Well today is a RED LETTER day for me. We got word that my (Terry) paper work was turned over to the Office Elders who turned it over to the Mission Secretary who intern sent it to Salt Lake. The missionary travel office called and said they were forwarding it to the Jamaican Embassy in Florida with a rush written all over it. Hopefully we will still be able to go to the MTC this Monday. There is a chance that we will be delayed a week. I'll be in touch. 

I hate 3rd world snags.

We were doing a follow-up on my paperwork that was sent to the Department of Labor in Jamaica where they process the "Non Work Permit".  The non-work permit is apparently a precursor to getting a Visa.
The mission secretary checked and the Department of Labor said they have lost my application.
Well it looks like a re-set I suppose.
We did a fast scramble and sent the needed forms to the mission so they could take them over for review and approval, we hope.
Hopefully they feel bad for the loss and will process it on the spot, or at least move it to the front of the line.
The time is getting short, but I have that peaceful feeling that things will fall in place to accommodate our October 1st MTC date.

Keep smiling and praying.

Well Here we go again!

Sue and I have been called to serve again in the mission field. We are to report to the Mission Training Center (MTC) on October 1st for a fun filled week of training. Then we fly to Jamaica on Saturday the 6th of October. We are very excited to serve again, and we have heard lots of good things about the Jamaica Kingston Mission. We will be serving with a brand new Mission President named Tony Parker from Atlanta. We have spoken to him and his wife Lina on the phone and they sound like they will be great to work with. We hope to post weekly on the BLOG.
Oh there is one thing that is the icing on the cupcake...the McKenzies will be serving in the same mission. Lee and Pam McKenzie are dear friends and relatives. Pam is Sister Barneys sister.
They say you can pick your friends but you cant pick your relatives....well we would choose them on both counts. If you follow us, you will get to know the McKenzies and the Parkers.

 

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.

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.

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:

1-July-2015 African Experiences

This has been a great stretch of time. We now have a new Mission President from Highlands Utah.

President and Sister Cosgrave. President and Sister Holmes have returned home to South Africa.

Some changes in our assignments as well. Over the past 10 months, we have been attending two small branches, Agona and Mampong,  about an hour and a half North East of Kumasi. President Holmes created a District there two weeks ago, and so we now turn the branch training over to the District and we, Sister Barney and I, will find another branch to assist for the remaining three months of our mission.

Can you believe it's already July........

See how time flies when you are having fun and working hard.

Here are some pics for your entertainment and enlightenment.

       

 This is a picture from Bongo, the village I talked about last time. 

 Nothing grows here. Our question..what do they eat? 

 Sista Barney teaching midwives in Bongo

 This is in front of the Regional Health Department

 A market on the side of the road near Bongo.

Notice all they have are onions and some small squash they call "garden eggs"

They are yellow and in the foreground.

Market after market has only onions.

 We made a sort of emergency stop along the roadway

for Sista Barney...Great landscaping.

 We are heading to a District meeting in Agona, we stopped to pick up the missionaries

and ended up with a packed vehicle. Can I go? Can I go?

 Sunday Best!

 Preparing the Sacrament. None of these new priesthood holders

have never seen more that two trays used at a time.

 The new Agona District Presidency.

Left to right...Clerk, 2nd Counselor, President, 1st Counselor.

I'd tell you their names, but I don't have a clue about the spelling.

 We had to rent a pavilion from the Seventh Day Adventists.

The official count was 262 attending.

 I snapped this picture of an elementary class at a private school

Notice they are mostly blurs....I never did see a teacher.

 Another class at the same school.

 We held a small Farewell open house for the President and Sister Holmes at

our apartment. This is Frances (white shirt and tie) the grounds keeper

and all around handyman at the mission home, with his wife and 3 children.

 A groupe picture of the missionaries that attended.

Three senior couples, office Elders, the Ap's and of course

the guests of honor.

 President and Sister Holmes.

See the BIG smiles.....

 Turning over the Phone and Keys and see you later....

 Change of subject. 

This is a small (12 member) branch near Sunyani that we attended last Sunday.

 The Relief Society at the Abesim Branch

(This is Sista talking) It is just the 2 of them. I taught them how to care for one another. 

I explained that one day they will be official Visiting Teachers, but for now keep it simple. 

A phone call   or  visit when they pass by at the market or hug when they see one another at church.

 These are straw baskets made in Bolgatanga.

They are amazing.

 Fans made in Bolgatanga.

FOOD SECTION

 Mangos from a street vendor. all six for 5 Ghana Cedi...or $1.25 US

 Butter chicken and rice at a local (Trusted) cafe.

 Baked a cake one day, but had to wait for the "weevil" to float to the top

before baking. They are easily removed.

 The street that we live on.

For all you googlers.

 Yes, bananas do grow "upside down"

 Gotta have TV to keep up on the Soaps.

 A sign on the side of the road to Sunyani.

At least they are trying.

When the power is off, Sista Barney runs for the battery powered fan.

We have slept many a night with it between us trying to share the breeze.