Some personal stories

These lizards are everywhere.

This is Alvin. He is teaching the elders quorum in the Dolo branch. He is a priest who is preparing to go on a mission. He almost has all of his paperwork in. He is remarkable. He is articulate and bright. He speaks very well. Has great confidence. He's very knowledgeable on the gospel. Yet, he lives in a house without running water or electricity.

This is the primary. That is Cheryl in the background getting a chair for Relief Society which meets in the area on the outside patio next to primary. She says it is hard to hear when the primary is singing.

This is Patrick Mulbah. He is the second counselor in the Dolo branch presidency.  He has been a member of the church for 3 years. He has nine children. The oldest is in college. He has been retired from the Firestone Rubber Company but they recently stopped his $160 a month retirement so he has had to go back to work.  He does get free housing by working for the company and a bag of rice each month.

This is President Kelly. He is a member of the mission presidency. We had to take him to the Harbel branch so that he could conduct training for their branch council today. He is 32 years old, a return missionary and married with two children. He is employed as a guard at one of the church's stake centers. He works the night shift. Theft is a significant problem so they have two guards protecting the fenced building. His wife works as a waitress at a beach resort.

They rent a one bedroom house with electricity but no running water. The rent is $50 a month. They have a tv. They have a refrigerator with no freezer. He did not volunteer how much money he makes a month but he did say that people find it difficult to live with an income of $300 a month.

This is James. He is one of the guards at our apartment compound. His job is to open the gate when cars pull up and honk their horn. He stays in a little guard house next to the gate. Lately the other guards haven't been coming into work so he's had to work double and triple shifts. He sleeps sitting in a chair. When we came home last night he said he hadn't eaten for a day and a half and that he was hungry but he had to work until the next morning. We gave him some food.

We live in a significantly different world than most Liberians. We had dinner last night at the Boulevard Hotel on the 5th floor. It may be the nicest place in the country. One average entree cost $20. It was good.

This is a view From the hotels patio area. It was a little too warm to eat out there. Because of the way that Liberia is situated this is the Atlantic Ocean looking almost South.

 When we go running in the morning we always pass this car. It is for driver training. I have no idea what they would teach them. There are hardly any rules here.

We got to shake hands and briefly chat with Elder Christofferson at the missionary meeting he held before the Country-Wide conference.