Interview from Africa, Part 1

Okay, so technically it’s “about” Africa.  But still…here is my interview with my MIL, Pam, about her recent missions trip to Africa.  I wrote out the questions which she answered and emailed to me.  I am splitting the questions into two groups, just because it would be crazy long otherwise.  So…here you go!

1. What was your team’s purpose in going to Liberia? What part did you, specifically, play?

The East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church has decided to specifically focus on The 3 C’s—churches, classrooms, and clinics— in Africa. After a fact finding trip to several sites, they decided to focus on Liberia as it seemed to have the most needs. Our first and foremost mission was to develop relationships with the people there and to do some fact finding on how our church can best serve and meet the needs of the Liberian people. Specifically, we did do some health care teaching.

2. Why did you want to go on a missions trip? Why Liberia, specifically?

When I was younger and considering career choices, I thought that perhaps I would be a missionary nurse. I don’t know that I really felt it was a “calling” just a possible choice that would reflect my desire to be a nurse and to serve God. Instead, I got married and raised a family, but within the last 10 years or so the idea of experiencing that one time dream kept cropping up again. The Liberia trip appealed to me primarily because it was health care related unlike so many trips.

3. What were 1 or 2 difficult parts of your trip?

Being alone—I really didn’t think about that before I went, but I felt very alone at times even though there were people all around. And I really felt inadequate as a leader—I was made sub-team leader after the first leader had to drop out of the trip and I was not prepared for that.

4. What were some of the enjoyable parts of your trip?

Getting to know my team. I had some great people with me and it was interesting to hear their thoughts on our trip and ministry and life in general. Just seeing new things. Teaching the high school students.

5. Did you do any sightseeing?

Just traveling from one site to another allowed us to see many things. Each site consisted of churches, schools, towns and native villages as well as “stores” and street scenes. We also took a brief “walk” into Guinea and had a dug-out canoe trip to an island where the natives feed chimpanzees.

6. How did you travel in Liberia?

We had a driver and a 15 passenger van for long trips—other wise we walked, but most places were close by.

7. What were the church services like there?

Amazing! They worshipped with such exuberance. The singing and dancing were unbelievable, of course. Most songs were accompanied by a three clap cadence or a bongo type drum. When the pastor asked for prayer or testimony, people sprang to their feet—there was no hesitancy or shyness. The first church I was in had 109 in attendance in a room about 20’x 30’ with no electricity etc. They used old hymnals from all over the world and ended every hymn with “AMEN” in song like we used to do when I was a kid.

The second church in Monrovia is the biggest one in Liberia and it was much more like a traditional worship service here (although the singing was still amazing!) with communion, responsive readings etc. The most touching thing about that service was that it was Armed Forces Sunday and they sang “America, the Beautiful” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic”. Read the words to those songs and you will see how much freedom is treasured and that these folks who were in civil war until 2004 desire their country to be free.

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