January 2024 Newsletter

Our Life is a lot Like a Cocoa Tree

2024 marks our 7th year here in Liberia. We have grown and learned much during this time period. We came to Liberia in 2017 with great enthusiasm to share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ with the Liberian people. This included humanitarian efforts as well. In the beginning, we were working at the clinic 5 days a week, plus 3 hours a day doing live broadcasting at the various radio stations. We also conducted Bible studies every Friday afternoon for people from various denominations. Our attention was scattered in all directions. We have since learned! Growth in any area of life takes time.

A great man of God once said, “To make a man ineffective in his calling, give him something else to do.”

We recently visited a cocoa farm to learn the complete process from seeds to chocolate. Like most crops, the seeds need to be nurtured in the nursery until the seedlings are ready to be planted. They do not like direct sunlight, which is plentiful in Liberia. So, to have a healthy crop, the cocoa plant needs to be planted under the shade of other trees. Many farmers will plant plantain or banana trees before they plant cocoa because they grow very fast, providing shade and also bring in a harvest.

There are two varieties of cocoa: one will bear fruit in 18 months, the other takes 5 years. During that time, the tree is protected from sunlight, pruned, fertilized, and sprayed for insects. When the pods have matured, they are picked and the seeds taken out and dried. At this point, it can be pounded into cocoa powder. The beautiful aspect of growing cocoa is that every part of the tree can be used! The leaves can be used for medicine, the pods burned for fuel, and the sweet liquid it produces used to make liquor.

Our life is a lot like the cocoa tree. We need to be nurtured when we are young. As we grow and mature, we bear fruit. Times of pruning are necessary to fight diseases and bear even more fruit. The end result is a sweet life or in the case of cocoa, chocolate!

Hebrews 12:1 states, “. . . let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

As we are in our 7th year, we are learning to let go of things that hinder the ministry and strengthen that which we know is the Lord’s leading. We pray that in 2024, you will also let go of things that are hindering your life and Christian walk. Let it be a year of tremendous growth and fruitfulness!

By Grace,
Monika and Caleb Sannoh