Tuesday, Nov 19.
Greetings from Ganta, Liberia.
Another good day in Ganta! We concluded our Encounter this morning and after lunch I walked them through the Facilitator's guide (a 2-page/front & back guide that Luke Kuepfer put together after our last session in Uganda) activity by activity, topic by topic, answering their questions, clarifying things, giving them some guidance on how to set up/conduct the various exercises, and going over some facilitation tips. We ended the day by dividing them into two (2) groups and assigning each person a portion of the Encounter that they will "teach back" tomorrow.
Tomorrow will be an important day for these leaders as they now will "get their feet wet" by teaching a small portion of the material by themselves. My role will be to act as their "coach", to encourage them, and give them some feedback and suggestions as needed. It should be a very enjoyable day!
Thus far, I'm very impressed by almost all of the leaders in the training. They listen very intently. They know their Bible. For the most part, they are on time and prompt to return from their breaks. They really want to learn and become a leader who leads like Jesus and have made a tremendous sacrifice of their time and their money to attend this training. Some of them also drove long distances from Monrovia and other places around the country to get here. I wish people in the US were as passionate about learning about leadership as these folks are.
The weather here today was about the same as yesterday - very HOT! It started off in the mid-70`s but warmed up quickly. The forecast for tomorrow is for more of the same.
Thanks for your continued prayers!
Blessings!
Fred
Sent from my iPad
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Report from Liberia
Monday, Nov 18.
Greetings from Ganta, Liberia.
It was a very, very good day! We had a total of 22 leaders come to begin the 5 days of training this morning. There were three (3) who failed to show and of all things, they were from local churches. Of the 22, there are a total of 17 different churches represented. I believe that all but maybe one or two attended the training that I facilitated last February.
I began this morning by briefing them on the Four year development process that Luke Kuepfer and I used this past summer with a group of leaders in Uganda and that they would begin today. They asked a lot of great questions and quickly saw that by following the same process that Jesus taught his disciples, they could develop the leaders they needed to grow their church and make a kingdom impact here in Liberia. Every person agreed to commit to all four years. I will reconfirm that commitment on Friday at the conclusion of the training.
I then took them through the Lead Like Jesus Encounter using the one page, front and back handout that we developed. There was lots of great discussion and they asked lots of very good questions. This confirms to me that that merely going through an Encounter is not sufficient to learn and apply the principles of leading like Jesus. Learning to lead like Jesus is truly a transformational journey and doesn't happen in one event or workshop.
They particularly liked the application questions that we built into the lesson at various points to help them apply what they learn to their own situation, and they loved doing the Bible story drama's that we had them act out today. It really impressed me as I was asking each of them at the end of the Head section (where we learn about mission and vision) to tell me what they've learned, one of the men said that he learned that he and his wife need to develop a vision statement for their family and how they are blindly walking through life and that he is going to change that. Wow! I was blown away. He gets the importance of vision and now has applied that to his family.
This morning started out with a slight drizzle and was fairly cool. However, by noon the sun came out from behind the clouds and it really got hot. I'm not sure but I would guess it reached 90 degrees here this afternoon. By about 4 pm is was pretty warm in our classroom. I think it is going to be very hot here all week. Better than snow I guess?
Tomorrow, we will finish up the remaining sections of the Encounter and then in the afternoon start training them in how to facilitate/teach it for themselves. Should be another great day!
More to follow tomorrow from Ganta, Liberia.
Blessings!
Fred
Sent from my iPad
Greetings from Ganta, Liberia.
It was a very, very good day! We had a total of 22 leaders come to begin the 5 days of training this morning. There were three (3) who failed to show and of all things, they were from local churches. Of the 22, there are a total of 17 different churches represented. I believe that all but maybe one or two attended the training that I facilitated last February.
I began this morning by briefing them on the Four year development process that Luke Kuepfer and I used this past summer with a group of leaders in Uganda and that they would begin today. They asked a lot of great questions and quickly saw that by following the same process that Jesus taught his disciples, they could develop the leaders they needed to grow their church and make a kingdom impact here in Liberia. Every person agreed to commit to all four years. I will reconfirm that commitment on Friday at the conclusion of the training.
I then took them through the Lead Like Jesus Encounter using the one page, front and back handout that we developed. There was lots of great discussion and they asked lots of very good questions. This confirms to me that that merely going through an Encounter is not sufficient to learn and apply the principles of leading like Jesus. Learning to lead like Jesus is truly a transformational journey and doesn't happen in one event or workshop.
