Monday, August 16, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Monday 3/29 The Last Day
Departure Day. We had been so focused on gaining accreditation that we had not even considered how close it was until our departure. We had called our last board meeting for 9am and had invited our extended advisory board to attend. We wanted to bring everyone up to date on the accomplishments we achieved on this trip as well as to identify the areas where we did not hit the mark. We also wanted to focus on the things that needed to be done in the near term both in Liberia and in the US. Robert and Deddeh Browne, and Nyamah are an the Liberian Board of Directors but will be included as advisors also. Dr. McKinley Teah was there along with Yvonne Blamoh (Registered Nurse), Elizabeth Bimba (Trained Midwive), and Deddeh Browne (Nursing Assistant). These four represent the medical portion of the board. Arthur Zarmapoe, Thomas Smith, Robert Browne and Robert Bimba are all pastors and educators. The Honorable Wesseh Blamoh will serve as overall advisor. Robert Bimba, his Father and Sylvester Mulbah make up the agricultural team while Nyamah Dunbar is our International Liaison and coordinator of interchurch efforts. All in all, the board of advisors is a great cross section of talent; they have each presented a profile of their educational qualifications and other accomplishments, and will become part of the foundation for future initiatives in Liberia. The boards were obviously designated by the Lord.
As we were approaching Capitol Hill for our 1pm meeting with the VP Patrick Broh suddenly appeared. We hadn’t seen him since the first week. He immediately began offering excuses why he had been absent but we had called him repeatedly and sent messages through his brother, Pastor Lawrence Broh, his boss, Senator Blamoh Nelson among others. We had been worried about him until the senator assured us he was in Grand Kru. I told Patrick how badly we had needed his help on this trip but that we had been forced to proceed without him. He seemed to understand and we were out of time, so pray for Patrick and for his church.
The meeting with VP Boakai was warm and friendly. We talked about many things, bringing him the news of all the happenings including the great victories accomplished on this trip. He promised to share our blessings with the president and asked us to visit on Independence Day (July 26) with him and his family. When we showed him the radio he was thoroughly impressed and when we gave it to him it was gratefully received, almost as if we were family. Isela and I really love him and want to meet Mrs. Boakai. We saw her at the Baptist Seminary but did not get to speak with her. Ignatius, their son, was arranging a dinner but that never materialized.
Leaving Capitol Hill we were out of time and we flew to Bill’s, said our goodbyes, loaded up and headed to the airport. Unfortunately, internet check in is unavailable for Roberts Field so early arrival was necessary. When we arrived, our hosts were there with the apostless, prophetess and evangeless, all women from North Carolina, who were invited to speak at the Missions Conference in which we were also speaking. We were on the same Brussels flight out of Liberia. We had come to know them during our cooperation in the conference and this was their first trip to Africa. They were not prepared for some of the hardships and as we waited for our flight they were shocked at some of our stories. We have exchanged contact info and promised to reconnect when we visit N.C.
The woman we sat next to on the flight to DC gave us some key insight into Liberia .Korto and her family had left for the US years ago and only return periodically, this time to bury her sister. According to her the Delta flight to Monrovia (which we had reserved in Jun 09) was cancelled because after a year and a half of planning, Delta had sent undercover fliers to buy tickets and fly out of Roberts Field. The undercover agents secretly smuggled weapons onto the plane by showing them to the airport personnel then offering them bribes to overlook them. They were able to bring weapons on the plane with the full knowledge of the airport personnel who had been bribed. This all occurred in May 2009 and when Homeland Security in the US was informed all flights from Roberts Field to the US were cancelled. When we went through the airport this time everything was different. Security cameras were installed and the security guards were very strict, wanding every passenger repeatedly. The previous security breakdowns had no doubt cost Liberia dearly; for even the Brussels flights would not refuel in Monrovia but flew all the way to Abidjan in Ivory Coast to refuel before landing at Roberts on the way down and then after we took off from Roberts we flew to Abidjan to refuel. We can only hope that the breaches will be corrected because it is very expensive for every passenger to pay for all the extra stops and starts.
While on the way to DC, we discovered the husband of the US Ambassador, Linda Thomas Greenfield was on our flight and within a few moments he came back to our seats in economy to chat with us. He is a happy, polite gentleman and invited us to their home on our next visit.
40 days and 40 nights in Liberia have been productive beyond our greatest expectations. The fact that we were able to achieve International Accreditation and Certification as an NGO is more than we imagined. None of this would have been possible without the power of God at every step.
Awaiting our return,
Fred and Isela
Departure Day. We had been so focused on gaining accreditation that we had not even considered how close it was until our departure. We had called our last board meeting for 9am and had invited our extended advisory board to attend. We wanted to bring everyone up to date on the accomplishments we achieved on this trip as well as to identify the areas where we did not hit the mark. We also wanted to focus on the things that needed to be done in the near term both in Liberia and in the US. Robert and Deddeh Browne, and Nyamah are an the Liberian Board of Directors but will be included as advisors also. Dr. McKinley Teah was there along with Yvonne Blamoh (Registered Nurse), Elizabeth Bimba (Trained Midwive), and Deddeh Browne (Nursing Assistant). These four represent the medical portion of the board. Arthur Zarmapoe, Thomas Smith, Robert Browne and Robert Bimba are all pastors and educators. The Honorable Wesseh Blamoh will serve as overall advisor. Robert Bimba, his Father and Sylvester Mulbah make up the agricultural team while Nyamah Dunbar is our International Liaison and coordinator of interchurch efforts. All in all, the board of advisors is a great cross section of talent; they have each presented a profile of their educational qualifications and other accomplishments, and will become part of the foundation for future initiatives in Liberia. The boards were obviously designated by the Lord.
