April 10th - President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf plans to hold a cabinet meeting in Cape Palmas.
President Sirleaf wants her cabinet members to see and experience the conditions in the rural and most under developed part of the country. Having a cabinet meeting in Cape Palmas is the equivalent of President Bush having his cabinet meet in Bismarck, North Dakota. The cabinet members will come by road. It will be a revealing trip for many of them who prefer to stay close to Monrovia and its many conveniences.
April 13th - President Sirleaf arrives in Cape Palmas.
The president and her cabinet passed by the mission here in Barrake at about eight in the evening. Our church sign was lighted by spotlights. The church doors were open and all the lights were on. Fr. Marwa, some parishioners and I waved at the convoy as it passed by the mission.
April 14
th - Bishop Dalieh gives a luncheon in honor of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
The president had accepted the invitation of Bishop Dalieh for a luncheon to honor her visit and that of her cabinet members to Cape Palmas. Bishop Dalieh asked me to sit with the President at the luncheon and to offer words of thanks at the end of the meal. Bishop Dalieh and I warmly greeted the President as she entered the Pastoral Center building.
The meal consisted of tradition Liberian dishes such as jelof rice, fried and roasted chicken, cassava leaf sauce and a variety of Liberian fruits.
The president told me that she had asked her driver to make a five minute stop in Barrake so she could greet me but she was informed that I was already in Cape Palmas. At the hour long luncheon I had the opportunity to ask the president many questions. One was: "In your meetings with ordinary Liberian citizens what are the most frequent issues they raise?" Her answer: "Roads and jobs." She has already made some progress on the roads. Jobs are a more illusive target. In this area the Liberian government hopes this year to finalize agreements with international companies to rehabilitate existing rubber and palm oil plantations. The rubber plantation has 8,000 acres and the palm oil plantation has 15,000 acres. Initially, these will provide 2,000 jobs and as many as 5,000 when the plantations are fully operational. We also talked about health and education. She informed me that the USA and Chinese governments are working to rehabilitate the main campus of the University of Liberia.
President Sirleaf is 68 years old but has the energy and stamina of a woman half her age. Her schedule today began with an eight o'clock town meeting with the citizens of Pleebo. Then at one she had the luncheon with Bishop Dalieh. After that she had a town meeting with the citizens of Cape Palmas. Everyone was given a chance to speak. She graciously answered even irrelevant questions. On particular issues she asked her cabinet members to respond to the concerns of the citizens. That meeting was followed by a cabinet meeting which began at eight and ended at eleven fifteen.
April 15th - A Breakfast meeting with two cabinet members.
To lessen the cost of the trip to Cape Palmas the President asked the citizens to host her delegation. Chris Toe, the Minister of Agriculture and Kofi Woods, the Minister of Labor stayed with Bishop Dalieh. I was invited for breakfast as they were leaving by a UN helicopter at 11:00 a.m. I have known both of these men for many years. We sat for nearly an hour discussing various issues which face Liberia. They were casual in their dress, informal in conversation and very candid in answering the many questions I presented to them. I plan to meet with them when I go to Monrovia next month for an SMA meeting.
Christ Toe is from Grand Cess and was educated for 12 years in our Catholic school system. He has his PhD from a university in the former Soviet Union. Kofi Woods is a graduate of St. Patrick's High School and an attorney. He set up the Justice and Peace Commission for the Catholic Church in Liberia and was its first Director.
It is interesting to note the change of attitude in Liberia. When the first SMA missionaries arrived in Liberia they met some hostility and widespread prejudice. After a brief start in Monrovia the Church decided to close the mission there and to move to the Kru Coast. At that time it was unthinkable that a Catholic could be a part of the Government. Now there are three Catholic cabinet members.
In her remarks at the end of the luncheon President Sirleaf had high praise for the work the Church has done in Liberia, especially in the field of education. She noted the educational work the Church did in the remote areas when the Government could not operate because of the lack of funds. Today, the Church is widely accepted.
April 22nd - A frightened child comes to Church.
For about ten minutes before Mass I walk up and down the aisle of the church greeting people. I try to greet each child personally. They enjoy the attention. Today, when I tried to greet a one year old child she looked at me, started to cry, turned her head away and fiercely clung to her older sister. Even after she saw me greeting nearby children she still was frightened of me. This is not unusual in smaller villagers. They seldom, if ever see a white person. When they see me dressed in a long white cassock they are frightened but that is a short term problem. | 
