Wow, what a week!!

October 22-28, 2012

 

Wow, what a week it’s been.  We have watched so many things get done in preparation for Elder Holland’s visit.  We have watched as the grounds around the church and soon to be temple site have been manicured and landscaped.  They really are beautiful.  We have watched as so many people hurry to make sure everything is in place and ready.  We probably thought that preparing for this weekend would be the primary focus of our week.  But that wasn’t the case.

We finally visited with our account manager at the bank on Monday.  We see a little progress and that is good, but we see lots to do as we reconcile bank records, PEF records, and student records.  However the major part of what we do is to help the young people trying to us PEF as a means to help them improve thier lives, and what a joy that is.  We have been busy all week, but on Friday many of the students who had just completed the "Planning for Success" workshop cane in to start their applications.  I wanted to take a picture of just how many people we had in the PEF Center, but we were too occupied with the students when the biggest crowd was there.  We had people waiting for computers and even let them use ours. We love being busy. 

Elder Holland, Elder Clayton and his wife, Elder Relund and his wife, and Brother George Bonnet arrived on Friday just in time to attend the graduation ceremony for the third construction class taught by Elder Billings.  We just happened to be outside as they got out of their bus and were able to shake each of their hands.  We appreciated their kindness as they expressed gatitude for our willingness to serve here.  Brother Bonnet took them aside to show them the the new temple site and to explain how everything might fit together.

 

As you hopefully remember, Elder Billings taught construction as a college professor back home.  Therefore, those completing his class receive a diploma in French on one side and in English on the other.  The coursework has been certified through LDS Business College because of Elder Billings’ credentials.  Therefore, these students actually get a diploma from LDS Business College.  Elder Holland, Elder Clayton, and Elder Renlund, Area President, were all speakers in the ceremonies along with George Bonnet who is Area Director of Temporal Affairs over all of Africa.  You will remember that he came before and took us to the new chapel that is being build.   Here is Elder and Sister Billings (on the left) with Eric who heads the church construction program here.

 

We attended some of the graduation programs for Head of Households and Interweave before, but we think this was extra special because we are getting acquainted with many of the students.  As Laraine said, we feel just like proud parents as we watch the accomplishments of these young men.  Even last week when the students received their grades on the final exam, we felt an excitement and a sense of accomplishment from these great young people.  Jeff came into us and had to show his test results because he got 100% on the exam.  He was so happy and wanted to share.  We can just feel that this is something they probably didn’t think was possible for them, but as we look at them, they are such talented and capable young men who just needed a chance.  They are so good looking, friendly, and happy we just can’t help loving them.  This is Jeff.

 

 

Elder Holland told these graduates that in his professional life before being called as an apostle, he served as Commissioner of Education for the Church and President of BYU.  As such he has attended many graduation ceremonies, probably hundreds of them and all of there were much bigger with some even having 5,000 graduates.  But he said that even though this is the smallest, it is probably the most exciting that he has attended.  Oh what that meant to these young men.  He told them that before his professional life, he worked in construction as a newly married young man while he went to school but he was only a day laborer.  He also said that there are many life lessons learned in construction.  He said all construction managers know the importance of plumb, square, and level.  He went on to relate those to each of our lives and challenged us all to remain plumb with the Lord, square in all we do, and level with others.  

A choir of young men sang a prelude to the meeting and also sang a number during the program.  One song they sang was “Brightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy.”  Their music was wonderful. This is the choir after they finished when I could take a picture.

 

 KALONJI, who is a volunteer at the PEF center, accompanied the choir.  We are proud of him too. 

 

 Elder Holland said he didn’t understand the French words, but he knows the English words.  He held up a headset that he had been using for translation and asked what it was.  A member told him it was a headset.  He said yes, but right now it is a plumb bob as he was holding the headset high and let the transmission piece hang below.  He went on to explain about the hymn and that the upper light is the lighthouse and that the lower light is on the shore.  He explained that a ship captain had to line the lower light exactly below the upper light in order to find the safe passage to the harbor.  In life, the Savior is the upper light and we are the lower lights along the shore.  He challenged us to stay plumb with the Lord and to let our lights shine so that “some poor fainting, struggling seaman, you may rescue, you may save.” 

The other volunteer working with us in the PEF Center, KABEYA, was the translator from French to English for those wearing headsets during the graduation.  We are so proud of him too.  Laraine got a headset so I didn’t have to translate.  Brother Bonnet translated for Elder Clayton and Elder Holland.

 

Every graduate got to receive their diploma from Elder Renlund, and shake hands with Elder Clayton and have a picture with Elder Holland.  What a great opportunity for them.

 

We could see how happy and proud they were of their accomplishments.

 

We were so honored that so many of the students wanted to have a photo with us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday, Sister Smith, our mission president’s secretary, called to let us know that a man, Brother Coleman, had come in the office.  He is a former French East missionary and thought that maybe President Jameson or I had served when he was there so they were arranging to meet at a new Patisserie called Patachoux so we could meet him.  We found that he is a retired Navy officer now working for the State Department to help monitor training of the Congolese military.   He explained that they are trying to teach that the military should be respected and trusted by the people.  He said this really goes along with teaching the gospel because he tries to teach them to be righteous men.  However, he said this is a difficult process because the military here has not always been treated fairly, many times going without pay and having to resort to stealing just to live.  Being in the military and working for the government, he said has been great to live in and experience so many different countries.  Laraine and I listened and were just thinking to ourselves that we love having roots with family and friends,  and we are content with this grand adventure we are on.

