Carter's quilt-A Labor of Love

 One of the things that I like to do for each grandchild is to make a quilt. So, when little Carter was going to join our family, I started to work on a quilt. I was determined to get one made and to get it to Arizona somehow.   In Africa that's two or three times the job that it is at home. You can't buy quilt fabric, batting or even quilting thread, clamps, tacks or pins, so it has to all be imported. Since mailing isn't an option, it takes a bit of work and a lot of good friends to get the supplies to make a quilt.  So, my good friend, Beth Ann, who lives in S.L.C., and I went to work looking for fabric. I wanted it to be an African quilt,so we looked for African animals. We found a cute fabric on-line with animal panels on it.We ordered it and had it sent to her house. When it arrived, BA mailed it to one of the sisters who was serving in S. Africa, who had offered to help. Then when Sister Martineau came to Kinshasa, she brought it and I went to work creating the quilt.

   

The batting for the quilt was another story.  On our first mission I carried it to Africa on the plane in a pillow case. We had our suitcases full and we were allowed a "pillow." So we wrapped a couple of bats tightly, put them in a pillow case and hand carried it to Africa.  I never found the things that I needed to make a quilt on that mission, and not having much room to take it when we went to Burundi, I left the batting in Lubumbashi. After we came to the Congo the second time, we went to mission president's seminary in S. Africa. Sister Packer, with whom I had left the batting, brought it to me in her suitcase and I hauled it back to Kinshasa.  In the Kinshasa world, it's quite a project and takes many helpers to get the things you need to make a quilt. One of the Senior Elders made quilt frames for me. I brought clamps, pins and tacks from the US. It was hard to explain to our Congolese friends why I was going to cut up material, sew it back together again, then attach it to cotton and more materiel and then sew it all together again. It did sound kind of crazy when I tried to explain it, but they liked it when it was done. With the help of many wonderful friends I got all the things I needed and made the quilt. It has real African fabric on the back that I bought on a trip to the infamous commerce street. 

 

Then came the project of getting the quilt to Arizona.  I wasn't sure how I was going to do that, but one of our dear Senior couples, the Binghams, packed it into their already stuffed suitcase, took it home to California with them and then mailed it to Stacy. 

It was worth all the effort to see the smiles on the faces of Mommy and big brothers

 when baby Carter's quilt arrived just days before his birth.

Now all the little Allen boys have their own "blankies." It was a labor of love on the part of many people who helped to get a quilt for Carter. Thanks go to all who made it possible!

And to Think that I Saw It.....

Dr. Seuss  wrote a book called And to Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Street.  It's about a little boy who, in true Seuss style sees imagines all kinds of unusual bizarre things that he sees on Mulberry Street . So Mulberry Street has nothing over Boulevard Trente Juin (30th of June), the street on which we live.  This week they began to construct a huge sign.

First the huge pieces were delivered.

 Next 14  men started working on it.   

These 14 guys worked for most of the week getting piece after piece in place.

Some were working. Some were supervising and many were standing around with confused looks on their faces.  But finally it was finished.  Now how would they get it upright and in the post hole that they had dug?

Several days later this little, old, red crane arrived and did the job.

 

The sign is in place. It has nothing in it, but it is in place. 

We're waiting to see what it's going to say.

Now the question is  HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO MULBERRY STREET?

Many things in the Congo have become so common place that we don't even notice them. And so it was with the pictures of the hoisting of the sign.  Not until I started looking at the pictures to choose the ones to  post, did I see what was in the background of these pictures.  So, here it is. In almost every picture there is something uniquely Congolese. If one looks closely at the backgrounds you can see "Mulberry Street." There are amazing things that are everyday occurances in the Congo, but are by no means ordinary.

The taxi-bus money taker and a policeman are hanging out of this taxi-bus, which is very common. The bus is so crammed that they can't get inside. There are probably 20 people inside that bus.

  Two young boys are pulling and pushing a chariot full of ???????

 A truck full of workers are on their way to a job site.

 

 A lady is headed home with some wooden treasure. 

A mom with her baby wrapped on her back is going to start her day selling bread as a street vendor. 

One should always keep one's eyes open in the Congo. It's Mulberry street every day.

