African Restoration Ministries, Church of Jesus Christ

AFRICAN RESTORATION MINISTRIES

Mission - Liberia
By Major Randy Vick

If I were to tell this story from the beginning, I would have to go back years and years, and it would be a book instead of an article for a website. Suffice it to say the Lord has been preparing me for this mission since I was twelve years old, and I received a gift, book from my Aunt, about missionaries in Tahiti. Ever since then I have had a desire to be a missionary and travel to far away lands. Tropical lands. Lands where the weather is warm year round and there are palm trees and sandy beaches and native peoples. Six times the Lord led me, or attempted to lead me into a law enforcement career, before I finally ended up where He could use me. In 2000, He led me into the International Police mission field in preparation for my deployment to Liberia in 2004.

Unknown to me, He was also preparing a small group of young men in a war-torn land half way around the world. Protecting them and guiding them as they fled the war in Liberia, bringing them together in Cote Ivoire (Ivory Coast). Finally, He led them back to their homeland, with a heart for spreading His gospel, a desire to be a part of the “great commission”.

In March 2004, unbeknownst to each other, we found ourselves in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County, Liberia. I was serving as an International Police Officer for the U.S. State Department, (within the United Nations Mission In Liberia), and had been assigned as the Regional Police Commander for Grand Bassa, River Cess and Sinoe Counties, and was located in Buchanan City, the second largest city in Liberia and the capital of Grand Bassa County. These three young men, Daniel, Mark, and Ben had formed a fellowship known as the Buchanan Christian Fellowship, and were meeting in a house in the Otis Spot (suburb) community. More impressive was their sacrificial service in starting a school for the children of poor families. Children, whose parents could not afford to pay tuition required by the other public and private schools in Buchanan City, and children who had never received any education. There were 165 children between the ages of 5 and 12 enrolled in the school. These young men asked the parents to pay $50.00 Liberian ($1.00 U.S.) per month if they could, and most parents couldn’t. These young men labored in love and service, teaching these little children, with practically no pay, (sometimes they might be able to take $5.00 U.S. for a month’s salary), and with no school supplies. The students were divided up into five groups, and with only benches to sit on, had to learn reading, writing and arithmetic, by sharing the classroom blackboard, in a facility with no running water, no toilets and no electricity. The BLESS (Bible Literacy Educational School System) Elementary School was located in the Saw Mill community, another suburb of Buchanan City.

When our unarmed, 8-man team, (4 Americans, 2 Nigerians and 2 Turks), of UN police officers arrived there, we found ourselves in a city still occupied by 3,000 armed MODEL, (pronounced mo-dell), rebel fighters. MODEL was one of three warring factions, all of which controlled different parts of the country. They had captured Buchanan City in August of 2003. A U.S. led cease fire was in effect, after 14 years of civil war, but the rebels were not yet disarmed, and the government had no power or authority outside of the capital city of Monrovia. The Liberian National Police (LNP), had been decimated during the civil war and the police stations throughout the country had been destroyed. We were able to locate 17 LNP officers, also unarmed, and deathly afraid of the occupying rebels.

It was then the miracles began to happen, and the Lord began to reveal His plan. It would take several more months though, before it would begin to take shape in a way that man could see the plan, too.

Two weeks after our arrival in Buchanan City, on Saturday, March 20th, the rebels went on a rampage throughout the city, attacking people with clubs, machetes and hand grenades and looting shops and homes. One young boy was killed when a hand grenade was thrown into a group of young people trying to defend their Fanti Town community. The Bangladesh military peace keeping unit assigned to Buchanan City, did not know how to respond, and contacted me, asking for assistance from my 8 man team. We four American police officers responded to the center of the city, and were immediately met by drug-dazed young men, brandishing AK-47 rifles, RPG (rocket propelled grenade) launchers and machetes, firing their rifles in the air, as they attempted to drive us away. We stood our ground long enough to take the ring leader into custody and speedily secret him away to our small compound in the harbor area of the city. Unable to do anything further, we spent the night listening to gunfire, as we took turns standing guard over our prisoner and some UN food aid workers who had taken refuge in our compound. I also traveled with a Bangladesh military patrol to area hospitals visiting those who were victims of the ongoing attacks. It was extremely frustrating to be so helpless seeing the suffering of so many people.

The next day, Sunday, March 21, my three American colleagues and I ventured out to assess the situation. We found the city calm, but very, very tense. Finding one LNP officer that would go with us, we went to Fanti Town to begin the investigation into the death of the young boy, only to arrive in the middle of the funeral. Surrounded by several hundred mourners, weeping and wailing the loss of this young man, we were forced to pry the lid off of his crude wooden coffin to photograph the victim and the injuries which had caused his death. We were also faced with dozens of victims suffering from shrapnel wounds, gashes from machetes and broken bones and bruises from beatings with clubs. We knew we had to do something to wrest control of the city from the rebels and prevent further violence against the citizens.

