New Assistant, on the road and Liberia

  Elder Priddis is the new assistant.  Elder Smoot leaves next transfer so he is teaching Elder Priddis all he can  in the next five weeks.  

 Elders Tims, Taylor, Ameworlor, Ogama, Njaga and Boateng at the Caldwell Apartment in Monrovia on preparation day.  They had just scrubbed the walls, floors and shelves in their apartment.  They wanted a celestial apartment!

Elder Appleby and a branch missionary (Elder Pabie, Elder Appleby's next companion, was coming from Liberia) Next is Elder Wood and his new companion who he is training, Elder Tawiah, a Ghanian from Qatar.  We met them on the road while we were on our way to Bo last Friday.

Elder Laneri and Elder Obinna serving in Kenema.  Elder Laneri goes home next month too.

At the Liberian border: Elder Chikwendu, Elder Smoot, Elder Priddis and Elder Moss.  The Kirkhams and Kimballs made us all sandwiches when we met for the exchange of missionaries.

Nice picture of  Elder Kimball saying good-bye to Elder Moss at the border.

Sister Kirkham jumped up on the truck to help.  The missionaries loved it.  

The Sister Missionaries all together in the Paynesville apartment in Monrovia on preparation day. They had already cleaned and organized their apartment before we arrived.  Sister Mosery and Sister Jibba are on the right and left of me.  Sister Kirkham and Sister Kimball are on the ends.  Sister Tweh in the green shirt is a returned missionary who served in Nigeria.  She was helping train the new sisters who are pioneering as the first sisters in our mission.  We had a three hour training with them to help get them orientated.

We visited the elders in the Logan Town apartment in Monrovia: Elder Marveh, Elder Ekpo, Elder Raymond and Elder Lambson....all on preparation day.

Elder Hilton and ElderIheanacho at the Kenema Branch chapel. Elder Hilton heads home after two years in four weeks, too.

We had Zone Council at the Kimballs.  Sister Kimball made them some yummy taco soup.  Elder Smoot, Elder Ellsworth, Elder Guzha and Elder Priddis all jumped up and ran (literally) into the kitchen to do the dishes!  What great elders!

on the road again to Bo and Monrovia, Liberia

Internet hasn't been working so just a quick note. We are taking missionaries to Bo and Liberia so won't be able to upload any pictures until next week after returning...Have more of the new missionaries to post and new companionships

Arrivals, departures and first sister missionaries!!!

Our new Sister Missionaries in the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission: Sister Moseray and Sister Jibba! We are so excited to have you!
Yesterday, ten elders came in to Sierra Leone and our two sisters flew into Liberia. Add to the excitement: the water taxi ran out of gas in the middle of the sound and it took an hour for another boat to come with the fuel. What a journal entry! Then we fed them some baked ziti, veggies, bread and red velvet cake....they were ready for bed.
Elder Grabau, Elder Kitson-Dodoo and Elder Lowe on their way home via the water taxi then the airport yesterday....should be getting close now.

Before the departure...

Elders Lowe, Grabau, Priddis and Kitson-Dodoo looking over Freetown from Lester Point.  How beautiful Freetown looks from this view!  This time of year everything is so green!

On Saturday Elder Grabau and Elder Smoot had several wonderful souls join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through baptism.  Elder Grabau thought it was a great way to end his mission.  He saw many lives changed and filled with joy over two years of service to the Lord.

Elder Smoot in front of the freshly painted Mission Office.
We just took Elder Grabau, Elder Kitson-Dodoo and Elder Lowe to the water taxi.  Twenty minutes on it, then another 15 on a little bus and then to wait in the airport for about 1 1/2 hours for the flight to Accra.  Elder Lowe goes from Accra to JFK airport in New York then to Salt Lake City.  Elder Grabau goes from Accra to Amsterdam to Houston and Elder Kitson-Dodoo goes straight home to dinner in Accra.  We will get departing pictures up as soon as possible.

First Meeting in the new Kissy Chapel Today

The building and grounds looked like this in January.  It has three pods on each side of the chapel for classrooms, bathrooms and font.  We had to smile because no one could "walk the halls" because there are no halls.  This is the first of its kind in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

 This is what it looked like today. We will have an open house and dedication in August.  We had 174 in the congregation for the Kissy 2 Branch Sacrament Meeting.  Kissy 1 Branch was gathering as we left. Yesterday, the missionaries used the new font for eight baptisms.  We are so happy to have it open!  It is a great blessing for the Saints here in Freetown.

