Dec. 29, 2019 Happy New Year 2020

“You cannot be a Christian during the day and a pagan at night. It Doesn’t Work!”  With that quote from our district president at a branch conference today, I will share some of our Christian activities of the days and nights of this week.

Solomons, the office couple and fellow Canadians, joined us Monday afternoon for a delightful  meal, conversation, and game playing.  Elder Solomon has sung bass with the SPEBSQSA and his wife writes songs and has a couple on Spotify.  We played two games of Sequence and they would like to have a canvas just like ours.  Thanks Pudge!  The zone leaders popped in to talk to parents because we wouldn’t be here on the 24th.

We were all out the door by 7:30 the next morning for a 5 1/2 hour drive to the Baie des Sirènes (Bay of Mermaids) on the coast where we would spend Christmas Eve with the other missionary couple, the Tanners. It was a glorious sunny day, blue skies, crashing waves and  great pizza.  As the sun set we were entertained by two bonfires, a harmonica player and native dancers and Père Noel bringing gifts to the children from a fishing boat.  It didn’t feel like Christmas but it was relaxing.

Tom and I were first up on Christmas morning. He went for a dip in the bay and I took pictures  of the sunrise.   

Spectacularly beautiful and peaceful. For breakfast we gobbled pain au chocolat, crêpes, tropical fruit, omelettes, and fresh squeezed juice and then headed back to the beach. The two hi-lites of my day followed. 





We released baby leatherback turtles onto the sand - they were 2 hours old hatchlings - and watched them make their way into the water which they needed to do by themselves.   

It was fascinating to watch them. They inspired 3 or 4 appropriate Sacrament meeting talks. Then the 3 sister missionaries bobbed all the way across the bay and back.  The water was never over our waists except when the big waves came up to our necks. The bottom was all sand and the water was warm and very clear. This was really fun! It reminded me a bit of home.

 







We drove back to San Pedro for Christmas dinner at a little cafe overlooking the ocean. Our menu was a little different from Canada but delicious - chicken and fish kabobs, tossed salad and frites.

We watched the children swimming and were surprised to see two Musllm children, completely draped in black from head to foot, out in the water as well.  It was a lovely day. We exchanged pictures and prepared for our drive home the next day.

We gave our friends paperback copies of the “Les Saints”.  Most know nothing about the history of the church.  Bro. Balo Bi was baptized last spring and was recently called as the Elders Quorum President.  Within 5 minutes of receiving his gift, he was meticulously making a cover for it out of some plastic wrap. If only most of us valued a book the way he does. 

Today we attended two branch conferences in Godoua and Saioua.  Attendance was high and it was really wonderful to see so many of our newly married and newly baptized friends along with many with whom we have worked during the past 11 months.  We were very grateful for the branch presidents and their faculty conducting the meetings.  Elder Indombe had organized a youth choir for the conference in Saioua and they sang with great gusto!   

It was a great finish to this year when we have seen so much individual and group progress.

Dec. 22, 2019 Joyeux Noel!

We set up our Nativity this week. We purchased it in Accra on our other mission and brought it here with us from America.  If you look carefully, it is hand carved and all the faces capture  distinct personalities. Baby Jesus looks like he is in a little bathtub with his head sticking out.  The shepherd is accompanied by two sheep and a goat [typical of those found on almost every street even in Daloa]. Some nativities in Côte D’Ivoire are carved with hippos, rhinos, giraffes or other wild animals but we prefer the authenticity of ours even though the angel has wings.

We had an illuminating and humbling experience this week in our first literacy class experience.  We are the first to have the student booklet in French for the Church literacy program and there are five sisters in the Niakia group who have been invited to participate.  The goal is to enable them to read the scriptures and write.  In our first attempt, only 1 sister came (the others were involved in funerals), so we delayed it a week.  On Friday we tried again.  The same sister came - Brigitte.  She is middle aged and really wants to learn to write and read.  So we proceeded with our class of one [this was not the humbling part].

