There is no mistaking Liberia as a nation with ties to America. The English spoken in Liberia is different than anywhere else in Africa – no British or French accept, but rather a slurred dropping of the last parts of words, like someone very accustomed to English who is in a hurry. The locals speak to each other with loud volume and emphatic gestures, almost like they are angry with each other but in reality they are completely happy (someone described Liberia as the “Italy of Africa.”) They measure distances in feet and miles instead of meters and kilometers, they use pounds instead of kilograms, US dollars and Liberian dollars instead of West African CFA francs. All this stems from the time when American ex-slaves landed in Liberia and the country was established under their leadership. But despite their American ties, there is no denying that they are Africans. The worship service where I preached was undeniably African. The warm greetings and hospitality that were extended, the collectivistic ethos, the valuing of power/fear over guilt/innocence, the abundance of noise and other types of pollution, the prevalence of a patron/client relational expectation – all reminded me I was in Africa.

I was joined by Pastor Randy Widbin as my training partner. Randy is new to our Pathways team, having recently retired from the pastorate. Yet he has a longing to equip pastors globally for as long as God allows, so he and I have been getting to know each other better. While Randy is still making a few decisions, it looks like a strong possibility that he will be a regular partner with me in Africa – praise God!! I’m inclined to have him work primarily in West Africa, since he knows some French and can be a steady influence with a couple networks in this area.

We happened to be there at the very HOT season, so as I preached on Sunday and trained each day thereafter, my shirt and even pants got soaked with sweat (tmi?). Fortunately I love the heat, but it was a non-negotiable that my exercise had to happen early in the morning as I went out running to the nearby beach. Another reminder that I was in Africa was the prevalence of trash and poop piles (not from animals) littering the beach, fishermen cleaning their nets and preparing to set out in dugout canoes for a day of work, and dilapidated shacks all along the coastline with multiple families living in each one.

Typically, we have 12-16 participants in our Pathways workshops. This was our first workshop in Monrovia, and we had 26 show up for the training. Wonderful! But also challenging. The reason we limit the size is so we can have vital interaction with each participant, equipping them well so they in turn can pass the training on to many others. Fortunately, the church where we were training had a school attached, so we were able to divide the group in half, and Randy took half and I worked with the other half for several sessions, and all went well. By the end of the workshop, the leadership had selected 16 master trainers with whom we will work in the future. Pastor Matthew serves as the key coordinator, and seeing the fire in his belly for equipping Liberians with healthy Bible study principles was truly a joy.

I have high hopes for this network as they seemed to grasp foundational principles well and eagerly envision passing this training on to many others. May God continue the good work He has begun so that His Word will be preached and used in establishing healthy, biblically-grounded churches throughout Liberia and beyond.