Seren Leaves Liberia, but the LACES vision will carry on under Liberian leadership

Seren Frost, executive director has been in Liberia since August of 2007 training and implementing the LACES program and on Dec. 16th 2008 she will be returning to the United States to continue working towards building partnerships and establishing new programs as we strive to bring about change around the world.

As a part of our vision to rise up positive role models in communities, we expand this vision to include more than just the children. We have been preparing for almost a year and a half now, rising up strong and capable leaders within Liberia. To fulfill our vision, we have been training and empowering Liberian staff to fully take over the program, and the time has now come. On Dec. 15th, 2008, LACES Liberia will begin operating under Liberian leadership. They will be shepherding the program in an effort to promote positive development in their own nation and to be an influential part of the post-war restoration process.

As 2008 comes to an end, we are humbled by the progress God has allowed us to make in just one year. Currently, we are operating leagues in 3 different communities, and these leagues are providing 317 children with the opportunity to experience life change through the sports they love. In addition, 52 local coaches are making significant impact in the lives of children within their own communities. God’s faithfulness is so evident in the growth of the program and in the contributions that make it possible.


What is our vision for 2009? Our vision is to continue supporting the work of LACES Liberia as they work to nurture the seeds that have already been planted, while sowing new seeds as God directs. We will also be bringing LACES domestically and serving vulnerable children in the Muncie, Indiana community. There are many children in need of genuine Christian mentorship around the world, and we feel that while Liberians are building into their own, and we do not want to pass up the opportunity to rise up moral leaders within our own backyard.

LACES Enters Its 3rd Season!

The weather might be cooling down, but LACES is heating up with the commencement of our Liberian leagues. Now entering our 3rd season (2 seasons every year), we started things off by having a grand opening on October 4th for our newly established program in the DuPort Road Community. So this is what LACES Liberia looks like in its 3rd season...



Listed below are the names of each league and of every team within the league. Every team’s name is inspired from the Bible, and teams choose their own names upon registration. Some take on names of people, books, significant locations/events, or they just choose to combine different biblical words. We have asked the teams to take on biblical names so they are reminded of the name they really represent when they step out on the field: the name of Christ.

:::DuPort Road:::
Grand Opening!!!

>Children: 55
>Coaches: 12

[Teams]
Daniel
Corinthians
Salvation
Trumpeters
Christ the King


:::Matadi:::
Re-opened for 3rd Season

>Children: 156
>Coaches: 18

[Teams]
Messiah
Children of Israel
Gospel Shooters
10 Commandments
Mighty Angels
Revelation
Genesis
Exodus
Romans
Trinity
Chosen Vessel
Wisdom of Solomon


:::Konia:::
Re-opens for 2nd Season - November 1st

>Children: 100 (2 teams were added to previous)
>Coaches: 20

[Soccer Teams]
Alpha Omega
Lion of Judah
Zion
God’s Faithfulness
Garden of Eden

[Kickball Teams]
God’s Glory
Ruth
Esther
Loyalty of God
God’s Mercy

LACES taking root in Liberia

I am so blessed to continue to have the opportunity to watch our programs in Liberia develop and grow. Our coaching workshops are underway and new people are being trained on how to support children to discover their true potential in Christ. This time last year I was conducting the workshops, however this year as our Liberian staff have caught the vision and have been trained on how to implement the program I realized that LACES has truly taken root in Liberia and has empowered local staff to mentor and impact the communities they live in.


As I sat in the workshop I was so proud of our Program Director, James Moore, and our Mentoring Coordinator, Pastor Roberts as they educated fellow Liberians on how they can impact their future generation. In the very near future my time will be finished here in Liberia, and I know that the heart of our Liberian staff will carry on the vision and mission of LACES.


LATEST LACES NEWS
We have great NEWS to share!
We are adding another program in the Du Port Road Community in Monrovia that will include 12 coaches and 55 more children. As I have had the opportunity to meet some of the parents and children in the Du Port Road I know that God has a special plan for LACES in this community. One of the parents I met with was a former warlord during the 14 year civil war. He committed atrocities that people only speak about behind closed doors. When I met the man his stature and presence did not match up to the preconvicied notions I had in my head of what a former warlord should look like. Knowing his reputation I was even hesitant to meet him, however he welcomed me into his home as if we had been life long friends. I thanked him for allowing his son to participate in our program and he responded by saying “I want my son to become a good leader. I was a leader, but I didn’t do good things with it.”

We have a clear purpose in this community.

Seren
LACES Liberia

“SEEING GOD’S FAITHFULNESS AT WORK” 2007-2008 recap

Just less than a year ago, L.A.C.E.S. began its mission to use sports as a vehicle for investing in the lives of war-affected Liberian youth. Now entering into our second year, it is obvious that God is taking this ministry to places far beyond our expectations. It is often overwhelming to realize that, even in such a short time significant life change has indeed been experienced through the L.A.C.E.S. sports leagues. And there is more life change to come.

