Bushwhacking for Jesus in Liberia

After a 24 hour, uneventfull flight through Paris and Conakry, we arrived in Monrovia, Liberia Friday evening. We were met by Kim Smith, Keystone grad, missionary, and head of Wordsowers Liberia, and SIM leader and Keystone grad, Alfred Varney. Marge and Will did a program with about 100 children in the afternoon, and we picked up supplies and met with Kim and Alfred in the evening. Early Sunday morning we left Monrovia for the 300 mile journey to Zwerdu, where Kim has his mission. This drive, in a fully packed Toyota Land cruiser, was over some of the worst roads I have ever traveled, mile after unending mile of severe potholes, washed out roads, and dust everywhere. We were all covered with dust! The Land Cruiser broke down less than halfway to Zwerdu. The driver had to walk several miles to the next village to find a mechanic.

We sent a quick prayer request to our prayer team headed by Sam McVay, Jr. Within minutes the driver returned with a mechanic who had the exact harness of electrical wires we needed and we were back on the road. Before we reached Zwerdu the car lost first gear, it’s rear bumper, and we ripped the muffler open. Finally, we arrived in Zwerdu at 1:00AM Monday morning, greeted by the staff of Wordsowers, who were probably awakened by the sound of the muffler. They even cooked a delicious meal of bushmeat (unidentfied wild game) and rice.

One quick insight: as we journeyed, the unpaved roads were dry and covered with a fine red dust. That dust covered everything, even the bags we had inside the vehicle. I mean everything. This morning I blew my nose and expelled a large amount of the dust. It was in our hair, ears, and mouths. It was all over our clothes and supplies. My black carry-on is now red with dust! I thought about the most powerful expression of the curse being that “from dust you came, to dust you will return.” The ruling power of the curse is evident all over the world, especially in Africa. When Jesus died on the Cross for the sins of the world, He not only wore a crown of thorns to bear the brunt of the rule of the curse for our sakes, He was also covered with the dust of the ground to set us free. It was a powerful reminder to me of why we and other missionaries endure 16 hour (and longer) journeys to go into the remotest parts of the earth to bring the good news that Jesus has broken the rule of the curse in our lives. What a joy and privilege it is to be covered in the dust of Africa and the nations for His sake!