During our two weeks in Buchanan City, we had been able to develop intelligence, learning which houses the rebels had seized and continued to occupy since capturing Buchanan City. These houses were each occupied by a dozen or two dozen heavily armed rebels. Some citizens, also fed after months of abuse at the hands of the rebels, began bringing us information about where stolen property had been taken during the previous day’s rampage. This time, we four Americans were accompanied by three LNP officers. The Bangladesh soldiers would not go into the houses with us, but did agree to stand guard outside, hopefully to prevent any reinforcements from coming in behind us. Armed only with batons and sticks, we began raiding these houses, kicking down doors, arresting the rebel occupants, seizing weapons and recovering stolen property. As a police officer, who has served as the Unit Commander for the Special Emergency Response Team, known in some police departments as Special Weapons And Tactics, (SWAT),

One of our responsibilities was to recruit candidates for the new Liberian National Police Service. I had assigned other officers to handle the recruiting effort in Grand Bassa County where my office was located.

During our two weeks in Buchanan City, we had been able to develop intelligence, regarding which houses the rebels had seized when capturing the city a few months previous. These houses were each occupied by a dozen or more heavily armed rebels. Some citizens, frustrated after months of abuse at the hands of the rebels, came forward to confirm that stolen property had been taken to some of these houses during the previous day’s rampage. Accompanied by three LNP officers, we American police officers began raiding these houses. Armed only with batons and sticks, we began kicking down doors, arresting the rebels found in possession of stolen property and seizing their weapons. When we made entry into these houses, we found men whose hands were shaking so badly, they couldn’t pick up their weapons. It was obvious the Lord was delivering them into our hands. During the next several days we arrested thirty-two rebels, including five of their commanders, prompting the MODEL general to ask me to be less aggressive.

I told him he would have to keep his soldiers under control and he agreed. More than a thousand rebels fled the city and a tenuous peace was restored. Over the next few months, we disarmed more than 6,000 MODEL and GOL fighters from Grand Bassa and River Cess Counties and the city began to recover.

In an effort to help the children feel that some normalcy of life was returning, we decided to sponsor a football (we call it soccer) tournament for the eight high schools in Buchanan City. It was in the beginning stages of this effort that the Lord arranged an encounter between me and one of the candidates for the new Liberian Police Service. I met this young man, who had some questions about the recruiting process, and ended up asking him to assist me with the arrangements for the football tournament. As we visited the various high schools around the city, we found ourselves discussing the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I was able to share with him about the Restoration, the Book of Mormon and we even discussed Joseph Smith. This young man, Mark, said he would like to read the Book of Mormon, and I later gave him one of the missionary copies I had brought with me..

I learned later that Mark had been praying that the Lord would help him find the church of the New Testament, the church He had founded when He was on earth. As we labored together, he invited me to attend the Buchanan Christian Fellowship, a small house church he was involved with. There were about fifteen people in attendance, and I met the young pastor, Daniel, and another young man, Ben, who was assisting him. After church that day, the pastor asked if I would preach the following Sunday, and if I would be willing to teach their Tuesday evening Bible study. After preaching the following Sunday, I offered to have cottage meetings with these three young men, and they enthusiastically agreed. For the next several weeks, we studied the Go Ye and Teach series and on January 16, 2005, several members of the congregation gathered in the harbor, where Brothers Daniel, Mark and Ben were baptized in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Lord had revealed to me that these three young men had specific calls to the priesthood. As I shared this with each man individually, they each had a personal testimony of their calling. I felt led that the Lord wanted the ordinations to take place at the confirmation service, and He was very specific about how He wanted it done. On January 30, 2005, at the Buchanan Fellowship Church, I confirmed the three brethren. Then I ordained Mark to the office of Elder. Mark and I then ordained Daniel to the office of Elder and Mark and Daniel then ordained Ben to the office of Priest. We met during the following week to organize the Church of Jesus Christ, Buchanan Restoration Branch. Brother Daniel was elected as Presiding Elder with Brother Mark and I as his counselors. Brother Ben was put in charge of Christian Education and Family Ministry. The Lord also led us to a building we were able to rent as a house of worship, located in Biafra,another suburb. The brethren and several young men in the congregation labored mightily, cleaning and painting and installing mosquito mesh on the windows, in preparation for our first service on February 6th.Located quite some distance from Otis Spot, people would have to walk one or two more miles to reach the church. We had been preparing the Buchanan Christian Fellowship congregation for the change that was to take place, and the brethren had been sharing their testimonies of conversion. Not only had they witnessed the baptisms of water and Spirit, and the ordinations, we had also shared the ordinance of administration with them. We had one Liberian tradition to overcome. The other churches have no program for the children and for the most part, the adults leave their children at home. We urged the congregation to begin attending church as a family, informing them we would have Sunday school classes for children. As attendance at the Buchanan Christian Fellowship had been averaging fifteen to twenty people, we did not know what to expect for attendance at the Restoration Branch, but we were overjoyed when attendance at our first service was fifty-one, including twenty-two children. It continued to grow steadily over the next few weeks to more than 100, including about fifty children. Church activities include Sunday morning services, Tuesday evening Bible Study, Wednesday evening New Member (Go Ye and Teach) Class, Thursday evening Prayer Service and Saturday morning Outreach Service.

The branch has also agreed to sponsor the BLESS Elementary School and the Future Hope Orphanage as ministries of the branch. The school will be moved from Saw Mill, another suburb, to a building that has been rented next door to the church. The orphanage is located on thirty acres in Benson River, another suburb located on the northern outskirts of the city. BLESS (Bible Literacy Educational School System) Elementary School was founded by Brothers Ben, Mark and Daniel for children whose parents could not afford to pay the tuition required by other public and private schools, and children who had never received any education.

There are 165 children between the ages of five and twelve enrolled in the school. They ask the parents to pay $50.00 Liberian ($1.00 U.S.) per month if they can, but most parents can’t. These young men have labored in love and sacrificial service, teaching these little children, with practically no pay (sometimes they might be able to take $5.00 U.S. for a month’s salary) and with no school supplies. The students are divided into five groups, with only benches for seating, and they’ve had to learn reading, writing and arithmetic by sharing the classroom blackboard in a facility with no running water, no toilets and no electricity. The Future Hope Orphanage was founded by Sister Etta, who will soon be baptized, and is home to sixty-three orphans between the ages of infancy to thirteen. One or two of the brethren travel by bicycle now to provide Sunday services at the orphanage. The branch is also planning an agriculture project at the orphanage to clear land and plant food crops. Future Hope is one of fifteen orphanages in Buchanan City. During the preceding months, the Lord had brought us into contact with several Community of Christ congregations in Sinoe County, approximately 220 kilometers south of Buchanan City.

In May, Elder Hensley visited from Nigeria for a week, and we were able to take him to Sinoe County where we met and worshipped with those saints. They testified that his visit was an answer to their prayers, and after a class and a preaching service by Brother Hensley, two of those congregations voted unanimously to become affiliated with the restoration as independent restoration branches. The brethren also traveled with Brother Hensley to Gardour’s Town, in eastern Grand Bassa County, to share the gospel with a Catholic congregation that has indicated their desire to accept the restoration gospel and to become a restoration branch. In Buchanan, Brother Hensley preached at several services at the church and visited the school and the orphanage. Shortly after Brother Hensley returned to Nigeria, we had another baptismal service with five more saints being baptized in the Benson River by Elder Daniel and myself.

In June, Seventies Ron Smith and Neil Simmons and Sisters Di Smith, Jeanette Thomas and Pat Bolingbroke visited us for two weeks. We also traveled to Sinoe County for preaching and teaching among the saints there. The travel was terribly difficult but the trip was made without serious incident, and the saints were thrilled and inspired. They also went to Gardour’s Town, where they spent the night and brought much needed ministry and teaching, hearing many requests for baptism. Brothers Daniel, Mark and Ben felt it very important for those people to have more teaching before being baptized. After returning to Buchanan, a confirmation service was held for the confirmation of the five saints who had been baptized the previous week. Later, the branch had it's third baptismal service, and the Seventy assisted as four more saints were baptized in the Benson River.

The missionary team also visited the school and the orphanage, brought classes and preaching at the Buchanan Restoration Branch, and met with the men and women of the branch in women's and men's retreats. Joshua who had recently been baptized was called and ordained to the office of Elder, before the missionary team departed for their return to the U.S.

I ended my mission on June 30th and returned home to the U.S. as well. Shortly after my departure, Bros. Samuel and Jerry were ordained to the office of Priest, and three more saints were baptized.

The Saints in Liberia are overjoyed to have discovered the Restoration Gospel and they are committed to sharing the gospel with their fellow Liberians and West Africans. There is a great need to continue teaching and instructing those in Teah Town and Koons Town in Sinoe, and Gardours Town in Grand Bassa, who desire tocome to a knowledge of the Restoration Gospel. This is in addition to the work that continues in Buchanan City. I have learned recently that the branch has started missions in Monrovia, where Bro. Joshua had started a Christian Fellowship, and in Benson River, a suburb of Buchanan City.

The field in Liberia truly is "ready to harvest", and the Lord has found laborers who are willing to go forth and labor in the vineyard. Many Saints and Branches in the U.S. have been wonderful in providing supplies for the school and Sunday School, as well as Bibles, Books of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Hymns of the Saints and other wonderful books and tracts for the work in Liberia. As these new Saints move out in faith, with commitment and courage under conditions of absolute poverty, I pray that Saints everywhere will support them in every way possible..