Elder Christofferson Visits Liberia

There are not many times in your life where you get to meet with an apostle of the Lord. I have often thought when reading the New Testament what it would have been like to know Peter, James, John, Andrew or Matthew. Yet today we have living apostles – men who are ordained through the priesthood to be special witnesses of the Lord, Jesus Christ. This past month, we had the opportunity to meet with an apostle, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, and his wife. It was an incredible experience as we could feel of his love and the love of our Savior through him.

Three weeks earlier, we were told that Elder Christofferson and Elder Paul V. Johnson (presidency of the Seventy) would be coming to Liberia to meet with our missionaries and with the members. There were many physical preparations that needed to be made; such things as finding a venue for both the missionary meeting and also a place that would hold up to 3,000 people for the member meeting. We needed to coordinate hotels, food, security, a doctor and ambulance to be on call, cars and drivers, arrange for musical numbers, help with publicity, etc.  We also took on the task of bringing in all of the missionaries to Monrovia so all 170 missionaries could be part of the mission conference. It took some missionaries several days to get here by car with the muddy roads. Jeff and I housed ten missionaries from the Southeast areas, and the office elders took an extra sixteen in their place for a few nights. The rest were packed into other elders’ apartments for a couple of days. We loved having the Southeast elders with us. They were so grateful to have a nice place to stay with warm water, good food, and gospel study with Jeff, including some lessons from The Chosen.  It was a delight to have these elders with us. Their energy and goodness were uplifting.

To prepare for the mission conference, we had a zoom call with all the missionaries and invited them to read or listen to Elder Christofferson’s and Elder Johnson’s talks.  We also invited them to be strictly obedient to the mission rules so that the spirit of the Lord would be with them at the meeting. Studying their talks helped us come to know these visiting authorities even better. It was a wonderful way to bond and increase mission unity.

One of the highlights of our preparation was practicing and performing a musical number with four of our very talented elders: Elder Ncube, Elder Jakopo, Elder Nielsen, and Elder Bowler. They sang the medley In Humility our Savior/There is a Green Hill far Away.  They did an excellent job singing at the conference, but at our practice we talked about what those words mean and what the song represents, particularly singing it for an apostle of the Lord. It was a powerful witness for all of us and an experience I will never forget.

The conference was amazing. Elder Paul Johnson, Elder Alfred Kyungu and each of their wives brought a wonderful spirit as well. Our missionaries were reverently seated 45 minutes before the start of the meeting and stood as the apostle came in the room. Each one shook his hand and greeted him. The meeting was splendid as each of the visiting authorities and their wives spoke. Elder Christofferson then got up and thanked, “President Jeff…Thomas.” He paused, almost as if stumbling on remembering our name. He added, “You probably didn’t know he had a first name. You only know him as President Thomas.” Everyone laughed. After speaking to the missionaries about an array of topics, he then took their questions and responded for about an hour. He was asked questions such as, how we can pray better, why we take the sacrament so often, and what is the difference between God’s love and God’s trust. His teaching was powerful. We concluded singing I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go. The missionaries sang with energy and conviction. The meeting was followed with a group photo in front of our newly painted chapel.

After the conference, the visiting authorities, security guards and drivers came back to the mission home where I had lunch prepared. I made pasta salad, green salad, corn chowder soup, pineapple, and yummy sandwiches that we had catered. It was nice to get out of the heat and have an opportunity to visit. Every one of the visitors was so personal. They instantly became good friends. (Actually Sister Christofferson is a Jacob, so she’s closely related to Jeff’s Jacob family line.) I had our house help, Sister Jallah, come help serve the food as I wanted her to have the opportunity to be around an apostle. I believe she is the only Liberian who got her picture just with Elder and Sister Christofferson.

