So today the plan was to visit Pastor Titus and Mother Mercy. Since the trip from Emmanuel’s home to Titus’s home is 30-40 minutes I figured we’d leave mid morning or so, but in Liberia you tend to find out later that plans aren’t always what you think. This morning actually worked out great for me since I still had work to do on my Sunday sermon. After a quick breakfast I asked what time we planned on leaving and Emmanuel said he had to go and do some things first. Knowing how things can take longer than you think I got right on my study time on the front porch. Of course it didn’t take long for Grace and the little people brigade to interrupt.

The girls eventually tired of me because I was boring to them. It was then I was able to focus and finish my message for tomorrow morning. I was ready to head out to Titus and Mercy’s home. There was one problem, Emmanuel wasn’t back yet. I took this time to just play some music on my phone and lay down on the couch and rest. Maybe 4-5 songs in I heard Emmanuel return. He came in to say he’d been speaking with Titus and Titus said it would be good to arrive between 1:00-2:00. The time was 1:45.

There was just one more thing to do…eat a little something before we left to eat at Titus’s home.

I learned all about some Liberian proverb about a chicken eating before it leaves the house so it can be wary of the hawk when it goes outside. I think Emmanuel was making that up, but either way we had some jollof rice. It was quite good. Now with a little food eaten it was time to go. I thought it was nice of Emmanuel to call Titus as we were going to arrive well after 2:00. I could hear Titus on the phone about to give Emmanuel directions when I heard him ask, you’re leaving now? Emmanuel confirmed that we were indeed just leaving. I thought there would be a sigh or a long pause, but Titus just said, ‘I will be leaving where I am in about 15 minutes so can you tell mother Mercy I’ll arrive soon after. I guess we weren’t the only ones that were running behind. When we did arrive it was so nice to see Mercy and all the kids. We were only a few minutes ahead of Titus. Titus and Mercy have two children, Diana and Yahtoowe, but various nieces and nephews also live with them keeping Mercy very busy. Titus is in his MDiv classes 5 days a week and gone from early in the morning until evening. It’s a tough schedule, but he’s enjoying the training and they are both committed to his finishing. Here are some of the pictures of them and their family unit.

All in all we had such a good time visiting. A neighbor lady, Lydia, kind of came along when we were walking around and joined us for the meal. We enjoyed her company as well. It was good for Titus and Mercy to get to know her also. There is so much more to share about all of my visits around here, but I’ll save more for when I return. If you think about it remind me to tell you about Women of Purpose near Titus’s, also about the Zo-Go’s (sp). I’m going to get some sleep for Sunday worship tomorrow.

It was another warm day…hot day, in Liberia again. I say that for my family and friends back home that are enduring the first real cold snap of the winter and I hope the last. At one point today I checked my weather channel app and it said the temperature was 86 degrees, but feels like 102. Much like the wind chill back home the heat index dictates how hot it feels. Funny thing is that nobody here really cares what the temperature is and they wouldn’t even know what the heat index means. Yes, the sun is hot, but it should be. They would simply say, this is Liberia.

I took my time getting ready this morning as I took my bucket shower, enjoying the cool water. I came out of my room and made a cup of my instant coffee and walked outside to enjoy the sights and sounds of the morning. I enjoy greeting everyone in the morning as many come to the pump outside of Emmanuel’s home to get their daily water needs.

After visiting for awhile I decided I needed to eat something so I wouldn’t get sick from my malaria medication. I came in and had some spaghetti with tomato sauce and fish. Can I say I really enjoyed the banana that I also had? Regardless, I now had enough food to offset the upset stomach that comes with the meds on an empty stomach. Since I will be speaking again on Sunday I decided to sit in the porch area to study and prepare. There is a breeze and the morning sun doesn’t reach inside the porch area. It didn’t take long before I was discovered again outside.

As I mentioned in the picture caption, the crew that first found me now feel as if they are my personal guardians and they will seek me out anytime I’m outside. The exception is when Marvelous is around. He will seek me out anywhere. I forgot to mention yesterday that I went into my room and of course LEC wasn’t working so it was dark in the room with the curtains drawn to keep the heat out. I lifted one of my suitcases onto the bed and as I did I noticed something move. Little Marvelous had somehow come in undetected and was standing right behind me. I didn’t cry out, but inside I jumped straight up. I just took him back outside and this time I watched as I closed the door.

