LiberiaChristianCollege-1971-Liberia.pdf

7/28/2019 LiberiaChristianCollege-1971-Liberia.pdf

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"TRAINING LEADERS CP AK INDIGENOUS mSTGRATlCN r-:CVr< f ENT IN '.^EST AFRICA"h a l l s p e r r y CHRISTIAN CHURCH12105 Old Halls Perry RoadFlo r i s s an t , Missour i "63033 Non-p ro f i t Organ iza t io rU.So Postage

Pi^IDF lo r i s s an t , F i s sou r iPer r r i t No, 6P

Address Correction Requested ^,06^

I I I ) ^ -r r \ -0(o ^^0/

February , 1Q71Dear Chris t ian Friends ,I t is with great joy that we send you greetings for the f i rs t timeirom Liberia. Ve arrived here on January 18, after a brief vis i t toEurope to pick up our car and v i s i t f r iends .4-^. landed in'Luxerbourg on January 12, and flew froir there to raristhe next day. > e had rrade arrangerents to pici. up our car there fromthe lactory outlet . During our two days' in Paris we were able to seer. any of the attractions of the city, (n January i j , we drove our newcar, a French Peugeot, froir Paris to Tille, France. There we spenttne night with the ion Butler farily. The Butlers carre to "n^rance afterbeing lorced to letve the


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After a brief train ride from downtown Brussels to the Airport we boarded ourplane for Liberia at about 11:30 a.m. The flight required about eight hours withone brief stop in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. We got a beautiful view of the Swiss Alpsfrom the air and a long and monotonous flight over the Sahara. I never imaginedthat anything so desolate could be so large. V/e flew for several hours over thiswaste without seeing one sign of l ife, I can only imagine what i t would be likecross ing overland.We landed at Robertsfield, Liberia, at about 700 p.m. local time. We had wired

,our arrival date from Paris and expected to find someone waiting for us. V/hen we hadmost of our baggage checked through customs i t became apparent that no one was thereto meet us, at least not anyone we know. Then a man approached us asking if I wereProfessor Meece. I was not used to the title professor but i t sure sounded good tome then. The man had been instructed to meet our plane and help us get a taxi toBuchanan, about 50 miles, and arrived at the Boatman's house at 900. We were deadtired but too happy to be aware of i t . I t grew very late before we finished talkingand went to bed.0^ first impressions of Liberia may not be accurate and will be difficult tosummarize in this short space, but le t ' s try. I t may prove to be interesting to seehow r ight we were la ter .The climate waus our f i rs t surprise, V/e expected hot, humid weather since we werearriving in the midst of the dry season, the hottest time of the year . So far thetemperature has averaged about 85 and the humidity about 75/^. There is usually a goodbreeze at night which makes i t comfortable for sleeping.The standard of living among the people here is much lower than we had expected.Most people are very poor and many, especially children, show definite signs of imprope;nourishment. Most of the homes would be considered shacks in the States. Only a fewhave electricity and plumbing.The people are friendly and have tr ie d to make us welcome and comfortable. Mr,Abba Karnge, one of the most able native leaders, has been invaluable with his assistance. This is especially true when dealing with the endless government "red tape"where who you know gets things done quicker.

Construction began on Liberia Christian College the week we arrived. I t is hopedthat the classroom building will be useable by the f irst of March when school begins.Our last visit to the site was three days ago. They had finished digging the footingand had dug a well for water. That is a lo t of work because i t is a ll done by hand.Soon after the Boatman's arrived i t became apparent that o\ir plans for the schoolwould have to be altered somewhat. We knew that academic standards were low' but notas low as they really are. I t will be impossible to begin as a full-fledged Biblecollege. Bassa High, the only high school in the county, graduated only five studentslast term. We cannot run a college on the few students i t will produce. Our staff,working closely with the Education Foundation of Buchanan, Liberia, formulated thefollowing plan*Since there is sufficient opportunity for education through the 9th grade, i tseems that the place to start is the 10th grade. We will begin with 10th grade thisyear adding a grade each year. There are several courses that are required by thegovernment which we.must teach. In addition to those, we can offer Bible as a requiredcourse. These will be offered in the morning and again in the late afternoon andevening. The reason for the double schedule is that many who would attend high schoolor Bible college are older men with families who must work during the day. In theevening program we plan to offer not only the high school classes but most of theBible and Doctrine courses we had planned. We will be able to offer most of theclasses that would be taught in a Bible college in the U,S, This plan may take longerto accomplish our goal but may be more effective in the end,

Vfe believe that the Lord has been far ahead of us in this unexpected turn ofevents. AlreacJywe have George Wacaser and Ron Ayres to help us in this new program.Previous to this, their work would have been with agriculture and a few Bible classes,Now their work is vital to the program. One of our new recruits is also an experiencedHigh School teacher, Wayne Shaw from Flippin, Arkansas, VJithout these to help us,

Cha2iLea.-and-I would be very-limited;"" - . ^In subsequent letters we will keep you up to date on the new program and tell youmore of our personal situation. We also want you to know how much your prayers and


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Buchanan, Liber ia , Wes t AfricaMissionaries: Charles Boatman FamilyForwarding Agents: Mr. & Mrs. Duane Garren

1360 Grandview DriveFlorissant, Mo. 63033

February 1971Dear Christian friends.We ore now In the midst of the dry season. One month ago today we celebrated the advent of the new year with one-halfinch of ram. Yesterday the month ended with less than what American bureaus call a "trace" of precipitation Often weowake in the morning to find the humidity at 100%, with droplets of water standing on the window screens as though it hodbeen raining. By mid-day the humidity usually drops to about 80%.In recent weeks we have been attending Bassa language classes. Although our teaching and preaching ts all done inEnglish, we have found the people are delighted when we greet them in Bassa. The Bassa tribal dialect is spoken by theolder people except when speaking to Americans. The younger people have learned Bassa as their first language but whenthey start school they begin their studies in English. The ability to speak English is astatus symbol which shows you arectvihzed, and some of the younger people refuse to speak Bassa unless forced to by the older people. At the meerings^fiChristian youth organizations, the only language spoken Is English. The adult-run church services are generally conducted jin Basso. Anew group of Peace Corps volunteers are now training in Buchanan, and through acquaintances we have made /with key personnel in the Peace Corps, we have been able to sit in on their language classes.The Bassa language is tonal, in that the same word has different meanings, dependent on the pitch of the voice and theaccent given. For example, the same word, "whidey," can mean "money, stomach, or goat" depending on pitch andaccent. It is theoretically possible for there to be five voriarions of any given word. You can see there are very Interesringpossibihties for saying things which will make the Bassa people laugh. We have been able to keep them laughing with littledifficulty, and sometimes it is not immediately apparent what is so hilarious!The Peace Corps is not as highly thought of as Americans could wish for. When we were introduced at one church semcethe man who introduced us said, "These are not Peace Corps; these are decent peopleImmorality and lack of dedicationhove characterized some of the volunteers Liberia has received. As Americans, we are thankful this charge cannot be madeagainst all of the Peace Corps personnel. We have met some who are decent, moral people.

One Sunday in January we walked to a village about sixmiles offthemotor road, where we worshipped with a congregation of about eighty.^ specialevent that day was the baptism of the oldest "old man" of thevillage. He was 88 years old. Others were baptized also, but the

' ^ rejoicing was for the old man . "Old man" is a term of great/ '=''''sion, as it often is in America. The baptizingsmoothness and precision we expect In America,I' Africa, but the boprizing was done in the1- ' ^ proper way, and for the proper reasons, which is more important. To getvillagewe walked through some rough terrain, waded four shallow

V:' . wA'" ' streams, and waded a river about four feet deep. We had never gone to^ church in such a fashion before!The Wayne Meece family arrived two weeks ago today, so we now have our full faculty with which to begin school. Weappear to ^ a typical Bassa family with the nine of us staying in our three-bedroom house unril the Meece family's house istinished Bassa people ^nerally crowd far more people into one house (or car, or church bench, or anything else you careto name) than most Americans ore used to. So we are not really crowded by Bassa standards. Bassa cultural factors account

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for the crowding. A man's wealth Is shown nof somuch by his material possessions, as by the number of people who look upto him as their provider or as the authority over them. Our first reaction to this was that this is a better system than thematerialistic orientation of American society. The morewe have seen of it , however, the more we have been drawn to theconclusion that this system offers as much opportunity for evil as any other. The lust for powerover other people can beOS destructive of Christian values as the lust for material possessions. No society has first claim on evil or righteousness.Christ can help any man be more moral and selfless in dealing with others, regardlessof his cultural background. This wesee amply demonstrated in many of th e Christians here, in contrast to some of the non-Christians we have encountered.After we had been here several weeks, it became apparent that we would have to reviseour plans for the college. We hadexpected academic levels to be lower than inAmerica, but not as low as we found them. It will be impossible to start theschool as a full-fledged college. Bassa High School, the onlyone in the county, had only five graduates this past year.This was a typical year, which being interpreted means we cannot run a college program onwhat Bassa High produces.The high school "serves" (a euphemism, if there ever wasone) 20% of the

The government requires that high schools offer certain courses. In the . k^'WllC imorning schedule we will offer such courses, as well as a course in Biblewhich shall be required of all students. In the afternoon and early :evening we shall offer the same schedule plus other Bible and Christiandoctrine subjects. The reason for the double schedule is thof many of _ :p jthose who would be in high school or Bible college ore much older than in ^ ' ' w ^America, and must work to support themselves and their families. {Abba r -ISl- NKarnga, the foremost leader of the movement here, is typical. He did not p . ^ ^begin grade school until he was in his late 'teens and finished his A.B. '"idegree at the age of 36.) We will be able to offer in the evening the ^ j .courses which we normally expect ministerial students In America to take . ) ^This wi11 result in the!r taking longer than normal to finish the program,but this happens in similar circumstances In American Bible colleges. jjPThe projected program will allow us to offer training to the presentgeneration of Christian leaders, most of whom must support themselves ^with secular work during the day. it will also enable the next generationof leaders to have the kind ofeducation, both seculor anddoctrinal, IIwhich theymust have if theyare to command the respect of an Increasingly better-educated African population. At thesuggestion of the C .E .F., we are beginning with 10th grade this year, and adding-a-grode q year, although we will beoffering as manyof the Bible college courses as possible from the beginning.

