Phil and Clint returned safely from Liberia recently to report that God is blessing the work that is being done there.  The wood shop is under-roof and has power.  The machinery that was shipped last year is operational.  Here is a report from Phil:

Dear friends and board members,

What a trip! It was obvious that many were praying for the success of our endeavors. From the point of landing on African shores our journey was blessed. So much has improved in Liberia. The roads are getting much better. The attitude of the people was greatly improved, it seemed even since November. I think this is apparent in the behavior of the taxi drivers most of all. They even wave when you let them in! Everywhere is a sense of calm and hope. New buildings are going up everywhere.  Once again I fooled myself into thinking I had time to relax. As usual it was a jam packed time of trying to fit too much into to little time.

The workshop is running! Clint did a great job and all the machines are functioning. I am asking Chris to youtube some of the shop films I took. It was such a delight to see James Babaloo when all this happened. He is the fellow Mark and I met in his house in Judu town and saw the door he had fashioned. This was our first thought into this wood working business. Jimmy was all smiles! There was a lot of Yankee know how in getting the band saw up. Everything ran well. The local electricians did a great job. The place is wired with three phase, 220 and 110. We are all anxious to move on from here.

We had a meeting with a gentleman in Monrovia about some land he owned. Frog has kept me informed about this situation for four years now. It was willed to the gentleman and the instructions to him about the land was that it was not to be used for anything but some Christian work.  Horrace  even turned down his own church’s request to put their building there.  He knew they didn’t have the money to develop it properly. He tried to give it to some other NGO’s but they were busy elsewhere etc. It seems as if the Lord had been saving it for us. We have been so preoccupied with other things that this has been put on the back burner. We have to pay to have it surveyed and that is all! It is 15 acres right on the beach just outside Buchanan. It is completely clear of any buildings and is flat. The beach front is not part of it but we are looking into that also. The beach is beautiful and unspoiled. Horace made me give my entire theological standings. He was taking no chances about how this land was to be used. I committed to him as long as I was involved that the land was not to be used for anything but Christian work. Our dream is to put a youth camp there along with a guest house for visitors. Praise the Lord for his bountiful blessings!

The second time I had time to relax was on Saturday. Thomas and I went to Grand Cape Mount county where he and Hauwa have a ministry work. It is on the highway to Sierra Leone. I had never been out that direction. The road was good all the way. We saw a huge new Palm oil farm being developed. With the help of Samaritans Purse ( when Thomas was with them ) and an American church they have been able to build a church, small school building and a guest house complete with a study for local pastors. This area is about 97% Muslim. The local people have agreed to let the Christians educate their children. Some are deserting their children at the school knowing the Christians will feed and house them. Others are casting out their children when they mention Jesus. There are now 16 of these kids living at the school. An accountant working at an over seas firm in Monrovia has left his good job and he and his wife are in charge there. They have 200 students now. They have a new school building built but have no funds to roof it. Even that is to small because it is growing so fast. If it is not roofed before the rains hit sometime in April the entire structure will crumble. I think it is 15 or 16 hundred dollars to finish. Please pray for this. I have good pictures that we will put on the web. Thomas has also started 5 or 6 house churches in the Muslim neighborhoods. They cannot meet openly. This is truly a mission field within a mission field!

I was able to meet with several of our sponsored pastors and all is well. There was one problem we will talk about later but I think it can be worked out. Kurt bought Cassell a motorbike, he was thrilled. He too is working far away from Monrovia in Lofa county with the Muslims. This will enable him to get four times as much done. Any of you pastor sponsor supporters that might one day be able to do this it is the one thing that can triple your pastors effectiveness.

Thanks for everything you all do and this time especially Mary Jo Ramsey. I really pushed her to get out that last newsletter. It came out just as we were leaving and it was all the praying that I was after. Frog emailed me to ask for a few things to bring over, some reading glasses, the pastor help books and a projector. In my heart I said ” I am really busy, there are but four days left, and I am not even going to ask anyone for this.” Two days later a friend called and said their small church was closing. They were giving away all their equipment and she stopped them from giving away the projector ( she had donated ) until she asked Phil if it was needed in Africa. Our Lord says “ You have not because you ask not.” Even Him I didn’t ask. The more I get into this work the more I know the meaning of the words ” We are unworthy servants, we are only doing our duty.”  I plan on sending a small general newsletter on the trip in the next few days,

Phil Eckart

William Kangar (Frog) discusses planer test run

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Land recently donated to Alive Liberia