As we were approaching Capitol Hill for our 1pm meeting with the VP Patrick Broh suddenly appeared. We hadn’t seen him since the first week. He immediately began offering excuses why he had been absent but we had called him repeatedly and sent messages through his brother, Pastor Lawrence Broh, his boss, Senator Blamoh Nelson among others. We had been worried about him until the senator assured us he was in Grand Kru. I told Patrick how badly we had needed his help on this trip but that we had been forced to proceed without him. He seemed to understand and we were out of time, so pray for Patrick and for his church.
The meeting with VP Boakai was warm and friendly. We talked about many things, bringing him the news of all the happenings including the great victories accomplished on this trip. He promised to share our blessings with the president and asked us to visit on Independence Day (July 26) with him and his family. When we showed him the radio he was thoroughly impressed and when we gave it to him it was gratefully received, almost as if we were family. Isela and I really love him and want to meet Mrs. Boakai. We saw her at the Baptist Seminary but did not get to speak with her. Ignatius, their son, was arranging a dinner but that never materialized.
Leaving Capitol Hill we were out of time and we flew to Bill’s, said our goodbyes, loaded up and headed to the airport. Unfortunately, internet check in is unavailable for Roberts Field so early arrival was necessary. When we arrived, our hosts were there with the apostless, prophetess and evangeless, all women from North Carolina, who were invited to speak at the Missions Conference in which we were also speaking. We were on the same Brussels flight out of Liberia. We had come to know them during our cooperation in the conference and this was their first trip to Africa. They were not prepared for some of the hardships and as we waited for our flight they were shocked at some of our stories. We have exchanged contact info and promised to reconnect when we visit N.C.
The woman we sat next to on the flight to DC gave us some key insight into Liberia .Korto and her family had left for the US years ago and only return periodically, this time to bury her sister. According to her the Delta flight to Monrovia (which we had reserved in Jun 09) was cancelled because after a year and a half of planning, Delta had sent undercover fliers to buy tickets and fly out of Roberts Field. The undercover agents secretly smuggled weapons onto the plane by showing them to the airport personnel then offering them bribes to overlook them. They were able to bring weapons on the plane with the full knowledge of the airport personnel who had been bribed. This all occurred in May 2009 and when Homeland Security in the US was informed all flights from Roberts Field to the US were cancelled. When we went through the airport this time everything was different. Security cameras were installed and the security guards were very strict, wanding every passenger repeatedly. The previous security breakdowns had no doubt cost Liberia dearly; for even the Brussels flights would not refuel in Monrovia but flew all the way to Abidjan in Ivory Coast to refuel before landing at Roberts on the way down and then after we took off from Roberts we flew to Abidjan to refuel. We can only hope that the breaches will be corrected because it is very expensive for every passenger to pay for all the extra stops and starts.
While on the way to DC, we discovered the husband of the US Ambassador, Linda Thomas Greenfield was on our flight and within a few moments he came back to our seats in economy to chat with us. He is a happy, polite gentleman and invited us to their home on our next visit.
40 days and 40 nights in Liberia have been productive beyond our greatest expectations. The fact that we were able to achieve International Accreditation and Certification as an NGO is more than we imagined. None of this would have been possible without the power of God at every step.
Awaiting our return,
Fred and Isela
Sunday 3/28
Palm Sunday was a big deal at Robert Bimba’s Church, Abide in the Vine. It was a normal morning service but there was another service immediately following in which two church choirs were coming to sing. His choir was going to receive robes in an extravagant ceremony and the choir leader was to be robed by me in a kind of ordination style ceremony. Oh and by the way, I was supposed to preach at both services and Isela and I were going to sing in both and she was to speak in the second service also. At this point were so committed whatever the Lord set before us that it would not have mattered what they asked, especially since the pastor had been up all night with his wife and new baby born at home! You may remember that Robert is the head of Communities of Hope, an agricultural ministry parallel to ours. Plus he was going to plant and care for the 5000 Moringa trees along with his father who was an agriculturalist and had 5000 acres in Lofa county. Dad was in both services and we did not even know who he was until we visited them later that evening and saw the new baby girl and the healthy, happy mom. The child was delivered by Robert’s mom who is a Swedish Trained midwife and now an advisory board member to Tree of Life. The church service was so powerful and our fellowship so sweet that we have committed to the Bimba family, and intend to involve the all of them in Tree of Life Liberia. It was an answer to prayer for both families. There was no way I could plant 5000 seeds on secured property and watch over them until we return. They were excited to become involved in something every member of the family could have an important role. Plus, the agreement is, they could keep the 5000 trees and I would get the seeds they produce to plant the farms. Pretty good for $40 bucks.
