= Sunday, Steph led the discussion of scriptures at the Mfuom Branch. Imagine, if you will, asking the class a question, getting a little feedback in English, and then waiting three minutes while the person translates what you have said but does not translate the feedback received! Major themes included the sacrifice made for us so we can repent and God’s injunction to keep his commandments and treat others as his children. The approach Steph used was a breakthrough for the Branch, which had previously read the lesson summary verbatim.
= Monday at the weekly meeting, the apartment needs I provided to office elders and the facilities manager were accepted well; I had laid the groundwork by giving them the information in advance of the meeting and by emphasizing a summary that gives credit for recent progress.
= Home, Steph wrestled her tiny battery-powered printer into submission and left me a love note with it from her phone.
= Tuesday, the power dropped twice, but I was cooking at the propane range; so, no problem. We worked at home; we arrived at the office in the afternoon, took a mile walk, then resumed our seats at the office. Elder Barilleau said he'll use my Excel workbook the next time he adds funds.
= Home, someone had placed rice sacks full of dirt in a road gap uphill from us. Steph sliced calamari steaks (4 x 4 inches) into one-inch strips; we had them with corn. The power dropped a third time but came back on before we felt much difference in temperature.
= Wednesday, departing Elders and Sisters arrived at the mission home from the locations they've been serving in. They gathered paperwork and travel funds, were interviewed by the Mission President, and ate with the Mission President and his wife and office staff (including us). At one point, we drove to our home for something an Elder needed, and the rain was so hard that it acted as a lens that bent the light seen by the camera so much that the rear camera showed the license tag.
= We had dinner together at the Morgans. Sister Rebecca had made fufu! It’s a bit like stretchy mashed potatoes - Steph compares it to soft, stretchy Play-Do - in a blob almost the size of two fists in stew. People here generally eat it with their right hands by pinching off some of the lump, pinching a depression in the piece they’ve broken off, catching some of the stew in the depression, placing the piece in their mouth, and swallowing without chewing.
= The departing missionaries bore testimonies, received scarves with their name and the mission name on them, and the Morgans took pictures. Heading home, we realized that the truck was stuck in 4-wheel drive. Steph dug into the manual for an hour to find ways to get it back into 2-wheel drive. The next morning, her work was successful.
= Thursday, arriving missionaries had their pictures taken, called their families, and were interviewed by the Mission President. Things they needed to protect were stored in the safe. They received lengthy briefings, including one from Steph as medical coordinator. We reviewed their suitcase contents for sufficiency and appropriateness. They ate lunch and dinner with the Mission President and his wife and office staff, got to know them better, and in the evening bore their testimonies.
= Home, the power was off. This time, though, it was because the meter was out of cash. Using the card to top off the meter caused the power to flow again.
= Friday, we brought an Elder to a clinic, then returned him to a transfer meeting at the Ola chapel.
= At transfers, if the senior companion is present, that individual comes to the front to receive the companionship SIM card for his or her phone - only the senior companion has a SIM card - and an imprest bag if a district or zone leader. If both companions are present, they both come to the front for a photo for them to have. Only a third of the missionaries can travel to one place. The Morgans and Office Elders drive across the mission to repeat the transfer process two more times at transfers.
= After the transfer meeting, we found food for date night and watched Good Cop, Galaxy Quest again, and two episodes again of Sherlock Holmes set in modern times.
= Saturday, rain found its way into the house in two rooms; no damage done. I helped the Sroufes prepare for their next wave of missionary apartment inspections. Steph dealt with three medical issues simultaneously. I cleaned the fridge and the items that had been in it.
= Steph bought a plastic holder at the MTC and when we arrived placed into it the things we recite here at missionary meetings. One thing we recite is 3 Nephi 5:13 - Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.
Troops on the ground...
Members are the same everywhere...
Missionaries in this mission learn to recite this together from memory. The only edit: we actually close with "We can do hard things *cheerfully*!!!"
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