They particularly liked the application questions that we built into the lesson at various points to help them apply what they learn to their own situation, and they loved doing the Bible story drama's that we had them act out today. It really impressed me as I was asking each of them at the end of the Head section (where we learn about mission and vision) to tell me what they've learned, one of the men said that he learned that he and his wife need to develop a vision statement for their family and how they are blindly walking through life and that he is going to change that. Wow! I was blown away. He gets the importance of vision and now has applied that to his family.
This morning started out with a slight drizzle and was fairly cool. However, by noon the sun came out from behind the clouds and it really got hot. I'm not sure but I would guess it reached 90 degrees here this afternoon. By about 4 pm is was pretty warm in our classroom. I think it is going to be very hot here all week. Better than snow I guess?
Tomorrow, we will finish up the remaining sections of the Encounter and then in the afternoon start training them in how to facilitate/teach it for themselves. Should be another great day!
More to follow tomorrow from Ganta, Liberia.
Blessings!
Fred
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Greetings from Liberia
Sunday, Nov. 17.
Greetings from Ganta, Liberia.
I woke up at 6 am, made myself a cup of coffee, got a shower, repacked my stuff into the suitcase, and then went to eat breakfast at the hotel restaurant.
When I opened the door of my room to go to breakfast, I looked up and saw that I was about a hundred yards or so from the Atlantic Ocean. What a view! Very lovely indeed. (I will post a picture for you later on)
Just as I was finishing my breakfast, Fannia walked into the restaurant. I looked at my watch and it was exactly 7:30 am. I turned in my keys, got a receipt, loaded up my bags into the back of the vehicle and we set off for Ganta.
The road to Ganta was terrible. Fannia was right, it is much worse than last year. This is partly due to the government doing a lot of construction in numerous places on the entire length of the road, which is about 170 miles. Maybe in a year or two, after they finish the construction, the road will be much safer and better to drive on.
Our driver was great! He managed to miss most of the potholes and the ones he couldn't miss he at least slowed down for them. We did have a few exciting moments when we came upon a short detour around a section of the road they were working on. As we approached the detour, we noticed that the traffic had backed up considerably and then came to a complete halt. There were four or five large trucks in front of us, so we couldn't see what was causing it. We sat there for about 5 minutes and never moved.
Finally, our driver drove around the trucks in front of us. Once we got around them we quickly saw what had caused the hold up. Right in the middle of the detour and slightly on the left side of the road there was a tractor-trailer that had turned over on its side, leaving only a small portion of the road on the right side that you could drive around. However, another large truck (not a tractor-trailer thank goodness) had tried to get by the overturned truck but had gotten too close to the side of the road and had slid into the ditch. The road was completely blocked!
At that point, I realized that we might be in trouble. They probably would have to get a large wrecker to come from Monrovia to pull the truck out of the ditch and turn the other one back on its wheels. This could take hours. I did not want to be on that road after it got dark.
Our driver got out of the vehicle and walked up ahead to see how bad it was. By this time about 30-40 people in the nearby village had gathered to watch. In a couple of minutes he came back and told us that the truck that we thought was stuck in the ditch wasn't stuck at all! He would have gotten himself stuck if he had pulled forward a few more feet but he luckily stopped before that happened. So, this truck backed up about five feet and cleared a space just big enough that a car or small SUV could pass by and get through. In all, this little bit of excitement cost us about 30 minutes or so.
I also learned another lesson today. God keeps using things like this to teach me to be patient and not to worry or be afraid. There was nothing that I could do to change the outcome, yet the type-A person in me wanted to get out and take charge. Thanks for the lesson Lord! Forgive me when I doubt and want to make things happen myself.
We finally arrived at the city limits of Ganta at almost exactly 6 hours (1:30 pm) after we had left Monrovia. I can tell you that I was very, very relieved!!
The first stop was at the church where I will be teaching starting tomorrow. There were around 50 or so people from the church there to greet us. They had waited for more than an hour after the morning's worship service to greet me and welcome me back. It was really good to see Pastor Alex and the other members of the church again. They even had 10 or so children sing a welcome song for me! It was very touching to see their smiling faces and have them hug me and shake my hand. Several people asked about Ernie Perry and Darryl Hunnelley (who I accompanied on my last trip here) and how they were getting along.
We then left the church to check into the hotel. The place that I'm staying is called "Jackie's Guest House". It is nothing special, but it is clean, safe, has internet, air conditioning, and a restaurant.
I can tell you that I'm very grateful to be back in Ganta! Thank you Lord for a successful and safe trip from Monrovia and thanks to everyone for your prayers.
More to follow from Ganta, Liberia tomorrow.
Blessings!
Fred
Sent from my iPad
Greetings from Ganta, Liberia.
