After a 32 plus hour journey, we arrived in Liberia New Year's evening. On the drive from the airport, we were struck by the many new buildings, including houses and even gas stations. In the past, gas was bought in large mayonnaise jars along the side of the road. James Kesselly's wife, Serina had prepared a delicious rice and soup meal ready for us when we arrived at the guesthouse.

The next morning, we were greeted by Emmanuel, Archie and Paulina, three of the scholarship students, as well as others who are asking for scholarship help. I met with Nene Wonkollie, guest house hostess, and planned the EMA dinner which she and the guesthouse ladies would cook. We took some R and R with Dr. Rick and Debbie Sacra and their family with an overnight to Robertsport, and by Monday we were ready to get to work on all our various projects. Work is always interspersed with visits from old friends, including Samuel Sumo, Barbara Ware (Edith's daughter), Zinnah, Emmanuel, Ben Allison, Ben Manuel, Massa with her son a daughter, Rose with her baby, Stephen and Sebastian Gibson, Tony, and others. (Massa and Rose are requesting scholarships for their children).

Here is a breakdown on what we did with the various projects:

SCHOLARSHIP FUND

• We interviewed and took video of the current scholarship students as they came to visit
• Justyn and Jacob Tokeh came to see us Thursday afternoon, and we were able to interview Jacob about his scholarship, and also videotaped an interview with Archie Blaine.
• I met with Benedict Nagbe, the principal at ELWA Academy (who also heads up the ELWA Scholarship Program) to organize files for all of the scholarship students. He said that due to the large increase in school tuition fees this year, many of the ELWA staff have had to pull their children out of ELWA Academy and enroll them in alternative local schools such as Carver. In spite of the tuition increase, ELWA Academy enrollment remains high--around 400 (students from other schools which raised their tuitions to even higher levels transferred to ELWA Academy). The new school building down by the nursery school building is finished and being used. Benedict is extremely busy with his duties at the school and administering the ELWA
• Scholarship Program, in addition to attending a master's program at the University of Liberia.
• Friday afternoon, Clip, Nate, James Kesselly, Benedict Nagbe and I met for our annual ELWA Scholarship meeting. We are encouraged by the dedication of James and Benedict in administering this program for needy children. It was decided that students need to apply annually, be evaluated on the basis of need and performance, and decided to also institute home visits. At this time, the scholarship program includes k-12th grades, but due to limited funds, does not include college level scholarships.

ORPHAN JOY PARTIES

• Wednesday I met with Eric Koker from REAP to plan the Susie Guenter Orphan Joy party, while Jim, Nate, Crystal and John drove to Monrovia to buy the food for the EMA dinner on Friday.
• Thursday morning, Jefferson picked us up in his van and took us to Susie Guenter for the Orphan Joy party. Christine and her REAP staff were there with the children and staff from Susie Guenter, all sitting in a group under the trees when we arrived. After a time of singing and introduction, Clip gave a devotional, challenging us all to run the race in our Christian lives to the finish line. We then had a craft time, along with handing out stickers and balloons, after which we all enjoyed a jollaf rice dinner. Our party ended with soccer game and then handing out gifts to all of the children and caregivers. Many thanks goes to Dr. Roth, Joelle Koci, and the students at Christian Heritage Academy, Community for Christ at Wheaton Bible church and others who donated zip lock packaged gifts for the orphanages.
• Katie had 12 hour flu Friday night into Saturday morning, but PTL was well enough by the time we left for the orphan joy party at Phebe Grey (Phebe Grey is the orphanage where Crystal spent so much time in 2005 during her college internship). We started out for Phebe Grey around 9:45 am. Jefferson kindly allowed us to borrow his van for the trip. Our first stop was the gas station, but we weren't able to get gas because the gas cap was stuck, so we headed back to the guesthouse at ELWA for some tools. After another stop at Rusty's house, Jim and Nate were able to figure out the problem, and we were on our way again (only an hour late).
• The 100 plus children, their caregivers, and the REAP staff were all gathered in their newly constructed meeting room/kitchen when we arrived. They welcomed us with singing, and a little boy read a lovely welcome speech that he'd prepared. After Clip's devotional, Christine gave a beautiful greeting and challenge to the children and thanks to the caregivers. We then spent time with the kids doing crafts, playdoh, coloring, and giving out stickers (John, Nate and Eric from REAP took the older boys outside for a game of soccer). After another delicious jollaf rice dinner, we gathered together and handed out the zip lock bagged gifts. They accepted the gifts with much appreciation, and Linda, one of the older girls, asked for an extra one for one of the orphan girls who had just been admitted to ELWA Hospital with serious malaria.
• We were glad to be able to give Eric, Alice, Clarinas and Patience (the REAP helpers) rides back to town from the orphanage. On the way home, the ladies shared stories of their survival during the war. Sadly, Clarinas lost both her husband and father in the war (her husband was killed mainly because he was educated, and her father died due to a heart condition due to the war). Alice explained how they had to survive in the bush. When they would start a fire to cook a meal, the smoke from the fire would tip off the rebel soldiers as to where they were, so the men would form a circle of guards around the women and children for their safety. Many times, the food that they cooked was confiscated by the rebels, and they were just relieved not to be hurt or killed.

