Month: March 2020

Today was the 3rd of three multi-zone conferences held this week.  We missed attending the first one while we were in Accra.  I hope we’ll be able to see those missionaries soon, but something big happened last night as we were going to bed.  We received an email from Salt Lake that will change our missionary lives pretty drastically:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As promised in our letter of March 11, 2020, we continue to monitor the changing conditions related to COVID-19 throughout the world. We have considered the counsel of local Church leaders, government officials and medical professionals, and have sought the Lord’s guidance in these matters. We now provide the following updated directions.

Beginning immediately, all public gatherings of Church members are being temporarily suspended worldwide until further notice. This includes:

• Stake conferences, leadership conferences and other large gatherings.
• All public worship services, including sacrament meetings.
• Branch, ward and stake activities.

Where possible, leaders should conduct any essential leadership meetings via technology. Specific questions may be referred to local priesthood leaders. Further direction related to other matters will be provided.

Bishops should counsel with their stake president to determine how to make the sacrament available to members at least once a month.

We encourage members in their ministering efforts to care for one other. We should follow the Savior’s example to bless and lift others.

We bear our witness of the Lord’s love during this time of uncertainty. He will bless you to find joy as you do your best to live the gospel of Jesus Christ in every circumstance.

Sincerely,

The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

We woke early this morning waiting for a call from President Binene letting us know whether or not this conference would take place today.  He told us he had permission from the Area Presidency to continue as planned, but after today, our ability to meet will be changed.

We were grateful and we headed to the mission office to drive with the Binenes to Abobo.  When we arrived, the missionaries were waiting and a special choir greeted us.

We had an wonderful conference today, much like yesterday’s.  We enjoyed hearing testimonies from those who will be departing and discourses from missionaries selected from the group (they all come prepared to share).  It’s fun to watch the language skills increasing.  I wish my French progressed as quickly as these missionary’s.

Here are some of the photos taken today.  All the rest are in an album on the Facebook page.

We landed in Abidjan in time to get to the 2nd multi-zone conference happening today at the Cocody stake center.  When we arrived, Sister Binene was talking to the missionaries about health and hygiene.  She talked about eating healthy foods, including fruits and vegetables each day.  She talked about cleaning food properly (soak produce in a bleach solution (2 liters of water, 2 spoonfuls of bleach, 2 minutes).  She talked about avoiding street food (flies and dirt and poor preparation).  She talked about washing your hands a lot.  She talked about not eating from a common bowl, which is the practice here.  She told them not to eat wild bush meat.  She also reviewed the practices to avoid getting Malaria and encouraged everyone to be vigilant about taking Doxycyline every day.

We enjoyed our drumstick and rice lunch with the missionaries, happy to be reunited with them again after being away this last month.

To see all the photos from the conference, you can check the mission Facebook page to find an album there.

We resumed after lunch and heard from Pres Binene from 1:00 until 4:00.  He talked had a Q&A session on doctrinal subjects, we saw a 30 minute video from the missionary department with Elder Uchtdorf and Bro Nielson about teaching with authenticity and to the needs of the investigators, and he taught us from the scriptures and Preach My Gospel using the story of King Lamoni.  It was a good conference.

Here are a few of the pictures I took:

 

The temple is growing!

We’re sad we missed this morning’s musical number, but grateful to be here for the rest.

It’s Thursday morning and it’s our turn to leave.  Our Abidjan buses will depart at 1:00 a.m. tonight with our 80 Cote d’Ivoire members.  Our mission leaders from Abidjan came to see us off and a van for the patrons took us all to the Accra Airport.  We’ve had a magical week here and some life-changing things have happened in the lives of people we dearly love.

The news today tells us that the Coronavirus has been declared a PANDEMIC.  That will change more things in the world, including what happens in airports.  It’s time to buckle up and get ready for this next ride!

We were on the temple grounds early this morning for the Abidjan group devotional.  These photos are taken from upstairs in the stake center looking to the temple and the administration building.  You can see our faithful Abidjan Saints leaving the meeting to prepare for a day in the temple.  Oh, the faith of these good people!

And here is Brother Lucien Affoue, Pioneer of Cote d’Ivoire, still and forever faithful and true to the faith.  I love being with him here.  He has long prayed for the day when we will have a temple in Cote d’Ivoire.  His prayers are being answered.

Rose and her family, as we prepared to enter the temple today.  We spent the morning doing baptisms for the dead, and then enjoyed an endowment session.  Francois performed the needed ordinances for his grandfather, who is dead.

Our friends from Abidjan:

This morning we also arranged to see our dear Elder Joseph Gbedze, who was one of the Assistants in our mission when we arrived.  He returned to his home in Accra in December.  He was able to join us in the temple to finish all of the confirmations for my family members baptized this morning.  He is keeping busy, studying with Pathways and looking for employment.  It was wonderful to have some time to visit with him.

This morning dawned bright and early.  Our Abidjan Saints had a prayer meeting / devotional at 5:30 at the stake center.  After that we joined our Bamako friends while they had their breakfast at the patron housing.  We were at the temple when it opened at 8:00.

Yesterday I helped Francois create a FamilySearch account and enter many of his family members.  We were able to prepare a temple card for his grandfather and today Francois performed the ordinances in his behalf.  It was a very special day for Francois.

I also had a batch of my family names ready for baptisms and other ordinances.  As we waited to do the baptisms, I noticed a young missionary from Accra who arrived with his companions to do some baptisms this morning.  Elder Pruett looked exactly like his brother, who is one of our Yakima missionaries!  He was able to help me with my family names and that was sweet.

After the baptisms, performed for those who are dead, we attended the 10:30 endowment session with Rose and Ibrahima.  Francois represented his grandfather.   John and I had my family names.  Oh how we love the blessings of the temple!

After the endowment session, we gathered in the sealing room to witness Rose and Ibrahima’s sealing.  After they were sealed, their 3 girls were sealed to them and an eternal family was created.  Elder Nash performed the ordinance in French for them.  John and I sat as witnesses.  This is our first Malian family to be sealed in the temple.  Oh happy day!

Pictures taken after the ceremony:

Afterwards, everyone had lunch at the cafeteria in the administration building.

And I returned to the temple to do a little more temple work for my own family members.  Look who was there to help me!  Bernice!

This is what heaven looks like!  What a wonderful wonderful day!