Sierra Leone 3

We got to our hotel and it was in a great location.  Easy to get to.  Our room wasn't ready yet.  We decided to get lunch at the hotel restaurant.  That cost a pretty penny but was amazing.  First fresh raw vegetables I had had in 2 weeks.  As we were waiting after lunch in the lobby, Blake would start to kind of laugh and look down.  Then they would come over and apologize that it was taking so long.  It wasn't a big deal.  We were a little early and they had free water and A/C.  Finally we get to our room and Blake said that they had been discussing how there was quite the party the night before, curtains were down and it was a real mess.  They were nervous to come tell us it wasn't ready.  Blake understood it all, but they didn't know that.  This room was worth the wait and the price.  We felt like we were hobnobbing with the elite of Salone.  2 bedrooms with King beds, 3 bathrooms, complimentary water, kitchen with dishes, and ....... a washer! We had so much laundry after the island and just thought we would be doing it all night.  Blessed day!! We were full from our fantastic lunch and didn't feel like going back out.  Blake did research on the classes he needed to register for as that was opening the day we got back.  Dave and I did some journaling and reading. Also we were so tired from not sleeping well the last couple of nights. 

Sunday we had the best breakfast ever.  Then we travelled a ways to get to Allen Town.  It was Blake's last area and he was a little nervous as he had just left there.  He was relieved to find out it was Stake Conference and it was the first meeting in the new building.  So many missionaries there as it was conference and also a visiting area authority was there.  Blake was outside talking to the other missionaries, Dave and I were seated a little over half way back and the area authority spotted our lone 2 white faces in the congregation and came down off the stand to meet us.  I guess we really stuck out.  Bro and Sis Farr were there also.  They are the senior couple of the building of the temple.  We asked if we could see the temple Tuesday and they asked us to find them after and set up a time.  After conference there were a lot of people that wanted to talk with Blake.  This cute girl would not let him go.  She is 9 and her name is Bridget.  Blake said she really is one of his best friends and he will really miss her. 

We talked to so many people.  The Farr's kindly ended up giving us a ride to the temple site after Blake was done chatting.  It was a good thing.  If we had not gone with them we would not have seen one thing.  There were guards we had to pass through and a big 12 foot solid steel gate.  We couldn't go on site, which we knew, but if they had not been with us to open the gate we would have just viewed the gate.  They were a lovely couple. 

They then drove us back to Blake's last complex. We were meeting his old comp there and were to go proselyting with him.  Blake's old shoes were still sitting outside the door.  Lots of young men were there to go walking with us as well.  One very knowledgeable, kind boy we found out had only been baptized 2 weeks prior.  He was part of the family that came just before Blake left that he said were golden. We walked about 2 hrs and taught 5 lessons. It was a lot of fun. 

We learned during stake conference that all the Elder's were coming into Freetown for a mission tour the next day with the Area Authority so there pday was moved to Wednesday.  Blake had planned to visit Bro and Sis Bateman on Monday.  When he found they would be busy with the tour he texted and asked if we could come Sunday on our way home.  They answered right away and said yes please.  Blake loved the Bateman's and was excited to see them again. 

Again lots of Elder's Blake got to see and talk with again.  We had a great visit with the Bateman's and then we went to try the famous Zinger Burger.  Blake had had this burger delivered many times to his apartment when he had a little extra sub or they won for having cleanest complex.  It did not disappoint  Blake said it was even bigger in the restaurant than when they delivered it. We had a really full day.  All the things we had planned to do on Tuesday we squished into Sunday, but it was good, because we then did not have to travel all the way back to Allen Town, we could just stay on our side of Freetown. 

Monday was tourist day.  I wanted to find a wooden nativity and get a new book to read.  Blake took us to the place they sold wooden carvings.  He had to take a deep breath and work himself up to go.  He does not enjoy the bartering and constant hassle.  We found a few little things to take home, but no nativity.  I found a book and bartered the price myself.  Blake said I did well.  We had lunch at a bakery Dave had found. Next we visited the National History Museum.  It was interesting, but you can tell they have no funding and not many visitors.  A lot of the boards looked like and elementary school report with printed pictures.  Our guide was great.

