Jarren will be serving in the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission in West Africa for two years (Apr 2011-2013)
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
March 18, 2013
This is the most current picture of Jarren with his companion Elder Egbo. Jarren is training him.
A Little Bit of History
A Sierra Leonean named Brother Samura was living in the Netherlands when he learned of the Church and was baptized in 1981. He returned to his home and found that the church did not exsist in his country of Sierra Leone. " I decided I'd had better do something about it", he stated. Bro Samura contacted the missionaries that were serving in the ward he attended while living in the Netherlands. He wrote letters to the Church in Salt Lake City, asking for a church to be established in Sierra Leone.
Five years later another Brother Sankoh was baptised in 1986 in Spain. He also returned to Sierra Leone and began telling anyone who would listen about this new church that he found.
In 1987, Moses Will was a member of a Protestant church in Goderich. After some controversy, 42 members of that church broke away and held their own worship services. During that time, Elizabeth Bangura and Monica Orleans, who had been baptized in Ghana, settled in Sierra Leone and told him and his group about the Church. Sister Bangura gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon, “Gospel Principles,” and other LDS literature “so we could get first-hand information.”
Brother Samura, Brother Sankoh, and Brother Will were unaware of what each was doing to get the Church established in Sierra Leone. Brother Sankoh said the first reply to the letter he wrote was, “‘Wait, the Church will come to Sierra Leone, but we don’t know yet when.’ After some time, I received a letter from Utah telling me they are prepared to establish the Church in Sierra Leone. I was so happy that for the rest of the day I could not eat anything. [I was] just singing. My parents met me in my room, dancing alone. … I said, ‘My dreams have come true.’”
The missionaries started teaching Brother George and the Goderich group and others. A group was established at Lower Pipe Line, Goderich, in West End Freetown. The first converts, 14 in number, were baptized on June 11, 1988, at Atlantic Beach, Lumley.
The Goderich Freetown Branch—the first branch in Sierra Leone—was established on August 7, 1988, with Christian George as branch president, Michael Samura, first counselor; Joseph P.E. MacAnthony, second counselor; Bai Sama Sankoh, branch clerk; Elizabeth Judith Bangura, Relief Society president; and Joyce Orleans, first counselor in the Relief Society presidency.
Knell
Five years later another Brother Sankoh was baptised in 1986 in Spain. He also returned to Sierra Leone and began telling anyone who would listen about this new church that he found.
In 1987, Moses Will was a member of a Protestant church in Goderich. After some controversy, 42 members of that church broke away and held their own worship services. During that time, Elizabeth Bangura and Monica Orleans, who had been baptized in Ghana, settled in Sierra Leone and told him and his group about the Church. Sister Bangura gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon, “Gospel Principles,” and other LDS literature “so we could get first-hand information.”
Brother Samura, Brother Sankoh, and Brother Will were unaware of what each was doing to get the Church established in Sierra Leone. Brother Sankoh said the first reply to the letter he wrote was, “‘Wait, the Church will come to Sierra Leone, but we don’t know yet when.’ After some time, I received a letter from Utah telling me they are prepared to establish the Church in Sierra Leone. I was so happy that for the rest of the day I could not eat anything. [I was] just singing. My parents met me in my room, dancing alone. … I said, ‘My dreams have come true.’”
The Church is Established
On May 6, 1988, Liberia Monrovia Mission President J. Duffy Palmer and his wife, Sister Jocelyn Palmer, arrived in Freetown to welcome two days later the first missionaries called to serve in Sierra Leone: Elder Claire J. Fisher and his wife, Sister Ilene Fisher; and Elder C. Erwin Waite and his wife, Sister Colleen Waite.The missionaries started teaching Brother George and the Goderich group and others. A group was established at Lower Pipe Line, Goderich, in West End Freetown. The first converts, 14 in number, were baptized on June 11, 1988, at Atlantic Beach, Lumley.
The Goderich Freetown Branch—the first branch in Sierra Leone—was established on August 7, 1988, with Christian George as branch president, Michael Samura, first counselor; Joseph P.E. MacAnthony, second counselor; Bai Sama Sankoh, branch clerk; Elizabeth Judith Bangura, Relief Society president; and Joyce Orleans, first counselor in the Relief Society presidency.
Knell
Monday, February 25, 2013
Bo Zone East Meets West
Notice Jarren is first man on the front row. On the front bench are Sister and Elder Schlehuber, Sister and Elder Curtis, and President and Sister Roggia. This is combined Bo East Zone and Bo West Zone. Jarren is serving in Bo East Zone.
Jarren greeting and meeting Sister and Elder Curtis. I don't know if that is Elder Coffe his companion in Bo just behind Jarren.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Christmas Tme in Sierra Leone
Christmas Time in Bo District. Notice that Jarren is in the back holding the red R.
We got to talk with Jarren Christmas Day. We called him around 7pm his time. It was wonderful to hear his voice. Things are going well for the missionaries in Bo, and in all of the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission. The work is progressing at a very fast pace there. Jarren mentioned that on average they usually have between 6-8 baptisms each week.
He has lost more weight. In all around 70 pounds. He said that he gets a lot of exercise walking everywhere. I asked Jarren if he was eating enough and he said that he ate so much earlier in the day at a members home that he was uncomfortable the rest of the day.
He has only 4 more months to complete his mission. In June this mission will split in two. There will be the Sierra Leone Freetown Mission and the Liberia Montrovia Mission. Jarren told us that they are not sending any of the Sierra Leone missionaries to Liberia for the rest of his mission. I am grateful for that. I didn't want him going to Liberia. I don't know why I just felt uncomfortable about him going there.
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