Score!

Our daughter Shelby gave me the idea to use pita bread for homemade pizza.  We have Lebanese pita bread here that is very good, so I thought I would try it.  To our delight, It worked!  We have a new favorite to go along with homemade baked pita chips and fresh guacamole. Score one for the home team. 

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs…

Imagine the challenges of effectively communicating the reality of an unknown pathogen and its devastating affects on an unsuspecting and skeptical population.  Complicate that with widespread illiteracy because of years of interrupted education due to civil war and restricted travel due to inadequate road systems, and you begin to get an idea of what Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia have faced for well over a year now.

Though Liberia has been officially declared Ebola-free, caution is still being taken, and efforts are still being made to advise citizens of the need for continued diligence in health and hygiene as it relates to the disease. Every means possible is being used to spread the word that Ebola is a real disease and poses a real threat to people’s lives. 

Since being back, I have noticed signs and notices everywhere highlighting Ebola awareness. Here are just a few of the examples of some of these.  The first two are long segments of wall painted as public service announcements. (I have divided the photos since a panoramic photo would be too small to see.)

Greetings….

If you are familiar with African culture at all, you know how very important it is to greet one another when meeting.  Children are taught from an early age to present themselves and greet visitors.  It is not uncommon to shake and hold hands long after the initial meeting while inquiries are made about the condition of the person, the wife, the children, the church, the animals….  One comes to understand and appreciate this exchange so that you realize it is not time to start the conversation until proper greetings have been made.

Several have asked our thoughts about the status of the people in Liberia after the Ebola crisis.  Overwhelmingly, all we have met are thankful to God for his protection in sparing their lives. At first, I couldn’t quite explain it, but it seemed as if the people were a bit sadder or more withdrawn.  Then it dawned on me, most people are not greeting in the same manner as before.

To avoid the spread of the disease, buckets of water with chlorine were placed outside homes and businesses, and people were required to wash their hands and have their temperature taken before entering.  All were advised to refrain from shaking hands, hugging and kissing.  Now that Liberia has been declared Ebola-free, some of that is reverting back, but there is still caution since cases are being reported in neighboring countries with which we share open borders. 

Imagine your friends who once greeted you with smiles and handshakes or embraces, now being confined to just looking at you and trying to convey the same feelings.  It is a little uncomfortable – for them and for us.  Liberians are not keen on repeating what they have just lived through. While we certainly don’t want to seem aloof, we also don’t want to minimize what they experienced by encouraging them to violate these restrictions.

The next time you shake someone’s hand, remember that there are many in West Africa who no longer have the luxury of such an exchange.  Please take a moment to reflect on their plight and say a prayer that this dread disease would be contained across all affected countries.

it’s the little things…

upon our return i had a few household items to sell.....a lady who bought one of my small appliances sent me an email and said it was surprising how happy a small item like that could make her in this setting....i understood...i found a bottle of blue shoe polish at the store and revived my trusty crocs that were destined for recycling... ‪#‎smileonmyface‬ ‪#‎callmepathetic‬

On Ebola…

Even in our short time back in country, we have been able to meet some of our pastors, Bible school students, and acquaintances. All seem to be so appreciative that God was merciful and spared their lives.

As we were driving, one young man pointed to a spot in a certain area of town and said that was where dead bodies were piled with no services to pick them up, while dogs began eating their flesh. One said that being confined to his home with the shops closed and streets emptied reminded him of the same circumstances during the war. Fear was rampant as one never knew who might be a carrier of this dread disease. It seems that the images we saw on our television while in the USA may not have done justice to the realities of what these dear people struggled with day in and day out.

A local radio station interviewed Gaylord last week. They asked about the relief efforts of the Assemblies of God USA during this crisis. He was happy to report that in partnership with Convoy of Hope and Assemblies of God World Missions, a total of 15 containers of food and/or medical supplies were provided. That represents almost 4 million meal packs and medical equipment that were distributed across the country.

The radio interviewer likened this intervention to Matthew 25:35,36: For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in; naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me. He expressed gratitude for the contribution made to Liberia by the American church. Ebola has not yet been contained in the neighboring countries of Sierra Leone and Guinea, and the borders between them and Liberia have been re-opened. Medical personnel project that there will probably be another spike in Liberia. Pray with us that this is not the case and that soon West Africa will truly be Ebola-free.

My Favorite Recipes

In our absence it seems that My Favorite Recipes were those of the mice as well!

On Transitions….

A friend wrote us a note of encouragement and said that it was good to have us back in the saddle (Texas idiom). Fredna’s reply, “We are standing by the horse but are not quite back in the saddle yet!”

