Esther Gets a Family For Christmas

This is a true Christmas story. Unlike many true Christmas stories, the names have not been changed. It happened right under our eyes, here in West Africa. The story was written by Elder Stubbs, our Area Doctor. He perscribes a box of kleenex for the reading. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Esther gets a family for Christmas

This story is true and names and dates have not been changed to protect anyone.

Scene I

In March 2008, Joseph who runs a private orphanage in Buduburam, Ghana was driving down the road when he came across an unimaginable scene.

There on the side of the road was a funeral car and they were unloading a young woman’s dead body into the ditch. Joseph stopped and asked why they were doing this and was told that this woman had died and no family member had come forward to pay for the funeral or her body disposal. Her husband was already dead. Close by were the woman’s brother-in-law (Ekow) and her two orphaned children; a boy approximately 6 years of age and a baby 6 months old. Joseph asked how much it would cost to take the body back to the funeral home and he gave them all the money he had on him to take care of her remains.

Joseph runs an orphanage, but he was unable to help as he can only handle older walking children. Ekow, the woman’s brother-in-law, has no employment, no income, and no wife to help him. His skills in child raising were non-existent and the baby was failing. In Africa the saying goes, “it takes a village to raise a child.” The village people were not stepping forward and Esta was being frequently passed from house to house. She was failing. Ekow agreed to raise the older boy but knew he was unable to raise the baby.

Joseph and his wife run a private orphanage, often feeding several hundred children daily. They alone provide care, cooking and fund raising. However, getting the children one meal a day is sometimes a successful day. Joseph had been watching the baby’s plight but was unable to take her in.

Scene II

Dave and Kathy Westerby came to Africa as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. As Dave is a lawyer, he was asked to advise the Church on legal matters. They started in South Africa and after some months were transferred to Ghana to head the Office of General Counsel for Africa. Kathy is a school teacher and has been volunteering in the many schools and orphanages around Accra, Ghana. Kathy knew Joseph and his school and would often visit there. In the spring of 2008, when she was visiting Joseph, she met Ekow and he handed her this little black baby and said,


“Here this baby is for you. You can make her live!” Meet Esther (Esta) 6 months old

Scene III
Not knowing what this meant, Kathy assumed he wanted her to help feed the baby. No, he said, he wanted her to have the baby. Kathy and Dave are already the parents of 4 grown children and many grandchildren. Why would she agree to take another baby?

Joseph knew that if this baby stayed in the village, she was not likely to survive. Kathy, stunned by this development, took the baby home for a while to feed and care for her.

Now just what would you do in the same circumstance? Have you ever had someone push a puppy in your arms and say, “Take this puppy home with you and if you don’t want him, just bring him back in the morning.” Do you think the puppy is ever taken back?

Do you think that you could take this puppy back home after a night in your house?

Well this is quite a conundrum for grandparents Dave and Kathy. They really can’t start another family when they are about to retire.

Plus, what to you do with a dark African baby when you are about as white as they come.

Scene IV

She smiles when you smile, she laughs when Grandpa gets home, and she loves to eat.

Boy does Esta love to eat and soon Esta is no longer just a little scrawny baby but a fat, happy chubby child.

Dave and Kathy know they have kept this puppy at home too long and they have to make a hard decision. Just what are we going to do now?

By the way, this picture is of the only known car seat in the entire continent of Africa.

Dave and Kathy talked to their children about the dilemma and were surprised when their children, Ben and Virginia decided that they would like to adopt Esta.

So now begins the long and frustrating task of trying to make Ester their adopted granddaughter.

You see, with no parents or family, Esta is not really a person at all in Africa. She has no legal status. There is no one who owns her, no one who speaks for her, no one who is responsible for her. In other circumstances, in other areas, she would be a ward of the government. Here she is just no one at all.




Scene V

Months are spent in courts, legal applications, visa and passport applications. True to form, papers are lost several times and the passport office says there are no more passport applications because the passports have been “stolen”.




