Week #2

Sunday evening was epic to say the least. After church Allen invited me over for lunch to meet his family. He then took me to 2011 County Meet finals at SKD stadium. Since getting in was so difficult last time Allen had the brilliant idea of going early to avoid the rush. We took our seats around 3 in just enough time to catch the last part of kickball finals. In Liberia the women play kickball and men football. After kickball the 3^rd place match began. By this time the stands were filling up and the atmosphere was building. Around 5 the President of Liberia made her grand entrance to stadium by declaring free attendance. It was immediate chaos but I have to admit she knows how to gain popularity with the common Liberian. My comfortable, roomy concrete step soon turned into a crammed, shoulder to shoulder, knee to knee, ordeal. Around 6 the players entered the field that was filled with applause and cheering. Every time an exciting event would take place everyone would stand, giving the people standing in the entryways a few more inches to creep forward to catch a better look. This would ultimately let more people into the already crowded event. Before the game the President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, walked onto the field and shook hands with each of the players in the finals. The first half neither team scored which left much tension in the air between the fans. I was cheering for Nimba County who happened to be the defending champions. For some reason everyone around me was cheering for Margibi County and they were not afraid to let me know it. About 5 minutes into halftime the power failed and the stadium soon lit up with cell phone lights. Everyone stayed fairly calm until the power returned 15 minuets later. The last half was also scoreless and Allen and I decided we had enough excitement for the night so we left. As we reached the jeep we soon realized we were not going anywhere because we were parked in. A very helpful man who wanted to make some money made some phone calls and searched around for 20 minuets to find the owner of the vehicle who parked us in. Allen compensated him with 15 LD.

On the way home I pictured myself at Lucas Oil Stadium while attending the Super Bowl. I had paid about 100 USD for my ticket and was comfortably enjoying the pre-game warm-ups. I had always wanted to attend a Super Bowl but never wanted to spend that much money. This would be a dream come true. Barrak Obama then makes a surprise appearance and invited everyone into the stadium to enjoy the game for free. Colts and Patriot fans pack the stadium as the gates are swung wide open. President Obama walks onto the field before the game to personally greet all the players. At halftime the power goes out and the whole stadium goes pitch black. I can’t help but wonder how Americans would react to a situation like this?

I have a confession to make. Monday I told a bold faced, cold lie. While conducting my consumer surveys around Central Monrovia I found myself surrounded by 15 Liberian young adults. We were having a very pleasant conversation about agriculture and Liberians diet. One young man unexpectedly asked if I was from America. My response was “yes” and it was immediately followed with a slew of intimidating questions. “What do you think about President Obama?” Did you vote for Obama?” How great is president Obama”? I paused for a moment as I looked at the eager faces and didn’t think twice about lying. I told them all how great of a president we had and how proud I was to have him leading our country in the right direction. Of course I voted for him! This was followed by a small celebration as everyone was pleased to hear my response. This was obviously a straight up lie. I regret to inform you of my shortcomings and will try and do better next time.

Most of this week I have been walking around Central Monrovia with my trusty clipboard and pen taking surveys of average Liberians. I get a lot of funny looks around here just like I do in the States so I guess some things never change. Most conversations start off rough but once I smile and offer a Liberian handshake they warm up pretty quick. I explain to them I am a volunteer for Province Baptist Church who works in agriculture and need to know what Liberians like to eat so I know what to grow. It always takes a couple seconds for things to click but in most cases they are willing to lend me their time. While taking this survey I leaned that rice and palm butter is their favorite fruit or vegetable. Liberians are not health brainwashed like Americans and are happy with whatever is put in front of them as long as it includes rice.

Overall week 2 has been full of adventures and learning.

-Brad

Organized Chaos

Well I finally made it! For anyone traveling to Liberia use army duffle bags and dress in camouflage upon arrival. Evidently something called PAE comes here from America to train the Liberian military and everyone loves them. For this reason I was quickly waved though customs while everyone else had their bags checked. Monrovia isn’t much different then most big cities in America. Bad drivers, taxies everywhere, commerce on every street corner, and businesses fill the streets every morning.

Pastor Sam is very hospitable and I am very blessed to have air conditioning at night. His two nephews, Lee and Sporty are also living with him. These past few days have been an adventure to say the least. Sunday Derek and I toured the city in the jeep and I quickly learned the simple pattern of streets. We then headed to Pastor Sam’s house. It’s only a 10 min drive from LEAD on a Sunday. On Monday morning Pastor Sam and I went to the church, also where LEAD is, around 9. Morning traffic into town is hectic to say the least. It took us 40 minutes of weaving through pedestrians, taxies, motorcycles, and trucks surrounded by smoke clouds. Getting a motorcycle should cut the time in half because they can drive in between stopped cars.

