Cameroon - March 2017

Though I will be reporting about the month of March, I am writing in April which denotes our one year mark on our mission.  Most of the time, the days, weeks and months seem to fly by.  Especially now, that we have only 6 months left, I know the time will go particularly fast.  Some days I even have thoughts of extending.  However, the pull of the grand kids keeps tugging on my heart.  We will definitely go home, but not sure for how long.

March has seen the progression of the New Bell Branch building.

           It has gone from this...

to this.    

We have been excited to watch the progress because building here in Africa is very slow.  At building sites in America, there are the busy sounds of electric tools.  Here in Africa, the only sounds are those of hand held tools and hand saws, thus the pace is much slower.  So to have such progress done in a relatively short time has been exciting to see. 

One of the most exciting things in the building was to notice electrical outlets for air conditioners in almost every room.  However, as the building neared completion, no air conditioners were installed.  When we inquired of the builders about the air conditioners, we were told they had not been told to install them, but instead had installed fans.  Fans would probably be very helpful in some climates, but here in Douala the temperature is often in the low 90's with about the same degree of humidity.  We asked the building committee in Brazzaville why no air conditioners were being installed.  We were told that in order to conserve energy, that was now the policy.  I decided to take action, and knowing a policy for one area does not always best serve another area, I wrote the president of the Africa Southeast Area, Elder Hamilton, pleading for an exception to policy.  He kindly wrote back that they would consider the request.  

My hope is that in the next blog I will be reporting that we are meeting in a new building with multiple air conditioners.  My disappointment for the lack of air conditioners went beyond Sunday meetings.  I have felt impressed to teach a class on speaking English. I asked the New Bell Branch president and he has given his approval and asked when I would like to begin.  I told him when the building was completed.  However, I knew without air conditioning, I did not know if I would be able to teach a class.  

Elder Call and I continue to train in every organization on a branch and district level. March was a particularly heavy training month.  I have not counted up the number of training meetings we have given, but it has been a lot.  Not only do we do scheduled training meetings, but we train almost every time we visit a class.  During class, we will raise our hand and say, "Can I give a suggestion?"  

Elder Call after doing some ad hoc training (and ad hoc babysitting) in an Aaronic Priesthood Quorum.

I also try and do training as I visit the Primaries. Sometimes it is after Primary with the leaders and sometimes it is during Primary.

                                                    A Primary in Bonaberi.

After listening to a member of the Primary presidency read from the manual for about 10-15 minutes, the children were asked to sing a song.  Trying to get some "excitement" in Primary, I looked through my purse for anything that might help.  I had two small notebooks, each with a different color.  I raised my hand and said our familiar "Can I give a suggestion?" :)  I then went up to the front and explained (in my very basic French) how we were going to sing the song again, but his time when I held up the green notebook, the girls would sing.  When I held up the blue notebook, the boys would sing, and when I held up both notebooks, both girls and boys would sing.  The joy on the children's faces was amazing with just that small added activity.  The good news is, the branch president asked me to come and train his branch presidency AND the Primary presidency in organizing the Primary.  After giving a short explanation, we did a mock Primary...I think they "get it".  We will return to that branch in a few weeks, and I hope to see a difference.

When we went to Yaounde, we had some scheduled training with a branch on how to do a budget.  We met with the branch council after the block schedule, but that did not stop us from doing ad hoc training as we visited the classes.

                      A Young Women's class in the Eleveur Branch in Yaounde.

The teacher in this class was having the girls read the whole chapter of Alma 40 where it speaks of what happens after death.  After several verses, I raised my hand and said, "Can I....." you know the rest.  I then went up to the chalk board and suggested the teacher make a diagram of what they were reading.  She hesitated, so I began and she added to it.  We then read some more in Alma, then I suggested we stop, and the teacher and I again went up to the board.

After class I visited with the teacher about the advantages of using the chalkboard for more than just writing down the scripture verse.  

Sometimes Elder Call and I get a bit discouraged and wonder if the training we do is helping. Then this past Sunday we went to a branch where we have given some ad hoc training in the youth classes.  To our great pleasure, we were surprised to watch them use some of the teaching techniques we had modeled.  

Besides trying to improve on the stand-and-lecture teaching technique used here, we have been encouraging the branches to have activities for their youth.  The New Bell Branch has had several activities for the young women, but no other branches were holding activities...until March.  In March, the Village Branch decided to do a combined young men/young women's activity.  Fortunately, I attended that branch for the planning meeting to give some much needed direction.  The girls learned how  to make some food dishes and set a table, while the boys were learning how to wash and iron their white shirts.  Then they came together to eat the food the girls had made.  It was a great success.

