New Mission Presidents for Liberia and Sierra Leone

We are so excited to let everyone know that Liberia and Sierra Leone are receiving new Mission Presidents and Companions!  We are so grateful that Ebola has subsided and that the Lord's work can continue to move along!  We love the Church Members in both countries and we know they have prayed and fasted to have their countries open again to missionary work. 

 Arvid Alan Carlson, 62, and Kelly Lynn Lilly Carlson, five children, Wasatch Mountain Ward, Midway Utah Stake: Liberia Monrovia Mission. Brother Carlson serves as a young single adult adviser and is a former stake presidency counselor, district president, branch president, branch presidency counselor and missionary in the Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission. Retired physician, United States State Department. Born in Oakes, North Dakota, to Carl Alvin Carlson and Gloria Mae Widmer Carlson.

Sister Carlson serves as a young single adult adviser and is a former district Primary president, ward Young Women president, branch Primary president and seminary teacher. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, to Morgan Eldon Lilly and Peggy Joyce Christy Lilly.

Kevin Harold Clawson, 58, and Toi Lyon Clawson, five children, Fairport Ward, Palmyra New York Stake: Sierra Leone Freetown Mission. Brother Clawson serves as a stake presidency counselor and is a former bishop, stake mission president, high priests group leader, area public affairs co-director and missionary in the France Paris Mission. President and chief executive officer, Reach the Children. Born in Landstuhl, Rhineland Pfalz, Germany, to Robert Marion Clawson Jr. and Elizabeth Silver Clawson.

Sister Clawson serves as a multi-stake public affairs director and is a former Hill Cumorah Pageant and area public affairs director, seminary teacher, and Primary music leader. Born in Salt Lake City to David Reed Lyon and Cherie Deanne Moss Lyon.

Sierra Leone Freetown Mission and Liberia Monrovia Mission Reunion

The Sierra Leone Freetown and Liberia Monrovia Mission Reunion will be held:

Thursday, Oct 2, 7-9 p.m., at Valley View Stake Center, 2245 East 3900 South, Salt Lake City, Utah. It's a cream colored brick building on the North side of 39th South just below 2300 East.

Instructions to get there:

From the North.

 
From 1-15 southbound, take 1-80 Eastbound
Take 2300 East exit going south.
South on 2300 East to 3900 South
Right (west) on 3900 South to Valley View Stake Center (north side), 2245 East 3900 South

From the South

1-15 to East I-215
Take 3900 South exit off I-215, Turn left at Exit light, go to 3900 South
Left (west) on 3900 South
On 3900 South, go to 2245 East,,Valley View Stake Center (north side of 39th South)

Mission Reunion Last Night in Utah

We were so happy to see so many come. We wish all could have been there to share in the fun stories and sacred moments remembered!

Open House Visitors

We had a great visit with everyone who came to the Open House.  We enjoyed meeting with the parents of missionaries still serving...The Edwards, the Clawsons, the Wellers, the Losees, the Jones.  (I think that was everyone) Cynthia, a long time friend from 1980 (we hadn't seen each other since the 80's), also came with her husband.  This picture is only a partial scene of all those who came.   We loved hearing how everyone is doing.  It was fun to meet the new spouses and soon-to-be spouses, too. The Randalls, the Neves and the Kimballs...former Senior Couples in the mission... were there also. We had 56 come. We love you all!  Thank you for everything!

Oh-h, So Wonderful to See Everyone!

At the Sea Coach seeing us off....Elder and Sister Burns, Elder and Sister Kanzler and Markus.

Getting off the Sea Coach and going to Lungi Airport June 30th.  Last look....

Coming down the stairs in the Salt Lake International Airport on July 1st, 2013

Our family waiting for us with Return with Honor shirts! 

On the front of the shirt is "Return with Honor".  On the back it has our family motto "Pure and Strong", the map of Africa, and Sierra Leone Freetown Mission 2010-2013.  Love it!

We were welcomed by Elder Hilton, Elder Grabau and his wife, Elder and Sister Patterson, Elder Barth, Sister Randall and Elder Jones' parents and brother!   What a nice surprise to see them all!

Thank you Pattersons for the fruit basket filled with berries of all kinds and fruits of all kinds....best of all red Twizzlers!  Delightful!

A great big thank you to all of you who have followed the blog and have encouraged us to keep taking pictures of your missionaries, and kept the missionaries in your prayers.  We will miss them and miss the people of Sierra Leone and Liberia.  We are grateful for all the beauty and miracles we witnessed during the last three years.  We are thrilled to be home with family and friends.  We love this wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ and leave our testimony of it's truthfulness and the joy that comes from following the Savior. This will be the final posting on the blog from June 2010-July 2013.  We will post pictures of  any reunions that we may attend.

Turning over the Keys and a Fond Farewell to All!

We took this picture in March before the Kirkhams went home for a few months knowing that we probably wouldn't connect again as they returned to Liberia June 30th.  What a wonderful thing!  The Liberia Monrovia Mission with President and Sister Kirkham!

Welcome back to Liberia! 

At Lungi Airport, Welcome President and Sister Ostler!!

Handing over the phone...This will be a quiet evening for President Roggia and the beginning of a very active phone for President Ostler.

Fond Farewells with the Senior Couples and Assistants.

In Liberia, we had a nice farewell dinner with the Senior Couples and Assistants: Elder and Sister Miles, Elder and Sister Krumm, Elder and Sister Hezseltine.  It has been so great serving with them all.  (It was a "tie-free zone" except for the Assistants.)

The Liberia Assistants, Elder Harris and Elder Willis did all the dishes!  We gave them frilly aprons to put on...they were great sports.

In Sierra Leone, we had a nice farewell with Elder and Sister Burns, Elder and Sister Lauritzen, Elder and Sister Kanzler and the Assistants.  We just love these Senior Couples and Assistants.  They make everything happen!

The Sierra Leone Assistants, Elder Wolfgramm and Elder Liufau doing the dishes for us at the Mission Home.  What good husbands they will be.

Elder and Sister Schlehuber had us for a bed and breakfast plus dinner in Bo.  They have graciously taken us in every trip to Bo. We will miss you all so much.

More dishes in Bo at the Schlehubers... 

 A great big thank you to you all!