Gbarnga Mission | Liberia – West Africa

As I rolled over to extinguish the demonic sound of the alarm, my brain did register that 5:45am had arrived much too soon. I needed to meet Sam at 6:30am to start the anticipated lengthy process of shopping for supplies. The cold bucket-bath-shower did not endear me to the plumbers of Liberia after the previous day’s long… Continue reading Let’s Make A Deal – Liberian Edition

It’s Wednesday afternoon around 4pm Liberia time and the last 32 hours have been a bit of a challenge.  Let’s start with Tuesday… The day started by heading to the property at 8am and waiting for Sam Bundo to arrive with his crew to begin the first day of construction. As we turned the corner… Continue reading No AAA on the Gbarnga Highway

I got an email last night from a young man named, Philip Mckay, who saw me at the church service at St. Mark’s on Sunday. He wanted to meet to see how he could engage the youth of the community to help with the school project.  What?!?!? An unsolicited volunteer work force?  Philip was the… Continue reading Burn Baby Burn – Land is Being Cleared

I’ve been learning many Liberian phrases which are interesting. Instead of saying “a little” as in “just give me a little”, you should say “small small”. When it hasn’t stopped raining yet, the “rain has not rested”.  When you say good morning to someone, they will respond “what news”.  The difficulty I have with understanding… Continue reading Development Isn’t All Laughing

Without much of an agenda on a Saturday, the day seemed to pass slowly.  I had an unexpected visit from Rev. Weekie and Sengbey. The discussion started with an invitation to join them so I could be introduced at their LCL District meeting (9 parishes) just a walking distance away on the Phebe compound. The… Continue reading Guests at the Guesthouse

A six inch long “thousand legger” in my bathroom. Two rows of “army ants” crossing my path in the bush. Picking “fire ants” off my clothing near the property. Just a few of the special friends I encountered today. My wife, Kathy, may not like snakes but, walking in to take a shower and being greeted… Continue reading Earth, Wind & Fire Ants

First, some GPS coordinates for you…This is where I’m staying in Phebe (7° 1′ 32.12″N, 9° 33′ 6.67″W). This is where the property is (7° 1′ 12″N, 9° 30′ 25″W). Second, I have not been able to send emails since the weekend (I can receive fine, but outgoing emails are blocked). My theory is Verizon… Continue reading Week 1 – Charge, Rinse, Repeat

I just got an email and was able to direct my Thrivent Choice Dollars to Gbarnga Lutheran Mission Project, Inc. while sitting Africa…it’s that easy. If you’re a Thrivent member, go online www.thrivent.com and do it today! I had $21 which doesn’t seem like much but to me it’s 4 cases of bottled drinking water while I’m… Continue reading Direct your Thrivent Choice Dollars to Gbarnga Mission 

Last night was a rather restless night with intermittent sleep after not feeling well from my dinner.  One of my Liberian “friends” kept me visiting the bathroom. By noon I felt fine but took Imodium anyway to prepare for the 3 hour ride from Monrovia to Phebe where I’m staying tonight. Although I didn’t each… Continue reading Gbarnga or Gbust

A sunny Tuesday morning…yahoo.  I’m trying my new Kpelle on the cooks and they all laugh…I’ll spell it phonetically for you: ya-TOOO-ahh (hello to just one person), ka-TOOO-ahh (plural hello to a group of people), ya-OOOON (good morning…and again if you change the “ya” to “ka” it becomes plural).  Give it a try when you… Continue reading Culture Clash