When we evacuated Liberia ten months ago, we had less than two days to try to organize matters for an uncertain length of absence and unknown direction. We secured essential ministry tools and assigned a young man to come by weekly and oversee our property in our absence. While we were gone, some other mission furniture and household items had to be stored in our house, so we returned to the task of sorting and organizing before we could even occupy our little space.

  

Happily, there was not an abundance of mold and mildew as we had feared, but it seems that roaches and mice made themselves very comfortable instead, especially in the kitchen. That meant that every nook and cranny had to be inspected and every item washed, disinfected and put back in place. For days this project continued, all the while struggling with the gut-wrenching emotions of having left family and familiar and returning as the lone AGWM missionaries assigned to Liberia. So we worked and cleaned with interspursed moments of crying and missing home.

If you have never travelled to this part of the globe, you probably cannot fully understand that we have not just changed locations; we have changed worlds. At the end of the first very long day, Gaylord said, “Fredna, you have worked so hard today. You don’t need to cook tonight.” That was appreciated, but the reality was that if Fredna didn’t cook, we didn’t eat! Good-bye fast-food and restaurants on every corner. Hello home cooking, filtering water, and disinfecting fresh fruits and vegetables. Gaylord pitched in and washed the dishes because, you guessed it, there are no dishwashers either!

But now, a week later, we find ourselves back in the office ready to put our figurative feet in the stirrups. The work before us remains, and we pray for divine strength and wisdom for each task.

We’re Back…

Thank you to all of you who have prayed for us and for the nation of Liberia since the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa. We were evacuated in August 2014 and returned to Monrovia May 2015. We were met at the airport by some of the leadership from the Assemblies of God Liberia. 

 

We covet your continued thoughts and prayers as we resume our mission and ministry responsibilities and reconnect with our national pastors and co-laborers in this corner of the master’s harvest field.

The LIBERIAN LINK Newsletter: March 2015

Na-na

Keaton has begun saying "Nana”, and last night I was able to capture it on video.

I especially find it cute how she says Nana while also trying to stand alone, walk to me, take in everything else that is going on in the room, offer me her pacifier and decide to use it herself – all at the same time.  That is our sweet, curious little Keaton.

Proud Parents

February 21, 2015, our son, Caleb, graduated from Long Beach Fire Department's fire academy in California and received his badge as a firefighter. 4500 applicants narrowed to 28 recruits. 20 weeks of testing and training produced 20 graduates. We were proud and privileged to be in attendance to celebrate this accomplishment with him and his wife, Jaclyn.

The LIBERIAN LINK Newsletter: December 2014

The LIBERIAN LINK Newsletter: September 2014

The LIBERIAN LINK Newsletter: June 2014

Cindy, This One’s for YOU

My dear friend Cindy recently received a negative medical report. She has been heavy on my heart and in my prayers. Before class each day, we share in song and prayer. Today I taped my students singing two of my favorite songs that I have learned since coming to Liberia:

Song 1:
He’s sweet, I know; He’s sweet, I know

Dark clouds may rise and stormy winds may blow

I’ll tell the world wherever I may go

I found the savior and He’s sweet, I know

Song 2:
Everywhere He went He was doing good

He’s a mighty healer; he cleansed the leper

When the crippled saw Him, they started walking

Everywhere He went, my God, was doing good

After we sang the second song, I asked the students if they really believed what that song said about God and if they believed that He still heals today. They resounded with, “Yes, of course, and absolutely!” Since I was among faith-filled believers, I then shared the need of my friend and asked them to pray for her. A portion of their prayer is the final section of this video clip.

Cindy, be encouraged.  This is only one of many prayers coming your way from this part of the world, and each is accompanied by much faith and love.

Young Liberian Men and Boys Take Up Guns Again…

but, thankfully, it is probably not what you are thinking.  This time the guns that they are using are battery-powered screw guns, and the purpose is for construction – not destruction. 

Today we were privileged to preach at Missio Dei Assembly of God Church in Caldwell-New Georgia, Liberia, under a church tabernacle that was built less than two weeks ago under Gaylord’s supervision in cooperation with men and boys from the church and community. This is a new church plant being mothered by the Assembly of God church in New Kru Town.

It was so exciting to see people coming together to build a house of worship for the Lord. The women even participated during the construction by cooking meals each day. 

Thank God for the opportunity to reverse the effects of years of civil war and to remember that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and the rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness (Ephesians 6:12). Though the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, they are mighty through God to the pulling down of spiritual strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4).

God bless each of you who partner with us to build the kingdom of God in this corner of the master’s harvest field.