Introducing Hope for Home Liberia!

I have been sitting on a possible ministry expansion for some time now, but I am finally free to share it. In March, Hope for Home Ministries will be expanding into Liberia, Africa! God has brought this opportunity to us and laid it in our laps through my good friends, Don and Melanie Riley.

I have known the Rileys since 2000 when Don filled the youth pastor role at Pleasant View Missionary Church that I had vacated in late 1999. Since that time our friendship has deepened, and we have spent much time together. Before our move to Guatemala, Don and I were prayer and accountability partners, meeting together weekly. I have come to respect Don as one of the finest men of God and people of integrity that I have ever known. We have always had a oneness of spirit, and Don has helped to sharpen and build me as a man of God.

I have often dreamed of partnering with Don and Melanie in ministry, but it seemed that God was taking us in different directions. We were called to Guatemala with Hope for Home while they were called to Liberia with Wordsower Liberia. So, we both trusted God’s path and followed Him.

We moved to Guatemala in January of 2011 and the Rileys headed to Liberia in May of 2013. They moved to a very remote part of Liberia and suffered lots of sickness and struggles. It was a very tough year for their entire family, but God still moved through them and around them. They returned to the States for a brief furlough one year later, and while they were away Ebola struck. Flights into and out of Liberia were cancelled and their brief furlough turned into nine months. 

When they returned they established a new base for Wordsower in Bong County, Liberia. Their living conditions improved and God opened doors for sharing the Gospel and working in local schools. They also started a sponsorship program for children orphaned by Ebola. But during that time, they also struggled with the corruption and stealing that is so prevalent in that culture.

Back in October I received a message from Don explaining that they were taking another brief furlough to collect themselves and pray about the future. He asked if he and Melanie could come and spend two weeks with us in Guatemala as they sought God’s direction. And that brings us to 12 days ago when they arrived for their visit.

Over these days together, Don, Melanie, Wanda and I have all spent extensive time talking and praying for direction. It seemed very clear to all of us that God was leading them to leave behind Wordsower Liberia and partner with Hope for Home as they return to Liberia. While they have a good relationship with the Wordsower Board of Directors, they believe their vision for their work aligns perfectly with the vision of Hope for Home. They are leaving with both the blessing and assistance of Wordsower’s board, and we will work with them to assure a smooth transition. Likewise, the Hope for Home Board of Directors has voted unanimously to affirm this direction.

Don and Melanie will be returning with a commitment to another year in Liberia and will a focus on the following:

• Working with their 35 sponsored children to help their families move toward self-sufficiency and finding long-term solutions for those for whom self-sufficiency is not possible
• Discipling teachers within the schools to teach the Bible
• Distributing a large supply of donated David C. Cooke Action Bibles to the schools to be used for Bible instruction
• Discipling church leaders in their county as God allows

The next few weeks will be a whirlwind for the Rileys as they are ordering supplies, packing, nailing down stateside details and saying goodbye to family. Please keep them in your prayers. You can follow their journey through their blog at www.liberiacalls.blogspot.com. 

We also ask that you pray for our ministry as a whole. With this expansion, we will now have a branch in the U.S., Guatemala, Uganda and Liberia. At the same time, we currently have two families stateside who are raising funds to join our work in Guatemala, and four other families seeking God’s direction regarding joining this work. Meanwhile, our rural village ministry is currently expanding to two new departments. Needless to say that my role and responsibilities are expanding significantly. I need God’s wisdom, strength and strong guidance every day. And, as I pass off more and more delegated responsibilities to our staff and team of missionaries, they need it as well. So, please pray! And when you do, don’t forget to thank Him for the opportunities He continues to lay in front of us!

Blessings and love from Guatemala!

Daryl, Wanda and the Crew