I woke up at 6 am, made myself a cup of coffee, got a shower, repacked my stuff into the suitcase, and then went to eat breakfast at the hotel restaurant.
When I opened the door of my room to go to breakfast, I looked up and saw that I was about a hundred yards or so from the Atlantic Ocean. What a view! Very lovely indeed. (I will post a picture for you later on)
Just as I was finishing my breakfast, Fannia walked into the restaurant. I looked at my watch and it was exactly 7:30 am. I turned in my keys, got a receipt, loaded up my bags into the back of the vehicle and we set off for Ganta.
The road to Ganta was terrible. Fannia was right, it is much worse than last year. This is partly due to the government doing a lot of construction in numerous places on the entire length of the road, which is about 170 miles. Maybe in a year or two, after they finish the construction, the road will be much safer and better to drive on.
Our driver was great! He managed to miss most of the potholes and the ones he couldn't miss he at least slowed down for them. We did have a few exciting moments when we came upon a short detour around a section of the road they were working on. As we approached the detour, we noticed that the traffic had backed up considerably and then came to a complete halt. There were four or five large trucks in front of us, so we couldn't see what was causing it. We sat there for about 5 minutes and never moved.
Finally, our driver drove around the trucks in front of us. Once we got around them we quickly saw what had caused the hold up. Right in the middle of the detour and slightly on the left side of the road there was a tractor-trailer that had turned over on its side, leaving only a small portion of the road on the right side that you could drive around. However, another large truck (not a tractor-trailer thank goodness) had tried to get by the overturned truck but had gotten too close to the side of the road and had slid into the ditch. The road was completely blocked!
At that point, I realized that we might be in trouble. They probably would have to get a large wrecker to come from Monrovia to pull the truck out of the ditch and turn the other one back on its wheels. This could take hours. I did not want to be on that road after it got dark.
Our driver got out of the vehicle and walked up ahead to see how bad it was. By this time about 30-40 people in the nearby village had gathered to watch. In a couple of minutes he came back and told us that the truck that we thought was stuck in the ditch wasn't stuck at all! He would have gotten himself stuck if he had pulled forward a few more feet but he luckily stopped before that happened. So, this truck backed up about five feet and cleared a space just big enough that a car or small SUV could pass by and get through. In all, this little bit of excitement cost us about 30 minutes or so.
I also learned another lesson today. God keeps using things like this to teach me to be patient and not to worry or be afraid. There was nothing that I could do to change the outcome, yet the type-A person in me wanted to get out and take charge. Thanks for the lesson Lord! Forgive me when I doubt and want to make things happen myself.
We finally arrived at the city limits of Ganta at almost exactly 6 hours (1:30 pm) after we had left Monrovia. I can tell you that I was very, very relieved!!
The first stop was at the church where I will be teaching starting tomorrow. There were around 50 or so people from the church there to greet us. They had waited for more than an hour after the morning's worship service to greet me and welcome me back. It was really good to see Pastor Alex and the other members of the church again. They even had 10 or so children sing a welcome song for me! It was very touching to see their smiling faces and have them hug me and shake my hand. Several people asked about Ernie Perry and Darryl Hunnelley (who I accompanied on my last trip here) and how they were getting along.
We then left the church to check into the hotel. The place that I'm staying is called "Jackie's Guest House". It is nothing special, but it is clean, safe, has internet, air conditioning, and a restaurant.
I can tell you that I'm very grateful to be back in Ganta! Thank you Lord for a successful and safe trip from Monrovia and thanks to everyone for your prayers.
More to follow from Ganta, Liberia tomorrow.
Blessings!
Fred
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, November 16, 2013
LLJ Liberia trip (15-24 Nov, 2013)
Friday, 15 Nov.
It was a little hectic this morning. I had for the most part completed everything that I needed to get done except for packing my clothes and sending out a couple of emails. But, as things usually happen, there were a few last minute things that I had to do, a few things I had forgot, and some last minute house keeping things to do before I left. By about 12:30 pm, I had completed everything and all I had to do at that point was wait on Luke Kuepfer to pick me up.
Luke, his wife and daughter, were going to Wilmington, Ohio to lead a Lead Like Jesus Encounter starting on Friday evening, and he had volunteered to drop me off at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Airport. Luke arrived a few minutes after 1 pm. We loaded my two (2) huge suitcases (one with clothes and one with materials and books) in the trunk of his car (which was already pretty full), and we were off. We had a very enjoyable drive and Luke and I talked the entire time. It seemed like we arrived at the airport in no time at all.
