Saturday, January 12, 2013

Firsts and Lasts!


This is a historic day! President Swarray, Freetown Stake President, set apart his first missionaries as Stake President: Br. Komora and Br. Dumbuya, both to Nigeria Port Harcourt Mission. President Roggia set apart Sister Moi, Br. Bindi (both to Nigeria Port Harcourt) and Br. Conteh to Ghana Accra Mission. AND, they all received Patriarchal Blessings from Patriarch Kamara! It was Patriarch Kamara's first time giving patriarchal blessings. What a day of firsts!!!
Elder Etuk, Elder Itomo, Elder Udofot and Elder Evans came to the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission in December!  Welcome Elders!
President Swarray, Freetown Stake President, addressing the newspapers and TV in Freetown regarding the building of a new Mission Home and the first Stake Center in Sierra Leone.
Firsts: Groundbreaking for the Mission Home on Belliar Park.
Lasts:  The old Freetown Missionary Apartment on Belliar Park is demolished so that the new Mission Home can be constructed.  
Taking down the old missionary apartment on the Mission Office compound.  Lots of good memories for all the missionaries who lived there.
Took this picture of the architectural drawing of the Mission Home.
Groundbreaking for the first Stake Center in Sierra Leone.  It is being built on the property in Congo Cross.
Nearby children watching the groundbreaking in Congo Cross and yes, each of you are welcome to the chapel, dear children!
Drawing of Stake Center
Elder and Sister Burns, Humanitarian Missionary Couple.  They serve with the LDS Charities who has constructed approximately 200 clean water wells throughout Sierra Leone in the past five years.  We are looking to do 40 new wells in Kenema this year and numerous spring boxes; as well as the creation of a new water project here in the Freetown Area 2013.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has trained the community in neonatal resuscitation, provided immunizations, wheelchairs, latrines, a food initiative, mattresses, rugs and day beds to a polio orphanage and on and on...
  First, missionaries take the water out by buckets and put in the font, baptize some wonderful brothers and sisters...then last, take it out by bucketfuls and put back in the tank.  As you can see by the dry leaves, this is the dry season and water is precious as gold.


4 comments:

Julie Markham said...

This is so wonderful!

Lisa S said...

My good friend's son is Elder Woodhead.

The Happy Trapper said...

Wonderful! 3,000th Stake there! We're moving to Layton in June to prepare for Missions! Just found out that our daughter Bethanne Kanzler's Father and mother-in-law have been called to Sierra Leone!!!

God bless you folks for your examples!

Craig and Linda Lenhard
Columbus GA

Seth Lancaster said...

It is kind of sad to see the old Freetown apartment come down, but I am really excited about the changes in the mission. It is so great to see the growth!