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Liberian Life – Ways to Make a Living

Pastor – Pastor Geeze and Gladys, 2011.
Police officer, 2011.
Be a Nurse, 2011.
Work in a hospital, 2011.
Sell barbequed beef on the street, 2011.
Sell bananas, 2011.
Harvest rubber from rubber trees, 2011.
Sell eggs, 2011.
Sell chairs, 2011.
Sell cement bricks, 2011.
Have a carpenter’s shop, 2011.
Make and sell furniture, 2011.
Sell bags of drinking water, 2011.
Sell cocoanut, 2011.
Sell bread, 2011.
Sell donuts, 2017.
Sell greens for stew, 2017.
Go river fishing and sell the fish, 2017.
Harvest rice, separate the rice from the chaff and sell the rice, 2017.
Be a school Principal, 2017.
Be a school teacher, 2017.
Be a priest, 2017.
Have a sewing business, 2017.
Sell palm nuts, 2017.
Sell pineapples, 2017.
Sell plants from a plant nursery, 2018.
Sell shovels, 2018.
Sell beef stew and rice door to door, 2018.
Sell avocadoes on the street, 2018.
Sell bras by wheelbarrow on the street, 2018.
Sell roasted corn on the street, 2018.
Sell sandals in the market, 2018.
Do home carpentry and remodeling, 2018.
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Liberian Life – Cooking

Make sure you have plenty of charcoal at home to use as fuel, 2013.
There is plenty of delicious food in Liberia, 2013.
Finger bananas, oranges, sugar cane and palm nuts, 2013.
Fresh river fish for lunch? 2013
Perhaps some chicken legs…or feet? 2013
You will need to fry your food in oil, 2018.
Dried fish adds an excellent flavor to sauce over rice, 2018.
Don’t forget to buy vegetables for the stew, 2018.
Cassava for sale by the road, 2018.
This sweet girl gave me a FREE fish to take home (she is a friend of Pastor Jesse), 2018.
Grind up the spices with a mortar and pestle, 2013.
Supper is in progress! 2013
Fresh donut, fried in oil over a charcoal fire – YUM! 2011
Annie prepared potato greens with dried fish and palm oil over rice – my favorite! 2018
Often several women or several men will use their own spoon and eat from a common bowl, 2018.
Rebecca Konah prepared a dish with beans, onions and fish – absolutely wonderful! 2013
These ladies are delivering the food they prepared for us, 2013.
Pastor Tabla enjoying his lunch, 2013.

Some people use a fork, but Pastor Jesse prefers his knife when eating fresh pineapple, 2018.
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Liberian Life – Laundry

Water comes from a well, using muscle power, 2018.
Laundry is a job for the mother and children; water, soap, water, wash board and buckets, 2011.
I cant’ stop to talk very long; I’ve got a lot to do! 2011
Wash, rinse, and hang to dry, 2013.
Ironing is important for wrinkle-free clothing, and the iron is heated by hot charcoal, 2018..
A few layers of padding and begin ironing, 2017.
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Liberian Life – Transportation

One of the main streets of Kakata, Liberia; pedestrians, motorcycles and cars, 2013.
Sometimes it takes a group effort to get a truck to start, 2011.
Motorcycle taxi stop in Monrovia, 2013.
Does anyone need a ride on my motorcycle taxi? 2018
Sure, I’ll take a ride! 2013
A motorcycle is useful even when it is not moving! 2011
Drive-in motorcycle wash station (at a stream), 2013.
An over-loaded van full of people leaving the Monrovia market, 2013.
Off to town to sell charcoal for cooking, 2013.
People inside & chairs on top, 2013.
Fr. Paul Sobande MSP, using his truck for parish business, 2013.
Transporting barrels of supplies shipped from New Brighton, MN, from the shipping office in Monrovia to Kakata, 2013.
Delivering cement blocks to a customer, 2013.
Sometimes it can be a tight squeeze! 2013
One type of gas station – gas sold by the gallon in glass jars, 2013.
Plenty of gas for sale at this station, 2017.
It cost about $1.00 to hire a motorcycle from the West side of Kakata through town to St. Christopher Catholic Church, 2018.
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St. Martin de Porres Community Center Security Fence

Digging the footers for the perimeter fence with muscle power! 2019

The perimeter fence foundation is mostly complete, surrounding the 4-acre parcel of land. The land is at its highest elevation in the center, therefore requiring the “stair-step” appearance to the block foundation of the fence.

