Surviving the War - Jonathan's Story

The first time Jonathan Cippy watched a man get shot he almost fainted.  “The war in Liberia changed the way people think,” he told us.  “They could no longer process what is right and what is wrong.”  Jonathan grew up in a village on the outskirts of Ganta (two hours from the ABC campus).  And his family took refuge on his parents’ farm during the war.  He, his wife, and his oldest son stayed with his parents in their small home.  It was strange to hear Jonathan describe the idle life his family lived for 15 years.  All day every day they did nothing but sit, and hunt for food on their farm.  They lived off of the vegetables their land produced, and once in a while he would risk his life and sneak into town for essentials they couldn’t go on living without, such as soap.   Jonathan constantly reminded his family and the people he ran into that killing was wrong.  Even if it meant death, Jonathan believed that fighting back was not what God intended for his people.  So he encouraged everyone he saw not to do so. 

The rebels that often visited Ganta heard rumors that Jonathan didn’t approve of violence.  During one of his visits into town, two rebels confronted Jonathan about his refusal to join the rebel army, and tried to convince him to fight with them.  He managed to get away.  The second time he made a visit to the store, the same rebels were there.  They pointed their guns at him and swore to kill him if he refused to fight.  Jonathan turned and ran, with them at his heals. He dodged inside the first house he saw, and made it through the back door.  Then he ran through a second house that led out to the bush, where he took cover in the forest.  Jonathan thought he was going to die that day, but the Lord spared him from the hands of the rebels.

He said that the war taught people how to pray - and how to pray faithfully.  Jonathan believes that the war ended with more Christians in Liberia than when it began.  People immediately attended church regularly after the war came to an end.  They learned how to cling to their faith. 

He believes that the biggest problem the war caused was the mindset of its youth.  “They no longer can grasp where they come from, who they are, and where they are going in life,” he says.  As my Dad describes it, an entire generation grew up without an education.  While we were in Yekepa, we visited an orphanage that is also a school.  The staff there said that they have 19 year olds who are only in second grade.  The country didn’t have an educational system for 15 years!  And that’s the sad fact that has haunted us throughout these last 2 and a-half weeks.  I’m glad to hear that some of the people are going back to get an education.  That part of the story has been an encouragement.

Jonathan Cippy is currently attending ABC University.  He is going into junior year of college.  Since the war, he and his wife were blessed with two more children.  He said his four year old plans to attend ABC one day.  Jonathan has a passion for the youth of Liberia.   He’s pursuing his degree in Education so he can teach history and science at the elementary level.  I believe it will take people like him to turn this country around. 

- Ashley