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fAs we have contemplated this modification ofour plans, we have come to see the wisdom of the Lord in the faculty He hascalled to this work. The men working with us would have been well-equipped to conduct the kind of program originallyenvisioned. But it turns out that they are even better-trained for this new program than we could have foreseen. Ron AyersandGeorge Wocaser will be able to use their secular college troinlng to good odvantage. Wayne Shaw of Flippin, Arkansas,who plans to join us by this time next year, receivedhis education in both secular and Bible colleges. So we see God willlead, if we will follow.The first two pictures in this letter illustrate some of the activitywhich surrounds us at the present. The dry season is housebuilding and form-making time. Within 100 yards of our house there are three new houses under construction. They all hoveconcrete-block foundations, but the superstructures ore of the pole and mud type. "Making farm" consists of clearing thebrush, by hand, from an areaof one acre or less. After the brush dries. It Is burned. Rice and cassava ore then planted andcovered over by hand, in what appears to be back-breaking work. Because the "farms" are so smoll, there Is no economicalmeans of mechanizing the process. The third picture shows a project Mark has been working on. He has beenteachingEnglish to a small crippled boy a few afternoons o^each week. Mark finds It to be a real chollenge.In subsequent letters we shall shore with you some other interesting aspects of life in this port of Africa. Thank you for yourprayerful support of our work. God bless you all .


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JliidUi' ^^nUticut (^oUe^Dear Christian friends.

Buchanan , Libe r i a , Wes t Afr icMissionaries: Charles Boatman Fam

Forwarding Agents: Mr. & Mrs. Duane Garre1360 Grandview DrivFlorissant, Mo. 6303

The pictures in this letter were token at the World-Wide Missions church, where we have attendedservices mostoften since our arrival. When we have not been invited elsewhere, this has been mostconvenient, since Abba Karnga, who is a member there, graciously provided transportation for us untilour car arrived. In the small auditorium, about 20X 30 feet, we have seen crowded as many as 125people. The people sit on wooden benches with no backs or padding. An eight-foot bench will somehow hold as many as eight people! American Christians who will not come to church if the building iscrowded, or if the pews are uncomfortable, would do well to consider their blessings. On the Sundaythe pictures were taken, the building was not very crowded, although the sects were "full" from anAmerican point of view. When more people come, everyone squeezes together until there is somereally close fellowship!The ladies standing in the pictures are the choir. They lead In the singing, which is done antiphonally.Songs are usually in 4/4 time, and they clap their hands on the first three beats of each measure. Insome of the churches here, gourds, tambourines, and drums are also used. The man sitting behind thetable is responsible for keeping the programmoving and maintaining order. If a latecomer takes toolong to get seated, or if a mother allows her baby to cry more than five seconds before taking the chil|ii;^out, this man moves into action to stop the commotion. Americans might learn from the Africans, in 'this regard!Since the churches here do not yet partake of communion more frequently than once a month, on otherSundays we have communion in our home. Our first communion service at World-Wide Missions churchprovidedan interesting vignette of the influence of various missionaries these people have been subjected to. After the worship service, most of the congregation left the building, but a few stayedinside. We could see that those who remained were preparing to have communion, and we were perplexed as to what we should do. After a few minutes. Brother Karnga came outside and said to us,"The pastor says you were not asked to take communion, because whenwe have asked missionaries onformer occasions, they have refused. However, if you wish to partake, you ore welcome to do so."Wewanted to, of course. Later I asked Brother Karnga what reasons the missionaries gave for theirrefusal. He replied, "We thought it better not to ask."This incident illustrates the attitudes the nationals develop toward missionories who treot the nationolChristians as Inferiors. Unfortunately, this has too often been the case here. In the process of introducing all of usto a congregation, Joseph Gbadyu {pronounced "bayou") recently stated from the pulpit, "Since meeting these people I hove hod to revise my definition of the word 'missionary.'" Hehad seen too much, even amongmissionaries, of white supremacy and attempts to promoteAfrican de-_ , , pendence on American missionaries, as well as the pro-

motion of Amer ican cu lture ra ther than Biblical faith.Such incidents provide uswith the only solace we confind when we recall t ha t t he American restoration move-ment of the nineteenth century has just recently begun to

>ri Liberia. We co n take a bi t of comfortin the fact that restoration movement missionaries hovecontributed to such misunderstandings here in Liberia,..S ' byj. j.|^g neglect of this country is greater than the comfort.

' '"onth we enjoyed a bit of American social life.The American community In Liberia is invited by theVoice of America broadcasting station here to an annual


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"Independence Day" celebration on the Saturday preceding George Washington's birthday. {You cancounton the picnic being rained out on the traditional 4th of July.) VOA provides all the free hot dogs,ice cream, soft drinks, and beer you can consume. Ourcrew of missionaries did their patriotic duty Inregard to the first three, and some ofourfellow citizensmade a herculean effort to take care of the fourth. There !was a Softball game and children's games (two Boatmanswon first In boys and girls sack races) followed by apleasant program of a patriotic nature. The American 1 mmambassador to Liberia made a delightfully short speechfor a politician. The sight of the "Stars and Stripes" andthe singing of "America" reminded us of how much moregreatly blessed than the rest of the world we Americans B / . .JtlPaS^nWe wish we could give some of our countrymen a two-week excursion through this part of the world. Radicalson the political left who complain about "repression" and the unresponsiveness of government to the willof the people need to see, by comparison to the rest of the world, how well off Americans are in thisrespect. Those who have nothing but criticism for America fall to recognize how much they rely on

. events occuring on time, machines functioning as expected,people knowing their jobs and doing them, appointmentsbeing kept, and the wheels of society continuing to roll

to l^ n without continually being "greased" with under-cover"contributions," to mention but a few items. It is th ethese things happen as they are supposed to,that gives American dissidents the freedom, time, andenergy to complain about how "bad" things are . Wewould never deny the need for serious reforms In many^^B jLiiiBv areas of American government and society, but some ofth e more radical criticisms come from a vast storehouse ofignorance of how the rest of the world must live.

Radicals on the political right could profit byseeing how Important to a tree society It is for all citizensto enjoy that freedom rather than only those who happen to be in tune with the official "line." In recent months we have come to appreciate much more than before the frustrations of the blacks and otherminority groups in America. When the color of one's skin makes him an obvious target for those In control of the "system" who want to pull someshenanigans, he begins to understand the tremendous burdencarried by the blacks, Spanish Americans, and Indians in the "land of the free." But we do not experience these frustrations dally, for we do not feel in Liberiathe prejudice which we know exists inth e hearts even of some Chris t ian Americans.We look forward eagerly to the beginning of school in the next few days. The process of working ourway through the various obstacles which would impede us has been tedious at times. These have almostall been overcome. The classroom building is not ready as we had hoped it might be . Constructionwork moves much more slowly here than we are accustomed to. We will be opening school In one wingof the World-Wide Missions church's new building which they have rushed to completion for this purpose. Next month we shall give you a more detai led report on the opening of the first term of LiberiaChristian College.MayGod richly bless you all In His service. We remain yours for a Christian Liberia,


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Buchanan , L ib er ia , W e st Afr icaVol . iDear Christian Friends,

Greetings from Liberia. Much hashappened to us in the past few weeks thatcauses us to rejoice in this opportunity toreport to you now. The pictures will helpillustrate what we say.The first picture is our house whichis still in the process of being renovated.It is a nice big house, and we are veryanxious to move into it. Our landlord says that we can move in before the end of

March.The second picture is a typical scene at the market, which is about two blocksfrom our house. The market is a vivid combination of sounds, smells, colors, andpeople that defies description, and sometimes photography. Onegets the feeling thathe has been transported mysteriously outof the twentieth century and lost somewhere

In the long forgotten past. You feel a strange kinship with Paul as he wandered themarket place of Athens unable to resist the burning urge to preach Christ to a lostpeople.