Conclusion

Finally, on December 16th, 2008, after months of dead ends and frustrations, Esta becomes a person.
She is now a real and legal person. She holds her own passport and adoption papers.


AND ESTA GETS A FAMILY FOR CHRISTMAS!

And what did you get for Christmas?

Post note: Ester Westerby is expected to fly to her new home and new parents in January.

A Christmas Dress for Ellen

We who are serving in Africa continually discover that it is a small world.
President Smith and his wife, President of the Ghana Accra Mission, and Elder Stubbs and his wife, our Area Doctor, were traveling together one Sunday to church. This day the journey was long. As they conversed with one another they found they were both had ties in Canada. In their conversation one began to tell a Christmas story that occured in Canada. Sr. Smith after hearing the story said: Ellen is my mother!To which Dr. Stubbs said - "Well the postman was my brother-in-law's grandfather!

If you have not had the opportunity of reading "A Christmas Dress for Ellen", find it take a few minutes to read it. It is a beautiful and sweet true story of a family in Canada and how the Lord extends some tender mercies their way because some people listened carefully to the spirit and became "angels". It will touch your heartstrings and fill your heart with the joy of Christmas. It is evidence that the Savior knows each one of us. Merry Christmas!

All Africa Service Day

"When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God" Mosiah 2:17

Once a year for the last two years all units of the church in all of Africa have participated in All Africa Service Day. The members have joined together to improve something in the community. Some painted buildings, some cleaned ditches, some helped at hospitals, and some to people's homes. It's a blessing to the community and to the members who feel the spirit of serving others. I thought you would enjoy some pictures of this years All Africa Service Day held on September 20, 2008.

Goodbye to the Bordens, the Hills, and the Binghams

It was a little hard to say goodbye to our friends the Bordens and the Hills this week. What great friends they have been to us. This picture is of the Bordens and the Whitings who are returning home from their mission in Ethiopia.
The Bordens were our Family History missionaries for the Area. This was their third mission to West Africa. They first they came as proselyting missionaries in Winneba, and their next two missions were as the Family History Directors for the Area. They have helped many Africans gather the names of their ancestors and place them into familysearch so that they now have a written record of them. They have helped members do their temple work for their ancestors. Our church believes that to get into the Kingdom of God you must be baptised. (John 3:5) God would not be a just God if those who died without hearing the gospel and having the opportunity to be baptised were unable to enter the Kingdom of God. So in the temple we are baptised as proxies for those who have died without the opportunity to do it for themselves. We believe they are taught the gospel in the spirit world where they await judgement and resurrection. Here they can can choose to accept the baptism or not. Thus EVERYONE will have equal access to Eternal Life. This is the work of the temple.

The Hills have been in charge of our Security department. This is the second mission for the Hills. Previously they served in the Family History Library. The Hills were instrumental in installing equipment in our office building and our apartment building to make it more secure. We now are the proud owners of passes that we must scan to get into either building. It is a sorry thing that the world requires these things, but we are grateful for the service of the Hills and feel very safe.

A few weeks ago we said goodbye to the Binghams. They were senior missionaries in charge of Public Affairs. They have done a fantastic job interacting with the community. They loved their work so much that they have decided to return in March to serve for another 18 months! We can hardly wait for their return. They live across the hall from us and we love to visit them - so right now we are missing them, but we know their families are loving having them at home.

We wish all of them the best as they return home to their families for a much needed reunion. Our numbers are dwindling. Anyone up for a mission to West Africa? We'd love to have you here.

The Ranks are Thining and I Take on More Work

his week we say goodbye to two more missionary couples: The Hills running the Security department and the Bordon's who have been running Family History for about 3 years! It's hard to see them go, yet we know they have put their time in and their families are anxious to see them again. With no new couples coming until March we are down to only 3 Area Senior Missionary Couples and 2 Senior Missionary Temple couples. When we first came there were about 10 senior missionary couples. And strangest of all we are the next in line to leave!

