Sunday,
March 15, 20114
Freetown
East District Conference today and it was historical. The district
was divided into 2 districts and the new names are Kissy District
consisting of 5 branches and Kossoh Town District consisting of 4
branches. In 3 months or so, there will be an additional 3 new
branches in the Kissy District taking it to 8 branches. The church is
growing rapidly and it is a challenge to keep up with it. The Kissy
chapel, though still under construction, was, however able to use the
extension to seat most of the members, though overflow was outside
and standing until more chairs arrived. It is so exciting to be loved
and accepted by these wonderful people and be a part of their lives
for a moment in time.
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R & R
Rachelle Ostler, Sahr Doe, and yours truly
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Relief Society Presidents of branches and district
Relief Society Presidents of branches and district
Saints attending the Freetown East District Conference
Saints gathered for Conference
Three young ladies at the conference
Young woman at the conference
I wore an African outfit I had made and the
ladies loved seeing me in it. I have no wish to offend them by
intruding into their dress culture but they are thrilled when I dress
somewhat like them. I will never be as beautiful in the garb as they
are with their black skin and eyes. Their high foreheads make wearing
the wraps so stunning; when I tried one on yesterday, I just couldn't
pull it off as well as they do. One sister remarked to me today as we
were having pictures taken of our Sunday dress that I was now Nyanda
which in Mendi means “you are our own and we are your own.” I
will leave a part of my heart in this country when I go home.
I am now Nyanda - I am theirs and they are mine!
Monday,
March 16, 2014
Scott
has been without the use of our printer at home since yesterday, so
he has been staring at his screen ever since uploading, downloading
etc. to try to get it to work. I, of course, am printing at will and
don't know what his problem is when after about 2 hours, he performs
a test print and has success! In the meantime, I need to re-charge
my tablet and cannot find the cord that was plugged into the same
power strip as the printer. I am looking everywhere for it when
suddenly Scott pulls it out of his laptop and says, “you mean
this?” He had it plugged in thinking it was the connection to the
printer. That explains why he couldn't print. So how was he able to
do a test print today? With all the efforts he made for 2+ hours, he
managed to connect wireless to the printer. He is so proud of
himself.
I
finally made a phone connection with Shirley in Santaquin. She sounds
good – got through the surgery and just waiting for test results
and further plan of treatment. I have been blessed with her
friendship for over 40 years.
Tuesday,
March 18, 2014
Kissy
Zone Conference today and it was held in one of my “favorite”
driving spots – the Thunderhill Branch.
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Kissy Zone Conference
We get there and I need to
use a restroom and can't find one without disturbing the conference
so I look around outside for some privacy; not going to happen. I go
back inside the chapel, find the bathroom and it has the generator
stored in it. By this time, I am desperate, so I crawl over the
generator to get to the toilet, but can't sit (wouldn't anyway) so I
must straddle the toilet bowl! I am so grateful that I am still
somewhat flexible (attitude as well as physical).
Woman vs. Generator
We
had a dessert farewell for Elder Aluka this evening. He is from
Nigeria and goes home tomorrow after serving a two year mission. He
told us of his home and family, a story that is not unique. When he
joined the church at 15 in 2002, his mom disowned him and he left
home (father was already long gone) and lived on his own until he was
24. In the meantime, he stops going to church, but always knows it is
true and he returns to activity and prepares himself to leave on a
mission just prior to his 25th birthday. No one in his
family knows nor really cares, so he gets himself ready and receives
a call to Sierra Leone. Just barely 6 weeks out and he must return to
Nigeria for hernia surgery, but stays with a friend. 7 weeks of
recuperation and he returns to the mission. Mother's day rolls around
and he calls his mum; she asks where he is and he tells her he is out
of country doing missionary work. Fast forward to this evening;
tomorrow he returns home and who will be at the airport to greet him?
A fellow missionary who served here. Where will he live? A friend who
was his seminary and institute teacher has invited him to live with
his family until he can find work and get back into school. The
stories of hardship, resilience and faith are endless.
Kanzler's and Elder Aluka returning home to Nigeria
Thursday,
March 20, 2014
Skyped
Megan and Ryan last night to get more details on some health issues.
Though we are thousands of miles away, I am comforted after talking
with her and listening to her options.
Grandson,
Carson is getting baptized on the 29th of this month and
Scott and I have been asked to prepare a 10 minute baptismal talk. We
will video it to and upload to Youtube to ensure it is playable on
that special day.
I
took my Doxy this morning on kind of an empty stomach – that was a
big mistake. Within minutes, I had terrible stomach pains and nausea
that lasted most of this day, and we made a trip to Kissy to see our
friend, Moses Jenneh off on his mission. He will be serving in
Nigeria. He was quite emotional which is unusual for a West African
man; his friends and relatives were somewhat mocking him for doing so
stating such words as “be a man.” I tried to reassure him it was
alright for him to cry; shows he cares for his family and friends and
loves them. I wish him well; Scott and I will likely never see him
again. He was one of the first members we met out east and he was
always happy to see us, greeting us with his wonderful smile and
handshake.
Me with Moses and his mum
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Moses with his mum
Scott with Moses Jenneh departing on his mission to Nigeria
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YMCA in Kissy
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YMCA in Kissy
YMCA in Kissy
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YMCA in Kissy
Friday,
March 21, 2014
When
I got home from walking this morning, I went into the kitchen to wash
my hands and as I turned on the tap and leaned over the sink, out
jumped Gary (the gecko). He scared the bajeebers out of me; I think I
might have jumped a little higher than him and I know I let out a
yell louder than him. His eyes were bulging out of their sockets and
he couldn't get out of the sink. Scott to the rescue as he scooped
him out with the strainer and placed him on the outside window ledge.
Hopefully he sneaks back in somehow as he keeps the cockroach
population at bay.
We
are in Makeni for the week-end. Today's objective was to look for
apartments and buildings that can be used for chapels. The plan is to
split the current branch and make 3 branches out of it. Elder Hill
was a great help as he had scouted out places in advance for us to
view. It is so hot here and I would say at least a 10 degree plus
difference than that of Freetown. After looking around for most of
the afternoon Scott and I drove downtown Makeni to do some “window”
shopping – not! Just parking the car is a challenge and once out of
the car, the motorcycles are everywhere honking before they hit you –
they do warn before impact. We gave up and checked into our our -1
star motel. I am grateful it is only for one night. The last time we
were here, I ate something that caused me problems for two weeks, so
this time I came prepared with bread, honey and peanut butter. I
figure for 24 hours, I can survive along with water. Scott isn't too
happy about it though I gave him the option of eating out and I would
just take my sandwich along.
Love to All!
Robin
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