Month: August 2020

We added four new Ivorian missionaries to our mission today!  We are so grateful they are here.  Elder Koaudio (called to DRC Kinshasa West) , Elder Koffi (staying here), Elder    Elder Kouame (staying here), and Elder Saki (called to DRC Lubunbashi).  They have done their MTC training remotely and are now ready to go to work.  One more Elder Odediran is coming in tomorrow

We welcomed them with some delicious Pizza Hut pizza!  Here’s the delivery boy.

This group had some orientation this afternoon with Pres and Sis Bendixsen.  As part of that they went over to the temple site to think about and focus on the end goal of our service here–to bring families to Christ and help them receive the ordinances that will allow them to return to Him.

This evening Pres Bendixsen finished interviewing the group that is scheduled to depart in August.  We still have no flight plans or open borders, but when that happens, we’ll be ready!  Elder Ikpeti from Bamako joined this group because he missed his departure dinner.  He was scheduled to complete his mission June 30th.

Soeur Celestine prepared a beautiful dinner which we all enjoyed.

We are loving this beautiful new kitchen area.  Sr Celestine prepares the food at her home, and then she brings it to us here.

Rice, baguettes, fried plantain, chicken, fish, salad and potato salad.

We aren’t enjoying this box of cords in the kitchen.  This is the wifi network stuff that needs to be installed in this building.

Here are our faithful missionaries:

We had a beautiful Sabbath day!  It began with a baptism here in our own ward, the Riviera 2 Ward in Cocody.  This handsome young man is Sery Jr.  The Elders have been teaching him and today he entered the waters of baptism.

One by one, our friends are taught and converted by the Spirit and they come unto Christ.  It’s a glorious thing.  This day the gate opened on the path that will change generations for this young man and his future family.  He will be the Pioneer.

After the baptismal service, we held a sacrament meeting with a few members of the Riviera 2 Ward.  It was a wonderful service.  A counselor taught about the blessings of baptism.  Sery was confirmed a member of the Church, and then Bishop Kone spoke to us about being prepared during these hard COVID times.  He counseled us to have some extra food and money set aside in case things get harder here.  They are already hard, but we know things can always get worse and we need to be prepared, even if we only take small steps.  He is wise.  No one knows the future.

As of today, there are 16,715 reported cases and 105 deaths in Cote d’Ivoire.  There hasn’t been much testing here, but that’s starting to change and more testing centers are opening.

Every month on the first Thursday, our mission holds MLC.  All of the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders come to the mission office for this meeting where matters of the mission are discussed and training is given.  Today was the Bendixsen’s first MLC.  They’ve been preparing for this group of leaders for a long time!

Our main topics today were mission culture and using technology.

We tried something new today for lunch:  Pizza Hut delivery!  And it was GOOD!!  Everyone seemed to love it, especially the APs!

After their first MLC, we gave the Bendixsens some of their favorite treats to celebrate!  We found these this morning on our run to Socopris to buy water for our upcoming events.

Today we took the Elders to meet some of our friends who were being taught by the last Elders serving here.  It was so much fun to see these friends again.   Here is Amessan in her sewing shop.

We passed by a dump of new road base on our way there.

It’s hard to imagine that in a few days this will be flattened into the road.  It always amazes me that these dumps are usually crushed into the potholes after a week or so.

Here is a shoe maker we walked by on our way to visit the beauty parlor ladies.

At the beauty parlor.

Next we went to the compound of their bishopric counselor.  Here is his wife, the Primary President with some of the children.  Her sister was recently baptized.

We passed by this pineapple drink maker on our way home.  They peel the pines, then cut them up and put the pieces in plastic bags.  Then they squish them to make juice, and pour it into bottles to sell.  I’ll bet it tastes great.

I suppose the term “learning the ropes” originated on a ship.   Sailors need to know which ropes to pull to raise which sail.  They also need to learn how to tie a myriad of knots to secure the rigging.  

Pulling and tying are things new Mission Leaders need to learn to do.  There are a gazillion ropes here and many loose ends!   Running a mission is like being the captain on a huge ship filled with precious cargo.  Every day is filled with urgencies and emergencies.   There are hard names to learn–both people and places.  There are accounts to understand and all the behind-the-scenes workings of the movements of dozens of people.  Apartments, vehicles, finances, transfers, arrivals, departures, training leaders, training missionaries, managing a staff of workers, and on and on.

Add to the management of a mission another key element:  it must be done in a foreign language.  We are in a Francophone country–we speak French here.  Our missionaries speak French.  Every sign and label is in French.  Simple things quickly become challenging.

The Bendixsens are learning the ropes.   Sometimes you just have to close your eyes and smile!

We met with our Cocody District this morning for our weekly meeting.  Next week transfers happen and we may lose some of these dear friends.  It’s always good to be with them.