Extreme Makeover-Mission Home Style

Seems like we should have had enough to do last month, but we also had the chance to do a makeover on the mission home and couldn't pass up the chance.  We got a new couple and had to furnish an apartment for them. So, I went shopping for furniture in the price range for a missionary couples apartment. There wasn't much available, but I got an idea as I looked. The mission home hadn't had much furniture changed in the last few years and although the Headlees had done a lot to the apartment, the "grand salon" was in need of some updates.  So, we got permission to work on it and use the furniture that was there before in the new couple's apartment.  Shopping for furnishings was an interesting process in the Congo and Rule #1 certainly applied, but in the end we were very happy with the changes. 

 

New blinds are ordered to replace the heavy drapes that cover the window which extend across one wall, but it already feels  like a much more welcoming and comfortable home to us.

Porte Ouverte

After our return home, the Pointe Noire Branch held an open house to show off their new building. We had seen the enormous renovation of this building. It was hard to imagine how it would turn out. 

 

I was little nervous even walking in the building when it was under construction.  Tree limbs formed the ceiling supports and walls were mostly missing. But it turned out very well.

It's a very good building and our members are happy to meet there and were very excited to show it off to friends, neighbors and community leaders.  

It was pretty amazing to me how good it looked when they finished.  

The stand and the pulpit looked like something directly from the US.

When it was time to start there were only a couple of people there and they were so sad and worried, just like we all are when we hold an event, but 20 minutes later, they had a full house. 

  

 

Congratulations to the Pointe Noire Branch for implementing well a great missionary tool- the Open House. 

The Bucket Brigade in Pointe Noire

Saturday we went to the chapel for the zone baptisms.  
We don't know how it happened, but this small city with only three branches has a very nice church built chapel.  It's very impressive and well cared for by the members. 

Brent had also planned some training for the branch presidencies.  When we arrived we discovered that the water we'd started putting in the font two hours before had decreased to a trickle and the font was still almost empty.   No problem!

Elder Wheatley jumped down in the well and began scooping water and handing up buckets up to the waiting Elders. They hauled water for over an hour in the hot sun. I'm not sure it they were wetter from sloshing water or from perspiration.  But they never stopped until the font was ready. 

While the elders and a few others were hauling water,several sisters repeatedly mopped the hall while  the rest of the members sat quietly listening to Frère Grace playing hymns or joined in singing them. Grace is 17 and the only member of his family who's in the church.  He's been at the church every time we've been there day or night. I think that it's his home away from home. He's a devoted young man who hopes someday to fill a mission.   He has learned to play the piano well in the last year as he practices whenever he comes to the church. His piano skills are a great blessing to the branch there. 

After much effort,  we had a wonderful baptism service. We had converts ranging in age from 8 to 70. They were baptized by missionaries and also by other members of their family or their branch.  We love sharing these special moments and the special stories of each convert. On Sunday we saw all of these men confirmed and sustained to receive the Aaronic priesthood.  It's a great experience to share in the fruits of these hard working elders.
We always wish the more women and families would be baptized, but all these men are a start. Hopefully their families will not be far behind them in making baptismal covenants.

After the baptisms Brent met with the priesthood leaders from all three branches. Nearly all of them were there and were eager to receive training.Most, if not all, are first generation members and so everything is a profound learning experience for them. They were eager to accept council and move forward in their branches.  This is President Elvis Sombo.  He's a very dedicated, young branch president who is  eager to learn and do things right.  His branch just began holding meetings in a newly rented and renovated building and they were planning an open house to show their building to friends and neighbors.  He was very eager to make it a good experience for those who came and was attending to every detail. It was to be held the next weekend and preparations were well underway. Working with these wonderful branch leaders, who are so eager to learn and grow in the gospel, is a wonderful and inspiring experience. We're proud to know them.

On the Road Again

March came in like a Lion!  We started on the road, or I should say river again.. Brent had 50 personal interviews to do before finishing this round and it required two trips to do them.   First we crossed the Congo River. It's always an adventure.

 

From the beach we headed through Brazzaville directly to the stake center.

 

We spent a day  in Brazzaville holding interviews and talking with the missionaries there. It's such a 

great experience for us to be with our missionaries. Brazzaville has 24 missionaries and no senior couple to shepherd them. We feel like the work could go on much more successfully if we had a French-speaking couple to help them. They do well, but really feel a little isolated across the river from the rest of the mission, as do our American missionaries in Cameroon and the Republic of Congo.  Right now those Americans have couples to help them. In five months, without replacements, they'll all be alone.  

Brazzaville Stake Center

Some of our great young elders.

This is the hotel where we stay and it's the nicest one in our mission.  It's almost like a little vacation to be able to stay in this hotel for a night and eat in a good restaurant just around the corner. 

