Project Buchanan Liberia

Finally... We're in Buchanan!

2010-07-05T10:53:00.005-06:00

It has taken longer than we thought to get to Buchanan!
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We left the States as scheduled and arrived in Monrovia, Liberia's capital, 10 days ago as planned. But before we could leave the city, we needed to meet with PROJECT BUCHANAN folks, determine what materials still needed to be purchased before the Colorado building team arrives (on July 14), and then shop around for what we can afford! So our time in Monrovia was well-spent.
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One very useful little item we were able to pick up was a small modem that plugs into the USB port of my laptop, allowing me to go online via the cell phone service here (for about a dollar an hour). In fact, that's how I am able to be online right now as I compose this post!
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Luther Tarpeh, the Pillar Field Director, was already planning a trip from Monrovia to Buchanan today. So we were up at 4:30 AM and ready to leave at the prearranged 5:30 AM departure time! The 90-mile trip (partly over some beautiful newly-paved road, partly over stretches of very rough dirt road) took 3 hours!
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We have already been out and about around Buchanan to look for possible accomodations for the 7-person building team. I think they'll really like what we found... but I'll leave the details as a surprise for next week when they arrive!
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Sorry, no photos yet!

...before the Colorado Team Arrives!

2010-06-24T03:34:00.010-06:00

NOTE: You can left-click on any picture to enlarge it for better viewing!

Sam Walker is currently the Liberian on-site manager for PROJECT BUCHANAN. In recent weeks he has been able to scan a few printed photos and send the scans to me as low-resolution email attachments:

Here Sam is standing with a few Pillar students next to the concrete blocks that have been made for the PROJECT BUCHANAN buildings.

The first building to be constructed is a staff residence which will also serve for storage of building materials and for property security. Here the exterior walls of this 30-ft X 50-ft building were being staked out.

Then trenches were dug (using only hand tools such as picks and shovels) so that the concrete footings could be poured.

Project managers Sam Walker and Jacob Tequah (upper right), along with PROJECT BUCHANAN workers, stopped work for a picture.

Several tiers of concrete blocks were to be laid on the footings, in order to bring the new walls up to floor level. Then a reinforced concrete floor slab was to be poured. After that we are hoping that the building team from Colorado can finish the walls and construct the roof.

Flomo has been directing most of the masonry work.

Here Sam is standing in one of the footing trenches that has already been dug for the second building soon to be constructed: a 100-ft X 30-ft two-story 7-classroom unit.

The building team from Colorado should arrive in Buchanan on July 14. Sam is making arrangements for the team members to stay at this relatively comfortable "rooming house".

Unlike most other homes in Buchanan, this guest house has modern bathroom facilities, as well as electricity for most of the night.

FOOTNOTE: I am taking Sam a new Coolpix digital camera (Nikon, please take note)! Hopefully, as PROJECT BUCHANAN moves forward, the progress can be documented in high-quality photographs which you can enjoy.

The Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser!

2010-06-23T23:00:00.018-06:00

NOTE: You can left-click on any picture to enlarge it for better viewing.

On June 6 a spaghetti dinner was held at the Belleview Christian School here in Westminster, Colorado, to raise funds for the PROJECT BUCHANAN building team traveling from Colorado to Liberia next month. John Wiersma, pastor of the Belleview Community Chapel that meets each Sunday in the school auditorium, was our MC for the evening. He and his wife Lisa, who are former missionaries to Burkina Faso in West Africa, and are very excited about the development of a Christian school in postwar Liberia.

Team members and others arrived in the afternoon to help set up tables.

Peter DiLorenzo, art teacher at Belleview Christian, brought in ice for the lemonade. This will be his first trip to Africa.

Pieces of African art and dress were put on display at the front of the auditorium.

In the hallway two more team members--Lisa Wiersma (John's wife) and Nathaniel DiLorenzo (Peter's son)--were busy preparing salads.

Shelly Becker, who prepares lunch for the students in the school, catered the spaghetti dinner. Helping her was Mike Bollinger, leader of the construction team.

One very special guest to arrive was Mrs. Arlene Konkel. It was her husband, Dr. Wilbur Konkel, who first visited Liberia in 1960 and then founded Pillar Missions. What a special honor it was to have her at this event 50 years later!

My sister Jeanette Blue, who (like myself) was born in Liberia, stopped for me to take a picture of her with Lisa Wiersma.

Soon other guests were arriving, including long-time supporters of Pillar Missions, Dr. and Mrs. Robert Dallenbach.

Linda and Bob Graybeal are also enthusiastic about the work in Liberia.

Hilda Entz, a long-time friend and supporter of Pillar Missions, came to be with us on this special evening, along with several members of her family. Seated with her was her granddaughter's husband, Jack Dyess and, across the table...

...Mrs. Entz' daughter Paulette George and her husband Robert.

Pastor John's parents, Jim and Sharon Wiersma, are also very excited about PROJECT BUCHANAN.

Many years ago Thelma Bradford's husband (Elsworth) visited the work of Pillar Missions in Liberia.

While we enjoyed our meal, there was a map of Liberia on the screen. Later I gave a slide presentation about Liberia and the PROJECT BUCHANAN work site to which the building team will be going in July.

Team members, including Lisa Wiersma, served spaghetti to the tables.

Mel and Millie Stetson also have had missionary experience in Africa.

Peter Dilorenzo stopped under the screen to chat with the Stetsons and Guinevere Perigo.

Helping out that evening were Calvin and his mother, Robin Niles-Gosser.

Jeanne Birch and Kathy Tucker were able to reminisce while enjoying their meal.

Albert Wolfram is one of my former students at Belleview and a great supporter of what Pillar Missions has been doing to provide Christian school education for young people in Liberia.

Mrs. Entz came over to visit with Janice and Curt Aldstadt and their daughter.

Altogether about 100 guests turned out for the spaghetti dinner. Needless to say, we were grateful to see so much local support for PROJECT BUCHANAN and for the building team.

