t’s great to be back in cool, wet,
Liberia. Strong pure winds and flood dumping
thunderheads sweep off the ocean day and night.
We pray these cleansing rains will help the
growing peace and climate of rebuilding to take
strong root. Audry and the children were on
the phone from Richmond yesterday wishing me
a happy
Father’s Day. What a contrast to hear
about the heat wave and the first forest fires
of the summer sweeping through BC. We pray for
cleansing and renewal in Canada as well.
What a magnificent year
of refreshment, rooting and growth it has been
for our family and our work in Liberia. We have
been so blessed and so loved. THANK YOU for
your support in all the variety of ways you
have given.
Our work in Liberia has
grown greatly over the last year with our over
1400 trained Community Health Ambassadors serving
over 300,000 war affected people in Nimba, Grand
Bassa and Maragibi Counties. Your support means
so much to us and it is having an increasing
impact on the communities in rural war torn
Liberia where we work.
For thousands and thousands
of Liberians, the impact of the Community Health
Ambassadors, Living Water and Sanitation project
and Emergency Family Housing projects have been
life transforming. We are seeing strong evidence
of the effectiveness of our work by the sharp
contrast between health conditions in areas
of Liberia where EQUIP has worked and has never
worked. In areas where we have never trained,
equipped and vaccinated people this month of
June there have been epidemic outbreaks of Cholera,
watery diarrhea and measles. These all used
to take place all too regularly in EQUIP’s
target communities before our work began but
we are now celebrating God’s goodness
that these things no longer happen in the regions
our CHA’s have labored.
Last week as I traveled
around Nimba county I was so emotionally moved
by the heartfelt expressions of gratitude showered
on us by struggling hard working people. Dozens
of men and women came up to me every day, shook
my hand, looked into my eyes and with amazing
smiles said “Thank you for putting a roof
back on our house just before the rains. THANK
YOU!” “Thank you for fixing that
hand pump – it’s so important to
us. Our family used to fall sick from the shallow
well water. That pure water has really helped
us stay well!!” “Thank you for talking
for us over BBC when MODEL was trying to kill
us all. Thank you for helping to rescue us we
will never forget what you did!!” “Thank
you for feeding my daughter when she was so
weak with malnutrition. Thank you for teaching
us what to feed her and how to build her up.
Look at how fat she is now! She is strong oohh!!
Thank you!” I reply, “God is good,
All the time!”