Digging the trench for the cement footers, 2019.
Cement blocks are laid upon the cement footers, 2019.
The back side of the property drops off steeply, requiring “stair-step” laying of bricks, 2019.
The short cement pillars are the survey markers placed there by the landowners after the purchase of the land is complete. The owners initials are carved into the cement while it is wet, 2019.
Cement bricks, sand, …
…. and truck loads of gravel, 2019.
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St Martin de Porres Community Center: Beginnings

Naomi Hard discussed with Fr. Paul Sobande MSP by e-mail in 2016 and in person with Fr. Emmanuel Mbuk MSP the concept of an evangelistic parish outreach to the greater Kakata community. The priest quickly saw the merits, but wanted to follow the proper protocol of calling upon the Parish Council for their input.
Mary Yah Coleman – Parish Council member and quite active in the parish (Legion of Mary and much more), 2017.
Parish Council member, conferring with Fr. Emmanuel Mbuk MSP on a business item, 2017.
Parish Council member, taking time away from work for a planning meeting, 2017.
Parish Council member, sharing his views on an item of business, 2017.
Several of the Parish Council members agree to meet in the middle of work day to discuss the St Martin de Porres Community Center, 2017.
Parish Council members tour land donated by an Irish Religious Sister in the late 1980’s, turned over to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monrovia, 2017.
Fr. Emmanuel Mbuk MSP and Naomi Hard travel two hours to meet with Archbishop Lewis Zeigler to discuss plans and seek permission to pursue construction of the St. Martin de Porres Community Center. Permission was granted, with the stipulation that the Center eventually become financially self-sufficient after the completion of construction, 2018.
Three days later, Archbishop Lewis Zeigler traveled to Kakata to visit the St Christopher Catholic School and tour the proposed site of the St
Fr. Emmanuel Mbuk MSP, Archbishop Lewis Zeigler, a parishioner who remembers the purchase and surveying of the land and its borders, and Naomi Hard walked the perimeter of the proposed Community Center property, 2018.
It was obvious from the placement of the survey markers that people had encroached upon the Archdiocese land. This fact was brought to court, but a definitive judgment was not made in such a way as to aid those who encroach to willingly leave. The two buildings on the left exist on Archdiocese land, 2018.
The entire perimeter was examined, 2018.
All survey markers were located, 2018.
The Archdiocese land goes straight back and diagonally to the right and back from this marker. The perimeter is an odd shape with 5 corner markers, 2018.
This parishioner is acquainted with the history of the land, from the original purchase by the Irish Religious Sister, through two civil wars, re-surveying and transference to the Archdiocese. Where he is standing will likely be the corner of the caretaker/guard office and dwelling, 2018.

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Archdiocese of Monrovia, Liberia

Offices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monrovia, 2018.
To visit these offices, it was about a two-hour trip each way from Kakata, due to both the distance and the dense Monrovia traffic, 2018.
Fr. Emmanuel Mbuk MSP sharing with Archbishop Lewis Zeigler the proposed plans for the St Martin de Porres Community Center in Kakata. The Archbishop expressed his whole-hearted support with the stipulation that the completed center be run in a self-sufficient manner. Our session concluded with an Apostolic Blessing for the project.
Catholic Radio station in Liberia, 2018.
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Monrovia, Liberia, is across the street from the Archdiocese offices (facing the altar), 2018.
Sacred Heart Cathedral, view of Sanctuary, 2018.
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Monrovia, Liberia (facing the rear of the church), 2018.
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Catholic Parish Communities: Weala

The parish of St. Mary Magdalene is a small Catholic community 30 minutes from St. Christopher’s, at the northern tip of Margibi County, 2017
The inside of the church was simple and unadorned, 2017.
Though attendance was good, very few were qualified to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist due to a lack of Catechist Training and sacramental preparation, 2017.
Fr. Emmanuel Mbuk MSP (new to the parish) took down the names of those seeking Sacraments so they could be organized and prepared, 2017.
Naomi asked the man in the green shirt if she could donate a new crucifix for the parish. He was in agreement, so one was shipped a couple months later, 2017
The parish received several upgraded during the next year, including the painting of the exterior, 2018.
More revisions included an interior coat of paint, new lectern and new crucifix, 2018.
The Weala community where the parish of St. Mary Magdalene is located, 2018.
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Catholic Parish Communities: Bong Mines

St. Paul Catholic Church, Bong Mines, about 30 minutes from Kakata, 2017.
This parish church was funded by the Germans in the last century when they established a mining community called Bong Mines, 2017.
Fr. George Okoro MSP and Fr. Walker (Parish Pastor) inside St. Paul’s, 2017.
Parish school construction underway behind the church building, 2017.
Fr. Walker is a Liberian diocesan priest (not from Nigeria, like at St Christopher’s), 2017.
The Head Catechist at St. Paul’s parish is also the chief brick-layer, 2017.
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St Christopher Catholic Church – Parish Council

About half of the Parish Council was able to meet during the day to discuss the idea of a Catholic Community Center, 2017.
There was immediate agreement to pursue the idea of the parish sponsoring a Catholic community center for evangelistic outreach in Kakata, Liberia, 2017.
Immediately following the meeting, the Parish Council members toured 4 acres of land owned by the Archdiocese in Kakata which has not yet been developed, 2017.
The land has a high elevation (good drainage), an excellent road passing through it, and lies in an expanding/developing segment of Kakata, 2017.
The four acres passes up and over this little hill, 2017.