The last pi^ur^; -hnvm thn firrt iri'i^P students to register for the high schoolto increase until

re f i f teenV s on o eria Christian College.^'lheir rarric^ nave ce twenty-three full-time students in regular attendance.

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tenth grade, five twelfth grade, and three college students. There will probablybeseveral more who will be taking the Bible classes in the college division. We haveinvited anyone who wants to attend to come to the Bible classes, feeling that theycan obtain some benefit from it even if they are not equipped to do the work atcollege level. The three mentioned abovewill begivencollege credit, if they complete the work, and we are happy that one, Joseph Goweh, plans to enter thepreaching ministry. Many of the students are attending classes at a great sacrificeand with much personal desire to learn. Some must work hard all day and then cometo school at night. Our present classrooms are in an unfinished wing of one of themember churches of the Christian Education Foundation, the World-Wide Church.There are no electric- lights, and we are using aladdin lamps to light the rooms. Thelight is far from adequate, but they never complain. All four of us are teachingtwenty hours each week, and are exhausted after a day that begins at 6:00 a.m. andends at 7:30 p.m. The eagerness ofthe students to learn makes the job a joy, andbecause they must workso hard to come, we can try harder to teach.

We were made happyon March 6, bythe arrival of ourshipment from the States.We hod been living out of suitcases for three months and were in need of a changein wardrobe aswell as some other equipment. Each person reacted differently as thethings were being unloaded from the truck. Itproved to be aninteresting commentaryon human nature as each one took possession of a prized item as it was unloaded.The children laid immediate claim on the bicycles as they were unloaded. Therewould be a "whoop" of joy as the right bike was unloaded, especially from Jameswho had been given his new bike for Christmas, but had only gotten a peek at itbefore it was loaded on the truck in St. Louis. The Boatmans confiscated their icecream freezer that we had brought for them. Ron and George, who have been herelongest, carted off the record player and a stack of records for some new music fromhome. Wayne was seen carefully carrying in a box, marked "radio fragile," andGreta found her sewing box and a bundle of favorite cookie cutters.

The most striking reaction came from our Liberian neighbors. At first, theywere awed by the mere size of the crates. There was more, and probably better,wood in our four crates than is in the average Liberian house for a family of six toten. Most were content to stand and stare, picking upscraps of paper that were leftfrom the packing to use for stuffing mattresses or to wrap the things they buy in themarket. Our shipment, which we considered the bare necessities, constitutedacollection of material goods far greater than most of our neighbors would own in alifetime of grueling toil. The abject poverty of those about us helped us forget mostof those luxuries we left in storage back home, and gave us a much deeper sense ofgratitude for what we have .


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On February 20, we enjoyed a bit of American social life. The Voice ofAmerica broadcastingstation was host to the annual "Independence Day" celebrationhere in Liberia. The event is held on the Saturday preceding George Washington'sbirthday because of almost certain rain on July 4th, the more traditional day. VOAand the American Embassy supplied an abundance of free hot dogs, ice cream, softdrinks, and beer. We missionaries did our patriotic duty to all but the latter whichwe left to our fellow citizens. The "StarSpangled Banner," the "Stars and Stripes,"and "America the Beautiful" brought a lump in the throat and a tug to the heart,but primarily reminded us of the privilege of being an American.How often we have wished that some of our discontented American brotherscould spend a few days with us here. It is certain that the freedoms weso often takefor granted and thoughtlessly abuse would come to be more dear. We would be thefirst toadmit that there is much about the American wayof life that needs improving,but perhaps the greatest improvement would come in the area of our own attitude

toward that which bright and good about our homeland. Someoneonce said, "Whatthis country needs is a good five-cent cigar." It maycosta bit more than five cents,but it seems that what manyof ourcountrymen need more than anything else is a goodfive-day excursionthrough the undeveloped half of thisworld concluded by a ferventfive-minute session on their knees giving thanks for their blessings.Missionary reports are notsupposed to be sermons, and we shall try to do betternext time. Next month we hope that we can give you a detai led report of the growthand progressof LiberiaChristian Col lege. At that time the school will have been in

operationfor about a month, and weshouldhave some idea about howit isdeveloping.Thank you, and God bless you for your faithful support, both spiritual andmaterial. Until next time we remain your servants for a Christian Liberia.

The Meeces


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Missionaries: Wayne Meece Familyorwarding Agents: M/M Patrick G . Click10345 Castle Drive

St. Louis, Missouri 63136HALLS FERRY CHRISTIAN CHURCH12105 Old Halls Ferry RoadFlorissant, Missouri 63033

Forwarding Agents' NotesAs most of the folks in thSt, Louis area know, Wayne andhave been in contact by Amateu

Radio several t imes.Wayne studied toward a licensbefore leaving. We're thrilled thaWayne has qualified for hisAmateu(Ham Radio) license in Liberia.Being able to make contac

directly is a real blessing formissionary and his agent. It helpavoid delays on important itemconcerning the work in the fieldFor our Amateur readers, my call iWB0ARO andWayne's is ELIE ,

Wayne and family made a verinteresting trip into the bush. Detai ls in the next newslet ter .

Beinprayerwithus. Only 60%of the needed support is coming ia t this t ime .

Send a letter to your missionaries; they would like to hear fromyou .

Field address: Mr. Wayne MeeceBox 10Lower BuchananLi beria,West Africa


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^^niAtieuiApril 1, 1971

Dear Chrlstijbn friends.

Buchanan, L iberia , We s t AfricaMissionaries: Charles Boal-man FamilyForwarding Agents: Mr. & Mrs. Duane Garren


Liberia Qbristian College is now a reality! The week ofMarch 8-12 was registration week for us, but trueto African form, most of our students did not get overly excited about registering early. So, when classesbegan on March 16, we still did not know exactly how many students we would have. Now, just before thebeginning of Easter vacation, the student body appears to have stabilized at thirty. The class breakdownshows ten tenth graders, five twelfth groders, four high school graduates, and six special students.The morning schedule includes a ten-minute devotional period to open school at 7:30 a.m., followed byBiology, Geography, English, Algebra, and Bible Survey. The classes are taught by Ron Ayers, CharlesBoatman, Wayne Meece, George Wacaser, and Charles Boafman, respectively. School lets out at12:15 p.m., in keeping with the local custom of everything closing down during the heat of mid-day. Weare running a much more extensive schedule in the evening. School starts at 4:30 p.m. and runs for threehours. We have the same tenth grade classes as in the morning. The twelfth grade schedule IncludesEconomics, English, Advance Math, and Physics, taught respectively byAyers, Meece, Wacaser, andWacaser. The college program includes Advanced English, Old Testament History, and Church in thfB^. ' '^''Scriptures, taught respectively byMeece, Meece, and Boatman. Each of us has a teaching load of twentyhours per week, which with preparation, keeps us quite active .On the home front, both Fat and Greta Meece are involved in teaching the children of the two familie^Because of crowded conditions at the Lamco International School, we were unable to enroll them there thisyear as we had hoped would be possible. We still hope the children will be able to enroll there next year.Weare managing to teach, in spite of the fact that teaching conditions are not as fine as would be expectedin America. Because the school building is far from completion, school opened in the still uncompletedbuilding of the World-Wide Missions Church, of which Abba Karnga is a leader. The church is a member ofthe Christian Education Foundation, and they graciously granted permission for using their facilities. Theyare also "rushing" (African- style) to completion one of the classroom wings for our use. School began withwalls, floors, and a roof which is missing a cover for the two-inch crack at the peak. The latter featureproduces some Interesting scrambles on the part of professors and students when the rain begins to fall. Thusfar there are no doors, wi ndows, or lights. Evening classes are held in the light of a kerosene lamp. Thelack of doors makes it convenient for visitors of various kinds to enter the classroom. For example, we haverecently taught several pre-school children, a goat, and a turkeywhich was particularly interested Inreceiving an education. He persisted in sitting in the doorway, even after we attempted to persuade himour school was no t "for 'the b irds."

Our photos this month are classroom scenes. The firstshows Wayne Meece teaching our morning tenth gradeclass. The second, taken by kerosene lamplight, showsGeorge Wacaser assisting one of the twelfth grade studentswith him math. In the background you will notice theblackboard made of masonite painted black. It is not thebest, but as the Llberians say, "it is sufficient." The thirdpicture shows Philip Saywrayne teaching the evening tenthgrade class. He is an English teacher In Bassa High School,and is a member of the C .E .F . Before we r ec e iv ed ou rpermit to open school, the government official with whomwe were dealing "strongly recommended" that we have a

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Ltberianon the staff. Of course, with this we were happy to comply, since it is our hope that,some day thewhole staff may be made up of Liberions. Professor Saywrayne generously volunteered to give him time toteaching the evening tenth grade English class.Also included w ith th is mon th 's newsletter isa rough map of the Buchanan area. Thedashed lines surround the city limits of thethree municipal areas. Upper Buchanan isthe original city, settled by the first emancipated American slaves who came to this areaof the country. Only Lovr Buchanan wouldbe considered a city in the American idiom,with Upper and Central Buchanan merelycalled villages. The dotted lines surroundthe Lamco a rea . Lamco i s the name of theiron ore mining company which has developedthe area. The circular roads within that area are where the Lamco personnel live. The railroad tracks headnorth to Mt. Nimba, on the Guinee-Liberia border, from whence comes the iron ore to be processed inBuchanan. The eastward bulge in the city limits near point "C" is the county fairgrounds. Near our houseis a pavilion which is a center for cultural events in the city. Since our arrival, both the Muslims andJehovah's Wifnoccoc mn. m I* llmlU

request your earnest prayer in regard to a door which may be opening. We have been introduced to afew people who are part of an indigenous African church.Leaders of the local congregation have expressed interestin having us train their preachers. Theycall their church"Bible Faith Christian Church." Please pray that this door,_to open.