Today with the others in the little people’s brigade I think they had too early of a start. They got tired out before the end of their first shift.

I do enjoy the little ones coming around so much. Their genuine love for you will warm your heart. The only thing is if you have 6-10 of those little ones crowded around you it won’t just be your heart that is warmed. They are all like little ovens that emanate extra heat. I can tell you it this way…I was FaceTiming with Jessica in Thailand this morning and I was telling her about the little people brigade and that’s why I was sitting on the porch so when I started to study again I would be able to without distractions. Let me explain here. If you really want to encourage the brigade you talk on a video call. The kids all know when your talking with your phone held out in front of you there must be a video call and they want to be part of it. Well, Jessica had just begun to talk and the four initial members of the little people’s brigade I mentioned earlier came barreling in. Of course I guess I encouraged them by scaring them when they came close. They would squeal, run away, but immediately start back so I would scare them again. We did this quite a few times and each time I would show Jessica their reactions. After awhile I wanted to talk uninterrupted with Jessica so the only way was to go and take a walk. I walked all around the community showing Jessica and Paw Mu Day what the school and surrounding buildings looked like. I really enjoyed that time speaking to Jessica. Isn’t technology great.

I did eventually get a couple uninterrupted hours of work done on the porch. Lunchtime came around so I stopped to eat and we ended up having a great discussion about women being Pastors of a church. This is fairly common over here and I was able to Biblically share my viewpoint. Emmanuel and I, with the same point of view, both kept referring to the Scriptures as we pressed on the importance of following the Bible. The only tense moment came when a sweet lady, Emmanuel’s cousin, mentioned she was going to be the lead Pastor of her church since men were lacking. I told her, that although I respect her Bible knowledge, if I were to live in Liberia I couldn’t be part of her church because it would be contrary to what God set up in His word. We had a great conversation that followed and she understands why we stated that and she does pray that God raises up leaders among the men. I mention this discussion only to say that theological discussions just organically pop up every time I’m over here and this is great to sharpen your beliefs.

In the afternoon Emmanuel took me out to add more data to my phone (gigabytes seem to be smaller over here…maybe it’s all my FaceTime talk with the family). We also went to ‘The Exclusive’, a local grocery store that those who came from 2014 and after can remember as the little Walmart of Liberia. You can get most things from home, from Snickers bars (which I picked up for Emmanuel) to Jiffy peanut butter, to Honey Nut Cheerios. We came, not for what I wanted or needed, but so I could purchase some things so I’m not just a freeloader while I’m here. I can say I’ve never felt hungry here and I do recognize that they treat me so well and I probably eat more often than is their normal meal times so I want to show my appreciation in whatever way I can.

On our way back from the store I wanted to pick up some rice and oil for Abraham and Favor and to see how Favor was feeling. I can report that Favor is improving and your prayers are appreciated. We had a good visit with them before we returned home for a late supper.

Oh yeah, on our way home two things I wanted to write down. First, I called my mother in Texas and had a really good talk with her. Again technology is great. She asked a lot about my trip and I really enjoyed speaking with her. She spoke to Emmanuel also and let him know she prays for him and Wintee. I know that is appreciated. The second thing is the completion of our shopping. We decided we needed some bread. What should we do, stop at another store? No, not in Liberia. The store comes to you with people selling everything in the high traffic areas where things slow down somewhat due to traffic volume. I saw Valentine’s Day balloons, car chargers, steering wheel covers, tissues, gum, water (not a comprehensive list) and of course bread for sale. Emmanuel simply opened the window and yelled out to ask if it is fresh or not. After assurances that it indeed was fresh bread we bought two packages with the car rolling along in traffic and the salesperson keeping up with the moving car. They truly are talented and quick to make that sale and do it safely. I was reassured of the freshness when I felt the package and it was soft and I could smell that fresh baked smell. Of course what sealed it was the packaging.