Ward Division-Sept. 2012-Aime's Call

The church continues to grow in Kinshasa. Today the Kintambo and KasaVubu Wards were divided into three wards, creating the Gombe Ward, which is our home ward.  Aimé Ngoy, our driver who is an attorney and a judge, was just sustained today as bishop of this new ward all the couples attend.  He told Brent three weeks ago of his new calling and has sought his counsel in ward organization several times since then. He also asked Brent to stand in while he was ordained and set apart today.  When he arose to give his remarks in the meeting he became somewhat emotional, which is highly unusual for Africans, and his wife came and stood by him and put her arm on his shoulder while he made very tender comments about his feelings for the gospel.  He joined the church at age 15. He couldn't afford transport money to go to church so he walked one hour each way every week.  He said the members didn't give him money for transport to attend church but they did give him their love and that’s what kept him coming back.  It was better than transport money to be loved and cared about.  He turned down a rare academic scholarship (he’s very bright) to go on a mission when he turned 19 and said he has never regretted it.  He also turned down a judicial position in Eastern Congo, where the war continues to rage, because it would have meant he would have had to leave his wife and young child and the ability to attend church and he refused to do that.  So he continues to  work part-time for the mission for very little money and his wife sells eggs to keep their family afloat.  They are in their early thirties and are absolutely faithful as evidenced by the fact that they scrimped and saved to be sealed in the temple as soon as they could after their civil wedding.

 In June the church standardized the marriage policy and now requires couples who want to be baptized to have a registered or civil marriage, not just a tribal marriage.  Aime researched matters and gave us excellent advice on how to do this.   He discovered that a marriage could be registered for $10 if the family agrees to let the couple do it. (This approval is required no matter the age of the couple.)  But when the couples went to register their marriages, they found the officials charging $20-$50 for registration, with the extra amount going directly into these official's pockets. So, Aime went, on his own, to many community offices until he found a marriage officer who would do it for $15 (the cost of the registration and $5 for his time and effort to do the work and deliver the registration to the government offices.)  Now Aime and many of the ward leaders are helping these couples to register their marriages and be baptized. Aime has actually volunteered to take the paper work to the marriage officers for the couples who live far from this community.  He is a fine young man who has made many sacrifices because of his faith and testimony. He will make a wonderful bishop. Aime is another example of the people we love and learn from here in Africa.

Three years

Today,Aug. 31, 2012 we celebrated three years of missionary service. We entered the MTC for the first time on Aug. 31, 2009.  It's been an amazing three years. We actually didn't spend all of those years in Africa. We were home for four months, but it felt like we were still missionaries since we were working to gather things and go back in the field. We have never been so stretched, and challenged in our lives, but we have also never been so blessed, as has our family.  We wouldn't have missed this experience for all the world.

Legal affairs and Miracles in Gabon

In Gabon we were joined by the two area attorneys for the church. They went to church with us on Sunday and stayed in the same hotel where we stayed. So, we were able to have some meals together and talk about the future of Gabon and the issue of legal recognition. The previous attorney from the area office had gone last year to try and work out the legal issues for recognition. The church had even hired an attorney in Gabon to work for the church there, but  had not been successful in getting the church recognized. Things just seemed to be stuck. But Elder Renlund felt strongly that we needed to continue to work to get the church into Gabon. His resolve made us feel like the Lord was telling us to move forward. So we all made the trip in hopes of making progress.
On Monday the attorneys went with Gaetan to work on this legal issue. They returned just before we left for Pointe Noire, where we were going to interview the missionaries and train the branch leaders. They reported that they had made some small progress. They had worked through Gaetan's sister to find a good contact and they thought that with three or four trips over the next few months we might be able to receive recognition.  It was a real possibility and Brent and I headed off town with a feeling of optimism.

  

We were hoping that they were right about getting recognition within a the next six months and that was progress. Without legal recognition, even though there are some members, we can't organize in any way.  So, this step is very important.