If any of you have unused Bible school papers, we couldput them to good use here. In order that we might avoidunnecessary payment of import duty, they should be marked"Printed Matter, Out-dated Papers, No CommercialValue," and sent to Charles R. Boatman, c/o World-WideMissions, P.O. Box 10, Lower Buchanan, Liberia, WestAfrica. We have been informed that the government has ceased issuing duty-free permits to missionaryorganizations, but since World-Wide Missions is connected with our college, we may legitimately use theirpermit.

We trust this finds you all happy In the Lord's work, as we are. Thank you for your prayerful support. Letus hear from you.Yours in Christ,


13/43

City Limits Lamco Area

Motor RoadsCoastline

A College Building SiteB TemporaryClassroomsC Boatmans' &Ayers-Wacaser's HomesD Meeces ' HomeE CountyGovt. Bidg.F Supt. 'sHomeG HospitalH Grocery StoreI International SchoolJ Radio ShackK HarborL BeachM Bank & Business AreaN Market

SCALE:2" = 1 mile

UpperBuchanan

CRB 4-71

Buchanan , Liber ia , Wes t Afr icaTO /^OAlROMr^

CentralBuchanan

Lower Buchanan


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Jldeniei'Buchanan^ L ib er ia , W es t Afr ica

Vol . 1 May, 1971 No . 3

Dear Christian Friends,April has passed all too quickly and with it many experiences that we wantto share with you. Our days hove been so full this past month that we are lategetting our newsletter ready.Easter weekend was filled with experiences that we will long remember andcherish. While you were going to church decked in your finery, we were sharingthe message of the resurrected Lord with a congregation about forty-five milesback in

the bush from Buchanan. We had been invited to spend Easter at a village calledZondo where Brother James Morgan has built a government school and leads in amission work in the same location. We accepted the invitation and made plans togo with Brother Abba Karnga who was to serve as our guide and interpreter. BrotherKarnga is probably the most able leader among the members of the ChristianEducation Foundation. abandoned village

continue the trip on foot. Thereasonfor

serviceable canoes. From the river the gsomeof the boys fromthe mission helpingcarry things, filed out in typical safari style along the jungle path for the ten-milewalk to Zondo. The path led us through many small villages (one was abandonedbecause the chief had died), high forest, rice farms, swamps, and over numerou's


15/43

James on a "monkey bridge," Crossing the riversmall streams which were usually spanned by nothing more than a fallen log, sometimes cal led a monkey bridge. It grew very hot before we arrived at the mission.The walk took us three hours, and we all made it without much difficulty. Beverlygrew tired and weak, but after Wayne carried her for about ten minutes, and westopped for a cool drink and devoured a large bunch of bananas which we bought ina village, we all made the remainder of the walk on our own power.

We were greatly impressed by what we saw at Zondo. Brother Morgan hasliterally carved the mission out of the jungle and keepsit going by a kind of tenacityand hard work that is rare in our time, and especially here in Liberia. They haveover 200 students in the first nine grades, many of whom come from more than 100miles away and stay for several years before returning home. At least ten of thosewho stay are from six to eight years old and must be cared for by Mrs. Morgan withthe help of the older girl students. The older boys who live on the mission cook forthemselves and help Mr. Morgan work a large rice farm which is the major source offood for the mission workers and students. They have classes in the morning andwork in the afternoon.

Students at Zondo berian, including teachers.


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We attended three church services as Zondo Saturday night, Sundaymorning and night. There were about 200 in each service, some of whom walkedmany miles to at tend. Several stayed all night at the church Saturday, because itwas too far to walk home and get back for the service Sunday morning. Did youenjoy your car ride to church Sunday?The walk back from Zondo Mondaymorning wasmuch cooler and required onlytwoand one-half hours. We were very tired when we arrived home, but theimpressions we received will stay with us the rest of our lives. The hope of Liberia,especially the churches of Liberia, lies in young people like the ones we sawatZondo. Many of them said that they would attend L.C .C . in the next year or two.We are anxious to have them as students, and certainly we will want to visit Zondo

again.AN IMPORTANT MONTH IN THE HISTORY OF LIBERIA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

Sunday afternoon, April 18, the Christian Education Foundation, the Liberiansponsor of L.C .C ., led in a ground-breaking ceremony for the first buildingof the

-'4


17/43

newcampus. More than 200 people attended theceremony, including SuperintendentCharles H.Williams, and most of the government dignitaries of Grand Bassa County.Mr. Williams pledged the support of his high office as he turned the first shovel ofdirt. He also commended the work of Abba Karnga, the Christian Education Foundation,.and thanked the American Missionaries for coming to BassaCounty.

The main emphasis of the ceremony was raising money for the construction ofa classroom-office building. More than $2,000 was given or pledged by the end ofthe services. This will beenough toput the buildingunder roof. The Liberianshopeto have the new classrooms ready for use before the beginning of the 1972 schoolyear. At the present we are holding classes in the Sunday School rooms of theWorld-Wide Church, a member of the foundation.

We are encouraged by this step forward in the work, particularly because itshows that the LiberianChristiansare willing and able to support their own projects.Theymust do so if the church here is ever to be indigenous. We came to Liberiastrongly committed to the indigenous prirrciple and have thus far been gratified inour efforts. The growth of the college into a completely Liberian institution willtake some time, perhaps more than we expected, but progress is being made. Wedo not mean that gifts for the building of the school from the U .S. would not beaccepted, or inappropriate, but we must not do for the Liberians what they can dofor themselves.

-

Wayne's Bible class

The school itself has s et tl ed intoa routine of classwork, tests, and gradingpapers. They are particularly intriguedby the Bible classes and have manyquestions to ask. They are particularlygood at memorizing and have committedgreat numbers of Bibleverses to memory.The Meecesareall in good health,and we are happy in our work. We areenjoying our new house very much. We

moved from the Bdatmans' on April 8, and have spent much of this month buildingthings for the house. Wayne has built beds, a dining table, kitchen cabinets,shelves, and various items for the bedrooms and bathroom. There is still much leftto do .


18/43

We have enjoyed close contact with. Pat and Belle Click, our forwardinoagents in St. Louis. Pat (WBjZfARO) andWayne (ELIE) talk directly by radio at leastthree times a week, and by useof a "phone-patch," we have talked to many peopleby connecting the radio to the telephone. Often Waynecontacts a station in a townwhere he knows someone, particularly those supporting the mission, and can "phone-patch" directly to them from Africa. Don't be surprised some day if you get a callfrom us, by radio, direct from Liberia. Oh, don't worry, the phone calls areusually local and cost little or nothing; the airways are free. The radio has provedto be a valuable tool and has already paid for itself in the time it has saved usthrough quickcommunication. It will becomeeven more useful as we gain operatingexperience and become better known on the air.

We are always happy to hear from the folks back home and welcome yescovet your letters. It gets lonesome at times and letters help. We have a newaddress that speeds mail delivery from the U.S. by at least five days. The newaddress keeps our mail from going through Monrovia, where it is usually delayed.Please use the new address which you will find below. Thank you again for yourcontinued faithful support, God bless you where you serve Him.

Yours for a Christian Liberia,The Meecesc/o Liberia Christian CollegeLamcoBuchananRobertsfield International Airport-Liberia, West Africa


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FINANCIAL REPORT12-9-70 to 5 -7 -7 1

Anonymous $876.61Alverta Chris t ian Church 50.00D. Bunce 10.00Weston Church of Christ 20.001st Christian Church (Havre DeGrace, Md.) 153.501st Christian Church (Florissant, Mo.) 35.00D. Field 50.001st Christian Church (Gillespie, III.) 75.001st Christian Church (Carnegie, Pa.) 38.751st Christian Church (Hazelwood, Mo.) 80.001st Christian Church (St. Ann, Mo.) 35.00HalIs Ferry Christian Church 1973.02Jeromesville Church of Christ 4 .57Anonymous 40.00

>s -S i

1^.o

o >o> CO


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JldeniaMay 1, 1971

Buchanan , L ib eria , We st AfricMissionaries: Charles Boalrnan FamilForwarding Agents: Mr. &Mrs. Duane Garre

