By the Grace of God

Subject: By the Grace of God Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:47 pm

By the Grace of God
Written by Vickie E. Ward

In April, 2008, I returned to Liberia to finally memorialize my late father and give him (the late Victor E. Ward) a final resting place: a Memorial Wall at the University of Liberia at Fendell. I had been away from Liberia for 28 unbroken years. During my one week's visit, I observed that the phrase "Living by the grace of God" was quite loosely used by Liberians I met, including my own family members. It seemed like a catch-all phrase that soothed them in all of their troubles brought on by the war.

Bear with me as I recall a few of the many occurrences when they used the phrase:

Driving On Streets of Monrovia with No Street Lights, Stop Signs, or Road Markers
It is no wonder so many Liberians have high levels of stress that keep sending them to their graves way before they reach middle age. Many motorists move about the City and the outskirts of the City with only the honk of their horn as a safeguard for avoiding accidents. A driver in a jeep and a Ward Fund beneficiary, Franklin Bundoo, picked us up from the airport and proceeded to the Roberts Field Road headed for downtown. The driver weaved in and out of traffic as much as he pleased and at times overtook the cars ahead of him by moving into the lane to his left into oncoming traffic even when there was a car only 30 feet away and speeding in our direction. When I asked him to buckle his seat belt, he stared at me as if I had asked him to put a noose around his neck and pull it. Buckling one's seatbelt is seen as a nuisance in Monrovia. The driver was so reckless, I yelled out a few times to ask him to slow down. There were at least three times when I thought he would have rear-ended the car in front of us. When we finally arrived at our destination, I breathed a sigh of relief and promised myself not to ride with this driver again. Once I exited the car and gained my composure, I asked Franklin about the problem of driving without traffic lights in the City. His respond was, "Aunty Vick, it's by the grace of God we are living in Liberia."

Living in Pitch Darkness
As we drove away from Roberts International Airport headed towards downtown Monrovia, it was dark and there were no street lights. The only lights were the lights from cars or some small businesses on the road side powered up by generators. About five to ten minutes into our journey, I noticed several people, including young women standing or squatting on the side of the road as if they were waiting for something. I asked the driver why these people were on the road at this time of night with no lights and in an open area. There were no bus shelters or buildings that they could run into for protection if someone tried to attack or rob them. There was only pitch black darkness. The driver responded, "Boss Lady, they waitin' for car." Well, it is no wonder young girls are often raped and robbed, and sometimes killed" I said. The last response from the driver was, "They ok. We livin' here by the grace of God, Boss Lady."

Living in a Combustible City
On my second day in Monrovia, our hired car was out of gas, and the new driver let me know that we needed to get some gas. So, we stopped at a gas station to purchase some gas. While enjoying the air conditioned car, I thought to look out the window to see if the driver was indeed putting in the amount of gas I had asked him to purchase. I assumed the gas station had gas tanks that showed how many gallons had been poured into the tank and the amount owed. What I saw left me in utter astonishment! The gas attendant was dipping his right hand into a barrel of fuel and emptying gas into a fluted plastic bottle, which he later used to funnel gas into our car. I asked if there were no other fueling stations in the vicinity. The driver replied, "We've been to three already and they don't have gas. But there isn't anything wrong with this gas." I told him it wasn't the gas I was concerned about. My cousin who was sitting in the back seat with no worries at all told me that I had not seen anything yet to warrant my anxiety. I said to them, "There is gas everywhere, on his hands, his clothes, and on his shoes. If someone lit a match for a cigarette passing through the station and dropped it, we could all be torched." All three people in the car with me, including the driver laughed and one of them responded, "No, it's o Aunty, God's grace keeps us alive here o."

Only by the Grace of God
I have come to understand the phrase, "By the grace of God" all too well in the last few months. I believee the song writer, John Newton, who penned the hymn, "Amazing Grace," must have felt the redemptive grace of God as his slave ship weathered the stormy sea in the 1700's. Liberians know the grace of God as a gift given unconditionally, and I consider myself blessed to have been a witness to the pure and divine grace of God at work in Liberia. After spending 7 days in the country, I came back to the United States and began to read up on God's grace, and this is what I now know: God's grace is likened to the room of God's favor, and faith is the door through which one enters into that room (Rom. 5:1-2).