My wife Paula (in the tie-dyed and embroidered African dress) has known Mrs. Entz for years, because Mrs. Entz and her husband Paul were great friends of my wife's parents (Paul and June Blue) back in the 1970s and supported them when they worked with Pillar Missions as teachers in Liberia.

Richard and Michelle Jicha are enthusiastic about missions...

...as are their daughters, Emily and Laura.

Other guests were Nathan Martinez (in the Colorado shirt) and (beyond him at the next table) Keith and Beth Robinson and Kathy and Dale Larsen.

Then it was time for dessert... served at this table by Mike Bollinger.

At the end of the evening the PROJECT BUCHANAN team assembled at the front of the room. Seen here (left to right) are my wife Paula, then Lisa Wiersma, her son Michaiah, Nathaniel DiLorenzo, Ryan Scollard, and Mike Bollinger. I was behind the camera! (Where was Peter DiLorenzo?) Since this event, Brad Bollinger (Mike's dad) has joined the team, bring the total to 9!

Dr. Dallenbach offered the closing prayer.

Mrs. Bradford and Mrs. Dallenbach had time for a brief parting conversation...

...Liz Dyess (Mrs. Entz' granddaughter) posed for one last picture with Jeanette...

...and Joel Dallenbach and his father, both accomplished photographers, packed up their cameras and called it a great day!

Thanks again to all who participated! Nearly $3000 was raised! This money will go a long way toward providing accommodations and food for the team during their two-week stay in Liberia.

The January Trip 2010: An Overdue Report

2010-05-31T10:48:00.039-06:00

NOTE: You can left-click on any picture to enlarge it for better viewing.
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In January a team from New Jersey visited Liberia to attend the annual Pillar Church conference, this year being held in Buchanan. Left to right are Robert Saydee (former student at Pillar school in Liberia and now IT Director for Pillar operations at Zarephath NJ), Gordon Tiner (builder/developer), Rob Cruver (pastor at Zarephath), Jeff Olszyk (Pillar Missions Director), Hannah Cruver (Rob's daughter), and Jennifer Butwil (a nurse).
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After the conference the team traveled 50 miles southeast into River Cess County to visit the original Pillar Mission, established by Rob Cruver's late grandfather, Dr. Wilbur Konkel, at Po River Beach back in the early 1960s. It was in the Christian school at this location that Paula's parents worked for 16 years and where Paula and I lived and taught during the 1980s. It was at this school that Robert Saydee, Gabriel Tequah (principal of the Pillar school in Buchanan), Luther Tarpeh (Pillar Missions Field Director for Liberia) and many others in Christian ministry today received their early education.
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The dirt road from Buchanan ends at the Cess River in River Cess City. There the team climbed aboard a large motorized fishing canoe (like the one above) to travel the last 10 miles "down the coast" to the Po River.
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On the sandbar at the mouth of the Po River, they were able to soak up a little more tropical sun!
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After this great father-and-daughter photo-op on the Po River beach, the team started their one-mile hike along the sandy trail leading back to the mission. This was going to be Rob's very first visit to this location in Liberia he had heard about all his life, the place where his grandfather had been invited to establish a church and school nearly 50 years earlier!

But even here in this remote corner of the country, Rob and the team could see the deterioration that had followed in the wake of the war's destruction. Back in 2007, when I visited the mission after Liberia's civil war, this large fallen tree on the property seemed to symbolize the collapse of the ministry and the buildings in which it had taken place. Today, a faithful elderly pastor, John Tequah, and a few others continue to call this place "home". However, it is a much quieter place now, and the few houses that remain are badly in need of repairs.

This recent Google Earth photo shows the Pillar Mission at Po River Beach as it is today. The reddish patches indicate that, war or no war, the annual cycle of traditional slash-and-burn agriculture must continue, in order for families to grow a little cassava.
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In 2007, the roof of the church was already gone; now the walls have collapsed.

Lost in the weeds and vines are the remains of the building where, before the war, the voices of happy school children could be heard and where I used to arrive each morning to teach math and science and Bible to eager high school students. It was here that the future, with its dreams and possibilities, began to open up for many of them. Today I still want to help make dreams come true for young people trying to find a hope and a future in postwar Liberia.

During the war years, Pastor Jacob Tequah in Buchanan moved out of this building, which was his family's home, so that a small school could be provided for the children of displaced families who had fled "up the coast" from the River Cess area and the vicinity of the Pillar Mission at Po River Beach. In 2008, when it was clear that this school would soon outgrow these facilities (as well as those in a second building next door), new property up the road was purchased. In January of 2009, Rob Cruver made his first trip to Liberia, and I was there for the ground-breaking ceremony as those 10 acres of land were dedicated for a new Pillar school campus in Buchanan.

Hand-operated block molds were purchased, and, over the last several months, 3000 concrete blocks have been made. Most of these blocks are to be used for a teacher's residence and security facility on the new campus. Nearly 1000 blocks of a larger size, better suited for the future school building, have also been made. The shipping container seen here has already been moved to the property to be used there as a storage shed for tools and supplies.

In January the land surveyor discussed road access possibilities with Gordon Tiner and head project manager Jacob Tequah. Sam Walker (left), who is assistant project manager, looks on with Jeff Olszyk.

Jacob continues the discussion with Pillar Field Director, Luther Tarpeh, and Gordon Tiner. But doesn't it seem that Sam is always on his cell phone, talking to somebody?! Actually, he has a multitude of business contacts with whom he works for PROJECT BUCHANAN, and right now he is probably confirming with one of them that "the plan is indeed still the plan"! (The advent of cell phone technology, along with very affordable service in Liberia, has certainly made project management--and many other ministry-related activities--much easier. Where other forms of communication often do not exist, the ubiquitous cell phone is much more than a luxury item or status symbol!)

"Exactly where in all this undergrowth is the property line anyway? I know... it doesn't look like there's been much development on this land yet. But you wait! One day there will be a two-story school building right about here! Just you wait and see!"

Finally... a place has been selected for the teacher's residence and security facility! Gordon Tiner has drawn the plans for this building which will be approximately 50' X 30'. He has also made the professional drawings for the much larger two-story school building which is to be located on the higher ground east of this spot. Jeff (left) helps Gordon and Jacob (foreground) to set up the lines.

