Month: September 2020

A Departing Dinner and Some Farewells

This evening we celebrated the work of 9 missionaries who have come to the end of their missions:  Elder Mutombo,  Sr Kabisa Kasongo, Elder Sulu, Sr Nzuzu, Sr Mahunda, Elder Joseph, Elder N’cho, Elder Ouebleon and Elder Guehi.  We are so grateful for them and for their service here.

We visited while Pres Bendixsen had his final interviews with each missionary.

Then we had a delicious dinner together.

Our Departing Group:

Tonight 4 of these 9 went to the airport to fly to Kinshasa, DRC.

Final instructions.

And they’re off!  Their flight was was at the very end of this exciting and long day.  We wish these friends well.

A Stop for Produce at Azaguie

Although the seasons don’t change much here, the produce varies with the time of the year.  Here’s a look at what we’re seeing now in the markets and along the roadsides.

Eggplant
Citrus and Avocados

Big fat snails!

Cassava roots
Avocados
Washing oranges

Gnan-Gnan (a bitter herb for soups).
Oranges, Avocados, Papaya and Grapefruit
Hot peppers
Tomatoes and peppers
Garlic and Gnan-Gnan (a bitter herb for soups).
Yams and sweet potatoes
Okra (gumbo)

Zone Conference in Adzope with Elder and Sister Kacher

We left early this morning to travel to Adzope for another Zone Conference with a visit from Elder and Sister Kacher.  It’s great to leave the big city behind and travel out into the green countryside of Cote d’Ivoire.  I love this African world go by as we drive.  We pass by people walking along the roads carrying all sorts of loads on their heads–fire wood, bamboo, produce, goods to trade or sell–just about everything you might imagine.

Here are a few favorite roadside sales today–these are wild mushrooms from the bush:

 

We arrived in Adzope at 8:30 and learned that 4 of the Elders couldn’t get here because demonstrations had blocked the road.  We are having a fair amount of election drama here this month.  Elections will be on October 31st and people are not happy about who’s on the ballot.

Waiting for the Kachers to arrive.

We were able to connect the 4 Elders who could not get here into our meeting via Zoom.

The Kachers did a wonderful job sharing the message I described in yesterday’s post with this group of missionaries.  We love this group.  Every single one of them has been called to another mission, not ours.  But we have them here now and we are so grateful.  We have no idea how long they may get to stay.  We hope it’s a long time.

The missionaries are practicing finding answers to every question in the pages of the Book of Mormon.

The Kachers had to leave for another meeting at noon.  We saw them off and wished them well.

Then Pres Bendixsen talked about the doctrine of repentance before the food arrived for lunch.

The conference was topped off by a great meal provided by the good members here.

We’ve had a good day.  It was good to be here.  It’s good to be a part of this great work which is rolling forth and filling the whole earth.  You really feel it when you’re out in the remote corners.  There’s no place I’d rather be.

The Artisan Markets in Grand Bassam!

The main road through Grand Bassam passes through these artisan’s markets.  We took a wander here this afternoon after our zone conference because today is Sis Bendixsen’s 60th birthday and we thought it would be a fun way to celebrate.

 

These statues depict the Massai from Kenya with a Senegalese man between them.

We topped off our day with some grocery shopping at Carrefour and savory and sweet crepes at the mall.  It was a good day.

Zone Conference in Grand Bassam with Elder and Sister Kacher

Today we got to travel with the Bendixsens to Grand Bassam for our Zone Conference there.  We were joined by Elder and Sister Kacher.  He’s the first counselor in our West Africa Area Presidency, and has been in Abidjan for a few weeks, waiting to return to Accra.  This week he and his wife are joining us for 2 of our conferences.

The work at the Grand Bassam Stake Center continues.  It’s looking great!

These are such great missionaries.  Oh, how we love being with them!

Welcoming the Kachers.

Today we heard from Elder Mukeba who taught about charity and Soeur Kasongo who talked about effectively teaching with the Book of Mormon.

Then Elder and Sister Kacher took the rest of the morning to teach and instruct us.  He talked about “winning the trust of God”  (gagner le confiance de Dieu).  How do we do that and why is it important? He talked about obedience and had them rate themselves on a scale of 1 to 10 on a list of about 10 missionary things like getting up in the morning,  planning, companionship study, working with members, and using the Book of Mormon in our teaching.

The missionaries enjoyed discussing these things with their companions.
We looked at Samuel’s obedience and “to obey is better than to sacrifice”  (see 1 Samuel 15).

Sister Kacher also did an excellent training on the Book of Mormon and how answers to questions of the heart and of the soul can be found in the pages of the Book of Mormon.    We listed some of those questions and then she challenged the missionaries to find verses (not commentary) about how the answers are there, for each question.  She invited the missionaries to make their own lists of questions and to use these questions in their companionship study as they prepare to help others find answers.