Cutting the plantain

                           Cooking the carrots

                                                       Setting the table

                                            Enjoying a meal together

March was also a month of Birthday celebrations.  Sister Mbengue had approached me about having a surprise Birthday party over at our apartment for her husband, Pres. Mbengue.  The tricky part of a surprise Birthday party is getting the person out of the house.  However, since President Mbengue is the kindest most accommodating person, Elder Call just called him and said he thought something was wrong with the new building and asked if he would come with him.  He of course agreed.  While the president was gone, the family was able to leave their home and  come to our apartment.  Additional guests had also arrived at our apartment.  I then called Elder Call and told him I really needed him to come home...which he did....and surprise. Pres. Mbengue thought everyone had forgotten his birthday.

                            We sang Happy Birthday both in English and French

The other Birthday party was for our dear friend Suzy and her son Brian.  Suzy has not been doing well physically.  Her grand-daughter called asking us to come quickly to get her grand mother.  When we arrived, Suzy was asleep on her desk.  We brought them to our apartment and Suzy asked for a "prayer".  Elder Call gave her a blessing, and with the amazing faith the African people have, she was able to feel much better and be strong for the rest of the evening.  For a birthday present, we gave her a picture of Christ in a nice frame.  She clutched it to her chest as if it were gold.  She says she still wants to get baptized...I do hope so.  

In March we decided to get more serious about our French.  We were told by a former French tutor of a senior sister in Yaounde, that he had given her 3 lessons/week.  (She also happened to be married to a French speaker).  With the hope of greater French fluency we hired an additional French teacher.  So now we have two.  Not real sure of the results, yet.  However, it must be noted, the poor results are not due to the French teachers but to the French learners.

Our additional French teacher, Seraphene Uche.  She is a 19 year old law student.

I feel like I barely scrape the surface with these blogs.  There is so much more we do, I haven't even mentioned being with the missionaries.  However, I do want to end and I will end with an experience that again confirms to me the watchful care of a loving Heavenly Father.

One Sunday we were driving home from church when we heard some noise that seemed to be coming  somewhere from the car.  We pulled over and noticed we had a totally flat tire.  Elder Call began rolling up his sleeves and looking for the jack.  I stood outside and noticed a man slowing walking by who seemed to be assessing our situation.  I said, in English, "We have a flat tire, do you know someone who could help us?"  Not only did he understand English, but he said, "Yes, wait, I will be back".  He ran down the street for a short pace and quickly returned.  He told us to put the car in reverse and follow him.  We did, and sure enough, about 50 yards down the road, was a tire shop.  As we brought the car to a stop, a young boy took the jack that Elder Call had found, and as if he had changed tires all his life, jacked up the truck and removed the tire.  The others in the shop checked the tire to discover it had a large hole in it.   One of the men got an instrument, put some filler in it, and pushed it into the hole.  They then pumped up the tire and we were on our way.  The total time spent from the time we heard the noise to the time the tire was remounted on the car was about 30 minutes.  

Now you can say it is a coincidence that a man who spoke English just happened to be passing by at that moment, and that a tire shop just happened to be on the same side of the road 50 yards down the street, and was opened on Sunday...but I don't believe in coincidences.  God does not prevent "bad" things from happening, but He sure does help resolve them.  This is His work, His hand is over His work, and He will help those who engage in His work. To this fact I testify.  

Cameroon - February 2017

Dear Family and Friends,

Because I was late writing the blog for January, and February is a short month, the time for a new blog has certainly crept up fast.

February began with a trip to Yaounde.  While we were there, we took care of the needs of the missionaries and did about as much training in the district as they will let us.  Not only did we have scheduled trainings, but we always try and do "ad hoc training" in the branches we attend.

This is a picture of the Young Women's class I was able to attend.  The lesson was on one of my favorite topics "Zion".  In order to practice the principles of unity and love which are found in a Zion community, the class identified the girls not attending and wrote their names on the board.  The names of the Young Women who volunteered to visit them were then written by the side of the non-attenders.  The Young Women who volunteered to make a visit, committed to not only visit, but be ready to give a report the following Sunday.
Each time I visit a youth class in Africa, it makes me yearn to be a teacher here.  Most "teaching" is simply lecturing and the youth display an an inordinate amount of patience to sit and reverently listen.  However, when more engaging teaching is introduced, the youth respond with a great deal of enthusiasm and a desire to learn.

Before going to Yaounde, we received a phone call from a young single adult (Oliver) who lives in Yaounde and who we had met on previous visits.  He called to announce his engagement.  We told him we would love to meet this "lucky girl" and thus invited them over for dinner.  Elder Call spoke to him about NOT paying the bride price, which they call "the dote" here in Cameroon.  He was very interested to learn more and asked if we could also speak to his fiancee.  During dinner, the topic of the dote naturally came up.  We were able to share the pamphlet published by the church.  We also were able to show pictures of many other couples in Africa who had broken from the "tradition of Africa" in paying a bride price and followed the "tradition of the church".   By the time Oliver and his lovely fiancee, Carol, went to leave she was clutching the pamphlet as if it were made of gold for it meant they could get married without waiting for several months to save money to pay "the dote".

