LIBERIA 2014 FIVE MINUTE MISSION MOMENTS FOR VBS, SUNDAY SCHOOL AND CHURCH
Update from 2013 Kohitsuji Day Care Project The 2013 VBS project collected funds for the Kohitsuji (Koe-it-sue-jee) Day Care run by Grace Chapel E. C. Church in Sagamihara, Japan. A day care center in Japan is the same as a day care center in America. It is a safe place where children are taken care of while their parents are at work. Last year the EC churches raised almost $10,000 to help put in bathrooms for the children and a ramp from the outside. (Show picture of Japanese Children in Day Care, or use the first picture on the 2014 VBS PowerPoint Slideshow) Because of YOUR gifts, the Japanese EC Church can continue to tell the children of Japan about Jesus love for them! Figure 1 Children in the Kohitsuji Day Care in Japan Children in the Kohitsuji Day Care in Japan
2014 Mission Minded Kids VBS Lessons LIBERIA Objectives for Liberia VBS Lessons: 1. Briefly review 2013 Japan VBS Project 2. To learn basic facts about the country of Liberia 3. To recognize the flag of Liberia 4. To be introduced to Rev. Matthew and Esther Gueh, Field Superintendent of the EC church of Liberia (ECCOL) 5. To understand the desperate physical and spiritual needs of the people & children of Liberia 6. To participate in raising funds to help the Liberian EC churches provide a youth camping program to help Liberian children grow in their faith and learn to evangelize others. Lesson Overview Lesson 1: Review 2013 Japan VBS Project Liberia: Basic facts about the country and flag Introduce the Liberian Project to raise funds for the camping ministry Lesson 2: Review camping project Learn what the Civil Wars have done to the land & people of Liberia, and why they need Jesus, and the help of local churches Lesson 3: Review camping project Introduce Rev. Matthew & Esther Gueh & the EC Churches of Liberia (EECOL) Learn the many ways the EC Churches in Liberia are helping the people spiritually, and physically to overcome the effects of war and poverty. Lesson 4: Learn about why the Children in Liberia need to learn about Jesus Love Learn about the EC Youth Camping Ministry of EECOL Lesson 5: Liberia: Review Foods of Liberia Materials needed for the week: Power Point slide show either downloaded from GMC website or on disc; the included picture of the flag or a real flag of Liberia. Mount pictures and maps from all lessons on card stock paper for stability and set up equipment as needed to show power point pictures each day.
LESSON ONE LIBERIA Hello and welcome to Vacation Bible School Missions moments. If you attended VBS last year, you might remember that we were collecting money for a very special project. Does anyone remember what that project was? (Allow students to recall, or remind students about the Japan Day Care Center project.) (Show PowerPoint Visual 1: Day Care Center and give the included update.) This week we will be learning about another small country in a different part of the world. This country is on the West Coast of the continent of Africa, about 4,700 miles from where we live. (If you have a large world map, you can ask a child to point out where Africa is.) (Show Visual 2: map of the world with USA & Liberia highlighted) The name of this country is Liberia. It is only a little bigger than our state of Tennessee, but approximately 4 million people live there. This week we will be learning about what the Evangelical Congregational Church is doing in Liberia. We will learn about the country and why these people (especially, the children) need to hear about Jesus love, and how God wants them to live. All the offerings that we collect this week, will go to help buy supplies for a camping ministry that provides a safe, fun place for children and youth to learn more about how to study the Bible and how to tell their friends about Jesus. Many things are needed to run the camps: video equipment, computers, electrical generators, bedding, and Bibles for each child. Our offerings this week, and all the VBS offerings of the EC churches will go to purchase these items for the Evangelical Congregational Youth Ministry (ECYM) of Liberia. (Show Visuals 3 & 4: children in Liberia) There are many things to learn about this country of Liberia (Show Visual 5: map of Liberia). Even though there were already many different tribal groups living in this western region of Africa, in the year 1822 the United States helped to form this region into the country known as Liberia. While there are over 30 different languages spoken in this area, English is the official language of Liberia. The name Liberia comes from a Latin word that means: Land of the Free. After the slaves in America were freed, they were allowed to go back to this free land in Africa. Let s look at the Liberian Flag. (Show Visual 6: Flag.) It looks a little similar to the American Flag doesn t it? This is to remind people that the United States was part of creating this land for freed slaves of America. The star stands for Freedom, and the blue square is to represent the mainland of Africa. The 11 Red and White Stripes stand for Courage and Morality. Even though this Republic of Liberia should have been a wonderful, good place for people to live, it has not always been happy or safe. There have been many years of civil wars that have destroyed the land, the buildings, the homes and the lives of the people of Liberia. Today, this is one of the poorest countries in the world. Over 1,000,000 children and adults who lived through the civil wars are still without a home or safe place to live. Approximately, 95% of the people don t have enough to eat each day. Tomorrow we will learn more about Liberia and why they need Jesus. Remember to bring in your offerings for the camping program in Liberia.