Luke pulled up to the terminal at about 2:30 pm, we got the bags out of the trunk, and then Luke helped me carry my bags to the Delta ticket counter. We said our goodbyes, I thanked him for the ride, and I checked in while Luke departed to get back on the road towards Wilmington.
The airport was not very busy at all. I checked in very quickly and headed for the TSA screening. Again, there was not much of a line and I was through and on my way within 15 minutes or so. I went down the elevator and started walking towards Terminal B and gate B-5. When I got there (at about 3 pm), there was only about four other people there, which kind of surprised me. I sat down, got my ipad out and sent couple of emails and text messages, charged my iphone and ipad batteries, and watched all the people go by. (By the way, people are really funny. They act in some of the strangest ways? Of course, they probably say the same thing about me.)
The time flew by and at 4:50 pm, they started boarding the plane. I looked around and it didn't seem to be a lot of people there for such a big plane? I quickly sent Michelle a text message telling her we were leaving and that I loved her and would text her when I get to Paris, and then I boarded the plane. Sure enough, the plane was only about 2/3 full. It was great!! I had an aisle seat on the right side of the plane and there was no one in the seat next to me. This was going to be a great flight! Thank you Lord!
On the way, I did some reading and watched the movie 42, which is about Jackie Robinson and his breakthrough into the Major Leagues. Great movie. By the way, the first part of the movie was filmed in Florida. There were a couple of scenes in Daytona Beach, Sanford, and Deland.
About halfway through the flight we started to experience some turbulence. It wasn't really too bad, but was just enough to keep me from sleeping very much.
Saturday, 16 Nov.
We arrived in Paris at Charles de Gaulle airport at 7:18 am (1:18 am in KY). It was really foggy and very cold. They have made a lot of improvements to this airport since the last time that I flew through here (about 10 years ago). It really is pretty nice. Of course, it was super busy as usual and very crowded. The worst part was that there is NO heat in the terminals. None whatsoever! After I found the right terminal, I went through security, and then located my gate and walked across the aisle and got a cup of coffee and a pastry. I noticed right away that this place is really cold. Of course, I did bring a winter jacket BUT I put it in my suitcase because I thought that I wouldn't need it until I got back to KY next week. Boy, was I wrong. I tried to tough it out. I would sit for a while. Then I would walk around. Then I would sit some more and then walk around some more. Eventually, I decided that I was freezing! So, I walked back to where the shops were and found a sweatshirt. I ended up paying about $40 US for it. Oh, well? At least I'm not freezing now. I also have a souvenir with "Paris" written on the front.
My plane departs for Monrovia at 1:35 pm (Paris time). I hope it is on time. I know it is much warmer there than it is here.
The flight was a little late getting out of Paris, but only about 15 minutes or so. Again, I lucked up and did not have anyone sitting next to me. The flight was about 80 percent or so full. The flight was pretty good and I was finally able to get some sleep. It was a nine hour flight and I probably slept at least 5 hours of that time. However, the plane was not very warm. I was able to wrap myself in a blanket and I kept my sweatshirt on the whole time.
When we arrived in Monrovia it was pouring the rain. I got off the plane and then had to go through their immigration/VISA check. They made me fill out a form, which didn't take but a few minutes and then I went to baggage claim to get my bags. It was definitely my day. Just as I walked into the baggage claim area my bags were coming around on the conveyor belt. I got both of them and went through customs and started outside. There must have been a celebrity of some sort that was on my flight. When I went outside there were about a hundred people with signs and posters with the name of a woman written on them (sorry I forgot her name?). I looked around and I heard Fannia calling my name. I hugged her and told her that I was really glad to see her.
We loaded my bags in the vehicle and took off to the hotel. We did have a slight problem at the hotel getting checked in but within a few minutes everything was OK and I am finishing this post from my hotel room.
We leave for Ganta at 7:30 am. I am not looking forward to the drive. Fannia said that because of construction, the road is actually worse than last year. Please pray for our safe travel.
We'll, I made it this far. And, I've got all my luggage! Thank you Lord for the safe trip thus far.
Blessings!
Fred
Sent from my iPad
It was a little hectic this morning. I had for the most part completed everything that I needed to get done except for packing my clothes and sending out a couple of emails. But, as things usually happen, there were a few last minute things that I had to do, a few things I had forgot, and some last minute house keeping things to do before I left. By about 12:30 pm, I had completed everything and all I had to do at that point was wait on Luke Kuepfer to pick me up.
