|
View Today’s Photos Next
Day’s Journal
The morning started out
pretty quickly as Laurence and Christine had been invited to a breakfast
meeting with President Sirleaf. Since we’re vehicularly
challenged right now, I’m riding with Christine. So Alex, the driver, and I dropped
Christine and Laurence off at the President’s house. She had maintained her own residence
since being elected (a good thing since the executive mansion caught on
fire and nearly burned down shortly after the election). Although there is a fair amount of UN and
Liberian secret service personnel around, getting in to the area was pretty
easy. So we killed time for about an
hour or so until breakfast was over.
We had a meeting scheduled
with Richard Tolbert (Minister) and Pete Norman (Assistant Minister) of the
National Investment Commission. The
meeting was scheduled for 11:00am but Christine wanted to go over early
since she also had another scheduled event with the Gender Based Commission
over at City Hall. Richard was tied
up in meetings but Pete was available and we spent approximately 45 minutes
with him discussing the need for construction equipment in Liberia for the
many projects that are planned for the next 3-5 years. It looks like about a half billion in
planned government projects (roads, airports, ports, telecommunication,
etc. We talked about the information
needed to see if U.S. firms would be interested in bringing in the huge
amount of equipment that would be required.
Primarily we are looking for supporting documents to show the volume
of planned construction, the requirements for the bidding process and the
funding mechanisms behind them.
Currently the contracts that have been executed are languishing due
to lack of equipment. More than the
equipment, however, is the ability to supply parts and service. There have been instances already of
purchases of cheap, Chinese equipment that quickly breaks down and parts
are not to be found, even in China.
So the opportunity to be the facilitator between large U.S. firms
and the Liberian government is promising.
Again, for STS it’s about gaining influence both inside and outside
the Liberian government so that the Kingdom of God can be expanded. Pete promised to have a series of
documents available for us by next Wednesday to take back to the U.S.
We stepped over to Richard
Tolbert’s office but he was still in a meeting. By 11:15 Christine was anxious to get to
her other meeting and didn’t want to wait any longer. So we left a message with the Minister
asking to reset our meeting and left for City Hall. Alex and I dropped Christine off and left
for ELWA. I hoped to see Dr. Rick
Sacra but was not able to make contact.
So we left to see what kind of progress was being made at the Equip
lot which is just down the road. The
good news is that the brush and high grass had been cleared, the location
for the well, container and generator house selected. The bad news is that the pouring of the
concrete liner rings was 2 days behind on a project only 3 days old. They had one completed and 3 more
poured. We need 12 so that leaves 3
more days if they only pour 3 per say, which is
all the forms that I saw in place.
So I’m disappointed about that.
We’ll have to purchase water for a couple of days at least the way
this is going. I understand about
things moving slower in Liberia but we pretty much had complete control of
getting this piece done and it’s already dragging.
I called to find out where
Robert was since we were supposed to meet at ELWA to pass off the balance
of the money received by wire from Chuck.
Robert had given the necessary amount to Ben Amos for the
registration and insurance on the truck.
Ben was to begin that today.
He’s also pushing to see how quickly we can get the container out of
the port. They are backed up with
only one large forklift to move containers around. That should be the first piece of
equipment sent over. Robert was at
ELWA with the electrician who would design the generator house to ensure we
have enough cooling space and will also wire the generators for
service. So that part of the project
is moving forward. Richard passed
off the remaining part of the funds received so that I can pay the lease on
the Equip lot. I haven’t received a
copy of the lease yet but we have a pretty good understanding of the main
components. Dave Waines and I have
discussed them by phone. He’s in
Greenville and will be back in town this Sunday. So, hopefully, we can get together to tie
everything up on Monday.
I was talking with Robert and
the electrician and I began discussing a well for the Cato property. Robert always reminds me of the volcanic
rock all over the property and says “if” we can find a place to dig
it. So I asked if anyone knew where
Living Water of Carolina, which is a ministry that puts down well and has a
drilling rig, was located. A white
guy was just walking into site and the electrical guy said that might be
one of them now. But it turned out
to be Steve Kejr of SIM. He ships a
lot of stuff with us and I also went to a Liberia Consultation event with
him in South Carolina once, years ago.
So it was good to have the chance to reacquaint myself with
Steve. He immediately mentioned that
he’d been talking with Chuck about having 2 barrels of motor oil shipped
over. For a barrel of decent quality
motor oil in Liberia the going price is currently $1,000. Wow!
Even buying it in the U.S. and having it shipped over still saves
$200 or so. We sat and talked for a
few minutes while Robert and the electrician went to visit the site for the
generators. Steve helped me find a
number that could give me a way to contact the Living Water folks. They used to be based at ELWA but have
subsequently moved their offices completely across town. I did make phone contact with one of their
folks but they were out in the bush doing some work. He promised to have the “boss man” call
me when he got back into the office later today. I haven’t heard anything yet, however.
It was time to go back and
pick up Christine so we left and returned to City Hall. Christine wasn’t quite ready to go so
Alex and I sat in the van next to City Hall to wait. Being a non-Liberian makes you a target
for everybody selling stuff on the street.
