“CHECKPOINT!”

So much goes on in the mission that it’s difficult to capture it all. Some things are great and other things are troubling and stressful, but we try to stay positive and make the best of each day. We are no longer surprised to see naked people, motorbike accidents, men peeing on the side of the road, trucks loaded past capacity 20 feet high with goods….and then people riding on the very top, women with babies on their backs and buckets on their heads, children pumping water from the wells and taking bucket baths in the yard, manhole covers missing on major roads, and our car getting hit by the swarm of kekes trying to inch their way through the traffic. We used to take pictures of all these things because they were so unusual to our way of living, but now it is just everyday life in Liberia. (post continued below) 

As the mission ‘nurse’ each day, I am confronted with many medical issues…anything from serious infectious diseases to jock itch – which to those that have it say it’s pretty serious. I gave my first steroid injections (being guided over the phone how to do it), and I did a pretty good job if I say so myself. I guess my love of pulling teeth prepared me for being able to inflict pain on others. 😉 I wish I was more qualified to give medical advice, but I am quickly learning, and I am grateful for my backup help from the mission doctors around the world. The medical care in Liberia is so poor and, unfortunately, it is not much better in the surrounding countries. Out of 191 countries in the world, Liberia ranks 187 for healthcare quality. Our neighboring country, Sierra Leone, ranks 191. We told the mission president in Sierra Leone if he has any complicated medical cases he can send them our way….we can take care of them! 😉 Jeff and I both got super sick for several days. Jeff said, “If I have to go to the hospital, just shoot me.” Thankfully we both recovered and are doing well. It’s not all bad…We do have a good day hospital nearby I have met a few good doctors that are awesome and always willing to help our missionaries. I am truly grateful for them. 

Jeff and I are on the road A LOT. With 23 church branches/groups to oversee, if we are not with our missionaries, we are with church leaders and members all over the country. One day we were driving from Buchanan to Harbel. It is an 80-minute drive out in the bush, so the roads are not busy like they are in the city. Jeff had emails and calls to make, so he asked if I would drive. Because we were late for the next appointment, I was driving fast to make up for lost time. Speed limits are optional here, if they even exist. As usual, the heavens opened, the rains came down and the floods came up… so much so that there was a wake behind our truck. I was cruising fast when Jeff looked up from his computer and yelled, “CHECKPOINT!” I hadn’t seen it because of the blinding rain. I slammed on the brakes and the anti-lock brakes kicked in. We skidded about 100 feet. I was certain we were going to crash through the checkpoint, which undoubtedly would have landed us in jail. Fortunately, we stopped just a few feet in front of the cable. I was relieved and began laughing. I thought it was so funny. The security police all came walking toward me motioning for me to roll down my window. I was still smiling when the main officer held out his hand (wanting a bribe), but because I had no idea what he was asking for I gave him a high five and said, with my two thumbs up, “Hey, I am your entertainment for the day.” They didn’t know what to think of this crazy American woman. They all just stared at me dumbfounded for 20 seconds and then they slowly lowered the rope for our car to pass. Unfortunately, with MISSIONARY printed in huge letters across our car I must be on my best driving behavior anytime I go through that checkpoint because they all know me now. 

The highlight of the month was we got two new senior couples: the Ericksons from Wyoming, and the Hanks from Utah. Other than the Barkers, who have been serving in Ganta, a five hour drive from Monrovia, it has been a long time since we have had other MLS (mission leader support) senior couples. The apartments have been sitting vacant for a long while and needed repair. The Church FM (Facility Maintenance) group worked hard to paint, do repairs, bring in fuel and water, fumigate and clean up the yards. Sister Blanchard (my friend and officemate) helped me supply the apartments with all the things they need. It was our intent to make it feel as much like home as possible. We want these couples to feel welcome and to stay! We spent several days shopping for bedding, kitchen appliances, dinnerware, bath towels, decorative pillows……things you need to live and to make a house a home. We didn’t have a lot of time, but we worked fast and hard and it was educational to learn where to purchase things in Liberia. The first apartment we went to was in Kakata (pronounced “Kawk-a-taw”) about 1 1⁄2 hour away from Monrovia. We got up early to avoid driving through the crazy markets. The workers had just finished working on the apartment, so they left us alone to make it cute. We were there for several hours. Halfway through our makeover I opened a box of hangers, in it was a HUGE cockroach, the size of my hand. I wanted to take it outside, but when I tried to open the front door, I realized the painters had just varnished it and closed it while it was still wet. The door was stuck shut. Sister Blanchard and I both tried to open the door, we pulled with all our strength, but we could not open it. Like most “wealthy’ dwellings in Liberia this apartment is surrounded by concrete walls topped with barbed wire, bars are secured to the windows, and the only way out of the house was through the front door. We didn’t know what to do and were worried we would be stuck there until someone noticed we were missing. After some time, we saw a worker out in the yard, we started yelling ‘HELP…HELP US!” I thought to myself, I don’t think I have ever yelled ‘help’ to a stranger before. The man came and busted in our front door. We were grateful to get out and even more thankful to get rid of the enormous cockroach. Just as Sister Blanchard and I were finishing setting up the apartment, she did one more pass through to shine the bathroom faucet. As she did, the entire faucet came out of the wall and a flood of water shot out of the wall right at her face. Sister Blanchard started yelling, “Help!” I ran in to the bathroom. Sister Blanchard was soaking wet trying to plug the gaping hole with her hand. It was hard not to laugh. Having no idea where the turn-off valve was and worried that the entire apartment would soon become a swimming pool, I ran outside and once again yelled, “Help, Help!!!” I wasn’t sure anyone was around, but thankfully someone heard my call and came to our rescue. Luckily, he knew where the turnoff valve was out in the courtyard. Sister Blanchard and I commented how grateful we were that these things happened to us and not the senior couple…however, since their arrival they have dealt with bedbugs, no water and their freezer dying. Oh Liberia! 

