We had an interesting experience in another West African country last weekend. A new Church Public Affairs Director in Liberia needed training, so we flew there and spent a couple of days getting acquainted with Konrad and helping him become familiar with his responsibilities. A senior missionary couple provided our transportation once we arrived, helping us see and do as much as possible in the short amount of time we spent there.
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| Our plane arrived in Accra from JFK, refueled and restocked supplies, then proceeded to Liberia with hardly a vacant seat. We wondered the whole trip why so many people go to Liberia. | Photos through an airplane window aren't the best quality, but I really wanted to get a picture of this congested street in Accra as we took off for Monrovia, Liberia, early Friday afternoon. |
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| This was our first view of Liberia as we began to descend. The lush vegetation and winding St. Paul River were breathtaking. | Our great big plane landed far enough away from the terminal that several buses had to drive out to pick everyone up. |
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| I captured this shot from a moving car. It is rows and rows of rubber trees covering 200 square miles of property owned by Firestone (the tire company). 6,500 Liberians work for the industry. | Rows and rows of housing units have been built by Firestone to provide shelter for its employees. Schools and health centers are also provided to aid in rebuilding lives devastated by war. |
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| As we were driving down a bumpy little road, we happened upon these handsome young men with their beautiful smiles and cheery greeting. They had just left the branch president's house. | President Wesseh's family lives in a two-room house. He made one of the rooms his office so he could meet with branch members and take care of his Church assignments. |
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| Firestone and Liberia have been business partners since 1926. They have succeeded together and suffered together through 17 years of civil war. Peace has finally arrived in the country. | The sun was just sliding behind the trees as we approached the busy road that took us to our hotel. A few stop lights have been installed in the center of town, but some are still not working. |
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| Here is Liberia's new national pubic affairs council. Konrad, the director, is standing directly in front of us. On the far right is Brother Olukanni, Africa West's public affairs director. | I have a hard time not rounding up the beautiful children to get a picture or two. They love to see themselves in a photo. It looks like I need to work on getting a sun tan! |
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| This is the view from the Liberian mission office back patio :) | Here are two Elders and two members walking to church. |
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| A newly renovated building for the Congo Town 1st Ward. The left building was a garage, the center building was an open tennis court. The members are thrilled to have this nice facility. | I visited Young Women on Sunday. Three girls and their leader welcomed me and invited me to give the lesson. I've learned to be prepared for anything and everything in Africa! |
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| These precious little boys kept coming up to me to hold my hand. They were enthralled with my white skin and white hair. | The young single adults of Congo Town Ward. Most of them are returned missionaries, serving in other African countries. |
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| The brand new branch president with his family. We are amazed at the Liberians and their strength of character. |
This is just a taste of what we experienced in Liberia. The United Nations has been in the country for ten years to guarantee peace. There are many natural resources in the country, but no provisions to develop them. 80% of Liberians are unemployed. The average Liberian earns $120 yearly, surviving on 30 cents per day. They are working hard for a better future.
