Excerpt
Even though, in the religious community, I am considered of the Holiness persuasion, I didn’t limit myself to visiting only Liberian Christian churches of similar denominational beliefs. As such, I asked Junior to accompany me as I visited various churches, prayer groups, and missions in Monrovia and its surrounding suburbs. Some were small and some very large. I often attended a particular church near the downtown corridor led by Pastor Joe. I really enjoyed his mid-day prayer meeting which included a brief sermon. One day, I received specific instructions from the Lord to attend Pastor Joe’s services. I assumed He wanted me to add my prayers to those of the congregation as people were praying against the rebel forces’ advancement.
Traffic that day was really congested. There had been a minor accident involving an ambulance and a motorcycle. The prayer service had already started by the time Junior and I arrived. When I entered the sanctuary, the church was at capacity and there were only a few vacant seats on the back row. As a minister, I never liked sitting in the back of a church. I always tried to sit within the first three to four rows to avoid the movement of others distracting me. Nevertheless, before I took a seat, I told Junior I would meet him at the restaurant down the street in three hours. This allowed me time to speak privately with Pastor Joe after the prayer service. However, after service, other people seemingly had the same idea so Pastor Joe gathered everyone, and we had an impromptu group discussion about the war and various issues facing Liberia. It lasted about an hour, and I certainly felt the peace and joy of the Lord as we concluded our discussion.
My watch revealed there was an additional hour before my arranged meeting with Junior. I decided to use this time to take a stroll on the sidewalks that surrounded the beautiful church compound. When I exited the building, I took a couple of steps to walk eastward, then suddenly stopped. Immediately, I felt the need to walk in the opposite direction. I didn’t hear any words spoken, but I felt I should walk westward, so I did. There were many people leaving the church walking in that direction. I understood from overhearing their conversations that they had attended a leadership workshop.
This was a typical hot Liberian day during the dry season. The sun was extremely bright as its rays bounced off everything around me. Walking a few feet ahead of me were Liberian women beautifully dressed in bright colors. The men who walked with them wore traditional garments as well as western attire. There were at least three groups of five to eight people walking about three feet between each group in front of me. The last group was so close I could hear their laughter as they spoke in English and in their tribal dialects.
I couldn’t help but admire the absolute beauty of that moment: a great prayer service; a wonderful discussion session; and, a bright sunny day. Liberian beauty at its best! Group after group reached the sidewalk’s end and turned the corner to walk southward towards the main street. As I reached the corner, I felt the presence of the Lord once again leading me. I knew I was to turn the corner and walk in the same southward direction. When I did, I was stunned as I saw what appeared to be a person lying on the ground. Instinctively my eyes scanned the area and I noticed many people on both sides of the street. As I got closer to the object on the ground, my worst fears were confirmed.