Figure 2 World Map
Figure 3 Children at Grand Bassa
Figure 4 Liberian Children
Figure 5 Liberia in Africa
Figure 6 Flag of Liberia
LESSON TWO LIBERIA Welcome back to Vacation Bible School. Do you remember which country we are learning about this week? That s right Liberia (Show Lesson One/Visual 5 the map of Liberia) Does anyone remember what the word Liberia, actually means? (The Land of the Free) Can anyone raise their hand and tell me what the mission project is, that our VBS offering will go toward this week? All the monies that are collected this week will go toward supplies for the EC Church Youth Camping Programs in Liberia. Our money will help buy things to help run the camps, like: video equipment, computers, electrical generators, bedding, and Bibles for each child. These camps provide a safe, fun place for children and youth to learn more about how to study the Bible and how to tell their friends about Jesus. Many of the people of Liberia are already Christians, but there are still many that need to hear about Jesus, and God s Love for them. In the past 25 years, there have been two Civil Wars that have left the people of Liberia poor and without hope. Many children had to learn to fight and be soldiers in the wars. Many children lost their family members and homes. Even though the wars are over, many children & youth live in fear and extreme poverty. There are many women without husbands, and children without one or both parents. Many of the Liberian people still suffer from all the terrible things that they have seen and experienced. Wars destroy homes and land, and leave people very poor. After the wars, much of Liberia had no electrical power or water. Many churches were damaged and some pastors were killed or had to leave their homes. How would you feel if you only were given one meal a day, and didn t have clean drinking water or even a bathroom to use? There are still many people in Liberia living in these terrible conditions, many years after the last war is over. We say that these people live in poverty. Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world. (Show Visuals 7 & 8: Poverty) Like many of the other places we have talked about in missions, not all of Liberia looks like the pictures you have seen. There are cities in Liberia that look like our cities in America. The capital city of Liberia is, Monrovia. (Show Visual 9: Monrovia) In the cities there are large buildings and businesses. There are cars and buses for transportation. Liberia was rich in natural resources, such as timber and rubber and diamonds but those resources have been used to pay for the costs of war. Liberia still sells cocoa beans and coffee, and the largest rubber factory in the world is located in Liberia. There are lush rain forests, but much of the land is hilly or swampy. Village farmers can grow root vegetables, sugar cane and rice in these conditions. (Show Visual 10: Rice Farming) The Liberian people need hear that God has not forgotten them. They need to be reminded that Jesus died to save them. Jesus can free them from their fears, and can comfort them in terrible conditions. Studying the Bible can help them learn how God wants them to treat their neighbors, and even the very people that have hurt them. They need to learn that God has a plan for their lives and desires for them to trust Him. Let s read a verse from the Bible that can help the people of Liberia: Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you. (Show Visual of Verse)
Figure 7 Home in Liberia
Figure 8 Homes in Liberian Slum
Figure 9 Capital City of Monrovia
Figure 10 Rice Farming
When I am afraid, I will trust in you. Psalm 56:3
LESSON THREE LIBERIA Welcome back to Vacation Bible School. What country we are learning about in our Missions Lessons this week? That s right Liberia (Show Visual 5: map of Liberia) Can someone raise their hand, and tell me what the offering monies that we are collecting are going for? That s right to buy supplies for the EC Youth Camping Programs in Liberia Right now, you are at Bible School in an Evangelical Congregational Church, or EC Church. Did you know that there are over 400 EC Churches around the world? The EC Church in Liberia was started by the efforts of a native African woman named, Clara Letitia Blaine-Wilson, known as Aunt Clara in the year 1966. (Show Visual 11: Aunt Clara) Aunt Clara was a Christian woman who told Bible stories and other stories using nature, to help the Liberian children learn about God. Aunt Clara even had a radio program to broadcast her Bible Messages to the children of Liberia. There are now 32 EC Churches, and over 60 EC church plants meeting in villages around Liberia. The groups of people who meet for church might have a building or maybe just gather under a shelter without walls, or a tree. (Show Visual 12: Churches) There are over 9000 Liberians that are part of the EC Church. Rev. Matthew Gueh (pronounced gooey ) is the man in charge of the EC Churches of Liberia. (Show Visual 13: Rev. Gueh) Rev. Gueh is married to Esther. Even though many of the Liberians say that they are Christian, the church of Liberia has not always done a good job of helping the people learn to be strong in their faith. Rev. Gueh believes that the