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
5 comments:
Looking at those pictures I'm reminded of an old song sung by children 'round the world: "One of these things is not like the others . . ."
In more ways than one, Matt! You gave me a good laugh!!
I am glad to see you guys are still alive after Nigeria! I have been a bit worried. It looks like your trip was a success! The temple is beautiful.
That's very funny, Matt. Thanks for the chuckle. You are involved in such a great work, Mom. I am so impressed--and very thankful you got home safe!
I spent the last 90 minutes reviewing your blogs of the last three months. I'm glad you are in Ghana rather than Nigeria! Your "journal" is wonderful to read and I am so proud that I can point to you as senior missionaries who were willing to go where the need for you was greatest at the time. You both have a level of energy that seems to be fading away slowly for me, but we are at least able to serve the Church as "short term specialists." We travel to Utah each month to attend the Vision Care specialist meeting. Next year, we have been assigned to supervise vision care projects for the Church in Jordan and Indonesia. We will first work with the welfare services missionary within an area where the area presidency has requested a vision care project. We gather as much information as we can with long-distance methods of communication, then travel to the country and meet with the Church representative (service missionary or area welfare specialist) and finalize the features of the project, the participants, and the budget. We make sure that the project is feasable and that Church funds will be used properly and wisely. Then, after returning, we write the first of several reports on the project, including follow-up and 6 month retrospectives. It's something Shirley and I can do together, with Shirley keeping the records and a running account of the project and with me communicating with the participants and making judgments about the design of the project and its likelihood of success and asking all of the technical questions that go with vision care.
Shirley and I would like to send you a "care package." The Post Office has a box that we can ship for about $45 to Ghana. We have used it successfully to help support two students in Zambia who are going to high school and the university (Peggy Rodger's project).
Let us know what we can send you that would be a belated Christmas present.
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