Hello dear friends and loved ones--
We are settling in to our new surroundings here in Sierra Leone. Our travels here took us from Salt Lake City to Paris to Freetown, Sierra Leone. We landed at Lungi Airport early in the evening before the sun went down and were so happy to be greeted by Daniel Kamara who explained he was there to help us through security and that the Clawsons were just outside waiting. Everything went so smoothly and it was obvious the workers at the airport were used to missionaries arriving. They were so friendly and very welcoming--and it has been like that through these first 3 weeks.
The airport at Lungi is across the bay from Freetown and it requires a ride on a water taxi to get there. We were escorted to a van which took us to the bay where we boarded the boat and off we went. It was such a nice evening--humid yes, but the breeze from the ocean felt so good and the lights across the bay in Freetown were very pretty. Freetown is a very mountainous area and the whole landscape was lit up as we crossed. We stopped at a grocery store which had much more inventory than I anticipated and then headed to the mission home.
The mission home is in a compound or "gated community" as Neil calls it. It has a chapel where 2 wards meet as well as the mission office which is just next door to the mission home. We live on the third floor and two other couples live below in their separate apartments. It is so convenient for Neil to go the the mission office from the mission home--we also have a nice office in the mission home that we work from. The trees and flowers are beautiful around the grounds and since it is rainy season it is very green.
We are enjoying getting to know the missionaries. Our first week here we toured the mission during two zone conferences--one was held for the west side of the mission and one for the east side. I am always amazed at the strength of character and testimony these young missionaries have.
We have been so impressed with the mission assistants. One is from Swaziland and the other is from Zimbabwe. They are exemplary missionaries who teach with power and humility. I love to hear them teach. Their insights and thoughtful perspectives are beyond their years of maturity and it is a privilege to work with them. We had companionship study with them yesterday morning--what a joy.
At zone conference the missionaries had requested that we introduce ourselves and then share our own conversion stories. I had some pictures on my phone of some of our recent preparations in getting ready to leave. I selected about 8 pictures and then we compared our preparation to serve to their preparation as we introduced ourselves. We started off with a picture of our missionary board which is on a wall in our home. Neil randomly took a picture of it with his phone months ago so we started with it and explained how we had always planned on serving a mission together and that our children and their spouses had served missions. We shared our testimony of the importance of missionary work and how we know that we have been called to serve Him. We shared our mission picture, a couple pictures of our family, of us at the MTC, another one by the famous MTC map, a picture of us taking our first round of Doxycycline which we will be taking for the next three years to fight malaria, and explained we also have been studying Preach My Gospel, the Scriptures and the Missionary Handbook. We were impressed with the discussions and teaching which took place at zone conference--the missionaries were engaged and we were impressed with their insights and contributions they shared. Neil then began interviewing the missionaries who work in the most far reaching areas of the mission. We had 4 missionaries at our first zone conference who traveled from Guinea. They are French speaking missionaries and it was so good to spend some time with them as Neil interviewed their companions.
During our mission tour our driver, Elder Dunn from Rexburg Idaho drove us all over the mission. He was so helpful in getting us safely where we were to be and so patient with us as we peppered him with hundreds of questions. He was truly a blessing to us. He left to go home 10 days after we arrived. We will always be grateful for the time we were able to spend with him and for his honest and experienced insights about the work here in Sierra Leone.
We were back to the mission home for 2 days when we began transfers. Although we weren't as familiar with the missionaries who were leaving to go home, we loved being with them. Their testimonies were genuine and heartfelt. Their love for the people and for the Lord's work was so evident and we again just felt so grateful for the privilege of being with them. They left early afternoon and two hours later 10 new missionaries arrived from the Ghana MTC. We went to the ferry to pick them up and bring them to the mission home. We had a great experience training with them and already know they will be great missionaries. They are prepared and ready to go to work. I am so grateful for Elder and Sister Moomey who came to the training to help the missionaries understand the precarious nature of staying healthy in this mission! It is not to be taken lightly!! Their training and experience are invaluable. What a work they do! During the month of June there were 10 cases of Malaria in the mission and that many or more of typhoid fever. We have the highest number of cases in the West Africa Area. Sister Moomey is a RN experienced in international health and Elder Moomey is a retired fireman and EMT specialist. They love the missionaries and are so good with them. They also have high expectations for obedience and being self reliant for your own health. They are a great team and we are so blessed to work with them.
Just to give an idea of how to stay healthy in Sierra Leone--all missionaries take doxycycline each day--one miss makes you vulnerable to malaria. They triple filter all water, Clorox bleach all fruits and vegetables, and sleep under mosquito nets. All that and regular hand washing give a missionary a pretty good chance of staying healthy. The group that went home earlier this month only had one missionary who had malaria while serving--and he went home with it!
