Monday, June 18, 2012

Rainy Season this year is Really RAINY

This picture looks kind of foggy or somewhat out of focus. It isn't. It's a torrential downpour - typical in Liberia's rainy season. It's like standing under a waterfall because so much water is coming down. This year, the rainy season is MUCH more rainy than last year.

Sister Akwuruoha and Sister Jibba on their way to an appointment after a district meeting. Notice the shower caps they wear to cover their hair from the rain.

Bushrod Island Zone Meeting

l to r, Elders Obinna, Kirkham, Sister Kirkham, Elder Akwah, Sister Jibba, Elders Kouao, Dlamini, Sister Akwuruoha, Elder Buckman, Sister Lamwaka, Elders Esiaba, Pentreath, Sister Moseray, Elders Essego, Sekirime, Liufau, Nyaku, Smith, Willis, Mohlahatsa, and Elder Smith.
Elders going back to their areas after zone meeting. Elder Smith is carrying on his head a package we brought him from the post office.

Random Pictures

This gives whole new meaning to "using your head."
Rest in peace.
More rest in peace.
Adorable children in the landlord's compound in Matadi.

More Random Pictures

Beauty Parlor
Serious discussion in Waterside
Duala Market

Showing April Conference DVD at Kakata

Unloading a generator we brought so we could use our computer and projector to show April Conference DVDs to Kakata Branch (1 1/2 hour drive from our apartment). Pres. Harmon, branch president, is the one in the middle.
Every week the members must carry the chairs you see in this picture to this school room where they have sacrament meeting. We are covering the windows to be better able to see the video. We watched the Saturday afternoon session and after a 10 minute break, watched the Sunday morning session of April Conference.
After Church, the members carry the chairs across the street and down the dirt road to a member's home where they store the chairs.
This is the room in the nearby member's home where they store the chairs until they can get their own building.

Shopping At Waterside

Sister Kirkham ready to shop at Waterside.
Waterside is where Judy shops when we have to furnish a new missionary appartment. At Waterside, we get everything from plates, eating utensils, and irons - to water barrels, large wash buckets, and mop buckets.
Notice the stores, stands and wheel barrows that serve as stands where people sell their goods.

Cleaning a Mosquito Net

Hanging up a mosquito net to dry after washing at the back of our compound. I'm wearing the oil cloth apron made by our neighbor, Mindy Myers, before our mission, which I use when I wash the dishes to protect against spilling any of the clorox rinse water on my clothes.

Our 3rd Visit to Quita's Orphanage

On the road to Quita's orphanage, about 1 1/2 hour drive from our apartment.
Here are kids in the orphanage plus about 20 kids from the village.
Sister Kirkham and Sister Krumm watching the women preparing the daily meal for the kids. Because of lack of funds, they had to cut back to one meal a day.
Quita with one of the worker's children.

Duplicating Keys

This picture shows how keys are duplicated here. This man sits on a chair near the curb in front of a hardware store, using the short wall as his work desk, takes a key blank and using the metal file in his hand, hand-files the key to match the key I gave him to be duplicated. He uses his micrometer on his lap to get the depth of each cut the same as on the original. It takes 5 to 10 minutes. The duplicate keys work great!

Rain Boots for the Sister Missionaries

Sister Kirkham copies Sister Akwuruoha's foot so we can get the right size rain boots for her.
Sister Jibba and Sister Akwuruoha watch as it's Sister Lamwaka's turn to get her foot measured. Rain boots are a MUST in the rainy season for the missionaries.