Luke, his wife and daughter, were going to Wilmington, Ohio to lead a Lead Like Jesus Encounter starting on Friday evening, and he had volunteered to drop me off at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Airport. Luke arrived a few minutes after 1 pm. We loaded my two (2) huge suitcases (one with clothes and one with materials and books) in the trunk of his car (which was already pretty full), and we were off. We had a very enjoyable drive and Luke and I talked the entire time. It seemed like we arrived at the airport in no time at all.
Luke pulled up to the terminal at about 2:30 pm, we got the bags out of the trunk, and then Luke helped me carry my bags to the Delta ticket counter. We said our goodbyes, I thanked him for the ride, and I checked in while Luke departed to get back on the road towards Wilmington.
The airport was not very busy at all. I checked in very quickly and headed for the TSA screening. Again, there was not much of a line and I was through and on my way within 15 minutes or so. I went down the elevator and started walking towards Terminal B and gate B-5. When I got there (at about 3 pm), there was only about four other people there, which kind of surprised me. I sat down, got my ipad out and sent couple of emails and text messages, charged my iphone and ipad batteries, and watched all the people go by. (By the way, people are really funny. They act in some of the strangest ways? Of course, they probably say the same thing about me.)
The time flew by and at 4:50 pm, they started boarding the plane. I looked around and it didn't seem to be a lot of people there for such a big plane? I quickly sent Michelle a text message telling her we were leaving and that I loved her and would text her when I get to Paris, and then I boarded the plane. Sure enough, the plane was only about 2/3 full. It was great!! I had an aisle seat on the right side of the plane and there was no one in the seat next to me. This was going to be a great flight! Thank you Lord!
On the way, I did some reading and watched the movie 42, which is about Jackie Robinson and his breakthrough into the Major Leagues. Great movie. By the way, the first part of the movie was filmed in Florida. There were a couple of scenes in Daytona Beach, Sanford, and Deland.
About halfway through the flight we started to experience some turbulence. It wasn't really too bad, but was just enough to keep me from sleeping very much.
Saturday, 16 Nov.
We arrived in Paris at Charles de Gaulle airport at 7:18 am (1:18 am in KY). It was really foggy and very cold. They have made a lot of improvements to this airport since the last time that I flew through here (about 10 years ago). It really is pretty nice. Of course, it was super busy as usual and very crowded. The worst part was that there is NO heat in the terminals. None whatsoever! After I found the right terminal, I went through security, and then located my gate and walked across the aisle and got a cup of coffee and a pastry. I noticed right away that this place is really cold. Of course, I did bring a winter jacket BUT I put it in my suitcase because I thought that I wouldn't need it until I got back to KY next week. Boy, was I wrong. I tried to tough it out. I would sit for a while. Then I would walk around. Then I would sit some more and then walk around some more. Eventually, I decided that I was freezing! So, I walked back to where the shops were and found a sweatshirt. I ended up paying about $40 US for it. Oh, well? At least I'm not freezing now. I also have a souvenir with "Paris" written on the front.
My plane departs for Monrovia at 1:35 pm (Paris time). I hope it is on time. I know it is much warmer there than it is here.
The flight was a little late getting out of Paris, but only about 15 minutes or so. Again, I lucked up and did not have anyone sitting next to me. The flight was about 80 percent or so full. The flight was pretty good and I was finally able to get some sleep. It was a nine hour flight and I probably slept at least 5 hours of that time. However, the plane was not very warm. I was able to wrap myself in a blanket and I kept my sweatshirt on the whole time.
When we arrived in Monrovia it was pouring the rain. I got off the plane and then had to go through their immigration/VISA check. They made me fill out a form, which didn't take but a few minutes and then I went to baggage claim to get my bags. It was definitely my day. Just as I walked into the baggage claim area my bags were coming around on the conveyor belt. I got both of them and went through customs and started outside. There must have been a celebrity of some sort that was on my flight. When I went outside there were about a hundred people with signs and posters with the name of a woman written on them (sorry I forgot her name?). I looked around and I heard Fannia calling my name. I hugged her and told her that I was really glad to see her.
We loaded my bags in the vehicle and took off to the hotel. We did have a slight problem at the hotel getting checked in but within a few minutes everything was OK and I am finishing this post from my hotel room.
We leave for Ganta at 7:30 am. I am not looking forward to the drive. Fannia said that because of construction, the road is actually worse than last year. Please pray for our safe travel.
We'll, I made it this far. And, I've got all my luggage! Thank you Lord for the safe trip thus far.
Blessings!
Fred
Sent from my iPad
Friday, November 15, 2013
Here we go!
I am getting ready to board the flight for the first leg of the journey. Thanks for your prayers.
Blessings!
Fred
Sent from my iPhone
Blessings!
Fred
Sent from my iPhone
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