Quarter Two Newsletter 2022
The second quarter begins with the rainy season. Liberia has two seasons, the rainy season (April to September), and dry season (October to March). During this time of the year, everywhere is wet, and many people find it hard to move around. Students face difficulties to go to school, civil servants and others find it hard to go to work. In Liberia, the most common means of transportation is the motor bike taxi called ‘pempem.’ Even at that, when it rains very heavily, people don’t move around that easily. That also affects church attendance, because many church members who live far away from the church find it hard to come to service during the rainy season. From April to June, things went well: the doors of the church remained opened for worship; people made decisions for the Lord; the various departments were very active with their plans for the year. Then, on the morning of June 18, death struck, taking away one of our faithful members. Nevertheless, we remain thankful to the Lord for all His blessings on the ministries and my family. This report is a summary of the last quarter activities.
My children (and the orphans) are all doing fine. Schools are preparing to close for the academic year as we prepare to settle all tuition fees. Our home is always a haven for children that need help. From the beginning of this year, we took in another girl, Leela. Her father, a pastor colleague, has asked us to allow Leela live with us and attend Computer College in Monrovia. Last month, Leela was attacked by two armed robbers in broad day light while waiting for taxi on the main street to go home. Two men on motorbike, with black masks on their faces, put Leela at gun point and took away her bag, laptop and phones. We praise the Lord she was not hurt. Our elder son, Macmillan, who is in Kigali, Rwanda, has moved to another apartment due to exorbitant house rent. Rose’s health has been relatively good since her last fall on the church’s step in April. We are still praying and raising USD$2,000 for her Ghana’s medical trip. We have thus far raised $USD500. Rose’s father (my father-in-law) is presently staying with us to seek medical help. Soon, he will be undergoing an eye surgery to remove cataract. Today, she went to the hospital to have her tooth removed due to tooth ache. My health is doing okay, thank the Lord.
Due to the scarcity of water in city of Monrovia, we dug a well in our yard in May. In Liberia, social services (light and water) are big challenges. We are connected to the city water source, but water does not come for weeks. Many times my children had to go out to fetch water. This is the first phase of the water project. We plan to connect the water to the house by building a water tower. We will need a 500 gallons tank, and a generator pump. This will cost us USD$1,450 (tank- $500; water pump- $350; building of water tower- $600).
Church Activities
Since the rain began, church attendance has been relatively good, with average attendance at 315. We still hold two worship services, a trend that began since the Covid pandemic. Members have gotten used to the services, and we hope to keep it that way to allow the people come at their own ease. Even some of our expatriates’ visitors love it this way. Many people made profession of faith in the Lord during the quarter. There are five persons presently in the baptismal class, while eight people are in the new believers’ class. Since the tiling of the downstairs edifice came to a halt in January, we are still raising funds to resume.
Sunday School
Children’s Sunday school resumed during this quarter. Although the old school building is not yet renovated for the children ministry, the kids are now using the downstairs edifice for their services. AWANA program continued during the quarter, with close to 40 children in attendance every Saturday. We were able raise USD$300 to start the printing of the AWANA booklets for the kids. The printing press is charging us USD$750 for 200 books. We made an advancement payment of USD$300, with the balance of $450 to be paid after the printing.
Fellowships (New Churches)
The fellowships around the country also remained active during the quarter. Three of our fellowships are constructing their church buildings. During the quarter, the Believers Baptist Church broke ground for the construction of a new church building and was able to complete the foundation. The Central Baptist fellowship on the Pipeline is making progress with the construction of its new church edifice. The Zwedru Baptist Fellowship has been struggling to complete the church walls. The major challenges we are facing are the lack of fund. Since the Covid pandemic, offerings and tithes have dropped considerably. Calvary continues to support the pastors of these fellowships by giving them monthly stipends.
Jake Memorial Baptist College
Works at the Jake Memorial Baptist College’s new building is making progress. During this quarter, the building was painted, windows, doors and Iron Gate installed. Moving to the new building has been set for early 2023. Some of the needs (Prayer Requests) that must be addressed before moving are:
- A vehicle (one mini bus)
- Fencing the building
- Dormitory for students
Obituary
Miss Elizabeth Jones, an old missionary teacher and supporter of the Jake Memorial Baptist College went home to be with the Lord in May. Miss Jones served as missionary in Liberia for more than 30 years, and helped to establish two churches, one in Liberia and a Liberian church on Staten Island, New York. She taught at the Baptist College of Church Ministries that trained many of the pastors who are serving today in Liberia. She died on Staten Island, New York.
During this quarter, two members of the church went home to be with the Lord. In May, Mr. Alfred Brown, former principal of the Calvary Baptist School, died following years of protracted sickness. On the morning of June 18, 2022, the sudden death occurred of Sister Roeseline Toweh, Chairlady of the Church Anniversary Committee, and Secretary General of the YWCA of Liberia. Mrs. Toweh was a committed member and strong advocate for girls. Thmrough her, many of the young people in the church, mainly young ladies, were given scholarships to attend high schools and colleges.
Prayer Requests
Please pray for the following requests:
- Good health, and the Lord’s protection for our family
- Funds to take my wife Rose back to Accra, Ghana for medical checkup. We are trusting the Lord to provide USD$1,500 for the ticket, medication and hotel.
- Vehicle for Jake (One used mini bus- USD$15,000)
- Resumption of the building project
- AWANA books- $450
Submitted by:
Rev. Dr. G. Larque Vaye and Roseline W. Vaye
Missionaries: IGM Liberia
Calvary Baptist Church
Monrovia, Liberia