Archive for the ‘Memories of Liberia’ Category

In honor of Pastor Andrew Gombay’s upcoming visit to Algoma next week, I thought I would re-post this “music” video.  It features the worship team from Pastor Andrew’s church.  They were singing a song to honor us (Pastor Bill Pevlor and Brian Matthys) at the conclusion of a conference for pastors in Monrovia, Liberia.  You will see pastor Andrew and his wife, Swehna join the team.  Even I get pulled into the frivolity at the end. (You’ll recognize me as the goofy looking white guy.)

When I first encountered the children of Esther’s Hope I was smitten.  (If you know me that, in itself, is a remarkable statement.)  Their bright eyes,  wide smiles and warm hearts are irresistible.  And I’m not the only who would have to admit it.  I’m delightfully amused to introduce others to our children and watch them be helplessly taken captive.  Over the years, it seems everyone who encounters the Esther’s Hope group can’t resist becoming more involved.  A prime example would be Justin Prud’homme.

I was introduced to Justin and his wife, Katey, a few months ago via the Internet by a mutual friend.  Justin volunteered to visit the Refuge Home to take some photos I needed to update the EsthersHope.com website.  One visit and he was hooked.  (He shared his experience in a previous post: A Fresh Perspective of Esther’s Hope.)

I received an email last week from Justin.  He had gone back to visit the refuge home…and took a crew of friends to do some work.  Here’s his message and some photos from that project.

Hi Pastor Bill!

Justin Prud'homme

Katey and I got some friends together and went out to the Home two weekends ago to do a little DIY construction on the home. We replaced the mosquito screens on several of the windows, and then erected 4×4 posts in a cement base around the shower.

The idea is to go back in one of the coming weekends (before the rains start in earnest) and erect a privacy wall and a small roof so the kids can shower in private and have a place to change into their dry clothes in the shower. Katey and I return to the US tomorrow for a month, so we’ll probably miss the next visit, but will hopefully be there on the next one.

The kids were very interested in the work, and very eager to help. Very cute too!

*Note: The following is a continuation of Liberia’s Children Touched My Life by Brian Matthys.  Part 1 was posted January 16, 2009.]

I listened to the stories of every child that day. While recording the stories of the orphans seemed rather simple and straightforward, the task was made more difficult by the strong accents and the Liberian English. I found myself continually repeating what I was told in a questioning manner to make sure I had heard it right. One story in particular was hard to understand, or perhaps I just didn’t want to believe it. That story was of brother and sister, Isaac and Jennet Wiah.

Pastor Linus explained to me that Isaac and Jennet had only been at the orphanage for two weeks. “Two weeks?” I questioned as Pastor Linus confirmed what I thought I had heard. This fact shocked me. It wasn’t as surprising to hear about children who had been there for years and were toddlers when they arrived at the refuge home. Isaac and Jennet had only been without a parent for 2 weeks, and the oldest was nine years old.

I immediately began to wonder what was going through their minds. Were they scared, confused or sad? How were they coping with this sudden massive change? Did they understand everything that was going on and that this was going to be their new home for a long time? No longer having parents to provide for them, they now had caretakers who would provide for their food, shelter and safety along with all the other kids.

Pastor Linus continued to share with me that the father had been intentionally poisoned with bad food by people in the community. “Intentionally poisoned?” I asked, hoping that the accent had hindered my understanding. “Yes”, Pastor Linus replied, “He was a hard worker and people were jealous of him.” Indignation immediately rose up in me. No tragic unforeseen car accident, no deadly incurable disease, instead they were killed because of some peoples’ immature jealousy. Now because of that jealousy two kids were without their parents and were instead at an orphanage. These children had parents who loved them, both a father and a mother, but now needlessly they were orphans.

I was also told that one year after the father died, the mother died from worry after getting sick. I never asked exactly what that meant but I could only imagine what these kids’ last year was like. A grief stricken mother now without a father’s income and two children to care for, apparently so overwhelmed that it contributed to her death. These kids had been through so much turmoil in the past year.

Isaac was described by Pastor Linus as quiet and calm. I wondered if that was how he had been before coming to the orphanage or if he was just bewildered by where life had brought him. His younger sister Jennet was described as very active and never alone, always with friends.