  The first weekend home from Yaounde, there was a Young Women's activity at our apartment.  The Young Women had been learning about the Plan of Salvation in Young Women's.  Thus, I suggested to the teacher that if they wanted to have an activity where the girls created a Plan of Salvation,  it would also partly fulfill a Personal Progress goal.  She agreed to the activity.  

                   Around our dinning room table, in the mode of creating.  

Displaying the "Plans".


Previous to the girls making their own plans, Sister Mbengue had asked if I would demonstrate the Plan of Salvation on our white board.  So I also had one to display.  

One of the most exciting things to happen in February was the beginning of the renovations for the New Bell Branch building.  It will also be used as an office for the newly created Douala District.  Elder Call and I have been heavily involved in getting this building rented and then seeing that the process necessary to begin the renovation has been pushed forward.  We were told that often the process takes over a year and we were determined that would not happen here in Douala. With the help of the knowledge we gained and the people we met while working in Brazzaville, renovations are on schedule.  If it is the only blessing Cameroon receives for our service in the mission office, it will be worth the 3 months.  However, we are continuing  to see other ways we have been able to bless Cameroon due to our service in Brazzaville.

                   Expanding the Sacrament Hall for the New Bell Branch building.

After the Douala District was created, we tried to meet with the District auxiliary leaders so we could train them and they in turn could train the branches.  In a short time, we realized that plan was not working.  First, for most district leaders we needed a translator, and secondly, if they were trained they did not have the means or resources to visit and train the branch leaders.  Thus, we have begun again to train the individual branches as we do our regular visits.  It is taking longer than we would like because there are 5 branches just here in Douala and I have 3 auxiliaries to train, i.e. the Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society.  I have decided to focus on the Primary and Young Women.  I generally visit them one week and observe.  After class I visit with them about some ideas they can do and if I can bring some training material to share with them the following week.  If possible, I train them the next week, if not I train them as soon as we return to that branch.  

One auxiliary I trained  in February was the New Bell Branch Primary.  It was particularly special to me because one of the counselors in the Primary Presidency was a young woman whom I had met and whose baptism we attended shortly after arriving in Cameroon.  Her name is Anita. (She is the middle sister on the back row.)  The lesson in Primary was on the Holy Ghost.  Since I was familiar with Anita's story and still had pictures of her baptism on my i-Pad, I showed those pictures to the children and asked them to locate Anita's Mom.  (Her mother did not attend nor did any member of her family.)  When the children were unable to find any member of the family, I then asked Anita to share her story and tell why she got baptized even though she had no support from her family.  In short, she shared that it was because of the witness she had from the Holy Ghost that the church was true.  It was sweet to me and what makes it even sweeter is that we have learned that a wonderful returned missionary in the branch wants to marry her and....she has agreed.  She will soon have family support. 

Zone Conferences seem to be rolling around more often these days and there was one in February.  However, they are always a joyous time to have the missionaries over and receive a visit from Pres. and Sister Monga.

We are continuing to upgrade the missionary apartments and we hope we have moved the last set of missionaries in Douala for awhile.  By the end of this month we will have moved all the Elders in the Douala area to better apartments.  February was the month to move the Elders living in Bonaberi. 

By-the-time we arrived, they had begun the process.  

 They decided lowering the furniture out the window was easier than carrying it down the stairs.

                                              I decided I needed pictures. 

What you don't see in the pictures is that the Elders "on the ground" are not on the ground at all, but standing on chairs.

                                                The new apartment

                          Before I finish this blog, I feel to share one more picture.  

This is a picture obviously of a baptism.  Each baptism is unique, but this one was particularly special.  It is a custom here in Cameroon that after the baptism and talks, those who have been baptized are asked to bear their testimonies.  The two children bore their testimonies, but then the non-member father (who is in the above photo) bore his testimony.  He told of his belief in the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the true church on the earth.  Then he told how the circumstances in his life right now make it impossible for him to be baptized and his desire some day to follow his children in joining the church.

I would like to close by saying what a privilege it is to have the ability to be a member of the church.  There are some who desire that privilege, but are unable to for one reason or another.  I joy in my membership and thank the Lord for the opportunity to help others also realize that joy in their life.

Cameroon - January 2017

Dear Family and Friends,

I am late again with the blog and since February is a short month, I did consider combining January and February.  However, I worried that some might be concerned about our whereabouts in the jungles of Africa, so I decided to write.

The most exciting thing that happened to me in January is that I regained my health.  The results from the tests showed that I am a healthy old woman. :)  What the doctor here in Cameroon thinks is that initially I had bronchitis.  The antibiotics I took cured the bronchitis but then I had some serious side effects from the antibiotics.  The particular antibiotic I took was very strong and the doctor said it was not usually recommended for children and for those "getting on in age".  Well, I am definitely "getting on in age"...thus the comment being "a healthy old woman". 

During the first week in January we had a visit from the President of the South East Africa Area, Elder Hamilton.  He decided to visit the French speaking countries in the area and thus Cameroon got a visit.  After some meetings with the members, we took him to the site where the church has purchased property to build a chapel.  We had visited it earlier and learned someone had begun to build something in front of the fence.

