Tuesday 23rd September

Duncan and Parks’ day.
It started with a trip to the bank to change some money and then to the supermarket for supplies. On the way back from the supermarket the heavens opened which meant instead of heading to the office going back to the guest house to change. The rain carried on coming down so we sent for a driver to pick is up.
The Bishop of Freetown was meant to send an email inviting Duncan but it had not arrived. We then headed across to the bishop’s office across town to see if the email had landed there but it also hadn’t (why we didn’t phone beforehand I don’t know!). Gus was looking after us today and he had the bright idea of phoning the foreign minister to get it sorted. He got hold of his number and within minutes he told us to get to the embassy as it was sorted! There was great rejoicing mainly by Duncan! Gus is a hero and is also a player as he never gives up an opportunity to chat up a lady.

After all that we had some lunch and then Duncan and Gus bored the pants off Parks by talking computer for the next few hours before heading back to the guest house

Mark and Loz’s day.

It was an early rise as we expected the Bishop to arrive at 7.30 and unsurprisingly, in true African fashion, he was an hour and a half late. From here on we set off in the Bishop’s vehicle to invade central Liberia. The Bishop gave us a 3 and a half hour guided tour of the country before we reached our first destination, St Peter’s Episcopal school, Bong County. On the way there we passed a Chinese Rubber factory and the residence of Charles Taylor....which I doubt he’ll ever reside in again!
At the school we sat before the students, very on show, and the church service ran its course. After Mark’s announcement that Loz is a supporter of the best football club in the world, Manchester United, the congregation of Chelsea supporters dressed in Chelsea Blue and White could barely contain there dislike for him.
After St Peter’s we reached Cuttington University. The University is unlike anything we’ve seen in Liberia. Much more developed, the campus, in complete American fashion, is a large open site with many structures ranging from a church to a museum to student accommodation. We enjoyed a service during which both Mark and Loz spoke. On the way back to Monrovia the entire team fell asleep in the car, except the driver, and when Loz awoke the surreal nature of the situation hit him. Sitting in the back of the Toyota land cruiser he realised that he was in the company of a heavily snoring Bishop of Liberia and his wife, a Canon Mark Payne nodding in sleep also snoring gently, and so, he settled down to listen to Jon Bon Jovi and buried his head in Cameron on Cameron....Laurence the Tory? Hmmmm.
We spent some time briefly at St Augustine’s School where we jumped in and out of the chapel before heading off in the car, eventually reaching our base back in Monrovia.