Liberia, October 8th, 2008

Dearest Friends,

You must hear this story! It is a story of the one true God and how in His faithfulness He delivers those who trust in Him. I talked with David a long time and made careful notes. It is with his permission that I share with you this terrible story, this wonderful story, a story of God’s wonderful mercy!

David is our very good friend who partners with our friend Ben in ministry. He is also a pastor and love Jesus deeply. Hear his story of deep faith.

DAVID’S STORY

My name is David. I stayed in Liberia through 14 years of Civil War. God kept my family and I alive. During the war, there were 6 major factions, all warring with each other. All of the people were always caught between them. I was a nurse and worked at a hospital. We treated everyone who was hurt. It was the right thing to do.

For a time, the MPFL controlled the hospital. Then, the LPC captured our area. They were known for stealing children. In time, my family and I had to flee and found ourselves in an area controlled by the ULIMO. By then, we were a group of 21 people. God always provided for us.

As we were crossing the train track, we were captured by the LPC. They were always looking for men and were quick to kill them. In our group, there were 2 men, my friend and I. They tied our hands behind our backs and pushed us to the ground. They said that we were rebel leaders. We were nothing. We had no part in the war. We just wanted to survive.

They brought out an axe. I could hear my wife and children crying behind me, praying. They cut off my friend’s head. I felt his blood running under me. Then, it was my turn. I knew that I would die, but suddenly a woman who went to our church came and spoke for me, saying I was a good man. She was friends with some of the rebels. They seemed to listen to her, but still wanted to kill me.

The rebels asked my wife, “Can you take care of all these children without your husband?” She told them no. Then they untied me and let me go. God saved me. There was no reason that they should have released me.

After a while, the U.N. Peace Keeping Forces gained control of Buchanan. My wife was very ill and a rebel who knew my family agreed to take her and our youngest child to the doctors there. I stayed with the rest of the children, because he could not guarantee our safety. My children and I were caught in a crossfire by the LPC and the MPFL.

Earlier in the night, God warned me to hide my children in the jungle. That is how he spared their lives. I stayed in the house with another man. They always wanted to kill the men and I know that the children would be safer if I was not with them. God saved my children. The rebels raked the building with machine guns. My children would have died.

They called to us to come outside. I told my friend not to go, but he went anyway. They shot him in the back of the head. I waited. I heard God tell me to go now. I jumped into the bushes and ran. They fired machine guns at me, but again, God spared my life.

Then I went to get my children, but I found that the child stealing rebel group, the MPFL, had taken 2 of my children. I thought that I must reach my wife. It was horrible. I prayed for my children. The rebels had taken everything from the house. I had only the shorts I wore, and no money. I had no shirt, no shoes, nothing. I had 75 miles to travel, crossing through 32 checkpoints. At every checkpoint, they wanted money, but I had nothing. Still, God made a way for me time and again and I reached my wife safely.

When she heard that the rebels had taken 2 of our children, both daughters, she cried for a month. I believed always that God would bring them home. Two years and 5 months later the Lord restored them to us.

It was a miracle! I had such joy! God amazingly saved them. When I heard what had happened, I knew that only God could have saved them. The oldest one was 12 and carrying her baby sister who was only one and a half years old. Shortly after the rebels took them, they decided to kill them. My daughter began to call my name. One of the rebel leaders told them to stop. He knew my name and asked her mother’s name.

The rebel leader had been wounded and come to the hospital where I worked. He had no one to take care of him, and for 3 months, I took care of him. I paid for everything. He remembered and took my children to his own home and cared for them. He saved my children as I had saved his life. God is good! All of us survived!

When I think about those 14 years, I think about how God took care of us. I believe that he spared my life so that I could work for Him. That is what I am doing.

IMPORTANT!!!

Please know that David is part of our new puppet team. If his story has touched you, please help us help this team. They will need money for travel so that they can reach the parents and children who have suffered as David and his family suffered. This is a broken place and together we can pour Jesus healing love on the deep hurts that so many people carry here. Write me at msummer@earthlink.net

PRAYER

We begin our trip home on Wednesday, October 8th. We will arrive on Thursday, October 9th. Please pray us safe home.

