Thoughts From The Road

7 Reasons Why Ignite Will Succeed in Liberia

I will continue to write my Ignite Liberia report but until the next installment, I wanted to re-publish a blog that Nigel put on his blog site http://nigeljames.typepad.co.uk .His site is always worth a read.  It is so encouraging and I wanted as many people as possible to read it

Liberia is one of the poorest nations in Africa- when we were there Gary and I didn't meet anyone with a paying job apart from taxi-drivers, waiters, and a shopkeepers ( I use the term 'shop' in its loosest sense.)

 Liberia is recovering from the lingering effects of a decades-long civil war, and the infrastructure of the country is still ramshackle- no mains water or electricity, no public transport ( but with a depot full of buses sitting idle), poor health and healthcare- we didn't see anyone over the age of 50 and heard terrible stories about the infant mortality rate. Women are still very much second-class citizens and the country relies massively on support from the United Nations.

Nevertheless, we saw many signs of hope and so after reflecting for a week or so, here are my seven reasons why I believe that God will use Ignite powerfully in LIberia.

1. Amongst the faithful and faith-filled leadership of Ignite Liberia, especially in Rev. Emmanuel Jonah and Rev. Stephen Wonbenyakeh there is a real belief that Ignite is going to be part of rebuilding a nation by starting to breath life, hope and purpose into the young generation. Men like Emmanuel and Steve could easily be leaving LIberia for a more affluent lifestyle overseas, but have chosen to remain in their native country and serve God where they are so desperately needed. Both of them have the gift of connecting with people, and encouraging people to come alongside the vision they have for Ignite Liberia.

2. Although there are many churches in LIberia, it seems that most of them haven't really engaged with youth ministry since the civil war stopped, so there is a gap for effective, structured youth ministry to take place. It's likely that in Liberia Ignite will be seen as much more of a national youth ministry involved in local churches than it is in the UK.

3. Most of the Ignite county co-ordinators and centre managers are not in full-time employment, and even those who are pastors have time to give, so there is ready-made manpower willing to work hard and share the vision of Ignite. Already, Ignite has spread to 7 of LIberia's 15 counties with plans to reach all 15.

4. There is a depth of understanding about the Ignite declaration and the reasons to challenge young believers to sign it. Our conference merely confirmed that understanding and gave renewed enthusiasm to focus on the Ignite Declaration as the centre-piece of Ignite ministry.

5. Given that so many young people grow up without hope, drift into crime or drugs or prostitution, and have no real career prospects, the message of Ignite that God has a special purpose for you and your generation is a powerful and timely one for the youth of LIberia.

6. Already, Ignite LIberia is successfully breaking down geographical and denominational barriers in the country. Pastors, churches, and young people from many denominations are committed to being part of the Ignite family in LIberia.

7. There is clear evidence of the hand of God on Ignite Liberia. A couple of days before we arrived, Emmanuel and Steve had been given the opportunity to meet the Vice-President of the country and share the vision of Ignite. A musician friend of mine calledBenny Prasad was in the country for a few days, did a concert for Ignite and arranged the meeting with the Vice-President. For Ignite Liberia to continue to flourish, there will need to continue be a miraculous provision by the Lord.

Ignite Liberia Report Episode 1

In 2004 as part of the celebration of the centenary of the last great Welsh revival, Nigel and I were on a committee that organised a number of initiatives. Nigel talked for about 10 minutes at a small ministry training course and encouraged an Overseas student, Emmanuel Jonah to attend "Ignite the CIA" a youth event I organised. The event had a stellar line-up including Luis Palau, The Tribe, YFriday, Andy Hawthorne and the much missed actor Rob Lacey. As part of the programme Nigel also talked about the Ignite declaration. Emmanuel, unbeknownst to anyone to Nigel or I felt a prompting from God that this was something that God could use in the war torn sub-Saharan African nation. He returned home, discussed it with his wife and they prayed about it before contacting Nigel by email to ask if they might partner with us. We were delighted to oblige and sent him a few resources including our Ignite Africa, cards, a few books and some t shirts. With these meagre offerings this young man began to share the vision with pastors, ministers and youth workers throughout the nation.

Today, Ignite Liberia has a presence in 8 of the 15 counties of country impacting thousands of lives. It was into this climate that Nigel and I attended as the keynote speakers at the 1st Ignite Liberia National Conference.

Attending the conference turned into a huge logistical nightmare. In order to get reasonable priced flights, we decided to fly through Nigeria. This meant that we had to stay over in Lagos, one night on both ends of our trip. This in return required Nigerian visas as well as Liberian visas. What initially seemed a simple task required multiple visits to both high commissions and ridiculously high fees! Never the less we never lost the resolve that this was an essential trip. So it turned out to be 

Following an uneventful flight to Lagos via franfurt, Nigel and I arrived into Lagos early evening. The journey between the airport and the hotel in the friday rush hour was much more of a challenge! What should have been a simple 15 minute trip took over 2 1/2 hours. We were kept entertained by our the hotel receptionist who assured us that we were staying in the best hotel in Lagos. It also had the best restaurant. We asked for his recommendation of some quality, typical Nigerian fare. His initial suggestion of fish and chips was instantly rejected and I decided to try the goat pepper stew. It was the simply the spiciest thing I ever eaten! The venue had dim lighting, which maybe just as well as well as the picture taken with a flash makes it look not very appetising. This was nothing next to his main course recommendation. A dish we had never heard of before called "grass-cutter". As we tried to question him we all decided it was actually antelope on something similar. There is a picture below. Both Nigel and I decided to rip the hide off it before we ate it. A good move I think. In Liberia we were given a hint that it may not have been Antelope. In fact it turned out to be something less savoury. Below is a picture of what we actually ate.

To be continued.......