The experience at the second apartment wasn’t quite as dramatic as the first but it did have its charms. Buchanan is a coastal town about 3 1⁄2 hours from Monrovia. The first time I saw the apartment I was impressed with the location close to the ocean, but it needed some serious work. The kitchen was missing drawers, there was mold growing on the walls, smashed cockroaches on the tile. It was bad. Again, we set the FM group to work. They did what we asked, and we are truly grateful, but we were surprised to see when they painted the walls with the new color they just painted around the furniture, without drop cloths, or tape…so paint was all on the furniture and floors. When we moved the beds to center them on the walls, we had to request the painters come back to finish painting the walls. Sister Blanchard and I went to work fixing up the place and making it feel homey. We commented that it felt like we were putting lipstick on a pig…but in the end it turned out very nice. In fact, Sister Erickson said we did a “complete makeover on the pig.” There are four good elders living in the apartment right below. It was their P-day, so they came up for a bit to help us. They are super excited to have a senior couple living above them. I am certain they are hoping for some homemade meals or treats. On our way back we had to go through the same checkpoint that I had almost crashed through weeks before. Typically, when they see our truck they always let down the rope and let us pass because they know we are legal and our trucks are registered. However, this time they stopped our car. The security guard came to the window and intently examined the contents in our car. The back seat was full of cleaning supplies and garbage bags, not typical items for missionaries, so after some inquiry he asked if we had a Holy Bible to give him. I searched the car and the only thing I could find was a pamphlet of the Restoration of the Gospel. I told him I had something very important to offer him, and I gave him the pamphlet with the promise that next time I pass through I will bring him a Holy Bible and of course the Book of Mormon (another testament of Jesus Christ). He seemed satisfied and let us pass. 

This past weekend we had a Seniors Couple training meeting. We invited the four senior couples serving in Liberia and the McGlochlins (a couple coming in January who joined us over Zoom). Sister Barker who will be leaving in December took us women on a field trip to see the best places to buy tribal masks and Lappa (colorful African fabric). She also introduced us to talented artisans who paint and hand craft nativity dolls. The purpose of the Senior Couple training was to introduce the programs and opportunities that are available. As the couples serve in their areas, they will be able to assess what is needed and use their talents and skills to help the people. For two days we were instructed about the Church’s Gospel Literacy program, Self-Reliance classes, Temple trips to Ghana, how to help youth get out on a mission and how to help them when they return, humanitarian efforts by the church, etc. There are a lot of needs, but it is exciting to be part of this work and we have the best people making it happen. Both of our new couples have jumped right in, adapted to the culture, and are loving the people and the missionaries that serve near them. Their life experience has prepared them for their missions. Their attitude, faith, testimonies, and willingness to serve are an answer to prayers. There is much potential for the people and the church here in Liberia, we just need lots of people like them to make it happen. 