Liberia, Here We Come Again!

2010-05-25T09:38:00.024-06:00

Wow! I can hardly believe that it has been nearly 7 months since I last made an entry on this blog! (You're right, that was way too long for you to wait for an update on PROJECT BUCHANAN.) However, I am happy to report that building construction on the new school property in Liberia has indeed begun! Over the next few days I hope to "fill you in" with both words and pictures...
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Here in Colorado, another year in the classroom has ended for Paula and me. Now at last we can get out the old suitcases and start packing for our summer 2010 trip to Liberia! That's right! Exactly one month from today, we should be enroute on a flight from Brussels to Monrovia. We can hardly wait to be on our way "back home" again!
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Since January we have been making plans to spend this summer in Liberia (just as we did last year). Now at last we have our tickets and are starting to get really excited! We are scheduled to leave Denver on June 24... and return on August 5.
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We want to thank our many friends and supporters across the United States and Canada who are interested in PROJECT BUCHANAN and who have so generously helped to make our 6-week visit to Liberia this summer possible.

The Project Site in Buchanan!

2009-11-01T18:32:00.046-07:00

NOTE: You can left-click on any picture to enlarge it for better viewing.

This Google Earth satellite photo of the Buchanan area shows the locations of both Pillar Missions properties, which are about a mile and a half apart. The Atlantic Ocean, which is not far away, can be seen at the bottom left. Also note the shallow bodies of water toward the top of the photo; these are arms of the slow-moving Benson River system that drains this low-lying coastal region and eventually flows into the ocean (off the photo) to the northwest.
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This is a closer view of the PROJECT BUCHANAN property, a 9.6-acre peninsula of undeveloped land, covered with grass and low coastal scrub. The useable west-to-east length of the land is approximately 1000 feet.
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Two days after we arrived in Buchanan, Paula and I walked up to see the new land with Gabriel. (I was the photographer on this trip, so I didn't get into too many of the pictures!)

After a 40-minute hike from Gabriel's home, we finally arrived at the property.
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We stopped for a few moments at the southwestern corner; ...

... then we walked further along the shore to another lookout over the water.

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From a higher location on the land, the view (southeast) over the river and the surrounding mangrove wetland was magnificent!

We noticed immediately that there were termite hills almost everywhere!

In fact I counted no fewer than 55 separate termite mounds on the property!

We expect no particular threat to our buildings; in the tropics the ubiquitous termite is usually taken into account and special construction is used to minimize the impact of these potentially destructive insects! Termite hills can actually be very useful as a source of earth material for making tough weather-resistant "dirt blocks". We may want to consider using this type of block in the construction of the smaller buildings on campus.

As you have already seen in the satellite photos above, a sizable portion of this property is covered with low trees and scrub. On the ground this dense vegetation made it difficult for us to determine the best locations for buildings and other campus components (such as a soccer field and other sports facilities). After going to town to purchase an ax, several machetes (known as "cutlasses" in Liberia), and a few other hand tools, we asked Gabriel to hire several young men to start "brushing" (clearing) the land. By doing this, we hoped that the "up's and down's" of the west-to-east "ridge" of the peninsula would be easier to see.

By midday everyone was ready for lunch ...

... and for some "time out" to sharpen cutlasses.

For several days the team worked very hard, ...

... including Emmanuel Sieh, who is a senior high student at the Pillar school in Buchanan.

This is the view eastward as one enters the property from the west end. Here we hope to build a house that will serve as a residence for a Pillar teacher's family as well as a security building for the storage of construction materials and tools. Farther onto the property, you can see where palm trees and other vegetation will have to be cleared to make room for the soccer field.

A west-to-east distance of about 250 feet along the top of the ridge was found to be fairly level and, in my opinion, would be the most suitable location for the construction of the two 2-story school buildings that have been proposed, as well as a small auditorium between them. We tied small white plastic bags in the trees to indicate the approximate locations of the back corners of one of the two classroom units.

Even further east, beyond the school buildings, there is room for a basketball court.

This area in front (south) of the school will require further clearing and some landscaping.

Down the same slope from the school is this lower shelf of flat land. I anticipate a simple road entering the property from the west and winding along this southern side of the peninsula. "Hey, Paula! Wait for me! I'm just trying to get another picture!"

A few guest cabins could be built on the far eastern point of the peninsula (seen above) and be rented out to visitors in order to help with operational and maintenance costs.

In this final Google Earth satellite photo of the PROJECT BUCHANAN property, I have sketched in my suggested layout for the campus. Of course this proposal is provisional and may have to be modified as we move forward with construction (hopefully in January 2010).

At Home with the Tequahs!

2009-10-11T23:20:00.012-06:00

NOTE: You can left-click on any picture to enlarge it for better viewing.
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Our trip to Liberia at the beginning of the summer did not start exactly as we had expected. We had been booked on a new nonstop flight to Africa, but then last-minute ticket changes were necessary, routing us through Europe and extending our travel time considerably. Then, the day we left Denver, there were afternoon thunderstorms in the New York City area which delayed our arrival there and we missed our connecting flight to Brussels! We managed to reach Liberia on Friday July 10, two days later than we were originally scheduled to arrive. Pillar Missions Field Director Luther Tarpeh met us at the airport and took us to Paynesville near Monrovia, where we spent the first weekend with our friends, Sam and Tabitha Walker.

On Tuesday Luther drove us from Monrovia southeast to Buchanan. The 90-mile trip "down the coast" was a slow and torturous ride over a road that is badly in need of repaving. (Thankfully a Chinese company has already started the job.) Since Luther wanted to return to Monrovia the same day, he immediately convened a short meeting with Gabriel Tequah (principal of the Pillar school in Buchanan) and Joseph Dedegaa (director of Pillar churches, who had come in from River Cess), so that we could explain the purpose of our visit to Liberia, particularly with respect to PROJECT BUCHANAN.

