Missions

Mission of the Month

Jabez School in Liberia, Africa

Dear friends in Oshkosh, There is lots of good news to share with you. This good news is in part due to the monetary gifts given by you. Your generosity in 2025 is gratefully accepted. Thank you! Let us tell you a few of the projects it helped to fund.

First, at the end of the school year in June, we had 7 students that registered for the required West Africa exam for 9th graders which one of the requirements needed to attend high school. This test is a pass/fail examination. On the day of the exam on person was sick and so could not go. She plans to go the next time is it offered. So of the 6 students from Jabez that took the exam, all six of them passed. We are so very pleased with the students and the education they received. This test is considered hard and a big achievement. One large school somewhat close to Jabez sent 40 students and no one passed. So you see it isn’t “everyone gets in.”

Thanks for Wesley’s gifts over the years, Jabez has been able to secure quality teachers and an atmosphere for learning. Second, money given to the United Methodist Foundation for building a sustainable organization earned good returns which gives us hope for the future. With this account growing, Jabez is able to give the teachers a raise. Although salaries were not where we wish, they are climbing. Rev. Jakes reported that the excitement was high when they received their first paycheck and the notice of their increase in salary. This was not an across the board raise, rather on that depended on skill, loyalty and Christian witness. We are grateful.

Third, the preschool afterschool program initiated this Fall at the request of parents has grown from the 26 in November to 41 in the middle of December, 2025. This program gives the children a chance for added quality education which is important since many times family finances do not always allow the little ones an on-time start.

Fourth, we were able to finish enclosing the entire school grounds with a wall-fence which improves the safety of the children and teachers within the ground especially from motorbikes and unwanted vehicles. Additional gates were added. Guards say they can do a better job now. We were told it has made a dynamic improvement. Also, a few hundred dollars were left over which was used to correct difficulties cause by erosion during the rainy season. It is most important that we keep up with saving our buildings from the elements of weather, age and use.

As 2026 unfolds we are looking at harvesting the palm oil from our farm, started five years ago to help with on-going sustainability. This will require hiring people for pick and preparing the gathering of the oil as well as a mill and storage area. And as always, many of the students need financial help. We want to help as many as we responsibly can, stay in school and succeed