A couple of weeks ago, Jeff and I attended a mission leadership training in Ghana with all the other west Africa mission leaders. Although it was a lot of work to prepare to be gone….and a lot of work to catch up when we got back…we were grateful for the opportunity to talk with other mission leaders, especially those who have been serving for a year or two. They gave us good advice and hope as they shared their experiences. We also received great training and council from the Area Presidency. The church is growing rapidly, especially in West Africa. It is important to control the growth so there is a strong foundation. We also learned that we need to raise the bar with the missionaries. It is tricky dealing with different cultures of countries and tribes, in addition to the fact that many of the missionaries have only been members of the church for a short time and the church culture is still so new to them. It is a unique challenge to this area of the world; we hope to be able to help them because these missionaries will be the next leaders in Africa. In addition to the great company and training, we also enjoyed going to the temple, amazing food, a much-needed afternoon of relaxation, and going to a great outdoor market. It was cool to see some of the cool things produced in Africa, which we don’t see in Liberia. Next time we go to Accra I am bringing an extra suitcase and doing some shopping. 

A few days after we returned home from Ghana, David Wade, the area presidency’s special assistant, came for a three-day visit to Liberia. He wanted to see what mission life is like and didn’t want to disrupt our mission work, so we invited him along for the ride for a couple days. We picked him up at 6:30 a.m. from the airport and took him to Buchanan down south. We enjoyed a yummy breakfast with the Erickson’s (senior couple), and Brother Wade went out teaching with the missionaries while Jeff interviewed missionaries and two of the local branch presidents. We have two church branches in Buchanan, each with about 150 people. Jeff asked President Dukuly, the branch president, to tell him his conversion story. Pres. Dukuly told him that four years ago, a young missionary named Elder Pratt introduced him to the church and baptized him. Jeff was thrilled to hear that, as Sean Pratt was a missionary from Windham Maine that Jeff set apart and released while he was serving as stake president. Amazing to see the impact and happiness in this man’s life from the efforts of a young missionary a few years ago. In addition to his day job of working big machinery and doing ocean rescues, President Dukuly was now leading the congregation, and his family had been to the temple in Ghana to be sealed for eternity. It is amazing to see how the Church has grown in this little community over such a short period of time.

We spent the rest of the day driving to different missionaries’ areas doing interviews and teaching new friends in their community. David Wade was so perceptive and knew all the right questions to ask as he was trying to quickly learn what it is like to live and serve in Liberia. Having been a mission president himself, he understands the demands of a mission president, and from his unique role for many years in the mission department he has tremendous insight about this effort.

On Saturday we got up early and drove to Bong Mine, a town originally established by the Germans to mine iron ore. The Mine shut down years ago due to the civil war and the town is a shell of what it was. The missionaries were having a baptism that we wanted to attend. Since they rent an old building to meet in, there isn’t a baptismal font nearby, so we went to a nearby pond. We asked the locals doing their laundry if they would pause for us to do a baptism. It was an amazing experience. 

The rest of the day we spent interviewing and teaching with the missionaries – they are amazing. They are so good with the people, they teach simply, and they are patient and kind. It is such a privilege to serve with them. People in their community love them. 

Brother Wade’s last day with us was in Monrovia at a stake conference. The meeting was supposed to start at 9:00. The building was full, and there was over 1000 saints gathered. Since Jeff and I had been asked to speak, we were sitting on the stand, but none of the other leadership were there. At 9:50, Jeff left to go find them. They didn’t return until just before 11:00. Apparently, they were in a leadership training meeting that started late and went very long. The stake conference started two hours late and finished two hours later. By the time the last speaker said concluded and said, ‘Amen’, the congregation yelled “AMEN!” I think Brother Wade got a decent sense of what Liberia is like. Haha. He was a great help and a pleasure to have here. 

This weekend, church was calmer. We met with a small branch in Kingsville, about an hour from our home. The church buildings here range from huts to church owned buildings. When it is not raining, I prefer huts. It just seems more like Africa. Today we attended church in a large hut with thatched roof and no walls. The warm breeze could be felt throughout the meeting. There was a church dog resting in the corner and the sound of African drums from a nearby church could be heard in the distance. We listened to great talks from a 14-year-old boy on repentance and turning our life to God to be better, and the branch president’s wife spoke on eternal marriage and how we should treat each other in this life. Of course, they asked Jeff and I to speak as well. Relief Society (the women’s organization) was held under a big tree. The chickens, puppies, and lizards, were a pleasant distraction, as well as the singing of the Primary kids seated 20 feet away. Their sweet voices could be heard throughout the village. 

I love this gospel. It is the same in Liberia as it is in London, Monrovia and Maine….in a building or under a tree. It gives such purpose to our lives to understand it. It is Christ’s restored church on this earth, and I am thankful to be part of it. 

Last but not least….I love to laugh and am super grateful for the young missionaries get my sense of humor. Here is Jeff’s text to the family….look close at the screen shot from Zoom and you can see why I love our office elders so much. T-Rex came at a serious time in the meeting! 

Now for some videos…