Month: May 2021

Transfer Planning with the Bendixsens

We spent our Sunday afternoon and evening at the office with the Bendixsens working on transfers.  We have 21 missionaries coming in this coming week, arriving on multiple days and times.  (The departing 6 flew out at 3:00 a.m. this morning.)  This will be a week of MOVEMENT in the mission.  By the time we finished, we counted 80 missionaries will move somewhere new this week!

Here are just a few of the things that must be considered during a transfer:

Who will the next Zone leaders be?
Who will the next District Leaders be?
Who will the next Sister Training Leaders be?
Who will the next Trainers be?
Is this missionary a junior or senior missionary (how long have they been here)?
How long has a missionary already served in an area?  Is it time for a change?
What areas has this missionary already served in?
Who has this missionary already served with?
Are native English speakers paired with French speakers?
Do the strengths and weaknesses of the companions compliment each other?
Are Sisters in the safest areas?
What areas that closed during COVID need to be re-opened?
Do we have enough apartments for all of these new missionaries?

Of course all of these things need to be considered prayerfully and by listening to promptings of the Spirit.  Sometimes things just feel “right” or “not right” and there’s no obvious reason why.

Another thing you need to keep in mind, is that if you move one missionary, you have to move another.  It’s one big game of Dominos.  To get all the pieces to fit into place is a big job!

We finally came to the end of the Domino game.  Now it’s time to sleep on it and see how it feels in the morning.  Nothing will be set in stone until the calls go out to the missionaries Monday morning.  Everything on these boards is subject to change until then.  Then, we figure out how to make it all happen logistically!  Happy Transfer Week!!

Visiting the Gonzagueville Ward

We loved visiting the Gonzagueville Ward today where Eveque Mel presides.  This is such a great ward!  They are a happy and well-organized group.  In the coming weeks, they’ll be moving to a new building, better suited for their growing needs.

Elder Hansen and Elder Jones are serving here now.

This is our Soeur Ahoulou and her brother, Christ.

And here is our Elder Amani, also returned now from his mission here.

Elder Houphouet and Elder Tshomba:

Here are some of the wonderful Primary children.  Today’s lesson was about how we should be anxiously engaged in a good cause and do good things because we can.  They read from D&C 58:27-28:

27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

Today is Mother’s Day in Africa and many other countries in the world.  Here are the children singing “Mother, Dear, I Love You So.”

The adult Sunday School class met downstairs.

The young adults met upstairs.

And the youth met together today up on top floor.

Ward members after church.

Our Closest Abidjan Neighbors

Sometime I worry that when I return home in a few months, I won’t remember all the lovely details of living here in Abidjan and of living in Bamako.  These photos will help me remember living next door to these families below our bedroom window.   I listen to their happy lives every day.  I hear children playing, women pounding food and chopping firewood, and I hear lots of roosters crowing around the clock.  I imagine their lives, simple and happy and I think about my life, complicated and detailed and wonder how I might live more simply and feel more joy.   These neighbors have given me a good deal to think about and consider in my own live.  I will miss living next door.

Six Missionaries Departing for the DRC Tonight!

Tonight at 3:00 a.m. these six fine missionaries will fly out of Abidjan for their homes in the DRC Congo.  We have loved serving with this group.  They’ve been great and we will really miss them.  Tonight we gathered at the mission home to celebrate their time spent here.

Saying good bye to a companion.

The office Elders were here too, helping to make sure all the preparations for the flight were in order.

Sis Bendixsen has every departing missionary sign this piece of African fabric before they leave.

Dinner is served!  Featuring foutou, rice, fish, chicken and sauces.

The dinner is cooked and brought in by our mission helpers.  And here’s how the dishes and what’s left go back out, loaded into the back of a taxi.

The mission scarves were awarded.  The missionaries LOVE these scarves!

We are so grateful for the service offered here in our mission.  We wish each one of these missionaries and all who leave here God’s choicest blessings.

How to Crack a Coconut

Coconut is one of my very favorite foods.  While I was growing up, there was always a coconut waiting for me on my birthday along with a toasted coconut cake.  At Christmas, the traditional orange went into the toe of my stocking because a coconut wouldn’t fit, but a coconut was always close by.

I had to come to Africa to learn the art of shelling a coconut and now I’m an expert.  I can often get the coconut meat out in one entire piece.  Here’s how it’s done.

First, it’s important to buy a “dry coconut” rather than the less mature coconuts with the soft insides you scoop out with a spoon.

Listen to the coconut before you buy it.  If it’s full of coconut water, it’s good.  If it’s dry inside, it will be spoiled inside.

I usually buy 4 or 5 at a time, to get me through a week or two.  I’ve learned that when you keep the shells wet and in the fridge, they stay good for weeks.  If you leave them out, they often crack on their own and start to spoil inside.

My favorite tool is a sturdy screwdriver.   There are 3 soft spots at the top of a coconut.  One is always softer than the other two.  Use the screwdriver to poke a hole through the soft spot.  It’s usually easy and the hole breaks the seal (don’t let that noise scare you).  Then drain the coconut water into a cup.

