A “Sermon In The Shoes" — Walk With Us To Combat COVID-19 in Liberia.

Thanks so much for praying along with us since this pandemic. It has been a very tough experience especially with everything literally at a standstill. However, your prayers and support for us has kept us, but we have thought to lift up the needs of people we serve. Indeed, as we fight for survival of this virus, there is yet another virus literally ravaging families who can not afford.

God's provision to serve others is a demonstration of the gospel at such a time to encourage families. I consider this proposal and intervention as a "Sermon In The Shoes.''

LEADLiberia Proposal For Emergency Food And Non-Food Assistance During COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

History

As the nations of the world experience this global pandemic, we in Liberia are no exception. We have begun to suffer even more because we have had battles prior to this global experience. In 1989-1996 we experienced a civil war that took the lives of approximately 250,000 people. As we struggle to recover the brunt of this gruesome civil war, in 2014-2016 we were hit by Ebola epidemic taking the lives of approximately 11,207 lives in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone leaving behind thousands of orphans.

Again, as the dust began to settle in a post war, post Ebola crisis, with a broken economy with over 85% unemployment we are now faced with this unseen enemy, COVID-19. Despite our completely broken health system COVID-19 is now here since March. On April 8, a state of emergency was declared and partial lock-down enforced from 3 p.m. Churches, schools and government institutions and business closed.

In view of this situation, the virus has begun to affect the population that lives on daily hustle for livelihood. We are now fighting on two fronts, the coronavirus and the hunger virus.

Rationale

LEADLiberia wishes to intervene by providing food and nonfood assistance to at least 100 families in these key locations:

• Montserrado … Koon Town, Mayo Town, Zinnata, & George Town

• Margibi … Gbeyantown, Pleemu, Beadee, Larkeyta

Strategy

The strategy is to fight the COVID-19 by encouraging hand-washing with detergent (Clorox and soap) and the hunger virus fight through the provision of basic food items (rice, cooking oil and season). A "Sermon In The Shoes" is a demonstration of the Gospel during this critical period to give hope to our targeted beneficiaries in areas as designated.

Benefits of the Project

Health – to help our beneficiaries stay safe by taking preventive measures in a place where our health system is completely broken.

Spiritual – to give hope during this critical time of global pandemic Social – to reach out and demonstrate the gospel in tangible ways.

Cost Breakdown

1. 100 Bags of rice @ $14 per bag = $1,400

2. 25 cartoons of cooking oil @ $28 = $700

3. 9 cartoons of seasoning @ $32 =$128

4. 4 cartoons of Clorox @ $24 = $96

5. 8 cartoons of soap @ $13 = $104

6. 100 Buckets (hand-washing) @ $10 = $1,000

   TOTAL: $3,428

Distribution expense:

1. Vehicle (2) @ $100 x 4 days = $400

2. Team 5 persons @ $10 x 8 x 4 = $320

3. Gasoline/fuel @ $50 x 4 = $200

TOTAL: $920.00

Misc. Expense @ 5% = $217.40

GRAND TOTAL= $4565.40

We covet your prayers, your donations and your friendship. Please consider walking with us and donate now at: https://www.leadliberia.org/donate

Thanks for holding the rope!

KOKEH

Hope Again!

As we think about you all and pray along, we know that we can continue to hope again. Here are a few excerpts from Chuck Swindoll's book titled "Hope Again!” (When life hurts and dreams fade). This book has been a tremendous source of encouragement to me during this season. Hope is a wonderful gift from God, a source of strength and courage in the face of life's hardest trials.

• When we are discouraged, hope lifts our spirits.

• When we are tempted to quit, hope keeps us going.

• When we lose our way and confusion blurs our destination, hope dulls our panic.

• When we fear the worst, hope brings reminders that God is still in control.

• When we are forced to sit back and wait, hope gives us the patience to trust.

As we share these moments, I know for sure that hope is essential for our survival. We continue to trust God one day at a time and know that He is our source for a lasting solution to this global pandemic. It is creeping on us gradually from 3 - 13 and now 3 deaths.

No lockdown as of yet, but we are meeting home and having services at home for about a month now. Adhering to health protocols as much as we can and go out when we have to get essential provision. We are keeping safe and we hope you are doing the same. Pray for us to have enough food at home before there is any lockdown.

We love you all and hope we have another chance to see again in this life.

Rich blessings!

KOKEH

What it Means to Hold the Rope.

In this season of reflection and celebration of the birth and mission of Jesus Christ, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have “held the rope” with LEADLiberia for so long. You’ve heard me use this expression over the years, but may not be aware of its early origins.  

As shared in Andrew Fuller: Holy Faith, Worthy Gospel, World Mission, the commitment (and the oath) to “hold the rope” was wonderfully demonstrated by a band of mission-minded pastors from the 1700’s. Here is an excerpt from John Piper’s book:

“Andrew Fuller, more than anyone else, felt the burden of what it meant that William Carey and John Thomas (and later, others) left everything for India in dependence, under God, on this band of brothers. One of them, John Ryland, recorded the story from which came the famous “rope holder” image.

He wrote that Carey said:  Our undertaking to India really appeared to me, on its commencement, to be somewhat like a few men, who were deliberating about the importance of penetrating into a deep mine, which had never before been explored, [and] we had no one to guide us; and while we were thus deliberating, Carey, as it were, said “Well, I will go down, if you will hold the rope.” But before he went down . . . he, as it seemed to me, took an oath from each of us, at the mouth of the pit, to this effect—that “while we lived, we should never let go of the rope.”  

LEADLiberia would not have such a rich story if it were not for the many Spirit-empowered brothers and sisters who have supported our journey in sharing the light to the challenging, unexplored (and sometimes dark) West African ministry field.  

A few powerful examples of “holding the (our) rope” include faithful brothers and sisters who were …

• Holding our rope ― in the darkness of two Liberian Civil Wars.

• Holding our rope ― as the mission of LEADLiberia was equipped and birthed.

• Holding our rope ― as we persevered into our dense land to reach untrained pastors.

• Holding our rope ― in the darkness of our crushing Ebola crisis.

• Holding our rope ― through the meeting of our critical ministry transportation needs.

• Holding our rope ― in the challenge to build and acquire our SEED vision and farm.  

• And many, many more.

There is great beauty and validation in the way our rope has been held.  As His Word says in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 …  For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and all were made to drink of one Spirit. God has consistently cast the vision for ministry and missions as a team effort – a band of brothers and sisters using their collective gifts and resources as “one body” to His glory alone.  You need to know that your tight grip strengthens us every day.

Although we continue to have resource challenges (which keeps us wonderfully dependent on our Lord), I have always said what I am most interested in is deep “ministry friends over funds” and devoted “ministry partnerships over pocketbooks.”  

Thanks so much for your commitment to never letting go of the rope. Your prayers and participation, as well as, donation and devotion are forms of encouragement that mean more than you’ll ever know.

“Sola Gloria" (His glory alone), "Sola Christo" (Christ alone)!

KOKEH