Then we found the National Railway Museum.  This was in a sketchy part of town.  One of the few times I didn't feel save during the trip.  I was sure Dave and Blake had taken a lot of wrong turns.  We eventually did find it.  It also was low budget but very fascinating.  We were able to go in all the trains and ride on them and it was cool.  Walking out we met the 'curator' or who just happened to be there that week from England.  She was a lovely lady and loved talking with Blake. 

On the way home we planned to just get some snack to eat back at the hotel.  Blake was really wanting some couscous.  Now this dish does have couscous in it, but it is very spiced up and has noodle, mayo, tomatoes, lettuce, fish or chicken, pepe, and one other thing I can't remember.  I saw all that meat sitting in the hot sun and was like nope.  Blake was very excited.  We got some and some popcorn, ran into more missionaries, and got some pop.  Then walked the rest of the way back to the hotel. Blake dug right in to his couscous.  Dave had a healthy portion, I had 2 bites to taste it.  Was really good, but I was not brave enough for more. 

The next morning we get ready for breakfast and were surprised to need to wake up Blake.  He had been sick all night.  He was not venturing far from a toilet.  Dave and I went for breakfast, I snagged an apple, muffin, and water for when he felt like eating a bit.  A little later Dave started not feeling well either.  Again we were so grateful for the hotel we found.  Everyone could just rest with lots of bathrooms and private bedrooms to sleep.  I did a lot of reading and played solitaire.  In the afternoon Blake started thinking his symptoms were a lot like malaria symptoms.  He messaged Elder Stirling, who was the mission doctor.  This lovely man still helped Blake out.  He told him to get right to the clinic and get a test.  We knew were the clinic was because we had passed it a few days earlier and Blake told us that is were the Elders went. Also Blake really wanted us to go to Lumley Beach and get gelato.  He rallies himself just after 3.  We went straight to the clinic.  His test came back neg, but Elder Stirling later said after Blake showed him results that he had parasite in him so he still needed the meds. 

We hoped in a keke and went out to Lumley Beach.  Very pretty but so much litter it was sad.   We did have a delicious pizza and the gelato was fantastic.  No wonder Blake wanted us to try it. 

Wednesday morning we were all feeling a bit off.  Dave and Blake ran to pharmacy and got the meds we were told to pick up.  We did not have to check out until noon.  Ferry was not until 2:30.  We just relaxed and stayed cool as long as we could.  Said a prayer that we would all be okay on the travel home and went to the ferry.  We had a 2 hour wait.  Once on the ferry it was a smooth ride to Lungi and then we found a taxi to the airport.  Again we discovered that there was a $25 US fee to get into the airport.  We decided that fastest way to kill tourism in your country is to charge people to get in and out. We had a couple hours to kill at the airport.  Where they did 8 checks of our passports, 2 searches of our bags, 2 pat downs for security and finally on the plane.  We should have slept as it was 8 pm at this time but none of us really were able to.  We reached Belgium safely with much relief.  3 hour layover.  Dave napped a little.  Blake and I were hoping to sleep on the next plane so made sure we stayed awake. We were all starting to feel a bit better.  Next plane we did not sleep well, maybe 10 mins each.  Very short layover in Montreal and we had to go out and back through customs.  So glad we don't check bags.  Having our little backpacks made everything so much easier.  We made it just barely in time to discover that our plane was delayed.  It was such a wonderful feeling to touch down back in Calgary.  We picked up our car, got a few groceries and dinner, then started the drive home.  We were all so incredibly tired.  Figured we had been up for almost 44 hours.  My brain was literally shutting down.  I thought I was going to help keep Dave awake, only to wake up 10 seconds later.  I guess when I read scriptures it was all gibberish and I had no memory of even starting to read.  We were not very safe on the road and were blessed to be guided home safely.

It was a fascinating trip.  There were so many blessing we had.  It was wonderful to see ourselves what Blake had done and experienced on his mission. He is one amazing kid.  We had renewed admiration for him almost daily. The Lord has prepared Sierra Leone for the gospel and they are hungry for it.  Beautiful country, lovely people. 

Sierra Leone 2

Blake had never served in Bo.  They split his mission before he got a chance to be there and just wanted to see what it was like.  It was the nicest part of the country.  It was flatter and cleaner then the other places we visited. We really just walked around and checked out the town for 2 days.  One of the Elders Blake had trained was now in the mission home in Bo.  Blake messaged him and we stopped by to see him and some other Elders. These are cocoa beans on the ground that they were drying.  Later in the day when we came back this way they were all dried and bagged up. 

