Computer Woes

I know many of you may be wondering why I haven't posted anything for 5 weeks!!!

Well life got busy and then when I began to think about posting, my computer died - my beloved MacBook Pro. The keyboard is frozen. The dashboard is now missing and I'm afraid it is packed away until our return in August and I'm praying I haven't lost everything. The desktop was still there - that gives me a wee bit of hope. I'm really bummed. I loved my Apple computer, but after two years it has died - that is a little too soon...I may have to go back to a PC (for reliablity) - kind of like Toyotas and Hondas in the car world.

I'm now on Steve's computer. All my pictures are on my computer. My only solution is to get out and take more pictures. Give me a week and I may have something more interesting.

This Ones for Steen

The other night or early morning when I was asleep but concious of something crawling on my face, I kept rubbing where I could feel something. When morning came and I woke up and was making my bed, there next to my pillow was a dead roach!! Well at least I didn't swallow it.

Centers of Strenth

Today we attended church in the Nungua Wards. It was a special treat. Each week we visit a different ward. Lately we have been in the branches. The branches are usually out in the villages. Often the meetings are held in Twi or Fonte. There is evidence of struggle in testimonies. Today we witnessed the meaning of a "Center of Strength". People came in families, scriptures in hand, and smiles on their faces. The talks in the sacrament meetings we attended were powerful, filled with the spirit. The gospel doctrine teacher was a return missionary filled with the knowledge of the gospel, focused on the lesson's objective, and able to illicit comments from the members. It was a beautiful experience. I felt God must have directed us to this congregation. I needed to see the strength of the gospel in Africa today.

One comment during a lesson struck me: "if we don't marry the scriptures, we have difficulty getting answers to our prayers. Many answers to prayers are found in the scriptures. Many others come because as we read the scriptures we tune into the spirit - our eyes and mind become open - and we are able to hear the direction we need.

In one talk we learned about Testimony - our personal witness. My mind was refreshed as the speaker said, "We cannot buy it, we cannot inherit it, we cannot create it. It comes to us through the Holy Ghost." Gaining a testimony is a process based on the "law of the harvest" found in Alma 32 in the Book of Mormon. We must desire to believe, plant His word in our minds, and then experiment on His words. When we feel we have our answers we can then go to the Lord and ask for His testimony of the truth. Alma 5:46 "I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true." I have often thought how blessed the children of God are that they are able to have a personal witness of the truth of all things. That witness gives us perspective in life. It fills us with confidence in following the Lord's commandments and in turn strengthens us to endur through life's trials.

I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I bare testimony that it has been restored in its fullness: that we have prophets that guide us in today's troubled world, that we have scriptures filled with revelation to prophets of old that expand our knowledge of the principles of the gospel taught in the Bible, that the Priesthood is given to bless mankind, and that the ordinances are upon the earth that seal us up to Eternal Life. It is a day and time of extremes. The World is full of wickedness, yet the gospel is upon the earth in it's glory awaiting the return of the Lord.

The End or the Beginning to a Beautiful Story?

Esther finally was able to leave with her adopted mom for America. She now lives in Ohio where it is cold and snowy. These pictures are of Esta or Esther, part of a beautiful family. Families are special. Families are where joy and true happiness is found. Heavenly Father designed it that way. Baby Esta born an orphan in Africa, now part of an Eternal Family in America. Angels must have been watching over her.

The Christmas Tree

Elder Shipley and I went to work on Christmas Eve. Christmas decorations in our apartment were next to none, so it seemed just like any other day in many ways. In the afternoon two boxes came to our office addressed to us from the Casos Family. I promptly emailed Holly to let her know the packages had arrived. That afternoon we went home to get things ready for our Christmas Eve Family Home Evening at the Snows. I had a roast cooking in the crock pot, and had rolls to make. We'd prepared a game and a Christmas story program to present.

Shortly after we came to our apartment, packages in hand, Holly called us on Skype very excited insisting that we open one of our packages. Her family had gathered around to watch us discover their gift to us. So we opened the box and to our surprise found a Christmas tree and all the trimmings including lights that operated on batteries. I don't know who was more delighted. We loved having a little Christmas in our home and the girls giggled and laughed as we discovered the ornaments, the bell garland, the star, the small red ball ornaments, and the lights. They watched as we put it all together and it was just a sweet wonderful moment for all of us. We loved our Christmas tree that arrived on Christmas Eve ! It left us with memories of Christmas 2008 that we will never forget.

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!