began to drive out of the area. Sam told us about West Point’s experiences during the Ebola outbreak. We went back to the Mission Compound where Duane rested for the afternoon. Tom, Bill and I had some lunch. Duane ate some of our snack food.
Comments Off on LAST DAY IN LIBERIA Wednesday Feb. 17 – Post #21
Tuesday morning we woke up feeling pretty good. After getting dressed, the six of us went next door to Princess Jusu’s apartment for breakfast. It was a great breakfast of oatmeal, eggs, juices, fruits. Duane had coffee. But we didn’t eat much. We were still cautious about what our stomachs could handle. Bill and Tom left to go downtown to check in at the Brussels Airlines. They took our passports so we didn’t have to go. Duane and I stayed and visited with Princess and Nancy Carew for awhile. Then we went back to the dormitory to wait for our day’s adventure to begin. Bill and Tom got back and returned our passports. Bill was expecting the family of his two foster Liberian sons.
About 10:20 am Kakata-Farmington District Superintendent Paul Gartor arrived to take us back to his district parsonage. This is the one that Duane’s mission team worked on in 2008. We had an enjoyable ride there because it was air-conditioned. The route was almost the same as the one we used to get back and forth to the conference in Buchanan. It was good to continue to see more of the rebuilding and colorful renovations of businesses and homes. We went past the airport and the Firestone plantation again. Then a little farther on was Cottontree, the town near the parsonage.
When we got to the parsonage, it turned out that it was not what I thought I had seen from the road on Sunday. So much for my memory. We saw Paul’s wife Martha Gartor again. We had met her at the conference. Martha’s mother was there also as were their four children. They walked us around through the parsonage and into the back yard. We went over to see the administrative center progress. It was up to what would be the roof line. We walked through the different rooms. It is really much bigger than they need. Duane said later that he was sure they had cut back the heavy grass that was growing inside since they hadn’t put a floor in yet so that we could walk around inside.
We went back to the house and had lunch. There were rice, greens and chicken. It was mild and tasted very good. Martha showed us pictures of the clergy women on the district at an event they had attended. She is working with them to learn various life skills. She gave me a brochure about it. I don’t have it right now to describe the program more. They hold dinner fundraisers so they have some money to get materials they need. I gave her $100 to help them along.
We said goodbye and Paul drove us to our next stop – Bishop Judith Craig’s Children’s Village. We had passed it on the way and now stopped in. Director Rev. Robert Sieh, a long time friend, was having a meeting with some people. He stopped to say hello then sent me down the was to where Margretta was. It was so good to see her and her daughter Sue. Her three year old grandson George was there too. We talked a long time and I looked at many of her family pictures. She was still mourning the death of her father in December and needed to share. After Robert’s meeting ended, he and Duane walked around the Village and Duane took pictures of the improvements. The painting had been refreshed on about two-thirds of the cottages.
It got late in the afternoon and we needed to get back. We said goodbye knowing we might not see each other again. A driver took us back into Monrovia. It was about an hour. This time there was no air conditioning. The windows were down part way and we had to endure diesel and gas exhaust all the way in. We got back about 6:30 pm. We discovered that they had thoroughly cleaned another room nearby and moved our things into there. Then they thoroughly cleaned the room we had been in. It took a while to get used to the new setup. We had been using twin beds, each with a mosquito net; this one had a queen size bed and only one net. But we were able to have two fans for the night.
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