We learned that she understands most spoken French but is shy about speaking it, preferring her native Bété.  She has never written anything and needed to learn how to hold a pencil.  She has never drawn anything and made a few spirals on the page which was to be a picture of our class. The group president was with us, who speaks Bété, French, and English.  We worked with our student to help her recognize, pronounce, and write 4 letters and a couple of words made from those letters.  The manual includes pictographs to help identify the sounds of the letters.  Her biggest struggle was to copy the written letters - in retrospect not a surprise.  We were delighted when she could recognize and write an O. We hope she will follow up with practice at home (with help there from a family member) and we’ll see what happens next time. She is the first adult Sue has met who has never put a pencil to paper.

Today was Christmas Sunday everywhere.  We attended in Zakaria.  We had a short Sacrament Meeting where Luke 2 was read, and we sang two Christmas cantiques for the first time, The First Noel and Silent Night. After the closing prayer, we showed on our small laptop the new Church nativity video, which our little congregation would otherwise not see.  We had a short explanation of what to watch for and a discussion afterward.  There was keen interest, as you can see in the photos.  We are finding that many know little about the life of Christ. Afterward the Zone Leaders handed out whistles and some candy in their Santa hats.

One of Sue’s favorite Christmas presents from this year will be the look on a workman’s face who came to replace the glass on our coffee table.  After we had paid him, we surprised him  with a jar of our roasted peanuts and said “Merci”. The smile in his eyes and on his face she will never forget.

We will conclude with some words of our son Ben and his favorite scripture. He said we are easily “distracted by the cultural trappings of Christmas. Christ came not to provide fleeting comforts or entertainments but to ‘swallow up death in victory and wipe away the tears from all faces, to heal the broken-hearted and bind up their wounds’.”

A Harmattan sunset

Remember the joy we feel in our lives is not dependent on the circumstances of our lives but rather the focus of our lives. [Russel M Nelson] May we focus on the One who swallowed up death, and has the power to wipe away all tears, heal the broken-hearted and bind up their wounds.  Merry Christmas!

Dec. 15, 2019

We had a wonderful surprise this week while talking with our latest group's leaders: the leader and his wife and his first counselor are all going to the Accra Temple in January for the first time.  Then today in the branch conferences in Issia 1st and 2nd Branches, the district president discussed plans to participate in a temple trip in April.  There are two happenings that accelerate the work going on in our mission.  The first is to have members go to the temple for the first time to be endowed and sealed.   The second is having young men and women serve a full time mission and then return to their home ward or branch.  Both of these tend to be life-changing experiences which bring greater understanding of God’s plan for His children and greater commitment to service.

Perhaps we have mentioned this before: it takes about 15 hours of travel in a bus to get to the temple in Accra.  They stay for three days in the patron accommodations, doing as many ordinances as they can, and then jump on the bus to return home.  The overall cost per person quoted in our meetings today was 42,000 CFA.  That’s about $71 dollars per person.  It doesn’t sound like much, but for most of the members in the units where we work it is a lot. 

We greatly enjoyed the double branch conference today (2 separate conferences, not combined).  It is wonderful to have a district presidency who go to training with the Area leaders and then pass that training on to the members.  When there was no district these pioneering members often felt like orphans - blazing trails without much feedback of how they were doing.  Now there is a sense of belonging in a larger family than just the branch and having leaders who care about their progress collectively and individually.  There are still many organizational struggles but we can see the growth.  Three months ago the second branch was created in a division.  Our combined attendance today, which was average for the past month, was almost double the attendance prior to the division.

Tuesday and Wednesday this past week was our Christmas Zone Conference combined with the Man Zone.  It was nice to catch up with some of the missionaries we first met when we arrived and see how they have grown in confidence and ability.  There were sports the first afternoon, and teaching the next morning.  We watched again the church Christmas video and its powerful portrayal of the birth of the Savior, sang carols, and gave out presents, some sent by well-intentioned families from the US (it costs more to ship “stuff” than it does for the actual stuff).  Elders received ties, sisters received pillow slips, all received the new History of the Church in French.  The printed General Conference talks were distributed also.  It really did feel like a celebration!