Well it seemed only natural that I should volunteer my non-existant spare time to helping out with family history. After all I'd spent 8 1/2 years teaching the members in our ward! And one Primary Sacrament Meeting presentation when the children began singin "Family History I am Doing it" I acted like a Ghanain and just started singing it along with them to my astonishment and my daughter's embarasment! So, it seemed a natural fit. Blindly this week, I went into the family history couple and volunteered to be trained. Soon I began to prepare names for actual members. Wow! Is Ghanain family history a challenge!!

We thought patronimics was hard in the Scandinavian countries - let me tell you that was a piece of cake compared to Ghanaian family history. Children in Ghana are given any name - given AND surname - the parents have a liking for. Each child is given a different given name AND A DIFFERENT SURNAME. In one family you will have four children all with different surnames. There is no rhyme or reason for the choices and definitely no recognition for grouping. You must know who the person is - are they your cousin? your auntie? your grandma? your second cousin once removed? All family history here is gathered from the older people in the villages - they know who is who. There are no records kept. Birthdates are rarely remembered - it was "He was born the year of the flood"....or the year of the Election...etc. However you can easily recognize which day of the week a person was born on because it is part of their given name. Kofi for instance means born on Friday. Amma means born on Saturday. Funerals are big in Ghana and so it is more likely that they remember the year the person died.

Well as you can see this work is really FUN or Frustrating!

Election Day in Ghana

Today, Sunday, is election day in Ghana. The Ghanaians will elect their new president who will preside for the next 4 years. We are hoping that as in the last election it will be a peaceful election. An election where whoever wins will peacefully take office. Ghana is a model for all African nations when it comes to elections. It seems to be the only African nation where a peaceful election is a possibility.

Today sacrament meeting was held throughout Ghana at 8am. All other sunday meetings were cancelled. After sacrament meeting, which today was fast and testimony meeting, all the members left the church to go and cast their vote. We attended Christiansborg and Cantoments combined sacrament meeting. We wondered whether the church would fill with members today or if few would come. To our delight the chapel was filled to capacity. After the sacrament the bishops, the stake president's counselor and Pres. Snow bore their testimony. I will share some of what was said.

Bishop Baidoo of the Christiansborg ward was first to share his testimony. He said he called a friend on his phone this morning.His friend told him that his vote was for the most perfect government: the government of God. Continuing his friend said, "My temple recommend is my voter registration card and I cast my ballot every week (by going to the temple).

That got me thinking. We have an 114 year old lady who attends the temple every week. She casts her ballot every week for the government of God. This is her picture. Can you see the "light" in her eyes?


Next Bishop of the Cantoments ward bore his testimony. Some of his comments were: "We belong to a kingdom that lasts forever. The Savior is the king of the kingdom." We are all invited to participate. We are invited to come to church. We are invited to be baptised. We are invited to serve Him. We are invited to pay our tithing. We are invited to attend the temple. We are invited to participate in the joy of His kingdom, not just in part of the kingdom but in all that is in the kingdom. The invitation is constant whether we choose to accept it or not...He never withdraws the invitation.

He commented that recently we have had people campaigning for candidates with great enthusiasm. Do we have the same desire to belong to the kingdom or to have other belong to it as the promoters of each political party has for their candidate to win? Do we have that kind of desire for the Kingdom of God to win? It is a good question to ponder.

President Snow, our Area President talked about the elections in America that were held about a month ago. He spoke of the peacefulness of the election in regard to the candidates. But then he spoke of another election - an election held in California that was not for a candidate but for the preservation of the family, a moral issue. He told them of the church's stand on this issue. He said the church will not take a stand on candidates, but it will take a stand on morality. He then told them of the persecution that continues even to this very day because of our stand. Persecution to members who leant their time to campaigning for the ammendment. Persecution to members who gave their means to support the ammendment. Persecution to the church as a whole including the burning of some chapels. I think the Ghanaians were a bit surprised. President Snow said that it was always important to cast our vote for morality even if we may be in the minority..even though the world may speak otherwise. We must study God's word and know that which God stands for and we must vote accordingly.

