The 14 year Civil War in Liberia left your country in physical and emotional devastation needing leadership, resources and opportunity to enable recovery. Sure President Bush came to your country but what did he leave behind that really assisted your people, and why are there so many stories of violence? One of the events of 2008 was the graduation of the first class of 30 women from the new Village Ministries Vocational Training Centre who spent 9 months, Monday-Friday studying Tailoring and Batik. These women then formed several business groups, earn an income, feed their families, strengthen each of their communities and can afford to send their children to school. This is where Liberia makes its start to recover from humiliating poverty. Also in 2008 Village Ministries opened a vocational school for 95 exchild soldiers who exchanged their guns and a life of violence for the opportunity to learn a vocation and start a small business. We need to remember, and repeat the small steps to recovery and the hours of work some Liberian people are putting into their country. Thanks to Village Ministries there will be a little less poverty and less violence--that is memorable for 2008! Helen Fletcher, International Coordinator (Canada) for Village Ministries Inc, Liberia