Sr. S. wrapping presents at the mission home

A few Christmas decorations in the mission home

Christmas season in Côte d’Ivoire is quite different - not much in the way of decorations or music except in church.  The weather has changed to the dry season and it is less humid in the morning but with more heat during the day.  We listen to lots of Christmas music when we are at home thanks to the internet.  It is always wonderful to reflect on the earthly beginnings of the Savior of the world and marvel at His condescension and love for all of God’s children, and to contemplate how the grand plan of happiness is working in the lives of so many.  I have said this before - when you are a missionary, every day is Christmas!

Ground fog at 75F - closest thing to a frosty morning

 

Dec. 8, 2019

Two things have happened in the last few days which propelled us to evaluate our time and what we are doing with it.  We called a dear friend, our former Bishop and Stake  President, to wish him a happy 77th birthday.  We spent most of the time talking to his wife, who related that he has dementia and doesn’t talk much any more. She also said he falls  and cannot get up by himself.  We remember him as a brilliant PHD, articulate, passionate about his work and family, an athlete, a warm and engaging leader. He gave my last 3 children their Patriarchal blessings.  As my calf-roping-at-82 brother would say “Growing old is not for the cowardly”.

On Friday, we heard that another dear friend, Bill Dresser, had died. How we loved him for his generosity, his sense of humor, his knowledge of community affairs, his public service, and his delight whenever we parked in his driveway and showed up on his doorstep. Our sympathy  goes our to his grieving wife who is the same age as I am.

Tom and I have been good at doing what we wanted to as well as what we needed to.  I remember Kathleen Harris’ definition which shifted my paradigm: “Maturity is learning to love what has to be done.”  We learned a great lesson from my mother and father who were both school teachers and had big plans for after they retired.  Unfortunately, my mom died of cancer when she was 56 and so did the dreams.  We decided we would do what we could, when we could, with our focus on making marvelous memories both with our children and without them.  It was rarely about what we had [stuff] but about experiences and memories that we could cherish and take with us.

So Dec. 2019, here we are in the primitive villages of Cote D’Ivoire trying to strengthen those who have never seen a chapel, or been to any meeting where it mattered what you wore, or seen General Conference by satellite, or heard the hymns on an organ, let alone been to a  church dance or girls camp.  But despite the ever-strewn garbage, the deplorable roads, the power and water cut occasionally, the bugs, and the heat, we feel comfortable here.   Although there are differences in color, customs, and country, we share something more significant - the love of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and His doctrine of: Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his atonement, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Holy Ghost and  Enduring to the End. We are teaching them how to plan and organize and they are teaching us about the simplicity of faith and what it means to adore. So do we want to be here?  We would not change this experience for any other because we know this is where the Lord needs us to be. 

An afternoon nap among the roots

Listening to the discussion

Generations: L-R wife, aunt, daughter and granddaughter, mother, and husband

Preparing to make palm oil

 

Dec 1, 2019

What a week we have had!  Tuesday we were back in our new group in Zakaria.  We shared some of the training on conducting meetings that we were taught in District Conference and taught hymns to the chorister. There is one hymn book in the group and no instrument, except voice.  Today the Group Pres. said he shared the training this week with the ward counselor in Orly [ a ward in town] who said, "Where did you get That from?"  He said it was from me, but I reminded him that our authority for doing things this way is the 1st Presidency.  If they do it, we follow.  When they change, we follow.

Wednesday we accompanied the Br. Pdts. from Saioua and Godoua north about 10 km from Niakia to Douoboua, where they had been asked to visit by a church group who had lost their pastor.  We taught 8 adults a first discussion and invited them to send someone to our meetings in Saioua.  We were well received but most likely we were just planting seeds again.  Transportation is a major issue.  The best part was teaching with those two returned missionary branch presidents.  One is a gifted teacher because he knows what the people are thinking.  The other is enthusiastic and translates most things into Bété.

