A family from Manitoba has been in Liberia, Africa for over three years and they are sharing how they've seen God move during their time. 

Angela Davis is a missionary living in Liberia with her husband, Emmanuel, and their four children. Davis initially grew up in Grunthal, Manitoba, while Emmanuel was born in Liberia. 

"We met in Steinbach at Loewen Windows of all places in 2006," says Davis. "We were married in 2007 and God had us on a journey preparing us for the mission field but this was always our goal."

The couple took missions training through Southland Church in Steinbach in a program called School of Ministers. In 2018, the couple decided to move their family of six to Liberia. 

"Emmanuel was born here and when he was 10, a 14-year civil war started. He was in and out of refugee camps for a good portion of his life."

It was a missionary couple that came to Liberia in 2000 that changed Emmanuel's life.

"He's a friendly guy so he invited this couple and their daughter to his mom's house to share a meal. They just really loved him and said if you ever need anything, here's our phone number. You're free to call us anytime and they just made him feel really special."

Three to four years after the missionaries met Emmanuel, he ended up in a refugee camp in Ghana. It was here that he found a program that offered refugees an opportunity to resettle in Canada. 

"By faith, Emmanuel dialled this number that he had memorized. Sure enough, it was his now adopted mom who was so excited to hear from him and take him into their home and help him adjust to life in Canada. That was 17 years ago to the day."

One year after moving to Manitoba, Emmanuel found a job in Steinbach, he met his future wife.

A Lifelong Dream

"As we were getting to know each other, Emmanuel felt the call to come back to Liberia and serve his own people. I remember for myself, I think I was 12 when I heard my first mission report at church. I remember telling my parents on the way home, 'I want to be a missionary when I grow up.'"

Since moving to Liberia three and a half years ago, the couple and their kids have faced ups and downs. 

"It's been quite an adventure, good and bad sometimes. So much of it has been learning to follow the voice of God."

The Davis family committed to being in Liberia for four years straight.

"When we came to Liberia, we met other missionaries and they would ask us, 'How long do you plan to be here?' We would say four years and they said we were crazy and shouldn't be here longer than 18 months. When we asked them why they said because it's hard. It is, Liberia is a hard place to live."

Davis has learned from her experience and the organization that sent them to take time for herself as well as set boundaries so she and her family don't burn out. 

"We have done our best to make family time a priority. Then, spending time in the word and with other believers as much as possible to be encouraged."

Part of the Davis's mission is to disciple people. They've experienced answers to prayer over the time they've been in the African country. 

"The fruit we've been able to see in people's lives is a victory," says Davis. "Just watching people implement the things we've been teaching is really exciting. God's provision has been beyond what we could have ever imagined. God practically built us a house and we moved in two weeks ago."

The family will be returning to Manitoba this June if all goes as planned. They hope to spend eight months in Manitoba before returning to Liberia. 

"We're praying that all these COVID restrictions will be done so we can freely hang out with everyone when we get back."

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