 President Roggia and I with Sister Brown (our public affairs director for the Freetown District) with her daughters standing next to Elder Olukanni of the Seventy.  Elder Olukanni presided and spoke in Sacrament Meeting.

 President Roggia and I with Elder Olukanni.  He taught us so much and is so full of faith!

Elder Emanuelson and Elder Addo with a friend in front of the new Kissy Building.

for my mom...

All missionary mothers (and fathers) like to see their missionary son or daughter.  This is for my 94 year old mother...I love you Mom.

Another one, only back 36 years ago, serving in the Louisana Baton Rouge Mission.  :-)

Congo Cross Elders

On their way to visit their families after waiting for President Roggia to interview one of their candidates for baptism. (This is for Sister Akwah and Sister Visser...."hi moms"

An Office Elder Meeting and West Africa travels

Elder Hickey and Elder Allred talking with Elder Patterson about plans for Bo.  Elder Allred will be going there as an office elder and training a new missionary from the Ghana MTC.  He will be doing lots of multitasking plus opening a new area to missionary work. Because we are going from 60 missionaries to 94-100 in the next coming months, he will help find apartments and gather the furnishings for them .  Elder Hickey will be working the apartments and furnishings in Freetown with another elder that he will train because he finishes his mission in August.

This was just a fantastic sunset the other night in Freetown!

Huts on the road to Bo.  The highway is new and great to drive on.  I love to see the huts and the craftsmanship that goes into them.

See the hanging wet clothes on bamboo poles?  As a young girl on the farm in Montana, I remember hanging clothes on the fence to dry, too.

This is some of the highway going back to Freetown from Bo.

 Recently, I split a tooth.  It didn't hurt any but I knew it couldn't last too long in that condition.  While in Ghana a few weeks ago, the area doctor made an appointment for me with a competent dentist.  This was his dental office parked next to....

his actual dental building where I had a cleaning.

On the flight to Ghana

Back to Freetown

a little Bo, a little Freetown, a little Monrovia

Elder Ditsi, Elder Hilton and Elder Iheanacho with Elder Grabau in the back on their way home from Bo District Conference.

 Elder Stott, Elder Bennion and Elder Vaughan waiting to leave.

Elder Grabau goes home next week so everyone was signing his notebook and saying good-bye.

Some of the missionaries walking toward the road for transport to their areas...

Dinner with the Kimballs and Kirkams June 1st before we flew back to Accra.

 Elder Svongwa and Elder Grabau

 Elder Eyinda, Elder Addo, Elder Emanuelson and Elder Rochester with a family baptized last week.

Elder Addo, Elder Emanuelson, Elder Lowe and ElderBuckman with three others who were baptized last week.  (last two pictures courtesy of Elder Rochester's camera)

Bo District Conference this weekend

Our missionaries after Bo District Conference.  There were 1128 in the congregation today! Amazing amount of Latter-day Saints in one building.  We had to run speakers into different rooms to accommodate all.  It was a great conference. 

Elders hamming it up.  I told them after the one serious picture they could stand however they wanted....lol

President Roggia walking and talking with Elder Kitson-Dodoo and Elder Stott after District Conference.

This week...

Elder Kargbo served for 25 months 

having a 30 day extension. Today President Roggia released him from his mission.  He lives in Freetown, Sierra Leone.  We will see him often. We will miss his solid, calm example to all.  Thank you for your faithful service to the Lord!

Elder Rochester, a lady they are teaching, and Elder Eyinda.  They visited the Mission Office today to talk with President Roggia. (Elder Rochester gave me the fun video on the last post)

Br. Sahr Doe, our Facilities Manager, holding all the many, many keys to the new Kissy Building that seemed to take a very long time to complete.  He was a very happy man!

 We are having the Mission Office and chapel painted.  We thought we'd show what kind of scaffolding the painters use:  wooden poles of varying sizes and in different angles.

This is a common ladder we see.  Still more pics to come...had no internet today till tonight.