Once at LEAD, I met the very professional staff and learned the snap-shake that is customary, even among businessmen. I quickly made a fool of myself as I walked up the stairs and discovered the low ceiling with the top of my head. Monday was a crazy day to say the least! I learned how to do simple business, such as exchange money, and bribe the local police. I also ate a dish called fufuo for my first and last time. Monday night the LEAD staff and I attended a soccer game. After attending the game I understand why we use turnstiles in America. Evidently stadiums hire martial arts teams to do security to fend off rioters. It was hysterical watching 3 guys in white robes trying to sort through who had tickets and who didn’t then try and let just the people with tickets in. I would say about two out of three people actually had tickets to the game. The game was wild, Nimba county won 1-0 over Gran-Bassa. 

Tuesday was spent at LEAD helping distribute underwriting letters, and getting supplies for Derek’s birthday party. Shopping in Monrovia takes twice as long and is twice as frustrating. It made me think of when the whole town of Bluffton went into chaos when Wal-Mart was rearranged and it took 5 extra minutes to find things.  Over here to get burrito ingredients we had to go to 3 grocery stores and one produce stand.

The motorcycle shopping has been very discouraging to say the least. All the dealers have a team of uneducated workers to assemble the bike. All the suspensions are stiff, clutches are not adjusted, no oil in the crankcase, chains are too tight, and every part is only finger tightened. I managed to get a look at the assembly room where I found 3 piles of parts on the ground. Apparently they do not have tools or a work bench. I was promised by a salesman the bike assembled for me would be tightened to specs and everything adjusted properly (we will see how that pans out). I have seen some Yamahas and Suzukis around but nothing in good condition.

Walking around downtown is crazy with money changers and scratchcard salesmen every two yards. Cell phones, passport photos, and pirated dvds are seen at least every block. Lebanese own many of the big businesses and hire Liberians to sell their goods and take care of security. Everything here is imported which makes a horrible impact on Liberia’s economy.  The only products that are not imported are bottled water, Club beer, and some produce.

The English here sounds like a completely different language and my name has turned from Brett to Brad because t’s are often left out or changed. When a Liberian is talking directly to me I can understand them if they talk slow. From Liberian to Liberian it is too broken and fast for me to understand. I’m in good sprits and appreciate all the encouragement from e-mails, letters, and facebook messages!!

-And always remember, keep your stick on the ice      Brett

Goodbye States, See you in July

Hi all! If you’re reading this you have officially found the blog of Brett Pfister. If you’re not on my mailing list just e-mail me at brettpfister@gmail.com and I’ll get you added.

I appreciate all the support that has come in so far, and feel blessed to have so many supporters.  I bought my round trip ticket to Monrovia. I fly out of FWA on Jan 15, 2011. I will be flying back into Fort Wayne on July 4.

Early in December I received some training down at Echo in Fort Myers, FL. I spent the week with Rick Slager learning about farming techniques in developing countries. Rick shared many ideas and concepts of rural develop planning, many of which I adopted and am going to try and implement. All week we heard from full-time missionaries talk about their success and failures. The information that was shared from present-day missionaries was priceless and I’ll take it with me to Liberia. That week Rick and I focused on the moringa tree and appropriate technology. The moringa tree has more iron than spinach, more potassium that bananas, and more vitamin C than oranges. This makes it a perfect nutritional supplement for countries with malnutrition issues. The technologies we studied include irrigation pumps, irrigation systems, solar driers, grinders, and food processing in general. If we can get some of these technologies to catch on with the people, a businessman could manufacture these products, another could use these products to add value to a product that he buys and processes, and lastly the farmer would benefit from having a market that is sustainable and can offer a good price. Please pray that God would prepare Liberians who want to work to help their families, communities, and nation out of poverty.

To all you Lifers out there I will be living in Nimba County. This is where Nerwah is planting a church and it will be located about an hour drive from my accommodations. I hope to visit there often and learn more about Nerwah’s progress and send his greetings back to you.

The first month I will be living in the capitol city of Monrovia where I will be undergoing orientation with LEAD. This month I hope to learn to teach LEAD’s business training program. I will be living with Pastor Sam who preaches at Province Baptist Church. My favorite part about my time in Monrovia will probably be purchasing a motorcycleJ.  I will also do market evaluations, make friends, learn the English they speak, not get sick, spend ample time with just me and God, and get a feel for the culture.

All your encouragement and prayers have kept me confident in my trip and the closer I get to departure the more all of you mean to me. This trip has already brought me closer to God and I’m sure it will continue.

Lord willing my next post will be In Liberia and filled with many adventures!