Again there was a church very close to our hotel.  We asked the Elders good places to eat and they recommended the Dohas which was great since we were staying there and one other place. 

Next morning we got up early to walk around.  There was an old air strip close to us.  We saw the sports arena. 

Well Blake and Dave saw it,  I looked at the fence :) 

I felt very safe in Bo and our hotel was right off a main road.  Just before noon I decided to go back to the hotel myself as I was starting to get a headache and Dave and Blake continued exploring. Honestly if it was not for the heat, everywhere in Sierra Leone would have been fun to just walk around and explore for hours. 

After our 2 days in Bo it was time to head back to Freetown.  We caught a poda poda.  I had not felt well during the night and was worried about travelling the 3 hours it was going to take us. I didn't eat anything and took just a little water. We made it back to Freetown safely and began looking for our hotel.  It was in a hard location to get to and very out of the way.  We finally found it and it was a weird check in, no bed for Blake, didn't see anyone else there.  It just felt sketchy.  We were only there one night but were booked to stay in the same place after Banana Islands until the end of our trip.  It had great reviews, somehow. I started looking at other hotels but not much available except one very pricey one.  I thought it was just me so decided to suck it up.  It was right down town by the famous cotton tree. And close by to Chicken Town, a restaurant that Blake and other missionaries had talked about often.  We gave it a try.  Was good. 

The  next morning when we woke up Dave said he had been looking at places and could we cancel the reservation we had.  I could still get a free cancellation and explained that the hotel he was looking at was really expensive.  He said at that point he did not care it would be fine and to book it.  Best decision we made. We got ready to go and headed to a fabric store for Blake to get some material.  Then found a tailor and gave measurements for the things Blake was getting made. 

Next off to the Banana Islands.  We caught a keke that took us all the way.  We had to go to Kent, an hour out of Freetown to catch the boat to the island.  We got stopped and were told we had to pay a fee.  Blake knew we didn't but after 5 mins of arguing he just gave up and we paid it. On the way back when one of the local men on the boat found out that we had been made to pay the fee he was very upset and went and talked to the boys.  They will do it to the next tourists but did get reamed out that day. We got on this interesting wooden orange boat and sailed 5 miles across the open Atlantic.  Not something I thought I would ever do. 

It was a small resort that we stayed at.  Only one other family was there at the time. There were getting ready for there open season.  We had a lovely girl that met us at the dock and had us come and sit at the outdoor eating area.  She explained that we could do and order whatever we wanted and that they would just keep a running tab and pay at the end.  We ordered dinner at 3 to eat at 6.  We would see them go out and fish for our dinner.  It was a neat idea and had some fun sitting areas and nice atmosphere. But the rooms were so hot.  No fan or power and open walls and windows.  Just a few tweaks and it could be really neat. One night there was a lizard in the shower and another night a mouse landed on our bug net.  Very glad for that bug net.  They cleaned the beach each morning and the ocean was beautiful to swim in.  We took a walking historical tour of the island that was interesting. 

We played a lot of cards and read.  Dave and Blake said it was like taking a vacation in the middle of our vacation.  We had been told that our MC may not work out there so to bring cash just in case.  We had already paid for half of the room so took an estimate of the other half and what the price of our meals had been so far.  Added in more for any excursion we might want and then more just in case.  We thought we were golden.  Our last night there we booked the boat for 10 and booked a car to take us back.  I didn't trust looking for a ride in Kent and didn't want to deal with the people on the beach.  They took our breakfast order and totaled everything up.  It was 2000 SLE ($100) more than we had taken.  We had been told the boat was complimentary, it wasn't.  Water was more expensive than other places and a few other surprises.  We started to panic a bit.  Dave tried his card.  Did not work.  He tried it a few times.  Nope.  I tried mine.  Still nothing.  Now we panicked more.  We had no way to get money on the island and no idea what to do.  Then I remembered when I had paid half the fee they had given me a website to use.  I still had that email so found the website and paid there.  Nothing.  We were sweating and praying at this point.  Literally had no idea what to do.  Then Dave asked Blake if he had room on his card.  He has a very low balance in case it got stolen on his mission. He had just enough to cover it.  We literally said a prayer and tried his credit card.  It swirled and swirled and finally went through.  Oh. My, Heck!  the relief.  We went to bed, got up and had breakfast and waited until the boat departed.  The whole time just a little nervous that they were going to come back and say oh guess what.  The driver we booked through the resort was worth every bit.  He met us right at the boat and took us straight down town Freetown.  We didn't cram in, just the three of us in the car.  I was never so happy to get off an island in my life.  But now that we know and could do a few things different, it could probably be a nice place to stay. It was beautiful and fun to have fresh fish, I don't even like fish normally, and lots of available activities.  It was very relaxing.  Just need to be better prepared.  