There was nothing that I could do to change the past of Isaac and Jennet, or the pasts of the other kids at the refuge home, but I resolved to do what I could about their future even if all I could do was contribute 30 dollars a month. We have yet to find sponsors for Isaac and Janet.  Will you please pray and consider becoming a part of changing their lives or one of the other children of Esther’s Hope? You can browse our Children page to find a child to sponsor or give a one time donation immediately by clicking on the Donate button.

In January of 2007 I had the privilege of traveling with my pastor, Bill Pevlor, to Liberia. While he conducted the “Training Trainers Conference” for local pastors, I focused my time on the children of the orphanage by taking pictures and gathering information about them; information that I could use to share the plight of these children with the world.

Although I knew my job was rather simple and straightforward I wasn’t prepared for how much of an impact it would have on me and how it would change my life forever. Of course I wanted the basic information such as name, age, and grade in school, but I also wanted to get some personal information. I wanted to learn the reasons they were at the orphanage, what their likes and dislikes were and the things that make each child unique and different from the rest.

A number of days after first being introduced to the children I sat down with the administrator of the orphanage, Pastor Linus, and another caretaker to gather the information. Going into this job I knew that this would, at times, be a rather depressing task. These were, after-all, orphans in an extremely poor, war-ravaged country. I sat and listened to stories of parents being killed in the war, teenage mothers unable to care for their children, a parent with tuberculosis, a mother whose new husband did not want a child around and kids brought to the orphanage instead of being put on the street to beg.

Most commonly, the story I heard was a single parent or relative too poor to care for a child. I knew that while these stories were sad, these kids were the fortunate ones, to be at a home that cared for them and provided for them. Countless other children were going hungry, begging on streets, in numerous bad situations, taking care of themselves, seemingly without anybody who loved them or cared for them.

It wasn’t all bad though. I was also told of kids who loved to play soccer, eat, sing gospel songs, pray, write and draw. One child, I was told, loved to cook and would often cry when not in the kitchen. Another child loved to read the Bible and would lead the morning devotion for the other children.

As I sat and learned about each of these children they became real to me. A week earlier they were just poor orphans a world away around the globe and a world away from my world; not much different than many I had seen on TV or in a brochure. A couple of days earlier they became orphans that I could touch and play with and look into their eyes. But now they had become orphans who were real to me, who had personalities with likes and dislikes and who had a story of how they got to this point in their life.

They had become a part of my life that could not be forgotten. It’s easy to forget a commercial about helping orphans in a third world country or even forget meeting somebody, but these children had penetrated a place in my heart and mind where I knew that they could never leave. I also knew that I would not be the same for having met them and hearing their stories. I got more then I bargained for on that trip. I knew I would have the opportunity to help some orphans, but I didn’t know that I would end up being the one who was really changed.

If you are interested in positively impacting the life of an orphan in Liberia and having your heart touched also, please browse The Children page and consider sponsoring an Esther’s Hope child. You can also help today by clicking the Donate button to easily make a donation using your credit/debit card.

[This story continues: Liberia's Children Touched My Life - Part 2]

I think it’s always helpful to consider things from different perspectives.  That’s hard to do on your own.  For a truly fresh perspective, you need another person; preferably one who is new to the situation.  Enter Justin Prud’homme.

A mutual friend put me in touch with a young couple from the U.S. beginning an assignment in Monrovia, Liberia – newlyweds, Katey Schein and Justin Prud’home. (Learn more about them at the bottom of this post.)

I mentioned I was hoping to get some recent photos of the children and the Refuge Home and Justin jumped at the opportunity.  He’s a freelance writer and agreed to write about his visit with Pastor Andrew and the children. Here’s Justin’s fresh perspective for you…

On the busy asphalt leading away from the port of Monrovia towards Battery Factory community, there is a single sign to indicate which dirt side street leads to Esther’s Hope Refuge Home. Ageing and faded, the sign is obscured by red dust that comes up off the shoulder. You would be forgiven for missing it as the sign fails to compete with the alarming traffic for attention.

The sign is rendered even more inadequate by the jarring path that aggressively attacks cars as they follow it’s twists and turns. First through lumber yards, then under clothing lines and finally ending at a small, sandy communal area, bordered on one side by the bamboo fence of Esther’s Hope Refuge Home.

School is out for the Christmas break when I first visit the Home, so when Pastor Andrew Gombay greets me at the bamboo gate thirty sets of curious eyes watch us shake hands, then fix on me as they vocally welcome me in unison.