So, being parked by a U.S. style restaurant, with the windows down
and a white face drew the first vendor very quickly. A young adult Liberian came up and pulled
out a bag of brass crosses made from expended rifle shells. As soon as he began his sales pitch I
immediately knew him. “Excuse me sir
but I’m selling these crosses made from bullets in hopes of using something
that used to be for evil to bring peace to Liberia.” It was Michael who I had run into, and
filmed a session with, at the Greater Love Bible Baptist Church during last
year’s Crown training. Back then he
was selling wood carvings and had a motor scooter that he was using as a
taxi. He had a good thing going for
him and I was impressed with his business acumen and drive. He owned one scooter and was saving to
buy a second (the next Yellow Cab of Monrovian transportation). So I looked at him and said, “What’s your
name.” “Michael”, he said. I told him that I knew him and that we had
talked at Greater Love Baptist Church last year. “Greater Love Bible Baptist Church,” he
corrected me. “You took my picture
with my motorcycle,” he said, “and filmed me.” I told him that was right. I asked him what had happened to his
motorcycle business. He said the he
had had a wreck and the police had impounded it explaining that he had to
get a registration for $40 and also pay an impound fee for $10. He immediately asked if I would help him
get his motorcycle back. “What
happened to the saving that you were putting back for the 2nd
motorcycle?” He explained that his
mother’s sister had died in Ghanta and that there
were funeral expenses and other costs that he had to help his mother
with. That had used up all of his
savings. Now Michael could/may be a
con man (a good one). But that’s pretty much the way it is in Liberia when
there’s a death in the family. Other
family members and friends begin chipping in for the costs and to help
out. So he’s probably telling the
truth. “How much money do you make
per day selling these crosses?” “On
a good day, $5 but sometimes only $3.”
So if you make $5 then you can save $2?” “I have to eat!” “Right, but 5 good days will allow you to
get your motorcycle out of the impound.” He wasn’t too excited about the prospects
of that happening. “You know,” he
said, “ the longer it stays there the more parts
that go missing from it.” I believe
him. But I’m not willing, at least
not yet, to try to get his bike out of hock. I’m guessing that they will not release
it without both the $10 fee and the $40 registration. He presses me again to help him since “we
are old friends”. He’s really good. I say no, for now. So he asks for my email address. I had given it to him before so I gave it
to him again. Then he wanted my
phone number, which I would not give.
“But how will I make contact with you before you leave the country?” I ask where he’s spending most of his
time and he tells me at the entrance of the Royal Hotel where he can find
tourists that might buy his stuff.
That’s just up the street from Pastor Wesley’s church so I tell him
that, if I have a change of heart, I’ll find him there. If I lived in Monrovia I would be tempted
to take him on as a project. He has
some very natural business skills.
It would be a challenge to prevent him from becoming the boss rather
than the employee. Operating from a
distance would likely insure that any investment I made with him would be
lost. Who knows what will
happen. He’s back in my life for
now.
Christine finished with her
conference and she was starving. She
also wanted to speak to the President Pro-Temp of the Senate. So she decided we would visit him and eat
in the Senate’s cafeteria. So we had
a good meeting with the Senator but found that the cafeteria was
closed. Okay, since she also needed
to see someone in the executive mansion she thought we might eat there
instead. So we went and caught the
very tail end of the cafeteria’s shift.
I had rice with a fish based stew.
They don’t filet fish in Liberia so I, as my Daddy used to say, “chewed
my food like an old lady” being afraid of a bone in my throat. Christine had Fufu
soup which is the starchy root of a cassava plant pounded until it’s much
like a lump of uncooked dough. The
soup, which was also fish based, is then poured over the Fufu and eaten in concert with the dough. The total meal, with drinks, cost $5 for
the both of us combined. Christine
says she’s going to start eating there more often. The person she was calling to see became
available so she left me there in the cafeteria (apparently they don’t like
unknown people wondering around in the executive mansion) and gave
instructions that if she were not back by closing time one of the staff was
to escort me back down to my car.
She wasn’t back by closing time so one of the young ladies told me
to come with her. We made it down to
the bottom floor of the mansion and stepped out into the lobby just in time
to be shoved back into the stairwell and told to wait. As it turned out the President was just
coming in and they get a little nervous when white and black people are
standing around. It was pretty
interesting to see. Finally we were
allowed to come out and go outside.
I thanked my girl guide and found our car. Later Christine came down and we started
for home.
As we’re driving down the
highway Christine catches the Moroccan Airlines office out of the corner of
her eye. So she instructs Alex to
turn around and go back there. They’ve
just started flying to Monrovia and she wants to see what the prices are. They only fly out of JFK but their
introductory round trip amount is $1,200.
Wow, that would be half of what it’s costing us to us SN
Brussels. Even if they bump the cost
by $500 after the introductory offer it’s still
way less than what we’ve been paying.
So, while Christine is getting pricing, I ask them to get me pricing
for about 15 people for the dates of the 12 Stone trip. Their system is down but she takes my
name and number and promises to call with the amount. DAVE BEARCHELL, you should call Sabine
and ask here to check this out asap. It could be a huge savings.
So we finally got started
home again and Christine is very tired.
I’m somewhat bushed myself. I’ve
been sitting in the dark writing this on my laptop and now the generator has
just come on. So I’ll slip over to Christine’s
porch to see if the internet is up so that I can load this.
I haven’t been doing a very
good job of taking pictures on this trip.
Today we’ve spent a lot of time in governmental offices and they are
all paranoid (as in the U.S.) with picture taking in their buildings. It’s a shame but I understand. I’ll try to get one of the bullet cross so that you can at least see that.
Okay, I have 3 pictures to
load. You’ll get to meet Frances Dennis,
a very sharp Liberian lady that lived in England from 1981 until a couple
of months ago. She’s working as
Christine’s administrator. And you
get to see the “bullet cross”.
View Today’s Photos Next
Day’s Journal
|