Stories and links

Read about Bromley's History

History 

Article Links: 

"Bromley gets clinic well and computer lab" (see page 7)

"Adult Mission 2009" (see page 10)

"Return to Liberia"

"The Legacy of Margaret Mercer"

"Episcopal Women Engaged in Mission"

"St. James' Episcopal Church e-Pistle, Jan 24, 2009"

"*New* Article on Bromley" Blessings from Africa"

"A Mission of Light"

"St. David's Episcopal Church" 

Reflections:

From RJ, 18:
 
I will never take my health for granted again. During my time in Liberia, I realized how lucky I am to have survived my childhood. The reason I say this is because of one girl. I never met her because she was home sick most of the time I was at Bromley. She had come down with a bad case of Typhoid.
 
Typhoid is transmitted through water that has come in contact with human or animal waste. I knew that the drinking water there was not suitable for our consumption. But more than I felt sorry for her, I was angry. Typhoid was one of the shots I was required to get before I went down there. We have vaccines so readily available for us in developed nations. It takes 300 dollars, a few pricks, and a sore arm, a process many of us have been going through since birth. It's simple. But what is not so simple is how hard the resources are to get there. The mail is unreliable, people earn 5 dollars a day, if that, and since the war, there is no tourist income coming to the country.
 
I am so grateful to be able to stand here healthy, go to bed and not worry about mosquitoes, watch my favorite TV program, and walk outside and not be scared. But most of all, I will never say "I'm starving" again. Because I am not starving. I get three meals a day, countless snacks, and dozens of beverages at my disposal. Those girls I met were lucky that they got two meals every other day.
 
The mission trip to Africa gave me a new outlook on our American lives. I will still admit I am addicted to my computer and phone, but I would give it all up in a second just to see those girls truly healthy and happy.
 
 

From Liz, 18

I see myself as an avid traveler and mission-tripper. So when I got wind of a trip to Liberia being put together by St. James, I eagerly jumped on board. I knew nothing about solar panels, but I did have some background about the country via my brother and my father, who went to Liberia in November.

 

There is so much to say about the trip, and no amount of writing will live up to it. The whole experience is even difficult to go through even with my close friends. When acquaintances ask about my trip, I say “We installed solar light panels at a girl’s school.” Which is true, but simultaneously not true at all. Us youth helped, yes, sawing wood and drilling into concrete walls and replacing light bulbs. The meat of our time however, was spent with the many girls at Bromley.

 

Our team had hardly arrived at the riverfront school and was swarmed by beautiful inquisitive girls. One of the youngest, Baby Girl, took my hand. This began a week of constant attention and devotion, outpouring of love and a never-ending supply of letters and little gifts and notes from the girls. We didn’t have to do anything, prove anything, to deserve any of it. I truly saw God in each and every one of them; their actions and words. Each day we would spend time with them, to interact and talk. We taught them songs from Shrine Mont, and they would show us games and teach us songs as well. And believe me, Liberian tic tac toe is so much better!

 

Although I felt like I adapted quickly to daily life the country, it did not take away my sense of wonder to the area around me. I came to savor ice-cold Cokes with pop-tops, and hot and cold water alike. I quickly learned to check the sink faucet to see if water was on in a bathroom. If the faucet worked, I could flush the toilet – oh joy!

 

Never again will I complain about rain in my entire life, because I have heard the heavens drop everything they have, and it is deafening. I became used to the absence of my cell phone and the internet, and savored the bit of my summer where I was truly only connected to those around me, unreachable to the rest of the world.

 

There were some times, I will admit, that it was easy to forget where I was and what I was there for, especially when relaxing on the beautiful beaches.  It wasn’t hard to snap back to reality. The sight of shanty towns, and families flooded out of their homes when it rained too hard. Driving on dirt roads with potholes like gorges, and puddles like small lakes. These are just a few of the realities of the country we were faced with daily.

 

In Liberia, the poverty was just as widespread and dominant as the stunning landscape.  How much more beautiful and terrible could it get? The connections we made with all the girls in Bromley were precious and irreplaceable, and the progress our team made with installing the solar light panels is a dramatic improvement to the Bromley School. Liberia was with no doubt the mission trip of a lifetime.  When people ask me “How was it?” I reply with no exaggeration , “it was the most amazing trip I have ever been on in my life.”

From Gabrielle, 17

Hi my name is Gabrielle, I am 17 and I am a senior at Potomac falls high school. This summer I had the great opportunity to go toLiberia for 2 weeks. As soon as I heard about it I knew I wanted to go. I love mission trips, traveling, and helping people so I couldn’t wait to get there. Going into it, I think I was somewhat expecting to have my life changed. I mean how could I not. Everyone who I had ever talked to about going to Africa had told me that “it’s going to be such a life changing experience”. The only problem was I don’t think I understood what that really meant. Not until I was there, witnessing the horrible conditions of Liberia, but also being with the girls at the Bromley mission school. They changed my life in so many ways.  The way the girls were so accepting, welcoming, and real was amazing. They were great models of how we all should act. Not many people are quite like that around here.  It wasn’t until I arrived home that I realized how different my life was going to be.  It was a very difficult transition coming home to one of the richest counties in America, from one of the poorest countries in the world. I definitely appreciate everything I have so much more.  I knew I would never complain about cold showers, being hungry, or it being hot again. I also realized that I want to help and continue to help Africa throughout my life. Even my goals for the future have changed.  I have always wanted to be a teacher, and although that has not changed, I hope to do humanitarian work as well, or even a possible teaching experience in Liberia.  The effect the trip has made on my life is hard to put into words , but the trip was worth so much. As much as hope that we made an impact on the girls, I know that the girls made an impact on us. I went on this trip looking to give, but in the end I think I came back with more than I ever had.