… a Few More Steps Forward 👍🏼

Nearly three years ago, when Jeff and I first came to Liberia, we attended the Kakata District Conference. The conference was held at Kakata City Hall, and when we arrived, it was decorated with lots of yellow and blue balloons. I thought, “Wow! They go all out for these conferences.” I didn’t realize the balloons were left over from a wedding held the the day before. 

At that first district conference, there were about 550 people in attendance, from five branches and one group. They were all very welcoming, kind and excited to get to know us — and of course wanted to have their picture taken with us. I felt like a celebrity. The meeting was good, but a little “rough around the edges.” Nevertheless, we were grateful to be part of the conference.

The following week, we attended the Kingsville branch, one of the branches in this district. They had about 35 people in attendance, and they met in an open palava hut. There was a dog asleep at the sacrament table, and lizards and chickens running past our feet while we listened to members give their first talks in sacrament meeting.  African drums from a different church were banging in the distance. After the sacrament meeting, the Primary children and the Relief Society women met under a tree for classes. I loved it! This is what I imagined church would be like in Africa. 

But this little branch steadily grew and qualified for additional funding and an expanded meeting space. A new building was constructed, and for the past 18 months they have enjoyed meeting in their own chapel.  They now have over 120 people regularly attending church each week, and it is growing.

In addition to the growth in Kingsville, Bong Mine grew from a group to an official branch, and they also now have a new facility to hold their church meetings.  

Another branch at Morris Farm is also bursting at the seams…and we have been desperately trying to find a bigger space where they can meet. There is not even standing room except outside the building. Recently, within the Kakata District, we have opened up new groups in Careysburg, Mandina and Weala. The growth in this part of Liberia is exciting!

We, along with our senior couples and the district presidency, have conducted leadership training every six weeks for all the branch leadership in Kakata and ten other mission branches. This has been beneficial as we have taught them the basics: how to lead a meeting, how to call someone to a calling, how to teach classes, and many other skills. Some of the new leaders are more seasoned, but some need help with things like managing their own finances. We have to teach them the basics, including how to calculate their own personal tithing. A 10% calculation is simple for most people that have had basic math, but that is not common here. In fact many people have never used a calculator or logged onto a computer… but they are all very motivated to learn!

Because of the rapid growth in the Kakata District, we were able to expand one of our church buildings to support the entire district, and to be used as a future stake center. This past weekend was the opening of this building for the Kakata District semi-annual conference. It was our sixth and final conference with them, and it was certainly one of those “blue sky, above the clouds” moments! On Saturday, we held leadership training, followed by a two-hour adult session. There were about 170 people in attendance, and the meetings were excellent. We can see they are “getting it.” 

The following morning at the Sunday general session, the district clerk took attendance and reported 1,647 people present — triple the amount when we arrived in 2022. (Current records show there are 1,467 baptized members in Kakata, so there were many visitors that day, curious about the Church and the restored gospel.) It is easy to get excited about numbers, but much more important than attendance and the number of new buildings is the growth of the individuals — their convictions, testimonies, and commitment to truly following Christ. The Sunday meeting was well organized with printed programs, a choir and feelings of unity among the people. The talks included personal experiences, scriptures and personal accounts of how their lives have changed for the better because of living the gospel. We could feel their faith and the joy the gospel has brought them.

Recently I was talking to a branch president. He told me how grateful he is to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He said “I feel so much JOY! Before I joined the Church, my life had no purpose, no real meaning. Because of the gospel, I try to be a better person.” In 600 BC, the Book of Mormon prophet Lehi taught exactly that lesson to his son, Jacob: God’s plan is, “Men are that they might have JOY.” One of the greatest blessings of being here is witnessing the joy the gospel brings to the people. 

As we drove back from the conference to Monrovia, Jeff’s first counselor, Elton Mitchell was telling us about one of the first temple trips early Liberian church members took to Ghana. They had to plan, save and sacrifice. The trip was not easy. I am not sure all the details, but they went by bus all the way from Liberia to Ghana, sometimes carving their own roads and cooking their food with the local tribes.  The entire trip took them three weeks. On the way home, the bus again got stuck in the mud. It was very bad. President Mitchell was part of the rescue crew that went to help them. When he found them, the members were tired, hungry, covered in mud, but he heard them singing the hymn, “Come, Come Ye Saints.” He said, even with all the problems, the people were happy. They found joy even in hard times. He said a few members of that group have passed on, but almost everyone in that group has remained faithful and strong in the gospel and are leading in the Church today. After we dropped president Mitchell off, Jeff and I talked about the remarkable step forward in the Kakata District. They will be a stake before too long.

The following week, we went to Buchanan, which is a few hours in a different direction. There, the newly formed Harbel District was meeting for leadership training. The leadership of seven units of the Church gathered for five hours of training on a Saturday. It was the first official training conducted by the district leaders with only partial help from us. The meeting was led by President Boakai Dukuly and his two counselors, President Singbeh and President Zorma. We were amazed!  Their training was outstanding and gave us such great hope for this young district. 

President Dukuly was baptized by a young missionary from Maine in 2018, and it was incredible to see his leadership skills and understanding of the Church develop in seven short years. He has great integrity and drive, and also humility and kindness… and he has the warmest and friendliest smile! It is powerful to see the Spirit work within him as he teaches and ministers to the other leaders. We felt that the creation and launch of this new district is another huge step forward for the Church in Liberia. We think Buchanan will one day be a stake as well.

The month of March has also been a busy one for changing branch presidencies. In some branches, missionaries have been serving as the branch presidents, so leadership changes are more frequent, but it is powerful to see these young 20’ish year-old missionaries lead the unit, and train the members how to do their duties. We’ve changed branch presidencies in Ganta, Zwedru, and Buchanan 1^st branch and soon in Harper. Everywhere we have gone this past month has been a tender mercy to see the growth that is happening and to see the joy in the faces of the people.

Liberia is making progress in other ways too. Our first trip to Zwedru a few years ago took us a brutal 15 hours of bumpy muddy driving — each way. The trip this last month, was made in half that time and without nausea, thanks to newly paved roads for part of the way, along with ironed-out dirt roads and Brother Morris’ fast driving. We were even surprised on this trip to see some sidewalks installed in some of the villages. They seemed out of place in the middle of a jungle. As the roads improve, it makes it much easier to travel, visit and train the church members in outlying areas… and there are many people calling me each week asking if the Church can open in their county or town. It will take another five years (or likely more) to connect the paved roads to the southeast or up to the northern counties, but they are taking steps forward, and it is good to see the progress over the last three years.

So much is happening. I often don’t say enough about our amazing missionaries. They continue to work hard, day in and day out, in the heat or in the rain. This past month, we set up a March Madness Challenge to strive to be more obedient in the small things. Each companionship checked in daily, and the winners were posted in a photo with our very own wooden LMM (Leo Marvin Missionary)!

In Liberia, it doesn’t take much to survive. The rain-forest climate means Liberians have no heat bills, and you can survive without electricity. Water can be obtained from the rivers or the wells, though it isn’t often clean water. Food grows readily on trees or is shared by neighbors. On the other hand, thriving is extremely difficult, with numerous health challenges and perils, without electricity to keep food fresh or to provide basic power. The people have so very, very little, and they are hungry not just for food, but to find meaning and joy in their lives. THAT is the blessing of the gospel. This isn’t just wishful religious thinking. This is real substance that helps the Liberians understand their path and purpose. It is obvious when they embrace the gospel — this knowledge brings them such JOY. It has been great to see these remarkable steps forward in this part of the world.