A previous visit to the property.  Note the foundations for some kind of structure on the sidewalk.

The practice of building without getting clearance is quite a common practice in Africa.  If property is vacant, someone will just start building on it, and then it becomes theirs.  The church has actually lost some property this way in the Congo, thus we were very concerned about this piece of property since it is the only piece of property the church owns in Cameroon; we are renting all our buildings.  Elder Hamilton promised that he would get the church's attorneys on the problem.  Also since then, Elder Call and I have gone to the property with a big, black, permanent magic marker and have written on the cement "stop your building, this is NOT your property."  We then wrote the phone number of the District President if they needed further information.   The District Pres. has received no phone call and the construction has stopped.

While visiting the property, I took a picture with Elder Hamilton, Elder Call and Pres. Mbengue, the District President.

On our return home, I asked Elder Hamilton why the church did not build a chapel on the property.  He said he would love to request to have a chapel built on that property; but the problem was tithing i.e. the members need to have a certain degree of tithing worthiness.  He said there were exceptions to that rule, but he hesitated to even ask for an exception since the only requirement to have a chapel built was a percentage of tithing worthiness by the members attending the building.

This knowledge saddened me.  There are branches in Douala that meet the tithing requirement, but the branch that would be attending that chapel does not.  The interesting thing is that shortly thereafter, while we were attending that branch, the branch president spoke on tithing.  Afterwards, we asked him if we could visit with his presidency about tithing and the other two issues he addressed.  He agreed and we set up a time to meet later in the month.  The Sunday we were to meet with the presidency, the branch president asked if we could address a combined meeting with the members.  We gladly agreed.  During that meeting I felt impressed to show the members the picture I had taken with Elder Hamilton standing in front of the church's property.  I asked if anyone knew what it was.  Most had no idea.  I then explained it was property the church owned to build a chapel.  I then related the conversation I had had with Elder Hamilton previously.  There were a lot of somber faces in the crowd.  I then invited them, if they were not already doing so, to begin to pay their tithing.   I tried to look in each of their eyes and I said, "Will you pay your tithing".  Most shook their heads in the affirmative. The good news is that after that meeting Elder Call saw a father, who had not previously been paying tithing, surrounded by his family and filling out a tithing receipt.

Much of our time during the month of January was spent getting new apartments for the missionaries.  Pres. Monga has felt like he would like to upgrade some of the apartments in the area and also have fewer missionaries living in one apartment.  So we have been finding smaller, but nicer apartments for the missionaries.  Pictures of apartments are not too exciting to see.  However, I would like to show a couple of pictures to help you understand the need for the upgrade.

Previous apartment

      New apartment



You may not be "crazy" with the color scheme, but one can not deny the upgrade, right?

Another picture that may not be all that pleasant is what we look like when we move the Elders...especially Elder Call.  This picture was taken at about 10:30 am.  It took us until about 5:00 pm to move the Elders and by then there was not a speck of Elder Call's clothes that was not soaked in sweat.

Though it may not always be the most pleasant duty to find apartments and move missionaries, we try not to  miss the opportunity to visit with the neighbors and share the Gospel in the process.

 We met this man while trying to locate a new apartment in the Deido area.  We were sitting in our truck when he walked by and saw Elder Call's missionary badge.  He stopped and said something like, "I was praying this morning to learn more about God, and then I saw your badge; I believe God has led me to you".  We agreed with him and gave his name and number to the missionaries.  At another apartment after moving the Elders, by the time we drove away, one of the neighbors was sitting on a chair reading the pamphlet I had given him.  Some days I wish WE could do the teaching. :)

When we went to Brazzaville, our French took a "beating".  I thought we would have more time to study.  But we learned the best way to learn a language is to speak it, and while at the office I never had one single conversation with the computer I sat in front of all day...in English or in French.  Also while in Brazzaville, we had no French teacher.  So on our return to Cameroon, we decided to again ask someone to be our French teacher.  We approached a Young Single Adult in one of the branches named Wesley.  She has a calling in the Young Women's program, so I already knew her.

Our new French teacher, Wesley.  She is going to school to learn to be a hotel receptionist.  She is darling and we love her.








So since returning to Cameroon, our French is improving with the help of Wesley, speaking to one another during the day, and trying to speak French when we do any kind of training.  When I have had a chance to think a little beforehand about what to say, I do better.  If not, people will often look at me with a blank stare.  While living in Brazzaville I went into a hotel that had a restaurant, and with my best French, asked the receptionist when dinner was served.  She gave me one of those blank stares and replied,  "I'm sorry I don't speak English."  Even with those kind of comments, we are still trying our best to learn the language.  However, as I may have said before, we have discovered that the most powerful language is the language of love.

Well that about sums up the month.   Each day is a new adventure.  We are still loving our mission, loving the people, and learning to love each other and the Gospel of Jesus Christ more deeply and with greater commitment each day.