Lunch time!

After lunch, Pres Bendixsen talked about repentance and how it’s not just steps in a process we move through (recognize the sin, feel remorse, restitution, confession, and resolve to change).  These things are important and helpful, but repentance without our Redeemer is not repentance.  His atonement is what makes repentance possible.  What a gift!

 

It was a great conference.  We love this Grand Bassam Zone!

Un bon Jour de Sabbat

We walked up the hill this morning with these fine Elders to have church with the Bendixsens.   After partaking of the sacrament, we listened to Elder Holland’s epic April 2016 General Conference talk.  It was in this talk that he said:

My brothers and sisters, the first great commandment of all eternity is to love God with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength—that’s the first great commandment. But the first great truth of all eternity is that God loves us with all of His heart, might, mind, and strength. That love is the foundation stone of eternity, and it should be the foundation stone of our daily life. Indeed it is only with that reassurance burning in our soul that we can have the confidence to keep trying to improve, keep seeking forgiveness for our sins, and keep extending that grace to our neighbor.

President George Q. Cannon once taught: “No matter how serious the trial, how deep the distress, how great the affliction, [God] will never desert us. He never has, and He never will. He cannot do it. It is not His character [to do so]. … He will [always] stand by us. We may pass through the fiery furnace; we may pass through deep waters; but we shall not be consumed nor overwhelmed. We shall emerge from all these trials and difficulties the better and purer for them.”9

Now, with that majestic devotion ringing from heaven as the great constant in our lives, manifested most purely and perfectly in the life, death, and Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can escape the consequences of both sin and stupidity—our own or that of others—in whatever form they may come to us in the course of daily living. If we give our heart to God, if we love the Lord Jesus Christ, if we do the best we can to live the gospel, then tomorrow—and every other day—is ultimately going to be magnificent, even if we don’t always recognize it as such. Why? Because our Heavenly Father wants it to be! He wants to bless us. A rewarding, abundant, and eternal life is the very object of His merciful plan for His children! It is a plan predicated on the truth “that all things work together for good to them that love God.”10 So keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever.

We had a great discussion about his comments after listening to him.  We talked about the mountains and valleys and how we will always have highs and lows in our lives.  When we’re on a mountain top (like being on a mission) we have to remember the views and vistas we see so that when we’re down in the valleys, we have hope and strength to slog through the things that are thrown at us.

Here is a photo Bro. Brou Baah sent to me today of the sacrament meeting they held in their home with the local missionaries and members of their ward.  I am grateful for faith good friends and neighbors on every side.

What We Eat

For the record, here’s a look at our food storage right now.   We live in uncertain times here, with COVID and the upcoming elections that have brought demonstrations around us each week.  We know that conditions here can change quickly and unexpectedly, so here’s our attempt to be prepared in case we need to be in lock down mode.

These are some of the things I enjoy cooking with here, along with a huge amount of local produce–amazing fruits and wonderful vegetables.  We regularly eat pineapple, papaya, bananas, cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, onions, leeks, zucchini-like squash, cabbage (red and green), carrots, white radishes, red and green peppers.  We have a good supply of spices in the kitchen and baking supplies.

The fresh produce is supplemented with these things from our storage.  I make a lot of very hearty vegetable marinara sauces with all of the vegetables mentioned above in a thick tomato sauce seasoned with Italian seasoning, local hot pepper paste and some hamburger meat.  I make a killer good vegetarian pizza piled high with vegetables and mushrooms.

We can get canned goods–I use kidney  and white beans and canned corn in variations of Mexican foods seasoned with cumin and pepper paste.  We have some top ramen-ish noodles in our emergency storage, popcorn, locally ground peanut butter and when we see salsa in a store, we buy it.

Here are some of our snack foods.  Tortilla chips are hard to find, so we stock up when we find them.  There are some cheese puff chip options we’ve tried.  No winners yet.  Pringles are easy to find here.

Here’s the baking shelf–flour, oats, brown and white sugar and powdered milk.  Sometimes we find powdered sugar.  I bake things like banana bread, chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies, cinnamon rolls and occasionally an apple crisp or banana cream pie.

We buy bottles of roasted peanuts, delicious boxed fruit juices, French cookies.  You’ll see the bags of rice here too–from Thailand and Vietnam and locally grown.

We do a lot with eggs–omelettes, German pancakes, French toast, hard boiled eggs, deviled eggs, egg & potato salad, etc.  We can get yogurts, cheeses, butter, most condiments, and chocolate for John.  The bread is most often in baguette form, and delicious.  Peanuts and popcorn are our favorite snacks.

Here are a few more things we use– oil, vinegars, mayo, bullion, granola, raisins and dates, jam, yeast, salt, and some spices.

