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How does one describe the trip of a lifetime? Words and even images are not adequate to describe the movements of the heart which unfolded during our three weeks in Liberia and Ghana. Let me begin by going back in time to describe the beginnings of this adventure for three staff workers of Madonna House.
These two houses in West Africa were related by a movement of the Spirit at a particular time in our history. The first to open was Madonna House Liberia in 1987 which in turn gave birth to Madonna House Ghana in 1990. Both houses are now closed.
Madonna House Liberia had a history steeped in much joy and eventually pain as it journeyed with its people who were in time engulfed in a horrible civil war.
As the war came closer to the city of Harper, where our house was located, we were asked to leave the country by our beloved Bishop Boniface Dalieh.
At the time of this leave-taking, the director of the house, Genevieve Enoe, was in Combermere for the local directors’ meetings. So she never got to say good-bye.
For these 24 years, she has been longing to return to see the many dear ones left behind, most of them young men and women in their teens who were an integral part of the house, a much beloved extended family.
During these years, Genevieve has maintained contact with some of them, but the desire of her heart was to return to see them in the flesh.
On May 24th, Genevieve and Darrin Prowse, formerly on staff in Ghana, and I, the former local director of MH Ghana, left from Toronto to make the journey to Liberia.
We landed in Monrovia at 7:00 p.m. on May 25th, and as we exited from the airport, we were immediately engulfed in shouts of delight and embraces of the heart.
Three of our young friends had traveled from the city to the airport (a drive of an hour and a half in horrendous traffic) to welcome us. There were smiles and tears as these three young men delighted in seeing their “mother,” “Sister” Genevieve once more on Liberian soil.
Generosity is a word which knows no limit among our West African friends. Our first two days in Monrovia saw friend after friend arrive at the pastoral centre where we were staying, just to be with us, to feed us, to accompany us to Sunday Mass, to introduce us to their families, and to show us how their lives have evolved since the war and the Ebola crisis.
As they told us about their lives, the phrase we heard over and over was “we are struggling,” but it was not a phrase steeped in self-pity. Rather it was accompanied by evidence of resilience and much joy.
In spite of the obvious poverty in this war-torn country, there is a great desire to move on with life.
On Monday we made the trek from Monrovia to Harper, a distance along the coast of approximately 300 miles. We drove with the vicar general of the Harper diocese, who was returning from a conference.
For the most part the road was not paved and, since the beginning of the rainy season was upon us, it took a total of fifteen hours to make the journey.
The return trip was twenty hours as the rains had progressed significantly resulting in much mud on the roads. (The country has just been granted a loan to restore and build the much needed road system to reconnect the country.)
While in Harper, we were the recipients of hospitality offered by Bishop Karnley and Msgr. Gaye.
We spent five days visiting the former Madonna House and searching for and finding the many friends who are still in Harper, and who, having survived the war years are now putting their lives back together again. Mr. Harris, a friend from the beginning, played a vital role in helping us reconnect.
We listened to stories, shed tears, and witnessed once again the resiliency of these wonderful people. We were told that by returning for this visit we brought much-needed hope in that our friends could see that we had not forgotten them.
On the other hand, it was hard to hear and know the truth of the words from one woman who said, “Sister Genevieve, I will not see you again.”
Although the main reason for our journey was to visit Liberia, we could not be so close to Ghana and not try to visit our many friends in that country.
It was touch and go as to whether we would be able to make this part of the trip, but at the last minute the doors opened and we found ourselves emerging from the Accra airport into a city which at first glance was hard to recognize.
The economic difference between the two West African countries is staggering, but the embrace of the people is the same.
Our time in Ghana was short. However, God’s time is not our time, and he did his best to connect us with the people we needed to see.
It was beautiful to see our former Madonna House in Ho being used to house the retired priests of the diocese who need to be close to medical help.
Friends just passing by on the street saw us and ran to greet us. They took us to their homes to show us how their lives have evolved.
On June 8th we attended Mass at St. Cecilia’s, our former parish, and met many who had come to daily Mass.
A highlight of the time in Ghana was a visit to Bame, a small village outside of Ho where Bishop Lodonu, who had invited us to open a house in Ghana, is now living in retirement.
His gracious hospitality helped make our time with him one of blessing, and an evening meal with Fr. Affrim and Sister Cecilia was also a time of blessing.
At the beginning I shared how it is hard to put into words all that happened during this all-too-short visit to Liberia and Ghana. Before we knew what was happening, we were back in Monrovia and preparing for our final departure back to Canada.
Right up until the time of our leave-taking from the guest house, we were surrounded by friends. Now they were coming to say good-bye and trying to express how much this time has meant to them.
We may have given them a tiny morsel of hope, but what they have given to us—in terms of their faith witness, their joy, their love for Madonna House, their sense of generosity, family and hospitality—is without measure. Until we meet again my friends!