Overall this was another enjoyable and relaxing day. I look forward to visiting Titus and Mercy tomorrow where I’m told we will swallow GB together. I can’t wait. Many pictures to follow of Titus and family.

Today the country of Liberia celebrated their Armed Forces Day. What that meant around the house was no school for the children and for LCMI particularly it also meant a couple of soccer matches between the old and new students. For the boys the new students made a good showing, but lost 2-1. I didn’t hear what the score of the girls match was. It was rather funny to see all the guys finish and change and give their uniforms to the girls so they could play. The kids had a great time with a meal that followed.

My morning started out a little quieter until I went to sit outside. I had a great time playing with many of the young kids from the community. Remember Marvelous from Sunday? Well, he was back and I still don’t know his mom. So were Praise and Praises along with Asher and Grace.

I even met a young boy who had the superhero bases covered. From Batman pants to his ninja turtle shirt he was ready for anything. He even had the captain America vibe going with his slippers. He was a little shy at first, but he warmed up fast.

I always enjoy the opportunity to play with little kids. There are plenty to go around. I even got to hold a young one named Success. When they say his name it sounds like they are saying ‘sauces’. His mom just carried him over by me and said, ‘here you go Sauces, sit with Dad Robin’. I sure didn’t mind and neither did Sauces.

I even had time to sit with the ladies and children as they were plucking the palava leaves to make the palava soup for rice. This was truly a group effort to pluck so many leaves for the soup today.

An interesting thing happened to me that began when I was still home. I wanted to get a bunch of T-shirts to wear in Liberia so I went to Walmart, picked out the cheapest ones and bought a bunch of different colors. Well, this actually started on Sunday when I dressed for church. I wanted to have a T-shirt for under my black dress shirt so I grabbed one of my new ones. I held it up and much to my horror I had grabbed a long sleeve black one. My dress shirt was long sleeved so I figured I’d just wear it. Well, it was very hot. I thought at the time I’d just cut the sleeves off, but I forgot until I went to put another T-shirt on. You guessed it. 4 of my new shirts had long sleeves. I tried to wear one today with the sleeves pulled up, but I was not going to handle it. I was speaking to Elizabeth Mulbah, I’ve known her since 2016, and she actually came over to do my laundry. I know what your thinking, how can I make someone do my laundry like that. Well, I ‘hired’ Elizabeth to do my laundry and she graciously accepted, agreeing to come over today. It is a BIG deal to have your laundry done as seen in the pictures.

Back to my T-shirt story…I asked Elizabeth if she’d be willing to cut my shirt sleeves off of the 4 shirts, but everyone just said take them to the tailor. Well, back home I wouldn’t even know where to go, except to ask Kevin’s, Sherry if she would fix them. Anyway, Elizabeth said she would go to the market and get the shirts fixed for me. This I had to see so Elizabeth and I headed off to the nearby market. We walked through the neighborhood and arrived to find a lady named ‘Shilas’ (my best understanding of her name).

Well, Shilas was more than willing to help and Elizabeth negotiated the cost. It came down to $200 for all 4 shirts. Oh, I didn’t mention that is LD (Liberian dollars). The exchange rate is around $170 LD to $1 US. It cost $1.18 US. I did pay her more than the negotiated, but after all I even got matching thread to my 4 different colors. It only took about 30 minutes and we were on our way back home.

When we arrived back to Emmanuel’s I found Abraham and Favor Youndo, our dear friends we met last year, were there and Favor was not feeling well at all. I offered to take her to a clinic tomorrow so she could get checked out. It was all set and we made plans for the morning, except Favor was in quite a bit of pain. She started to cry a little and both me and Emmanuel realized it should be tonight and not wait til morning. Abraham drove with me in the front seat and Favor sitting quietly in the backseat. Being a holiday I wasn’t sure where we were going and after trying a couple of clinics we ended up at Benson Hospital.

Favor was checked over and they determined she has an ulcer. This seems common over here. We picked up her meds and headed back to drop her off at her house to get some rest.

