While there is still much to do before we finish our mission at the end of this month, the fact that Thanksgiving was last week did give us pause for reflection. An aerial view of the heart of Kenema City There are SOOOO many things for which we are grateful, not the least of which … Continue reading Gratitude

"Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved" - Matthew 9:17. Elder Edward Dube This was counsel from Elder Edward Dube, a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in … Continue reading New Bottle, New Wine

One of the biggest opportunities for improvement here in the Kenema District is the amount of attention given to the youth.  With half of the district consisting of wonderful Young Single Adults (YSA), the youth are somehow lost in the masses.  To further complicate matters, we have YSA who refer to themselves as “youths” and … Continue reading A big step forward

The key ingredient in soap making is lye, which is also known as caustic soda or sodium hydroxide. All soap requires the use of this ingredient, in fact not even commercial soap can be made without it. Soap is made by virtue of a chemical reaction between the lye, water and oil(s). When the caustic … Continue reading It’s No Lye!

Once a year, a member of the Area Presidency comes to Sierra Leone and does a mission tour with the mission president where he meets all of the missionaries and provides counsel, encouragement and support.  Last year, it was our privilege to meet Elder Marcus B. Nash, Africa West Area President in Bo.  You can … Continue reading Filling Our Cups

Something is different this week in Tongo.  It has been just over a year since we made our first visit there and this week, something significant happened as 6 more amazing people made a covenant to follow Jesus Christ.  That which is different is that 5 of the 6 baptized have family members who are … Continue reading Tongo’s Firm Foundation

One of the most wonderful things about Sierra Leone are the Pikins (pronounced "peek-ings").  Who are they?  They are the children.  Pikin is the Krio word for children – and they are everywhere.   Current population estimates indicate that 28% of the population consists of children 9 years of age and younger.  If we include those up to age 14, … Continue reading The Pikins

Since arriving in Sierra Leone we have always had an expectation about the 2019 fall District Conference for Kenema. In our minds, this would be the conference when the district would become a stake. We had imagined all the fanfare, general authority visits, new callings, new directions and excitement surrounding the creation of the seventh … Continue reading Gathering Strength

Saturday evening I stayed up late following the Saturday afternoon session of General Conference. The session ended at 10:00 pm and by then the Saturday morning session was available for download. The District President wanted to show one of the Saturday sessions on Sunday morning in lieu of sacrament meeting. The preferred session was the … Continue reading It Is Time

When you throw a rock into a lake, there is a ripple effect. Wikipedia defines the ripple effect as a situation in which, like ripples expanding across the water when an object is dropped into it, an effect from an initial state that can be followed outwards incrementally. Merriam-Webster elaborates further, calling the ripple effect … Continue reading The Ripple Effect