In Jesus, Linda for
Sam and Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Ben and Lauretta Munford

Liberia, October 6th, 2008

Dearest Friends,


SATURDAY

LIFE ON A RUBBER PLANTATION


Life on the rubber plantation that we visited Saturday more resembled slavery than employment. We were allowed to come and do 3 programs in 3 different camps. If I had been the owners, I would never have allowed us to see what we saw. Though this is a very profitable business, you could never discern that truth by the way the people lived.


The camps were squalid. Each one was worse than the one before it. The people live on the plantation and because of its distance from a town, they can never leave it easily. Their children grow up to work as they worked. The people are more owned than employed.


Extreme poverty greeted us at every place and this surprised me. I expected that the workers would benefit from their employment. The children wore rags or nothing. Many were hungry and I could count the ribs on many little ones. No one smiled. They simply existed, staring at us with hopeless eyes. Life is a complete misery to them. They start at 5 a.m. and work until 3 or later. Each person must tap 500 trees a day. That means that they must cut 500 trees to run the sap into cups, and the next day they must collect the cups of sap.


The older people have endured the Civil War and still suffer. We passed a place today where 75 people were killed in a single day. The younger people no longer dream. When you are too old to work anymore, you receive a small income, but you must leave the plantation. Everyone you know and love is there, but you are forbidden their comfort.


We worked with a local pastor who is committed to follow up on those who prayed. So many called on Jesus to save them. Their lives provide no comfort so they clearly see their need for Jesus. This is their one great blessing!


Often when I speak at churches, I must remind people that this life ends and heaven waits. I encourage them to think about the next life and how today will affect that future. These people needed no reminders that this life passes away. Some were hearing the Gospel for the first time. They embraced the promise of heaven with enthusiasm. Grown men and women could be heard praying aloud, almost drowning the voices of all the children who also prayed.

Slowly, during the program, they began to smile, clap, and even laugh with us. The children were very shy with us, but warmed up to us quickly at they realized that we cared about them. The children were sometimes terrified by the puppets because they were so strange to them.

However, we were quick to explain to them that nothing we had would hurt them. This statement they accepted. I don’t know why they believed us. We are white and it is white people who have always used them. Constantly, I prayed for them not to see our outsides, but to see God’s Holy Spirit on our insides. The Father was kind to us and gave them eyes to see our true hearts.


I will hold their smiles always in my heart. I beg you to pray for these dear people. Ask the Father to make them strong Christians who deeply trust Jesus. This is one of the saddest places that I have ever visited. He is their only hope. He is our only hope.


SUNDAY


PRINCE, OOSAN, CHARITY, AND FRIENDS

We arrived late to the church where Sam was to preach and I was to give a mission report. They took us to the front of the church and sat me down by a doorway. It is brutally hot here and the breeze was the sweetest blessing. Our friends are always quick to do all they can for us!
Immediately, 6 or 7 children appeared and sat on the steps. My heart was touched by their smiles. While the church was singing, I began to draw pictures for them and tell them about Jesus. I used my notebook and with the high wall we were sitting behind, their presence disturbed no one.


I was having a wonderful time sharing with these little ones. I drew pictures for them and they were so happy. I believe the Father called them to sit on the steps beside me. They were not children who normally came to church.


One of the men in the church came and started to chase them away. He told them to leave. I jumped up to run out the door and call the children back. I yelled "Let the children alone. Let them stay." I hit my head on the door jam and nearly knocked myself out. It would have been quite a disaster except for 2 members of the Liberian puppet team who came and gathered up all the children and brought them back to me.


They invited the children to come into the church. One little girl ran off and when she came back, she had changed her clothes. Before, she was wearing a rag of a dress. She had run home, excited to be invited inside, and put on her best dress. My heart broke for this little girl and all these little ones. They all stayed and listened to Sam and I.