EMAUSA/ELWA STAFF DINNER

As our role in assisting ELWA grows, we thought it was important to spend time with the ELWA staff and SIM missionaries to get to know us and what EMA+USA is all about.

• On Friday, the guys continued their projects (Jim was trying to get the tire fixed on
• the SIM three wheeler-a real challenge), while the rest of us focused on preparing for the dinner, buying the drinks, collecting chairs, etc.
• Nene and the guesthouse ladies were busy all day preparing and cooking the food for the 40 plus people (even baking the chocolate cakes in the outdoor coal pot). We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner Friday evening. Nene and her helpers did a superb job of preparing and cooking for the dinner!
• Clip emphasized the partnership of our new organization, EMA+USA with ELWA, in promoting the needs of ELWA and raising support for the work of ELWA Radio, ELWA Hospital, ELWA Academy, as well as the ELWA scholarship program.

ELWA RADIO

• We delivered about 30 Bibles and New Testaments and Christian CD's to ELWA Radio on Sunday afternoon. Kedrick White was on the air doing his regular 12 noon to 4 pm Sunday afternoon show, but let us come into the studio during one of the breaks so that we could put the Bibles on a shelf in the studio. He said that they'll be given out to listeners requesting a Bible, and to contest winners.
• Moses Nyantee, the Radio Director, has already sent us this: Thanks a million times to you and all those who donated the Bibles and CDs to ELWA Radio. Two of the Bibles have already given out to two persons who were really in need of a Bible. Words are inadequate to express our gratitude to you. Thank you.
• According to David Gargannah at ELWA Radio, another need is for children's programming--CD's or tapes (possibly Focus on the Family Odyssey series).
• He also is putting out a request for any old recordings in the various dialects, Aunt Clara, etc (all of the recordings were lost when the studio was destroyed).

ELWA HOSPITAL

• Crystal visited the hospital one day and was able to see many of the workers and nurses who she worked with in June 2005. Frieda (she is from Canada and was previously with Mercy ships) along with Dr. Keith Chapman work in the ELWA hospital dental clinic. Frieda says that one of the biggest problems is tooth decay due to breaking teeth while chewing bones. They see about 20-30 patients a day Monday through Friday at the clinic that has been built attached to the front side of the hospital.
• The reading glasses that Judy Koci collected were well received by ELWA staff, Christine Norman, and some were given to the Sacras for use at ELWA hospital. This will be an on-going need, as we seek to help others beyond ELWA campus.
• Malaria continues to be a huge problem in Liberia. Antimalaria medicine is a MUST, and the majority of people in Liberia do not take it. Caleb Sacra, Kevin Kjer, Justyn Tokeh Jr., and an orphan from Phebe Grey all had it while we were there. It's possible to contract malaria while being on the medicine, but the sickness is then a much milder case.

