Liberia and Sierra Leone December 1-21, 2021
On December 1 I’m headed back to Liberia to teach Course Two in Training Leaders International’s non-formal curriculum – “Knowing the Story of the Bible”. The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is one unified story. Every book contributes uniquely and profoundly to the narrative/message of the Bible, “For His glory, God is reconciling the world to Himself under King Jesus”.
I leave Wednesday, December 1, and spend a few days at the TLI office in Minneapolis, join four other trainers at the airport, board an Air France Airbus, and arrive Saturday evening in Monrovia. After speaking in a local Liberian church on Sunday, we begin our training on Monday morning. We will teach six hours every day for five days.
Early Friday morning, December, 10th, our partner in Liberia, Dyonah Thomas, (update on Liberia: 2024. Unfortunately, Dyonah Thomas has proved to be an wholly unqualified leader. Grave financial issues has moved us to sever our relationship as of March 2023) Mike Evans, A TLI International Trainer, and I will travel by car to Makeni, Sierra Leone to scout a promising training site. I’ve included a video below of the site which is already heavily invested in education and mercy work.
We will be there until Sunday when we will drive to Freetown, Sierra Leone, and conduct a three-day Pastor’s Conference, Tuesday – Thursday, December 14-16, teaching the book of Colossians. The plan is to speak for 45 minutes, break the pastor’s into groups of 5-7, answer some questions about the biblical text and the message, then return and have a large group discussion. We will repeat this pattern three times a day for three days.
We will return to Liberia, on Friday, get our COVID tests on Saturday morning, preach and teach on Sunday, board the plane on Monday evening and arrive homeTuesday afternoon, December 21.
Please pray for:
Our Students – almost everything we teach new students is new to them. They have been fed health/wealth/prosperity/deliverance ministry non-stop for most of their lives. This doctrine infects every aspect of the church, Christian living, and pastoral ministry. Pray for the Spirit of God to open their eyes.
Safe travel – 3 full days in the car. Crossing borders, good and bad roads, hot hot hot.
New training sites – We hope to open two sites in Sierra Leone in 2022. This will be a new country for TLI.
Below is a testimony from one of our students. He travels from Ivory Coast to Liberia to attend classes.
Time to Come Home
I’ve finished my last class – a very smart group of attentive students. We had a lot of fun rehearsing the history of Israel from Joshua to Esther. I wrote my final exam and study sheet for the students today, and had a healthy dose of Mai’s world-famous muffins – my last one was in February of 2021 – not complaining, just saying…. I board an Air France Airbus Monday evening and arrive home Tuesday afternoon. Oh, the joy of a direct flight from Paris to LAX – I get to skip Brussells and Washington D.C.! Here are a few pics of my time here.
School supplies for the new year. 
My final class. 30 hours in 2 weeks studying OT history. I had the best time I’ve ever had in class. 
Kids are the same no matter the country. See below.
Waiting for church to start. 
Four new Bibles and four new chairs for this little church. GraceLife College had a door-to-door outreach this week in this rural community. Hopefully, those who committed to come will. I’m preaching on John 3 – Nicodemus. 
On the back of a motorcycle balancing a load. How?
Pictures – Liberia, August 2021
Here’s a photo commentary of my almost two weeks traveling, teaching, and living in Liberia. I taught Course One, “Knowing God, Knowing Scripture and Knowing Ourselves” (the role of a pastor/teacher in teaching and preaching) of nine in our excellent curriculum with 5 others trainers last week. This week and next, I am teaching the history of Israel from Joshua – Esther, to a group of students at GraceLife Bible College. There may be a few pictures of my grandchildren who didn’t travel with me this time, but hopefully in the future.
I’m vaccinated! 
A new cohort of students. Very sharp group! Finished course one, eight more to go. 
Our TLI [Training Leaders International] team. 
My favorite middle grandson with his hand in the cookie jar. 
Entrance to the new building. The first floor is almost complete. 
Shelves for the temporary library. 
My youngest grandson being cute. 
New classrooms – an amazing blessing! Thanks to all who helped with the cost. 
New assembly hall. 
Teaching in a new classroom. Great lighting, fans, and maybe air-conditioning next week! 
Dyonah and Mai’s new baby. 5 week-old Hannah. 
My oldest grandson trying to drink milk through his pacifier. There’s a sermon illustration somewhere in that. 
Phil and Bob celebrating Costco PB and drip coffee. Phil was delayed a day in leaving – Covid testing problems, but he is home now. 
A luxury item imported in my luggage. 
Gas station. 
She’s almost as cute as my grandchildren. She was in church last Sunday. 
A full-time TLI staff member is coming to live in Liberia in December! His home is moving along quickly. It is next to the guest house. 
Boys securing the gate. Two are better than one… 
Morning devotions on an overcast day. 
Gecko – a welcome ant enemy. 
When my granddaughter upstages Yosemite. No contest.
Liberia August 2021
I’m anxiously waiting to return to my second home: GraceLife Church, Monrovia, Liberia. Home, in Orange, has been amazing for four months and it’s time to return. Here are the dates: leaving Friday, August 13th, (it’s 3:30am as I write this, waiting for my trusty ride to the airport) and returning September 7th. I will lead a team of mostly TLI staff to train a brand new cohort of students from a variety of theological persuasions. Our first course, of our nine part curriculum, is entitled,
Knowing God, Knowing Scripture and Knowing Ourselves. Here’s the summary from our detailed teacher’s manual and the Table of Contents.
“Course 1 introduces God, Scripture, and the role God has defined for leaders within his church, laying a foundation for Christ’s global church to mature for God’s glory. That foundation is the relational, devotional, expositional study, preaching, and teaching of Scripture. Course 1 has this aim: Know God intimately, speak God’s Word rightly, and train others to do likewise.“
Please pray for these new students. We are setting patterns and expectations that will continue for the next 8 courses over a three year period of time.
After a full week of teaching – 30 hours of classroom time, I will stay in Liberia for an additional 2 1/2 weeks to teach a course on the historical books of the Old Testament, Joshua – Esther.
Some have asked why I have been going exclusively to Liberia. The answer is that much of the world has been closed because of COVID, but Liberia is open.
Time to finish final preparations.
More to come….
Bob
