Dear Friends,
We have completed our second trip to Liberia with a wild ride on the second most dangerous road I have traveled (open attachment for #1, #3, and #4). I also walked across the bridge into Sierra Leone that the rebels used to launch the civil war many years ago.
More importantly we have established SURGE SOCCER LIBERIA and are working with our Liberian colleagues on educational, leadership, discipleship initiatives and sports ministry training.
So much more in the attachment and on our website – www.surgesoccer.org. And on our website read the former MIss Liberia’s riveting story about her love and commitment to her country…and be blessed by our short video in Liberia.Your prayers and donations make all the difference.
NOTE: We are back in Tecate, Mexico September 10th for the orphanage charity match…check with me for details.
sharing hope through soccer,
Dave Irby
US Soccer ‘A’ License
A glimpse of my second trip to Liberia this year:
The road from Monrovia to Bo Waterside was not the most dangerous road I’ve ever been on!
That title belongs to the road in Uganda we traversed after our final evangelist soccer match in 1989. But it edges out the mountain road in Bolivia where we were trapped in a mudslide for 14 hours. Driving across the Sahara Desert in Sudan, where there were no roads would be 4th.
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For the second time this year Susie and I stood at the Delta ticket counter at 4:30am only to find
out there was a flight cancelation. This time all my flights weren’t cancelled, just the first one.
😂The Delta agent said, “Oh, your flight to New York is cancelled, but all your other flights are
good.” 🤷So, at the last minute I got the last seat in the last row on a flight to Atlanta. At the
Atlanta airport the Delta rep told me all flights from Atlanta to New York are full. I think I got the
last seat again. 🙏🇺🇸✈️🇱🇷🙏
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It was a nice relief to arrive in New York and be greeted by Roy and Roberta Reed who had
flown in from Denver to join me for our work in Liberia. But my relief was short lived. After a
long flight to Accra, Ghana, and a warm greeting by our colleagues when we landed in Liberia;
and a drive over a rough road to our hotel we found out they only had one room. More scrambling
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Add to that the weather change from cool to hot, hot and humid, not to mention the wild ride I
took with our Liberian colleagues (Amos, Darius and George) to Bo Waterside to a leadership
seminar we were conducting, and our first ever Surge Soccer Tournament in Africa.
Note: George, was awarded a Billy Graham Scholarship to Wheaton College, but should be a race rally driver.😊
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The trip was highlighted by Roy and Roberta being interviewed on three radio stations. Roberta
was able to share her expertise in education and Roy his expertise in helping trauma victims.
Roberta also conducted a teacher’s seminar with Ollie White, former Miss Liberia, who the Lord
is using to transforming education in Liberia.
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Roy tested positive for Covid so he quarantined after the second day…My colleagues had me
walk across the bridge to Sierra Leone as a reminder that the rebel troops used this bridge to
launch the civil war…approximately 250,000 lost there lives and over one million Liberians fled
the country…between the war and Ebola Liberia is still trying to recover…40% of population is
under age 15, with median age 19…roads and infrastructure are a mess.
You will find Ollie’s amazing story, Roberta’s blog, and perhaps some compelling reasons to donate as we working to bring hope to a country that ranks 174 out of 187 on the United Nations Development index.