REPAIR PROJECTS

• Jim Molenhouse spent most of his time on much needed various repair projects for ELWA, as well as helping David Parker at Susie Guenter Orphanage.
• On Friday, the guys continued their projects (Jim was trying to get the tire fixed on the SIM three wheeler-a real challenge),

OTHER HAPPENINGS

• Crystal, Katie, Paulina and I walked up to the market to buy some groceries while John and Nate went with Zinnah to plan in a soccer game near ELWA Junction. The boys walked back to the guesthouse in the dark with Zinnah's niece, Fatoria, who is in 3rd grade at ELWA Academy and is on the scholarship program. Fatoria's parents both died from cholera when she was a baby, and she is being raised by an aunt and uncle.
• Thursday evening, we, along with Jefferson Zeon and his two daughters Edwina and Jackie, drove to Christine and Laurence Norman's for dinner. The Normans were hosting a group of about 12 with Service to Servants from Atlanta, so it was a full and enjoyable evening for all of us.
• Our trip home was ONLY 21 hours, Sunday and Monday (we had a direct flight from Brussels to Chicago). We're glad to be home and thank you for your continued prayers for Jim, Clip, David and Seth who all return next week.

Jim Molenhouse spent a half a day helping to get the Susie Guenter merry-go-round pump going again, and the rest of the time at ELWA, making a critical impact through helping with repairs. The John Deer tractor had been out of commission for some time. Steve Kjer needed it next in March and April 2010 when he tackled the electrical infrastructure. Transformers were going to have to be moved, poles and heaving equipment transported, and so on. Jim got it running so that the electrical team could hit the ground running.

Next, he tackled the well pumps, fixing a short in the well house. (Does a hospital need clean, running water?) The day Jim left, he and some other men noticed on their way home from church the water tank behind the school was leaking, so that is something else needing to be fixed.

Jim also worked on fixing a tire on the three wheeler. Though the tire waiting to be put on was stolen from the repair shop, it was recovered thanks to Jefferson Zeon. The tire tubes split three times (the stores in Liberia don't sell the right size tube for that vehicle), so the right tube needs to be brought from the States in order for the tire to be fixed completely.

Regarding the generators, Jim writes,

"It really was a privilege to work with Rusty Laird, Peter, Peewee, Ben and Ben's friend (he helped in rewinding the stator and exciter on generator #4). All four generators are operational, however it's important to keep an eye on #4 to make sure it is OK (it caught fire in December the week before we arrived.

The hospital generator is another story--it has a hole in the side of the engine block, so a short block is needed for a series 3 Perkins diesel engine. Please pray for a good used engine block so that this standby generator can be put back into service."

Current repair needs:
- repair the sand filter in the well house in back of the school (commercial grade sand filters are needed), repair of the leaking water tank behind the school
- new tires, tubes, for the Honda 3 wheeler
- new roofs on buildings (including James Kesselly's house--also known as the Schindler house)
- services building warehouse needs to have the ceiling repaired
- power lines and transformers (Steve Kejr and team will be doing this in March)
- upgrade hospital and radio equipment

Note: Rusty Laird is an SIM missionary helping with the construction and maintenance of ELWA's facilities. He and his wife Jaime have a blog that is well worth a look.

Under the leadership of Dave Parker, a team of men designed and built a well that is activated by a merry-go-round. By spinning the merry-go-round in the playground, the children are able to pump water to a nearby water tank for drinking, cleaning and cooking.

The idea of the merry-go-round well has been used in other areas of Africa where the water supply is not plentiful. Even though Liberia receives plentiful supply of water, the long dry season of 5-6 months presents a difficult challenge for many Liberians. Often the only water available in the dry season can be found in local rivers, where the water is often not sanitary. In the urban areas, where a growing portion of the Liberians now live, the wells run dry in the dry season, and water becomes scarce.