1360 Grandview DrivFlorissant, Mo. 6303Dear brethren i^jChrlst, Morissant, MO. OWCAs ! write thls^ the rain is falling. We are receiving brief reminders'*almost cidily now that the rainy season is coming. Wehave been told that one of these days the "windows of heaven wiltopen" and outwifl pour more rain than we Americans hoveever seen." So far, we have been eagerly awaiting the.rain because with the rain comes coolerweather, we are told. Weare qlso waiting for the water table to rise enough that our electric pump can handle our water needs. Unless we can repealthe|'laws of physics, a pump will not suck water more than twenty-five feet. We are presently lifting all our water hand overh 'nd with a rope and bucket a distance of thirtyfeet. Water for use in the kitchen we carry up q ladder to ourwater towerit can run through our filter system for purification. This saves Pat much time and "cook gas,\as the Liberians call it ,;which would otherwise be spent in boiling and filtering water.tihe biggest event of the month was the groundbreaking ceremony for the classroom building. Foundationtrerwhes had been^ug in January but that had little bearing on the purpose of the ceremony. The service was held on Sunday, April 18, at2:00 p.m. The event was planned, promoted, and conducted entirely by the Liberion brethren. We were pleased to have,them take this responsibility. In truth, the program would not have been so great a success, had we Americans done it,ipwing to our lack of familiarity with the culture. As we found out, a Liberian groundbreaking is for different from the sameiven t in Americal

'.* I'

e of such anevent is to raise money, simply stated . As has been the case at other such furwtions we have attendedhere, many important and respected people were invited to attend. This event was uniquej - / in.that most of those invited did come! This is an indication of the favor with which thepopulace has greeted the project. Approximately 400 people attended. Among the more notable were Charles H. Willioms, the Superintendent of Grand Basso County, Arthur T.^ Summerville, the Under-Secretary forAdministration of the national government's Depart-rnent of Education, and Olov Goeronsson and Vemon Merrill, the two top menin the^ M' Lamco mining operation which has its offices in Buchanan. In addition to these were1^ religious leaders of Buchanan, and many of the leaders of the business

The program included remarks by Superintendent Williams, Under-Secretary Summerville,1^1 laMr. Goeronsson, and one Mr. Boatman, an American citizen temporarily residing in the'^ivaUmcountry. Members of several Buchanan church choirs joined in leading the singing. TheT ymaffMjfmjff program was followed by the turning of ashovelful of earth by each person making afii KmmmJ/nSmJ contribution. As he turned the shovel, each person announced the amount of his contrite bution, at which-tlme the audience responded with applause. The largest contributiony ^ Lomcp, in the form of $750.00 worth of building supplies. This was the first4 contribution ever made to a religious organization by the company, and our non-denomi-I llBBM/ JWMl f notional status seemed to be the determining factor. Combined total of gifts and pledgesI approximately $2000.00, or about one-third of what will be needed to complete theThe Liberian brethren have requested financial assistance for the project from Americoi churches. Eachof the missionariesmade a personal contribution at the ceremony. But you,will remember our promise made to maHy of you that we do not wishto do for the Lifcerions what they can do for themselvesWith this in mind, we referredthe matterto the men wehave askedto advise us on policydecisions. They ore Gerald Gibson, of the campus ministry at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, and Glenn Boume and Russell Boatman, the president and academic dean, respectively, of St. Louis ChristianCollege. These men hove recommended that we take no action for several months, to ajjow the Liberians opportunity todemonstrate their good faith in the matter andcontribute ofl they con before we comimr ourselves on the matter. All ourmission personnel here concur in the decision. \

fH'. '


21/43

The pictures will give you an idea of howshelter is provided for such anevent as this. A framework of poles is erected, and to these are tied palmbranches for a roof. ThisIs thick enough that it protects the crOwd fromall but an occasional spot of sunlight. The leaves hang low enough thatAmericans must walkstoopedover to keep from hitting the "ceiling." Mostof the Liberians are shorter than we, and have no problem with it. Wallsof the shelter are made by weaving palm leaves together, as you con seein picture number four.Picture number one shows Paramount Chief Giah speaking to the gathering.Mr. Giah is the highest elected official of his clan. His position is acarry-over from the days when the notional government had no controlover the tribes in the interior of the country. Today suchmen work withinthe framework of the national government. The striped gown Is the symbolof his authority. Mr. Giah Is also the father of one of our tenth gradestudents in the morning class.Pictures number two and three showa portion of the crowd which attended.Picture number four shows Superintendent Williams turning the first shovel-f ful of earth, as he announced his personal contribution of $50.00. Second

t "j t .*jb. ^ ' > I background is Chief Giah, and to his left ore some oflesserchiefs of the clan. At the far right Is Abba Kamga. Brotherj Kamga is a fine Christian and a dearfriend. We praise Godcontinuallyhim. Next month we shall write to you at greater length about thePermit me to close by sharing some of the books we have read over the lasttwo or three months. For a general audience, v stronglyurge youtoread The Taste of New Wine, and A Second Touch, both by Keith Miller,Mr and L'Abrl byEdith Schoeffer. Miller's books tell the story of a nominalChristian who found that Christ could be real, and a meaningful force inthe life of mid-twentieth century man. Mrs. Schaeffer's book Is the inspiring story of the foundingof a unique mission workin Switzerland. Itoffers abundant^testim^ to the^^^ of our pr^yer-ons^ri^^ God."poce-settera" in western society. They stimulate your thinlcingl

Thank you for continuing to pray for us. God Is blessing the work because of it. May He bless you as He hots us.In Christ,


22/43

JldcnieiJune, 1971Dear brethren in Christ,

Buchanan , L ib e ria , W e st Afr icaMissionaries: Charles Boatman FamilyForwarding Agents: Mr. & Mrs, Duane Garren


One of the more interesting events in the month of May was a trip to Samtosvn, where we attended a conference of one of themember churches of th e Christian Education Foundation. The road to Samtown is one of t he b et te r d ir t roads in th e area. Thetown is thirty-three miles into the interior from Buchanan. By driving steadily, and hard, we only took one and one-half houRto get there) But this town is right on the road, so we did not have to walk into the "bush" after going as for as we could inthe car, which is often the case on suchtrips. The road surface is sometimes bedrock, sometimes clay, sometimes a combinationof both, often wcshed out into gullies on the hills. The road crosses manysmall streams on plank bridges similar to those builtin America many years ago. We are beginning to see v/hy the life expectancy of an automobile is soshort in Liberia. Roadconditions coupled with the salt air from the ocean and the constant, oppressive humidity conspireto take their toll on manan d machine alike 1Samtown was begun by Prophet Sam, who cleared an area and erected a church building. He built a dormitory to house aboutthirty "patients" who rent the focilities when they come to Sam for healing. Other people have also moved in , until nowthereare thirty-five or forty houses there. All residents of the town are Christians of one denomination or another . Some of Sam'spatients have been there for two or three years. We asked some of our friends for a diagnosis of some of these persistent cases.They explained that most of Sam's patients suffered from dreams, nightmares, and inability to sleep, the typical psychosomaticailments over which sucha "healer" might be able to exercise some control. We asked why some had to stayso long, and thereply was that Sam said hecould not heal them because they had some sins they were hiding. How could a patient answer adoctor on that one? We found it ironic that Sam wcs club-footed, and v>ndered if anyonehad ever asked him about his lackof faith, or the sins he was hidingl

We-were invited to speak at the afternoon session, but arrived in time for theV. morning session, which was a business meeting. Reports of pastors and preachers. ' in the district were read for approval. Most reports were accepted without fan-

t . fare. But in one case, a heated discussion arose because the church had no Bibleschool or youth meetings. The preacher and the deacons were called on the car-I jll pet so the Issue could be thrashed out. The preacher and two deacons were in\ favor of such a program. The oldest deacon (and thus, in the Bassa culture, thePp one whose opinion carried the most weight) thought it a woste of time and energy. After much shouting, finger-pointing, and "palaver" (a very animated discussionwith many people talking at once), the old deacon was reprimanded. The matteramused us greatly, for all the while the palaver was going on, the whole crowd

was laughing, and even the two antagonists were smiling at each other] The old man took his reprimand with a sheepish grin,and then sat down beside the preacher and began a friendly discussion with him. This seems typical of the Bassa people . Theirdiscussions all seem to be very heated, but even on very serious matters, all enjoy themselves thoroughly, and much laughingis heard .As we promised last month, we wish to tell you somewhat more aboutAbba Kornga. Abba is the "guiding light" of the restoration movement here. We praise Godcontinuallyfor him. The opportunity for service here would be far less significant were itnot for Abba. He lives up to the Biblical meaning of his name . He is not onlyfather to his own seven children, but to numerousother young people who share his home, and isalso a spiritual father to many who are seeking Biblical Christianity.