Brazzaville/Cameroon - December 2016

Chere famille et amis,

These last few weeks have been some of the hardest since arriving on our mission,  yet we have probably felt the Lord's hand in our lives more than ever before.

The month began with the arrival of a senior missionary couple, the Sorensen's, who took our place in the mission office and allowed us to return to Cameroon.  As previously mentioned, there were many tearful pleadings for this couple to arrive.  When they arrived, they mentioned how they really had not wanted to serve in an office and actually had felt a desire to serve in other capacities.  As they related their feelings, I almost felt guilty, for I knew they were a direct answer to prayer.  However, I also know God makes no mistakes and there is a reason and purpose for them being called as an office couple.

The Sorensen's, Pres. and Sister Monga and us in front of the mission office.

As we approached our departure date, it was a bitter sweet time, for we had grown to love some very dear people in Brazzaville.  Some of those "people" were the Assistant's, who visited the office frequently.

Elder Scoffield from the States

         


 Elder Manasse, from Madagascar

Santie and Ghilson.  Two of the most hard working men we have met.  They were both always so busy and often worked many more than 8 hours/day.  However, whenever we needed help, they were happy and willing to be of assistance.

In December, Elder Call was able to participate in the blessing of Ghilson's first baby, a girl named Isadora.  Ghilson also happens to be the bishop of his ward.

Another bitter-sweet event happened in Brazzaville before we left.  Elder Call was robbed.  He had gone to the bank, alone, to withdraw our money and the money for the missionaries.  As he was coming back to the office, he heard a noise in the back rear tire.  He stopped to check out the problem, and while he was investigating the problem, someone opened the car door, grabbed his bag, and ran.  It happened so quickly, he didn't even notice he was missing his bag until he returned to the office.

The fact that the money was gone was not our greatest worry.  In the bag was also Elder Call's i-Pad, but more importantly...our passports, our international driver's licenses, our carte de sejour (necessary to stay in Cameroon), and our airplane tickets for Douala.  To say the least, we were sick about it.  But now for God's merciful hand.  That afternoon, we received a phone call from the travel agency where we had booked the airline tickets.  We generally do them on line, but there were no seats available so we had to use a travel agency.  A man had found the bag on top of a car, looked inside and realized it had been stolen.  The only way to make any contact was the name of the travel agency.  He called them, they remembered us, and contacted us.  Before dark, we were headed on our way to recover Elder Call's bag.  The money and i-Pad were gone, but all the vital documents were there.  I can hardly express our relief.  Elder Call asked who found the bag, and one man raised his hand.  Elder Call took some money from his wallet to pay him.  The man clasped his hands together and said, "I am Muslim, I will not take your money."  I tearfully thanked him and we were on our way with the necessary documents needed to go back to Cameroon the following week.

Afterwards, we began to piece together the events of the robbery and feel this is what happened. While Elder Call was in the bank, someone put a board behind his tire with a nail hammered in it.  When he backed up, the nail pierced the tire.  However, the tire was not deflating quickly enough for the thieves, so we believe someone on a motorcycle, threw a tin can in the wheel causing a lot of clanking noise.  As Elder Call stopped to research the noise, the thieves opened the car door and took the bag.  A well planned robbery.

As proof of our speculation, I took a picture of the nail that was found in the tire after the robbery.

By the grace of God, we returned to Cameroon just in time to witness the creation of the first district in Douala!  What a joyous occasion it was.

The Douala District Presidency.  Pres. Mbengue (center), Pres Dadi (right of Pres. Mbengue) and Pres. Ngeuti.  Pres. Messy and Pres. Monga of the mission presidency are in front.

It was a particularly happy event for Elder Call and I, for we had encouraged the creation of a district.  Pres. Monga had expressed his apprehension, but particularly Elder Call had urged him and felt the people were ready and capable for a district.  We now feel Douala will grow ever more quickly.

So, we were back to our beloved Cameroon, but brought an unwelcome guest with us.  Elder and Sister Sorensen had contracted a virus before coming to Brazzaville and unsuspectedly shared it with us...particularly me.  Soon after arriving in Cameroon I began experiencing the same symptoms that Elder Sorenson had, i.e. congestion, sore throat, and coughing.  The virus headed to one of my weakest areas, my lungs and shortly I felt I had a full-blown case of bronchitis.  However, knowing this was a "common" malady, we had brought some medications with us...just in case...so I began taking an antibiotic.

As usual, sickness does not wait for a convenient time to "strike".  This was Christmas time...the time for Elder's to Skype with their families.   Since there is still no couple in Yaounde, we needed to do a "Christmas" for the Elder's both in Douala and Yaounde.  Sooo, with the thought of anxious mothers waiting to Skype with their sons in far away Africa, I arose from my "sick-bed", forgetting my antibiotics, and we headed up to Yaounde.

              An early Christmas dinner with the Elders in Yaounde.