The Susie Guenter Orphanage, which is near the ELWA campus and about three miles from ELWA Junction, was an excellent location for the merry-go-round. Jefferson Zeon, the owner of the orphanage, was very helpful to the workers. The orphanage had one operating well but a second well had gone dry. The Americans relied heavily upon several teams of Liberian workers for this project. The teams included well diggers, cement diggers, welders and carpenters. In addition, local Liberian welders built the water tower and transported the water tower to the orphanage. The welders also constructed and welded the parts of the merry-go-round. The well-digging team determined that the second well was not strong for the merry-go-round well. So, a team of three men dug a new well over the course of three days. Cement culverts were used to form the sidewalls of the well.

Dave Parker and his team of missionaries and local men installed the merry-go-round on top of the well. The engineering and design of the merry-go-round was carried out by Dave with the help of various engineers in South Bend, Indiana and then transported by plane to Liberia. The design and parts had been tested in the States. So, once the well had been dug and the water tower lifted into place, it was a matter of putting together the parts of the well and connecting the pipes to pump the water.

To cap off the project, after Dave Parker and his team left Liberia, Jefferson Zeon and the Liberians laid the pipe for a water line from the water tower to a nearby building so that the Orphanage suddenly had indoor plumbing! We saw photos of the kids at the orphanage taking a shower. Clearly Jefferson and the kids had taken ownership of the merry-go-round and figured out how to employ it for the benefit of the children!

Update: Jan. 06, 2010 - Check out the photos of building the well on Flickr.

God bless you for giving to the poor. Isaiah 58:6-12

We've worked closely with Christine Tolbert Norman through her organization, REAP (Restoration of Educational Advancement Program), in our orphan outreaches. In 2007 we partnered with REAP in hosting Orphan Joy parties at Phebe Grey orphanage as well as Susie Guenter orphanage. At both parties we shared the love of Jesus through games, gifts, balloon art, stories, and special treats.

With each trip we've delivered supplies of clothing, books, calendars, sewing kits, toys, pencils and pens, coloring books and crayons, sports equipment and jerseys, medical supplies, spoons and bowls, and also provided funds for purchasing mattresses. Many of these were donated by friends, neighbors, and organizations like Operation Christmas. Among the materials we distributed was an algebra book that Nancy had thrown in. It was eagerly received by a young man who looked through it as we continued our distribution. We overheard him exclaim excitedly, "Polynomials!"

Most of the children are ages 3 on up, because there are no facilities for babies. We were given a donation of a pair of baby shoes, and we were anxious to see how God was going to use this offering. Sure enough, the Pastor's daughter had a shoe-less baby on her hip. How thrilled the young mom was to have a pair of pink shoes for her son!

When we were deciding where to put the "first in Liberia" merry-go-round well pump on our January 2009 trip, Christine recommended that we do the project at the Susie Guenter orphanage. We took Christine's advice and the project was a true blessing to Jefferson and Helena Zeon, and their orphanage, Susie Guenter, as well as to those who were involved in doing the project. Not content to provide "just a merry-go-round", we also built a swing set, a basket ball hoop, and two picnic tables.

Additionally, in January 2009, we hosted an orphan girls retreat for 40 girls and leaders which was held at the Isaac David school in Paynesville. Christine made the arrangements to use the facility including setting up mattresses in 3 classrooms for the overnight. She also enlisted the help of several of the Isaac David School teachers to help supervise and cook the meals, and hired 3 security guards to insure everyone's safety.

It was an amazing weekend as Judy Koci taught on the topic "I am special", and Ellie Kniffin, Nancy Molenhouse, Joelle Koci and Kate Molenhouse taught the girls numerous crafts. Christine closed out the weekend by teaching the girls "Steps to freedom in Christ".