We drove straight to the tailor shop and check on Blake's stuff and then went to our hotel.

Sierra Leone 1

We had planned since Blake got his mission call to go back and visit the country he served in. We had  hoped to go for the temple open house.  As his mission got closer to the end we realized that if we didn't go soon after he returned that we might not get a chance.  We started getting all the vaccinations we needed, booked flights, looking for hotels, and researching what to do.  It is really not a tourist destination.  We planned 17 days with travel and found some hotels. Oct 21st we took off.  It took us 29 hours to get there.  We had slept a little on the plane, but were tired.  Once we landed we got our visas and went through customs.  We then found out that there is a $25 USD fee claiming to be a security fee to get out of the airport.  We did not know this and went to a few bank in the airport before our card would even work somewhere to get the money.  We had Ria ourselves some money but needed to get to Freetown to get it.  Blake also got us set up with SIM card in Africa so we could have data and not use our accounts.  We finally got out of the airport.  It was dark and Blake started talking to cars to get us a ride to our hotel. We wanted to experience the transportation and food like he had, but I did book nicer hotels all with A/C.  It was neat to listen to Blake as he started making all these deals and got us where we needed to go. 

Blake was a little on edge.  We got to the Waka Waka hotel and we were impressed that it was a nice as it was.  We had very low expectations for the whole trip honestly.   Pretty sure they only had 2 rooms in the whole hotel and we were the only guest.  They were very friendly and happy to see us.  

The next morning they brought us breakfast.  (We had breakfast included in all our hotels and then would usually have an early dinner or a small snack and a late dinner, so only usually ate twice a day.)  They brought us breakfast for 2.  We had thought it was a mistake but just shared, but quickly learned that even though we had hotel for 3 we only ever got breakfast for 2, except the last place we stayed.  They always brought it to us and it was always omelet, fried plantain, and either bread with mayo or a pita bread type thing. 

Then we were off to experience Sierra Leone.  We got on the back of motorbikes, main transport in most of the country.  You just hoped on 1-3 people and zip around.  Always bartering for how much you are going to pay and were you are going. We did sit and figure things out with Blake, he had been a little on edge to return.  He didn't love having to barter prices and figure out transport during his mission.  And he knew at first it was up to him since we didn't know fair prices or where we were going.  After figuring out how he was feeling and what we needed to do he started to relax and we had a great time.  First stop was the missionaries in Lungi.  We had taken a pile of Eatmores and wanted to give them to as many  Elders as we could. We stopped by and talked with the Elders for a little bit and they let us know the ferry schedule. 

We found another bike and got a ride to the ferry.  We paid 25 SLE which is like a $1.50.  We got our first real glimpse at the constant selling and hocking or goods around us.  It is all the time.  And if you even glance their way it is hard to have them move on. It is a 30 min ferry ride across to Freetown.  I was hot and dripping wet.  Blake bought us clothes that we used to wipe our faces the rest of the trip. 

First sight of Freetown.  Blake was not kidding when he said it was like hiking a mountain every day.  And we did not even do the worst of it.  After the ferry we got a keke to take us to the stake center where we were meeting Elder Lund and his companion.  Blake is related to Elder Lund and they had really gotten along well.  He was going home in 6 days so we only had one chance to meet him.  They invited us to teach some lessons with them, that was an awesome experience. 

We never sat inside houses.  They would bring all their wooden benches and stools outside for us to sit on.  Chickens running around our feet and close areas, but you could feel the spirit.  Anyone walking by they would ask if they wanted to join and rarely did anyone say no. 