We spent the next few weeks in Buchanan with Martha and Gabriel (above), enjoying their hospitality and reminiscing on our past years of ministry together. Once again we were working together, but this time our focus was on PROJECT BUCHANAN and our plans for a better future for Pillar Mission's Christian school ministry in Liberia!

The school year had just ended for them (as it had for us in the States), and Gabriel was able to relax and share with Paula both the joys and the challenges of his work with the young people in the school. There is nothing quite like spending a late African afternoon out in the yard, casually visiting with friends in the shade of the old mango tree!

Most evenings a small gasoline generator provided a little light while we talked or sat around playing Skip-Bo until midnight. After that, the African nights were as dark and as quiet as we remembered them when we lived in Liberia years ago.

But then as each new day dawned, the town would quickly come back to life with the sounds of neighbors on all sides, some fetching water from the well and getting children ready for the day, others getting started with the day's laundry, and still others heading off to the market or cooking a little food on an open pot of hot coals. (How we loved the fried ripe plantain and the palm-butter rice with fresh ocean fish!)

Elijah (top right) is a student at the Pillar high school in Buchanan. He is also an apprentice to a local jeweler and makes some jewelry himself in several distinctively African stylings. One afternoon he came over to show Paula and Martha a few silver necklaces he was hoping to sell.

Remember young Elwain (Gabriel's little nephew) from my January trip pictures? This time he was quite shy.

.But he was just as adorable as ever, whether he was eating his midday meal of rice ...

... or "practicing" a rhythm on his plastic-bottle "drum"!

It is for the postwar children of Liberia, like Elwain and his friends who gathered on the front steps of his home one afternoon, that we have embarked on PROJECT BUCHANAN.

What a difference a quality Christ-centered education will make in Elwain's life! And with this education, what a difference he will be able to make for his country!

We're Back from Liberia!

2009-09-06T21:31:00.023-06:00

NOTE: You can left-click on any picture to enlarge it for better viewing.
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Yes, we're back! In fact, we got back to Denver the middle of August, just when the school year here in Colorado was starting to "gear up". So I've been busy the last couple of weeks getting my science classes underway at Belleview Christian School (here in Westminster where I teach) and writing up a formal report of our trip for Pillar Missions.
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The primary purpose of our five-week trip to Liberia this summer was to move PROJECT BUCHANAN forward by putting together a comprehensive plan for its development over the next few years. On this trip our work was to include a study of the property’s topography, the creation of a possible campus layout, the development of a phase-by-phase building plan, and the structuring of a project management team.

Certainly we were hoping that our extended time in Liberia would also allow us to reconnect with our friends and be an encouragement to them. We wanted to become better acquainted with their needs and try to understand, in particular, the postwar challenges of the Christian school ministry in Buchanan.

As a science teacher, I felt that one way I could help the school in Buchanan was to take over some simple science lab equipment and show the science teachers in Buchanan how it could be used to enhance their classes. Finally ...

I knew that I would likely be asked to be the special speaker at several churches on the Sundays we would be in Liberia. I hoped to be able to use my knowledge of “Liberian English” and the Bassa language to connect with young people who might be wondering how God could use them to help Liberia.
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Our five weeks in Liberia went by so quickly, but a lot was accomplished. In my next few posts to this blog, I want to bring you up to date on PROJECT BUCHANAN and the progress that has been made toward getting building construction started on the new land. Liberia is currently in the heaviest part of the rainy season along the West African coast, but by November the dry season will be returning and outdoor work will need to begin in earnest.

A "Widescreen" View of the World!

2009-07-07T00:41:00.028-06:00

Not so long ago, just about everyone still had a "full screen" TV--you know, the kind with the bulging glass tube and the squarish 4:3 (width-to-length) picture. I can remember when I would carefully avoid purchasing "widescreen" videos, because I did not want to give up any part of my full-screen picture to those two horizontal black bars (above and below the picture)!
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Today most of us are happy that technology has taken a giant leap forward and given us "wide screen", flat screen, plasma, and LCD TVs--with the picture in high definition and much larger than the old cathode ray tube could have ever hoped to produce! But alas, I now have a different problem! If my favorite DVDs are in the old 4:3 "full-screen" format (and most of the Gaither DVDs are!), I must make a choice. I can distort the picture horizontally so that it does fill the screen (and also make everyone look fat!) or I must endure those two vertical black bars (on either side of the so-called full-screen picture)!
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I suspect that "widescreen" is here to stay, simply because it matches reality better! It's the way we view the world, not just the way we prefer to watch TV! Not long ago, while reading the Bible, I noticed that Paul, that great and passionate missionary of the New Testament, also had a "wide" view of his world. And (get this!) it can be viewed in 16:9--that is, I Corinthians 16:9! He wrote: "...a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries" (NASB). He recognized what every missionary since his time has discovered to be true. On the one hand, there is unbelievable opportunity and we must do what we can; but on the other, there is unbelievable opposition and we must depend on God to do the part we cannot.

A few weeks ago Paula and I took the cog railway to the top of Pike's Peak. At 14,110 feet, we certainly had a "wide-screen" view of Colorado! Tomorrow evening we will be in Liberia where we will have not just a wider view of the real world but also before us "a wide door for effective service."

Here in Colorado, it is already 2 AM! In just a few hours, Paula and I will be heading for the airport with our heavy suitcases, and then we will be lifting off to begin our much anticipated five-week visit to Liberia! Our passion is to see an expanded Christian school established in Buchanan. In a country emerging from war, the opportunity to meet a need by giving education to its young people seems so obvious!

We certainly want to thank all our friends who have rallied behind us in recent weeks (and even in these last few days, I might add) and have made our trip financially possible! We also want to thank all of you in advance for your prayers as we go, because only God sees the opposition that is invisible to us and knows what to do about it!

Lab Equipment and Science Seminars!

2009-07-01T18:35:00.008-06:00

Last week I was in New Jersey for the annual Pillar Church "camp meeting". I was appearing with the New Grace Quartet, a Colorado-based gospel music group that has been involved in prison ministry in Colorado for many years, and this spring had been invited to provide music at the four-day camp meeting. I also had several opportunities to speak to the conference about PROJECT BUCHANAN and our soon-to-happen summer trip to Liberia. (Paula and I leave in less than a week!)
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As planned, our priority for this 5-week trip is a careful on-site study of the new land in Buchanan, where a new school campus is to be developed. We want to sit down with our Liberian friends and finalize a phase-by-phase plan for building and construction over the next few years. In future posts to this blog, I will be sharing the details of this development plan with you.
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But this is the middle of the wet season in Liberia, and there are likely to be days with nonstop heavy rain when we will not be able to get out. July and August are also Liberia's "summer break" between school years. Therefore I am also going on this trip prepared to conduct lab-based seminars with the science teacher(s) and any interested students at the school. I am taking two microscopes as well as lab apparatus to conduct basic demonstrations in physics. Hopefully the students (who don't even have textbooks) will benefit from these sessions and the teachers will be able to use the microscopes and lab equipment in their science classes next year!

"Building Hope in Liberia"... dot com!

2009-06-16T22:32:00.018-06:00

Yesterday and today, it was my privilege to be a guest with Pastor John Wiersma on radio KPOF's morning and afternoon drive-time shows here in Denver. (John Wiersma is pastor of the Pillar's Belleview Community Chapel here in Westminster, Colorado.) We were on the air to talk about "Building Hope in Liberia," our latest fund-raising effort for PROJECT BUCHANAN.
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John has been both a missionary in Africa and a Boston Marathon runner! Combining his interest in missions with his passion for running, he is calling on runners in Colorado (and even where you live perhaps!) to join him on October 18th for the Denver Marathon, a 42-km race in which he hopes $42,000 can be raised for PROJECT BUCHANAN in Liberia! For details see http://www.buildinghopeinliberia.com/. (By the way, this website was specially designed for this event and set up for us by Erick Bolanos, a former student and friend of mine!)
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Pillar Missions in New Jersey has already raised $41,500 towards PROJECT BUCHANAN. Now we here in Colorado are hoping to match that figure! We estimate that the total combined amount will be enough a) to cover the cost of the trip Paula and I are making to Liberia next month to set up the project and b) to fund the first sizable construction phase, which we hope will get started at the end of the year!
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John envisions 42 runners "coming on board", each one with sponsorships averaging $1000 in contributions toward PROJECT BUCHANAN. Ten runners have already signed up, and though the marathon is not until October, $5400 has already been given! In addition, another donor has promised to match, dollar for dollar, the next $10,000 that comes in!
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If you are a runner, or you know a runner who might like to participate, check out the website! There you will find a link to the Denver Marathon and information for contacting my friend John Wiersma, the "Building Hope in Liberia" coordinator, about signing up.
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If you're not a runner but would maybe like to sponsor a runner, or you know someone you think might be interested in sponsoring a runner, check out the website! There you will find information on how contributions can be made, either by check or online using PayPal. All gifts are tax-deductible and will go in their entirety to PROJECT BUCHANAN!
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If you are new to this blog, read my earlier posts to find out what PROJECT BUCHANAN is all about! I am convinced that as the country of Liberia emerges from civil war, one of its most urgent needs is for quality education. PROJECT BUCHANAN is our opportunity to develop a new Christian school campus in Buchanan, so that a good but overcrowded school, already in operation in that city, can become even better! Today we can build hope in Liberia by helping to provide the quality educational foundation that Liberia needs for a peaceful and prosperous tomorrow. Together we can do it!
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A big thanks from me to all of you for helping!

How's That for Service!

2009-06-14T23:19:00.006-06:00

Last Tuesday (as I reported in my last post) Paula and I sent off for the visas we would need for our upcoming trip to Liberia this summer. The website of the Liberian Consulate in New York had indicated that we should allow at least 5 working days for our visas to be processed. However, we were very pleased on Friday (just 3 days later) to receive by express return mail a package containing our returned passports with the visas stamped inside! Our thanks to the Liberian Consulate for such great service... and, of course, to the US Postal Service as well!

Visas for Liberia!

2009-06-10T21:20:00.007-06:00

Yesterday Paula and I gathered together all the requirements for our visas -- completed application forms, valid passports, up-to-date immunization records, recent photos, and a money order for $281 -- and mailed them off to the Liberian consulate in New York. Hopefully we should have our documents back in a week or two and be ready to travel internationally, come July 7!

See? "Definite" Is not so Definite!

2009-06-08T15:50:00.021-06:00

Already we've encountered just a little wrinkle in our travel plans! (What did I tell you?)!
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Apparently the airline we were hoping to use next month has not yet received full clearance to start its newly-scheduled service to Liberia, and therefore it has been forced to cancel its June flights on this new direct route to West Africa. Since there's a good chance this could happen again in July, our travel agent is attempting this week to arrange for an alternate carrier!
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Unfortunately this change in travel plans will necessitate our flying first to Europe and then south to Liberia -- a much longer route which we had been hoping to avoid (29 hours one way, instead of 17)! Also, our trip (going and coming) will be delayed by a day.
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Our new trip dates will probably be July 7 through August 13... unless, of course, the first carrier gets its clearance before July 6, in which case we might be back to Plan A!
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Either way Paula and I are still planning to be in Liberia for 5 full weeks this summer! I'll keep you posted!

The Dates are "Definite"! *

2009-06-03T15:46:00.042-06:00

Yesterday we reserved tickets with our travel agent! Our travel dates are now "certain"; Paula and I expect to leave Denver for Liberia on July 6, returning 5 weeks later on August 11! But check out the footnote below...
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*.Allow me to add a footnote to the concept of "definite"...
let's just say, our plans (to go to Liberia this summer) are only as "certain" as any of us can make plans to do anything!
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I remember when I was very young in Africa, when certain older missionaries would talk about their plans (very definite plans, as far as I could tell), they would often add: "D.V." At the time I wondered: Why the "D.V."? What does that mean? Later I found out. (No, it didn't stand for "Digital Video..." before the "...Disc" was added!) "D.V." is an abbreviation for an old Latin expression, "Deo volente", which means: "God being willing". Well, that's simple enough! But then I would ask myself: Why didn't they just say it in English? Does Latin make it more "spiritual"? And why use the abbreviation? Perhaps they're not sure of the Latin pronunciation or spelling!
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But seriously, the old-timers had good reason to add the "Deo volente" condition to the plans they were making. First, they recognized that they weren't in control. Who is? More importantly, they had a few good Bible verses to back them up! Like James 4:14-15: "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow... Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'" Or what about Proverbs 19:21: "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."
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As far as those old missionaries knew, their bold plans were also good plans and they were honestly trying to do the right thing for the kingdom of God. But just in case... just in case circumstances would later indicate that "the Lord had other plans" (another expression they would often use), meaning that they would have to modify or give up their own, they were always careful to add those two simple letters: "D.V."

Hodgsons Plan to Be in Liberia this Summer!

2009-05-31T23:25:00.015-06:00

Sorry, everyone... I haven't posted anything to this blog in more than a month. Here in Colorado, schools close in May; so as a teacher, I've been quite busy the last few weeks with end-of-the-year activities and final exams! But that is now all behind me!
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Last year in May, Paula and I were in Costa Mesa, California, for our daughter Andrea's graduation from Vanguard University. Then...
.Just 2 weeks ago, we were on the West Coast again, this time for her graduation from the University of Southern California! She now has her master's degree in teaching as well as her teacher's certification for the state of California. Go, Andrea! Where did the time go? Just a few years ago--or so it seems to her parents--she was that smallest person in the picture of our family piled on a motorcycle in Africa! (See my last post!)
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Andrea's graduation was an opportunity for a family photo:... Gord, Paula, Andrea (22), Stephanie (26), and Nathaniel (24). Here we on the USC campus! Incredible! Why do I keep recalling that picture of a young family on a motorcycle, somewhere in the African bush?
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Because Andrea's training at USC was part of a government-sponsored program to provide more math teachers for America, she is now committed to finding a job teaching math in the Los Angeles district for the next 4 years. This past year she did her practice teaching in LA schools, and we know she is ready to rise to the challenge! (P.S. After that, Andrea, I hope you can spend a little time in Africa teaching math -- like your Daddy did!)

Meanwhile... Paula and I are indeed planning to spend 5 weeks in Liberia this summer with Pillar Missions, advancing the cause of Christian school education in Buchanan! Tentative dates for our trip are July 6 - August 11.

We expect to spend considerable time working with our Liberian friends on a comprehensive long- and short-range development plan for PROJECT BUCHANAN. There are so many logistics to be worked out, and we want PROJECT BUCHANAN to be done right... right from the start!

Actually, PROJECT BUCHANAN has had several good "starts" already! First there was Jacob Tequah's careful search for the land in 2007 and 2008. Then last June, knowing that an excellent parcel of land had just been located in Buchanan, I recommended that Pillar Missions seize this opportunity to expand its Christian school ministry in postwar Liberia. Within a few weeks, the 10+ acres had been purchased!

In January of this year I was in Liberia with a stateside team that visited the new property and participated in a ground-breaking ceremony. It took 4 photos to get everyone "in the picture"...

...so PROJECT BUCHANAN is already off to a very good start!

We are hoping that building can begin this coming dry season (December - April) with the construction of property security facilities and then the first of two multi-classroom buildings.

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Here in the States, generous donations have already come in, designated for PROJECT BUCHANAN, and fund-raising will continue this summer with “FREEDOM RIDE III” (a cycling event in New Jersey) and this fall with “BUILDING HOPE IN LIBERIA” (a marathon here in Colorado)!

We are excited about all that is happening! Watch for updates right here on my blog!

The HODGSONS... Then and Now!

2009-04-22T02:00:00.045-06:00

In the 1980s our family lived in Liberia in River Cess County at Po River Beach. The last 7 miles to our rather remote location were traveled SLOWLY by motorcycle along a bumpy trail that wound across sandy coastal savanna, through wet rain forest, over slippery stick-and-log "bridges", and up and down steep hills severely eroded by Liberia's heavy rainfall! This picture was taken in early 1989 as we were getting ready to start "the trip". There seemed to be only one "seating plan" that worked for us: First Dad and Mom would get on, then Andrea (2 years) would squeeze in between us, next Nathaniel (4) would scramble up right behind the handle bars, and finally Stephanie (6) would try to get comfortable on the gas tank in front of Dad! We all agreed that not having to walk 2 1/2 hours in the hot sun (or sometimes in the pouring rain) was well worth any discomforts of the ride! In fact, Nathaniel found the trip so relaxing that he would often fold his arms across the handle bars, put his head down, and fall fast asleep! (Did I mention that our overnight bag was usually secured over the taillight and that a few other belongings in plastic bags were slung from both handle bars?)
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Eighteen years later in January 2007, Paula and I were back in Liberia for a visit and we crossed the Cess River by boat, as we had done so many times before! We were on our way to Po River Beach where we had taught for 10 years before the war and where we had built so many family memories! This time, however, there was no motorcycle on the other side of the river and we had to walk!
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In January of this year, I was back in Liberia again, this time with an American team, to visit the land in Buchanan that had recently been purchased for a new Pillar school campus. This freshly-planted property stake seemed to mark the beginning of an exciting new venture in Christian school education for Liberia!
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The natural beauty and quiet solitude of this place would seem to make it an ideal setting for a school. So far, however, there is not a single building on the land... but hopefully this will soon change!
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Students from the overcrowded Pillar school facilities in town joined the Pillar visitors from the States to view this spacious new property. No doubt they were anticipating the day when this relaxing scene would mean that they were taking a welcome break from their busy classes!

Paula and I are seriously considering the possibility of making an extended working visit to Liberia (perhaps as early as this summer) in order to help get the first building project on this land organized and underway! We will keep you posted, right here on this blog!

PROJECT BUCHANAN is being funded by interested groups and individuals whose tax-deductible donations are being channeled through special Pillar Missions accounts and go in their entirety to the project! If you are interested in learning more about PROJECT BUCHANAN or would like to know how you can help to make this new school campus a reality for postwar Liberia, email me at: ghodgson2003@yahoo.com

A Better Life for Liberia's Young People! (Photo report of Liberia Trip Jan 2009: Part 6 of 6)

2009-04-15T02:00:00.007-06:00

Rie McGroarty, who teaches in a Pillar school in the United States, thoroughly enjoyed her brief visit to Liberia. She was able to interact easily with teachers and students, because all education in Liberia is in English. Now that the war is over, there are many opportunites for English-speaking educators to help.
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In addition to maintaining a challenging academic curriculum,

an effective Christian school also places great importance on:

... 1) INFORMATION from God's word!

The student listens as the Bible is taught faithfully at all grade levels.
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. ... 2) FORMATION of a Biblical worldview!
God's word starts to "make sense", offering reasonable answers to the basic questions of life that the student is asking.
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...3) TRANSFORMATION of heart!
It is hoped that the student, after considering the price that was paid on the cross, will make the personal decision to commit his/her life to Christ!
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This shy little girl needs Christ...

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Mischievous little Terry needs Christ...

...and so does Praise, who comes from a Christian home!

This little boy must be educated in the use of technology;

but to walk life's path successfully and get to heaven,

he too must have Christ!

POTENTIAL TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE...

...in this world and the next!

The Difference a School Has Made! (Photo report of Liberia Trip Jan 2009: Part 5 of 6)

2009-04-14T02:00:00.006-06:00

My second (and last) week in Liberia was spent in Paynesville near Monrovia...

...with Sam and Tabitha Walker (both former students of mine!)

and their children: Caleb, Sandi, and Praise!

.A flat tire on the way to church Sunday morning seemed to be taken quite in stride, but finally...

...we arrived at the Pillar church in Caldwell,

where Sam serves as pastor.

The building is a simple structure with woven mat walls and a thin metal roof supported on rough poles... but as a weekly meeting place for a small group of joyful Christians, it is adequate (for now)!
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Sam had asked me to be the speaker of the day. Thinking about the young people in my audience and the great challenges facing their country, I chose to speak in "Liberian English" and talk about the boy Samuel in the Bible. Despite the spiritually dark times in which he lived, he responded to God's unexpected call in the night and so became a difference-maker in Israel!

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As a boy, LUTHER TARPEH walked every day from his small fishing village to the Pillar school in River Cess. There he first heard about Christ and later dedicated his life to him. During the war, he attended seminary in Nigeria where he earned a master's degree in theology and where he met his wife Christine. They have 3 children and today live in Monrovia where they both teach at the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary. Luther is Field Director for Pillar operations in Liberia and pastors the Pillar church at Harbel. He also hosts a weekly call-in radio program on a Monrovia station!
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Today over a million people (28% of Liberia's population) live in Monrovia, the capital city. Here Luther (far right) has opened The Restoration Center, a home where "street boys" left homeless by the recent war are currently finding new hope. Mentored by resident seminary students, these teenagers now have the opportunity to attend local schools while learning about the God who loves them and has the power through Christ to transform their troubled lives.
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ROBERT SAYDEE (far right) remembers when, back in the 1970s, he too lived on the streets of Monrovia. In desperation his aunt sent him to the Pillar school in River Cess, and it was there that he later found Christ. Today he is a college graduate and lives with his wife Sarah and two children in New Jersey. He is IT manager for the Pillar ministry complex at Zarephath. No wonder he promotes foreign missions through Christian schools and sees potential in every "street boy" in this photo!
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Before the war, EMMETT KAYE attended the Pillar school in River Cess where his father was a teacher. Today Emmett is pursuing a degree in business and is active in the Pillar church. He and his wife live in Monrovia and have one son, Emmett Jr.
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.Befor the war, ENOCH GAADYEZON attended junior and senior high at the Pillar school in River Cess. He and his wife Christiana have 3 children. They live in River Cess County where he is principal of a Christian school and serves as pastor of the local church.
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When DANIEL TARPEH (no relation to Luther) was a student years ago at the Pillar school in River Cess, he came down the river each day in his dugout canoe. Today he is completing his Bible school training in Monrovia, and the children's ministry that he started a few years ago is growing into a small church fellowship! He and his wife Ellen have 9 children, one of whom (Joanna, bottom left) is deaf.
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The day I visited Daniel and his family, members of his church came over to meet me. They were proud to stand in front of the simple "church" they had helped him build and which is now a blessing to them and their children.
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SAM WALKER was already a student at the Pillar school in River Cess in the 1980s when TABITHA arrived from another Christian school... and (as they say) the rest is history! After high school, Sam earned an undergraduate degree in Christian education from the accredited Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary in Monrovia. Today he pastors the growing Pillar church at Caldwell outside Monrovia.
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. In the 1970s, my friend GABRIEL TEQUAH was a student at the Pillar school in River Cess. After rededicating his life to the Lord as a young adult, he returned to teach at the school he had once attended. Then he went on to earn a degree in Christian education from Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary, followed by a master's degree from West Africa Theological Seminary in Nigeria. An excellent teacher, he now seeks to help young people genuinely discover the Truth that he knows can transform their lives. He and his wife MARTHA, who also attended the Pillar school in River Cess, now live in Buchanan where Gabriel is principal of the Pillar school that we visited. They have 3 children.
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Property for a New School Campus! (Photo report of Liberia Trip Jan 2009: Part 4 of 6)

2009-04-13T02:00:00.015-06:00

About mid-morning, all the students and the faculty escorted the visitors further up the road to the new school property.
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Buchanan is just 6 degrees north of the equator!