Actually, Priceless,
Fred and Isela
Palm Sunday was a big deal at Robert Bimba’s Church, Abide in the Vine. It was a normal morning service but there was another service immediately following in which two church choirs were coming to sing. His choir was going to receive robes in an extravagant ceremony and the choir leader was to be robed by me in a kind of ordination style ceremony. Oh and by the way, I was supposed to preach at both services and Isela and I were going to sing in both and she was to speak in the second service also. At this point were so committed whatever the Lord set before us that it would not have mattered what they asked, especially since the pastor had been up all night with his wife and new baby born at home! You may remember that Robert is the head of Communities of Hope, an agricultural ministry parallel to ours. Plus he was going to plant and care for the 5000 Moringa trees along with his father who was an agriculturalist and had 5000 acres in Lofa county. Dad was in both services and we did not even know who he was until we visited them later that evening and saw the new baby girl and the healthy, happy mom. The child was delivered by Robert’s mom who is a Swedish Trained midwife and now an advisory board member to Tree of Life. The church service was so powerful and our fellowship so sweet that we have committed to the Bimba family, and intend to involve the all of them in Tree of Life Liberia. It was an answer to prayer for both families. There was no way I could plant 5000 seeds on secured property and watch over them until we return. They were excited to become involved in something every member of the family could have an important role. Plus, the agreement is, they could keep the 5000 trees and I would get the seeds they produce to plant the farms. Pretty good for $40 bucks.
Actually, Priceless,
Fred and Isela
Saturday, 3/27
The trip to Todee brought back memories off the arduous journey to Tzekepa. The roads were so bad I had no illusion we would be able to get equipment into the village to clear the land. Almost every farmer burns the foliage off the land but that kills many of the good organisms and all the fruit trees. We had determined to clear the land but leave the important trees and the roads were terrible. This is one of the great shortcomings in Liberia. If you can’t get equipment in progress becomes virtually impossible. We were headed to the village of Yeabah Town but before we arrived there we stopped at another village and met the chiefs and elders. They were very excited to have us and showed us all around their clinic built by the chief with his own money and he had a right to be proud. It was still under construction and would be a fine facility. Some of the elders were Muslim but were still attentive and helpful even though I mentioned Jesus and his miracles from the New Testament. Sylvester rode in the front, Isela and I in the back. Robert Bimba, had wanted to accompany us so he rode in the back with us. Just before we arrived in Yeabah Town we crossed the railroad track less than a mile from the town. We would be able to bring in equipment on the train without having to repair 20 kilometers of road. Thank the Lord.
The 100 acres he was giving us was well wooded ground with a swamp at one end that does not dry out. Typically, if you dig a fairly large lake, you could provide irrigation for the entire farm from there making it a much more versatile property.
From there we returned by different but equally bad road. Soon we joined the Todee Road Rehabilitation Project by USAID. Though the road was washboard bumpy, it was wide and ditched on both sides and the bridges were strong. This road went all the way to the St. Paul River, the location of the other property. When we arrived it was breath taking. The river was wide and strong and this was the dry season though it had been raining very hard of late. It brought North Carolina to mind with its large igneous rock outcroppings. We immediately fell in love with it and were imagining all the possibilities while jumping on the rocks to get as far out into the river as possible. It was a deep river and with some care you could navigate upstream to this point from the Atlantic Ocean, making it possible to deliver goods here more easily. If we had to choose Todee or St Paul, this was a far superior choice and we gently told Sylvester
As it turns out, Sylvester is running for the District Representative in this area and has a wonderful relationship with the community. Everywhere we stopped the entire town would pour out to meet him as if he were their long lost relatives. It was nice to see.
When we left St Paul, he had his wife and niece join us for the trip back though he remained in Todee to handle business. We had hoped to go by the house Auntie Pea had offered but that will have to wait till next time. Robert Bimba’s wife was pregnant and ready to deliver while were out in the bush so he was trying to stay in constant contact with home. We dropped him off first and around 2 am his third daughter Was born. We were preaching at his church the next morning and he called us early to share the good news.
Wow,
Fred and Isela
The trip to Todee brought back memories off the arduous journey to Tzekepa. The roads were so bad I had no illusion we would be able to get equipment into the village to clear the land. Almost every farmer burns the foliage off the land but that kills many of the good organisms and all the fruit trees. We had determined to clear the land but leave the important trees and the roads were terrible. This is one of the great shortcomings in Liberia. If you can’t get equipment in progress becomes virtually impossible. We were headed to the village of Yeabah Town but before we arrived there we stopped at another village and met the chiefs and elders. They were very excited to have us and showed us all around their clinic built by the chief with his own money and he had a right to be proud. It was still under construction and would be a fine facility. Some of the elders were Muslim but were still attentive and helpful even though I mentioned Jesus and his miracles from the New Testament. Sylvester rode in the front, Isela and I in the back. Robert Bimba, had wanted to accompany us so he rode in the back with us. Just before we arrived in Yeabah Town we crossed the railroad track less than a mile from the town. We would be able to bring in equipment on the train without having to repair 20 kilometers of road. Thank the Lord.
The 100 acres he was giving us was well wooded ground with a swamp at one end that does not dry out. Typically, if you dig a fairly large lake, you could provide irrigation for the entire farm from there making it a much more versatile property.