I hope to never lose the image in my head of this one lady we taught.  We had hiked up a ways between paths and panbody homes.  There are no real streets.  She lived in a tin home.  6x10 maybe with 4 feet between her and her neighbor.  No windows only a sheet for a door and 5 kids running around.  All raised together, it was not clear which kids belongs to which lady.  They did all their washing and cooking and bathroom outside.  Dirt floor, tin sides, and those kids were so polite and well behaved.  Clean and happy.  It was really telling of what the country was like.  After a few lessons we said goodbye to the Elders and found a ride to Makeni.  It is a 3 hour drive from Freetown.  We took a 'taxi' (car). 

Envision a Honda Civic type car.  Very run down, not really road worthy and pile in 6 people plus the driver.  That is how they travel.  We always bought 4 seats so we could have the whole back seat to ourselves.  But strangers would get in the front and sit on each others laps for hours and just talk, share snack, etc.  Windows rolled down, travelling down the road with no traffic laws, zipping and honking around everything on the road.  We were always so grateful that our car made it to the next destination.  There are broken down cars and truck all along the road.  They just pull up a piles of grass and leave 6-8 piles behind the vehicles so you know it is broken down. Again we got there late and it was dark.  We got on bikes and went to the Wusum hotel.  This place had 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms, a sitting area and a kitchen.  Blake was very impressed. We Face Timed the kids as Cora had had her baby the day before and had a nice chat with them.  It started to pour before we went back out for dinner.  We were there at the end of rainy season and there were several rain storms but we were blessed to never get caught outside in one. After it stopped we went to the hotel restaurant to eat and then very tired went to bed.  

Our hotel happened to be in walking distance to the District Center.  Blake wanted to walk over and see it and he happened to run into the 1st councillor in the district presidency when we were there and others that he knew.  They were so excited to see him.  He called his wife and she came right over and it was so fun to see the excitement and love they had for Blake. We were also told that they were filling the font for a baptism the next day.  We decided to come back for that.  

 Next we went and walked around.  We saw where Blake had lived and he told us a cool story of one day he was waiting for his companion. (Later he found out that his companions bike had broken down and he had to find a new ride, he was 20 mins behind Blake)  He was waiting and waiting and finally decided to go in the house and wait for him. As he was walking back he passed a man, as he did as a missionary he stopped and talked to him.  Asked him if he believed in God and this man said yes he did and he had a book that talked about God.  He showed it to Blake.  It had no front cover and pages missing.  He said he had found it and he knew it was true.  Much to Blake's surprise he discovered that this book was The Book of Mormon.  Blake explained that that was the book from our church and gave him a new whole book.  Not soon after this man was baptized.  Such a neat story of how the Lord is preparing people and putting people in the right place at the right time.  If his comps bike had not broken down, they would have been back in the complex before this guy walked by.  Kinda cool.  We went and saw a pitch field and got a good view of Wusum Hill.  We then went back to the hotel, ate dinner, brooked our clothes, had a great discussion on our Come Follow Me that night and played some card games.  Then off to bed. 

The next morning we got up early to get to the baptism.  Blake said they always clean the church Saturday morning and he wanted to help with that.  Then we stayed for the baptism, which was really neat.  7 people were baptized.  Just before they were baptized they welcomed each individually by saying 'we welcome you, we love you'.  No piano.  The chorister would just stand, name the song, sing the first verse, and then we all sang the song.  And they sing very slow, pronouncing every single syllable. There were a lot of missionaries there and Blake had a great time hanging out with them after the baptism.

After the baptism we went back to the hotel to cool off.  There I got email saying it was time to check in to our Vrbo booking in Bo for the next day.  So I emailed and checked in.  Host emailed back and said oh sorry, she was doing renos and place was no longer available.  What!!?! Now what.  As I was emailing company back and forth to try to get a reimbursement, Blake found a place that might have a room available. This all took a few hours and I was a little stressed about where we were going to be staying the next night. 

