Happy New Year!

Beautiful Liberia! All of us at Spirit Liberia would like to wish you a "Happy New Year!" It has been an amazing year of incredible growth and change within the organization. God has opened many doors and poured out His blessing on the work He has called us to. We look forward with great anticipation to the coming year. We know that things are difficult right now with all of the economic struggle in the world but be encouraged. God is still in control! With this in mind, we know that you want to make wise decisions concerning your charitable giving especially in these unstable times. Please consider making a year- end tax-deductable gift to Spirit Liberia. Spirit Liberia is working hard to spread the gospel and provide humanitarian relief and sustainability in one of the poorest countries in the world. We are working to create full financial sustainability for the ministry within 3 years time. This means through special Spirit Liberia projects we will be growing the investment you have made in us to provide financial independence for the organization. This is so exciting because it means that we will not be fully dependant on donations in the future (Lord willing!). We want to be good stewards of the finances that God entrusts us with. Just like in Mathew 25:14 through 30, the parable of the Talents we do not want to bury what God has given us, we want to grow and multiply it for His service and reward. We cannot accomplish all of this without your help now. The people of Liberia have suffered much, but are strong, eager to work and ripe for the Harvest. Please join us in reaching out with the love of Christ and helping them back up on their own 2 feet.
We will have a big announcement coming in January! Exciting things are happening, and we would love for you to be a part of it! Please send us an e-mail to bogdans@spiritliberia.org if you would like to receive our monthly newsletter “Rootsource”. This is a great way to stay informed of what is happening in Liberia. May God bless you in 2009!
~Spirit Liberia

Meet Bestman

Bestman Todawiah- Ministry Coodinator, Spirit Liberia
Bestman with Family: Wife Jestin, sons Christopher, Diamond, and Stephen

Bestman with son Stephen

Bestman preaching on the street

Bestman (in hat) along with Pastor Richards and some local children working at Pillar of Fire Church's agricultural site.

Moving on to the next staff introduction, we are now to Bestman Todawiah. Bestman has been working with Spirit Liberia for only a few months, but he is blending well with the team and we are super excited to have him on staff. Prior to working for Spirit Liberia he was partnering with Dan Gjerstad, an American Evangelist who spent a year in Liberia with his family. Together they did street preaching, prison outreach and various bible studies and other ministry activities. This was not a paid position for Bestman.

Bestman is Ministries coodinator for Spirit Liberia and heads up our evangelistic ministry. He is doing a GREAT job and has a true heart for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. Bestman is a meek and gentle man, who is not afraid to step out on the street corner and preach loud enough to be heard over the crowd.

Bestman is married to his wonderful wife Jestina. They have been blessed with 3 boys, Christopher, Diamond and Stephen. They are a wonderful family and we are so very blessed to know them. Thank you Bestman! We love you!

~Vanessa

Ministry Update

Handing out tracts in Sanniquellie

Brother Bestman preaching in the market in Sanniquellie

Some of the beautiful fruits of the agricultural projects Spirit Liberia is sponsoring.

The WORMS! This is Shad showing us how to eat them :) Actually he says they are only good fried and if you have them fried you will LOVE them and want to eat them all of the time!

Purchasing the worms, like everything else, you take them in a small plastic baggie.

Prison Yard

Pastor Richards speaking with men in a cell.

These are the 3 men who accepted Jesus while they were there ministering. Praise the Lord!

Brother Bestman preaching in the prison yard at Sanniquellie prison.

Prisoner information board. There are currently 80 prisoners in this prison. Only 6 of them are women.

Our guys on the dusty road to Sanniquellie. Pastor Richards is in the middle demonstrating the large trench in the road. He has one foot on each side, and the car has two tires on each side! Interesting!

This last weekend our staff went to the bush to work in a few different areas. They went to Lofa County to begin the process of hiring laborers for the larger parcel (35 acres) we will be farming there. The purpose of this project will be to aid in providing funding for other Spirit Liberia projects as well as evangelism. We will be providing evangelistic ministry to the laborers and in the community where the farm is located. Please pray for a successful crop! We are very excited about this project. Our goal with Spirit Liberia is to eventually be self-sustained. We hope to purchase a larger parcel that will become a great resource towards reaching this goal. We believe if we are trying to teach self-sustainability to the local people, we should also be able to be self-sustainable as an organization. We are praying and working toward the purchase of a 200 acre parcel in Bong county which will be the first major step toward this goal.