From there we returned by different but equally bad road. Soon we joined the Todee Road Rehabilitation Project by USAID. Though the road was washboard bumpy, it was wide and ditched on both sides and the bridges were strong. This road went all the way to the St. Paul River, the location of the other property. When we arrived it was breath taking. The river was wide and strong and this was the dry season though it had been raining very hard of late. It brought North Carolina to mind with its large igneous rock outcroppings. We immediately fell in love with it and were imagining all the possibilities while jumping on the rocks to get as far out into the river as possible. It was a deep river and with some care you could navigate upstream to this point from the Atlantic Ocean, making it possible to deliver goods here more easily. If we had to choose Todee or St Paul, this was a far superior choice and we gently told Sylvester
As it turns out, Sylvester is running for the District Representative in this area and has a wonderful relationship with the community. Everywhere we stopped the entire town would pour out to meet him as if he were their long lost relatives. It was nice to see.
When we left St Paul, he had his wife and niece join us for the trip back though he remained in Todee to handle business. We had hoped to go by the house Auntie Pea had offered but that will have to wait till next time. Robert Bimba’s wife was pregnant and ready to deliver while were out in the bush so he was trying to stay in constant contact with home. We dropped him off first and around 2 am his third daughter Was born. We were preaching at his church the next morning and he called us early to share the good news.
Wow,
Fred and Isela
Friday, 3/26
Bill’s generator shuts down around midnight so the heat is stifling after that. I remember waking up in a pool of sweat so I guess the fever broke sometime in the early am. With dawn we arose and began planning our last full business day. Isela and I were to share the pulpit at the noon service at Rev Blamoh’s church but we had to deliver the paperwork to MOH before then. Yvonne carried us in so we had time to prepare what Momulu would need to see. Dropping off the file we asked if he could have it for us this afternoon and he agreed. We then headed to church. I set her up with a continuation message from Eph 5 and turned it to her. She spoke on women’s empowerment from Prov 31, that if women want to be elevated it must come from them through the Holy Spirit by their virtue, demonstrated by the words of their mouths, the works of their hands and the ways of their feet, leading others into a life of personal empowerment. She turned it back to me and I continued with Eph 5, Husbands, love your wives. If men truly want women to be elevated in Liberia men will love their wives. God really used the team approach and both of our messages were enhanced by the mutuality of our presentation. God seemed to use us together in a much greater way. A vigorous question and answer time followed and we finished in prayer for them. They closed the noon service by 1pm and we flew back to MOH. By now you could almost imagine more delays and sure enough, Momulu was not there when we returned and no one knew where our paperwork was or when he’d be back. Just as we were about to leave he opened the office door and seeing us said, “Oh, I have your letter.” He pulled out the official sectoral clearance and showed it to us. We took it as if it was the holy grail and in a way it may have been. Without this document, we would not have been cleared by MOH and our mother and baby program would have had to wait till next time. With this clearance, we were now authorized to engage the women of Liberia in the Doula Program and pursue our God given strategy for saving lives. Furthermore, this letter would provide entrance into countless donor organizations. We had him make a copy of it before he sealed it for the Planning Ministry. We immediately headed for Nimely’s office at Planning. We did not have a ride so we had to hoof the mile walk but we were so thrilled that it barely mattered. Once in Nimley’s office he unsealed the letter and with a grin acknowledged our effort. He headed upstairs for the Planning Certificate of Accreditation. Though we had to wait a few moments for the unseen signature, the office was cool and we knew our biggest effort on this journey was completed. Within a moments. Nimely returned and asked us to sign for the Certificate. It is hard to describe the feeling we enjoyed in that moment. We forgot all the denials and delays and thanked the Lord for his continual encouragement. What should have taken a team of lawyers. millions of dollars of funding, and at least a year of effort had been accomplished by a husband and wife team who knew what God wanted and were not willing to accept anything less. We are grateful to all who assisted us in this effort. Now I know why God demanded 40 days and 40 nights to accomplish this. It was our mountain wilderness of temptation. Every sermon I preached here was focused on being filled with the Spirit and now we will go forth in the power of the Spirit. I expect that God has mighty things in store for this country and I am depending on him to bring it to pass. Some of you who are following this should make plans to go back with us for the July or August trip.
Leaving the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs, we walked across the street to Capitol Hill. We wanted to see some of the legislators who started out helping us. Stopping by Senator Blamoh Nelson’s office we laid the evidence before him in order of their importance. At least 5 impossible documents that he knew we needed but could not cross the line to bring to pass with all the power of his office. We had sat with him and Gabriel Smith our first week here. They knew these things were necessary but for them they were impossible. Now he looked in wonder at what God had done, “Wow, you two have been very busy.” He said, grinning broadly. We told him how saddened we were at not being able to visit his county (Grand Kru) but that it would be first on our list when we returned. We also saw Senator Devine and he marveled at the power of the certifications and accreditations. We were now as legitimate as any organization in West Africa and fully expect to be invited into every one of these nations.