Children have not been a priority in ministry in Liberia. More, many in the church have completely ignored their needs. Please pray for the new Liberian puppet team. They see the needs of the children. They have our same heart.


THE REST OF THE STORY

Later Sunday night, Ben, our Liberian pastor friend, told us an amazing story. I had given all the children who sat with me a business card with a picture of Mike and I on the back. One little girl took the card to her mother and the lady came immediately to church to see who her daughter had met.

She heard Sam preach and watched as I drew pictures to illustrate the story. That dear lady heard the Gospel from Sam today because we were kind to her child. At one point, she closed her eyes and said that she could see bright light surrounding us. She told our friend Thomas that she saw someone standing and stretching out His hand to the little children. She said that she could see our heart for children, but even better, she felt the Lord calling to the children. Please pray that she will be drawn to deep faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Please pray that she will encourage her children to come and learn more about Jesus. Many people never think to take their children to church in Liberia.

Everyday my prayer in this place has been that the Lord would make us a bright light for Him. He sweetly answered that prayer today. We have only 3 days left. We fly home on Wednesday, October 8th. My prayer is that we would shine in these remaining days. Please hold us in your prayers.


PROBLEM

There is a problem with the email addresses that you can use to reply to this email. If you need to reach me please use msummer@earthlink.net


In Jesus,

Linda for


Sam and Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Ben and Lauretta Munford

Liberia, October 4th, 2008

Dearest Friends,


DEEP IN THE BUSH

I always ask to go to villages where children do not have much to see. We all love the places that are difficult to reach and forgotten. These are my favorite places. After driving 2 ½ hours, we were deep in the bush. Our first show was at the rural school. You would be surprised to see how small a space 250 children can crowd into. Add another 50 or so adults and you can begin to imagine the crowd that waited for us. The Father poured out His spirit and called so many to faith. Praise God!


THE BRIDGE

As we crossed a bridge, we were told that this bridge separated 2 counties. During the war, the rebels held the bridge. Those who were trying to escape had to keep off the roads and go through the bush. The rebels were quick to kill people. Many died simply trying to escape. Hunger and disease claimed many. Others fashioned small boats and tried to escape by sailing along the coast. However, these were poorly made and capsized easily. Many were drowned.


At the 2 shows that we did in this area, I spoke both times to the children and 2 large groups of adults, mostly widows. I usually do not speak with children about how Mike, my husband, burned to death in a fiery truck accident. It would simply be too much for them to hear.

However, I talked about it today at the request of the Liberian pastors with us. These children had seen much worse and endured much more. They needed to hear how the Father could mend broken hearts. They desperately needed Jesus.


THE JUNGLE

Our third show in this area and our fourth show of the day, was in our friend Loretta’s village. Mostly, it is now a jungle since the people who lived here are gone. Most are dead. The jungle covers their homes, but their stories must not be forgotten. So many died here, but they also lived. The survivors are trying to rebuild Liberia, but it is so hard.


We passed so many rusty signs marking clinics that no longer exist. Most of the missionaries had to flee during the Civil War, but many missionaries, like Liberians, never returned. This place is in need of short term medical mission trips. Both doctors and dentists are needed. Our pastor friend Ben works with Samaritan’s Purse and is able to organize such a trip. If this is the Father’s will for you, please send me an email and we will connect you with Ben.

GIFTS

We received so many gifts today. One church gave us a large bowl of rice as a thank you gift. Children cheered and ran down the road ahead of us as we arrived. Some patiently waited 4 hours deciding it was better to arrive early than to miss something. We were showered with smiles and laughter. Best of all were the Father’s gifts. Hundreds of children trusted Jesus. At one place, we even heard lots of adults calling on Jesus. We are exhausted, hot, hungry, and happier than I have words to write.

PROBLEM


There is a problem with the email addresses that you can use to reply to this email. If you need to reach me please use msummer@earthlink.net

In Jesus,

Linda for

Sam and Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Ben and Loretta Munford

Liberia, October 3rd, 2008

Dearest Friends,


NO FATHERS, NO MOTHERS

Many children in Liberia lost both parents to the war. Today we shared at an orphanage with over 200 children. Some had parents who simply lost all hope and abandoned them. Today, they heard about a Father who will never leave them. Many put their trust in Jesus. Your prayers are calling thousands of children to the Father.