After the hospital visit I came home, ate some supper and then on to my blog. It’s almost 11:00 as I finish. At least the generator is on, even if LEC isn’t, so I’ll have a fan to keep me cooler. I hope everyone back home appreciates the cold. 🤪

I’m falling into a routine while being here. I find myself sleeping a little more, which is nice, and feeling quite rested during the day. Today was one of those routine days, waking up, showering, eating breakfast, which was homemade pancakes, and then watching all that happens around Emmanuel’s home while I read and studied outside. It was a very relaxing day.

The afternoon was nice having a chance to visit with Heather and the girls as well as Jenny. I’ll be contacting the rest of the family in days ahead. I found some lizards to show the grandkids so I’ll be sure and show the others when we talk.

One thing I don’t think I’ll ever get over is the kids interest in someone different. While studying today a group of students from a nearby school came to the water pump to get a drink. As they goofed around they kept watching me, waiting for me to say something or react in some way. So, I started talking with them and within a few minutes I had 10 or so children crowded around me looking at pictures on my phone of snow back home, deer and grandkids. They wanted to see whatever pictures I had to share. As they broke up the group started the normal pushing and laughing that kids will do. It was nice to have that break from reading.

In the evening I knew I would be leading the Bible study so I finished up my studying and then headed over to church. A couple of girls, twins, arrived a little early so I took their picture along with Meko’s son, Asher. The twins names from back to front are Praise and Praises. They use many celebratory names like Marvelous who I wrote about before.

After church, at 7:30 or so it was dark and I thought we would walk back across to Emmanuel’s home, eat something and relax before bed. I was informed, however, that a local pastor’s mother-in-law was in a local hospital called ‘Kingdom Care’. I didn’t catch her name, but she has diabetes, hypertension and some other thing that caused her to almost die, but she is improving I was told. This in itself was not a surprise. I’m used to visiting and praying with people who I don’t know and they don’t know me. What made this almost funny was we finally found this hospital using Liberian (old fashioned) GPS by asking people passing which dusty road we needed to travel to find the hospital. As we arrived and Emmanuel parked the car we got out, put our masks on and the lights all go out. Liberia Electric Company again failed to remain on. We weren’t deterred as we used our phone lights, went upstairs and sat and visited and prayed for this lady. We left the room and as we got back to our car the power came back on. We drove home only to find that LEC once again was off at Emmanuel’s home. With the noise of the generator in the background I write this with the boys watching a soccer match on the tv, unfazed by the initial lack of power and the switch to the generator. This too is Liberia. I’m coming to understand it myself. I’ll see what tomorrow brings.

It is Tuesday afternoon and I now have reliable cell coverage which allows me to post regularly. It took two days to accomplish, but a lot goes on behind the scenes. Yesterday afternoon Emmanuel took me out to convert some donated phones to the local cell service SIM cards. That in itself was interesting. We went to Red Light to the ‘Orange’ store which is Liberia’s Cellcom. We didn’t even go inside the building, but Emmanuel found someone he trusted outside the building. Samuel then joined us in our car and Emmanuel drove to a quieter spot in the parking lot of a gas station. Samuel began to do everything he needed to decide the phones and install the Cellcom SIM cards in each phone. After a little negotiation we settled on $65 to unlock all 5 phones so now I have phones that can be gifts for others with the first going to Emmanuel. I have the international plan on my phone that works great in certain areas, but I found out that Emmanuel’s home is not one of those areas.

Anyway, this took quite a long time as we sat in the car waiting. We eventually went back to Emmanuel’s home to eat while Samuel kept working on it. After eating we drove back, paid him and left for home again. What I didn’t get was a data card that would allow me to hotspot one of the new Liberian phones to my personal phone. I did walk to get a scratch card when we got back home. Unfortunately the scratch card wasn’t for data and for local calls only. I’m learning more each time I visit.

In the evening we celebrated Cyrus’s birthday. He is one of Emmanuel’s sons. He is now 24 years old and enrolled at Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary majoring in education. He is also teaching at LCMI on his off days from his school. I’ve seen him grow into a very nice man from a young teen.

