Thursday to Liberia
For all of you who follow GBTF, you know that Thursday I will be leaving for Liberia, West Africa for our fourth classroom in two years. Let me tell you something about this war-torn country. In the last twenty-five years it has endured two civil wars from 1989-1986 and 1999-2003. It lost over a quarter million people before the bloodshed and savagery stopped. While I was pastoring in Boston several years ago, we had a wonderful lady from Monrovia, the capital, come into our church. I will never forget the day I announced to the church that I would be leaving then to begin a non-profit to begin the training of national pastors globally. She earnestly came to me and asked me to go to Liberia and train pastors. I had no idea how that was going to happen.
Fast forward four years and here is Global Baptist Training Foundation being invited by a pastor to come to Liberia to train nearly 70 pastors south of the captital. The place is called Gbarnga and on Thursday we will go there to hold our fourth classroom in just two years. In this place out in the bush country, pastors from all over the country come for one week of theological training under the direction of James Togba, a native pastor. Now let me tell you something about our host.
During the civil wars, James had to flee with his family to Ghana for safety. Every month, despite the inherent danger of going back into Liberia, Pastor Togba went back into the country to check on area pastors and attempt to meet their needs during the chaos. On one of those monthly excursions he was captured by a goverment militia group and arrested. Immediately after his arrest, they put him in a car and headed to a detention house which was, in effect, a death house. Within just a few miles of the house where he would face a certain violent death the car came to a typical militia vehicle check point. Outside the car was a militia man who motioned the driver of the car and pointed to their captive in the back seat and told him to put Pastor James out of the car. He then motioned the vehicle to move on through the line and leave. Pastor Togba said that he did not know the man, he never saw him before, and he has never seen him since.
I am telling you this because I want you to understand the kind of people God has given us here at Global Baptist Training Foundation as hosts in countries like Liberia and how God answered the prayers of Annetta, our Liberian refugee, years earlier.
Fast forward four years and here is Global Baptist Training Foundation being invited by a pastor to come to Liberia to train nearly 70 pastors south of the captital. The place is called Gbarnga and on Thursday we will go there to hold our fourth classroom in just two years. In this place out in the bush country, pastors from all over the country come for one week of theological training under the direction of James Togba, a native pastor. Now let me tell you something about our host.
During the civil wars, James had to flee with his family to Ghana for safety. Every month, despite the inherent danger of going back into Liberia, Pastor Togba went back into the country to check on area pastors and attempt to meet their needs during the chaos. On one of those monthly excursions he was captured by a goverment militia group and arrested. Immediately after his arrest, they put him in a car and headed to a detention house which was, in effect, a death house. Within just a few miles of the house where he would face a certain violent death the car came to a typical militia vehicle check point. Outside the car was a militia man who motioned the driver of the car and pointed to their captive in the back seat and told him to put Pastor James out of the car. He then motioned the vehicle to move on through the line and leave. Pastor Togba said that he did not know the man, he never saw him before, and he has never seen him since.
I am telling you this because I want you to understand the kind of people God has given us here at Global Baptist Training Foundation as hosts in countries like Liberia and how God answered the prayers of Annetta, our Liberian refugee, years earlier.
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