While working on the ELWA sign painting project in January 2007, several young boys, including Archie and Emmanuel, came by and volunteered to help. In conversing with the boys, we found out that the reason they were "free" on a school day was because they had no money for school fees, so couldn't go to school. When the project was completed, Nancy Molenhouse went with them to their schools and paid their fees so that they could start attending school again. This was when Nancy began to realize the desperate need for scholarships for children in the ELWA community, and the idea to start the ELWA scholarship program began.

Currently we provide scholarships to 32 deserving students. It costs between $100-300 a year per student for school fees. Board members review the applications and select students, and the staff at ELWA coordinates with us to disburse the funds to the schools. As of April 2010, there are another 45 new applications, as well as many college students needing assistance. To meet our current obligations, we will need $5000 by August. If God is leading you to give to these children's education, you may donate to a general scholarship fund, or you can sponsor a child.

Ninth grader Emmanuel Blackie (nephew of Blackie, the carpenter who worked alongside Elsworth Balzer for so many years), says,

"If I did not have a scholarship for school, I will pray to God so He can get me back in school". Emmanuel wants to be a science student in college and become a medical doctor.

Mercy Peters is a 3rd grader at ELWA Academy and lives with Mary Blaine, an ELWA hospital nurse. When Mercy was a baby, she was abandoned at JFK Hospital, where Mary was working as a nurse. With no one else to care for the baby, Mary took Mercy into her home.

Mary has other children, and the cost of schooling is difficult. A couple years ago, she told Benedict Nagbe, the principal of ELWA Academy where Mercy attends, that Mercy would have to drop out of school due to the lack of funds. Benedict and his wife decided at that time to pay the school fees for Mercy.

However, this past September, when the ELWA Academy school fees doubled, Benedict and his wife could no longer pay for Mercy's fees in addition to the school fees for their own children. The ELWA scholarship fund was able to step in and provide Mercy with the money she needed to continue school.

Fatoria Harris is a third grader at ELWA Academy. When Fatoria was a baby, her mother and father became ill with cholera and died within days of each other. She is being raised by an aunt and uncle in the King Gray area, the village right next to ELWA.

The Thompson sibling group met another one of Fatoria's uncles, Zinnah, in January 2006 as he organized a group of ex-combatants to help us paint the ELWA radio entry walls. For the past few years, Zinnah has talked to us and written to us about his great concern for the education of his niece. Zinnah picked up a scholarship application in the summer of 2009, and Fatoria was accepted for the ELWA scholarship program September 2009.

Zinnah came to see us during our stay at ELWA in January 2010 and thanked us for providing the opportunity for his niece to go to ELWA Academy. He brought Fatoria to meet and talk with us. It's a real joy to meet and get to know the children who are benefiting from the scholarship program.

Lawson Wonnah is 18, and attending ELWA Academy in the 9th Grade, and loves music. He says, "I am in need of this scholarship because I live with my aunty who does not work for much money, and both my parents are dead." Lawson's goal in life is to become a medical doctor. We need your help to keep Lawson and students like him in school. Will you donate today?

Thank you for all who have donated money for these precious children. It now costs $240 per year to educate a student in Liberia. If you would like to sponsor Mercy or Emmanuel, please contact EMA+USA for more information.

February 3, 2010 Update

The funds for this semester's scholarships were sent, and Director Kedrick White sent his thanks. James Kesselly also wrote:

The funds came just in time, some of the schools have started sending students home for the fees. Benedict should be making his rounds tomorrow to make payments to the various schools.

Again thank you all for your part in helping to prepare our future leaders of Liberia. The beneficiaries could be ELWA's future work force too. This will go a long way in promoting the Ministries of ELWA and will certainly make impact for the Kingdom of God in the the spread of the gospel here in Liberia and beyond. These are means for open door to minister the gospel.

Thank you to all who contributed to this investment in the lives of precious children, the nation of Liberia, and for eternity. We will need another $2600 by August 2010 for the next semester. Please consider helping these students. If you or your Sunday School class or youth group would be interested in sponsoring a student for $300 per year, please contact us. We will match you with a student, and you will be able to develop a relationship with them through photos and letters. May God richly bless you!