Arriving back at the office we busied ourselves making copies of all these documents and putting the presentation together for our final Board Meeting Monday morning. Soon, we received a call from the Vice President’s office saying our appointment with him was Monday at 1pm. We had come full circle. This summer, the last thing we did was to spend an hour with the VP before heading to the airport and this time it looks like the same thing will happen. We tried to communicate with our peeps by email until the server shut down around 5pm, then headed for home with a sense of finality. God had accomplished his objectives and we were so satisfied. Late in the day Ezekiel showed up with the Moringa seeds. I had agreed to give him $35 for 5000 seeds but there were only 4500 seeds so I agreed at $30. We were so close to the edge that it was a real sacrifice but when I counted out the money for him I gave him $40 instead of $30 by mistake. I just couldn’t make him give it back so it left us really broke for the last 2 days. Lord, please bless it.
Fred and Isela
Bill’s generator shuts down around midnight so the heat is stifling after that. I remember waking up in a pool of sweat so I guess the fever broke sometime in the early am. With dawn we arose and began planning our last full business day. Isela and I were to share the pulpit at the noon service at Rev Blamoh’s church but we had to deliver the paperwork to MOH before then. Yvonne carried us in so we had time to prepare what Momulu would need to see. Dropping off the file we asked if he could have it for us this afternoon and he agreed. We then headed to church. I set her up with a continuation message from Eph 5 and turned it to her. She spoke on women’s empowerment from Prov 31, that if women want to be elevated it must come from them through the Holy Spirit by their virtue, demonstrated by the words of their mouths, the works of their hands and the ways of their feet, leading others into a life of personal empowerment. She turned it back to me and I continued with Eph 5, Husbands, love your wives. If men truly want women to be elevated in Liberia men will love their wives. God really used the team approach and both of our messages were enhanced by the mutuality of our presentation. God seemed to use us together in a much greater way. A vigorous question and answer time followed and we finished in prayer for them. They closed the noon service by 1pm and we flew back to MOH. By now you could almost imagine more delays and sure enough, Momulu was not there when we returned and no one knew where our paperwork was or when he’d be back. Just as we were about to leave he opened the office door and seeing us said, “Oh, I have your letter.” He pulled out the official sectoral clearance and showed it to us. We took it as if it was the holy grail and in a way it may have been. Without this document, we would not have been cleared by MOH and our mother and baby program would have had to wait till next time. With this clearance, we were now authorized to engage the women of Liberia in the Doula Program and pursue our God given strategy for saving lives. Furthermore, this letter would provide entrance into countless donor organizations. We had him make a copy of it before he sealed it for the Planning Ministry. We immediately headed for Nimely’s office at Planning. We did not have a ride so we had to hoof the mile walk but we were so thrilled that it barely mattered. Once in Nimley’s office he unsealed the letter and with a grin acknowledged our effort. He headed upstairs for the Planning Certificate of Accreditation. Though we had to wait a few moments for the unseen signature, the office was cool and we knew our biggest effort on this journey was completed. Within a moments. Nimely returned and asked us to sign for the Certificate. It is hard to describe the feeling we enjoyed in that moment. We forgot all the denials and delays and thanked the Lord for his continual encouragement. What should have taken a team of lawyers. millions of dollars of funding, and at least a year of effort had been accomplished by a husband and wife team who knew what God wanted and were not willing to accept anything less. We are grateful to all who assisted us in this effort. Now I know why God demanded 40 days and 40 nights to accomplish this. It was our mountain wilderness of temptation. Every sermon I preached here was focused on being filled with the Spirit and now we will go forth in the power of the Spirit. I expect that God has mighty things in store for this country and I am depending on him to bring it to pass. Some of you who are following this should make plans to go back with us for the July or August trip.
Leaving the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs, we walked across the street to Capitol Hill. We wanted to see some of the legislators who started out helping us. Stopping by Senator Blamoh Nelson’s office we laid the evidence before him in order of their importance. At least 5 impossible documents that he knew we needed but could not cross the line to bring to pass with all the power of his office. We had sat with him and Gabriel Smith our first week here. They knew these things were necessary but for them they were impossible. Now he looked in wonder at what God had done, “Wow, you two have been very busy.” He said, grinning broadly. We told him how saddened we were at not being able to visit his county (Grand Kru) but that it would be first on our list when we returned. We also saw Senator Devine and he marveled at the power of the certifications and accreditations. We were now as legitimate as any organization in West Africa and fully expect to be invited into every one of these nations.
Arriving back at the office we busied ourselves making copies of all these documents and putting the presentation together for our final Board Meeting Monday morning. Soon, we received a call from the Vice President’s office saying our appointment with him was Monday at 1pm. We had come full circle. This summer, the last thing we did was to spend an hour with the VP before heading to the airport and this time it looks like the same thing will happen. We tried to communicate with our peeps by email until the server shut down around 5pm, then headed for home with a sense of finality. God had accomplished his objectives and we were so satisfied. Late in the day Ezekiel showed up with the Moringa seeds. I had agreed to give him $35 for 5000 seeds but there were only 4500 seeds so I agreed at $30. We were so close to the edge that it was a real sacrifice but when I counted out the money for him I gave him $40 instead of $30 by mistake. I just couldn’t make him give it back so it left us really broke for the last 2 days. Lord, please bless it.
