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 get those guys together for a personal photo. So, we have what we have and feel good about it.
We got this picture at the Strengthening Families Conference held at the Ghana National Theater on June 24, 2022. We sent the picture to Pauline and she commented that both she and Elaine needed to remind their husbands to smile at the camera. We look good.
There was a farewell devotional for the two members of the Area Presidency, President Martinez and President Kacher where they and their wives spoke. The Martinez' had positive Covid tests so they were staying in their apartment. They joined in via zoom and spoke to us all that way. These meetings are zoomed all over the Area; from Nigeria to The Gambia. We took this picture because it is the only opportunity we had before they left a few days later.
The Area Presidency Office while we were waiting to see Elder Klebingat today. This helps us remember things. It is likely the cleanest and best office in all of Africa West Area. The Church does a great job of maintaining its real estate. It belongs to the Lord, so it should be kept accordingly. There is a special feeling in this place. I remember our first week meeting Elder Kacher in this room. A confirming spirit said this is a special place where special work takes place. Same feeling today.
We spoke at the weekly devotional on Monday, July 4, 2022 along with Elder and Sister Gibb. He is the Area Medical Advisor. We chose the song to sing, "Come, Come ye Saints". There are many dear friends in the audience, and over the zoom connection with all the countries in the Area. During the devotional, just before we spoke, we were given a book of pictures of the Volta Region. It's a mountainous part of eastern Ghana. There are well-wishes from some of our Ghanaian friends in it. There is also a banner made from kente cloth that is given to the departing missionaries. We haven't gotten it yet. Hope they don't forget.
Every fast Sunday we get together in the afternoon to "break the fast" together. These are the senior missionaries and one former Church contractor who could make it on July 3. They made each of us (the Youngbergs and Gibbs) say a few words. The food is always good. Not quite like home, but getting better each month (maybe that means it is time to go home). We do the best with the food we can buy. Really, it is good and we have a great time visiting and catching up. I could see a little sadness in the eyes of our friends whom we love and admire. Wonderful, exceptional, dedicated, down-to-earth, spiritual, hardworking, and funny people. Every single one of them! We will really miss them. We plan to connect again with as many as we can over the coming the years. One of the many blessings of serving the Lord fulltime in one's senior years. Not all of the senior couples made the break the fast this month. And, the MTC couples don't join us either, but we consider them all family.
In the picture we see Brother Tyler, the Church contractor whose family is already in Utah and he joined them a couple of days after the picture. The rest of us from left to right:
Marline and Lisa Porter, Brayden and Claudia Bridge (Canadians), Dale and Marla Olsen, Greg and Debbie Lewis, David and Jolynn Middleton, Ross and Elaine, Randall and Diane Gibb, Jeffrey and LeAnne Case, Robert Hatch (Barbara missed the photo op), Robert and Jerie Jacobs, Larry and Pat Woodbury.
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