We stayed with the Moomeys in Bo as we were in the East side of the mission during zone conference. They were so great to be with and fixed us hamburgers and fries along with Apple dessert for the Fourth of July! It was wonderful to finally meet them. Sister Moomey and I toured the medical resources here in the Freetown area one afternoon. We went to 2 hospitals and a couple of labs and I was pleasantly surprised at the care available. It is nothing like the States, but they were clean and very accommodating to us and our needs for the missionaries. I was very grateful. Sister Moomey has been training me on how to order medications and lab tests for malaria and typhoid as well as where to obtain any IV treatment needed for missionaries. Other than that, missionaries with any serious illness will need to fly to Ghana for treatment.
We were invited to represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at a ribbon cutting for two new water tanks in Tamba Town. LDS Charities had worked with community leaders to bring in 2 water tanks to supply the people with water. Before this the residents would walk down a STEEP hill all the way down to the river which is so polluted and carry water back up the hill for drinking, cooking, bathing, etc. The community leaders were so happy to have this water system and so grateful for the church in helping provide them with it. Muslim and Christians were represented in the leadership and both pled for cooperation in maintaining it as well as people of integrity to keep the commitments as outlined in their contracts. We are finding that the people here in Sierra Leone know the church. They see our nametags and immediately offer help or assistance. We were privileged to be a part of the humanitarian effort and recognize the efforts of Ed and Terry Evans who helped arrange many of the details. Neil and I were both asked to speak at it--just before they handed us the microphone! Then Neil was taken aside and interviewed with a camera and microphone. He did such a great job explaining the role of the church and its outreach to all children of our Heavenly Father. He also invited the people to love and care for one another and to follow the example of Jesus Christ. He welcomed all to come to our chapels of worship and join with us as we strive to become more like the Savior. It was a wonderful experience to see Muslim and Christians come together and work together to bring about a better life for each other and for their children.
One of the sweet experiences here in Sierra Leone is to attend Church. I have never heard such faith filled prayers and such humble and genuine expressions of gratitude. A very common phrase I have heard over and over again is "Father, we thank thee for one more day of life." One man who came into the mission office told me that he was married but his wife had suffered a stroke just weeks before she gave birth to twins. The twins are now 7 months old and his wife has lost much of her speech and some mobility in her legs. Then he says, "God has been so good to us. We love Him so much. My family has been so blessed and we know He will take care of us." He emphasized each "so"! What a way to view life--especially when it is full of challenges and heartache. They get through life and its adversities with their humble faith in the Savior and they are very verbal about it!
I visited Primary last Sunday and at the end a mother came in with a cake for her son who was having a birthday and was graduating from Primary. She called her son to the front and he made a slice through the cake while everyone spelled out loud, L_O_V_E. Then his parents placed their hand on his and they made another slice while everyone spelled L_O_V_E. Then his teacher came and placed her hand on his and again they spelled J_O_Y. His friends were invited up and together they made a slice through the cake and J_O_Y was spelled outloud. Then I was asked to join the young man and they spelled out J_O_Y. He was so happy and so were the other children because he shared with everyone! That little demonstration epitomizes the people here. They love each other and find joy in life despite their destitute conditions. They do not keep it amongst themselves either--they give and offer it to others. We have been the recipients these last three weeks!
This week we met with the Thunderhill District for their District Council. What a great group of missionaries. Elder Hansen the District Leader taught a wonderful discussion on using the Book of Mormon in teaching opportunities. The whole discussion was a perfect example of teaching in the Savior's way. The comments were enlightening and full of testimony and commitment. As I sat in that HOT little room and listened to them speak the things most dear to their hearts, my own heart was filled.
On Friday we invited the stake and district presidents and their wives here in Freetown to a dinner at the mission home. They were so good to speak English instead of fast Krio--it is always so nice to be able to understand each other. After dinner President Harper asked them to share their conversion stories. I wish I could have beamed you all here. What powerful testimonies they shared. They repeated over and over again how much the gospel has changed their lives and their children's lives. They speak with great conviction about the Book of Mormon and of their love, devotion and gratitude for the Savior. What touched me the most were their expressions of love, respect, and tender feelings for their "gentle, kind, and loving companions". It wasn't just stated, it was evident by the way they talked about one another--even the way they looked at one another. I truly felt that night that angels were among us and we were privileged to be present. It is an evening we will never forget. How we love and admire these good faithful people.
Today we took a break and went down to the beach early with 2 other missionary couples. It was a beautiful morning--we finally got a break in the weather and the sun came out. We enjoyed a walk along the beach and talked to people who came up to us asking if they could come to church. They look at our nametags and tell us that they too love Jesus. We sent the referrals to our missionaries in the area. We are thankful for our opportunity to serve. Heavenly Father has greatly blessed us with comfort and security that have come as we have tried to stay focused on Him and His Son. We were told several times as we were with the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve at the MTC that "the Lord is at work in Africa."