Fred and Isela
Thursday, 3/25
Rising very early I knew that there was something wrong with me. After a shower, I was having a hard time concentrating and had no energy, and It was my turn to have more upset stomach. We had the early presentation at Ministry of Agriculture to all the farmers and had been preparing for this since Feb 25. When the day finally arrived Tony became our transportation to the Ag office. The place was packed and there was standing room only. We had arrived early enough to set up our projector only to find out that CARE Int’l was also presenting as was a german company called Welt Hunger Hilfe. I volunteered our electronics rather than disconnecting altogether. The meeting dragged on and on but there were personnel there from USAID, Sustainable Trees, Cocoa farmers, Palm nut growers among others. Our presentation was chosen first and the interest was very high with many questions. At the close, everyone wanted our email and phone and the USAID rep named Wilbur asked for a copy of our presentation. We were in such a hurry to get out of there because we had a 1pm meeting with the Baptist Investment Board and they were waiting. The AG meeting had gone way overtime so we were scurrying to get to the next meeting. Fortunately, the brethren waited for us and Tony drove furiously. Dr. Hill chaired the meeting and all were excited at the opportunity to work together. The Baptists have thousands of acres across Liberia and many have been abandoned or are currently dormant. They were also very excited about the Radio Station and fascinated by our ideas for the school system. Dr. Hill and the men pledged to cooperate with us on any property or facility or project we needed. They even pledged us the use of their properties for agriculture, radio, schools or clinics. In short, they joined with us in every way possible promising letters to that effect. We promised to consult the Baptist brethren in the US to renew their involvement in Liberia.
We had to fly back to the office because we had not had time to prepare the documents for Momulu at MOH and time was passing us by. While at the office, Cassandra stopped by stay in touch and review her credentials she had emailed for us to consider. She works with Peace Corps and wants to stay in Liberia. She is well educated, from the US and well connected, especially in Bong and Nimba Counties, We think she is just the kind of person who could be an asset to TOLL. After meeting with her, Sylvester came back by and said Auntie Pea was coming over to talk to us. She is the sister of the president and we were delighted to meet her. She was thrilled with both of us, the Doula program, agricultural plan and especially the radio. That little device had caused a great stir everywhere. Because Sylvester was so sincere and generous we had given him a radio the day before and Auntie Pea wanted one also. When she heard of our difficulty with MOH, she said “You know he’s my brother”. We didn’t know so she clarified that the Minister, Dr. Gwenigale, was her husband’s younger brother and immediately called him on her phone. We were shocked when he answered. Since he was in a meeting, she told him she was coming by in a few minutes. She then told us her story about the war and how the rebels invaded her home and took over her house in Monrovia. At gunpoint they forced her to leave and she never returned. Then she offered her house to us saying it was a big secure compound but it needed refurbishing. We knew we needed God to intervene but had no idea it would come from this direction. After the precious meeting with her she left. A few minutes later she called us from Dr. Gwenigale’s office and said she asked him why we were being delayed for so long. She also said she had seen our program and wanted us to be able to implement it in Liberia. His reply to her was, “as soon as they get their paperwork to Momulu, I have given orders for them to be approved.” We reserved our jubilation until it all actually happened but we knew God had stepped in. After the meeting with Autie Pea, Ezekiel stopped by the office. He heard that we were looking for Moringa seeds and offered as many as we needed. We were down to our last money but I committed to 5,000 seeds for $35. He promised to return tomorrow with the seeds. I was still feeling ill so we left for home. Isela had been after me too move us to Bill’s guest house and since the Blamoh’s were still at their mission conference we decided to move our stuff, I knew there were going to be ramifications with our host but was too sick to consider it. We settled in at Bill’s and he was delighted to have us. I took some medicine and crashed. The Honorable called us late and was disturbed that we left ‘unceremoniously’. I apologized and assured him of our love and respect but that we had discussed it with Yvonne and him in the last few days, and that this was always in our plans. So he said OK and hung up. We were scheduled to speak in his church tomorrow and I thought we could smooth things over then.
Rising very early I knew that there was something wrong with me. After a shower, I was having a hard time concentrating and had no energy, and It was my turn to have more upset stomach. We had the early presentation at Ministry of Agriculture to all the farmers and had been preparing for this since Feb 25. When the day finally arrived Tony became our transportation to the Ag office. The place was packed and there was standing room only. We had arrived early enough to set up our projector only to find out that CARE Int’l was also presenting as was a german company called Welt Hunger Hilfe. I volunteered our electronics rather than disconnecting altogether. The meeting dragged on and on but there were personnel there from USAID, Sustainable Trees, Cocoa farmers, Palm nut growers among others. Our presentation was chosen first and the interest was very high with many questions. At the close, everyone wanted our email and phone and the USAID rep named Wilbur asked for a copy of our presentation. We were in such a hurry to get out of there because we had a 1pm meeting with the Baptist Investment Board and they were waiting. The AG meeting had gone way overtime so we were scurrying to get to the next meeting. Fortunately, the brethren waited for us and Tony drove furiously. Dr. Hill chaired the meeting and all were excited at the opportunity to work together. The Baptists have thousands of acres across Liberia and many have been abandoned or are currently dormant. They were also very excited about the Radio Station and fascinated by our ideas for the school system. Dr. Hill and the men pledged to cooperate with us on any property or facility or project we needed. They even pledged us the use of their properties for agriculture, radio, schools or clinics. In short, they joined with us in every way possible promising letters to that effect. We promised to consult the Baptist brethren in the US to renew their involvement in Liberia.
