Sent...: Liberia Visit - November 2024

CLC Board of Missions chairman Joel Krafft and I were supposed to be in Liberia for about ten days. It didn't quite work out that way. Joel departed from Denver, and I from St. Louis. We met in Chicago with just enough time to get on the flight to Brussels. The itinerary had us routing through Brussels with a three-hour layover...plenty of time to get from our arrival gate to the departure gate with time to spare. Unfortunately, as we were taxied out to the runway for take-off in Chicago, the pilot announced that there was a medical emergency on the flight. After sitting on the tarmac for some time, the pilot announced that we would need to return to the terminal for paramedics to assist with the situation. By the time we finally departed, it was evident that we would arrive too late to make our connecting flight from Brussels to Monrovia. Brussels airline rebooked us on the quickest route to Monrovia, which entailed almost 36 hours in Brussels. We were given hotel and meal vouchers and told to return to the airport early enough the next day to retrieve our luggage to be rechecked for our new flights. We were booked on Ethiopian and Asky Airlines with a new route that would take us from Brussels to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Accra, Ghana, to Monrovia, Liberia. More than 30 hours of travel instead of a 7-hour direct flight from Brussels to Monrovia. We made the most of it by having a couple good meals, a good night of sleep, a couple of Uber rides, and a few hours of sightseeing in downtown Brussels. When we arrived early at the airport the next day, Joel reclaimed his suitcase and checked it for our final destination. My suitcase was nowhere to be found. They couldn't tell me if it was still in Chicago, somewhere at the Brussels airport, or on its way to Monrovia. There was no computer trace of my luggage. I was told to look for it upon arrival in Monrovia and file a missing luggage report if it was not there. Well, it wasn't there when we arrived. A report was filed, and I was allowed to look through the luggage storage room to see if I could find it, but it wasn't there.

Once we finished with all the futile searching, we frustratedly exited the airport to find Pastor Joseph Kwiwalazu patiently waiting for us. Because we were a few days behind on the proposed schedule, Joseph had thought we would be able to make the 3.5-hour drive to Gbarnga that night, but by the time we got through immigration and customs and fiddled around trying to find my luggage, it was too late. And Joel and I were exhausted. We checked into a hotel for a short night of sleep. Upon the advice of airport staff, we made a trip to the Brussels Airlines office to file another report on my missing luggage. By 1:00 pm, we were finally ready to head to Gbarnga.

The next week was a flurry of activity. It was great to finally see the places, meet the people, and get to know the many pastors and church leaders we've read so much about from Pastor Hein's reports to the Board of Missions over the past few years.

Our first stop was a visit to Global Village and the leaders of the Lutheran Mission in Liberia (LML), who have been studying with Pastor Hein and Kwiwalazu for the past few years. The story of how the Liberia-CLC came to know of this group is an interesting one that involves war refugees that returned to Liberia after several years living in camps in Guinea, a broken down vehicle on a trip back to Monrovia to catch an evening flight, a Lutheran Missionary from Australia, and an LML pastor in training. If you want to know all the details, ask Pastor Hein to retell the story. In short, the LML is an independent group of Lutheran pastors, congregations, and the Immanuel Lutheran elementary school that have sprung out of an effort to resettle war refugees who escaped to neighboring Guinea during the first and second Liberian civil wars that ravaged the country for nearly fifteen years from 1989-1997 and 1999-2004. Most of the individuals we talked to fled from Liberia with their families when they were children and were raised in refugee camps. In 2010, a group of young refugees decided to return home. With the assistance of several non-profit humanitarian organizations, they purchased land to build a village and begin farming. The village's name is Global Village, and for the past fourteen years, it has grown into a home for approx. 600 residents.

After our visit to Global Village, we took a brief trip north to Lofa State, which borders Guinea. This is also the state where Pastor Joseph grew up. Since we were short on time, we only took a few pictures at the border before heading back to Gbarnga to prepare for the first Liberia-CLC (LCLC) pastoral conference and to greet the arriving pastors.

The LCLC conference began each day at 8:00 AM with an opening devotion led by one of the three LCLC pastors. We tried to wrap things up by 5:00 PM but had to go late on the last two days to get everything finished. I had the privilege of presenting an overview of the CLC's mission program. I also led studies on "How Confessional Lutheran and Methodist Doctrine Differs" and "The Doctrine of Election by Grace." Board of Missions Chairman Joel Krafft also delivered an excellent essay titled "Close Communion: Who We Commune, Who We Don't, and Why."

We heard various essays covering topics such as "The Unit Concept of Fellowship," "A Brief Overview of Lutheran History in Liberia," "The Divine Authority of Scripture," "Biblical Marriage," and "The Blessings of the Lutheran Catechism." A substantial amount of time was devoted to reviewing and discussing the proposed LCLC constitution. Overall, it was a fantastic three days filled with studying and discussing God's Word. We supported one another in ministry and deepened our understanding of the truths revealed to us in the Scriptures. And we received a chicken as a thank-you for attending and representing the CLC at the conference.

One of the highlights of the conference was having Pastor John Hein join us via an online video chat. I used a small, portable, battery-operated projector, along with a local SIM card for my phone and an internet hotspot, which allowed Pastor Hein to address the conference and exchange greetings with most of the attendees. It was truly a joy and a blessing for everyone!

On Saturday, we returned to Monrovia after a brief visit to Kpatawee Falls, where we took some time to relax and appreciate the beauty of God's creation. It was a refreshing break that allowed us to reflect on the events of the past few days and discuss the future plans of the LCLC.

On Sunday, we attended Bible study and worship service at Grace Evangelistic Lutheran Church in Monrovia, where Pastor Joseph serves. I had the opportunity to preach the sermon. At the end of the service, Joel and I each received a hand-sewn traditional Liberian shirt. After the service, we spent some time visiting with several members of the congregation before heading back to our hotel for an afternoon of rest.

On Monday, we spent the morning retrieving my long-lost luggage from the Brussels Airlines office in downtown Monrovia. After wearing the same pair of pants and alternating between two shirts for the past ten days, it felt great to finally have some clean clothes to wear, even if it was only for my last day in Liberia. After picking up my luggage, Joseph gave us a tour of Monrovia that concluded at the beach, where we enjoyed beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean along with some great conversation.

On Tuesday, we began our long journey home. Joel and I flew together from Monrovia to Brussels, where we took separate flights back to our respective homes. Joel routed through London to get to Denver, while I went through Chicago. Fortunately, we both arrived back home just a few minutes apart, and our trip home was uneventful.

All in all, the trip was blessed in many ways. Both Joel and I came away from our visit to Liberia with a better understanding of the work being done by our brothers and sisters in Christ of the LCLC and an appreciation for their love of Christ and dedication to spreading the truth of His saving word!