Today we made plans to go and pick up a ‘data pack’ for my phone…after. After a good night’s sleep I had a great breakfast with the notice that we were waiting for a phone call to go to LCMI school to visit. We got the call and walked down to the school. Yesterday there was word that came down from the ministry of education that all persons at schools including the students need to wear a mask so we complied. If the school doesn’t comply they can be shut down if the ministry chooses. In spite of the masks I had a great time. The kids were so great and they asked me many questions. One question I heard a lot, from those that met Jenny last year, was ‘how’s Mother Jenny?’. I guess I should expect that as Jenny connected well with all the kids. Here are a few pictures from our visit.

There are around 200 students at LCMI school. I am so thankful to be able to visit them. Papa Mike was able to donate 2 computers for a computer lab planned soon. They are already adding in to the school to make room for the lab.

The students go through 9th grade now with plans to expand to 12th grade. They recently hired a principal for LCMI to ease some of the work on Emmanuel. His name is Jonathan Dennis and Emmanuel is happy with how things are working out for them. Here is ‘Assistant Chairman Dennis outside the school.

After the school visit we headed out with Mother Wintee, Princess, Meko, Emmanuel and the myself. The ladies had plans to go shopping in the market downtown and I was surprised to have Emmanuel take me out for a nice lunch.

After eating we waited for the ladies to call and say they were ready to go. That’s my idea of shopping.

Once we picked them up in a VERY BUSY marketplace we headed back and finally stopped by an ‘Orange’ store and I purchased the data pack I wanted. As I type Emmanuel is driving us back to his home. All in all it was a good day. Tomorrow I would lol be leading the Bible study at the evening service. Our plans are still to visit Titus and Mercy on Saturday. Our tentative plans are to go to Yekepa, the orphanage and clinic next week.

As I’ve said before being with Emmanuel is sometimes very tiring and today was no exception. I say tired, and I mean that literally. I had a great day, but with all that we did I am ready for bed and it is only 8:00 pm. I’m sure I’m still adjusting to the time change, but Emmanuel does keep a full schedule.

The day started with a quick breakfast followed by the walk across the front yard to Sunday School. Pastor Dennis, a worker in the LCMI school spoke an Abram’s call and God’s promises in Genesis 12. We had a good discussion on the text. The main worship service followed with singing and praise that Liberian’s are great at. I was then privileged to speak from Daniel 1, followed by communion for my first time in Liberia. That was rather special.

Did I mention that Emmanuel had told me about the recent start of Liberia Electric Company with direct wiring to the home and the church with a meter of sorts. He said occasionally there is a problem where the current goes off, but like everything here in Liberia, people take it in stride. Well, my first night here I enjoyed the blowing of the fan in my room…until around 5:30 a.m. or so. The fan went off Saturday morning, just a few hours after we went to bed. A storm came through that night and we can only guess that was the reason that LEC power was out. It is now Sunday night and no idea if the power company will restore the power. I am grateful that Emmanuel has a generator. This too is Liberia!

Back to Sunday.

After a good lunch I was able to visit with many of the people still hanging around after church. It was great connecting again.

Becky Cooper

Blessing and Grace Jonah

Meko Wonbenyakeh

After eating and visiting it was time to head out to visit members of LCMI that were sick or hurting. We walked all around the community catching up with and praying for many.

As we were walking back to pass by the house and go on to another visit we noticed a motorbike in front of Emmanuel’s home. We had to stop and visit.

Yes it was Titus and Mercy stopping in for a visit. We had a great time catching up and we made tentative plans to meet again later in the week. Titus is in school so his only day off is Saturday. We plan to swallow GB together then. By the way, do you notice the little boy? I made a friend of this little guy. He followed me around everywhere and would sit in my lap if I ever sat down. If I went to my room he would walk in and surprise me at how quiet he was. I started asking what his name was and nobody could tell me. So, after this picture I asked Mother Wintee who he was and she didn’t know. As Wintee asked loudly of the kids running around one little girl told us his name is Marvelous. What a great name. I’ll see if he’s around tomorrow. I’m not sure who his parents are, but that’s normal around Emmanuel’s home as kids are always hanging around and parents know they are safe there.

After Titus left we went out to visit a few more houses. I found it very sweet to walk around the community and hear children call out ‘Hi, Dad Robin’. Even Emmanuel commented about the kids recognizing me. But, truth be told they don’t have too many old white men walking around their community. At one house a little girl ran up and gave me a hug followed by her sister. I feel honored to be recognized by them.