We then went to eat a a little place Blake had liked when he was there.  After we went for a walk around his area.  We didn't know he was looking for this shop, thought he just stopped randomly, but he knew it was the place that the branch president that he served with had.  He called the boys dad and he came running right over.  Again so excited to see Blake.  Watching everyone react to him was the highlight of our trip.  To see the love they had for him for being the one to share the gospel with them was truly amazing.  After church on Sunday as Dave and I were talking and watching him with everyone there we just said we can't put it into words.  We were awed and humbled by the work he had done.  But I got sidetrack.  The branch president came over and gave Blake a big hug.  He took us to meet his family and feed us lunch.  Then there were some others that Blake wanted to look up and Pres Kamara went with us. 

I honestly can not put into words what it was like to meet the wonderful people and hear their conversion stories.  And the stories of their families, Blake had asked one man if he had anyone that he wanted to join their lessons.  He said yes his brother in the UK.  So Blake sent a referral and his brother's entire family was baptized and had been through the temple. One man was crying he was so happy, he kept saying Blake had made a promise to return and had kept his word.  No one ever comes back. But Blake had. 

One lovely lady that Blake loved and everyone calls Mumsi, the District councilor's wife, offered to make us dinner. Whatever Blake wanted.  He requested cassava leaf so we could try it.  He said she was a really good cook and it was really good.  Pres Kamara brought us food for breakfast the next morning as well.  Such generous souls. 

Sunday we went to church where Blake had served in Makeni. Before church someone came and found Blake and told him that the Branch President wanted to talk to him.  He went into the meeting they were having and came back a little later.  We found a seat and just as the meeting was beginning Blake leaned over and said that we had been all been asked to bare our testimonies.  Ok then.  

Again fun to watch Blake and those around him.  After, everyone wanted pictures with us.  We were 20 mins late for RS and EQ.  After church there was another baptism.  We stayed for that and Blake saw more Elders that he knew.  When we went out back and saw the font, I recognized it from my favorite picture of Blake helping a lady into the water. 

Then said good bye to everyone.  They did not want Blake to leave. and found a ride to Bo.  Our next stop.  We took a taxi and then got in a poda poda for the rest of the journey. 

Once we arrived in Bo we took bikes to the Dohas Hotel and were very grateful that they had a room available.  It had A/C and two twin beds side by side.  Dave and I had to turn in unison and he tried not to kick Blake, but we had a place to stay. 

October

October was filled with appointments for Blake, doctor, dentist, optometrist and getting his passport fast renewed.  Because we needed it quick we had to make a few trip to down town Calgary.  Not my favorite.  

Dave was assigned to speak in The Pass and took Blake as his speaking companion. It snowed on the way up.  Blake was excited to see snow again, despite being very cold. A stop at Lumbreck Falls on the way home because it is so pretty. 

We had Thanksgiving dinner with Leah and Braydon that day.  We had ham and funeral potatoes for Blake.  I wasn't sure how I was going to get it all ready and travel to the pass.  Leah came early and put potatoes in the oven so everything was hot and ready when we got home.  Worked great.  That night Blake did a fireside.  Did an awesome job.  Everyone was fascinated by his experiences and the country. He got a ton of questions and I think he could have gone on longer.  Leave them wanting more :) Leah and Braydon stayed for the fireside then we played some games after. On Thanksgiving Monday we had dinner at Myrna's.  Was nice to see everyone.

One of our early morning trips to Calgary we came home through Okotoks to get some groceries.  There is a bakery there called French 50.  One of the doctors at my clinic had brought cruffins for everyone one day and they were so good.  I have stopped twice now trying to get some for my family but you have to get there early in the morning because they sell out fast.  We are driving back around 9;00 and I was like oh French 50, we have to go.  They only had chocolate left, I grabbed 3 9 (not cheap) and were brought them home to enjoy.  Something on my list of things to make. 

We moved cows home.  It went so smooth.  At one point I asked Blake why he was just hanging back and he said he that the cows were moving themselves.  We could have opened up gates on both end and gone and had a snack.  It did go extremely smooth and did not take long. 

Blake applied and got accepted to the bio/chem program at the U of L.  He starts in January. 

On the 22nd little Rhoda joined our family.  Cora had her on the side of the road.  Did not quite make it to the hospital in time. She is a cute tiny thing. Jane loves her sister and loves to give her lots of kisses and to share her books and toys with her. 

Cute sleepy little sisters.

We did get Blake's passport back just in time and then headed to Africa.