It was a wonderful meeting. I left filled with things to ponder. The Ghanaians left to cast their ballots and now we will wait to see if the elections and their results indeed peaceful. I believe they will be. Ghana is a wonderful country.

Some Memories of Nigeria

We arrived in Nigeria on a Thursday about noon. Thursday night we were invited to the Neuder's apartment for dinner. Around the table sat Pres. Cardon of the Area Presidency, Sr. Jones, Dad, Pres. and Sister Neuder (Lagos West Mission President and wife), President Jones (Lagos East Mission President), and Sr. Cardon. It was such fun to dine with them and talk.

The next day we flew to Calabar. I was mesmerized by the view out the window. Rain forest as far as the eye could see, winding wide rivers - all that I had seen and mapped around on Google Earth but here it was before my very eyes. I loved every minute of the flight.



In Calabar we were met by President and Sr. Sitati (Calabar Mission President). We went to the mission home and had a wonderful lunch and again great conversation. The Sitati's are from Kenya and understand the people so well. From Calabar we were driven to Uyo. Our driver was a hired driver and he had his foot on the pedal and his hand on the horn the whole way. Passing 4 cars at a time and barely making it before the traffic coming toward us passed us by. It was Mr. Toad's wild ride for sure.

We stayed the next two nights at the Meridian Resort...the most beautiful hotel we have seen in West Africa - It would easily compare to a 4 star hotel in America. We spent Friday night and Saturday meeting with Stake Presidents mapping their units on Google Earth. It was nice to put a face to a name. We are on the phone with the stake presidents in West Africa on a daily basis - I think it was nice for them to see our face as well.

One difference between Ghana and Nigeria are the Akata's - motor bikes that are the transport for the majority of people. You will often see 3-5 people on one. They use these as taxis...much more economical. From the sky it looks like little ants crawling on the streets. I saw one mother on Sunday dressed in her Sunday best with a 3 year old daughter dressed to match on the back holding on to her and a 1 year old little boy in his Sunday best sitting in front of her - I'd wished I had had my camera ready!

Sunday we were driven to Aba from Uyo. Our driver explained that when we entered the state of Abia things would change - the government is corrupt he said and so the roads are in disrepair, there is garbage lining the streets (no garbage service) - its just unkept compared to Calabar and Uyo, Pres. Hinckley talked about going through ruts in the road that would swallow up their car - and yes that is true - about every 1/4 mile you come to one. Sometimes trucks are off to the side of the road because they have broken their axels. It is a real challenge to drive these roads. Then there are the police checks about every 1/2 mile. One of the things we do to get through them is have MISSIONARY painted accross the front and back of the car.

Nigerians belief in God comes through on the pictures painted on some trucks we saw. (The first is of Jesus and the second of baby Moses being placed in the bullrushes)

But it is the children who always capture my heart - they are beautiful and full of light and hope in their eyes. Although these children look a little apprehensive - they rarely see an Obruni! (white person)

Nigeria was a fun experience - nice to see the land and to meet the people. We came home with some positive feelings and were thankful we had the opportunity to go there.

The Aba Temple Complex: A Little Bit of Heaven

The Aba temple site was a little bit of paradise dropped from the heavens into the city of Aba. Large expanses of brilliant green lawns with hedges and palms and white egrit birds lending their beauty. All is in perfect order and cleanliness. Gardeners work to keep every dead leaf or flower picked off and discarded for this is a place that symbolizes Christ which gives us life, living waters, and blessings unmeasured. The spirit on these grounds is one of peace in a city of some turmoil.