Mid-Thirties and clean cut, Pastor Andrew has a genial calm about him as we walk around the tiny compound. He asks about Pastor Bill Pevlor, our mutual acquaintance and the person who introduced me to Pastor Andrew, he asks about Katey and I and our reason for moving to Liberia. He shows me around the humble rooms of the Home, and we talk about how he was moved to start Esther’s Hope after hearing the testimonies of parishioners at church, how after a particularly troubling testimony he started to wonder what he could do to help, and how he started by taking in two boys to live with him.

Such ‘adoptions’ are a story I’ve heard a number of times since arriving in Liberia. Relatives and sometimes non-relatives take in one or more kids from another family to give them a better life. Some kids are temporarily adopted, just until their parents can get back on their feet, and some are more permanent adoptees. I think it’s a testament to the strength of community in Liberia or perhaps most to the importance Liberians place on family. For Pastor Andrew it was only the beginning.

The Esther’s Hope Refuge Home is now a Child Rescue project of the Victorious Faith Ministries (Algoma, WI). Thirty children are housed at the Home, some are orphans and others have a parent or parents who are unable to care for them. As we walk around the small yard Pastor Andrew explains that in the best case, the Home is able to re-unite children with parents or other relatives who are able to care for the young charges, but it’s not always easy or possible.

As Pastor Andrew tells it, the government has a law in place that prohibits children over 18 years of age from staying at homes like Esther’s Hope. So pressure exists to make sure the children have somewhere to go after they’re 18, because the streets of Monrovia are no place for an 18-year old orphan.

But pressure from an approaching age limit is far from the chief challenge facing Pastor Andrew. A more pressing concern is funding. He admits that there have been several times when he’s been unsure of where the next week’s food will come from, where money to pay for tuition will come from, or where clothing will come from. He has a lot of good insight into fundraising, and has obviously thought a lot about it, but solutions remain difficult to come by. In talking about the land the Home is built on (paid for) he accidentally lets slip that he still lives in rented accommodation. Later I find out that some of the staff, all parishioners equally passionate about the Home, are being paid in bits and pieces as and when money comes available

At this point I think I might be starting to worry about those questions too, so obvious is the need at Esther’s Hope. But Pastor Andrew gives a relaxed smile and says each time he has prayed his prayers have been answered in some way.

Eventually we walk back to the covered area that the children have gathered in this morning. The purpose of my visit is to take profile pictures of the children to update the Esther’s Hope website. After a few group photos the children start coming up one by one to sit inches from the camera lens. Some are shy, some unsure of where they should look, but Pastor Andrew sits at arms reach away and talks to each of them. He reassures the wary and playfully teases the confident. Out of each child he manages to coax a genuine smile. The smiles remain as the children form a half circle and start to sing once all have been photographed. Then a djembe drum comes out and one by one they work their way into the middle to dance to the music, from the youngest and smallest of them, to the seventeen year-olds nearly out of time at the Home.

The joy on their faces is genuine and the scene is incredibly uplifting. Finally they bow their heads and pray for my safety and wellbeing before Pastor Andrew walks me back to the car, back to a life of plenty and my own family.

About the author…

In April of 2009, newlyweds Katey and Justin decided to actively look for an opportunity to move overseas for a work assignment. Born in Chicago, IL, Katey studied at George Washington University in Washington DC and soon after secured a job there working on food security. Justin is a citizen of Mauritius and was living in Virginia having stayed in the USA to work following graduation from Elizabethtown College, PA. They met through rugby in Washington DC, where they both played, and were married in December 2008.

In August 2009 Katey was working for USAID in Washington DC when she was offered an opportunity to move to Liberia to work on USAID funded food security programs there. Two months later, on October 8th, they arrived in Monrovia for the start of their assignment.

Katey works as a Food For Peace Officer for USAID Liberia, and Justin is currently a freelance writer but looking for fulltime employment. They have both really enjoyed their first three months in Liberia, and look forward to the rest of their tour.

They maintain their own blog: Softly Softly catches Monkey
(“Softly Softly catches Monkey” is a Liberian expression that means “easy does it.”)

You’ll be seeing more of Justin’s photographic work on the Esther’s Hope blog and website in the near future.

Feel free to leave any comments for Justin and Katey.