The Outreach Events have been a huge success. Thanks to our local contacts, Eleazar and George, the Pastor's Seminars have been well attended. Our teachers are providing Liberian pastors with Biblical insight into things like leadership and counseling. Corruption, bribery, and the mis-treatment of women are prevalent here, so our teachers are helping the pastors understand how to stand against those things. The pastors are soaking up the information like sponges. Highly-qualified, Biblical teaching is rarely available for pastors of jungle churches. Irving Mawolo is one of the instructors, and is also a Liberian-American. He and I have been rooming together, and it has been interesting gaining insight from him on the challenges the pastors face within their villages. He's been doing a fantastic job of using his education and talents to train other church leaders in his home-country.
The basketball team has had the opportunity to interact with and minister to the younger population in Yekep'a and Ganta. The crowds at the games have been great, and it has been fun to watch how athletics has opened doors to building relationships and trust. Our opponents have taken the games seriously, and have been “good-sports” even in defeat. Today, we will play the all-star team from Buchanan. Thanks to George Lavien for arranging this...we expect a good game. Their coach called me yesterday to tell me they are excited to play us, but wanted me to know that they are a great team, and that we should expect a more competitive game than the first two we played. He also requested that we play them two consecutive days. He took his team away from the city yesterday, and they spent last night camping together and getting mentally prepared for today's contest. More on this another time.
The band concerts have been awesome. We've had great turnouts in both Yekep'a and Ganta. The band is a group of praise and worship musicians, from The Grove Bible Church, who have been fabulous. God is working through their music to open the hearts and minds of the local crowd to the message of the gospel. (The pics above are of the venue in Yekep'a. It was an old theater that got looted during the war.)
Scott Erickson has been a brilliant addition to the concerts. He has been painting the message of the gospel on-stage while the band plays and the pastors speak. God is using Scott's work as an artist to captivate people and to illustrate the concept of God's love.
Pastor Palmer Chinchen and a few of the local pastors and church leaders have taken a few moments at the concerts to deliver a message about Jesus. Liberia is only about 5 years removed from a 15 year civil war. Palmer's message is that "Love is better than War"...and that love comes from Jesus Christ. Between the 3 concerts, there have been over 100 Liberians who have publicly responded to the message. Our team and local pastors have prayed with these people, and have arranged for local pastors to stay in contact.
It has been remarkable to see what God has been able to do through us in such a short time. I'm really excited to see how He uses us on the remaining portion of this trip.
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