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.