The tropical sun is unrelenting, and the humidity here near the ocean is high year round.
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This is just a portion of the 10.6 acres (4.3 ha) recently acquired for the development of a new Pillar school campus in Buchanan!
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Though annual rainfall here exceeds 150 inches (380 cm), the sandy soil supports only low forest or scrub, often interspersed with areas of grassland known as "coastal savanna".
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The Little Bee-Eater is a breeding visitor to Liberia during the dry season (Nov-May). This pair (near the school's new property) was watching for insects from a low branch. Their nest, a burrow in the sandy soil, must have been somewhere in the area.
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That's better... a nice close-up of the Little Bee-Eater! Its leafy-green upperparts enable it to blend into its habitat surprisingly well!
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The new property is a peninsula of high ground, surrounded by beautiful mangrove wetlands! These slow-moving backwaters drain into the St.John River, which flows into the ocean not far away.
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After exploring the property...
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...and inspecting the water's edge,...
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...we came back up the slope...
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...and formed a big circle...
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...as Luther Tarpeh, Pillar Field Director for Liberia, officiated in a ground-breaking ceremony!
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After both Liberians and American visitors had helped to "turn the sod"...
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...we posed for a "ground-breakers" group photo! (There I am... back row, third from the left!)
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Rob Cruver had brought a satellite phone with him, which he used to make on-site reports back to WAWZ, the Pillar's Christian radio station in New Jersey.
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After hearing one of Rob's reports, a radio listener called in to make a generous contribution toward the development of this new Christian school campus at Buchanan in Liberia!
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Pillar Junior & Senior High and Chapel! (Photo report of Liberia Trip Jan 2009: Part 3 of 6)

2009-04-12T02:00:00.006-06:00

This hand-written poster of classroom rules included the following warning:

"NO PLAYING WITH PHONE IN CLASS!"

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Low-cost cell phones are now used everywhere in Liberia and have greatly improved communications around the country.

(At night a cell phone also serves well as a flashlight to light up the trail ahead, should there be a snake to avoid!)

This young lady wanted her picture taken

(with her family's cell phone, of course)!

During the 1990s, this building for high school classes was built on the property next to the elementary school in Jacob's house.

There is still some finishing work to be done...

For example, there are still no railings on the steps leading

to the three upstairs classrooms. Downstairs there

is a small auditorium for student chapels.

The high school classes were inside, waiting to see us!

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This newer building is more spacious, but the classrooms are often quite dark because the latticed concrete window construction (which cuts out the light) is necessary for greater security of the building, especially at night. Even if electricity were available for better lighting, it is unlikely that the school would be able to afford it.
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We were happy to learn that there are no less than 39 students in each of the junior and senior high classes this year!
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Robert Saydee encouraged this student to stay in school and acquire a good education.

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As an after-school job, this Pillar student rents a motorcycle and provides "taxi service" around Buchanan!
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A short chapel service was convened, in which there was some great singing by both the elementary and junior/senior high divisions of the school!

.A small generator was fired up to provide enough electricity for a few ceiling lights and the PA system.

As each visitor from the United States spoke briefly, the students listened attentively...
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...and watched us closely too!

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Boy: "Are you OK with him taking your picture?"

Girl: "I think so! This is a special day at our school!"

Tour of Pillar Elementary School! (Photo report of Liberia Trip Jan 2009: Part 2 of 6)

2009-04-11T02:00:00.006-06:00

After breakfast, a 15-minute walk through town would lead us to the Pillar school where we could meet students and staff and observe classes in session!

The loud rattling call and brilliant blue plumage of a Woodland Kingfisher (a common dry-season visitor to Liberia)

caught our attention as it flew up into a tree!

Soon the school on the hill came into view!

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Until about 15 years ago, this building was Pastor Jacob's home in Buchanan. But when the civil war forced the Pillar school in River Cess to move "up the coast" about 50 miles (80 km) to Buchanan, Jacob moved out of his home so that teachers and students could move in!
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Today the many small "classrooms" in this building are overcrowded, and there is not enough room on this property to build a larger, more adequate school facility.

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Rob Cruver (center) visited with students, while

Gabriel and Robert looked on.
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Larry Rutter (bottom left) and the rest of the team met informally with students and teachers...
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...and also visited them in their classrooms!

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Mary Ann talked to students while Larry adjusted his camera!

Mary Ann stopped for a picture with students...
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...and also admired their work!

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This cheerful young man...

...and this quiet learner...

...and this thoughtful boy--
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...all these eager students have the potential to make a positive difference in Liberia's future!

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The kindergarten class paused for this "photo op" with

Mary Ann Lawrence and Rie McGroarty.

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Rie, who has training in curriculum development,

admired this teacher's lesson plans...
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...which included an art lesson (left) about "Mr. Spider"

of Liberian folklore fame,

and a science lesson about "The Five Senses"!

Team from US Arrives in Buchanan! (Photo report of Liberia Trip Jan 2009: Part 1 of 6)

2009-04-10T02:00:00.009-06:00

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In January of this year (2009), Rob Cruver (far left), Robert Saydee, and 5 others from the United States visited Liberia. The first few days were spent at the annual Pillar church conference, which this year was held at Harbel (not far from Roberts International Airport).
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After the conference, the team traveled about 60 miles (100 km) by road "down the coast" to the port city of Buchanan (pop. 34,000).

The highway from Monrovia into Buchanan continues as the "main drag" through town, with pedestrian traffic and numerous markets along both sides of the road.

The streets of Buchanan were filled with children playing.

I wondered:

"Where do they go to school? Do they even go to school?"

At Pastor Jacob Tequah's home, there were cold drinks and fresh bananas waiting for us! Seated (from left to right) are Rie McGroarty with Terry, Rob Cruver, Mary Ann Lawrence, and Gordon Tiner.

It had been a long day for everyone, including little Terry who made friends quickly with Rie... and then promptly fell asleep!

Jacob Tequah is former Pillar Field Director for Liberia and retired Pillar pastor in Buchanan. His son Gabriel is now pastor of the church and principal of the Pillar school in Buchanan.

Martha, Gabriel's wife, cooked us some great Liberian meals!

Here she is at work in her "outdoor kitchen area".

A favorite Liberian dish is "palm butter rice", served with chicken or fish!

Palm butter is made from the rich orange fruits of the oil palm,

a tree that grows everywhere.

Jacob is always making home improvements (note the unfinished two-story construction). Just before we arrived, he had installed the water tank on the roof (top center) to serve a new guest room and adjoining bath below.

This lizard (a familiar species on rock piles and around concrete structures) was clinging to the side of the building,

head-bobbing in the early morning sunshine!