I’ve been experimenting with these ingredients and here’s a look at my go-to recipes that work for us here.

Vegetable Marinara with Pasta
Brown some hamburger and onion.
Chop and add Veggies: red & green peppers, carrots, zucchini, cabbage, leeks, onions
Add a couple of cans of stewed or diced tomatoes
Canned mushrooms
Season with Italian seasoning, pepper sauce
1-2 T sugar
Serve over any kind of pasta (spaghetti, macaroni, noodles)

Chicken Soup
Stew 2-3 chicken breasts with
chopped onion and 2-3 bullion cubes in half a pot of water
cube the chicken
Add 4-6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
3-4 carrots
leeks
1 zucchini type squash or some frozen peas
1 can corn
optional:  1-2 small cans of condensed milk
celery salt, poultry seasoning, salt & pepper

White Chicken Chili
Stew 2-3 chicken breasts with onion and bullion and cumin seeds
cube the chicken
Add 2 large cans white beans
1 large can corn
season with cumin powder and cumin seeds
lime juice

Taco Soup
Brown hamburger and onion
2-3 cans stewed tomatoes (1 lg can stewed, 1 small can diced or pureed)
1 small can corn
1 large can kidney beans
chopped red & green pepper
season with taco or chili seasoning or a jar of salsa
cumin powder, cumin seeds, salt & pepper
a spoonful of sugar and hot pepper paste to taste

Split Pea Soup
Cook dry peas with onion
Add diced potato, carrots
Add milk or condensed milk to desired consistency

Enchilada Casserole
3 chicken breasts, boiled in water with 2 large bullion cubes
cube the chicken
keep about 3-4 cups of the broth in the pot
add a pint of cream cheese and stir it in (very runny)
chopped onion
chopped red & green peppers
2 cans of crushed or stewed tomatoes
1 large can of kidney beans
1 large can of corn
part of a jar of salsa
a bit of red pepper paste (local)
½ block of cheddar cheese (about ½ cup)
1 taco seasoning packet
ground cumin, cumin seed, chili powder
It was still as runny as soup, so I added 1 cup uncooked rice and cooked with lid off. The rice absorbed the liquid and it turned out perfect.
Serve with tortilla chips and lime water

Chinese Chicken
4 chicken breasts, cubed
Mix with ½ T cornstarch and 1 T soy sauce, let sit 5 min.
Stir fry in 3 T oil 2-3 min, set aside

Add Vegs and stirfry 2-3 min:
green & red pepper, mushrooms, carrots, peas, cashews or peanuts

Add 1/4 t. ginger
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
and the chicken
Add sauce, cover, cook 5 min.

Sauce:
6 T soy sauce
½ T cider vinegar
3 T brown sugar
1 T corn starch
1 T oil
Serve over rice

Chicken Fried Rice with Vegetables
Cook a pot of rice with a little salt
[1 cup jasmine rice to 1 1/3 cups water]
[1 ½ c. rice to 2 3/4 c. water or 1:3 for long grain]
Saute vegetables of your choice:
carrots, onion, leeks, cabbage, red & green peppers
Scramble 6-8 eggs
Chopped cooked chicken or shrimp (frozen section at Cap Sud)
Stir everything together
Season with soy sauce, salt & pepper, ginger
Toss in some frozen green peas, cashews or peanuts if you like

Mushrooms and Hamburger in gravy over Rice
Cook a pot of the mushroom soup (packet)
Add browned hamburger and onion
Add a can of mushrooms
Serve over rice or on noodles

Pepper Steak Sandwiches
Brown hamburger with onion, green & red peppers
Montreal Steak Seasoning or salt & pepper
Serve in baguettes

Pizza
One batch of pizza dough (recipe below)
1 large carton of pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese
mushrooms
chopped vegs: red & green peppers, onion, leeks, zucchini

Oil the cookie sheet for a crispy crust
Bake 230 C for 15-20 min.

The Easiest, Most Versatile Bread Recipe Ever 
1 1/3 cup warm water (100-110*F) (1 minute in microwave)
2 teaspoons active, dry yeast
2 teaspoons brown sugar or honey
1 egg
1 teaspoon fine salt
3 to 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (more like 4-5)

Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, yeast, and sugar.
Stir until dissolved, then add in the egg and salt.
Add the flour one cup at a time. Once the mixture is too stiff to mix with a fork, transferred it to a well-floured countertop.
Knead for 4-5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Add more flour if the dough is continues to stick to your hands.
Shape the smooth dough into a ball and place in a bowl. Cover with a dish cloth and let rise in a warm place for one hour (or until the dough has doubled).