Taste the water.  If it’s mild and sweet, you’ve got a good coconut.  If the water tastes sour or if it’s discolored, stop here and throw the coconut away.  It will not be good.  I’ve learned this the hard way.  I ate a bad coconut once and spent the day in the bathroom emptying my system from both ends!

Next take a sturdy tool or a hammer.  I don’t have many options here, so I use the the vice grip pliers or the back side of a large heavy kitchen knife.  Whack the coconut around the midsection.  Several good whacks will crack the coconut into two halves.  If you keep whacking all parts of the coconut shell, it will loosen from the meat.  (This is messy and pieces fly off–you might want to do it outside.)   If you do a good job, you can get the meat out in one whole piece.  If not, you can use the screwdriver to pry any pieces out that are still attached to the shell.

I cut the pieces and put them into a bowl of water in the fridge to keep them moist and cold.  Then I start rationing.  I could eat a whole bowl full in one sitting.  I try to limit myself to a few pieces each day!  Enjoy!!

The coconut vendor in Bamako where I buy my imported Ivorian coconuts.

Meet Elder and Sister Eddington!

We had a great evening with out new friends, Elder Steve and Sis Cheryl Eddington from Midway, Utah.  They are serving in the Abidjan West Mission office and they’ll be here for 18 months.

This evening we went to see their apartment, not too far from ours, then we came back here to watch a movie together.  It was a delightful evening.  We are sad to be leaving soon, now that we’ve become friends.  The West Mission is lucky to have such a great couple serving there.

Fishermen Friends at the Beach near Gonzague

We planned a picnic at the beach today.  Our time in Abidjan is nearing an end.  After this week, we will only have one more week here before we return home in September.  We are feeling a little panicky about leaving.  I’m trying to memorize every place and every face I see, so I can take these memories with me when we go.

Today we had to do some mission work at the bank at the mall.  We picked up burgers at Burger King on the way out and then we drove about 20 minutes to the beach south of Abidjan on the road to Grand Bassam.  We’ve been trying to go to the beach since we got here.  Today was the day!

We ate our lunch in the car on the side of the road before hiking down to where the water meets the land.  You can’t see the edge of the shore from the road, it drops down a bit.  We were excited to see the waves and the surf.

We first stopped by an area where we always see fishermen and their boats.  I wanted to meet them and learn about their work here.

Aside from these young fishermen, the beach was empty of people.  Africans don’t go sunbathing!

The beach wasn’t very clean here.  This area isn’t part of the beach renovation project farther down the road where they are cleaning and landscaping the beaches with walkways and kiosks.

It’s not hard to make friends here. People seem happy when you show an interest in them. We met a young man, maybe 20 years old or so, who had his own boat. There were about a dozen young men lounging around and in the boats, resting, sleeping, relaxing. We learned they fish from 3:00 a.m. until 6:00 a.m. when the waters are clear and they can see the fish. They use nets. It reminded me of the fishermen in the Sea of Galilee. One of the boats had an old beat up old refrigerator box in the boat to hold the fish. There were about a dozen boats. Some had names or messages painted on them like “Dieu donne” (God gives). One was labeled “The Blood of Jesus, Amen.” Another was “God is One.”

When we asked what kind of fish they catch, our friend showed me some pictures in his phone of his catch yesterday (he airdropped them to me). He was holding a huge Yellowfin tuna that hung from his shoulders down below his knees. There were also buckets of fish they’d hauled in. Most were 10 to 12 inches long. I’d say fish is the most-eaten meat here. They love it and stew it in their sauces or dry it and add dried fish to their sauces. The fish are gutted, then usually just chopped into top half and bottom half, head, tail and all and cooked in the sauces.

This is yesterday’s catch–a beautiful Yellowfin tuna!

These young men have already put in a full morning’s work.  They were resting now in the shade of their boats, waiting for the next trip out into the waves to drop their nets.

We drove down the road a ways to where the beautification project was underway.  These are the new coastal walkways there.

Ahh, the beach.  So calming and relaxing.  The waves soothe the soul.

A New Sewing Business in our Neighborhood

This evening as we walked into our neighborhood we noticed a new little sewing shop has opened near our apartment.  The small room was lit up and 10 sewing machines were in place.  Several of the seamstresses were still working.  I love to sew and I love to watch others sewing.  These ladies welcomed us into their shop and showed me the clothing items they were working on.

It’s amazing to me that the seamstresses here, both men and women, work without patterns.  They have a measuring tape and scissors.  And with those tools, they create dresses and clothing of every kind.  They are so skilled.

Outside the shop, working on a table, these ladies were cutting and ironing.  The fabrics are beautiful.

I’m excited to have more seamstresses as neighbors and sad we won’t be here much longer to get to know them better.

Visiting the Petit Bassam Apartment

We visited Elder Ewell and Elder Hansen today in Petit Bassam.  Both have been feeling a little under the weather.  We wanted to check the condition of their apartment to see if anything there might be causing them to not feel well.

Our fearless missionaries!

The Elders had moved out of the bedroom when they found some mold growing in there.

John is standing in the door to the kitchen, perhaps the smallest kitchen in the mission!  It’s a small triangular room with enough space for one person at a time.

Study areas:

Eating table:

The bedroom with the mold:

We’re working on getting these Elders well again.  We want everyone in a safe and clean apartment.