Saturday, we had a Women’s Conference with Sister Kathy Clayton and Sister Ruth Renland.  Sister Smith and I walked in a door that entered at the front of the chapel and were met with a sea of beautiful black faces that just glowed.  The whole chapel was full and the cultural hall almost and it was 45 minutes before the Conference was to start.  We wended our way back shaking hands with all the beautiful women and took a seat in the cultural hall.  Shortly after sitting down, some of the women started taking pictures and before long, they asked if we would be in their pictures.  We were honored!!!  I don’t think they see many white faces.  I asked to hold a beautiful little baby on our row and the cameras came out again taking many pictures.  We were feeling like we were making friends and very comfortable when a sister from Temporal Affairs Department came to us and asked if we would follow her.  She wanted us to sit on the front row.  I was much more comfortable where I was, but we were seated front and center in the chapel that was already full.  I had to keep looking behind me to see the beautiful women sitting behind me.  They were dressed in their very best and their very best is gorgeous, with long flowing dresses made with some of the most beautiful fabric to be found in the world (and very colorful).  Many of them had headdresses and scarves.  Many of them have an extra piece of material to wrap their babies in on their backs.  Their headdresses, I assume, serve as a cushion or a foundation when they carry things on their heads.  Some of them had casual t-shirts and slacks because that’s all they had, but they came and they were beautiful.  I was awed by our General Authorities wives and their talks, but I was even more awed by the sisters sitting behind me. 

After this meeting was over a beautiful sister sitting just behind me started talking and I came to find out this was Philemon, the sister who runs the orphanage that the missionaries have come to know and love and visit.  She showed us a picture of a little boy, so thin his ribs were showing; he had a withered hand and leg.  Then she told us he’s doing fine now and has been baptized a member of the Church.  Once again I was so honored to meet this wonderful woman who does so much for so many with so little of her own. 

Sister Smith and I went outside (it was burning hot!) and waited for Elder Smith and Elder Robinson to arrive for our Missionary Conference at 2:00 that afternoon.  Once again we were asked by so many sisters that we didn’t even know if we would stand in a picture with them.  I didn’t have a camera and felt so bad.  But I guess they wanted a picture taken with someone with white skin and white hair.  Here is a photo of everyone outside after the Women's Conference and before the missionary conference.

 

At our Missionary Conference we were again honored to have Elder Holland, Elder Renland and his wife with us as well as George Bonnet and our Mission President and his wife. 

 

I sat down with one seat left at my side and was joined by a very humble older gentleman, Elder Kola.  As the meeting continued I found out he had just been released as an Area Authority 4 months before and was serving as a counselor to Pres. Jameson in the Mission Presidency.  Elder Holland reminded us of the importance of the first principle of the gospel - Obedience and how everything else relies upon this principle.  The second principle of the gospel was submerging yourself in the scriptures.  Once again we were spiritually filled.  But my favorite part of that meeting was at the end.  Sister Fan (I can’t pronounce the rest of her name) from Madagascar was playing the keyboard and as Elder Holland stood up and left the meeting with all the missionaries so reverent you could hear a pin drop, she started playing softly, “God Be With You ‘Til We Meet Again.”  The missionaries started singing softly and then louder.  The spirit was so strong. 

 

Sunday morning we traveled over to Mont Ngafula Stake Center which isn’t easy to get to.  We arrived at 8:00 a.m. for a 10:00 Conference, 2 hours early.  The chapel was completely full and 3/4 of the cultural hall was filled.  Those sitting just behind us arrived at 7:30 a.m.  and they said there were some that had to leave at 5:00 a.m. to get them.  This photo was actually taken after the meeting.

 

The choir sang prelude music from 9:00 a.m. and postlude music. As we say every week, the music here is so beautiful.

 

We were not disappointed.  The Stake President started out reminding us how his life is different from before he became a member of the church.  He asked what makes us different from other churches.  And then he answered very simply and reverently - We have the gift of the Holy Ghost.  What a beautiful message in those simple and powerful words. 

Elder Holland concluded and we were getting tired and little hot, but not when he stood up.  I want to share some of the highlights about the growth of the Church.  He said in 3 weeks they will be creating the 3000^th stake in the Church.  When he was a young man there were only 300.  There will be 30-40 new missions created next year to accommodate the growth.  He said there are 58,000 missionaries serving now and by next year there could be as many as 70 to 80,000.  He talked about only having 1 temple in the ancient world in Jerusalem, 3 temples in the new world, Book of Mormon times and this era covered 5,000 years.  He asked how many people got to go to the temple in those times?  Today we have 139 temples and more coming.  He said this is the Dispensation of Temples.  There was a time when we counted temples one by one.  Now we’ll count temples by the 100's and then by the 1,000's.  The work is hastening.  We are the most fortunate people in the history of the world.  We have the fullness of the gospel, more than any other dispensation in the world.  He told the parable of the sower from the New Testament and brought it to life, but the last thing that he said before he closed was so powerful as he declared, “This Church WILL change the world!” 

 

After the meeting, members hang around to visit and enjoy each other.  The love to have pictures taken by the missionaries.  Most have to take the transports to get home.  This transport came into the parking lot to pick  up some of the members.  I ask if I could take a picture just to show how many they try to fit into these transports.  I hope you can see how cramped everybody is.

 

We have been blessed to be here to hear a prophet and apostle of the Lord and feel His spirit so powerfully this weekend.  We hope you’ve had a good week too. 

Happy, happy birthday yesterday, Megan!  We love you so much!!!! 

And Dallin, we’re looking forward to your birthday on Wednesday.  Happy, happy birthday to you as well.  We couldn’t be prouder of you and love you so much!!!! 

We don’t want to forget Kay’s birthday on Wednesday either.  We hope you have a very happy birthday too! 

Our love to you all!