What we didn't know was that the Lord is  ready for Gabon to move forward and he had placed people in strategic places to make progress happen in a most unusual and, we think, miraculous way.  Gaetan just happened to have a sister in Gabon with some political connections. Gaetan's sister, who is not yet a member,  just happened to be willing to talk to her ex-husband to enlist his help. He is a senator in Gabon.  He just happened to know the Secretary of the Interior well and was willing to set up a meeting for the attorneys with this man who just happens to have the responsibility and power to grant us recognition.  They met with the Interior Secretary and explained our intentions in their country. They gave him a packet of information, pamphlets, CD's etc. that told him about the church and its goals. He was impressed with the things he heard and said that he thought recognition could happen.  The attorneys were pleased with their meeting and the agreements they had made and went back to their hotel very encouraged.  Then to their surprise, the next day the Secretary of the Interior gave them provisional recognition.  He told them that we could go ahead with any church functions that we wished and move forward to organize in Gabon.  There are some financial things to set up, but we are provisionally recognized NOW. When those financial things are in place, the church will be formally recognized in Gabon. We were stunned when we heard the great news. Things had gone much better than we had ever hoped and things "just happened" to fall into place perfectly. We know that these things didn't  "just happen."  We know that it was the Lord's time for church recognition in Gabon. We believe that He placed all these people right where they were because they could make it happen. We can't wait to see what His next plans are for this country.

Today we got a copy of the provisional recognition of the church in Gabon.  We are so blessed to be watching the history of the church take place in these African nations.  We know that it won't be too long before the work of gathering the Lord's children begins in earnest in yet another African land. Miracles are still happening.  We've witnessed another one in Gabon.

Church in Gabon

One of the major reasons for our trip to Gabon was to meet with the members. Presidents Headlee and Livingstone had each visited Gabon one time and met with a handful of faithful saints who wanted the church to enter their country. We wanted to go and give support to these members and their friends. We also wanted to hold a special sacrament meeting so that they could have the blessing of taking the sacrament.  It was a very tender occasion to share with them in this isolated part of the world.
We were invited to meet in the home of Gaetan's sister, Martine.  She had worked as an aid to the wife of the past President during three years of the lady's extended illness.  Because of this service Martine was given land and a home.  It's been in construction for three years and is very large and beautiful.  It's not finished yet, but was a perfect place for our sacrament meeting.

This home had a great view and was very spacious. But it did have some drawbacks. It was at the end of a rather rough dirt road seen below and although it had electricity that could be brought to it easily when it's finished, there is no water that comes to this property.  The water will all have to be hauled from a considerable distance way.  So, TIA!  (This is Africa and Rule #1 still applies.)  Take one large African home and add 50 rented plastic chairs and, VOILA, you have church.

 There were nine members there, but 22 people in attendance. Some of the friends of the church are just waiting for the church to come so that they can be baptized. They have been taught by members. One man met a member on the transport bus. They talked a bit and then they arranged to take the same bus every day for months.  They talked daily about the church and the man has a very good knowledge of the gospel and awaits baptism. He and his wife and two children were at the meeting.

The members were all baptized elsewhere since the church doesn't exist in Gabon. They are not allowed to meet as an official group because we have no legal recognition in their country. But there was a wonderful spirit there as we met with the, in this historic meeting.

We had two of the three Melchizedek Priesthood holders in Gabon at our meeting. The other, a returned missionary, was out of town. Since we couldn't locate a table, two plastic chairs sufficed as the sacrament table. These two brethren performed the ordinance perfectly and with great respect and reverence.  Brother Clayton, who was with us from S. Africa, said it well when he described the meeting. He said that although he didn't understand a word that was spoken in French, the spirit edified him as he felt the spirit more strongly than in an organized ward at home.  It's a sweet experience to join in the reverent atmosphere in this unfinished home full of plastic chairs. 

 They had shown that they were capable of handling the sacred ordinance of the sacrament correctly and with reverence, so we left the sacrament trays and cups with one of the brethren and gave them permission to do the sacrament in their home and to invite others to join them. This is a wonderful step in bringing the church to Gabon for the first time. 

Jamesons, Martine and Gaetan

 The most tender story of this visit is Sister Edna's story. It's one of those that inspires us and makes us want to be more committed and faithful. While studying in France, Edna was baptized.  She's now attending school in  the city of Ouagadougou (pronounced Waugadoogoo) in Burkina Faso,a country in West Africa located over 3, 175 km from Libreville.  When she found out that we were coming to Libreville she made arrangements to take a break from school and travel over 2,000 miles home to be a part of this meeting and to pay her tithing.  She had collected her tithing for 13 months in envelopes marked by month and brought it with her to this meeting.She handed it to Brent with joy and tears in her eyes and expressed gratitude for the privilege of paying tithing.  She is a wonderful example of a faithful saint and a strong woman.  We were honored to meet her and felt a very special bond with her in just a few hours.  She's a true pioneer in Gabon and it was easy to see that she will be a great leader among the sisters of Gabon.

