My second Sunday I was in Liberia, I knew I was being picked up by one of the participants who did not own a car to go and visit a church in a slum area in the city of Monrovia. I was not sure if I would be going on a the back of a motorbike with him, as he had indicated the day before that that may just happen. How do you dress if you going to ride on the back of motorbike on 4x4 roads in the rain? I was very relieved when he arrived in a yellow taxi.
Our drive to church was in a different direction than we had driven to the training venue the whole of the past week. Monrovia was not as far away from where we were living as I had thought. What I did note was that as we got closer to town, that the shops and roads got more civilized. We drove over two substantial rivers. I asked my taxi driver Mohammed what the names of the rivers were. He told me that he did not know and that they were just 'little' rivers anyway... Joseph did not know either.
I arrived in the town and walked through the 'slum' lead by one of the young men in our training who was waiting for us and he accompanied to the church. I had been in a place like this before... the similarities between Du Noon and this slum were uncanny. After many little bends we arrived at this church. As we walked inside I was blown away by the neatness, the beautiful material lining the wall and the stage and the presence...
People greeted me and that is when I found out that I was the guest speaker and I was ushered on stage.
The worship was beautiful and the time of testimony was very special for me, because a few of the testimonies given were by people that were currently doing our training and they were so excited about what they were learning. I have never in all the years I have done training followed people into their churches on Sunday and see how they express what they are learning to their people. It was so encouraging...
I preached from my heart. After all I did not have major time to prepare. I spoke what I believe is my life message...
After this amazing morning I headed back out of the slum into the same yellow taxi with the same participant. Joseph went on to encourage me about how he saw my coming to Liberia. He told me that I was going to touch many children's lives in Liberia because I came. He told me that he was so excited about how I did this... I had come to work with adults who would in turn impact children. He wanted to use his life to influence others to help children as he was witnessing me do with mine. He felt this was a great way to grow the kingdom... I was blown away about the value he attached to what I do. I was blown away about how excited he now was that he was being 'planted out' to a church that has a soccer field attached to it... You see a week before he was asking God why he had a soccer field attached to his new church and now he could not contain his excitement as he told me... 'I am going to plant a children's church! I am going to play with the children, build relationship and 'show' them God and then they will know God. Their families will follow and then we will have a thriving healthy church.' He had a whole plan for church growth, a plan he did not have a week before...
I did not have to tell him how I got to Liberia or why I had come... he told me as he excitedly also told me about his plans and how amazing Our God is. I was left enthused and excited to keep on this road where ever it leads...
I love my work!
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