We have applied to and been approved by the government in Liberia (Prison Fellowship Ministry) to visit all of the prisons in the country. Our plan is to visit one of the prisons in Monrovia on a weekly basis and one of the prisons in the bush on a monthly basis. The guys were able to visit a prison in Sanniquelli this weekend during their trip. This time of ministry was a huge blessing and encouragement not only to the prisoners, but also to our staff. They were able to preach in the prison yard and also access individual cells for individualized ministry. During this time of individual ministry, there were 3 men in one cell who all were convicted to repent and accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior. These men also claim to have come from a Muslim background. Regardless of where they have come from, we are so blessed and honored to be able to be a part of God changing their lives. Their names we will keep private, but please keep these men in your prayers. Pray that God would grow their understanding and faith and that He would make Himself known to them in a very personal way. All of the prisoners were very surprised by the fact that anyone, particularly an organization, would care enough to come out to spend time with them. We were able to bless each prisoner with a bar of soap which was greatly appreciated. Our guys were so blessed by the move of God in the prison that they went from there to the market in Sanniquelli to do some street preaching. This was not even on their agenda for the trip, and we are so happy to see their motivation to follow God’s leading in all areas of ministry. They were able to preach and give tracts out to approximately 150 people and are anxious to go back and do a 3 day evangelistic crusade. They saw a great spiritual need there and are compelled to go back to minster with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

On a another note, do you remember the WORMS???? If you missed that post, look back in the November archive and it is labeled “Bamboo Worms”. Anyway, the guys knew those worms totally freaked me out, so this weekend they took some special pictures of themselves buying and actually EATING a raw worm! Thanks Shad for sacrificing your pride and posing with a worm in your mouth for all of us to enjoy!
Blessings Everyone!

~Vanessa for all of us at Spirit Liberia

Is it authentic????

The verdict is out! Yes, the story is authentic!

" Every Man Heart Lay Down"

This is a Liberian Christmas tale. I was sent this story last year, and it is really cute. I have not confirmed how authentic it is, but I will check into it and post the answer! Either way you should enjoy it :)


"Every Man Heart Lay Down"

Long time past - before your father live - before his father live before his father's father live - long time past before them big tree live - before them big tree's father live - that time God live. And God look on the world - that He done make and Him heart no lay down. And He walk about in the town to see the people. And He sit down in the palaver house to know the people. And He sorry too much. And God say "The people no hear My Word.The people no walk My way. Nev mind. All I can do is make a new country - and make new people."And this time God's one small boy - Him small child hear God's Word, and the child grieve for people and for His Pa. So he go for God's face and make talk for His Pa."Pa, I come for beg you," so He say,"I come for beg you; Don't make the new world. Don't lose the people what you done care for. I beg you. Make it I go, I talk to people. I walk with people. Bye-m-bye they savvy the way."And the child go down softly softly and hold God's foot. (i.e.begged Him) So God look on Him small boy. And Him heart be very soft. And God say,Left me now, but hear me good; If you go you must be born like a man You must live like a man - and you must have hurt and have hunger. And hear me good; men will hate you and they will flog you, and Bye-m-bye they will kill you, and I no going put my hand there."(i.e. interfere)And the Child say, "I agree."And bye-m-bye God call Mary to be Ma for the child. Now Mary be new wife for Joseph and Joseph ain't touch Mary self. So first time Joseph vex. But God say, 'Nev min', Joseph; this be God palaver. And Joseph heart lay down. And God see one king who try for do good for all him people."Ahah, now I send my Son for be new king."And God send star to call the king. And in a far country, God hear a wise man call his name. And God say to the wise man, "I send my Son to be new wise man; Go now with the star." And the star call. And the wise men follow. And by the waterside - men lay down to take rest. And they hear fine music in the sky like all the stars make song, And they fear. And all the dark make bright like day. And the water shine like fire. And no man can savvy. And they hearts turn over. But God's angel come, And God's angel say, "Make glad, all people, God's child be born in Bethlehem."And the star come low and stop. But when they go for mansion house The star no be there. And when they go for big man's house,The star no be there. And bye-m-bye when they go for hotel, The star no be there again - "Ahah, the star be by the small house where cattle sleep! " And it was so. And they found Joseph and Mary and the small child fold up in country cloth. And the king bring gold for gift and the wise man bring fine oil and the country people bring new rice. And they look on the God child and every man heart lay down.