Time Flies

We have made it one year in Liberia! It’s hard to believe the time is going so fast and that we’re a third of the way through our assignment. It’s even harder to believe how much fun we are having!

I wish there were more hours in a day or an extra day a week to accomplish everything that needs to be done. Every day is filled to the brim, and I have little time to share the happenings of our mission and life in Africa. I will try to hit a few highlights and share the rest in pictures.

A couple of weeks ago, we flew to Ghana with the stake presidents from Liberia and Sierra Leone, so Jeff could attend a coordinating council with them and Elder Gong. After we attended the temple on Friday and and had dinner, we sat with Elder and Sister Gong at the head table. When we were invited to the buffet to get our dinner, Elder Gong went first, and began handing out plates to everyone and Sister Gong began dishing up soup. I commented to Jeff, “Elder Gong serving others reminds me of the Savior washing his disciples’ feet.”  What a great example of a humble leader. 

Elder Gong’s example continued the next day. Jeff told me he served others at lunch. Then leaders all came out to take a photo with him on the steps of the temple. There was commotion as the photographer was trying to get everyone in place for the picture. One handicapped man was walking into the photo, and with his crutches, was trying to get up the stairs. Elder Gong quietly slipped out of place and asked the man, “Are your trying to go to the temple?” The man was in old street clothes, so it wasn’t obvious where he was headed, but he replied, “Yes.” Elder Gong patiently helped him up the stairs and walked him to the temple door, opening it for him. He then quietly, almost without anyone noticing, slid back into the line for pictures. It’s not surprising that an apostle of the Lord would instinctively do that…but the way he did it was what touched Jeff. It was so natural and authentic, not at all for show or applause, just genuine love for others. 

Elder Gong’s kindness was a great reminder that we too are the Lord’s disciples. We have been called to teach and serve the people of Liberia. It is a privilege to be trusted of the Lord to do this work. We learned from Elder Gong’s example what King Benjamin taught, “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.”

The whole weekend in Ghana was uplifting. Jeff appreciated being with the stake presidents as they try to work closely in the missionary work. We went to the temple with the area presidency, their wives and all the stake presidents. It is always a joy to go to the temple, but this felt especially sacred considering we were with the leaders of the church from Liberia and Sierra Leone.

On Saturday, while Jeff was in meetings, Sister Nielsen (the area president’s wife), Sister Gong, and Sister Jarvis (Sierra Leone mission leader) and I went shopping at the Butterfly Market. I was looking at the colorful African country cloth stacked neatly on a table. I asked the owner how much it was. He said “650 CDs.” I said “Oh, okay” and was about to turn away. The man said, “You know you don’t have to pay that much? This is when you tell me how much you are willing to pay.” I said “Okay. How about 300?” The man continued my lesson, “No that is too little. This is where you say ‘how about 450 CD?’ and then I give you a good deal.” I loved that he was trying to teach me how to ‘shop’ in the market.

Another highlight of the weekend was going to dinner with the Nielsens, Gongs, and Jarvises. It was such a treat to be with these people and have time to visit and enjoy each other’s company. It was also amazing to be in a REAL restaurant! We had salad, the best steak we’ve eaten in well over a year, mashed potatoes, and then we went to “Pinocchio’s” for gelato dessert. It was an amazing evening! We came back to Liberia feeling very recharged.   

Not more than two hours after our return to Liberia we received another gift. The Blanchards, our office couple, returned after being away for six months! Our dear friends came back after the passing of their sweet daughter, Krista. They continually amaze me with their faith and dedication to the gospel. Their service to this mission is incredibly valuable. We cherish their work ethic, knowledge, example and especially their friendship. To say we are thrilled for their return in an understatement! We feel so blessed to have our senior couples here who share the load and bring such strength, experience, and goodness to the mission. We get together for dinner and fun every transfer for what we call “couples camp.”

Here are some other highlights from June:

Totota had an  open house for their new church building. Most of the people in this community live in small huts or mud houses, so a new building is a big deal. Hundreds of people from the community came to celebrate. The mayor and other diplomats attended. They were very impressed with the Church organization, commenting that “there is a light in your people” and, “we see a big change in people when they join your church. They begin to find hope in life. They no longer sit around. They want to work and improve. They stop drinking. They treat their families better.” It is gratifying to know that others see this change in people as they come into the Church and believe Christ’s Restored Gospel. It was nice to build some relations with leaders and other churches as well. After the formalities, the celebration turned to music and some dancing. At one time all the women put me in the middle of their circle while they danced around me. It was awkward for sure, but nice to be accepted.

The missionaries serving in Totota are amazing with the people and did a lot to help make the day a success.

WAIV: Weekly Apartment Inspection Video – With over 60 apartments, we challenged the missionaries to deeply clean their home and make them more peaceful places to study and relax. We asked them to make their rooms places where they could receive inspiration as they prepared each night and morning. We asked them to send a video to their zone leaders every Monday of the transfer showing how clean their rooms were. Each zone selected one apartment as the winner, and they received special awards – lasagna dinner, breadsticks, and cookies – and bragging rights in our mission newsletter!

Many of our missionaries didn’t have toilets or kitchens in their homes growing up, so it’s one more thing we get to teach – how to clean those spaces.

Sister’s Conference – “Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass, it’s about learning to DANCE in the rain.“

We had a wonderful discussion about finding joy in the storms of life. It was humbling to listen to the trials these young girls have faced. I asked how many have lost a close family member and every one of them raised their hand. 

Each girl shared their unique Cultural Dance from their home country. It was fascinating to watch them. They all knew their dance and proudly shared them. The only cultural dance I could think of for the USA was the “Cotton-Eyed-Joe” line dance, and the girls loved it! We ended up doing it with our Senior Couples and then again at zone conference… Africa will never be the same. 

Happy 10-year Anniversary of the Liberia Monrovia Mission opening – since it reopened after Ebola! (Ebola killed over 11,000 people in Liberia and Sierra Leone.) To celebrate the reopening of the mission on June 25, 2013, we brought the missionaries together in three separate zone conferences. We had instruction and training in the morning, and after lunch we had a talent show and games, followed by genuine donuts! It was a blast! We LOVE being with the missionaries. This is a difficult place to live, and they are doing hard things every day, yet they do it. It’s impressive.