I am not sure if it was forgetting the antibiotics, but the virus seemed to take an ever greater hold on me in Yaounde and I could feel the rattling in my lungs as I breathed.  Elder Call truly took on the major part of the work.

After just a short stay, we headed back to Douala, where I continued the antibiotics, but experienced a decrease in strength.   Again, Christmas came...as the Grinch learned...it is impossible to stop Christmas from coming.  So another Christmas dinner, Skyping and celebration.

After we ate, we played a game with some Christmas candy we had purchased for each Elder.  We played the game where you choose a wrapped gift and you can either unwrap and keep that gift, or take someone else's gift.  The Elder's had a great time "stealing" candy.  After the game we watched the church's Christmas Devotional and those with Skyping capabilities,  Skyped home.

That week, I did try and rest, but had some previous scheduled activities that needed to be planned and carried out.  A couple of those activities were a Young Women's swimming party over at our apartment, a YM/YW Ball to make refreshments for and a Zone Conference.

Pres. and Sister Monga decided to bring their children on a mission tour.  Their children also came and participated in the Zone Conference at our apartment.

In the mean time, back to my health.  After taking antibiotics for 2 weeks, I decided I best discontinue them for I felt the bronchitis was better, though I still did not feel too great.  However, after discontinuing them I had head aches, fatigue, general malaise, body aches, dizziness, and had a dry mouth with a metallic awful taste, thus a loss of appetite.  In general, I felt terrible.

As mentioned earlier, it has been a hard few weeks but also an outpouring of the knowledge of  God's hand in our lives.  My biggest fear in Africa has been the medical facilities, or I should say the lack of medical facilities.  Last August, Pres. Monga informed us that the Zone Conference would include a visit from the area doctor, Elder Jubber. He and his wife are senior missionaries in South Africa.  Before then, I had no idea there was even an area doctor that we could consult with.  In Ghana, we had a medical doctor that also lived in Accra, but here in Cameroon I thought we were just on our own.  While Dr. Jubber was in Douala with us, he wanted to visit a medical facility.  We looked up one that previous missionaries had visited which happened to be quite close to our apartment.  Elder Call and he went to the facility and both Elder Call and Dr. Jubber were impressed.

Fast forward to my health issues.  I finally decided I needed some medical attention and decided to call Dr. Jubber, who previous to August I didn't know existed.   He listed some tests he wanted me to take and told me to go to the clinic he had visited in August.  Thus, God had prepared all along the knowledge of a reputable clinic for me to attend.

Well, the long and short of the matter is that I am in the midst of taking tests.  However, in the mean time, I seem to be getting better.  (Isn't that the way it always goes).  However, the greatest fear has been tested for and proven negative...which is malaria.  We have had an increase of mosquitoes in the apartment and thus many mosquito bites and most of my symptoms were also symptoms of malaria.

There is a wonderful song that I am unsure of the title, but it talks of trials but then of the knowledge of a God and his plan for us and repeats the words, "How can I keep from singing".  That is the feeling of my heart at this time.  There have been some difficult weeks this past month, but I recognize God in my life and thus....HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING!!!

Brazzaville - November 2016

Dearest Family and Friends,

Since I was so late posting last month's blog, and included part of November, I decided this blog would be quick and short.

The biggest holiday in November is Thanksgiving, but since it is not celebrated here, I felt we would have a rather un-celebrated holiday.  However, an American couple who attend our same ward and work for the U.S. government, asked what we were doing for Thanksgiving.  We told them "Nothing".  They asked if we would like to come to the American Ambassador's home for a Thanksgiving dinner.  We told them we would love it.  They received permission, and voila, we were invited.

We arrived in the afternoon and had a delightful time.  After the Ambassador read the proclamation from Pres. Obama,  a prayer was said (yes you read correctly) and we began a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast.  Just before dinner, I asked the Ambassador if we might take a picture with her.  She seemed delighted to accommodate us.

In front of the U.S. flag with Ambassador Stephanie Sullivan

After getting a plate full of turkey (from Ghana, by-the-way) mashed potatoes, yams and all the other trimmings, we sat down next to a younger couple we had met as we mingled before dinner and another couple more our age, John and Benin Newton.  Benin (not sure that is how it is spelled) was originally from Iran; I immediately felt a connection to her.

Dinner at the Ambassador's house.


We had finished the main course and were beginning to eat some of the many plentiful and delicious  desserts.






Though John Newton was from the States, neither of them worked for the U.S. government.  He and his wife had come to the Republic of Congo to help spread and teach the Baha'i faith.  Elder Call and I have been to the Baha'i Gardens in Israel, so we had that connection, but really didn't know anything about their beliefs, so it was interesting learning from them.  The most fascinating belief was that they feel Jesus Christ has come the 2nd time in the form of a man born in Iran named Buha'u'llah, which literally means "in his glory".  Since the scriptures teach that Christ will come again "in His glory", they feel that this man was indeed Jesus Christ, of which he also proclaimed to be.  My curiosity led to asking if they had any literature we might read.  They said, "Yes", and I believe out of politeness, they asked us if WE had any literature.  We of course said that we definitely had something we could give them.  Since neither of us had the literature with us, we set up a time to meet again.