The next morning we headed to the beautiful Brazzaville airport and our flight to Pointe Noire to interview and be with the missionaries there.
This airport was just built last year and it's so wonderful.  It's coming along slowly, but it's nice and clean and we're happy to go to this airport. What a contrast from "the Beach."

 "Prochainement"  (seen above and to the left) means coming soon.  Lots of things are coming soon, and have been since we got here in July, but this airport is still just wonderful.  It's the nicest one in our mission. We'll still take it with or without the duty free shop and the snack bar.

There's even a jet way to the plane that is visible on the picture above. I love not having to walk hauling all our luggage down a million stairs to the tarmac and then up another half million to the plane. 

Modern is good!  So, we were off to Pointe Noire. 

 The American missionaries who come to our mission are a special group. I just have to think that they're the best of the best! We enjoyed a little visiting time with them, having interviews and dinner together and held a zone conference  .Elder and Sister Wheatley are the couple in charge of things in Pointe Noire.  They just came in December,  speak no French and have adapted like fish to water. They're doing such an excellent job in a totally different world than their home in Clinton, Utah.  We're so grateful them. Their life is pretty challenging right now, but they just keep going!  What heroes!  We're trying to get them into a new house, but they're a little hard to find. The one they're in now had no power about half of the three days that we were there. They never have enough electricity to run their washer and dryer so they're doing wash by HAND. That's something I've never had to do in my Africa experience. Their water doesn't work when the power is out and their back door is sandbagged in case it rains.  While we were there a rubber hose under their sink broke and they had a flood.  But they just keep going and doing so well.  We love and honor them for making things work.

 American elders always leave their shoes outside the door 

as they enter. I love seeing lots of shoes there when we arrive. 

It means that elders are there and waiting for us.  

 Elder McGrath was right there under the sink helping Elder Wheatley.

                                                                                                               Gathering for Zone Conference in Pointe Noire

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Historic Day in Cameroon

 On March 9, 2012 we flew to Yaoundé for a historic weekend.  We took our first direct flight to Yaoundé. In the past we had to fly to and from there through Douala. It's amazing how much time and energy we saved by going directly there.  One less flight is a big deal to somebody who hates flying and sitting for hours in airports as much as I do.  

Yaoundé, in my opinion is the prettiest city in our mission. It's in the hills, with a lot of contour to the land and very green and lush. It's certainly still Africa, but I like it a more than any other city.

  

We went to create the first District of the church in Cameroon.  It's an interesting process and a great day for the city of Yaoundé and for the country of Cameroon. When a group of branches become strong enough to support the creation of a District without decimating the branches of leadership, a District is created.  It's the step in church organization that looks forward to the time a Stake will exist, so it's a big step.  Brent petitioned for this to happen and was granted approval to create a District, officially move the four branches into that District, and determined who the Lord wanted for the District President.  It's a bit of a daunting job since in these outlying cities he goes not knowing anybody really well and has to rely on the Lord to tell him who should be the new leader. He meets with and considers all those now in leadership, but it's not necessary for any of the branch leaders to be called.  This is a most challenging task. Saturday he spent the whole day in interviews.  In reality he could have only done two because when the second man entered for his interview, Brent felt confirmation that this was the man for the calling.  So, he called President Bala to lead the new Yaoundé District.
We all met together on Sunday in a rather interesting rented facility in downtown Yaoundé.
The building was quite interesting in it's design and decorations.  We tried to decide if a giant river rock had fallen from the sky or if it was a baked potato that landed on the building, but in fact the whole big thing was tiled and simply decorative.We wondered if some crazy architect was just in a weird mood when he proposed this, but it's indefinably unique.
 There were more than 350 members attending and you could tell this was a big moment for them.  The energy in the room was high, despite the fact that the meeting room was about 90 degrees and got hotter by the minute. The place was billed as air-conditioned and had three large units visible, but........................


  

The new district presidency consisted of 1st Counselor, Tchapnda Dieudonné, President Bala Foe Crépin Juste and 2nd counselor, Olinga Mbouya Michel.  It was especially interesting and exciting for us the President Bala selected  Michel Olinga as a counselor. He was one of our wonderful missionaries in Lubumbashi.  He's 26 years old. He's been home from his mission for a couple of years and was traditionally married and has a darling little daughter.  He was civilly married on Sat. and actually left his wedding festivities for his interview. They hope to go to the temple in the next month. We know that our returned missionaries are blessing their home branches, wards, districts and stakes. It was very special to be there to see  our "Elder Olinga" called to serve.

The New District Presidency and their wives 

  

 President Jameson and the newly called presidency of the first District in Cameroon                               

                          

 We also spent some time with the eight elders who serve in Yaoundé. Brent did interviews and we held a little zone conference with them and shared a couple of meals. Being with missionaries is the best thing about our calling.  It was our last time to be with Elder and Sister Thompson before they went home to Canada.   We can't even express what a fabulous service they have given to the missionaries and members of Yaoundé. They'll be greatly missed.