After this first rise is complete, use these directions to turn it into the following baked goods:

PIZZA:
After the first rise is complete, press the dough into a oiled 12-inch circle on a baking stone, baking sheet, or this cast iron pizza pan (you can also use a standard cookie sheet if that’s all you have). Top with sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings. Bake in a 450* oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. (230 C)

CINNAMON ROLLS:
After the first rise is complete, roll the dough into a 20 x 13-inch rectangle on a floured countertop. Spread 4 tablespoons of softened butter on top (leave 1/2-inch margin around the edges), and sprinkle with 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon. Starting on the long side, roll it up and press the seam together to seal the roll. Using a serrated knife, cut into 12 rolls. Arrange the rolls in a greased 9×13-inch pan and allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until the rolls are puffy. Bake in a 350* oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. (180 C)

Tacos
Brown hamburger and onion
Add cooked lentils
Add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce
taco seasoning or cumin powder and seeds
pepper paste
Serve with tortilla chips or in pita with shredded cabbage and tomatoes

Banana Bread (Makes 2 large loaves, one small)
6 bananas, mashed
1 ½ c. sugar
2 t. vanilla
1 t. soda
1 pkg margarine (1 c.)
3 eggs
3 c. flour
1 c. instant oatmeal
½ t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. nutmeg

Sprinkle cinnamon & sugar over top before baking
Bake 170-175 C for 45-50 min

Bread Custard
Mix:
12 eggs
½ c brown sugar
1/4 t. salt (1 dash per egg)
2 t. vanilla
cinnamon and nutmeg

Add:
3.5 c. warm milk
raisins
8 slices of dry bread or 1 baguette

Put in a baking dish in a larger dish with ½ to 1″ of water.
Bake 325 F or 162 C for 50 min, until knife comes out clean.

Chocolate Chip Cookies [this is a half recipe]
1 pkg butter (½ lb)
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 t. baking powder
½ t. soda
½ t. salt
2 1/4 c. flour
2 ½ c. quick oats
choc chips Bake 350 (180 C) 8-10 min.

The Perfect Apple Crisp
10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored and sliced (6-7 Granny Smith or Golden apples)
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash of salt
I prefer
2 cups quick-cooking oats 1 ½
2 cups all-purpose flour 1 ½
2 cups packed brown sugar 1 ½
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, melted 1 ½ (one package minus about 3/4 inch)
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 C).
2.Place the sliced apples in a 9×13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, nutmeg, and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples.
3.Combine the oats, 2 cups flour, brown sugar, pecans, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
4.Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.
5. Serve with vanilla ice cream if you are not in Africa.

Banana Custard for Banana Cream Pie
1/4 c. + sugar
1 T corn starch
1/8 t. salt
Stir in 1 ½ c. milk until smooth
Cook on med to high heat until thick and bubbly
Reduce to low
Cook and stir 2 minutes
Remove from heat
Stir in 3 slightly beaten egg yolks
Return to heat, bring to gentle boil
Cook 2 min.
Remove from heat
Gently stir in vanilla
Cover and chill 1 hour
Fold in bananas before serving

Graham Cracker Crust
1 ½ c. Graham cracker crumbs (Digestives)
2 T sugar
1 T brown sugar
7 T melted butter
Pack firmly into baking dish 375 for 7-10 min.

Oatmeal Cookies
Beat together:
½ c. butter
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
Add:
3/4 c. flour
½ t. soda
½ t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. mace
1 ½ c. oats
3/4 c. raisins
3/4 c. nuts
Bake 350 (180) 10-12 min.

Peanut Butter Cookies
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup butter room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
chopped peanuts

In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat peanut butter and butter until smooth.
Add sugars and beat on high speed until light and fluffy – 2-3 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla and beat on low speed until combined.
Add flour, baking soda and salt and beat on low speed just until cookie dough comes together.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Roll into 1″ balls and place 2″ apart on baking sheets.
Press down slightly with fork.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, just until set (a slight glossy sheen in the very center is okay). Remove and let cool on baking sheets before moving to an air tight container to store.

Salad Dressing
Mix/shake together:
3/4 c. any vinegar
1 T dijon mustard
1 T honey
salt
Add: 1 ½ c. olive oil, shake

Cucumber Dressing
1 heaping T mayonnaise
2 t. red wine vinegar
½ t. milk
salt & pepper

Salad Dressing (for 1 salad for 2 people)
½ to 1 T oil
1-2 T vinegar
1-2 t. sugar
Italian seasoning
1/4 t. pesto sauce

Abobo 1 & 2 Zone Conference in Abobo

This morning we got to travel to Abobo to meet with our 2 zones there, Abobo 1 and Abobo 2.  We have 25 stong  good Elders serving in these 2 zones.  Abobo is a crowded busy place.  The streets are full of people and lots of activity.  There are strong members of the Church here.

The meeting begins!  Our agenda today was similar to the last zone conference.  We enjoyed hearing from Zone Leaders, Elder Sulu and Elder Joseph who will both be leaving us this month.

Lunch time!