 Sister Edna's tithing donations

As we gathered on the porch for a picture of this historic event a slight, misty rain began to fall. It's the dry season in this part of Africa, so the rain was unusual.  Rain is life giving and important to the people of Africa.  One of the friends of the church (what we call investigators in French, and a term that I love) said that God was sending rain to mark this blessed occasion.  He said that the rain is a sign of the Lord's approval. And it felt he was right!

First Visit to Libreville, Gabon

One of the major reasons for our trip to Gabon was to meet with the members. Presidents Headlee and Livingstone had each visited Gabon one time and met with a handful of faithful saints who wanted the church to enter their country. We wanted to go and give support to these members and their friends. We also wanted to hold a special sacrament meeting so that they could have the blessing of taking the sacrament.  It was a very tender occasion to share with them in this isolated part of the world.
We were invited to meet in the home of Gaetan's sister, Martine.  She had worked as an aid to the wife of the past President during three years of the lady's extended illness.  Because of this service Martine was given land and a home.  It's been in construction for three years and is very large and beautiful.  It's not finished yet, but was a perfect place for our sacrament meeting.

This home had a great view and was very spacious. But it did have some drawbacks. It was at the end of a rather rough dirt road seen below and although it had electricity that could be brought to it easily when it's finished, there is no water that comes to this property.  The water will all have to be hauled from a considerable distance way.  So, TIA!  (This is Africa and Rule #1 still applies.)  Take one large African home and add 50 rented plastic chairs and, VOILA, you have church.

 There were nine members there, but 22 people in attendance. Some of the friends of the church are just waiting for the church to come so that they can be baptized. They have been taught by members. One man met a member on the transport bus. They talked a bit and then they arranged to take the same bus every day for months.  They talked daily about the church and the man has a very good knowledge of the gospel and awaits baptism. He and his wife and two children were at the meeting.

The members were all baptized elsewhere since the church doesn't exist in Gabon. They are not allowed to meet as an official group because we have no legal recognition in their country. But there was a wonderful spirit there as we met with the, in this historic meeting.

We had two of the three Melchizedek Priesthood holders in Gabon at our meeting. The other, a returned missionary, was out of town. Since we couldn't locate a table, two plastic chairs sufficed as the sacrament table. These two brethren performed the ordinance perfectly and with great respect and reverence.  Brother Clayton, who was with us from S. Africa, said it well when he described the meeting. He said that although he didn't understand a word that was spoken in French, the spirit edified him as he felt the spirit more strongly than in an organized ward at home.  It's a sweet experience to join in the reverent atmosphere in this unfinished home full of plastic chairs. 

 They had shown that they were capable of handling the sacred ordinance of the sacrament correctly and with reverence, so we left the sacrament trays and cups with one of the brethren and gave them permission to do the sacrament in their home and to invite others to join them. This is a wonderful step in bringing the church to Gabon for the first time. 

Jamesons, Martine and Gaetan

 The most tender story of this visit is Sister Edna's story. It's one of those that inspires us and makes us want to be more committed and faithful. While studying in France, Edna was baptized.  She's now attending school in  the city of Ouagadougou (pronounced Waugadoogoo) in Burkina Faso,a country in West Africa located over 3, 175 km from Libreville.  When she found out that we were coming to Libreville she made arrangements to take a break from school and travel over 2,000 miles home to be a part of this meeting and to pay her tithing.  She had collected her tithing for 13 months in envelopes marked by month and brought it with her to this meeting.She handed it to Brent with joy and tears in her eyes and expressed gratitude for the privilege of paying tithing.  She is a wonderful example of a faithful saint and a strong woman.  We were honored to meet her and felt a very special bond with her in just a few hours.  She's a true pioneer in Gabon and it was easy to see that she will be a great leader among the sisters of Gabon.

 Sister Edna's tithing donations

As we gathered on the porch for a picture of this historic event a slight, misty rain began to fall. It's the dry season in this part of Africa, so the rain was unusual.  Rain is life giving and important to the people of Africa.  One of the friends of the church (what we call investigators in French, and a term that I love) said that God was sending rain to mark this blessed occasion.  He said that the rain is a sign of the Lord's approval. And it felt he was right!