Dear Friends and Family,
During the past 3 or so months Jane and I have been exposed to things that we would have never considered living in the USA. It has been a real eye opener to observe and learn from this culture and these loving people here in Moriba Town Sierra Leone.
Last week on Thursday we had a scheduled training in a Village named Gbambatoke to share new missionary prep and temple preparation with this group. These are some of the most amazing people we have ever met. They come and share their experiences with us and want to learn and progress in life and in the Gospel. It is one of the highlights of our week. We received a call from our local branch president not to go this time. Because .....the Paramount Chief was being kicked out of the Village that day. The people had found that he did some things with funds that they were very upset about. (among other things) So... they decided to force him out.

The Paramount Chief is the big head man over several other smaller Chieftains here. His dominion covers the entire area we work in. Very large. This day he was not a happy camper and was gathering an army of men with guns to come back and potentially retake his spot. This was the threat and thus we were warned to stay away. The uprising was quite a big one so we were told. It turned out that a few days later cooler heads prevailed and they worked out a compromise and he is coming back. I wonder what would happen if the Mayor of Murray was kicked out of his office and came back with an army of men carrying guns to take his spot back?

I guess things like this happen in the US... Just not around my place.

Our local leaders in Largo down the way promise me that they will introduce me to this Paramount Chief John someday soon. He comes from Largo which now has a small church group who Jane and I work with to help them grow and learn. More details to come on Largo in the future.

The photos attached of this canopy show the brand new meeting place for the saints in Gbambatoke. The small church House... next door is too small for all the people who now attend this special place. My selfish motive for helping to get this bamboo thatched roof marvel built is... I have a rough time dealing with the heat in the building. With no fans and a small small (as they would say) breeze coming through the windows.... It is like an oven inside for all who come. A different place for certain. For under $900 the bush people came and did all this work with the cement... poles and ties... and installed the roof made by their village out of bamboo leaves. Now we have a wonderful breeze that moves through the open air to cool us off and much more room to grow for a while. It won't be long before they will be a branch and have some independence here. They have several righteous and strong Priesthood holders who love the Savior and are willing to learn how to serve and Love others the way Jesus taught us.
The simplicity of this gospel never ceases to amaze me. Jane and I are learning that in this place the more simple the better. All of the organizational protocols that seem to be important at home have little meaning here in the local units. My very frustrating fix it now mentality has caused me a lot of grief here wanting some of the leaders to fit into the Utah mold and how we minister to each other there. The principles are the same.....that is true... the application can be as different as night and day. How we reach out and love people here I guess is how we should be loving and lifting people everywhere. One branch president came over to our home one evening and said come with me please.
We walked with him down the dusty dirt road outside our compound to meet Howa.... and her family. Jillo, her oldest daughter and some other children. We rarely go into a home but stay outside where it is cooler to talk and visit. Each home has some plastic chairs that they round up for visitors to sit and chat. Howa is a woman who is raising her children here by herself. She lives pretty close to a lake where she fills buckets of water for her garden that she grows. Most of what they eat comes from this garden. She sells cigarettes one at a time....not a pack.... and some other small items to keep some money coming in. She is a fairly new member who has desires of learning and changing her life. One small step at a time... she is growing and coming nearer to God... She told us how thankful she is to God for all the blessings he is giving to her and her family. She has come to our home now 4 or 5 times to attend a Temple Preparation class and wants to take the trip to Ghana to be Endowed. Blessings come in all shapes and sizes... Gratitude is a gift..
After we finished with Howa we walked across the road to Samuel.... and his grandson Samual Jr. He retired a few years ago and was able to build a small house right on the lake and start a rather large garden. It is full of all kinds of vegetables and fruits that he plants and keeps watered from the lake. He is one who we see working very hard to care for and maintain this beautiful garden out in the back of his home. He has a couple of small tools, one shovel and some buckets to do this work. When we see all that is accomplished with simple old fashion tools it is amazing. Samuel is the institute teacher in our branch and is also preparing to go to the temple. The BP shared his love and we read some scriptures out of the Book of Mormon about lifting our heads to God... Trusting him in our times of affliction Very relevant and powerful considering the place we were in.. Mosiah.

When we tally the cost for one person to travel to Ghana to be in the temple it is staggering to compare the cost with the contribution that these saints can give. Each of them are asked what they are willing to sacrifice on their part to help pay for their journey. Most of the time the amount is less than 500 Leones. This is about $22.... and please know that 500 leones as a sacrificial offering to many will take months to save. I hear they are about to open the Taylorsville Temple.... Another one right down the freeway from our home in Utah. What a blessing to be able to go so often and so close.... This trip from Moriba Town will take a full 24 hour day to travel via public transport to Freetown on our famous dusty dirt road 2 hours Then on the paved roads another 3 hours....... then catch a ferry across the channel to stay overnight near the airport and then fly to Acrra. Once they return it will take another 20 or so hours for them to come home. Civilization here is still a process and developing very slowly... One day we hope to have electricity on power poles that works.

Mathew was baptized on Saturday in Matru Jong, a place an hour south of us across the river. Mathew is one who we met about 2 months ago and began to teach with Elder Pratt and Gomani . He is a 50+ year old teacher with a keen mind and good knowledge of the scriptures. When we shared with him the story of the restoration and read the last paragraph of the Introduction to the BOM He lit up. It hit him like a ton of bricks....the wheels in his mind were turning.... considering that......... If the Book of Mormon is true... the real word of God.... then.... Joseph Smith is a true Prophet of God... called of God.... and that Jesus is in fact the Savior of the world.... His personal Savior and Redeemer. ( he already firmly believed that one) And if the Book of Mormon is true and comes from Heaven then the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the Lord's Kingdom once again established here on earth preparatory to the second coming of the Savior.

He had a humble heart that was prepared and open enough to think and feel and ask .... what if this is true? I asked him that question.... and his answer was.... "If this is true I will want to follow it." My response was.... I believe you. Now he has taken the time to study and read and learn and pray about this and knows deep down inside him that it is from Heaven. When I saw him Saturday morning we embraced in a big hug and tears came into my eyes feeling pure love for this man who is my Brother. We come from different worlds that is for sure.... very far apart on earth.... but we also come from the same Father. In a real and tangible way I felt the love of my African brother who comes from the same place I came from before we were born. And as I think about it..... I just seem to feel that there is a huge possibility that I knew Mathew before.....He is someone who I walked with and spent time with eons ago and have now been reunited with here to share this time together.

After experiencing what I felt and saw on Saturday I cannot deny the existence of what true joy is. It is knowledge that can only come from another place outside of this world. It comes from God. The blessing of this spirit that is alive and well within the Gospel of the Savior is powerful. My life is changing day to day...one small moment at a time.... being allowed to be prompted by the Holy Ghost and feel the Love of God and these people here. When Jane and I are able to have this in our hearts we can share it...openly and generously.... This is living according to the manner of happiness.

We are in a different place that is for certain.... learning and growing with experiences and people who teach us many new lessons about what matters most. My prayer is that I don't mess it up by imposing my own bias on how to run things.... This is a work in progress for me. There are challenges for sure....that test and try us deeply..... Jane is helping me to be a better learner.
We love you all and hope you are well and happy.