people need to be taught how to trust in God for their basic needs, how to believe God s Word is true, and how to find their hope in Jesus. This type of ministry is called discipleship. It means helping Christians learn to grow in Christ. These are not easy things for the people to truly believe since their land, churches, homes and families have been hurt from so many years of war. Rev. Gueh is working with ministers and church leaders around Liberia to go into remote areas and begin to rebuild Christian Churches. Though these people greatly need to grow in their Christian faith, they also need the basic necessities of life. Rev. Gueh is working with local church leaders to provide a way to get clean water, bathroom facilities, food, clothing and health care to the poorest ones in his country. Another way that Rev. Gueh and the church leaders are helping to rebuild Liberia is by offering camping programs to the youth. They are also helping to re-train the Liberians to do skilled work. Although the last war has been over for several years, there is still much rebuilding to do. When we pray for Liberia, and the work that Rev. Gueh and other church leaders are doing, we are participating in the ministry and mission of this very poor country. By giving our offering, we are asking God to use our gift in a way that will help others come to love and trust Him. Even though not all of us can travel to Liberia to do mission work among the people, by praying and giving our offering we ARE being missionaries to them. God can use all of us to accomplish His work in Liberia. Please remember to bring your offering to help buy supplies for the youth camping programs in Liberia Close in prayer for Rev. Gueh and the churches and people of Liberia.
Figure 11 Aunt Clara Radio Program
Figure 12 Four EC Churches
Figure 13 Rev. Matthew and Esther Gueh
LESSON FOUR LIBERIA Welcome to day four of Vacation Bible School. Do you remember that we have been talking about a country on the western coast of Africa? (Show Visual 5: map of Liberia) Our offering is beginning to grow. Do you remember what the monies that we are collecting are going for? (supplies for The Youth Camping Program in Liberia) Today we are going to talk about the children and youth of Liberia. (Show Visuals 14 & 15: Children) While some of these children may look just like us or friends that we know, most of them have experienced things that you never have. Most of them live with much less than we have. Many of them don t have a mom or dad, or enough food to eat or clean water to drink. Some don t even have a safe place to call home. Can you imagine what it would be like to live like that? Maybe you would get to eat one meal a day (probably rice and soup). Since you are a kid, it would be your job to go get the drinking water. You would have to walk to a well and then carry water back to your family or wherever you are living. Perhaps you would try to find food, or a job so that you could buy a little food or some clothing (Show Visual 16 and 17: Children selling dried fish and a girl washing clothing). Sometime in the evening you would get to eat your meal for the day, then you would go to sleep when the sun goes down. You might not even have a bed to sleep on, or a real house over you. It sure would be different to live like that, wouldn t it? Just having those hardships would be tough enough, but the youth of Liberia are also suffering from another type of hardship. These children have lived through many years of war. Many of them were forced to fight or became soldiers in the war. They saw and experienced terrible things in their life, and those things have made them feel scared, sad, un-loved and forgotten. They have learned to mistrust and even hate the same people that they live around. Many don t believe that God loves them and cares about them. They haven t learned to trust the words of the Bible. They need instruction to teach them that God is ALWAYS with them in every circumstance. (show Visual of Bible Verse) Do you remember the Bible Verse from Psalm 56:3? When I am afraid, I will trust in you. The money that we are collecting for offering this week, is going to help these very children. Yesterday we learned about the EC Church in Liberia, and about the many pastors and church leaders that are reaching out to the hurting people of Liberia. The Youth Camping Programs are a place where hurting young people can feel safe and loved. They get to have fun and they study the Bible. The camps use many different methods to teach, like video shows, quizzing, games, and computers. Most importantly they provide a Bible to each child. Not only do the children learn what the Bible says, they learn how to study it on their own, and also how to tell their friends about the Lord. While they are at camp, the children get to eat regular meals and sleep on a real mattress. As you can see, our gifts this week will be a real help to the children in Liberia. Remember that tomorrow is the last day of VBS. Don t forget to bring your offering, so that we can send the much needed supplies to the Youth Camping ministry in Liberia. Pray for the young people in Liberia, that God would heal their hurts, and that they would learn to trust God s Word.