Aba is a very crowded dirty commercial city. Streets are generally lined with makeshift storefronts and trash is everywhere. Compared to Accra where we walk the streets and find women and men with their palm stick hand brooms sweeping the dirt of all liter.'' The church built the street that approaches the temple. Hence you see sidewalks - something unheard of in Aba. There is a stake center, some offices, an ancillary building where missionaries reside, and of course the temple on the campus.

Security is high at the Aba Temple. As the risk of kidnapping of whites is ever present, the missionaries rarely leave the complex, and only with security driving them in white vans with "Missionary" plastered on the front and back of the vehicle. These faithful people are close to each other. They work together, have family home evening together and frequently invite each other to dinner. The Aba Temple campus is one of the most beautiful temple grounds I have ever been to, and I feel we were blessed to be able to visit it.

Mapping Boundaries in Nigeria

We spent the past week in Nigeria with the express purpose of mapping stakes and districts. In Uyo and Aba we met with stake and district presidents to discuss their boundaries and determine where the people in each ward lived.

You can tell by the pictures that these men were involved! Many traveled long distances (4-6 hours) to meet with us. They looked at their ward area on Google Earth and tried to determine where their members lived, and where their unit boundaries should be. Our efforts in West Africa are focused on bringing the church to the people, and in building centers of strength. We do this by creating managable boundaries for Bishops and District Presidents to minister to their people; boundaries that allow members to travel to church on foot within 30 minutes; and by directing missionaries to teach within a 3km area around the chapel.

These leaders were amazed at what they could see on Google Earth. For the first time ever they were able to visualize their boundaries. They began to see where boundaries needed to be changed, and where new units would bless the lives of people.

The following scriptures were the inspiration for this project:

Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; Isaiah 54:2
...strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.
Moroni 10:31

Carpet Bowls

Last Friday night we were invited to the Golden's home for dinner and a game of Carpet Bowling. We were first treated to a wonderful chicken curry dinner. It reminded me of the curry I make at home -one that Marilyn Branham taught us all how to make in Relief Socity. It was yummy with bananas, coconut, chutney and pineapple to add on top.

After dinner, Elder Golden got out Carpet Bowls, a South African game. You have two balls each - they are a little bigger than a pool ball and they are weighted. There is also a little white ball that is dropped on the carpet. The object is to roll your balls as close to the white ball as you can. The closest roll gets a point.

If you put the weighted circle on your right, as you roll the ball, it will turn left. If you put it on the left side as you roll the ball, it will roll right. If you put it straight up it rolls straight. The men were first. Elder Cardon and our DTA, Bob Eppel comprised one team and Dad and Pres. Snow were the other team. The men were fascinated with the curve, but that was their downfall. They just had a hard time getting it to roll to the little white ball that was droped at the far end of the carpet. They would roll too hard or without success, try to get the curve under control. As the game progressed they got better.

The women were next and learned a lot by watching the men. Sr. Snow and Sr. Eppel were partners and Sr. Cardon and I were partners. The women had a softer touch to the roling, and none tried to curve the ball. Sr. Cardon and I won the women's round.

After dessert we had a playoff:the champion women's team against the champion men's team. Near the end, the men were ahead. I had the last roll..well you all know my competitive side...maybe I should have just let them win!

McCarthy Hill Youth Camp

Our work is in an office. The opportunity for Elder Shipley and I to be involved in the events or experiences of the members of the church is slim. However, we do know what is going on...we hear about experiences everyday. The McCarthy Hill Youth Camp is one of those experiences that I thought might be interesting for our readers.

Accra Ghana McCarthy Hill Stake held their 2nd annual youth camp August 19-23, 2008. Youth 14 and older were invited to attend. The camp was held in Nswaum at the Boy Scout Training Camp. Last year the youth slept out under the stars so it was a real treat to discover they had tents this time. The tents were donated by the Salt Lake Stake
For many it was there first trip out of their villages and the drive itself was an adventure. “So many villages” was the comment of one of the youth. The campers arrived between noon and 2 o’clock. After registering, finding their tents and relaxing, dinner was served followed by the movie Esther.