The missionaries were then transported by bus from the Congotown chapel to the Centennial Pavilion where the member meeting was to be held. They were supposed to help usher the members, however, by the time they got there, it was already full. The members were so happy to have an apostle visit their country they came hours early to get a seat. To see that many Liberian saints all together at once was very touching. It’s a good thing it was a weekday afternoon or we would have needed a place double that size. The place was packed with people, and it was hot, but the spirit was strong and the saints were grateful to be in the presence of one of Christ’s apostles. Again, the messages were wonderful. Elder Christofferson closed by giving a blessing to the women, men, children, and parents, and then he bore witness of the resurrected Christ. Once again, I was reminded of my gratitude to be part of this Church and for a living prophet and apostles. At the close of Elder Christofferson’s remarks, he sat down, and without coaxing, some of the little children came over to him. They wanted to touch him, shake his hand, and be with him. It reminded me of when Christ came to the Nephites after the resurrection and how the children wanted to be by the Savior.

At the close of the conference, the security guards ushered our guests and us, through the crowds to the cars. Jeff and I felt a little strange having the same recognition and security, but we were grateful to get to our cars quickly. We met everyone back at the mission home for a quick break before we said goodbye as they headed back to the Farmington hotel, next to the airport to catch an early morning flight. 

Instead of trying to write my notes of the conference, I will include some of the comments from the missionaries that were written in the CHURCH NEWS (click here). Amazing insights and lessons!

Two days later, Jeff and all the stake presidents also flew to Ghana for the weekend for additional training from Elder Christofferson and the Area Presidency. I stayed back and went teaching with Sister Danquah from Ghana and Sister Caleta from Zimbabwe. They amaze me with their ability to teach simply and clearly. 

In addition to the conference, the mission was running full speed. Nothing ever slows down. This transfer we decided to change things up a bit by having non-combined zone conferences (ZC) at the office and Jeff doing interviews on the same day (before and after the conference), while I cut their hair and took care of missionaries’ medicine supply and other needs. We love the smaller meetings (25 people instead of 60-70 people), but it does mean that we have nine ZCs instead of four, and the days are intense for Jeff. In ZC this time, Jeff taught about the joy of repentance and what it means for ourselves and for those we teach. It is something we should be joyful about as we are trying to become better each day. It was a powerful topic, and we all felt the importance of having a “mighty change of heart.”

Previously, we have shared about the challenge of getting missionaries to the southeast. Jeff and I got to experience it ourselves…and it did not disappoint, even in the dry season. The journey was everything we were promised. Zwedru was having their branch conference on Sunday, so we left Friday afternoon and went as far as Ganta, about a five hour drive.  We stayed overnight in Ganta and then headed out early the next morning for a nine hour, nonstop roller-coaster ride. I took Dramamine, but Jeff didn’t want the side effects of being tired…so instead, he paid the price, throwing up several times out the window. It was quite the adventure. Brother Morris, our driver, did an awesome job getting us through the muddy jungle roads without getting stuck. Driving here is always an adventure. There were many trucks that had tipped over after getting stuck in the muddy ruts with their goods scattered in the mud.

Zwedru is an amazing little town in the middle of the country. It was very nice (for Africa), with paved roads and even some gutters and sidewalks. On Sunday we went to church and met with 130 branch members. They are young in the gospel but so welcoming and willing to learn. After church, Jeff and I did a two-hour leadership training with the leaders in the branch, and then Jessey Tarloa, our mission clerk, continued doing the record and membership training for several hours with their branch clerks and leaders. It’s a challenge for these people. Many of them cannot read, let alone know how to work a computer. Thankfully, a couple of the young adults are a little more educated, so they were the ones being taught. I worry it is too complicated for them. None of them own their own computers, electricity or internet access, but they were willing to try. 

We had a great time with the Zwedru elders (Elder Fe’a, Elder Mitchell, Elder Houston, and Elder Ndlovu). They are doing amazing work with the people there. I was impressed how connected they are to the people in the branch. Of course, the children adore them, but what impressed me was the dignified manor they interacted with the people. They helped the blind man up the stairs, found seats for the women, talked to everyone, and they are learning how to teach people to read. It still amazes me to see these young men unselfishly giving of themselves. What a remarkable learning experience for them. The missionaries were teaching most of the time we were in Zwedru, but at night we got to be with them. I brought down a bunch of food, which always makes elders happy, and we played games. It was so fun to be with these great elders!

