What is Normal?

It has been a pretty normal 2 weeks. Nothing too exciting of which to write so I will tell you about normal things. This blog may not include any pictures; but if it did, it would include:

a picture of water pouring out of a bucket--

that is the best way to describe how the rain pours down here. We have tried to get a picture of the rain, but it is difficult to capture it. It comes down in sheets. We are now TRULY in the RAINY season. Locals tell us that sometime in August there will be a period of 7 days of constant rain. What I can tell you is that we have received rain almost every day for the past 2-3 weeks. Some of that rain has been incredible. It has flooded streets forcing people to walk through puddles, get splashed by muddy water as cars and poda podas drive through them, carry an umbrella everywhere and try to keep their wares dry as they try to sell them. During the rainy season, I am sure that most of the homes that the people live in will be leaking. The rain makes the roads, most of which are dirt, very muddy. Also because of the moisture the rocks and concrete gets algae growing on it making them very slippery. The road that we take to one of the church buildings goes over a creek/stream. It has now become so swollen with water and clogged by junk that it has overflown its banks and comes up over the bridge. People have put rocks in to try to make a "road" which helps some. The members coming to that building will wear their wading-type boots or their plastic sandals in order to cross the water, and then change when they get to the building. One Sunday it was so bad that very few people showed up because they couldn't get through the water without getting very wet.

a picture of a rushing waterfall

We went again to Charlotte Falls 10 days ago--this time with President and Sister Squires. We had to literally ford a stream in order to get to the Falls. The water was really crashing over the Falls now. It was incredible!!!

a picture of road trips

On July 31, Elder Jones left with Elder Koranteng from Ghana to go to Bo. Elder Koranteng works with finances and memberships. The two of them went to Bo in order to do training meetings there. I stayed here in Freetown and became a three-some with the other senior couple. Elder Jones sat through a lot of meetings and did a lot of traveling.

The next week, both senior couples--us and the Petersons--took some office equipment to Bo (it is about a 3-4 hour trip depending upon the weather). We left early in the morning and got back late than night--driving alot of the time in rain. A new branch was organized in Bo, so a new Branch President's office was needed. We took up filing cabinets that needed to be assembled. These are not quality products by any means. Most of the things here are purchased from China or another country that is very good at knock-offs. They might look like the real thing, but certainly aren't built like the real thing. We spent quite a while trying to put the filing cabinets together (with trying to find a rivet gun that would actually work). Another problem was trying to get the locking mechanism to operate correctly. All you can do is laugh. You think whatever you are doing is going to solve the problem and it never does.

a picture of elders playing soccer in the rain

On Monday, the elders wanted to have a super P-Day and play soccer at the beach. It was a very rainy day, but they had a ball. The Petersons and us were responsible for bringing the food to the beach. We served rice out of the back seat of one truck (so that we sisters could stay dry) and the chicken out of the backseat of the other truck. I am still trying to figure out how Sister Peterson cut up whole chickens into four parts sitting in the back of her truck. What a great day!!!!

a picture of cinnamon rolls

Last week was zone conference. Some of the elders have to get up pretty early in order to get transport in order to be to the mission home at 8:30/9:00 a.m. We never know whether they get a chance to eat before they come. We do know, however, that a hungry elder is not a happy elder. In the past we have made muffins or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We decided to do something a little different this time. We made cinnamon rolls. You should have seen those elders smile when they saw those babies. When I was warming some of them in the oven, one of the elders comes sniffing into the kitchen saying "I smell cinnamon." Between eating before zone conference and after zone conference, there were no cinnamon rolls to be seen. It was rather funny as one elder would come up quietly and ask "are there any more cinnamon rolls?" Oh the simple things that make for happy elders!!!!

a picture of piano students studying their music

We now make the trip over to Kissy (15 minutes in good traffic, an hour or more in bad) to go teach piano to 8-10 members. There are a variety of abilities. Elder Jones helps out with more of the beginning students while I take the little more advanced. We start about 5:15 and end when it gets dark (7:15). Sometimes we have access to electricity, but generally we teach by the natural light, using batteries in the keyboards. If we have to turn off the generator when we leave, it is handy to have a flashlight in order to not miss a step in one of the 3 flights of stairs.

We are also working with 2-3 members in Goderich and helping with the choir there. We are helping with the choir on Sundays in Lumley branch. It is a fun and challenging experience. A strong voice in a choir here can be for good or ill. The members WILL follow the voice over the piano.

a picture of a content senior couple

Every day there is much of the normal, but always there are some interesting things to spice up the day. You never know where you will encounter them, but the differences in verbal expressions, how something is done, or just funny things that happen tend to make any normal day unusual.

We are truly blessed to be engaged in this great work. We are concerned because in 3 weeks the other senior couple will leave and there are no replacements in sight. It becomes a big challenge to a mission like Sierra Leone Freetown--or probably in any mission. It takes the senior couples to help in order for the work to go forward. There are so many things that need to be taken care of that the Mission President and his wife just can't do by themselves--especially when they must travel to various parts of the mission.

If there is anyone that is thinking about whether or not to serve a mission, you are needed!!!! It may not be in the way you expect to serve, but you will find that you will be needed to fill certain needs.

Love you all and thanks for all you do wherever you are--lift where you stand!!!! Many of you are lifting heavy burdens and we wish that we were there helping you lift. We think of you often. Until next time . . .