Each morning at 4:30am they were awakened by the ring of the bell to attend seminary at 4:45am and then exercise group at 5:15am. With an hour to get cleaned up and dressed for the day, breakfast was served each day at 7am.

Everyone enjoyed weaving baskets and stringing beads as well as an introduction to the art of photography. Workshops were held on dating, public speaking, HIV and aids, first aid, salsa dancing, career development, and scriptures fun. Each evening after dinner were special activities: a movie, a debate on chastity, a play. The final night was a dinner dance where each boy was required to ask one of the girls to accompany him. At the dinner they came in their Sunday best and practiced the manners they had learned, conversation and eating with utensils. In Africa it is custom to eat with your hands, so this was a challenge. The dance gave them an opportunity to practice the salsa they had learned during the week.


Young men and women in Africa work hard everyday. For many their daily life consists of carrying water in buckets on their heads to their homes several times a day, walking great distances to school, selling goods on the street to help their families provide food and schooling, and carrying for the young ones in their family. Vacations are being home with your family. They are a happy and grateful people for the blessings God gives to them. They delight in being able to come to the temple to do baptisms. They never would dream of a camping trip.

The Sunday after Youth Camp, my husband and I sat behind a young man in Budaburam Branch. During the sacrament he pulled out his itinerary from camp. He had written so many notes on the back. He ran his fingers over the words he had written with a feeling of gratefulness. He read his notes over and over. For him, a refugee from Liberia, youth camp was a dream he never even considered. It was a dream that was a reality that he will never forget.

Go Vote!

Tomorrow is election day in America. I believe this election is one of the most important in my lifetime. Elder Shipley and I cast our absentee ballots the first part of October. Our daughter Holly had written her feelings on America in her blog (www.casosfamily.blogspot.com). I was so impressed with her picture and her quote from Ronald Reagon - I've stolen it and placed it here. Go Vote!

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.-Ronald Reagan

A Special Day in the Temple

This past week I had the opportunity to be an escort to a sweet lady named Precious Dike. Her parents named her perfectly - she truly is "Precious" Precious was baptized just a year ago and came this week to receive her endowment in the temple. Some of her ward came a week or two ago, but not being a member a year she was unable to go with them. Her friends told her that she could go in December, but she told them she didn't want to wait that long. So she got on a bus by herself in Cotonou, BENIN and rode 8 hours to Accra for this special day.

I met Precious in July when she came with a senior missionary couple who had completed their mission, having served 18 months in BENIN. Her membership record could not be located so I was contacted to help find it, which I did. She also wanted her patriarchal blessing at that time and so Elder Shipley arranged with our resident patriarch who works in the Area Office for her blessing. Precious has a beautiful countenance and we were immediately endeared to her.

She has had a difficult past. Shortly after the birth of her 3rd child, her husband was killed in an accident in Nigeria. It was a very difficult time for her. She moved to Cotonou to live with her parents and receive the support and comfort needed to cope with her sorrow. A year ago she was introduced to the church by a friend. She received a testimony of the restored gospel quickly as she felt the spirit testify to her heart of its truthfulness. She loves the gospel and realizes what a positive influence it has been in her life and the blessing it has been to her children and her mother.

This week I fulfilled a promise made to her in July to accompany Precious when she choose to come to the temple. The spirit was strong, and we had a sweet experience...it was as if she was my own daughter. I am sure it will be one of the highlights of my mission. I love these people.

Heads Up!

In Africa, almost everything is carried on the head. I've seen suitcases, sewing machines, and you will note one of these pictures is a refrigerator on the head! They learn from the time they are about 2 or 3 years old to carry things on their heads instead of in their hands. The hawkers on the street will drop something, bend down and pick it up, all while balancing their product on their head without dropping one thing! It is amazing. This is everyday Africa - these are the pictures we see with our eyes everyday.