Answering the Long Distance “Call” for Service
In the dealership world, answering service calls and responding to our customers’ needs is second nature. It’s what we are blessed to do every day. But what if that call took you half-way around the world? Would you have the courage and faith to answer it?
On February 10th, Roger Miller, a technician at the AgriVision Equipment Pacific Junction location, and John Isaac, a retired technician from the PrairieLand Partners Hutchinson location, answered the call with a cautious, yet resounding yes. They were accompanied by Mel Kejr, the mission organizer and farmer from the Salina, KS area, and 18 suitcases full of parts and tools to accomplish their call.
The call they answered came from the ELWA campus located in the Republic of Liberia in West Africa. ELWA (Eternal Love Winning Africa) is a US based nonprofit, nondenominational Christian ministry providing spiritual and physical aid to the hurting people of Liberia who have been affected by war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine. The mission is located on a 130-acre campus by the Atlantic Ocean outside of Monrovia, the capital of Liberia.
Their ministries include:
- ELWA Hospital (110 bed facility) & Trinity Dental Clinic (1 of 5 dentists in the entire country of Liberia, approximately 1 to 1,000,000 ratio)
- Radio Station ELWA
- Scholarships at ELWA Academy (approximately 1000 students attend) and other schools.
- Evangelism and discipleship programs with the local Church
- Infrastructure improvements on the compound and other areas
- Providing food for Liberia’s most needy
- Orphan care
- Vocational Training
Critical infrastructure necessary to support these endeavors include safe water, dependable electricity, and maintenance of roads and structures. They internally try to provide for each of these utilities but have found maintaining 24/7 electricity the most difficult infrastructure to maintain, especially when dealing with the hospital that has little margin for black outs. They have access to government electricity, but it has been and continues to be very unreliable. ELWA has their own powerhouse in order to have reliable and sustainable power, but they don’t have the resources or expertise to overhaul the engines generating the power themselves. The powerhouse consists of 5 engines and the generators associated with them. Two of which were inoperable and in need of an overhaul and the other three not far behind.
The team arrived 23 hours after departure and immediately had to adjust to the time difference along with extreme heat and humidity. They also dealt with an engine that had already been disassembled with some critical pieces missing. Even though they were met with many challenges, they felt God’s hand in providing solutions for progress each day. Roger said, “I got to meet people from different cultures and see that they are working toward a common goal like we do but have a lot more obstacles to overcome. I was honored to be asked to go and I would go again someday.” John mentioned that “seeing a need and being able to fulfill it with your God-given abilities is very rewarding and if the opportunity arises again, I am ready to serve.”
By the time the team left on the 24th of February, both the John Deere and Cummins Engines were connected to the generators and producing electricity for the people of the ELWA mission.
We would like to express our gratitude to Roger, John, and Mel for their selfless service abroad and hope this encourages you in some small way to step out of your comfort zone to serve wherever the need arises.