American racial tensions. The name Liberia comes from the word Liberty, or “free.” In 1816, the American Colonization Society bought land in Liberia for the resettlement of freed US slaves. A freed slave from Virginia, was the first president. The country’s capital city, Monrovia, was named after James Monroe, the fifth president of the USA and supporter of the colonization of Liberia by freed slaves. Liberia’s flag is modelled on the USA’s. It is a coastal country with abundant natural resources, but also the 7th poorest country in the world
Amazing miracles have built the church in West Africa. Follow this link to an inspiring family movie, FREETOWN, about our young missionaries fleeing Liberia to Freetown, Sierra Leone, during a deadly civil war in the 1990s to the early 2000s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohm9n-DmTs4. (It can also be rented on Amazon Prime.) One of the stake presidents we work with, Prince Nyanforh, is one of the missionaries featured in the movie. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/story-of-liberian-missionaries-depicted-in-the-movie-freetown?lang=eng During COVID the fulltime missionaries were pulled out of Liberia, but the church flourished! The stake presidents knew the work must move forward, so they engaged their members to fill the gap. Over 500 people entered the waters of baptism during the ten months there were no full-time missionaries serving in the country. The members welcomed the missionaries back after Covid to help with their work!
Two of our Gathering Place pilot stakes are in Liberia, Caldwell and Paynesville (coincidently, the location where the movie begins). We felt it important to visit these stakes to see firsthand how they were progressing. With the only Church approved hotel arranged, a driver hired, and six stake appointments scheduled we flew to Monrovia to begin our training sessions.
Our first training was the Monrovia Stake, located minutes from the hotel. Like all the buildings we visited, there was a lot of mid-week activity; missionaries teaching discussions, members chatting, and Seminary classes in session. We also noticed YSA age folks gathering in the cultural hall. We asked what was bringing them to the church. Was it a Gathering Place night? What class was being taught? The group got larger and larger and the only reply we got was wide-eyed stares. The stake president arrived, so along with the YSA Committee we held our training in the High Council room. As the training began, we could hear hymn singing from the cultural hall. We commented on the number of people at the church on a weekday afternoon, to which the stake president said, “The people of Liberia love the Gospel.” A simple and heart felt statement. Our meeting included the female YSA rep, who is an accounting student at the university, she described some of their GP classes, and showed us shoes that they learned to make and items they learned to bead.
We concluded our meeting, thanked everyone for their efforts, and packed up our belongings. A concerned man saw we were leaving and whispered something to the stake president. He turned to us and asked if we could spare a moment or two to talk with the people who had been singing in the cultural hall. As it turned out, there was a miscommunication. The people had gathered thinking we were there to have a meeting with them. They were so anxious to hear the counsel of the Area office visitors, that they patiently waited during our meeting, passing the time singing hymns. We entered the room where 60+ grateful people sat anxious to hear testimony. It was a tender gathering, people learned visitors were coming, they gathered, not knowing if they would have a chance to hear a message or not. In hopes of a getting a glimpse of visitors, they patiently sang for over an hour. The Spirit was strong and tender. The people of Liberia do love the Gospel.
In addition to Monrovia Stake, we trained in Bushrod Island, Paynesville, Caldwell, Virginia, Gardensville stakes which are scattered about an hour or so drive over crater like dirt roads in different directions from the center of Monrovia. We were welcomed warmly at each location, the committee members were attentive, we could feel their desire to serve well. We had the added pleasure of training with our newly called Liberia MLS/YSA couple, Elder Emmanuel and Sister Necie Meme Blidi Grualee. They are a young couple who joined the church a few years ago with their three children. He is the first counselor in the bishopric, she was just released as Primary president, plus they conduct three Pathway gatherings per week. The Grualee’s feel it important to live up to their covenant of consecration. Each time we pulled up to a stake center with our driver to train another stake, there sat their motorcycle. They were on time and prepared. An example of dedication.
Overall Liberia seemed cleaner, but much poorer than Accra. There was one traffic light, it didn’t work. There were few cars or tro tros, instead we saw little three-wheeled ka ka’s and motorcycles everywhere! They were like ants crawling over a piece of dropped chocolate cake at a family picnic, not only in quantity but in the random directions they drove. Organized directional flowing traffic patterns were nonexistent, if a driver felt the need to cross a road, he wove his way through ka kas and potholes to get there adding to the havoc. At any given time, we could roll down our windows and touch the motorcycle or Ka Ka next to us. Pedestrians dodged through the vehicles, sometimes slapping, or banging on the back and side of the car.
Potholes are prevalent all-over west Africa, but with the recent rain and mostly dirt roads these were unusually large. As we were caught in a complete knot of traffic for over 45 minutes we observed one particular pothole as Ka Kas drove into the hole and out the other side. This happened time and time again. Into the pothole and out the other side, into the pothole and out the other side. This continued, until one drove in but didn’t have the power or momentum to drive out. The passengers calmly got out, climbed out of the hole and waited while the Ka Ka was pushed up the incline. Everyone got back in and drove away. Common daily occurrences we in America could never appreciate.
Security, do you feel safe? That is a common question we are asked. Yes, we feel safe and yes, we are careful especially when we travel. Several of the stake centers we visited had paid security guards, so someone must feel there is a concern. In Gardensville we drove along a quaint little lane lined with small well-kept homes to reach a fairly new stake center. The people waved as we bumped along, there was not a security guard, only a borehole speaking to the building’s rural location. After we concluded our training, we commented on the lovely, treed setting and friendly local people. The president smiled and said that he and a counselor had recently been walking down the street together in their white shirts as a motorcycle rider passed. A truck sped past at the same moment, slammed on the brakes, flung open the doors knocking the motorcycle and driver down. One passenger jumped from the truck onto the motorcycle and zoomed away. The other passengers got out and took a machete to the motorcycle driver who was lying on the ground. They hit him several times with the flat side of the blade on his arms and legs as a warning not to report the motorcycle theft, or they would return using the blades of their machetes to cut off his arms and legs. The priesthood leaders watched helplessly but felt protected in their white shirts
Despite the challenges in their country, the people are faithful and serve the Lord well.
Fuel for vehicles is very expensive. Enterprising folks like the one in the picture fill mason jars and sell gas along the roadside.
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