Commentary: Liberian children offer gift of hope to Louisiana
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A UMNS photo by Linda Green The
children of Reeves Memorial United Methodist Church send a gift to the
children of Louisiana. UMNS writer Kathy Gilbert stands at far right.
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The
children of Reeves Memorial United Methodist Church in Monrovia,
Liberia, give a donation of $20 to Kathy Gilbert to bring home to the
children of Louisiana �in solidarity with their plight in the wake of
the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.� Gilbert, a native of Louisiana,
was part of a team from United Methodist Communications and the Board of
Pension and Health Benefits visiting Liberia Aug. 28-Sept. 4. A UMNS
photo by Linda Green. UMNS photo #05H074. Accompanies UMNS story #502.
9/12/05 |
Sept. 12, 2005 A UMNS Commentary By Kathy L. Gilbert* I have a gift for the children of Louisiana. It
is enormous. I have no doubt it will make a huge difference because it
came from the purest hearts and it was entrusted to me in love. This
precious gift is tucked inside a wrinkled church bulletin. On the front
are these words: "Donation of U.S. $20 from the children of Reeves
Memorial United Methodist Church to the children of Louisiana, USA, in
solidarity with their plight in the wake of the destruction of Hurricane
Katrina." Reeves
Memorial United Methodist Church is in Monrovia, Liberia. On Sunday,
Sept. 4, a small group of us from United Methodist Communications and
the Board of Pension and Health Benefits were visitors there. Sister
Frances M. Porte, charge lay leader and our guide while we were in
Liberia, asked us all to write a brief bio about ourselves earlier in
the week in preparation for our visit. In mine, I mentioned I was a
native of Louisiana. When
the people of this church saw me, they saw a fellow United Methodist
who was learning about loss. They saw a way to make a difference.
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A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert Children outnumber adults at Reeves Memorial United Methodist Church in Monrovia, Liberia.
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Children
far outnumber adults at Reeves Memorial United Methodist Church in
Monrovia, Liberia. The children of the church sent a gift to the
children of Louisiana, in a show of support following Hurricane Katrina.
Like the people in New Orleans, the children of Liberia are living
without electricity and running water. Their homes have been wrecked not
by a storm but by 14 years of war. A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert.
UMNS photo #05H071. Accompanies UMNS story #502. 9/12/05 |
Reeves is a church
where the children far outnumber the adults. These are children who know
something about loss. Like the people in New Orleans, they are living
without electricity and running water. Their homes have been wrecked not
by a storm but by 14 years of war.Traveling
from one place to another is close to impossible in this country
because a lot of the roads don’t exist anymore. Those that are left are
obstacle courses full of holes and chunks of concrete. "Gas stations"
are rows of pink liquid in glass containers that have to be put into
cars with a funnel. In a country where 80 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, $20 is a fortune. New
Orleans is not my home, but New Orleans is where my spirit feels most
at home. When the levee broke and the waters swallowed parts of
Louisiana, I was thousands of miles away. Watching the horrible
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on CNN broke my heart. Never in a million years would I have thought I would be safer in Monrovia, Liberia, than in my beloved city of New Orleans. As
a writer for United Methodist News Service, I was in Liberia to report
on the war-torn country and the miraculous work being done by the United
Methodist Church. In
the mornings over breakfast and the evenings over dinner, CNN played
and replayed the tragic stories left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
During the day, I saw Liberia’s pain first hand, and back at the hotel, I
saw my home’s pain through pictures on a television screen.
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A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert Children
participate in Holy Communion during �First Sunday Services� at Reeves
Memorial United Methodist Church, Monrovia, Liberia.
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Children
participate in Holy Communion at Reeves Memorial United Methodist
Church in Liberia. Reeves is a church where the children far outnumber
the adults. The children of the church sent a gift to the children of
Louisiana, in a show of support following Hurricane Katrina. Like the
people in New Orleans, the children of Liberia are living without
electricity and running water. Their homes have been wrecked not by a
storm but by 14 years of war. A UMNS photo by Kathy L. Gilbert. UMNS
photo #05H072. Accompanies UMNS story #502. 9/12/05 |
In eight days, I
visited a camp full of young boys who were learning to be children again
after being soldiers in Liberia’s bloody civil war. I walked through a
prison overflowing with filth and men and women living in unimaginable
conditions. I met a retired blind pastor who relies on her daughter and
granddaughter to save her from the snakes and scorpions that sometimes
crawl into her bed through the cracks of her mud walls. Liberia’s
problems won’t be fixed soon, but there is a lot of hope in that
country. Soon a national election will be held, and the people will have
a chance to select a leader. As the church’s leader in Liberia, Bishop
John G. Innis is a force to be reckoned with. He sees a brighter future
ahead. While we were there, Bishop Innis announced the Liberian Annual
Conference had sent $500 to the United Methodist Committee on Relief for
hurricane aid. Louisiana
and the rest of the Gulf Coast will recover also. When I entered that
little church Sept. 4, the healing started for me. I was surrounded by
people who care and love strangers in a place they will never see. I have a mission. I have to go back home and deliver this wonderful gift. There
always seems to be too much misery in this world. But thanks to a lot
of beautiful, small, smiling faces, I know there is always a lot of love
too. *Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn. News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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