Kids love having their picture taken!

Adults in Louoboua

We celebrated a Thanksgiving meal Thursday with our Zone Leaders and District leaders.  Meat loaf, baked potatoes, veggies, and banana cake, pumpkin bars, and caramel popcorn.  Not typical but we all enjoyed it.  One Elder spoke with family by video for the first time since he has been here (18 months).   

Friday was marriage day in Saioua.  Three couples were happily married in the late morning followed by a nice fish and rice "lunch" at the branch building after.  We had been asked to serve as witnesses for this couple.[the Treys] 

Helping the groom get ready

The bride at the coiffeuse

The married couple exiting the Sous-prefecture

We helped the Zone Leaders get to the baptismal interviews there and in Issia, arriving home at 7:15pm - not our favorite time because the roads are treacherous after dark, but it was good to get the work done.

We returned yesterday afternoon for the baptisms (2 of the newly married couples and a child).  I had a sweet experience as a witness just standing by the font.  It felt like a sacred place to me, perhaps for the first time, and I recalled how Alma's group felt about the waters of, the forest of, and the place of Mormon because it was there that they came to know their Redeemer.  

We attended meetings in Zakaria today and enjoyed getting to know the group better.  There were about 35 in attendance, split between adults and children.  The leaders need time, encouragement, and reassurance that they are doing the right things.  They rely a bit too much on the elders for teaching lessons but we can help them overcome that dependence.  Our next discussion is to be on preparing to give talks and teach lessons.

Transfers are this week and we will be sad to see some of our very effective young missionaries go elsewhere.  They will continue to “go about doing good” in their next assignments.  

Our Zone Leaders: Elders Allsop and Newell

Our brother-in-law Bill McKay received his unexpected final transfer this week at the young age of 66.  We cannot really comfort those who morn - we can only morn with them - but the Holy Ghost can and we pray for that strength to be with all who suffer the loss of loved ones,  especially our sister Karen. May she feel of our love for her.

I am reminded of the great death speech of King Théoden after his victorious battle against the forces of evil in LOTR.  “My body is broken; you have to let me go.  I go to my fathers, in whose mighty company I shall not now feel ashamed.”

Nov. 24, 2019 First Conference of the District of Issia

It has been a weekend for joyful tears.  Pres. and Soeur Sherman arrived Wed. night in preparation for zone conference Thursday. There was some very thoughtful training by the missionaries about the atonement.  Our zone has equal numbers of sisters and elders which is unusual and we are the only couple. The district we are in has 6 sisters, all from Africa, our district leader from US and his companion from Tahiti. We have interactive sensitive meetings.  Elder Bennett is our DL and he reminds me a lot of Dad: reserved, articulate, compassionate, humble and tall, dark and handsome. Of course Tom is now tall, grey, and handsome.

The District of Marais, in our courtyard

We had some concerns about the first conference of the Issia District on Sat. and Sunday. There were several men from our two little branches who were to be ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood but they needed an interview with the mission president who would be 40 km away. No one has a car or even a motorbike, and the price for public transport for them was prohibitive.  Most live on the rice that they grow.  The church used to pay for this kind of transportation but does not any more.  The individuals were asked to sacrifice to get there.  We honestly didn’t know if any of them could or would come.

When we arrived in Issia on Saturday about noon, there were the two branch presidents with their seven men waiting for their interviews with Pres. Sherman.  I wanted to hug each one [inappropriate] because I knew what an effort they had made.  They were happy to see us as well.  We found out that they would be sleeping on the floor of the building overnight, where there is no running water, no air-conditioning [90F] and they had no money for food, but they would be sustained and ordained on Sunday morning.  When they called out those names and had the brethren stand, I couldn’t help but weep.  One asked Tom to ordain him so we stayed after meetings while those ordinances were performed.  Such great blessings!  The overall feelings of unity and love were very strong.