23/43

In addition to theirseven children, Mr. &Mrs. Kornga are expectinganotherchild in a few months. They have alsotaken as partof their familya nine-month-old baby who is a relative, whose parents both died recently. lIHTheyare very proud of their large family, because the Bassa people soythat it is osign o f prosperity. ^Abba grew up in the interior, where there were no schools when he wasa boy. Abba says he was seventeen.yearsold when he "began to learnABC." For many years he worked all day and went to school at night. ^5^Since there was no high school which offered night classes, he got hissecondary education through a correspondence school in America. After 'finishing highschool, Abba began work toward a college degree at the small University of Liber!six years old, he graduated from collegel a. Finally, when he wasAbba became a teacher, and soon was made principal of the elementary school in Buchanan. His difficulty Ingetting an education has made him want to help others get theirsmore easily. He does this bya verygenerous act. He allows students fromthe interior to live in his house so they can attend school in Buchanan. At the present time there are twenty-three peoplelivingat the Karnga housel They eat 4(X) pounds of rice per month, plus meat, fruit, andvegetables!Of far more significance than this, however, IsAbba's concern for Christian unity and a restoration of Biblical faith. Whenothers despaired of ever developing a Christian education program here, Abba's faith and vision remained the mo/ing force Isehindthe movement. In the discussions we have with him from time to time, we find him to be In agreenBnt with our doctrinal positionInthe vast majority of instances . And this, you recall, Is without prior knowledge ofour restoration attempts !nAmerica. Webelieve it is true of hi/n, as it was of Esther, that God has brought him "to the kingdom for such a time as this(Esther 4.14).The pictures this month are school scenes. The first is the exterior of the World-Wide Missions church building, where we areholding classes until the first building is completed on our campus. This building is also uncompleted, having doors and windowsonly in one room, but at least there is a roof, and walls on which to hang blackboards. The picture was taken during recess, and shows some of our morningstudents relaxing.

IySfc The second picture is a classroom scene, showing my evening Church In theScriptures class. The third Is also a classroom scene, with Pat , Mark, and' (H Deborah at work on their lessons inour dining room. We hope that by the timereceive this letter, we shall have heard that our applications for the Inter-^ national School at Lamco shall have been approved. We request your prayersi We are thankful to God that we remain in good health, although continuallyfeeling the effects of the tropical heat and humidity. Weare rejoicing Inthecooler nights that occur more frequently now that the rainy season has begun. Many nights weactually cover up with a sheet nowthat it is get ting "very cold," a the Liberians phrase it l

We havea newmailingaddress, if you would care to write to us. Air moil letters now arrive In about six days, as opposed to onand one-half weeks or never, as sometimes happened before!Charles R. BoatmanLiberia Christian CollegeLamco-BuchananRoberts International AirportLiberia, West Africa

Your servants for Christ in Africa,


24/43

eCd&uaBuchanan, Liberia, West Africa

Vol. I JUNE & JULY No. 4Dear Christian Friends,

Greetingsagain from Liberia. It is a cloudy, wami, and humid day here inBuchanan. We have not seen the sun for three days, and it looks like we will hotsee it again today. The rains are noticeably heavier now; they come more oftenand last longer. As 1 am writing, a light drizzle has begun to fall, which maydevelop into a torrential downpour, or simply drip alt day.It is hard to believe that we are halfway through the first year of schoolalready. Monday of this week we gave the last of our semester tests and sent thestudents home for a two-week break. I have now graded all the papers, averagedall the grades, and turned them in to the Principal,Charles Boatman. Allof whichmeans that we now have finished half of our firSt year's work here in Liberia.Many of the students will be going totheir homes during thesemester break.Some of them live many miles in the interior, and George Wacaser and Ron Ayersare going home withone group of students that live in River Cess. River Cess isabout sixtymiles south of Buchanan along the'coast, but the road goes only abouthalfway.Construction on the new classroom-office building is well under way. Theconcrete block walls are to roof level, and most of the partitions for the variousrooms arealsonearly complete. The rainyseason has slowed constructionsomewhat,but satisfactory progress is being made. The encouraging part of the matter is thefact that all the construction to this point,except for token gifts from the missionaries, has been paid for by the Liberians.We have come to a little better understanding of the Liberian (actuallyAfrican) form of giving to the church, orto any charitable project. Churchofferingson Sunday mornings are usually very small; the average gift must be less than fivecents. The larger projects and construction are supported by a series of quarterlyrallies and conferences which serve as the main fund-raising programs during the


25/43

Beverly and James go native.

I

The U.S.T.C. Supermarket, ourgrocery store.

year. The Christian Education Foundation sponsors oquarterly rally for the supportof LCC . The last of these was held on July 4th in the Apostolic Faith Church, amember of the CEF. There were about 125 people present, and they gave over$500.00 toward the building of the new building.The programs for these rallies are loosely and simply organized, but gearedcompletely toward fund raising. Personal invitations are sent tovarious individualsin the community asking them to attend the rally, and of course, bring a gift. Asurprisingly large number of the people who are invited will come, and all whocome bring a gift. After the preliminaries, which usually include a speaker, thefund raising begins. The names of the people who have been given special invitations are called, and they are expected to come forward at that time and maketheir gift, announcing the amount to the audience asthey do so. Many of the gifts

are met with applause from the crowd, especially the larger ones, or those fromprominent persons. All gifts are given proudly and in a spirit of good cheer. Anold widow will make her gift of lOc;: with as big a smile as the klan chief who maygive $50.00. "The Lord loveth a cheerful giver."The time may come when the Americans will be given the privilege ofsharing in the fellowship of giving to Liberia Christian College in the same mannerin which they share in the building and support of other Bible colleges throughoutthe brotherhood. However, that time must be chosen very carefully so as to not

interrupt or discourage the giving of the Liberians.We. ^ved word recently from one of our recruits, thefamijy^ Flippen, Arkansas, whoplan to [oin the work here in Januaryor Februaryof^972. The Shaws are currently traveling among the churches raising support.Tl y tell us that they have travel and housing funds raised, but they still needregbkic^onthly support and relocation funds. Please keep the Shaws in yourprayers; we needftreTn horQ-.jiext yec^.


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The Meeces are all in good health. We are still workingon our house,trying to moke it a little more comfortable. Much of the semester break will betoken up by do-it-yourself projects around the house. Plans ore in the works for atable for Greta's sewing machine and one for Wayne's radio, a new antenna forthe radio, and more permanent arrangements for hanging Greta's curtains. Womenare just not happy in a house until the curtains are hung correctly.We still haveno definite word about gettingthechildren inthe InternationalSchool at Lamco. The Principal told us that he would give us a definite answer to,our entrance applications in August. Please continue to pray for us in this matter.^Pat, Greta, and the children have made us all very proud of them in the job theyhave been doing to keep up with the children's school work under adverse conditions. We ore also thankful for the books and helps that you folk have sent usfrom home; they have been invaluable.We have been keeping ourselves busy with many things other than the workat school. Wayne has been teaching a class in Acts to the World-Wide Church onSunday mornings, and plans to do thesome for othercongregations later on. Manyof the congregations that we have worked with are very receptive to our pleas: forChristian unity based on the NewTestament. They can see the evils of divisionand denominationalism, and we hope that we can show them "the way of the Lordmore perfectly."Greta has recently begun a sewing class for some of the ladies and girls inthe area. About fifteen have been attending on Mondays and Thursdays intheafternoon. Greta and Pat Boatman have been teaching sewing to a group at theWorld-Wide Church on Friday afternoons: The World-Wide Church has a schoolin which they teach adults to read and write, as well as other useful knowledgelike health, sewing, etc.We thank those who have written to us recently; news from home means somuch to us here. God bless you for your continued faithful support. Please don't

forget us at prayer time. Until the next time we are.Yours for Christ in Liberia,

The Meeces


27/43

Missionaries: Wayne Meece FamilyAgents: M/M Patrick G . Click10345 Castle Drive

St. Louis, Missouri 63136HALLS FERRY CHRISTIAN CHURCH12105 Old Halls Ferry RoadFlorissant, Missouri 63033

o3


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Jld&UO' ^(snLUiMJu ly , 1971 A-^Friends in Christ,

Buchanan , L ib er ia , We s t Afr icMissionaries: Charles Boatman Fami

Forwarding Agents; Mr. & Mrs. Duane Garre1 3 6 0 G r a n d v i e w D r i vFlorissant, Mo , 6303

Come to churchwith us today. You will be in for a newexperience! The service "begins" at 10:30a.m. Since we havelearned som of the idiosyncrasies of the different congregations we are working with, we arrive at this particular churchbuilding at 10:35, to find we are the first ones there! We stand around outside wondering whether they are meeting at alltoday. Soon a man in white pants and noshirt walb upbarefooted to us and urges us to come in. He goes in ahead of us^o the choir loft, where he puts on a white blouse which looks like the top half ofa choir robe. This specimen isvery wornand badly stained, but it issatisfactory, since now the choirmember is fully attired in the appropriate uniform.As we enter the building, we see a woman lying prostrate on the floor in the aisle, with her head toward the pulpit. Sheis praying, which is commonly done as one first enters the building, although most people either kneel by a bench or sit onI the bench and bow their head in their hands. This occurs regardless of how earlyor late a person may arrive and no matterwhat is going on in the service at the time.

