Currently our team is in Bong County monitoring the desk construction and stockpiling materials for classrooms 5 & 6.   Any day now we hope to see pictures of the nearly 200 students sitting at their new desks.

Fundraising:  Our next major event will be a Barbershop Concert on April 21st.  A flyer is included in this Newsletter. Thanks to Lew & Irene Taylor and Ruth Werner for their assistance on this event especially related to contacting the choir and ticket sales.  We will also need volunteers to make and donate refreshments (see Floss Sweger), usher, assist in the parking a lot and more.  Lastly, if you know of any faith or civic groups who might like to see and hear about our project, please let us know.  As always, thanks for your support of this critical global mission project.

LEP receives Black History Month Award

On Sunday February 26^th Jacob Madehdou and Dennis Fisher accepted appreciation awards on behalf of LEP for “the excellent work being done in Liberia and the encouragement offered to the youth and young adults of the Agape International Baptist Church”.  While the honor proved to be a humbling experience in terms of what so many are doing to God’s glory across the globe, it also allowed LEP to spread the word still further and widen our networks of supporters.  The Agape church family is largely represented by persons with an association to Liberia.  Five of the other honorees also had leadership roles in local, state and national Liberians Associations and African Coalitions.  Please see Jacob and Dennis for more information and to check out the nice certificates.

The Feinstein Foundation $1 million Match Challenge

The months of March and April will mark the opportunity of a matching grant.  For 15 years Alan Shawn Feinstein, a friend of Robert Hazard, has been sharing his blessings with nonprofit agencies around the country to “Fight Hunger”.   See the attached letter for more details.

Here is how it works: Only gifts designated as part of the Feinstein Challenge will qualify for the matching funds. Complying agencies will receive awards from $250 to $35,000 proportioned to the amount of funds raised by each agency.   LEP will be sending emails and letters to past and prospective donors with a direct appeal specifically related to the challenge.  If you want to make a special contribution to be counted as part of the Feinstein Challenge please designate gifts with “Feinstein Challenge” in the Memo section of any checks and or put any cash in an envelope marked “Feinstein Challenge”.   We would at least like the $250 minimum.

As we come to the end of 2011 and begin to make plans for 2012, we want to take this time in the spirit of Holiday season to say thanks so much for your support this year. Through your support, the Liberia Education Project was able to make a difference in the lives of the children and villages we serve in rural Liberia.

In January 2011 a team of ten persons traveled from the USA to Bong County, Liberia and started the construction of a ten classroom building.  Four classrooms are now completed and 200 students are presently being educated at the school.  Those students now sit at desks that many of you sponsored.   A principal, a registrar and 4 teachers are being paid monthly.    Our efforts are indeed making an impact in the local communities.

Much work remains to be completed:  The foundation for two more classrooms are ready for building when funds are available, and the entire facility needs plastering and paint to extend its usefulness.  In addition:

• We will seek funding for digging a well
• We will build sanitation facilities

We ask for your continued support as another team is being organized to go to Liberia and work on these next phases of the school construction in July of 2012.  If you have not completed your end of year giving please consider a donation now.  Any amount makes a difference and is appreciated.

Sincerely in the service of others,
The LEP Board of Directors

“How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent word!”

These words have taken on new meaning at Somerton UMC, located in the far northeast corner of Phila, a small church.   Over the past year the people of Somerton have seen their “faith in his excellent word” produce a firm foundation; the foundation of a new school building in rural Liberia.

This May marks the 4 year anniversary of the beginning of the Liberian Education Project (LEP), a nonprofit organization run through the church by a few of its committed members. It began as the vision of Jacob G. Madehdou, a member of Somerton UMC and Liberian native, who was a former teacher in Liberia before coming to the US during the Liberian Civil War.

In the aftermath of the Civil unrest, Jacob made it clear to the congregation that people would be suffering from, not only the loss of lives, but also a loss of infrastructure and education, Jacob’s vision became realityafter the congregation of Somerton UMC resonated with the need and committed to working towards making a difference in Liberia.

LEP had humble beginnings as a way to provide school supplies to school children in Bong county, a rural community located 8-9 hours away from the capital city of Monrovia,

Soon LEP and Somerton UMC began thinking bigger and they started to financially support the renovation of an old church building to run a school that served nearly 100 students

Soon the sites were set even higher, with plans to build a new school building so even more students would have a facility that would promote their education and provide for them a place to unlock their potential to change their communities.

Through numerous benefit concerts, dinners, bake sales, and donations, LEP had received enough to start construction on the Ghenwein Mission School building.

Then from late January – February 2011, four members of Somerton UMC, Jacob, Dennis Fisher, Dorothy Holland, and George Memis, left for Liberia with members and supporters from a non-denomination church in Montrose, PA.  This small group with the help of local leaders and workers, was able to complete the foundation as well as two classroom floors.  (bad roads, hot weather, physical labor)

By April 2011 the floors and walls of four classrooms had been built and the roof was finished in July 2011.

It shows that it is not the size of the church that matters, but their commitment to making the world a better place for the glory of God.  LEP was seen as an act of discipleship; a way of living faith & loving neighbor.

Dennis said  “God fulfilled our dreams and worked through our efforts to complete the tasks we prayerfully sought to do.  It was only with God’s help that his children from across the world and cultures and languages learned about each other, ourselves and the power of faith and prayer.

Learn more or make a donation towards the NEXT STEPS: completion of classrooms 5/6, well & sanitation facility construction, and finishing/ furnishing all rooms please contact Jacob Madehdou or Dennis Fisher (jacob@liberiaeducationproject.org)/ (dkfisher@comcast.net).

We recently received some pictures of the continuing work on the school and wanted to share the progress with our blog readers!