Tom had the same experience thinking back to our first visit with one of the men ordained today.  Nine months ago we were sitting on chairs under the tree next to his house while the missionaries were off visiting with another contact.  He just turned to Tom and said, “So what is all this about getting married?  Why should I get married when I’m happy as things are?”  And now he holds the priesthood to bless his family.

New Elders

One of the full time elders in Saioua had asked permission to start a choir for the conference. We had no idea who would be singing or what they would be singing but we hauled a church keyboard to him.  He can sing and play well [ think Tal ]. 

Elder Indombe accompanying (and singing)

Choir warmups

Choir members

They sang in both sessions and were so enthusiastic and sincere.  The six girls were all recent converts except one, and were between 15-17.  The men were a little older.  When they started with “ Heavenly Father, are you really there?”,  I just bowed my head and let the tears drip down my cheeks.  The Lord has paid us well for our 10 months of work.

Our favorite 18 year-old (Hermann Bahi) with Elder Larkin

November 17, 2019 Ups and Downs (or, Faith and Patience)

Every mission has its ups and downs.  We spent some time with the Zone Leaders this week and noted theirs.  We have been asked to help out in a group which is the proselytizing area for the Zone Leaders - Zakaria.  It is part of the Daloa Stake, about 12 km north of town,  and at one time had many attending.  In recent weeks they have seen a falling away and now they have only 20-30 who come on Sundays.  The Zone Leaders were discouraged in trying to reactivate, finding several people who were upset for one reason or another.  One person said they were promised the church would give them money when they became members (!!?) and were disappointed when that didn’t happen.  On Thursday afternoon we visited with the group leaders and listened to their stories and their concerns.  We’ll start some basic training each week and see if we can help.  They have been mostly ignored by the ward and stake leaders so any attention we give them will be appreciated.  On our way home from that meeting we were in the biggest rainstorm we’ve experienced here with high wind, lightning, etc.   Later that evening [after dark] the zone leaders called to ask if we could come get them - there were no massas (busses) running because of the storm. It is difficult to drive on a road you are not familiar with in the dark.

A lizard hitch-hiker on the windshield

Friday the Zone Leaders accompanied us on our regular trip to work with the leadership in Godoua.  They had baptismal interviews to do. 

Training in Godoua

 

 

 

After, we met with the Saioua Elders to try to get water into the font for the baptisms yesterday.  Saioua town has a problem with a water tower that is about 1/4 the size they need for the population, so may people have dug wells in their courtyards.  There was not water at the branch building, so we tried to use a hose to get water from the elders’ house to some large barrels and then haul them to the branch in the back of our truck.  Their house/apartment gets water from the owner next door who has a well and an electric pump to get the water out.  It worked for about 1/2 barrel and then the power went off.  That is another problem in Saioua - the power goes off frequently. 
 

Moving water

 

Starting to fill the barrels

Now what?

Their next plan was to drive to the water tower and see if they would sell us water to fill the barrels, but when we arrived we found that the power was also off there and they couldn’t get any water without power. 

Finally, they had heard of someone in town who could get us water so we stopped and asked the price.  It was about $20 to get 15 barrels of water delivered to the branch, where they could use buckets to fill the font.  At that point, we needed to leave to get home before dark.  We heard the baptismal services went well and had 6 confirmations in meetings there today.  We admired the persistence of the missionaries in solving those problems.  Faith and patience are not just ideals, but practical qualities that are needed every day.

In other news we are looking forward to the first conference of the District of Issia next weekend, with several men from our units being sustained to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood.  That will be a big boost. Pres. and Soeur Sherman will be sleeping at our house from Wed until Sunday this week.