Liberians are living in Liberia only by the grace of God. There is no doubt in my mind that but for his grace and mercy, more people in the country would die daily. As I walked the streets of the marketplace in Liberia, I could see why so many suffer from cholera and severe dysentery. There are flies everywhere, sitting on food and still water that Liberians purchase off the street to eat and drink; little girls who are school-aged walk the streets in the heat selling candy, bitter balls, and Chicklets for their mothers when they should be in school; and some of them do not wear slippers or shoes, exposing themselves to hook worms. They are left home alone in homes that are not secured from thieves, thugs, child molesters and rapists roaming the streets. Many children are stunted in growth while others have low blood because they are not getting the nutrients they need. At best, some homes are secured with a piece of metal that looks like a curtain rod. And, that is the only thing between the armed robbers and occupants of homes. But the Liberian people go about their business everyday with smiles on their faces, jokes on their tongues, and joy in their lives. As I watched and observed them, I thought about my comfortable life in the United States and in my mind I compared the lives of some of the people I met with my own. I thought of the stark differences: The homes I have lived in in the United States could hold some Liberian homes at least three or four times. The living rooms in some Liberian homes were smaller in size than my bedroom closet. I thought about children who are growing up and will soon become teenagers, yet many of them have not experienced a tub bath, a shower, electricity, or clean drinking water. But, they never get angry, impatient or lose their faith in God. Children in Liberia have been waiting all their lives for relief from deep poverty with none in sight. In fact, they continue to wait for a time when they can enjoy these things and they stand firm in the knowledge that God's grace will carry them through. In the United States, some people become so impatient at a traffic light they spew profanity and at times get out of their cars to start a fight only because they can't wait for a two-minute traffic light.

There is so much we can learn from some fellow Liberians living in Liberia. They fully trust in God's saving kindness, and that is why the phrase falls with ease from their lips. The Liberians I met during my trip to Liberia trust and rely on God, knowing that each day of their lives is lived in the true GRACE of GOD. Nothing else was powerful enough to keep them safe through several years of war and that same grace continues to protect them today!

I will never be able to imagine the depths of God's grace, but I consider myself oh so blessed to stand in awe of the richness of his goodness. I came away from the country with a new outlook on life and a renewed appreciation of God's gifts that are given to me so unconditionally. To him be all the Glory!

Please make sure to visit the Photo Gallery at http://www.wardfund.org. There you will find photos we took while in Liberia. Thanks to all of you who prayed for my safe return to the USA.

Vickie Ward is the Chairperson of the Victor E. Ward Educational Fund, a U.S. recognized not-for-profit organization registered in the State of New York. Ms. Ward established the Ward Educational Fund in 2000 in memory of her father, Victor E. Ward and the Ward Academy of Science and Technology for Girls in Monrovia, Liberia in 2008. You may contact her at wardfund@hotmail.com

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast (Eph. 2:8-9)

_________________
For how can love attain true appreciation
if it has never weathered tribulation?
~MHK

Subject: Re: By the Grace of God Tue Aug 05, 2008 10:04 pm

This was so beautiful. I wish everyone who visits Liberia had the same outlook.

Subject: Re: By the Grace of God Tue Aug 05, 2008 11:09 pm

I know Prof Ward and i really used to admire him at the UL. He was one of the committed professors we had at LUX IN TENEBRIS ( Light into Darkness). I hope we all can be like Prof Ward and give back to our common patrimony--Liberia in whatsoever way. Prof Ward could have lived in the US and make a lot of money as a Chemist but instead decided to go back home after his study and contribute his quota to the University of Liberia....I missed him and will be donating to his Fund..Thank CG for sharing that article...

Subject: Re: By the Grace of God Wed Aug 06, 2008 2:00 am

Didn't know him but am glad to here of those that make the sacrifice for this nation's future

Subject: Re: By the Grace of God Wed Aug 06, 2008 2:05 am

Hope others will follow his example more

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By the Grace of God

By the Grace of God

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