Figure 14 Children Playing Figure 15 Children s job to get water
Figure 16 Children selling dried fish Figure 17 Young girl washing clothes
LESSON FIVE LIBERIA Welcome to our last day of Vacation Bible School. As you know we have been studying about Liberia. Raise your hand, if you know what continent Liberia is located on. (AFRICA) Raise your hand if you know the colors of the Liberian Flag. (Red, White and Blue) Raise your hand if you know what the word Liberia means. (Land of the Free) Can someone tell me what the official language of Liberia is? (English) Can a few people raise their hands and tell me ONE item that might be purchased with our offering for the Youth Camping Ministry in Liberia? (Computers, Video Equipment, Electrical Generators, Bed, Mattresses, Food, Bibles) WOW! Boys and Girls, we have learned a lot about the people and the EC Church in Liberia! Today we are going to talk about the foods of Liberia. We have learned that people are very poor and don t have much to eat, but there are quite a few foods that grow well in the soil of Liberia. We have already seen a picture of a rice field and farmers planting the rice. There are also fruits and vegetables like sweet potatoes, bananas, okra, cassava, plantains, peppers, coconuts and many citrus fruits that grow in this area. (You may choose to have a few of these items available for the children to see or taste.) Since Liberia is on the Atlantic coast of Africa, fish is also very plentiful. One of the favorite foods eaten at nearly every meal is fufu. This is made by pounding and mashing a very starchy food (like Plantains, potatoes or cassava) and adding just a little water, until the food becomes a sticky dough. Each family member will pull off a piece of the fufu and dip it in a stew or soup before eating. (Show Visual 18: Fufu and Peanut Soup) We saw a picture of farmers working in their rice fields. Cassava and Rice is another food that many Liberians eat, with everyone eating together out of the same large bowl. (Show Visual 19: Cassava Leaf and Rice Stew) Since cooking is done over an open wood fire, food is most often prepared outside, with many family members helping with the work of gathering the food, and preparing and cooking the meal. (Show visuals 20 and 21: Cooking in a typical outdoor Kitchen) One rather interesting fact about Liberian people is that they enjoy sweet, baked foods (like our desserts). This is different than almost any other area in Africa. This taste for things like gingerbread and spice cake comes from the freed African slaves that spent time in American homes and working in American kitchens in the 1800 s. Our American bellies are filled with many different kinds of food. It is hard for us to imagine having to eat just one meal a day, with food that is so different than what we eat here in America. We cannot imagine what it is like to be hungry and not have enough food available to fill us. I hope you will remember the faces of the Liberian people, and some of the information you have learned about this small country on the western coast of Africa. I hope that you will remember to pray for the adults and young people that live in such poverty in a land torn apart by many years of war. Remember to pray for Rev. Gueh and the church leaders that are reaching out to help these hurting people. I am thankful that you have given so generously to help buy supplies for the Youth Camping Ministry! Your gifts and prayers will continue to help the mission work throughout the villages and cities of Liberia!
Figure 18 Fufu and Peanut Soup Figure 19 Cassava Leaf and Rice
Figure 20 A typical outdoor kitchen Figure 21 Family members cook together