Five years have passed since Liberia ended its 14-year civil war, but the effects are ever-present and immeasurable. In this way, the battle still continues, fighting against the spiritual, psychological, and physical ramifications of a past plagued with turmoil.
L.A.C.E.S. set out with a goal to help fight this battle through teamwork, mentorship, and sport. As is often the case, the original plan grew stronger and more effective as it yielded to the modifications and seized opportunities that are necessary for improvement. We have modified some of our strategies and programs in positive ways to better accommodate the needs of those we serve.

In the beginning, we targeted a community in the capital city of Monrovia called the Matadi Estate, and the first L.A.C.E.S. league took root. After hiring a Liberian program director and a Liberian mentoring coordinator, coaches were recruited and the inaugural 10 teams were formed from children ages 10-14. So in our first season, 130 children, both boys and girls, were being mentored on Christ-like living and were participating in the L.A.C.E.S. soccer league.

Soon an opportunity to expand was presented and 4 more teams were added to the Matadi league. And so we were able to affect the lives of 52 more children within the community. It was such a blessing to see God was growing the program, but His plans for expanding surely did not stop there.

In March of this year, L.A.C.E.S. implemented its first league outside of the city in the rural town of Konia, located approximately 6 hours north of Monrovia. With the expansion also came the addition of another staff member from Georgia, Jenny England, who implemented the L.A.C.E.S. program in Konia. The league in Konia added 80 more children to the total L.A.C.E.S. team members, making the total 262. It also added a second sport to the program, specifically for girls: kickball.


Seren Frost
Founder of LACES

LACES liberia Leagues close for the summer

Well the first year of LACES in Monrovia has officially closed. On May 12th we graduated 20 of our coaches from the LACES academy, and 31 children from the program. The week before at our monthly Children’s Gathering we announced who the graduates of the program would be, and you could see the sadness in the kids faces who were graduating and the cheers in the background of the children who would be continuing with the program. So far our program has graduated 51 children, and many of our coaches and staff have expressed that they would like to find a way to continue to have our graduates to continue to be apart of our program. The recent proposal that the LACES staff in Liberia submitted was forming a LACES Alumni team. They would like to choose 20 children to stay under the umbrella of the LACES program and continue to evangelize to them, and teach them morals and values. They also thought it would be a great avenue to create what looks similar to a Big Brother, Big Sister program. They would help encourage the younger players, and assist the current coaches with their teams. It was encouraging for me to see the coaches and staff really express a deep care for the children they are coaching, and it showed me how much this program is really taking root into the hearts of the coaches and children here in Liberia. So I have promised them that I will do my best to make their dream a reality.

So what’s next??
Our staff in Monrovia which I am not sure if you have formally meet yet, but I loved the smile on his face way too much not to share it with all of you. James Moore is our Program Manager who will be spending the next two months along with our Mentoring Coordinator preparing and assessing new areas for LACES hopeful expansion next year. Our hope is that we can add an additional 200 children to the program and expand to impact two new communities.

Our kickball and soccer leagues in Konia commenced last Friday and will continue until July. Jenny has done a great job of implementing the program, and empowering our community coordinators to lead the coaches in the LACES philosophy. There has been a few requests to see some photos of the girls playing kickball. The best I can do right now is give you a picture of them practicing.

Jenny and I (Seren) will be returning home to the U.S. the first weekend in June (which is just in time to miss the insane downpours that occur during rainy season). We have many stories and personal testimonies to share while we are home, and I hope that we will have the opportunity to share them with each of you personally. I will be returning to Liberia in August (strategically at the end of rainy season ) just in time to commence the second year of LACES Liberia.

Thank you for all your words of encouragement, prayers, and resources and for partnering with us to make LACES a reality for so many in Liberia.

LACES new staff in Liberia

I thought I would give you a face to go along with the name of our newest staff memeber here in Liberia who arrived on Easter Sunday. Jenny England has come to implement the LACES program in Konia.

Jenny graduated from Brenau University in Georgia with a degree in Psychology in December of 2007 where she also played soccer for 4 years. Jenny comes to us with great experience and understanding both in soccer and mentoring children through sports. Her first week here in Liberia it has been evident to me the passion she has for children and for serving the nation of Liberia.

We are very excited about this next stage of LACES Liberia. As we continue to expand and grow LACES we are looking for opportunities and avenues to rise up Christian leaders throughout this nation. We feel that partnering with Christian Revival fellowship (CRF) in Konia will be an excellent place to integrate LACES into the rural areas of Liberia. Our hope is that as CRF continues to plant churches throughout rural Liberia, we can continue to partner with them to offer the LACES ministry to the children in those villages as well.

Please continue to keep Jenny and our staff in Liberia in your prayers as we implement the initial stages of this project over the next 6 weeks. Stay tuned over the next few weeks, as Jenny updates us on her exciting adventures in Konia.