Coming Home to Liberia Two Brothers, Two Countries, One Church The Rev. Dave Woessner St. Michael's-on-the-Heights, Worcester
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r. Edgar Freeman is a determined and faithful man. Sometime in the winter of 2018/2019, he bellowed: “This summer, I am going to take you to Liberia, my brother!” Over our years together as friends and fellow priests, he has exuberantly made this offer several times. I had heard many of his stories of growing up there: of his family, of the devastation of their decades-long civil war, of his ministry to small towns in the bush in the aftermath. But it always seemed so far away. So, when he offered yet again, I smiled, nodded, looked at my feet, and offered a non-committal “Sure, sure….”
So last July, I boarded a plane with Edgar, his son Emmanuel, and his grandson Christian. We arrived at the height of the rainy season, which is aptly named. Throughout our time, it poured. Here in America, this would have been an inconvenience. But in Liberia, it radically changes all aspects of life, because entire portions of the country can become inaccessible overnight when roads wash out. While Liberia enjoyed rapid development and modernization in the middle of the 20th century, the country’s infrastructure is being rebuilt slowly and unevenly in the recovery after years of violence. So a drive the distance from Springfield to Worcester could take a day or more, and need to be aborted half way, due to a critical bridge being unsafe to cross. Nevertheless, we forged on, hopeful of visiting Edgar’s childhood home, his sponsoring church, and the communities he served in his early ministry.
But when I looked up, I saw that this time he was completely committed, that he had heard something from the Spirit: “I want to show you my home, where I am from.” He was asking me to join him on a pilgrimage. And that was that. From that time forward, I simply said “yes” to everything he proposed, trusting that God would show us everything we needed to see together.
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A BUNDANT TIMES
spices), along with jollof rice and chicken. These particular dishes were truly a taste of home; they are the beloved recipes of Cape Mount County, where Edgar’s family has lived for generations. And I experienced firsthand an amazing Liberian custom: an outrageous abundance of food! I thought this first evening would be “overdoing it,” in honor of our arrival. But no, it turns out it is just normal! It truly is an amazing amount of food; Thanksgiving at every meal. While this is a sign of their generous hospitality, many people are also still celebrating social stability and having enough to eat, after years of deadly danger and uncertainty. The abundance of food is only surpassed by the abundance of joy around the table.
Our first trip and main focus was a visit back to Edgar’s hometown, Robertsport, where Edgar was celebrated as a returning son and hero, and I was welcomed as a member of the Edgar’s children reunited in Monrovia community. St. John’s Church, which for his return. John, Edgar-Lynn, Agnes is both the parish church for the town (Ayo), and Shannon (whom Edgar and the chapel for the local boardadopted during the civil war), joined ing school, is guided with care by Fr. their Liberian-American brother, EmRichard Kpehe, the vicar. Both the manuel, in celebrating Edgar’s return school and the church were damand welcoming Christian and me. aged greatly and nearly destroyed Edgar’s grandchildren visited as well: during the war. Ibrahim (Edgar-Lynn’s son), and “Little Debbie,” (Ayo’s son, who is named A year ago, St. Michael’s-on-theafter Edgar’s wife Dr. Deborah HarHeights held a fundraiser and made mon Hines, whom many readers will a donation to St. John’s, that they know from our own diocese). might rebuild their roof, which had sustained severe damage. This Ayo prepared a feast: line fish with union between our churches across an ocean and two continents was waterleaf (a strongly flavored fish deepened by my visit, which the cooked with greens in palm oil and
