Heart & Mind
Bethel Seminary student Russell Doe and his wife Emili were reunited in May with their four children after three and a half years of separation triggered by civil war in their native Liberia.
Many members of the seminary community in St. Paul had supported the family with prayer, generous contributions toward airfare, and staff time helping the family work out the complexities of emigration.
Russell, pastor of the Church of New Life in Liberia, and Emili had traveled to Alberta, Canada, in November 2000, for what was to be a brief speaking engagement, when the Liberian civil war worsened. An aunt back in Liberia caring for Bryan, Russ Em, Brenda, and David Doe was able to flee with the children to a safer place in Ghana. The United States then granted political asylum to Russell and Emili Doe, who heard from Liberian contacts in Minnesota that an education at Bethel Seminary would be a good way to use their time while they worked toward the emigration of their children, who ranged in age from 5 to 14.
What was expected to be a fairly straightforward process turned into months, then years, of frustrating bureaucratic snags and travel obstacles for the Doe children. The anxious parents were forced to wait and care for their family long-distance, sending money to Russell’s sister in Ghana for housing, schooling, and other necessities.
Instrumental in reuniting the family was Lois Ferris, operations assistant and international student liaison in Bethel Seminary’s Office of Student Life. Lois worked with Minnesota Senator Mark Dayton’s office to resend lost visa applications, locate a required travel escort for the children (Bethel Seminary graduate and Ghana native NaaAbashie “Bernice” Mensah), and raise an initial $4,000 from seminary staff, faculty, and students for the escort’s airfare. Arriving in Ghana, Bernice Mensah went to bat for the Does at the American embassy, finally gaining access
to sealed paperwork necessary for travel through Great Britain on British Airways.
Throughout the delays, however, the clock was ticking. The children’s visas were set to expire May 31, 2004, and the earliest British Airways flight accommodating five people was June 3. Lois Ferris and Russell Doe were able to rebook Bernice and the children on KLM for May 29-but only for an additional airfare of $6,000. Again, the seminary community united in support of the Does for a total of $10,000 in contributions for travel expenses. “God just intervened, and we got the money together,” said Ferris. “I sent out emails to the community, and people responded. One seminary student gave $1,000.”
On May 29, 2004, after three and a half long years of separation and delays, the four Doe children arrived in Minneapolis to a joyful reunion with their parents. “It has been such a long saga,” Ferris exclaimed. “The obstacles seemed insurmountable, but God has answered our prayers.”
“We bless God, and we are grateful to the Lord for the seminary and for Lois,” says Emili Doe. “She has been a blessing. God has used her as a real instrument. It’s a miracle.”
The Doe family is now living in Bethel Seminary Village, adjusting to a new home, schools, employment, and a local Liberian church, while Russell continues pursuing his master of divinity degree. The children now range in age from 8 to 17. “It’s been a very, very hard struggle for [the Doe family],” concludes Ferris. “We praise God that it’s over.”