STREET SHOW

We set up in a market in front of a UN Checkpoint staffed with soldiers from Ghana. Beside us was the "Mohammed Phone Charging Booth." We were in a Moslem area where Bassa was the common language. God sent a cloud and we were able to share more since people weren’t so hot. Everyone listened. Every big man came to watch the puppets and listen to the Bible story. God gave us a sweet privilege!


ANOTHER CHICKEN

Some of you will remember how the chiefs in Cameroon in April showered us with gifts. We received a live goat, 2 live chickens, a stalk of bananas, and 50 pounds of potatoes. Today, a local church voted to send us a live rooster as a thank you gift. The pastor personally delivered him to us at our home.


We are staying in a rural area near the city of Buchanan. The pastor and his wife lovingly gave Sam and Silvana their own bed. Calah and I, along with the pastor and his wife are sleeping on foam mattresses on the floor. These people are very kind. They sacrificially care for us.

Each night we come in very tired and hot. They have already hauled water from the well for us. We take a bath using a bucket and a scoop. Then we save the water so that we can hand wash our clothes. We must wait until morning to hang them outside because they would be stolen during the night.


It is the rainy season here. Constantly people during the day move our clothes on and off the line. Everyone is very thoughtful.

We are a curiosity. In a town on 30,000 people, we are the only white people. When Sam rides down the road in the back of the truck, people call out to him. They say, "Hello white man." Some say "Look! White man." Everyone here also finds me different. My long white hair is strange. People call me "Mother."


PROBLEM

There is a problem with the email addresses that you can use to reply to this email. If you need to reach me, please use msummer@earthlink.net

In Jesus,

Linda for

Sam and Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Ben and Loretta Munford

Liberia, 0ctober 2nd, 2008

Dear Friends,

WINDOWS

For the past 3 afternoons, we have been training our new team. Each afternoon, the neighborhood children fill the open windows of the church. Today, I realized as I was teaching our friends to tell stories, the children were really listening to what was being said. I began to demonstrate the story of Joseph to the team.

God gave me eyes to see what I would have missed. I stopped looking at the adults in the class and began to speak just to the windows. I gave the adults in the room an example of how to lead a child in praying to receive Christ and a little boy in the window asked Jesus to be his Savior. Silvana noticed a girl praying in another window.

How do I know this? I told the adults how we had seen hundreds and hundreds of children raising their hands, telling us that they had prayed with us, asking Jesus to be their Savior. As soon as the little boy heard the words in Bassa, he raised his hand. I wanted to shout! I was so excited.

The Liberians are doing amazing at the training. The heat is stifling and still they come. They never complain and they try so hard. Add to this blessing the wonder of this little boy trusting in Jesus. I love what God does!

RAIN

Working in Ireland for the past decade has taught me a lot about how to work in the rain. These lessons served us well today. We were able to do the opening of the program and one song before it hit. Hundreds of children ran for nearby shelter, but were still close enough to listen. Many, many children circled around me and stood in the rain. I continued to tell the story, acting it out since I could not draw in the rain. It became a downpour and still they stayed to listen. I finished the story and 2 children told me that they had asked Jesus to be their Savior. Praise God! We were all dripping wet and really happy!

THANK YOU

Hundreds of children stood in the blazing sun at one school watching the program. They clapped when they heard how Jesus walked on the water. They delighted in the puppets and were thrilled with Sam’s juggling. However, it is one little boy named Sam that I remember the most. I felt someone pull on my arm. Sam stood there smiling and said "Thank you." He was about 10 years old and had asked Jesus to be his Savior. He seemed very happy to meet big Sam!