Thus, the next Tuesday evening we met at the building owned by those of the Baha'i faith, where there are also two rooms where John and Benin live.  They have a large room, which they call their "reading room" with a large table.  We sat around that table and they brought some of their literature, and we of course, brought a Book of Mormon with our picture and testimony.

                                    A picture in the "reading room".

The Newtons did most the talking and explaining about their faith...which was fine.  I learned long ago, if you show interest in others, they just might show interest in you. We came to the conclusion that we had more of the same beliefs than differences.  We kept saying, "Yes, we believe that too, with some small differences."  Though they did most of the talking, we could not leave until we showed and explained a little about the Book of Mormon.  Neither one of them knew anything of our religion.  In their reading room, there are some shelves with a few books and pamphlets.  Benin did say that sometimes people donate books to their "library" and they lend them out. So...we are hoping some day, some one will see that Book of Mormon and be curious enough to pick it up and read it. :)

In November, on our trip to Yaounde, Cameroon, I noticed some few Christmas decorations that I decided needed to be in Brazzaville.  Thus, with a little tinsel and some red paper, I put up some decorations.  It's not much,  but I figured it was something. While decorating I sang, "Yes, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute".  It truly is "a little". I hung some decorative balls on the fabric flower on the end table as a Christmas tree.  But as we learn from Charley Brown, it is not about the tree, it is about the message of the season.

The door with the small Christmas decoration, leads to President Monga's office.  Also note the cork board by my desk.  The small picture at the bottom is grand child number 20!!  Hudson Hatch Call born to Joseph and Ramie October 5, 2016; both mother and son are doing fabulously.  Just another of those mission blessings.  To add to those blessings, we have learned that number 21 and 22 will also be born while on our mission.

November ended with a Zone Conference for the 28 missionaries serving in the Brazzaville area.

Eight of our ten beautiful sisters.  The sister missionaries here have a great deal of success.  We only have sisters in Brazzaville.  The President wants to keep them close by in case of any problems.  So unfortunately, there are no sisters in Cameroon.  They are a delight to visit with when they come to the office.

Sister Monga always makes a delicious lunch.  She is being helped by one of the Assistant's, Elder Scofield.

President and Sister Monga with the missionaries in the Brazzaville area.  I don't think you will have a difficult time recognizing the senior missionary couple on the end.

As our time quickly comes to an end here in Brazzaville, I have to thank my Heavenly Father for the great gift it has been to serve here.  Though I left Cameroon with a heavy heart, I now leave the Republic of Congo with a piece of my heart in Brazzaville.  The work of the Lord is a joy no matter where we have the privilege to serve.

October/November 2016-Brazzaville, Congo

Dearest Family and Friends,

I am sure no one has been holding their breath, but I am finally getting around to writing the October blog,  but now will also have to include some of November.

Our days in Brazzaville are quite different than those spent in Cameroon.  We get up, go walking (which is the same) but then spend the day "at the office".  I do have to make a comment about our walks.  When we began, we received some pretty "strange" looks from the local people.  I am certain they had never seen an old white couple, holding hands, walking in the morning.  Due to Elder Call's friendly nature, we began waving and calling out a hearty "Bonjour" to all we passed.  Now as we walk, we receive friendly smiles and an energetic "Bonjour" in return.  The other day, we heard some commotion coming from a local school across the street.  As we looked over, we saw school children hanging out the windows of the second story building waving and yelling to us,"Bonjour".

When we came to Brazzaville, President Monga said a couple of times, "One thing I know, things are going to change around here."  I did not understand what he meant until Sister Monga also mentioned it and said they had noticed a change in both the apartments in Cameroon after we moved in, so I guess, they expected the same to happen at the office.  Well, I had not planned on doing any changing with the office since I felt the move was so temporary.  However, after reflecting on it, I wondered if President Monga WANTED me to make some changes.  One week in October, when he was traveling  I decided to "make the move".   (I had told him beforehand that I did want to make some changes). So, to start with, one morning Elder Call and I went looking for a rug for the office.  We went to several shops, but I was unable to find the "right one".  (You shoppers out there know what I mean).  After leaving another shop empty handed, a man tapped on our window.  After a time, I realized he was trying to tell us he knew where we could find some "tapis" (rugs).  He literally ran down the street and we followed him in our truck to a rug store.  They had several at the shop, but also were bringing them from somewhere else and would roll them out for us to see.  After rejecting many, they finally came out with just the right one.   We purchased it and brought it to the office... and it was perfect.  However, it made the rest of the office "furniture" (which consisted only of 6 uncomfortable and partially broken chairs) look out of place.  One of the office workers, Santie, said, "I know of a couch, chair and table that used to be in one of the senior couple's apartment.  They took our truck, brought the furniture and "voila", things began taking shape.  With a couple of plants and a little rearranging, we have a "new" office.

