Honestly!

Honestly, I never thought I would be spending so much time teaching the simple principle of honesty. Perhaps I’ve taken this fundamental truth for granted…and perhaps it isn’t so simple.

As I interview many Liberian church members and African missionaries, I learn of their backgrounds, their challenges, their hardships, and their strengths. Their stories are quite incredible. Sometimes I have 50-75 interviews per week, and they are both inspiring and tiring. Most interviews are about 15 minutes long, a few are shorter and many are much longer, depending on the need. These interviews are for assessing how an individual is doing, for reporting their progress, and for teaching and for encouraging. I enjoy meeting with people…I only wish I had more time because I hate rushing through conversations. I like knowing people at a more personal level.

One question I often ask Liberians is, “What does it mean to be honest?” Nine times out of ten the answer I get is, “It means to be nice” or “to be respectful.” This has been shocking to me. Yes, it’s good to be nice and respectful, but that is not the same as being honest. Honesty and integrity are concepts that are not well understood here or at least fully developed.

People generally know they should not steal, or they have learned that. In fact, when a robber, called a zogo, is chased down and caught by the local villagers, it is not uncommon for the zogo to be stoned to death. The zogos that are arrested and taken to the police station are actually the lucky ones. The lesson they learn is not, “Be honest and don’t steal.” Their real lesson is, “Don’t ever get caught.”

The children here are adorable. Their laughter and smiles are contagious. Unfortunately, many of them get beat when they are young, sometimes for disobedience but sometimes for crying or spilling their rice. Sometimes food will be withheld from them for a day or two as punishment. This isn’t always the case, but abuse is quite common. It is disturbing the first time one hears or sees a child getting beat. Sometimes we can intervene, but sometimes it isn’t in our control and we have to step carefully. Children here learn very young not to upset their parents or they will get hit. Thus, being honest to them means, “Don’t get your mother or father angry.” If that involves telling a lie, lie.

A lot of our work in teaching people about the Gospel of Jesus Christ centers on honesty: “Being honest means choosing not to lie, steal, cheat, or deceive in any way.” We are not honest because we are worried about being caught. We are honest because it is the right thing to do. With our missionaries, we’ve shared this short video, and then we talk about the pros of honesty and the cons of dishonesty.

We teach the new members and also our missionaries that God is completely honest. How would you like to believe in a god that is honest 95% of the time? That’s not good enough. If my wife, Nancy, said she’d be true to me 95% of the time, I’m certain we would not have a great marriage. There would be no trust! I’m pretty sure Nancy would not be happy with me being honest with her even 99%.

Honesty is a principle our world desperately needs…and it must be taught. Only when a society understands and chooses to be honest do they rid themselves of corruption and fully prosper. I’m so grateful we have had honesty taught to us in our country, in our faith, and in our family. Of course none of us are perfect but we need to strive for and practice honesty. The virtue of honesty is critical in relationships and in society. Many of the African missionaries are new to the Church in the last few years and are learning that I don’t want them to just be nice to me. I want them to be honest with me 100%…and not only with me but with themselves and with the Lord.  Zone conferences this month have been focused on the theme: Possess Honesty & Integrity, which is one of our mission’s six core values. A touching story about the personal value of our honesty is captured in this video, from a talk by Robert Gay:

This month we had another wild trip to the Southeast to strengthen the Greenville Branch. The ride was bouncy and beautiful. We provided training and instruction, including the topic of honesty and integrity, especially in financial training. When we arrived in Greenville, there were no hotel rooms available, so we stayed with the missionaries. Elder Charumbira and Elder Aspinall gave us one of their back rooms, and they were kind enough to sacrifice their air conditioner so we could sleep in comfort. (By the way, Charumbira means Lion King in his language.) Those two missionaries are doing a great job nurturing that branch and teaching others about the gospel. Their courtyard was quite beautiful, and among the tropical plants, we could see pineapples, bananas and other fruit growing. The church building was clean thanks to the members’ efforts, but the roof had leaked and destroyed their computer. The building was also recently robbed, and the wiring was stolen, as well as the cables to the generator, so we’ll need to address fixing and replacing those items. It seems every week something is stolen from the church buildings or missionary apartments. It’s disappointing. Honestly.

As I said, the road to Greenville was beautiful, but it was also punishing. Morris (our driver), got us through a number of incredible mud holes and craters the size of football fields. One place the ruts were bigger than the huge tankers. They couldn’t get up the slippery road, called “Palm Butter Hill.” Good thing it is dry season or we wouldn’t have been able to make it. The one way trip takes about eleven hours. Eight hours is on bumpy, muddy roads. Thanks to Dramamine, I kept my breakfast down this time. Below is a video of what it is like for 8 hours. This ain’t no “Sunday drive.”

Arriving back home safely is always good, even though a lot of work stacks up while we are gone. It never stops. We sent home missionaries and welcomed new ones — such fine young people with a desire to serve the Lord and their fellowman. I feel like our missionaries are getting better and better. The ones here are growing, and the new missionaries are following in their tracks. Being here for nine months, we have been able to observe progress and growth as the church units continue to stand more on their own. Our district in Kakata has some great leaders, and it is gratifying to see President Harmon and his counselors teaching their leaders correct principles and how to run the church with honesty and integrity. Below are pictures from a recent training session, led completely by the district.

This past week we’ve had an eventful time dealing with numerous missionaries with health problems. We feel blessed to have clinics that help us and medical doctors we can call for advice. Nancy continues to be great mission nurse. We had two missionaries involved in a keke accident where the driver fell asleep and rolled his vehicle three times. It was completely destroyed, but miraculously, the missionaries had no broken bones – only aches and road rash. Amidst all the crazy of Liberia, we continue to be impressed with how we feel watched over and blessed here.

This week, we had a couple more thefts and break-ins. (Sigh.) While a couple of missionaries were sleeping, two air conditioner compressors were stolen. You’d think they would hear the burglars during the night, but they got away after unbolting them from the wall. We of course try to replace the AC units and build bars around them to secure them, but it is an ongoing battle. Sadly, we also had one of the senior missionaries’ apartments broken into when they weren’t home. Even with tall walls, barbed wire, security cameras, and part time guards, it doesn’t stop the zogos. We now have added a full-time security guard with enhanced barbed wire on the walls. I’m sure the poverty is a key factor why dishonesty is pervasive. Fortunately, Liberia doesn’t have a lot of violent crime, and we feel pretty safe, but we always must be vigilant wherever we go. Teaching honesty and helping the people understand correct gospel principles is really the only way to help this society improve.

Now I can’t close with this being the week of Easter and not express my gratitude to our Father in Heaven and His Son. I am so grateful to understand the purpose of life and of family. I am a witness to the life, sacrifice, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I hope my attitude and actions always reflect that I remember and follow Him. I believe with all my soul that He is our Savior and Redeemer and He leads His Church today. Honestly, that is the real reason we’re here.