Tuesday, June 7, 2011

More Liberia snaps... and one for Sister Grabau


To Sister Grabau:   Elder Grabau and Elder Smoot....happy, healthy and a message from your son, "I am just fine and feeling great. Thanks Mom."
One of our previous missionaries, Br. Wisseh, with his wife and baby girl.
Baby Wisseh....so cute!
Beautiful bird....the colors were just so bright.
Creativity...
We saw this set of weights at the dock next to the Lungi Airport.
Elder Tim's bed on the left and Elder Moss's bed on the right. Talk about a shiny floor!
Elder Tims sweeping...
Elder Taylor cleaning
Elder Ameworlor's bed on the left and Elder Taylor's on the right.  Note the fans....only when the generator is on do they work to cool things down. More shiny floors
We saw Elder Lambson and Elder Pabie with their cooking gas downtown so put it in the truck to be delivered the next day.  Elder Lambson hefting it...they are very heavy.
The Caldwell Apartment's generator kept going on the blink so here is Elder Moss carrying it to the truck...These things are really, really heavy.
Elders Essel, Okeke, Njaga, Marveh, (front) Pabie and Kotey....  Notice Elder Marveh and Elder Kotey's matching ties...
Elder Taylor's training this time and his brand new companion is Elder Ameworlor from Ghana.
There's more snaps tomorrow....

Sunday, June 5, 2011

We're back after three weeks in Liberia and Ghana.

Sister Kimball's famous vegetable medley...next add linguine and some Alfredo sauce.  Very yum. She is a great cook.  We stay with the Kimballs every time we come to Monrovia.  We enjoy their hospitality.
After Liberia afternoon district meetings, Elder Chaparadza, Elder Boateng, Elder Tims, Elder Moss, Elder Pabie, Elder Lambson.  Front row.  Elder Amawolor and Elder Taylor and one of the boys.
 After Monrovia Zone Conference...
Sister Smith, Church Service Missionary, Miss Annie (a wonderful Catholic lady) and Sister Kimball after Bushrod Island District Conference.  We had 825 there.  It was huge.  The Kimballs spoke and so did President Roggia and I.
Elder Tims uplifted by nearly all of the Zone!
Elder and Sister Kirkham arrived on May 31st at the Roberts International Airport in Monrovia.  They will be serving a 23 month mission with us!  We are so excited and happy to have them here.  The Kimballs are teaching them all they can before they leave on July 3rd.  Welcome Kirkhams!!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Freetown Zone Conference

 Freetown Zone conference
 Eating lunch
 Caribbean Fusion catered a large portion of curried chicken and rice for us for less than $4.00 a plate or 15,000 Leones each.
Everyone helping to put the tables and chairs back in place....we are on our way to Monrovia right now.  We will post those snaps when we can get close to an internet.

Bo Zone Conference

 Elder Boakye and Elder Tade.  Elder Boakye just arrived last week and Elder Tade is his trainer.
Getting sitted before Zone Conference begins. 
Elder Svongwa and Elder Kenner
 Elder Merrill, Elder Stott, Elder Vaughan, and Elder Bennion
 Elders Ditsi, Br. Sandy (branch missionary), Elder Wood and Elder Bennion
 Br. Sandy (branch missionary) and Elder Wood. To Mama Wood: "I have gained weight.  I am eating more bread. I have had to let my belt out. I am doing "perfect push-ups" three sets of 20, 12 and 8 plus abs.
 :-)   (Elder Stott in the background)
All of Bo Zone after Zone Conference.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

This and thats....


Elder Jenkins had a bad tooth pulled.   Sister Patterson got some ice to put on his left cheek.  We checked out all the meds and called the area doctor to make sure they were all okay to use.  We took him and his companion to the apartment for the rest of the day.  (It has healed up very well, Sister Jenkins.)
Elder Eyinda, Elder Visser and his new companion, Elder Akwah.  I loved their smiles!

Elder Appleby's closet in their Grafton Apartment. (He didn't know I was going to take this and said he would have cleaned it better.  I told him it was just fine.)
Elder Kargbo's bed on the left and Elder Appleby's on the right.
This is the outside of their new apartment.  Four elders moved into it a couple of weeks ago.  It has a large area for a meeting place.  We started a new Home Unit there last Sunday.  Seventy-seven attended.  We ran out of chairs.  The elders call it "the palace".  It's brand new and the landlord was happy to rent it.
After the meeting, we were standing outside. It was very hot out and we were all wiping off the sweat! It had really rained the night before.
Elder Tims talking away! He was transferred to Liberia so got to enjoy the new apartment for only two weeks.

At the wharf and more.

Elder Lancaster and Elder Tippets on their way home returning with honor! 
Elder Smoot and  Elder Tippets, going to Colorado, saying good-byes.
Elder Lancaster heading to Utah and Elder Grabau
We had more leave two days later.  Elder Ogoloma to Nigeria, President Roggia, Elder Ndlovu to Zimbabwe and Elder Beckwith to Australia.  We love you all and will miss you.
At the wharf, we saw a kitty.  It is not a common sight to see cats here.
Yesterday, we sent Sister Kargbo and Elder Sesay to the Ghana MTC.  They are both going to the Ghana Cape Coast Mission after three weeks in the Missionary Training Center in Ghana. Both had never used the water taxi or flown.  It takes a lot of faith to do both things as well as going to a new country to serve the Lord.
Elder Patterson discussing things with Elder Rochester as all the new elders head to their areas and trainers.
Elders packing up the van for the transport to Freetown East Zone
finishing
loaded and ready to get in

Elders Emanuelson, Rochester and Purcell with Elder Allred ready to direct the backing of the van.
Elder Smoot and Elder Grabau happy and relieved after all the orientation, training of the trainers, organizing the transportation, who goes in what vehicle, when and with whom....all is completed.  They don't get much rest when they have six to eight elders in the same apartment.  They make them breakfast for a couple of days, too.  We are grateful for our assistants who take a big load of lifting off of President Roggia.