We testify it is so!
We are settling in to our new surroundings here in Sierra Leone. Our travels here took us from Salt Lake City to Paris to Freetown, Sierra Leone. We landed at Lungi Airport early in the evening before the sun went down and were so happy to be greeted by Daniel Kamara who explained he was there to help us through security and that the Clawsons were just outside waiting. Everything went so smoothly and it was obvious the workers at the airport were used to missionaries arriving. They were so friendly and very welcoming--and it has been like that through these first 3 weeks.
The airport at Lungi is across the bay from Freetown and it requires a ride on a water taxi to get there. We were escorted to a van which took us to the bay where we boarded the boat and off we went. It was such a nice evening--humid yes, but the breeze from the ocean felt so good and the lights across the bay in Freetown were very pretty. Freetown is a very mountainous area and the whole landscape was lit up as we crossed. We stopped at a grocery store which had much more inventory than I anticipated and then headed to the mission home. The mission home is in a compound or "gated community" as Neil calls it. It has a chapel where 2 wards meet as well as the mission office which is just next door to the mission home. We live on the third floor and two other couples live below in their separate apartments. It is so convenient for Neil to go the the mission office from the mission home--we also have a nice office in the mission home that we work from. The trees and flowers are beautiful around the grounds and since it is rainy season it is very green.
We are enjoying getting to know the missionaries. Our first week here we toured the mission during two zone conferences--one was held for the west side of the mission and one for the east side. I am always amazed at the strength of character and testimony these young missionaries have.
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| Sierra Leone Freetown West Zones |
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| Sierra Leone Freetown East Zones |
At zone conference the missionaries had requested that we introduce ourselves and then share our own conversion stories. I had some pictures on my phone of some of our recent preparations in getting ready to leave. I selected about 8 pictures and then we compared our preparation to serve to their preparation as we introduced ourselves. We started off with a picture of our missionary board which is on a wall in our home. Neil randomly took a picture of it with his phone months ago so we started with it and explained how we had always planned on serving a mission together and that our children and their spouses had served missions. We shared our testimony of the importance of missionary work and how we know that we have been called to serve Him. We shared our mission picture, a couple pictures of our family, of us at the MTC, another one by the famous MTC map, a picture of us taking our first round of Doxycycline which we will be taking for the next three years to fight malaria, and explained we also have been studying Preach My Gospel, the Scriptures and the Missionary Handbook. We were impressed with the discussions and teaching which took place at zone conference--the missionaries were engaged and we were impressed with their insights and contributions they shared. Neil then began interviewing the missionaries who work in the most far reaching areas of the mission. We had 4 missionaries at our first zone conference who traveled from Guinea. They are French speaking missionaries and it was so good to spend some time with them as Neil interviewed their companions.
During our mission tour our driver, Elder Dunn from Rexburg Idaho drove us all over the mission. He was so helpful in getting us safely where we were to be and so patient with us as we peppered him with hundreds of questions. He was truly a blessing to us. He left to go home 10 days after we arrived. We will always be grateful for the time we were able to spend with him and for his honest and experienced insights about the work here in Sierra Leone. 
We were back to the mission home for 2 days when we began transfers. Although we weren't as familiar with the missionaries who were leaving to go home, we loved being with them. Their testimonies were genuine and heartfelt. Their love for the people and for the Lord's work was so evident and we again just felt so grateful for the privilege of being with them. They left early afternoon and two hours later 10 new missionaries arrived from the Ghana MTC. We went to the ferry to pick them up and bring them to the mission home. We had a great experience training with them and already know they will be great missionaries. They are prepared and ready to go to work. I am so grateful for Elder and Sister Moomey who came to the training to help the missionaries understand the precarious nature of staying healthy in this mission! It is not to be taken lightly!! Their training and experience are invaluable. What a work they do! During the month of June there were 10 cases of Malaria in the mission and that many or more of typhoid fever. We have the highest number of cases in the West Africa Area. Sister Moomey is a RN experienced in international health and Elder Moomey is a retired fireman and EMT specialist. They love the missionaries and are so good with them. They also have high expectations for obedience and being self reliant for your own health. They are a great team and we are so blessed to work with them.Just to give an idea of how to stay healthy in Sierra Leone--all missionaries take doxycycline each day--one miss makes you vulnerable to malaria. They triple filter all water, Clorox bleach all fruits and vegetables, and sleep under mosquito nets. All that and regular hand washing give a missionary a pretty good chance of staying healthy. The group that went home earlier this month only had one missionary who had malaria while serving--and he went home with it!
