Black Friday in Liberia

Main Street of Zwedru in July

Did you know that Liberia has an event much like our Black Friday?  A few days before Christmas last year, the main street of our home town, Zwedru, was shut down as store owners and venders brought their merchandise into the street to sell.  Melanie and I went to town during this festive time to pick up groceries.  We will never forget what we saw.  The street was packed with Liberians frantically looking for that special gift to give their loved ones just like our stores are packed in the States on Black Friday.  Liberians, however, are among the world’s poorest.  For most them, they walked the street that day with friends dreaming of owning things they will never be able to afford.  So what do Liberians dream of owning?  Imagine the worst garage sale you have ever gone to and you will have a mental picture of the types of things that filled the Zwedru's streets.  The streets were covered with things that were obviously rejected from 2nd hand stores in the States.  The toys were scratched and broken.  Baby dolls were missing eyes.  Toy cars had bent axels or were missing wheels.  The street literally looked like it had been polluted by garbage from the United States.  People were dreaming of owning our Junk.

Imagine the irony we felt as we stood and watched people fighting over junk.  Christmas felt completely different that year.  Our hearts, for the first time, were untouched by materialism.  Sales people tried to sell us broken toys for our children but they could not convince us to buy anything because we saw everything for what it really was.  It was junk.  

At one point, Melanie and I stopped in the center of the chaotic street and said to each other, this is what we must have looked like to our Heavenly Father as we prepared for our past Christmases in the States.  Though we had great spiritual need, we earnestly prayed that God would help us purchase things He knew were junk.  We too have been guilty of dreaming about owning garbage.  I can’t help but wonder if any of our old Christmas presents were in the streets of Zwedru last year. 

Children in Sino Town

This Christmas, let us remember to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves do not break in and steal (Matthew 6:20).  How can we do this?  Jesus said, “Whatever you do to one of the least of these you have done to me” (Matthew 25:37-40).  Let us remember the poor, the orphans, and the widows (James 1:27).  Let’s spend away ourselves on behalf of those who cannot help themselves.  I love you all.  I pray that you have a very Merry Christmas Season!