We got a letter last week from Jarren dated July 6th. He and Elder Moss are doing very well. Jarren indicated that the gospel is well received by many in Sierra Leone. When life is so hard and the gospel is so sweet you can understand why so many, when they hear the word, accept it. After viewing the video that Jarren sent about his apartment it is easy to see why he is homesick. I do think that things are better for him. He is adjusting and they stay so busy that their isn't much time to dwell on all the things you miss. Elder Moss celebrated one year over there on July 1st. This is Jarren's 3rd month. It feels like he has been gone so much longer. On Monday we didn't get an email. Jarren downloaded some pictures to Breanne so I am assuming that it took all of his time to get the pictures sent and he didn't have any more time to write. Hopefully we will get more words from Africa later.
Knell
Jarren will be serving in the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission in West Africa for two years (Apr 2011-2013)
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
The Apartment
Jarren included this video in his last letter to me. In it he gives a tour of his apartment where he lives and the introduces the other missionaries that live there. There are 3 companionships that live in the apartment together. Each has their own separate area of the city in which they work.
If the video isn't working properly, try the following link to youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzkjfWHu2tk
If the video isn't working properly, try the following link to youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzkjfWHu2tk
Arriving in Sierra Leone
These pictures are of Jarren and other missionaries as they are in Lungi Airport waiting to board the water taxi that will take them across the bay to Freetown. These pictures were taken May 10, 2011.
And they are on the water taxi...
That is Freetown on the hill.
Picture with all the new missionaries in Elder Rochester's transfer and the Mission President, President Roggio, with the Sierra Leone flag in the background.
Driving to the mission office...
Monday, July 11, 2011
Missionary Mail
The following is an email I received from Jarren today, dated July 11, 2011:
"We had four baptisms this week, however only one showed up on time and was confirmed yesterday. Another showed up late, and the other two didn't show up at all. This baptism was a hassle. On Friday we began filling the font at about 11:30. We left to preach the gospel, and came back about 6:30 but the font was only about a third full. The water tank was empty so they began to fill the font using the well. However, through the inginuity of this country, when they built it they did not put any kind of secondary faucet so that you could purge the line, as a result they were pumping mud into the font. Oops! Last minute change , "Baptisms are now at 2:00 not at 11:00 tomorrow, the next day. Baptism is now at Wellington chapel, not Kissy." We have another baptism planned for this Saturday. I think it will go better.
P.S. My diet is as well as can be.
"We had four baptisms this week, however only one showed up on time and was confirmed yesterday. Another showed up late, and the other two didn't show up at all. This baptism was a hassle. On Friday we began filling the font at about 11:30. We left to preach the gospel, and came back about 6:30 but the font was only about a third full. The water tank was empty so they began to fill the font using the well. However, through the inginuity of this country, when they built it they did not put any kind of secondary faucet so that you could purge the line, as a result they were pumping mud into the font. Oops! Last minute change , "Baptisms are now at 2:00 not at 11:00 tomorrow, the next day. Baptism is now at Wellington chapel, not Kissy." We have another baptism planned for this Saturday. I think it will go better.
P.S. My diet is as well as can be.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Pictures have arrived!
I received a letter from Jarren (finally) that contained his SD card in it from his camera. The next few posts will be full of pictures from his camera!
This first batch are pictures from the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in Ghana.
Jarren: "This is at the Accra airport. I thought it would be a good idea to take a picture of my bag. Remember my two bags I brought with me? I got all of it to fit in that one bag."
This first batch are pictures from the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in Ghana.
Group picture from MTC
Elder Rochester and Elder Purcell
Missionary in front of the temple in Ghana
Jarren: "I had tried to get a picture of that sign on 7 different occasions and I've finally got it."
Any ideas on what "hawking" is? Hunting with birds maybe?
New Companion
Jarren is still in the same area in Freetown (the area of the city is called Kissy) but now he has a new companion!
Elder Rochester and Elder Moss.
Elder Moss is from southern Utah and has been in Liberia for the past several months.
Here are a few more pictures that were recently posted on the blog that the mission president's wife does.
(left to right) Elder Eyinda, Elder Emanuelson, two baptismal candidates, Elder Addo, Elder Rochester, and two more baptismal candidates at the Kissy chapel.
The Elders having fun with Elder Lowe a few days before he flew back to the States after serving two years.
Elders Massey and Moss (back) Rochester, Addo, and Emanuelson.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)