Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Wow it's good to be back!

February 25 2016

We've been here in Sierra Leone for 3 weeks now and we have been really busy getting apartments ready for new missionaries here in the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission.
As most of you know, the mission was closed in August of 2014 because of the EBOLA outbreak that devastated the country. It's interesting to see some of the changes that have taken place here.
We have noticed that the tension level is up a few notches, and there seems to be more trash scattered around. I'm hoping both will remedy themselves with time. Sue and I are tasked with re-evaluating the medical facilities that missionaries can be sent to if they become ill. It's interesting as we visit some of the same facilities that we visited back in 2014 to see the changes. Some of them are better equipped because of  Non-Government Organizations (NGO) donations, and some of them have fallen apart because trained staff vacated during EBOLA. We have certainly felt the guidance of the Spirit as we have started traveling the mission and visiting the outlying areas. We just returned from Kenema and Bo.

Here are a few pics that we have snapped:

 First of all, we had birthdays...

 New missionaries arrive February 9th
All experienced mostly from Nigeria and Ghana
20 Elders and 2 Sisters

 Let the feeding begin.
This brings back memories...

 Transferring to their apartments.
Grafton, Kissy, Freetown, Bo, Makeni, Kenema.

 This is the view from a new Branch Building in Ebo Town.
It was organized on Feb 14th.

 Sister Barney teaching a song while we are teaching families
at Kossoh Town Branch how to hold Family Home Evening.
The rule is to have fun and teach something.
She is moving faster than the camera, (she likes her new hip)

 The end of the road trying to locate a member in a small clinic.

 View from the Clinic...
The member was OK, just no place to go, blind and needed help to get 
to his family.

 A small shop that make buckets for drawing water.
They are made out of old truck inner-tubes.
You can see them on the ground.

 Lab workers in the lab pictured in the next pic.

The lab is up stairs.
Notice the green bucket on a pulley....not sure what it's for.


Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Well we are finally back in Sierra Leone to help get the mission back on it's feet and running once again. President and Sister Clawson have done a lot of groundwork here over the past 2 months.
Today is Tuesday and I have a few minutes while the most of the vehicles are down to "Seabird" (new boat service) picking up 22 missionaries from several surrounding mission to get us started.
We will have 3 days of training to do and then they will go to their areas.
If you don't remember where we are, check out these pictures. After we get the missionaries settled, I'll post some pictures and stuff that we have take over the last week or so.


Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Well lots has happened over the past several months, but Sue and I are excited to head back to Sierra Leone for 3 to 4 months beginning in a couple of weeks. I'll update the Information as we get it.

Well be going from this:



Back to this: