–By Tee Latham and Monica Carr
When Emmanuel Dehpue refused a blood test it made headlines. His 11 year-old niece, Josephine, was the first to die of Ebola in Karnplay, Liberia, followed by her father Mr. Joseph Kantuah and Emmanuel’s sister-in-law. Emmanuel and his wife Reta, their children, and Joseph’s widow Victoria and her children, along with 24 others were put in quarantine. Some, like Victoria and her son Prince, came down with symptoms and were treated at the ELWA treatment center, while Emmanuel and others waited helplessly at the quarantine center. During this difficult time of isolation, one source of hope for Emmanuel came in the form of a radio devotional, broadcast by the Church of the Nazarene. The Biblical message of Christ’s redeeming love touched him.
When he was released from quarantine, Emmanuel and his extended family returned to their farm in Younlay and were devastated to discover that thieves had harvested all of their cocoa crops, and their rice crops had failed in their absence. The family now had nothing to live on. During this hard time of transition, Pastor Tee Latham, who also works with the radio ministry, came to visit the family. He prayed for the family, shared the gospel with them, and invited them to a revival conference at the Younlay church. There, the entire family received Christ as Lord. Please pray for the Dehpue and Kantuah families as they resettle, while mourning the loss of loved ones, as well as for the Younlay church.