A yellow fleur that looks a bit like a hollyhock

 

Nov 10, 2019 Remembrance/Veteran's Day

In 1978, I went to Europe for the first time. Tom and I spent a wonderful week just outside London [Surrey] with my brother Ken and family and the next week in France, which had been Tom’s mission field 10 years previous. Most things I loved about France, but what made the most impact on my memory was visiting a museum where the entire top floor dealt with the atrocities committed on the people of France during WW II. There were newspaper clippings and hundreds of documents, pictures, and artifacts.

I had learned a great deal about this war from my dad, who had taken me as a child to probably all the movies produced about it.  I think he took me because my mom wouldn’t go. I knew as a child about the holocaust, discrimination, the experiments on women, the stolen childhoods and brutality towards children. As I sat in those rooms in Paris and read those newspapers, those people became real - like Tom and me - but their homes, families and freedoms, dreams and goals had been usurped and life changed for them. It also changed for me.

Two summers ago we spent 6 weeks touring the perimeter of France.  One of those weeks was in Normandy with some dear friends, where we learned so much about the history and landings of the troops which changed the war.   There are outstanding museums, and you are allowed to visit places outside like Point du Hoc, where you can still walk in the craters from the bombs and explore bunkers along the coastline.  We saw where the band of brothers destroyed the guns which were shelling the beach.  We could feel the peace of the American Cemetery and the reverence of the visitors there.  All were lost in their own thoughts.  It was a sacred place.

Since then, I have read several books about the wars and although some are historical fiction, all have increased my understanding of the debt we owe to those who literally fought for our freedom to choose. Some of my favorites are: Tatooist of Auschwitz, Maisie Dobbs series [16  books], The Nightingale, The Alice Network, Bonhoffer.  I especially appreciate the women, whose work in the French underground was as significant as the soldiers in the field. Such sacrifice!

When you think about history, much of what we know is about the struggle for power between competing kings, dukes, etc. until much more recently when it was between rulers and the people being ruled.  It is unusual, by comparison with most of known history, that we live in a period when many people of the world live by the rule of law rather than by the rule of the dictator (although there are still some of those around).  As the Book of Mormon points out, there is nothing wrong with being ruled by a righteous king.  The problem comes with a king who is unrighteous.  Likewise the rule of law is dependent on the people being righteous enough to choose wisely those who make the laws.  If ever the majority becomes unrighteous, then the end result will be the same as living under an unrighteous king.  The lesson for us all is that we should promote righteousness among the people while we continue to advocate for freedom.

I hope each of you have your own experiences to be grateful for as we approach Remembrance Day in Canada and Veteran’s Day in the U.S.

 

Nov 3, 2019 Labors and Fruit

What  a  week!  We have spent about 14 1/2 hours driving in 4 trips in the last 5 days.  Three of the days we were teaching groups or families  - some to whom the church was completely unknown, some who are friends of the missionaries, and some who are new members.  We have several pictures of village life.

We've had lots of rain lately - this pig loves it!

Perhaps our most interesting visit was to accompany a young man of 18 who is finishing high school.  It isn’t unusual for youngsters to miss a year or two of school at some point because their parents can’t afford to pay the tuition.  That was true in his case.  He is very bright and very enthusiastic about being a member but has two years of school left and then is planning on a mission.  He lives with his grandmother in “town” but took us about 40 minutes south to his large home village to visit extended family who aren’t members.  We met an uncle, taught him the first discussion, and then gave him a priesthood blessing because he was already trying to quit smoking.  

Young man making mud bricks

Perhaps our best contact was a family who invited us to meet them while we were looking for a family member who lived next yard down.  Their yard was clean and well-swept and the mother, grandmother, and two young daughters were well-dressed.  The man had just returned from working in his cassava plot and was removing his muddy boots.

They invited us to sit in the shade and visit about our purpose for being there.  This is customary village etiquette.  We introduced ourselves and they did the same.  He is a pastor of a different church and had been assigned to the village about 8 months prior.  He was finding it challenging because he was from a different area and tribe.  They listened very attentively while we taught the apostasy and restoration.  The spirit was very much present as we taught, and we will go back to give them a Book of Mormon.  Currently there is no known active member in the village, so trying to organize a Sunday School or group would be vey difficult.  However, we will continue to teach and invite and see where it leads.  We may be just planting seeds for now. As we left, Sue chuckled at a separate roofed area where a chicken was resting on the treadle of their sewing machine. She said she could almost live there if there was a gas stove and refrigerator.

