Roads are one of the most facinating things in foreign nations. Liberia, being war torn, is no exception to the rule.

I have to laugh as these last few trips I’ve taken have had some of the most body pounding, thrill ride, and long roads I’ve ever been on… And I know this is just the beginning…

The Road to Buchanan…. 61 straight line miles and no switchbacks… maybe a few slight inclines and declines as we go, but a rather “even” road… If you omit the pot holes….. The road was so rough it took us 8 hours to get to the church we were to minister at…. and that was waiting when we finally arrived was beyond what we could ask for……

Hurry up and wait often happens in the missions field. Buses don’t run when they are suppose to, vehicles break down, or just delays of transportation for various reasons.

Draw them Holy Spirit
At 8:30am we were to go and minister at a school… When no vehicle arrived by or word about a new schedule arrived by 9:00, our team decided to play praise and worship music in front of the house where we were staying. A few minutes later, a quiet road started to fill with people. The Spirit of the Lord was drawing them through the music.

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;
From the road to the yard, the people came and stopped. We were able to share will all the Lord. Many were saved and filled with the Spirit.

Our vehicle eventually showed up at Noon and off we went. Since we were late in arriving at the school the children were out of class on a field trip. Another school was suggested but we had a flat tire. A repair was needed so we went to a local market.
In the back there was some benches that we set our backpacks down on and decided what to do. Some went through the market evangelizing while others stayed in back.

Before we knew it, children, the ones who could not afford school fees, came and gathered aroudn to hear us talk.
Our attention shifted from the adults to the children. Since we had rehersed a skit for our Bible lesson for the school, we decided to teach the lesson here in the market with a "informal" class.

The lesson was on putting on the armour of God each and every day. We asked for a volunteer to help us and one brave child said ok. Each of us had a piece of armour that we would bring out and “dress” our helper with as we shared what each piece of armour did…. Since we were doing impromtu, we had to use what we had available in the market for objects.

A strap for the belt of truth,
A backpack for the the breastplate of righteousness;
A set of borrowed sandals for feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
A Bible as the shield of faith
A bucket the helmet of salvation
And a stick as the sword of the Spirit

The skit, while laughter carried through the market, was well received by the children and adults.
One of the Ladies, Mary, who was working with us, told me that these children were suppose to “selling” their wares in the market. We prayed over them so that the money the would normally be making would be multiplied because they chose a more valuable place to be.

Arrival in Monrovia, Liberia was after long flights and a delay in Accra, Ghana. Accomidations were made for us to stay in an area called ELWA (Everlasting Love Winning Africa). As we drove to where the house was, we realized that we were staying right on the beach… You could smell the fresh ocean air and taste the salt. What a blessing!!

In the morning we awake to a spectacular view!!! Palm trees and beautiful rolling waves. For me it was an answer to prayer. One of my hearts biggest joy is to walk on the beach in praise and worship to the Lord. It was something that I had prayed about before we left for Liberia, I was inquiring of the Lord if I could go to a place so I could walk on the beach with Him that I so loved to do… I was able to do just that.

We were also able to go Swimming in the ocean many times. Letting the waves “roll” us as we tried to body surf. Joy and delight.
Many of the locals were wondering who these crazzzzy folks were laughing so much!!!

I cannot recall the last time I did a “Black Friday” shopping experience. It always seems like I am departing for a foreign nation the morning after Thanksgiving. And once again, that holds true.
While most of America is shopping, I depart for Liberia. A Western Africa country that has been torn apart by war, that we get to introduce more people to the Prince of Peace.

A bit of History: Liberia is a Settlement of freed slaves from the US ~ the Americo-Liberians were able to establish a republic nation in 1847. In 1980 a military coup ushered in decades of authoritarian rule.
In 1989 Charles Taylor launched a rebellion that lead to a prolonged civil war. There was a short time of peace but Taylor was brought to power in 1997 and fighting resumed in 2000. A peace agreement was reached in 2003 and ended the war. Charles Taylor now faces war crimes. The UN Mission in Liberia still maintains a strong presence throughout the country and the security situation is still fragile.
The Process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country has begun…. And so has the healing of the hearts…….

The 14 years of Civil war caused rural communities when the majority live to be inaccessible. And much of the population has remained isolated and unreached.
There is a group of Liberians who attend LWCC that are supporting and Re-building the Church in Monrovia. The local church members have been doing evangelistic outreach to the indigenous people with great success.
So far, they have planted over 20 churches in 6 years. In addition, the church is training up others to help teach and build strong leaders to continue the evangelistic explosion. Another focus is to provide primary Christian Education to the children. Education which had been denied due to the civil war crisis.

Our exact itinerary has not been laid out as we just found out that we have a place to stay that is a building. The team prayer has been focused on praying for the lost souls and all who are oppressed and with out peace.
We are finding that many are the plans of a man’s mind, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. So we ask you to agree with us in prayer for the following:

1. Protection as we travel.. no harm or incidents.
2. All luggage to arrive at the end destinations (on the way there and back here)
3. All items we have for distribution to be ushered in through customs with out any delays
4. For sanctified food and water… the country is just starting to rebuild.
5. For the Assignments, for all to hear with our ears, receive in our hearts, and embrace all that the Lord is directing us to do.
6. For the Holy Spirit to have absolutely free reign and for us not to lean on any part of ourselves
7. For our eyes to be open to see the people as the Lord sees them
8. For the Children who have been left orphans or maimed
9. For unity of the teams… the team from the US as well as the Liberian brothers/sisters
10. For the Lord to open effective doors of Ministry ~ new arenas of ministry that He’s only given a glimpse into.
11. For prosperity, Spirit (staying strong in the Lord and the power of His might), Soul (to be adjusted quickly and put down self), Body (walking in divine health), and for the continued financial provision for all that is needed to do the work that He has called us to do

The month of December is so special to us because of Christmas… we get to celebrate our Lord and Saviors birth. Luke 2 has the account of what the Angel’s announced when the Christ Child was born:
V 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

We are carriers of the peace and good will for the Lord and our trips have celebrated Christmas the entire year as we’ve given out the priceless gift of Salvation through Jesus. Freely give and freely receive.

My prayers over all of you are:
For you to have a revelation of the Love of God, to really understand that you can “lean on, trust in and rely on the Lord” and He will direct your steps. For that assurance that God is with you.. From the highest point to the lowest valley, He never leaves or forsakes you. That truly, He has written a plan for your life… That you can accomplish that plan by delighting yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart… As you trust in Him, He will bring them to pass. For the dreams in each of your hearts to be further stirred and lit a new. For each one of you to grab on to those dreams and dare to believe that God wants to use you to do grand thing.
For you to Live for the Praise of HIS GLORY! And the World to understand through the Love that has been shed abroad in your hearts, how they too, are loved beyond measure and treasured above all.
May the God of more than enough, bring you peace and continued prosperity in every area of your lives.