We had to fly back to the office because we had not had time to prepare the documents for Momulu at MOH and time was passing us by. While at the office, Cassandra stopped by stay in touch and review her credentials she had emailed for us to consider. She works with Peace Corps and wants to stay in Liberia. She is well educated, from the US and well connected, especially in Bong and Nimba Counties, We think she is just the kind of person who could be an asset to TOLL. After meeting with her, Sylvester came back by and said Auntie Pea was coming over to talk to us. She is the sister of the president and we were delighted to meet her. She was thrilled with both of us, the Doula program, agricultural plan and especially the radio. That little device had caused a great stir everywhere. Because Sylvester was so sincere and generous we had given him a radio the day before and Auntie Pea wanted one also. When she heard of our difficulty with MOH, she said “You know he’s my brother”. We didn’t know so she clarified that the Minister, Dr. Gwenigale, was her husband’s younger brother and immediately called him on her phone. We were shocked when he answered. Since he was in a meeting, she told him she was coming by in a few minutes. She then told us her story about the war and how the rebels invaded her home and took over her house in Monrovia. At gunpoint they forced her to leave and she never returned. Then she offered her house to us saying it was a big secure compound but it needed refurbishing. We knew we needed God to intervene but had no idea it would come from this direction. After the precious meeting with her she left. A few minutes later she called us from Dr. Gwenigale’s office and said she asked him why we were being delayed for so long. She also said she had seen our program and wanted us to be able to implement it in Liberia. His reply to her was, “as soon as they get their paperwork to Momulu, I have given orders for them to be approved.” We reserved our jubilation until it all actually happened but we knew God had stepped in. After the meeting with Autie Pea, Ezekiel stopped by the office. He heard that we were looking for Moringa seeds and offered as many as we needed. We were down to our last money but I committed to 5,000 seeds for $35. He promised to return tomorrow with the seeds. I was still feeling ill so we left for home. Isela had been after me too move us to Bill’s guest house and since the Blamoh’s were still at their mission conference we decided to move our stuff, I knew there were going to be ramifications with our host but was too sick to consider it. We settled in at Bill’s and he was delighted to have us. I took some medicine and crashed. The Honorable called us late and was disturbed that we left ‘unceremoniously’. I apologized and assured him of our love and respect but that we had discussed it with Yvonne and him in the last few days, and that this was always in our plans. So he said OK and hung up. We were scheduled to speak in his church tomorrow and I thought we could smooth things over then.
Wednesday 3/24
Upon our early visit to MOH, Charlena informed us that we had not yet seen the right person and sent us downstairs to the office of Momulu Sirleaf, the 4th MOH office we had visited for our accreditation. He confirmed that his office had to review our application and provide the “Sectoral Clearance” we were so tirelessly seeking. At this point Isela was on edge. She had had enough of the runaround and was vigorously telling them so. (“Why weren’t we told this 4 weeks ago? Why does no one on MOH know this?”) When we mentioned that Ag had already accredited us and that Planning had already decided to certify us, the assistant to Momulu called Nimley at Planning and actually questioned our approval process. He did not believe we had cleared all these hurdles and was trying to prove us wrong. Nor did he believe we had been all through MOH already. Nimley confirmed our every word and the impertinent assistant backed off. Good thing, because the Costa Rican Princess was about to introduce him to a new conflict. Momulu stepped in and promised that there would be no more delay in their process. Yet we still had to create a new packet and letter and resubmit it to his office. Somehow, they were not able to just process the requests we made to Dr Dahn, Dr. Gwenigale or Kpanbala Sengbe. Unless God intervenes, we would not be able to receive the confirmation from MOH with just 3 days left and one of those days half gone.
When we got back to the office, we had a visitor named Sylvester Mulbah, a friend of Robert Browne. When he heard of our plans for Liberia and saw our success with Ag, he decided to give us more property. He said he had 1200 acres in Todee, a community near Monrovia and wanted us to have 100 acres of it. We were stunned, and I must admit, I could not quite believe it. Furthermore, he was the nephew of the President’s sister, Auntie Pea, a greatly beloved lady of Liberia. He told us he also had 1500 acres on the St. Paul River and if we would rather have property there it would be fine with him. Since we had seen neither, we said we would like to see them both before we could decide and we set Saturday for that purpose.
