The Shangrila Of Sierra Leone Mission

I got an email from Kevin Moss's mom, Julie.  She said that the Bo district is the best area of the whole mission.  Jarren transfered to Kenema the second week of September.  He said that it is just outside of Bo and part of Bo district.  Jarren described it as flat bush country.  He said that the living accomadations are 10 times better than what he had at Kissy 2.  I am so grateful that he likes his new area and that things are so much better for him.  Kevin M told his mom that Kissy 2 was grueling because of the mountain that they have to climb everyday.  Jarren was there for 5 months and the last letter we got from him he stated that he was almost at the end of his rope with having to climb this huge mountain every day.  I know Kenema was an answer to his prayers. Kevin Moss is such a postive young man.  He told his mom that he would be in great shape when he leaves his mission in June.  He will pick up his football scholorship and play for one of the universities in Utah.  I am not sure which one. I think his goal is to play professionally when he leaves school.  Jarren's new companion is Elder Tade from Nigeria.  He also shares the apartment with another American, Elder Jenkins from Wyoming.  He and Elder Jenkins have really hit it off.  They definately plan on meeting up after the mission.  Jarren's future plans still include getting his sound engineering degree.  I hope Jarren can stay a good while in Kenema. 

Man Remade

I can't believe I have let so much time go by without a post.  We have received a few letters since my last post.  Jarren remarked in one of them that he cannot get over how overweight he was when he came on his mission.  He weighed 238 when he left home.  He hasn't been able to weigh himself but he is considerably smaller.  He and Elder Moss are having quite a bit of success sharing the gospel.  Jarren mentioned 22 baptisms which is good news.  The work is going forth. Daily life is a challenge sometimes with all the hiking he and Elder Moss do up the mountain.  Jarren mentioned that all of their contacts are at the top of the mountain behind Freetown.  He also washes his clothes by hand using bottled water.  Missionaries have to be very careful since the water carries typhoid.  Certain foods have been forbidden to the Americans to eat.  I know strawberries is one of them.  He so looks forward to the goodie boxes that the family sends.  I know it brightens his whole week.  Thank you one and all for all of the support you are giving Jarren.
Knell

Ghana Accra Temple

The following are some pictures that Jarren emailed of the temple in Accra, Ghana. The Accra, Ghana temple was dedicated in 2004 and was the first in West Africa, and the second on the continent (the first was Johannesburg, South Africa in 1985).

The following is an exerpt from the dedicatory prayer:
"We dedicate the ground on which it stands with its beautiful vegetation. We dedicate the walls and the windows, the roof and the steeple with the crowning figure of Moroni. We dedicate the baptistry, the various ordinance rooms including the beautiful celestial room, the sacred altars, and all of the other rooms and facilities. We pray, dear Father, that Thou wilt accept this Thy holy house as the gift of Thy thankful people. By the strength of Thy mighty hand save it from the storms of nature and any desecrating act of man. May all who look upon it regard it as the house of the Lord with holiness unto the Lord. May all who enter its portals do so with meekness of spirit and gratitude of heart, and with cleanliness before Thee whose house this is. Please cause that Thy Holy Spirit shall dwell within these walls at all times. This is the temple of our God, hallowed unto us, Thy children. May it ever be a place of refuge from the noise and cares of the world."

for more information (and pictures) of the temple in Ghana you can visit http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/accra/

Temples are sacred places of worship, different from a chapel or meetinghouse where members gather on Sunday. A temple is literally the Lord's House, hence the inscription on every temple, "Holiness to the Lord. The House of the Lord." Before a temple is dedicated, anyone may come into the temple for a tour. This is generally called an open-house. Once the temple is dedicated to the Lord, every person is still welcome to enter but must meet the Lord's standards of worthiness before entering. God requires that each person who enters have already made covenants with Him through baptism, and be keeping that covenant made at baptism.

Inside the temple, people have the opportunity to make additional covenants (or promises) with Heavenly Father through ordinances. One ordinance is the sealing ordinance, in which husbands and wives, and their children, can be sealed together as a family forever, not just "until death do you part." Other ordinances are also performed for those who have passed on from this life.

Honestly, a better explanation than I can give can be found here: http://lds.org/church/temples/why-we-build-temples?lang=eng. There are links about what happens in temples, entering in the temple, blessings of the temple, and inside the temple (the celestial room picture is the San Antonio temple!)

 

I personally am grateful for the blessings of the temple in my life. Having temples on the earth today means that there is a way for families to be together forever. Having a temple means that I have the opportunity to go and visit the Lord's House, a sanctuary if you will, from the world. None of us are from this world, but we are each divine children of our Father in Heaven, and we will return to him someday. 

Words from Africa

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

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

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...

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.