WAR

We have never worked in a place like Liberia. Fourteen years of war has left the people of this country with horrific memories. It was a very brutal time where rape and murder were common. We were told that some children joined the fighting after watching their parents die at the hands of an opposing group of rebels. Others were kidnapped and forced to fight. Some of the children were taken at 13 or 14 years old, but some were kidnapped at 8.

Everyone that we meet has much to forgive. The brutality that has been described to us is hard to put into words. People were not killed; they were butchered. Our friend told us how his family and others hid in the bush to escape.

The war has left a terrible legacy. Everyday we see children in rags, some wearing only underwear, or nothing at all. The fortunate ones go to private schools and most of these are Christian, but they are not free. Few can afford this option.

There is so little here. We are in a town of 30,000 people on the coast. Buchanan does not have a single dentist. If you want a heart doctor, there is only 1 in the country. This help is four hours away. You must travel very bad roads and you cannot go at night. There are gangs of thieves that watch the highways for foolish people.

Near us, there is a water tower, but no one has running water anymore. All of the equipment is gone. The infrastructure of this country, roads, water, and electricity, was destroyed.

These are dear people and they are trying so hard. Please pray for us to have wisdom to make wise choices in the ways that we can help. Please pray for God to call Christians to serve in
Liberia.

Love in Jesus,

Linda for

Sam and Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager
Ben and Loretta Munford- Our Liberian Friends

Liberia, October 1st, 2008

Dearest Friends,


THREE SHOWS

FIRST SHOW- Crowd 350 children and young teens into a room that is too small to hold them. Then add a puppet stage and easel, along with whoever nearby saw us arrive. There is no breeze and the room is so hot, but no one cares. They are so excited and respond to the Gospel with enthusiasm. Our Liberian pastor friend asked how many of the children had prayed and we saw an ocean of hands raised, telling us that they had put their trust in Jesus.

SECOND SHOW- Our street show was rained out, but our friend Ben quickly found us a small Christian school with 200 children. Many neighbors stood in the windows watching. When the puppets came up for their song, children screamed and tried to leave the building. This had happened so many times, but everyone eventually calms down. Again, the children listened with their ears and their hearts. So many trusted in Jesus! Praise God!

THIRD SHOW- The Lord stopped the rain and several hundred people stood in the sun to listen to the program. We set up in a parking lot. You cannot imagine how hot it was, but the crowd stayed. More, a lot of them put their trust in Jesus!
I admit that every one of these shows is difficult because of the extreme heat and humidity, but we are so blessed. God is so faithful! The Liberian children are very sweet. Our friends here are eager to learn. We all feel privileged to serve here.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS- NO BOOKS

I want you to see that we see. We did a puppet show at a public school for 350 children. The school had only 7 teachers and no books, no supplies of any kind. They put all of the older children in one room together, 98 students.

The children were so hungry for affection. They crowded around us, reaching out to us, grateful for the smallest touch! Obviously, these precious children will not receive an education. They are loosing this generation.

I asked what had happened to the books. They told me that many were burned during the Civil War or destroyed by water damage when the roofs came off the buildings, some were taken to other countries.

There is a tremendous opportunity here for someone who wants to start a Christian school.

Many are needed.

NO HOPE

With the problems that exist in the school system, there is also very high unemployment. Very few people can find a job. A salary of $100 a month is considered very good pay. However, everything is very expensive and so many cannot afford the basic necessities.

You might thing that the situation is hopeless. The last couple of days I have been listening to a Liberian Christian singer. In one of her songs, she names all of these problems, but makes the sweetest conclusion. She sings “I just want to thank you Lord for all you have done for me. You take care of me.”

The Christians that we have met here have the sweetest spirit. They are grateful to God for each thing that they have and quick to praise Him for his provision. They have so very little. All food is cooked over a fire. The bathrooms exist, but none of the faucets work. All water must be hauled from a well or lake.

Their spirit is a delight to my soul. They do not complain. They consistently thank God. May the Father give me, give all of us, the same heart. Please hold all of us in our prayers. Please pray especially for the children of Liberia to hear Jesus.

Love in Jesus,

Linda for

Sam Shaw
Silvana Shaw
Calah Sager