Church in Liberia

This is from the Wires and I thought everyone might be interested in hearing about Church and seeing what it really looks like. I think this was sent out in April.

This group of people will be made a formal unit in the church this next month they have been going to church for years and building but with no officail unit , branch or ward connection, they have been under the arm of another full Branch now they are about to be their own leadership this is very exciting to us and them. There is very little chance at this time that any of your Elders will serve here but the pictures are true of the homes they teach in everyday, Love Belinda (Sister Wires)

Subject: Harbel, Kakataw and us
Greetings from the Far Side of the World: This Sunday (Today) we went to Kakataw for services. It is pushing two hours to get there from where we live, and 'out in the bush,' although we are on a paved road all the way. It is the northern exit from Liberia to Sierra Leone, and other than being surrounded by Firestone Rubber trees, it doesn't have much else to proclaim itself to the world.

The Saints there are a Church Unit, trying to get to be a branch. They meet at the George Washington Carver Institute (College?), and have about 70 people attending. We had a nice meeting, I got to teach Gospel Essentials and Belinda taught Primary and Relief Society. That is pretty normal, when the Senior Couples show up they want to hear the gospel from us. The only problem is that we haven't picked up the local accent, and we're never sure that they understand what we are saying. Rained hard last night, and some of this morning, so it was cool all morning long.


And Here's Belinda's Harbel tale of services last Sunday:

Today we visited the Harbel Unit, that is located 1 1/2 hours from home, on the Firestone Rubber plantation. Everyone there is employed by Firestone one way or the other, in the factory, schools, churches, stores, etc. That does not mean they have a lot of money, it just means they have a job. The Unit meets in a one room building with a lean-to with a dirt floor. The meeting began with 28 people, we brought 5, and one other was the visiting High Councilman. By the end of the meeting another 10 had arrived. There is no electricity, no fans, no lights, no microphone. As many African buildings it has no window, just openings and bars.
As we gathered for Sacrament Meeting, we listened to the neighbors clacking dishes, correcting and punishing children. The young man sharing his testimony, before he departs on his mission, was drowned out by the disel trucks passing just feet away from our seats, in, what at that time was the chapel.


As the time comes to divide for classes, we are directed to the dirt floor lean-to. Benches and wooden student desk chairs are available for seating. One end of the room is where the combined YM &YW meet, all 10 of them, while we attended Primary at the opposite end with about 12 primary children of all ages. The children opened, welcomed, sang, and prayed, almost as if by magic - no visible instructions. Then the teacher had each child recite something, they closed in the name of Jesus Christ, but I was unable to hear or discern what each one recited, because of the noise from the community right outside our windows. Then we sat in silence for about 5 minutes (?), when the teacher asked, Sisters do you have something for us? Vicki gave a sharing time, and I followed with another sharing time, it was a lot of fun. Then the teacher began teaching, although we could not hear her, but each child recited some part of the 10 Commandments, so I have to assume that her lesson was about the Commandments. We left there and attended Relief Society in the "Chapel" room. The RS meets in the corner by the open doorway that leads to the Primary lean-to area, with little ones in and out, crying, and the roar of the street. Meanwhile, the Priesthood meets in the opposite corner of the same room. Fortunately I have developed a small skill in lip reading and was able, with the teacher's aid in sharing examples with her hands of confirmation and baptism (in and out of water, and laying on of hands) I soon came to know the lesson topic. Amazing what you can glean from a discussion, when sound is not an option.




Oh, another interesting event we had this past week was a little excitement we happened upon while returning from Caldwell on Saturday. When we reached Caldwell Junction (the crossroads of Caldwell road, and UN drive), there was the usual snarl of traffic, but we made the turn OK and headed south for a short way. Then just before we reached the New Kru Town turnoff we got stuck in a traffic jam - which is not only common, but fairly usual at this area. However, we noticed a rather large gathering of people, and after watching for a few minutes, we also noticed a large amount of police and some dressed in riot uniforms with shield and hard hats. We recognized that something was about to take place, but were helpless in the stalled traffic. The reason for the jam was some of the police were holding up traffic, directing three UN armored personnel carriers out of New Kru Town, and a couple of empty trucks. Suddenly about 200 people started running in all directions, away from the turnoff, and less than a minute later large stones, rocks and chunks of building blocks began to rain down, coming from within the New Kru area. One of the rocks hit a cop, who had been standing in the back of a pickup truck, and when that happened the cops who had been holding up traffic, causing the jam, took off running too. The cars in front, and around us were also beginning to become targets, and all of us wasted no time in leaving that area. For about 200 yards, we had a downpour of rocks and such, but never got a scratch. Belinda got on the phone and contacted the Elders who were then in Point Four and New Kru Town, and told them to get inside, and when they felt it safe enough to return to the Mission house at Tweh Farms. Elder Cooke and Adjei were in the Logan Town Chapel at a meeting, and were told to spend the rest of the afternoon there, and if it had quieted down, to then head for the Mission house. Seems these riots are becoming more frequent, I imagine they will fall off with the onset of the Rainy Season. We found out later that the riot was caused when the police arrested a gang leader at his home in New Kru Town. Kru is the name of one of the tribes here in Liberia. Now since everyone in Africa is black, there is no racial prejudice among them, but everyone also belongs to different tribes, and that is what they must use for a substitute for racial prejudice. Kind of reminiscent of Watts riots, and such in Los Angeles.


By the way, I have been wanting to tell you that the Pineapples, Mangoes, Bananas, and Potatoes over here are far superior to any I have eaten in my life. I don't understand why this country isn't in to commercial agriculture (?). The seasons are wonderful for growing, 6 months of sunshine, and 6 months of rain, and all the foods mentioned are being harvested all year long. The ground will obviously grown anything you plant, the land is wasted on mostly impenetrable jungle, and the people do not have any employment.