Polly Riddle - The Best to the Guest: Mama Polly in Liberia

Mama Polly in Liberia

POLLY RIDDLE

Copyright 2014 Polly Riddle.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Inspiring Voices

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ISBN: 978-1-4624-0978-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4624-0979-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014909004

Inspiring Voices rev. date: 9/9/2014

Contents

This diary of my trip to Liberia to teach adults would never have come about without the seeds sown by my mother, who in December of 2013 turned ninety-eight. When I was a child, she taught me elocution, generosity of spirit, perseverance, and the Bible. Her nurturing has returned a thousand-fold. Thank you, Mother.

In addition, I would like to dedicate this diary to the two women, Marinda and Martha, who took a chance on this American lady. Marinda knew me from her days at my church, and she knew I had helped her raise funds for her school. Martha knew me only as the teacher of math teachers and Frisbee player when our mission group came to her orphanage in 2010. Neither knew how I would react to their reality. Both were women in their fifties who had lost their husbands during the civil war in Liberia 1989-2004 and could have immigrated to the United States for a life of leisure. Instead, they sought to enrich their country with a school and an orphanage.

Finally, the diary is dedicated to the glory of God, who wishes all things well.

When Marinda Badio pursued her masters degree to become principal of a school being built in Monrovia, she attended Pollys church, St. Andrews United Methodist. Polly secured money and books for the school.

In 2010 Polly went to see Marindas school, Haweh Academy, and was asked to hand out kindergarten diplomas. Marinda had dubbed her Mama Polly. In the courtyard after the graduation ceremony was a young man who looked to be fifteen. Mama Polly asked him if he was studying there or somewhere else. No? Then she asked, What do you do? He couldnt say.

Polly found out about the lost generation because of their conscription into the civil war (19892003) and other causes. They had no hope. When the war was over and the guns removed, they didnt know anything about making a living. Mama Polly was appalled: a young man without a positive future. She prayed.

After a bit, she realized she was being called to return to Liberia to teach a Basics Boot-camp: two hours of phonics and literacy and one hour of arithmetic for twenty days. Her students would be men in the morning and women in the afternoon. She could give three monthsone each in Monrovia, White Plains, and Ganta, each of which she had visited before. She was uniquely qualified for this at age sixty-eight, being a retired teacher of math and reading with a masters and a doctorate in English to speakers of other languages, plus a masters of divinity from a seminary. Her husband of more than thirty-seven years, Ira, had died in 2009, the year after they had moved to Anns Choice, a senior living residence. Her home was protected.

She taught several adults from the community to read in Monrovia at Marindas school. At Marthas orphanage in White Plains, she raised the skills of many adults; unfortunately, it was too close to Christmas, and possible students could not afford to take the time to come because they worked so hard for many hours. Since going to Ganta was not to be realized, she stayed in White Plains for three more weeks. She played phonics games, sang songs, danced, worshiped, led Bible studies, and exercised with the children.

The orphanage has a dream to produce cassava and other cash crops in order to build a library and a clinic on its grounds, which already includes a school. Now they want to start a Mama Polly-inspired night school that people could actually attend because they work during the day.

In Monrovia Mama Polly spent two extra weeks helping her former students, teaching two eleventh graders to upgrade their math background, and offering a literary Bible study on the gospel of Mark. This was to further the skills of her students and others. A Mama Polly night school is planned there, too. God was, and continues to be, in it all.

The many people of Inspiring Voices Publishing Company have made my diary come to life. I thank you.

My sister Carolyn proofread the diary twice and made suggestions. My friend and dinner companion Mary helped me proofread the semi-final product. Lee used his computer expertise to combine the separate parts. Marty, Howard, and Bill helped augment my computer skills. Many people have encouraged me by many different means. God be praised for all their efforts on my behalf.

To prepare for my adventure, I sought the counsel of Pastor Wendy at St. Andrews UMC along with that of Jan and Beth of Compassion Corps. I had originally thought of leaving in May, but at an eye appointment in December, I was told to return to them in June for possible cataract surgery. I was also needed for a church mission trip to North Carolina in October. That would give me a chance to study at the School of Christian Mission in July as well as attend the Leadership Summitand get my week at the beach in August. Finally, I decided that healing from surgery would be finished by the time I worked the election polls in November. Beth obtained plane tickets from Philadelphia to Monrovia via Atlanta and a visa for Saturday, November 12. The result of the eye exam was that I had cataracts, but they were not worth doing anything with them at that time.

Supplies for the mission came in dribbles. I told my friends at St. Andrews I needed composition books, pens (both black and colored), markers, and pencils for 100 people. This number came to my head; I just didnt know how many students I would have. The provisions came in a timely manner to fill a barrel; the church sends three to four a year to Liberia, often to Marinda with school and church materials. One barrel would be dedicated for my trip. It was sent off in August so that it would arrive before me. People also gave me money since a missionary pays her own way. (Marinda uses the barrels to save rain water and however else her mind devises.)

In May, I attended the annual conference, the business part of church in eastern Pennsylvania. The Cokesbury Book Store was offering $10 off if you spent $50. They had seeker New Testaments in a brand new translation, the Common English Bible (CEB), for $1.99 each. Since it was one coupon per person, I gathered three friends, and we each pre-ordered twenty-six to be sent at the beginning of September. I paid for mine and two others; one staked me for her box. The books arrived on time at each friends home. One friend sent his to me; I went to the others homes to collect them. That way I had 104 New Testaments to use as reading textbooks.