Now we are sitting in their living room after a meal of fried egg sandwiches with jelly on them. I am really enjoying the fresh pineapple. It is so juicy and good.

Tomorrow I will get a local SIM card so I won’t have to jump on Emmanuel’s hotspot to send my updates.

Thanks for all the prayers and I’ll keep posting updates.

My ‘international’ phone plan is not working so good so I’ll be getting a Liberian SIM card on Monday. This too is Liberia.

Today I was told needed to be a rest day and I definitely needed it. After all the travel and getting to Emmanuel’s house after 1:00 in the morning I already felt bad for everyone who had to stay up in order to pick me up so late at the airport that I thought the least I could go was go to bed right away to allow everyone else to rest. Of course it didn’t happen exactly like that. When we arrived at the house Princess Kau had potato greens and GB waiting for me. We ate a good meal and didn’t get to bed until around 2:00 or later.

When we did go to bed I wasn’t sure how long I would sleep since my clock was off with all the odd hours.

10:00 a.m. that’s how long I would sleep. It felt good so I got up to find more food waiting for breakfast. We even had some ‘blonde brownie’ that Patty made for Emmanuel. It was enjoyed by all.

I did lay back down just after noon since jet lag was definitely hitting me. I slept another hour. I’m still dragging a little at 9:15 pm, but I’m guessing tomorrow will be better.

It was great catching up with people today. We just stayed around the house and I got a tour of the guest house to see the progress. Redemption Hill church in Iron Mt. supplied some funds for the water tower project that has begun here. The frame was set in concrete today with plans to set the 1000 gallon tank next week.

Since I am so tired I’ll be heading to bed and hopefully fill in more details tomorrow.

God bless,

It seems like a lot longer than the 29 hours since I boarded the plane in Green Bay, but it also hasn’t been too bad. I was able to get ahead of the snow in Green Bay and we took off from Chicago with snow coming down at a good pace. It was then on to Dulles in Washington DC where I met a couple nice gentlemen, Jim Black and John Ames, who work for Converge churches and they are headed to Liberia as well. We struck up a conversation and from DC on to Brussels we were able to visit quite a bit. We even had breakfast together at Brussels. With the 7 hour layover it was a nice break.

The next flight stopped at Freetown, Sierra Leone to drop people off and we are sitting at this airport waiting to takeoff for the last 45 minute flight to Monrovia. I’m looking forward to seeing Emmanuel at the airport and getting a good night’s sleep. I’ll write more tomorrow.

It seems like a lot longer than the 29 hours since I boarded the plane in Green Bay, but it also hasn’t been too bad. I was able to get ahead of the snow in Green Bay and we took off from Chicago with snow coming down at a good pace. It was then on to Dulles in Washington DC where I met a couple nice gentlemen, Jim Black and John Ames, who work for Converge churches and they are headed to Liberia as well. We struck up a conversation and from DC on to Brussels we were able to visit quite a bit. We even had breakfast together at Brussels. With the 7 hour layover it was a nice break.

The next flight stopped at Freetown, Sierra Leone to drop people off and we are sitting at this airport waiting to takeoff for the last 45 minute flight to Monrovia. I’m looking forward to seeing Emmanuel at the airport and getting a good night’s sleep. I’ll write more tomorrow.

Can one really know you are headed on an adventure? Based on Merriam -Webster‘s definition I will have to wait and see if this new trip to the beautiful country of Liberia will truly be an ‘Adventure’. Based on my past trips, there is no doubt in my mind I will have another remarkable experience.

So, why, in a time of global uncertainty, would I decide to travel to the small country of Liberia, enduring the extra scrutiny, the covid tests, the masks and the social distancing? The answer is simply that I love the people I already know there and I believe God placed this desire in me to continue to grow my relationships with them and to increase my outreach to others.

I am privileged to speak at different churches, to visit people and to cultivate my relationships to a deeper caring and support of the Liberian people. Please pray that God uses me in ways to bring glory to Him.

Boarding begins in less than one hour for the start of this journey.

Follow along on my journey and see if I truly have a remarkable experience…a true adventure.