With our time almost gone we said our farewells and headed for Rev Blamoh’s church to sing and preach. Upon our arrival the people received us joyfully and we were escorted to the platform. Yvonne Jones, one of the other speakers was already sharing so we were able to catch our breath from the pace of this whirlwind day. After a vigorous time of worship, Rev Blamoh turned the service to us and we sang All in All. He had asked us to focus on the theme of the conference, Mark 16:15 and I had wanted to use the PowerPoint and projector but we could not find the message on the laptop, even though I had seen it on there just days before. We searched the computer files at the office and on the ride over unsuccessfully. Since I had planned to use the projector I had no notes but rather than worrying about it, the Lord seemed to assure me that He didn’t actually need the notes and that He knew exactly what he wanted to say. As I recall now, I never used notes during the entire time there. I had prepared them but there was always a good reason why they were not necessary. When it was time to preach, the Lord was free to just select the thoughts He wanted me to share. The outline may have been a little different but the message was better. God reminded me to use my own testimony, and though I was speaking on ‘Soulwinning, the Main Duty
of the Church, but when I gave the invitation, scores of people came forward. In my spirit, I felt that many of them were not saved and I asked them to raise their hands if they were coming to be saved. To my surprise, almost 50 hands were raised. I thought that they might have misunderstood me. Isela saw my questions and suggested Rev. Blamoh should translate for them in their tribal tongue. After we prayed for those responding to the invitation they returned to their seats and Rev. Blamoh did translate for them as requested. I closed the service and told them to meet me afterward down front if they wanted to receive Christ. After the benediction they all came back down front; men, women and teenagers. Some of the adults were shooing the kids out of the church so we could deal with those trusting Christ. Isela saw that and stopped them, even going outside to bring in more children who had tried to respond. When it was over, 42 people had called upon the Lord for salvation, at a meeting of church leaders. This leads me to believe that many church members and workers in this very Christian culture are actually lost. I shouldn’t be surprised because many church members here are not saved either. The next time we come we should have a major evangelism effort either with a series of crusades or movie showings.
Still Stunned,
Fred and Isela
Upon our early visit to MOH, Charlena informed us that we had not yet seen the right person and sent us downstairs to the office of Momulu Sirleaf, the 4th MOH office we had visited for our accreditation. He confirmed that his office had to review our application and provide the “Sectoral Clearance” we were so tirelessly seeking. At this point Isela was on edge. She had had enough of the runaround and was vigorously telling them so. (“Why weren’t we told this 4 weeks ago? Why does no one on MOH know this?”) When we mentioned that Ag had already accredited us and that Planning had already decided to certify us, the assistant to Momulu called Nimley at Planning and actually questioned our approval process. He did not believe we had cleared all these hurdles and was trying to prove us wrong. Nor did he believe we had been all through MOH already. Nimley confirmed our every word and the impertinent assistant backed off. Good thing, because the Costa Rican Princess was about to introduce him to a new conflict. Momulu stepped in and promised that there would be no more delay in their process. Yet we still had to create a new packet and letter and resubmit it to his office. Somehow, they were not able to just process the requests we made to Dr Dahn, Dr. Gwenigale or Kpanbala Sengbe. Unless God intervenes, we would not be able to receive the confirmation from MOH with just 3 days left and one of those days half gone.
When we got back to the office, we had a visitor named Sylvester Mulbah, a friend of Robert Browne. When he heard of our plans for Liberia and saw our success with Ag, he decided to give us more property. He said he had 1200 acres in Todee, a community near Monrovia and wanted us to have 100 acres of it. We were stunned, and I must admit, I could not quite believe it. Furthermore, he was the nephew of the President’s sister, Auntie Pea, a greatly beloved lady of Liberia. He told us he also had 1500 acres on the St. Paul River and if we would rather have property there it would be fine with him. Since we had seen neither, we said we would like to see them both before we could decide and we set Saturday for that purpose.
With our time almost gone we said our farewells and headed for Rev Blamoh’s church to sing and preach. Upon our arrival the people received us joyfully and we were escorted to the platform. Yvonne Jones, one of the other speakers was already sharing so we were able to catch our breath from the pace of this whirlwind day. After a vigorous time of worship, Rev Blamoh turned the service to us and we sang All in All. He had asked us to focus on the theme of the conference, Mark 16:15 and I had wanted to use the PowerPoint and projector but we could not find the message on the laptop, even though I had seen it on there just days before. We searched the computer files at the office and on the ride over unsuccessfully. Since I had planned to use the projector I had no notes but rather than worrying about it, the Lord seemed to assure me that He didn’t actually need the notes and that He knew exactly what he wanted to say. As I recall now, I never used notes during the entire time there. I had prepared them but there was always a good reason why they were not necessary. When it was time to preach, the Lord was free to just select the thoughts He wanted me to share. The outline may have been a little different but the message was better. God reminded me to use my own testimony, and though I was speaking on ‘Soulwinning, the Main Duty
of the Church, but when I gave the invitation, scores of people came forward. In my spirit, I felt that many of them were not saved and I asked them to raise their hands if they were coming to be saved. To my surprise, almost 50 hands were raised. I thought that they might have misunderstood me. Isela saw my questions and suggested Rev. Blamoh should translate for them in their tribal tongue. After we prayed for those responding to the invitation they returned to their seats and Rev. Blamoh did translate for them as requested. I closed the service and told them to meet me afterward down front if they wanted to receive Christ. After the benediction they all came back down front; men, women and teenagers. Some of the adults were shooing the kids out of the church so we could deal with those trusting Christ. Isela saw that and stopped them, even going outside to bring in more children who had tried to respond. When it was over, 42 people had called upon the Lord for salvation, at a meeting of church leaders. This leads me to believe that many church members and workers in this very Christian culture are actually lost. I shouldn’t be surprised because many church members here are not saved either. The next time we come we should have a major evangelism effort either with a series of crusades or movie showings.
Still Stunned,
Fred and Isela
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