\ ^ dozen people ore present, among them the leader of the service.. ^ and two choirmembers. One of the latter begins to play a drum and\ ^ssa hymn. In a very spirited.manner, theysing three hymns during the next twenty-five minutes, and the crowdcongregation has arrived. Now we are ready to begin the service

^ b H i I i _Jb2 " ^ singing, other choir members arrive and put on their;f H robes in front of the pulpit before taking their places with the choir,f ^ drummers and the three gourd rattlers are in good form today.When it is time for pra>r, all join in unison, praying the Lord's Prayer in Bassa, and then one person leads in prayer. Thenair pray the Lord's Prayer again! The practice of prayer varies from one church to another. In one church, all "liff up thehands in praise to God," praying aloud with hands raised up. Gradually the sound dies and v^en all are quiet, one personleads inprayer. We confess to beinga bit perplexed as to whether this latterpracticemeets the spiritof ICorinthians 14.27,"If any speak in a tongue (let it be) ... in turn . . . . For God is nota God of confusion but of peace." In thiscase thetongue in which they are speaking is their native tongue which all understand. I am sure it Is notsoconfusing to them as itis to us, and this matches the conversation pattern of the Bassa people, as well. It is not unusual to hearseveral peopletalking at once when a group of only five orsixisdiscussing a matter! (We still get hit by culture shock occasionally!)The offering plate turns out to be exactly that a china plate about the size ofa saucer. Awoman and a man each passa plate to those sitting on their respective sides oflhe aisle. In some churches the mensit on fhe left and the women on theright, in others it is reversed, and In still others there is no "segregation." When the offering iscollected, the contents ofthe plates are poured into one, it is brought before the pulpit, and prayer is offered. The plate is then put under one ofthetwo white cloths which cover the table where the secretary of the congregation sits at the front of the building. When alatecomer arrives, hewalks to the front and places his offering in the plate.Just before the sermon, a special number Is sung by the congregation. This is usuallya very enthusiastic song, sung witha lot of feeling, to give the preacher a "lift" before he preaches. At this point, the preacher's family is looking at himwith bigsmiles ontheir faces, wondering if he is really "catching fhe Spirit," as fhe congregation intends him to. On thisparticular day the preacher Is named Boatman, and he speaks on the subject, "God's Unreasonable Command," usingII Kings 5 (Naaman the leper) as his text. As the sermon is brought to a conclusion, a woman comes down the aisle, pauses


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in front- of the pulpit to put on her choir robe, then takes her ploce in the choir, only 1-1/2 hours late! Another hymnfollows the sermon, and the benedic tion c ioses the service.You may be thinking, after reading theabove, that many of thepeople here are not so concerned about time as are we Americans.You are right. As a result, life for the average Liberian is moreleisurely that we are used to (and not nearly so interesting, we wouldjudge), butthe same thing is a hindrance to the growth and development of their country. Some who raalize this have "westernized"their attitudes and are more prosperous because of it .Some of the churches have a Bible school before the churchservice,and some have it on Sunday afternoon. Some of the schools are ' *'* .f 'graded, but most are not. At least one of the churches we have attended fcJ .. . "* 'mhas a junior church program. One other variation we find is that, in some churches, a time is provided for any who wish togive a testimony or read a passage of scripture which has impressed them. This is a popular part ofthe service where it ispracticed.This month we met a Dutch family which lives in the Lamco area. They have three children, two of whom are the ages ofMark and Debbie . Our children are enjoying the blessing of playing with children from yet another cultural background.In the Buchanan there are of least five different cultural groupings: British, American, Swedish, Dutch, and Liberian. All

speak English, but with different accents, which makes for veryinteresting conversations!The pictures this month will give you on idea of architectural stylesin our area. The first is our house, a concrete-block structure, withthree bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, and both. It. plain byAmerican standards, but quite adequate for us. To the leftof fhe house you can see our water tower, and the tree at the right is

as rock, so it can be swept without raising dust

Picture number two is our neighbor's kitchen. Many Liberians cookoutside under such a shelter. The children are sprinkling water on thedirt floor and pounding it . This makes the laterite soil almost as hardPicture number three is "Annie McVilla," a rooming house in Buchanan. There ore many such in town. It is of frameconstruction, covered by very thin corrugated zinc siding. Itwould not be at all surprising to find as many as fortypeople living in a house of this size. The man on the bicycle in the foreground is a cloth salesman, carrying his wares onth e back of his bike.We ore nearing the end of the first semester, looking forward to a two-week "vacation" before second semester begins. Wewould be pleased to hear from anyof you and are especially appreciative of those who hove taken the time to write to us.Thank you for assisting us in this work for Christ.Yours for a Christian Liberia,


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/

C'oUaÂugust 1, 1971

Dear fellow-workers in Chrisl-,

Buchanan , Libe r i a , Wes t Afr icMissionaries: Charles Boatman Fami

Forwarding Agents; Mr. & Mrs, Duane Garre1360 Grandview DrivFlorissant, Mo, 6303

As you are no doubt aware, the most Important event to affect Liberia during the month of July took place in o London clinicIt was there that William Vocanarat Shadrach Tubmon, president of Liljerlo, died following surgery. Hewas seventy-fiveyears of age, and had been chief executive for twenty-seven years, more than one-fifth of the republic's history. Hediedjust three days before the scheduled celebration of the 124th anniversary of Liberia's independence. The celebration wascancelled, of course, for which we were disappointed, but sympathetic .Independence day, July 26, Isalways tie timeof the year's biggestcelebration, we are told. There are patriotic programsand parties as one would expect. In addition, however, the tribal people inject their cultural heritage into the festivities.Groups of twenty or thirty dress up like their ancestors once did before going to battle, and they dance throughthe streets.Painted in blue chalk, brandishing machetes and hatchets (some real, some fabricated of cardboard and wood), wearinganimal skins and making fearsome noises and threatening gestures, they present quite a spectacle.

"Country devils," wildly and colorfully dressed men walking on tallstilts, perform for the amusement of the audience, and gladly acceptcoins offered to them for the performance. The attitude of the peopletoward the country devil is a mixture of amusement on the part of someand a not-quite-suppressed superstitious fear on the port of others.The country devil does not like to have his picture taken, except whenthe photographer is willing to part with a substantial "dash" or tip, aswe would call it in America. As nearly as we can determine, thecountry devil is a civilized mixture of the primitive witch doctor andth e modern c lown.As we have said, however, there was no official celebration, andeven private festivities were effectively muted because of the nationalperiod of mourning which was in effect. Taverns and ploces of entertainment were closed for most of the week preceding the funeral. The body was flown back to Liberia on a Royal Air Forceplane, and lay in state in the executive mansion for several days. In front of the mansion is a quarter-mile horseshoe drivesurrounding a plaza and grassyarea stretching to the capitol grounds. As the bodywas brought from the airport to themansion, an estimated crowd of over 100,000 had gathered. The crowd was approximately one-tenth of the country'spopulation.

The Honorable Charles H. Williams, superintendent of Grand BassaCounty, kindly invited Professor Meece and me to accompany him toMonrovia to pay our respects . And so, for a few minutes in our l ives,we were VlP's (or reasonable facsimiles thereof), as we drove to thefront door of the mansion, followed the superintendent to the headof the quarter-mile line, and paid our respects to the late president.The body lay in state surrounded by medals signifying the great multitude of honors which had been accorded to Dr. Tubmon during hislong career as heod-of^tote .

X Liberia's new president, William R.Tolbert, Jr., has taken over theI leadership of the country in a smooth and peaceful transfer of power,I as befits a constitutional form of government. President Tolbert has\ promised to continue the policies which his predecessor had followed. We urge yoLLloâv that the^ôovernfimnt^^^V toward missionary activity shall continue as before.


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Mark and Debbie have enjoyed some Americancompany this sumrT)er(it seems strange to call this "summer" since this is thecool part of the year in Liberia). One of the PeoceCorps volunteers in Buchanan is a sixty-five year old school teacher fromKansas City. Her twelve and fourteen year old grandson and granddaughter have been here for about one and one-halfmonths. The children have appreciated the opportunity to be brought up-to-date on life among the young people in theUnited States .

' ' V^r 1 Picture number four depicts the state ofour building program as ofJuly 1 . Progress is slow, but this enables the African brethren to applythemselves to the matter of raising funds for it . American assistance may eventually be desirable/ but for the time being, wewishto allow our brethren here to make it as much their pro|ect as possible. Our temporaryquarters are adequate, and areserving us well, so there is no pressure for us to be moving any more rapidly than we are at present.As 1close , I recall that it was just two years ago this week tha tProfessorGibson and 1 first set foot in Liberia, to survey therestoration movementwhich was developing here. In the two yearssince we first met these Christians str iving for Christian unity, wehave grown to love them and appreciate them for their love for GodWe have found, as we expected, that some are not as committed tothe restoration ideal cs we hoped for, but we praise God for others ^Hj who are anxious to learn the way of the Lord more perfectly, andare occepting our teaching readily.We are pleased with the way God has blessedus in the initial stagesof the work here, and are thankful for the way He has foreseen ourneeds before we have been aware of them. And not least, we are thankful for you who are sharing in this workwith us.May God continue to bless you as He has blessed us.