If you don't like the heat in the kitchen, cook outside!

We went back to Saioua and visited with one of the families who were recently married and baptized. As we were talking about the temple, the husband of this dear couple asked a most profound question “Can you teach me about repentance gently?”  Tom talked about the characteristics of Christ from D&C 4 including patience, diligence, submission to the will of the Father, charity etc. I think this brother could relate to wanting to be like Jesus. It binds you to each other when you feel the spirit together.

 












Today we visited the Branch of Godoua.  Several new members shared their testimonies, and one man not yet baptized whom we have been visiting also gave his testimony.  He and his wife are planning their marriage and baptism about 3 weeks from now.  He is an older man, very gregarious and well-spoken, who will be a strong addition to the branch.  He is studying the Marriage and Family Relations Manual (don’t ask us how he found one) and said he has learned a lot about how to be a good husband when he marries.  They have asked us to be their witnesses.  In Africa, your witnesses are the people you turn to for help in the marriage. We told them we had been married 47 years and so had made enough mistakes to have a bit of wisdom.

We are often frustrated by what feels like the slow pace of change, but in reality when we look back over the few months that we’ve been here, the changes in numbers and understanding are remarkable.  It is a great blessing to work with these good people.  God is pouring out His Spirit on this area and the growth of the Church is blessing their lives and their families.

 

October 27, 2019 A New Driver's License

The process of getting a driver’s license here has been bizarre, to say the least.  My FL license was valid for quite a while, but then I needed a Côte d'Ivoire license or an International Permit to drive legally, and opted for the former.  I had a helper in Yamoussoukro to assist in navigating the process, which was done partly on the basis of my FL license.  I was never sure if this was an official pathway or one created just for me.  It began with presenting my passport, FL license, and a wad of money.  I also gave my index finger for an electronic fingerprint, provided my medical record with blood type, and did a vision test.  That was round 1.  

Thanks for your help Bishop Gbalo!

I had to go back to Yamoussoukro (3 1/2 hours away)  a couple of weeks later for the code exam.  My guide neglected to mention that I should study the code book, which I have not yet seen.  The exam involved waiting around a lot, then going into a room and giving my fingerprint again to make sure it was me.  I answered a couple of questions about safety on the road and then faced a chart of about 50 signs, some of which I recognized.  I was asked to identify a couple of them — they were signs that I have never seen here and likely never will.   I probably didn’t get them right.  Not to worry, said my guide.

Round 3 was this week.  I went with my sponsor to a large partly paved sports field, was given my information sheet, and got in line with about 30 others who were waiting to do a driving test on a moto.  My initial response was that I dIdn’t want a permit with a moto license, but the man nearby said, you can’t cross anything off your sheet.  I found out that my sponsor had checked every category (5) on the license application and the first was the moto.  So I watched as each person got on the moto, put on the helmet, and rode it 30 meters in a straight line and then signaled, turned back, and zigzagged between 5 cones back to the start.  For those who didn’t do it well, the man in charge gave a running comedic commentary on their skills.  Some just got on, revved the motor a couple times, and when it was obvious that they were rookies he just said, “That’s it - come back in 2 weeks!”  So when my turn came, having observed carefully, I got on, put on the helmet, worked the clutch to try to engage, but it didn’t work and then the boss said,”OK, thanks!”  He made a point of telling the driving school liaison that I needed more practice, likely for show as he did for the others.  Then we waited about about an hour for the next test.  Not to worry, said the guide.