Our way back was a bit more adventurous. It had rained the night before, so the roads were what Brother Morris called “juicy.” After only a few hours on the road, the mud had gotten in the bearings of the steering. Brother Morris pulled over to the side of the road and found a couple of “mechanics” to fix our truck. At first, I was a little worried. We had two 12 year-old kids jacking up the car in the dirt and taking off the tire. Then, they called the ‘Boss Man’ to come and take it apart. It was hard to watch the repair, wondering if he really knew what he as doing…but eventually they got it all put back together, and after a couple of hours and only $50, we were on the road again. It took nearly 15 hours to get home, but we made it safely.

This place is a hoot. We’ve seen pigs on motorcycles, goats on top of heaps of bananas on taxis, buck naked men bathing in the streams and overturned trailer trucks. Nothing really surprises us on these trips anymore, but we still can’t believe how every day is an adventure into the unknown.

The other big event we were involved in was the Relief Society 181^st anniversary celebration. The Relief Society is the women’s organization of the church. With more than 7 million members, it is the largest women’s organization in the world. Each March, the members have a celebration to remind them of the purpose of the Relief Society- providing relief and support to those in need. I have attended these celebrations my whole adult life, but this year was unlike any before.

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to speak at this Relief Society Conference. I found it hard to prepare as I tried to find stories and experiences that the sisters could relate to, but that was just part of the preparation. 

The Liberian sisters love to dress alike, and they like to look good! It amazes me that they don’t have money for food, yet they find money to buy Lapa (African fabric) and pay a tailor. They find great pleasure in dressing up, and it honestly is like eye candy to see the creativity in their attire. We all started with the same piece of fabric, yet they came up with all kinds of dresses, skirts and blouses. When they gave me my ‘Lapa’ and told me I needed to make a skirt, I had no idea where to begin. Thankfully, the guards at the office took care of me. They quickly found a tailor down the street and then showed me pictures on the internet of skirts they thought I would look good in. I took the fabric to the tailor, and in two days and $10 later I had a skirt. With the extra fabric from the skirt, I was given a head wrap that Sister Jallah (our house help) taught me how to use.

The Africans also LOVE a parade! They ‘march’ for everything. If you go to a school, are in a club, or want to protest, you have a parade. We see them all the time, but this was the first time I got to participate in one. They even hired a band…which made it super fun! Of course, I was the only white woman in the group of 1500 women, but it didn’t matter. They welcomed me with open arms and wanted to take photos with me. I felt like a celebrity. We marched for two miles down the busiest road in Monrovia to the Congotown Chapel where the conference was held. We enjoyed listening to two hours of speakers. Then we went outside for activities, including a reenactment of the pioneers moving west from Nauvoo to Salt Lake City, African Style – our handcart was made from 2x4s and bike tires. We also enjoyed a native dance, followed by lunch of rice and chicken. At one point, this eight hour celebration turned in to a dance party with 1500 women. And they chose me to lead the Conga line…haha. I think the day was a success. These women love to party! 

I think my biggest disappointment of the day, and always is, is the lack of consideration for cleanliness. Everyone throws their garbage on the ground. Plastic water bottles, chicken bones, napkins, plastic bags. It doesn’t matter what it is. It always ends up in the streets. With that many women at the women’s conference, there was a tremendous amount of garbage on the ground. I was surprised that even as I and the missionaries were picking up trash, the women right next to us with our garbage bag right there would just drop trash on the ground. It’s not in their culture to care about the beauty of cleanliness in the streets. I wish there was a way to teach people. The problem also is that if you put out a garbage can for them to use, it will get stolen. Anyway, Liberia would be a much nicer place if it wasn’t treated as everyone’s personal landfill.

I don’t want to end with a negative vibe…Today we went to Tubmanburg to reorganize the leadership in that small group of 40 members. We were there six months ago, and it was great to see the growth in that group.  After the meeting, we met these cute little boys whose job was to put away the hymn books and chairs. I chuckled to see that there is no job too big for a little boy, as long as he can carry it on his head. 😉