We stayed with the Moomeys in Bo as we were in the East side of the mission during zone conference. They were so great to be with and fixed us hamburgers and fries along with Apple dessert for the Fourth of July! It was wonderful to finally meet them. Sister Moomey and I toured the medical resources here in the Freetown area one afternoon. We went to 2 hospitals and a couple of labs and I was pleasantly surprised at the care available. It is nothing like the States, but they were clean and very accommodating to us and our needs for the missionaries. I was very grateful. Sister Moomey has been training me on how to order medications and lab tests for malaria and typhoid as well as where to obtain any IV treatment needed for missionaries. Other than that, missionaries with any serious illness will need to fly to Ghana for treatment.
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| Blacksmith Shop |
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| Eku Scotland and Elder Dunn |
We also met Elder and Sister Kunz in Kenema. We met with the Stake President and the branch presidents in the Kenema District Presidency. Kenema has been approved to become a stake from the area presidency but still has to be approved in SLC. Sister Kunz fed us some sloppy joes and then Elder Kunz wanted to take us to the Opportunity Training Center. Here a man named Eku Scotland who is disabled himself and is wheelchair bound has founded a place where those who are disabled can find work. Eku loves the Book of Mormon and he loves General Conference. He told us the speakers have a light and that he feels that light when he hears them speak. We walked through the center and were amazed at the number of people who have found a place to belong to and work to keep them fed and housed. In many ways it was like walking back in time 2,000 years ago. A charitable organization from Europe had donated money for them to build showers and latrines and many of the men and boys were working on that project. We walked into the Blacksmith shop and couldn't believe our eyes. Disabled men were sitting in the dirt with fires going in little fire pits also in the dirt hammering the metal after the metal was heated through. We visited with several of them--all of them so respectful and kind and so happy to see us. It was humbling to say the least. As we were leaving Elder Kunz softly said to us, "if the Savior visited Sierra Leone I am sure this would be the first place He would come." We had to agree.
We were invited to represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at a ribbon cutting for two new water tanks in Tamba Town. LDS Charities had worked with community leaders to bring in 2 water tanks to supply the people with water. Before this the residents would walk down a STEEP hill all the way down to the river which is so polluted and carry water back up the hill for drinking, cooking, bathing, etc. The community leaders were so happy to have this water system and so grateful for the church in helping provide them with it. Muslim and Christians were represented in the leadership and both pled for cooperation in maintaining it as well as people of integrity to keep the commitments as outlined in their contracts. We are finding that the people here in Sierra Leone know the church. They see our nametags and immediately offer help or assistance. We were privileged to be a part of the humanitarian effort and recognize the efforts of Ed and Terry Evans who helped arrange many of the details. Neil and I were both asked to speak at it--just before they handed us the microphone! Then Neil was taken aside and interviewed with a camera and microphone. He did such a great job explaining the role of the church and its outreach to all children of our Heavenly Father. He also invited the people to love and care for one another and to follow the example of Jesus Christ. He welcomed all to come to our chapels of worship and join with us as we strive to become more like the Savior. It was a wonderful experience to see Muslim and Christians come together and work together to bring about a better life for each other and for their children.
One of the sweet experiences here in Sierra Leone is to attend Church. I have never heard such faith filled prayers and such humble and genuine expressions of gratitude. A very common phrase I have heard over and over again is "Father, we thank thee for one more day of life." One man who came into the mission office told me that he was married but his wife had suffered a stroke just weeks before she gave birth to twins. The twins are now 7 months old and his wife has lost much of her speech and some mobility in her legs. Then he says, "God has been so good to us. We love Him so much. My family has been so blessed and we know He will take care of us." He emphasized each "so"! What a way to view life--especially when it is full of challenges and heartache. They get through life and its adversities with their humble faith in the Savior and they are very verbal about it!I visited Primary last Sunday and at the end a mother came in with a cake for her son who was having a birthday and was graduating from Primary. She called her son to the front and he made a slice through the cake while everyone spelled out loud, L_O_V_E. Then his parents placed their hand on his and they made another slice while everyone spelled L_O_V_E. Then his teacher came and placed her hand on his and again they spelled J_O_Y. His friends were invited up and together they made a slice through the cake and J_O_Y was spelled outloud. Then I was asked to join the young man and they spelled out J_O_Y. He was so happy and so were the other children because he shared with everyone! That little demonstration epitomizes the people here. They love each other and find joy in life despite their destitute conditions. They do not keep it amongst themselves either--they give and offer it to others. We have been the recipients these last three weeks!
Today we took a break and went down to the beach early with 2 other missionary couples. It was a beautiful morning--we finally got a break in the weather and the sun came out. We enjoyed a walk along the beach and talked to people who came up to us asking if they could come to church. They look at our nametags and tell us that they too love Jesus. We sent the referrals to our missionaries in the area. We are thankful for our opportunity to serve. Heavenly Father has greatly blessed us with comfort and security that have come as we have tried to stay focused on Him and His Son. We were told several times as we were with the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve at the MTC that "the Lord is at work in Africa."
We testify it is so!
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