A few things learned or emphasized while serving a full-time mission in the Africa West Area. It is a super challenge to capsulize one’s 18-month experience serving as an ordained full-time missionary in these latter-days in just a few thoughts and words.   Here are some of the thoughts that stand out. There's a difference between having a testimony and being converted.   Conversion is the outward expression of an inner testimony.   A testimony must be lived to be of any effect. Agency is still absolute. Jesus is the Christ.   We all need him.   We need the atonement to be effective in our life.  That's why keeping covenants is so important. A chaotic society is that way for a reason: it is earned.  Same with a progressive society; it is earned.  By their fruits ye shall know them.   Some decisions made a long time ago helped bring this about.   The gospel is the surest and most lasting answer to make society better, and e...

June 5, 2022, Lagos, Nigeria There I was in Lagos, Nigeria with my AAA friends just doing what I usually do on a Sunday afternoon when out of Accra, Ghana, and I learn a new word.   AAA training trips to AWA countries take a great deal of time and planning to make them what they should be.  These AAAs are good latter-day saints committed to doing the Lord's work of protecting the local leaders from being involved in any defalcations or questionable financial transactions.  Temptations to use Church funds for personal use are everywhere and most leaders do what is right.  We want "all" of the leaders to do what is right.  We train the AAAs to effectively train stake and ward leaders and create PowerPoints and other materials for the AAAs to use in this effort.  A great deal of thought, prayer and effort goes into planning and carrying out the training sessions. We have traveled to Nigeria, Cote d'Voire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and parts of Ghana, of cour...

I came across this file where I had saved email greetings from our AAAs and A2AAs welcoming Elaine and I to the Africa West Area ("AWA") Auditing team in March 2021.  Not all of the sixty-five brothers we worked with sent their greetings.  I was surprised to receive so many, though, not knowing what the response would be to our introducing ourselves to them.  Over the following seventeen months, we learned what great latter-day saints these men are.  Our lives are richer for having worked alongside them to strengthen the Church in the AWA.  Here are some “welcome to Africa” emails from the A2AAs and AAAs we are working with after sending out the introductory email to them on March 3, 2021. Elder and Sister Youngberg ,  it's my pleasure to welcome to Nigeria, Africa. We're looking forward to work with you in Area.  Thank you. Samuel Otebolaku (AAA) Nigeria Ibadan Area Coordinating Council     Dear Elder and sister Younberg, t...

Richard Dadzie (King Richard) Daniel Aboni Other guards and gardeners were: Emmanuel Offei John Kesseh Bernard Nketia Kwame Amenu James, Fordjour, Bruce Emmanuel We don't have pictures of all the guards and gardeners we have gotten to know.  Just Richard and Daniel.  Richard and Daniel are two of our favorites.  We got to know them well.  These men work outside all day at the gate and take 12-hour shifts letting cars in and out of the compound, weeding the gardens, mowing the lawn (it feels so good to hear the sound of a real lawn mower.  The simple things we miss!).  And taking care of the pool and generally keeping things clean.  It is good to know that strangers cannot come and go.  There is tall wall all around the compound with an electric fence on top.  Not sure the electricity is turned on, though.  We wouldn't be surprised to find out it is mostly for show.  Just about every business, residence and church has barbed wire or ...

  A zone meeting of senior missionary couples happens every quarter or so.  It originates from the Area Offices in Accra, Ghana, and is zoomed to the other couples throughout the Area (Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal).  A member of the Area Presidency and his wife speak to us.  Definitely a great part of serving a full-time mission to hear from these couples so often.  Like a general conference experience in your living room.  This zone meeting was held in an Area Office conference room. This April meeting was the last zone meeting we attended.  Elder and Sister Kacher spoke. In the picture are: (standing) Elder Terry and Sister Cynthia Call, Ross, Sister Jerie Jacobs (Elder Robert Jacobs not in attendance), Elaine, Elder Jon Duke and Sister Shauna Duke, Elder Jack Nelson (Sister Diane Nelson took the picture),  Elder Neil Whitaker and Sister Bonnie Whitaker,  Elder Dale Olsen, Elder Eric Derr and Sist...

  On July 24, 2022 we will fly home to Utah from Accra, Ghana.  We are preparing everything needed so we feel prepared and complete to return home and be released as full-time missionaries.  We are not the same people we were in January 2021; eighteen months ago.  We are older, yes, anxious to leave, yes, sad to leave our friends, yes, happy to know much more than we did when we first came, absolutely.   The above picture is with Elder Jorg Klebingat (wife is Julia) in the Area Presidency Office ending our meeting with him.  He is the only member of the Presidency in Africa right now.  Elder and Sister Nuria Martinez have left for SLC where he will work out of Church Headquarters, and Elder Larry and Pauline Kacher are back in Midway, Utah.  He turned seventy and is now emeritus status. We would have had a picture with the full presidency but we did our welcome interview over zoom because of covid concerns in February 2021.  Not easy to ...