Story Time

Today Meg gave a talk in church. She did very well! Then in Young Women's class she was asked to give the lesson because her teacher wasn't prepared to give it. (This is the second time she has had to do this.)
After church we got home, ate, rested, and then our two Home teachers came over for a visit. Brother Franklin told us a story about himself during the war. He said that one night some soldiers came to his house and dragged him and several children out of bed, and threw them into a truck. The soldiers took them to a beach and had them stand next to a fallen palm tree. They came up to Brother Franklin first and said. "Take off your shirt." (Bro. Franklin says that this meant you were going to die) Franklin said that he asked if he could say a prayer first. The soldiers mocked him and told him, "That won't help you! There is nothing you can do that will save you. Lie down on the tree, now." Brother Franklin said he was persistent and asked until they consented. He knelt down to offer up a prayer, and he said as soon as he did so a voice came to him and told him, "Fight! Fight for your life!" He said this message was clear as day. Brother Franklin explained how he kicked down the two guards at his legs, got off the tree, and turned to run away. As he turned to run the third guard brought down his sword and cut his head open, right across the top. He did not stop running though. He said that he knew God was with him and was giving him strength, because he was not getting weaker from the loss of blood. He felt more energized and strong with each step. He outran the guards and felt impressed to run a certain way. He came to a compound with four walls, and realized that this was the ONLY wall that did not have barbed wire on the top of it.
Brother Franklin told us how there was a lone palm tree growing up one of the walls. He said he climbed up it, and it bent over perfectly to allow him to drop onto the ground on the inside. Franklin explained how it had been raining very hard all night. The rain water was pushing away the earth from under the roots of the trees inside the compound just enough to allow him to scramble and hide underneath. He scooped up the mud around him and packed it onto his head to try and slow the bleeding. Then he took off his shirt, and started rubbing mud all over him to try and camouflage himself. Not moments after he finished, Franklin said that the soldiers came up to the compound wall, shining their big lamps and flashlights all around the courtyard. He said they shined it right in his eyes, but did not see him. The soldiers gave up and went on their way. A while later Brother Franklin said he knew he had to get his 'flayed head' taken care of. So he pretended to be a soldier and went to a barrack to get his wound sutured up, since all the hospitals were closed. Franklin said that the nurse didn't even bother to clean it, and just sewed him right up. He told us how it started to get really big and built up. My Mom laughed and said, "That's called a hematoma. Blood welling up." Franklins eyes got all big and round and he said, pointing to his head, "Hematoma?! There was a MOUNTAIN on my head!" We all burst out laughing. Then he demonstrated how he would press the top of his head against a wall to get the swelling to go down. We all laughed again. He knows how to make a sad subject humorous.
He said the war was a bad time. And Liberia is much better now. The people don't want that happening again.
I am grateful for that. There are many things we hear about the war that would just break your heart. But each day the people are progressing, and striving to become better. We hope to share and help all we can to speed this process up.