A Post with Pictures

We finally figured out a way to get pictures on our blog so now you can see for yourselves without trying to tell you in words. The picture below is a picture of Freetown taken from a hill (mountain) close to where we live. You can see the Sierra Leone River (which basically is the harbor) at the top of the picture. The US Embassy is just below the hill. Elder Jones and I jog (or walk) part way up this hill most days in order to get some exercise. It is a great way to meet the locals and get acquainted with them. They are getting used to seeing us and some will tell us "see you tomorrow". The people build their houses--made of sticks and tin--along the hillside.



The country and beaches are very beautiful. The sunsets are amazing.

Elder Jones hauls water about 3-4 times a week during the non-rainy season. The mission office is connected to a water system--it is not constant water. The water comes from 2 to 10 hours a night. It comes at the rate of about 300 gallons an hour. It will fill a 3000 liter container which then we pump into the tank on the pickup, which holds 250 gallons. We then drive back to our house, where he pumps it into the tanks there. Our water pressure comes from gravity--the tank is about 15-18 feet in the air on a stand. Every morning it is our job to turn on the pump to pump the water from the lower tank to the higher tank otherwise the apartment on the top floor has no pressure.



The electricity for our office and apartment is provided by generators. The last one to leave the office or the apartment is responsible for turning off the generators. It works out pretty well. There are plans to have power to the apartment area be the end of the month, but we will see.

The picture below was taken on Saturday at a Primary activity day. We had actually come to the church for a Young Adult activity, but while we were waiting for it to start to participated in the activity day. We played Simon Says with them as they were waiting for more children to come. For the activity they sang some songs (they love singing), the Branch President spoke to them, played a game or two, then had a nice lunch--a sandwich, a kool-aid type drink, and a sack of little goodies. The children were wonderful and so much fun. The children are strongly encouraged to pay attention, especially when someone is speaking whether at church or at the activity day. The two sisters (besides myself and Sister Peterson) are two of the Primary presidency. The brother is the Branch President, President Kamara. You can see in the background directly behind us the building that will become the new mission home for the mission president. The building where the truck is is the mission office. We are standing on a patio area in front of the church building that is used by two of the branches.