Yours in Christ,


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Buchanan , Liber ia , Wes t Afr icMissionaries: Wayne Meece FamForwarding Agents: Mr, & Mrs, Patr ick G, Cli

10345 Castle DriSt, Louis, Missouri 631

August-October, I971Dear Christian Friends,Greetings from Liberia where the "winter" with all its rain is giving way to theST^er" and the dry season. We miss the changing seasons, especially the fallcolors and the cold.This letter is late, but we feel that the news that we have will be worth thewaiting. We have spent almost a month getting some of this material together foryou in th is l e t t e r .First, a quick review of the events of the past months. Most of you know by nowthat our children are in school. They were admitted to the Lamco Internationali>chool and began attending classes August 25th. We feel that this is especiallyan answer to all our prayers. We were to ld tha t our children would be acimittedonly if there was room for them in the classes. As i t turned out, the school wasc^pletely full except in the classes our children will be attending, V7e thanke ord for this victory^ and all those of you who prayed with us about the school.

school very much. There is quiet an internat ional f lavor ino the faculty and the student-body. The students and teachers come from Sweden,orway, England, and Liberia. The children have had few problems getting adjusted,perhaps fewer than they would in adjusting to a new U, S, school. They have manyfriends and playmates.Se ember 25th was the official welcoming for the missionaries of Liberia Christiano ege. It did not seem to matter that we had been here for almost a year, andthat separate welcoming ceremonies had been held for each new group; they wantedto welc^e us "officially." Wayne was the speaker for the occasion, but the high-iignt of the ceremony was the decoration of all missionaries. The "decoration"consisted of gifts given to each missionary. The ladies were given dresses made ofAlrican cloth, and the men were given shirts decorated with a special trimmingpoplar in this area of 'West Africa. The men were also given gifts appropriate totheir work.^ Charles was given a chief's robe and cap as the leader of the staff:Wayne was given a chief's cap as the "man-in-waiting" to take over when Charlesleaves. These caps and gowns are like the ones worn by the klan and town chiefs^d are a symbol of leadership. George and Ron were given crude, hand made farming^plements with a challenge to teach the people better ways to cultivate the land.tl ceremony for all of us. and we felt that it was the greatest singleonor that had been given to us. & bThe ceremony was sponsored by the Christian Education Foundation and was a fund-r^sir^ rally as well as a welcome for the Missionaries, The $400 offering received^ used to continue the construction of the college classroom-office building,rhe Liberian people continue to support the work, and we are pleased with the spirit


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of sacrif ice tha t th ey a re e xh ib iti ng . When the building is ccsnplete it wil l be amonument to the fa i th and generosi ty of t he L ib er ia n Chris t ians ,In addition to the teaching program a t t he col lege , we have a fruitful ministryamong some of the churches of Buchanaii, One of the most encouraging of theseendeavors has been with th e Bib le Fa i th Chr i s t i an Church, We wer e drawn to t h i schurch, which i s not a member of the foundation, partly out of curiosi ty about thename. We vis i ted two or three times in April and May, and on one Sunday they askedWayne to preach, Vfe continued to vi s i t them, and the invitations to preach becamemore frequent .One Sunday, after Wayne had delivered a sermon, th e leaders of the church asked usto meet with them after worship fo r a talk. They asked i f we knewr of any BibleFaith Christ ian Churches in the U, S, This gave us the opportunity tp explain NewTestament Christ iani ty brief ly and our heritage in the restorat ion movement and gaveus an opportunity to ask about the name they used. They were in terested in what wehad to say and explained that they picked the name because they wanted a Bible name.Our relationship continued to develop, and when Wayne offered to teach a class onsome Bible sub je ct , t hey eagerly accepted. For five weeks on Svinday afternoons inAugust and September, Wayne discussed the steps to salvation, us^g Walter Scott'sold five finger exercise as a teaching aid. They were delighted! Most older Liberiancannot read and must memorize information tha t they want to retain, -Something easyto memorize pleases them. They also asked many questions on other subjects, andthey were particularly pleased when the appropriate scripture passage was pointedout and from the ir Bassa New Testaments, Many times they began to nod the ir headsin understanding as the verses were being read, and th e B ib le , not the missionary, "answered t h e i r quest ions .As our contacts continued, we have learned that the Bible Faith congregation brokeaway from the Penticostal movement some years ago because they saw tM t Penticostalismwas not consistent with the teachings of the scriptures. They have been on the i rown over sinco, and have done well. They have built a fine, thoi^h not presumptious,house of worship in Buchanan and have established four preaching po in ts w i th in a50 mile radius of Bushanan, There are about 150 members of the congregation inBuchanan and about 100 among the four preaching stations,The most encouraging developement came in September, af ter Wayne had finished theseries of classes. A group of the leaders came to our (the Meece's) house wantingto make ^ appointment to ta lk , Wayne explained that he. was ready to talk, but theywanted to' be more formal about it. We set- a mee^ting date for the following Stmdayafternoon, Sept. 25, and both Wayne and Charles were to be p re sent so tha t we could .freely discuss any matters that might come up, 'As the meet ing began, it was obvious tha t they wanted to ask us something but werereluctent . We envouraged them to "speak l ike a woman," which to a Bassa man means,"say what you think," and we would do the same. This seemed to break the ice , theylaughed with us and began to speak freely.They explained that they had been working alone s in ce t hey l e f t Penticostalism andtha t they had been praying tha t God would send someone to help them. They had askedo th er s b efor e us to h elp but had b een refused or asked to make doct r ina l consessionsthat they f e l t were not in accord with the teachings of the Bible. They said tha twe had be en preaching fo r themand teaching them and they had been pleased tha t wetaught nothing but the Bible, Then, in typical African round-about, fashion, they .ask ed us to accept them in to our fellowship and become t he i r missionaries .We had expected sane such request , but certainly not this frank and open or direc t .


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FINANCIAL HEPORT.5-7-n-to 11-22-71Alverta Christian Church(Clymer,. Pa,) $100.00Anonymous 100,00Christian Church (Gillespie, 111.) 175.00Community Christian Church (Godfrey, 111.) 2^,00First Cliristian Church (Florissant, Mo.) ' , 135.00First Christian Church (Havre De Grace, Md.) 92.50First Christian Church (Holyoke, Colorado) 30.00Halls Ferry Christian Chui'ch (Florissant, Mo*) 2591.05nklls Ferry D. y. B. S, 82.50Anonymous 40.00C. Lyke 2.00Modesto Christian Church (Modesto, 111.) 525.00North Tacoma Christian Church (lndianapolis,..Ind.) . 45.00Parkwood Christian Church (Bridgeton, Mo.) 50*00Pine Flats Christian Church (Cl^er, Pa. ) . 120,00Pontoon Beach Church of Christ (Granite City, 111.) 100,00M/M G, Parker 45.00Heel Ave. Christian Ch^ch (Vincennes, Ind.) _ ' 25.00Spanish Lake Chiarch of Christ (St, Louis Co.) 395.00Total Received 4678.05:Disbursements 4103,56Balance 574,49Balance Forward 294.85In teres t 3.46Savings Balance (11-22-71) 872,80(Children's Education Fund and Rent)


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When we recovered our wits we explained t ha t as fa r as we were concerned we werealready in fel lowship, not because of any denominational consessions but becausewe had a common Father , VJe then offered to help as much as poss ible , teaching andtraining as many as we could in our spare time from the work of the school. Wepointed out that our Sundays we re open and also our summers free to t ravel amongthei r preaching points doing what we could.They told us that acccording to their charter with the Liberian government, theywere expected to build schools at the various mission stations they had established,but were not able to do so because they had no teachers. They said that they didn*tparticularly want money. Their greatest need was teachers to t rain their people todo th e work.We were then asked to a t t end t h e i r annua l c onf e re nce which i s to be he ld th e firstweek of January, 1972, at a village called Grand Kola, about 45 miles into theinterior. They explained that the main purpose of the conference is to teach andt ra in people in t he B ib le ; business was only incidental. We have agreed to go; andthe Meeces and Boatmans wil l go to Grand Kola fo r th is conference.Since we arrived on the f ield, we have been looking for an outlet for our need towork more closely with the churches in addition to the work with th e college . Webelieve this is God's answer to our prayers. The opportunity is obvious; the needsare glar ing. Only God himself knows where th is w il l lead us.There is an obvious challenge to our Christian Campus houses on our various univers i t ies to supply teachers for these schools that are so badly needed in the interior.There is also a challenge to us to train the leaders of the various stations to dotheir work more effectively through a better understanding of the Word,We covet your prayers on our behalf as we continue to work with these people. Praythat God wil l give us wisdom, patience, and courage.Thank you again for yoiir intei'ost and support, God be with you as you serve Himwhere you are .

Yours fo r Chr i s t in Liber ia ,The Meece*s


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JldwieifSeptember 1, 1971Dear bre thren

Buchanan , L ib er ia , W e st Afr i cMissionaries; Char!es Boatman Fami

Forwarding Agents: Mr. & Mrs. Duane Garre1360 Grandview DrivFlorissant, Mo, 6303

This months would like you to meetone of the students in our Bible college program. His name Is Joseph Moore Goweh.He is twenty-five years old. He was married inAugust, and he invited us to the wedding. It was a big event, as Bassaweddings go. It washeld in one of the largest church buildings in Buchanan. The auditorium was packed with adults andy^ng people, and several dozen children were jammed into the vestibule and various side rooms. Ushers were boy scouts,i^full uniform (including tennis shoes), using the groom's walkie-talkies for crowd control! Missionaries were seated onAe platform.BThe ceremony b

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