I wish I had a "before and after" picture, but since I do not, you will have to settle for an "after" and use your imagination about the "before".  We have received many positive comments, especially from the missionaries who often visit.   I must agree that I am much more pleased with "my view" of the room since my desk is the one you see on the bottom of the picture. Fortunately, President Monga also likes it

Since being in Brazzaville, we decided to do a little site-seeing.  There is not much to see, but we did take a couple of pictures that I wanted to share.  The Republic of Congo and the city of Brazzaville, is separated from the Democratic Republic of Congo and it's capital city of Kinshasa by the Congo River.  Following are a couple of pictures of the Congo River and Kinshasa.

Looking east across the Congo River to see the tip of Kinshasa.

Looking slightly west across the Congo River to the other end of Kinshasa.  Kinshasa has a population of over 10 million which is considerably larger than Brazzaville with a population of 1.7 million.

We also went to the bridge that you see pictured in the first photo.  It is a bridge completely contained  in the Republic of Congo and crosses over a small part of the Congo River.  It is beautifully lit up at night with various colors of moving lights. There is no bridge built over the Congo River to Kinshasa; one crosses over by boat or ferry.

At the end of the bridge, where I took the picture, is a monument with a mosaic-type of compass showing the direction and distance to various important cities around the world.

Elder Call standing at the monument with down-town Brazzaville in the background.  Next to the tallest building you see pictured, is the most fantastic boulangerie (bakery). The desserts look fabulous (but don't  taste as good as they look). However, the bread, baguettes, and crescents are "to die" for.

In the mosaic are important and famous cities like Jerusalem, New York, etc. We were surprised to see a mosaic of our beloved city Douala.  I suppose, it is not so much the city we love, but the people we are anxious to see.




Speaking of being anxious to return to the people we love in Cameroon, we did take a quick trip back to Cameroon the end of October-beginning of November.  It is one reason for the tardy blog.  We paid bills, meet with the missionaries, looked for new apartments and generally had a world-wind eight day long trip.  After getting home, I realized most the pictures I had taken were of apartments being considered  for the missionaries, which are NOT the most exciting

things to see. Unless however, you happen to be a junior missionary....or....
this darling little boy who found an attraction
to Elder Call while we were checking out
new apartments

There are two other pictures I do want to share.  We visited after church with the new branch presidency of the Village Branch.  As we met with them, we were impressed with their dedication, humility and desire to do the right thing.  One of their greatest desires is to be trained.  We told them, "Hang in there, we will be back in December!"

As we left the meeting to go home, we noticed the first counselor was also leaving with his family consisting of his wife and three children.

I asked if I  could take their picture...they consented.

As we visited, he told us he was one of the very first persons to be baptized in Douala. He told us the ordinance was performed in a nearby river.

If you wondered, the family feel very blessed to have transportation and thus don't have to pay a taxi each week to get to church.

One last event happened in November which contributed to the lateness of the bog.  An apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ visited the Congo and is going to Cameroon!!!! His visit also coincided with new missionaries arriving from the MTC and thus also transfers, which is the busiest time for the mission. To add to the confusion, plans kept being changed.  But the time did arrive and Elder D. Todd Christofferson, along with his wife and Elder Soares and his wife, visited our mission.  What an outpouring of the Spirit it has been.  He flew in early Saturday morning (1:30am) and met with the leaders of the stakes in Kinshasa and Brazzaville Saturday morning from 9:00am until 12:00 noon.  Then he had a meeting with the missionaries (that included us) from 2:00pm until 4:00pm.  You could tell he was exhausted, but it was still powerful to hear from an apostle.

                                Waiting to hear from an apostle of the Lord.

After Elder Christofferson came into the room, he asked Pres. Monga if he could shake hands with all of the missionaries.  Pres. Monga agreed that he could and asked if we would all come up in a single file to shake hands with Elder Christofferson and the others with him.  So that is what we did.

Shaking hands with Elder Christofferson.  His wife is on his right hand and Pres. and Sister Monga are on his left.

Sunday, which is today, was a meeting for the two stakes here in Brazzaville.  What a powerful meeting.  Afterwards I said to Elder Call, "He wasn't dramatic, just humble and powerful".  Elder Call added, "Yes, and pure".  The messages he taught were simple yet profound.

After the meeting, Elder Christofferson came down from the stand and again starting shaking hands with the members of the church.  People flocked around him, but the smile on his face indicated he did not mind, in fact, he was pleased to meet them.

The messages given by the words of an apostles were powerful.  But to me, his personal example and the fact that he was even willing to come to Africa and meet with the members here was even a more powerful message.  It was a message that God loves ALL His children and that they are ALL important to Him.

The Church is true and is governed by apostles and prophets who follow the Master, Jesus Christ, who ministers to the one.