The appointment period for us has included visits to Great Rivers Region churches and further network building in some unexpected places! 

Over Labor Day weekend, we were invited to join the Ricks Institute Alumni Association of America for their 25th anniversary party and class reunion in Houston, Texas. It was so awesome to be with Liberians here in the U.S.! They shared memories of Ricks and the many missionaries who lived on campus in the 1960s-80s. One woman told us she was not a Christian until a missionary shared the gospel at Ricks; another man told us that he had been baptized in the river with the bamboo bridge (see our highlight video from our trip); still another could remember his missionary teachers' names and subjects they taught and the quality education they gave him. These alumni gather every year for fellowship and to raise funds to send back to Ricks.  Their giving is impressive and their love for their alma mater is evident. They are very excited we are going to serve Ricks as maintenance director and English teacher--the school's two greatest needs. Their board met and pledged to support our ministry. 

Saturday night was the Silver Jubilee Banquet. I donned my green and burgundy dress tailor-made in Monrovia, plugged the address into the GPS, and away we went! When the GPS announced we had arrived at our destination, we were in a strip-mall parking lot and no sign of a banquet hall. Fortunately, we saw a few cars unloading African-dressed women, so we parked the car and followed them in...

What followed was one of the most uncomfortable, embarrassing, and now funny things that's happened to me in a long time. When we came in, they looked at us like we had just come down the gangplank of our spaceship. Everyone was, well, African, and no one looked familiar. We had met over thirty RIAA members at a BBQ that afternoon, but none of them had arrived yet. I showed the hostess our RIAA program booklet and explained, "We're the new missionaries going to Ricks," and she invited us to have a seat. The banquet room was about half full, so we found a table against the back wall and waited for further instructions. As we sat there, polite eyes glanced our direction and then away; I couldn't shake the feeling that we did not belong. The buffet table was opened, and we joined the others in line: rice, greens, stew, fufu...all Liberian dishes...we had to be in the right place, but where were our new friends? As we ate, several people offered us drinks, and the hostess even came over and had her picture taken with us! Joy returned and clouds lifted when Gus, a nice gentleman and Ricks alumnus we had met came in. In relief, we waved him over and invited us to join him.  He looked around uncomfortably, and I thought, of course he doesn't want to sit with these odd balls! Gus said he was surprised he didn't recognize anyone then excused himself and went out. He returned moments later with a huge grin: we were in the wrong place! As he escorted us out, we passed a table set up for gifts--it was a baby shower! Our group was further down the stip mall in another hall owned by the same company. We were at a Nigerian party, and we could not tell the difference. On reflection, we were amazed at how warmly we were welcomed. One of our Liberian friends assured us that we had just experienced African hospitality.

The weekend festivities culminated in a beautiful church service. Former association president Rev. Dr. Rudy Bropleh reminded us that God values a good foundation, such as the one received by students at Ricks, and warned that blessings can become burdens without Jesus the Cornerstone.

In the middle of our Liberian/Nigerian events, we had a great dose of home: a dear friend is in Houston with his wife as she receives medical treatment. They invited us in to their extended-stay hotel room and shared with us that even under the circumstances, they were happy, peaceful, and actually enjoying their time alone together. This couple illustrates Paul's verses in Philippians 4:12-13 "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through him who gives me strength." We received a joyful text from him a few days later that she had gotten a good report and they'll be able to come home soon. We are so glad God brought us to a Liberian party in the same place that our friends have been patiently waiting for His blessing. Isn't He awesome?

Our final cross-cultural encounter was much closer to home and with an entirely different continent: China! Earlier this summer, Larry witnessed a hit-and-run car accident, and stayed with the victim until her husband and police arrived. She was unharmed but terribly shaken and out of her own cultural comfort zone. Larry prayed with her, and she later sent us an email, thanking him for his comfort and inviting us to speak to her Bible study group. Before the meeting, she bought us dinner and shared her testimony and life story; she was raised in China, and knew nothing about Jesus until she came to the U.S. In grad school, she was invited to a Bible study and became a believer with a vision of helping other Chinese students come to Christ. We delighted in our similarities: she and her husband were married the Saturday after us, and they have three children the same age as ours! We spoke to her Bible study group at a nearby Baptist church, with a gentleman translating quietly for some in the back, and the group thanked us for helping a sister in a moment of need and pledged their support of our work in Liberia. What the devil meant for harm, God brought an opportunity to speak and a new friendship.

We so enjoy sharing our experiences, and we love to hear from you, too! If you'd like to respond to this journal, please don't "reply"; it goes into the cyberspace surrounding the offices at Valley Forge! Send messages to Stanton@internationalministries.org. Don't forget to follow our progress on the IM web site: www.internationalministries.org/teams/513-stanton and in social media: www.facebook.com/hopingliberia or www.twitter.com/hopingliberia.  We look ahead to two months of church visits as we seek the final 25% of our support.  Thank you for your prayers, concern and shared joys in serving our Lord. May He richly bless you as we pray and work together for His Kingdom!