We formed in 5 lines of 12 or so and waited for the truck to arrive.  It was a small truck with a stick shift and a two-foot side around the bed. They asked me to get in the driver’s seat and everyone else in my row got in the back of the truck.  We were on a huge boulevard about 8 lanes wide, if there had been any lanes.  Next to me was the man who controlled the 2nd clutch and brake - in case I messed up.  Next to the opposite door was the examiner.  He said, put it in gear and go.  So off we went.  “Slowly!  There are guys in the back!”  We rode for 20 feet, he said to shift into 2nd.  I missed on the first attempt but recognized 4th gear immediately and got back into 2nd.  Then they said stop, back up.  So we did that for 25 feet.  Then they said, pull over to the curb and park it.  That was it.  “Next!”  So I hopped out and the next victim jumped in the driver’s seat.

Two days later we went back to the original building and waited for an hour in a large room. When it was my turn I went to the clerk and handed her the paper I had been given when I came in.  I did the fingerprint test again, she worked on the computer for 10 minutes and then handed me the license and said, “Here you go”.

I now have a permis de conduire Ivoirien, classes A,B,C,D, and E.  The class A and B are permanent.  Which means I can come back in 30 years and still use it!  I can also do large deliveries in a truck for the next year.  Just sayin'.  In case you need anything delivered in Côte d'Ivoire - not to worry!

We were staying in Pres. and Sr. Sherman’s apartment just above the mission office.  The Mission Leadership Conference was during the waiting day, so we were invited to participate and enjoyed interacting with these bright young Zone Leaders and Sr. Trainer Leaders.  

Elder and Soeur Solomon (the Office Couple) in their natural habitat

Blessings! Oct 20, 2019

What an amazing weekend of blessings we have had!  It has been the fulfillment of many weeks of work by the members, young missionaries, and the leaders.  As we have said before, civil marriage is the only marriage recognized as legal in Côte d’Ivoire.  Most couples do not get married because the cost is high.  Unfortunately that restricts their baptism into the church, or if they are members, it restricts their ability to receive callings and participate in the church organization. 

This is harvest season for many farmers (of rice, rubber and cocoa) and the time when they have a little extra money.  Several weeks ago we began planning to have a group wedding, and one of the leaders who has contacts in the local government worked out a reduced price to have it done together. 

Friday we were able to be present when 8 couples were married.  It was exciting to see them all dressed up in their finest  and walk with friends from the branch to the sous-préfecture.  

There in a very formal ceremony, the préfet in his uniform reviewed all their documents publicly, gave advice, and then married them - one couple at a time.

A happy couple!

The marriage ceremony

 















Saturday we inaugurated the new baptismal font at the Saioua building, with many of those couples being baptized.  There were in total twenty-two baptisms of mostly adults into the three units that we have in the area.  I commented to the counselor in the district presidency that twenty-two new members was like adding a new branch!  Many of those new members have been attending church for months waiting to be married. They are more knowledgeable than most newly baptized members and will add to the units’ strength immensely.

The candidates in front of the new font

Do not think that all these activities went smoothly or exactly as planned.  Originally the marriages were scheduled for 10 AM, but put back to 1 PM because of a villages’ council meeting taking place at the city level.  Then there was the waiting for everyone to arrive, including the officials.  The first wedding began at 4 PM.  All obstacles were overcome and the blessings were overflowing.

We heard that the party at the branch after the ceremony was very successful but we had to leave at 5 pm to get home only a half hour after dark.  The road home had been washed out in two places by the heavy rains but repaired by log bridges which fortunately held well.  We’ll take the longer route next time.

Crossing the washout

There were more challenges.  Yesterday for example the city water was cut off and the font had to be filled by hauling water in a motorized trike in large barrels and then transferring from the barrels to the font via bucket brigade.  

Filling the font

Today in the three units where the confirmations were performed, we had a total attendance of about 165!  When we first arrived 9 months ago our average attendance in the branch and group (which have now become two branches and a group) was about 75.  We are witnesses to the power of God as the rock cut out of the mountain without hands rolls rapidly forth.

It's not the Tree of Life, but it's very pretty!