Defenders of the Faith

   

DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH!

picture courtesy of Bro. & Sis Berrett

 

The picture with the deer in the back yard.... thats awesome!  Why couldn't something like that happened to me when I was home?  Could've put my paintball gun to good use!  KIDDING! Have they been hanging out around the house awhile or was that just a one day occurrence? 

Halloween is this week so take lots of pictures if you guys do something fun.  I want to see all the crazy costumes! Don't worry about me, I will celebrate it with my companion by going to a place called EVER GREEN where we can enjoy a nice American Hamburger!  FYI when you guys are celebrating Halloween, just remember that one year ago, your little son/brother received his call to the Sierra Leone Freetown mission.  Can you believe its been a year since that day?  I sure can't.  I'm almost 8 months on my mission now...  time is going way quick.  And mother, you sound like a wonder mom again!  Doesn't surprise me, because that's how you always were when we were growing up!  I can't believe its been 7 1/2 months since you made home made rolls.... I would have died if I was back home.  That's one thing that makes my mouth water, is thinking about your warm home made rolls fresh out of the oven with butter and home made strawberry jam.  ;l.k,jmhgfdfghjkjnhgujnmfeghv bnghgftilkjhgertykjh  sorry, I was wiping the drool off the keyboard.  I have one thing to ask, when I get home, the first meal we have MUST have home made rolls with strawberry jam.  Hopefully that's not asking too much....   And dad, did you ever get that pumpkin out of the fence without breaking it?  or what did you end up doing with it? 

   And mom, whatever you send to the African missionaries, they will appreciate! They love getting things like that.  But since you asked if there are any last requests for stuff to put in my package...  wait, let me get my list out (;  Kidding,  but some things you could send is beef jerky but not slim jims.  I ate one and it was like the small kind you guys sent me, and I got sick from it.  So those ones don't sit well with me anymore.  But other beef jerky, yes! any kind of variety of goodies or food ideas like you've done in the past will be good.  I'm just grateful that you guys even send stuff!  Also,  anything else that you would like to put in, go for it.  I will be happy with whatever!  Maybe send a big thing of toothpaste! I'm almost out! Just put yourself in my shoes... if you were in a third world country where American food is expensive, what would you want? (;
     Last pday after emailing, we went to the beach.  We usually play football on the beach or just sit and talk.  That day though, we decided to dig a hole and sit in it.  Sounds like something missionaries would do, right? (;    Anyway, as we were digging, I had my ring on.... bad idea I know.  I later realized how bad of an idea it actually was when I realized that it no longer was on my finger anymore...  talk about sad day.  My finger ever since then has felt naked.  I feel like I'm always forgetting something wherever I go.  Its horrible.  I thought I'd be able to wear it my whole mission and then get a new one.  Guess that goal went down the drain....  Maybe a missionary in the near future will find it and wear it or even a fisher man will find it in the ocean somewhere and have an interest in finding out what church believes in CTR rings... WHO KNOWS.  All I know is God works in mysterious ways to bring people to the gospel...  It made me mad that I lost it, but everything happens for a reason, so I'm still on the search for why this one happened.  Ignorance? stupidity? I dont know  (; haha but I'm a ringless missionary now... maybe for my birthday or Christmas you could send me either the same one, or a new one if possible.  Then my finger won't feel as naked.  But for now, I'll try to make this nice tan line look good.  Maybe it will turn into a new trend and everyone will want a white strip around their finger.

     We had a cool miracle happen this week! We have miracles everyday that are amazing, but this one was a really good one!  It started on Thursday when we were calling our baptismal candidate for her interview with President Tweh.  When we got a hold of her phone, it was her mom who answered.  She said that she had gone to the market to sell some goods.  We're thinking, "You got to be kidding me... her interviews in an hour and shes selling at the market."  We had even told her the day before about her interview so it made us a little frustrated.  But as we were talking to her mom, we found out that Evelyn didn't have any car pay (transportation money) to get to her interview.  Well this stinks....  we asked if she could get money from them and talked for a little while longer than told them to call us back if they had money.  We hung up the phone we both knew that she would be able to make it to her interview.  A little while later, the phone rings... Its her.  She answers the phone and says that her parents gave her car pay to get there.  Thank you  Heavenly Father!!!!  God was definitely helping out on this one!  We told her that she should leave now so she could make it to her interview on time.  Some time goes by and we are now waiting for her at Island Clinic junction.  While we are waiting, we decide to call her and see where she's at.  She tells us that she'll be two hours.  What?? Her interview is in a half hour.   Oh boy....  we walked up to the chapel and waited there for her instead.  And about 4 minutes until her interview, she comes walking through the gate onto the church grounds.  Once again, Thank you Heavenly Father!!  She comes in and has her interview and everything goes smoothly.  Now you are thinking, wow thats incredible that everything worked out and this is a really cool miracle.  Just wait a few more lines.  It gets better.  After the interview, we walk with her down to the main road so she'll be able to catch a taxi and go home.  We try to help her get a taxi but they were all full.  Time was against us, so we told her that we had to go and that we'd pass by her house later.  So, we caught a bike and left.  When we were pulling away, she kind of had this look on her face like, "now what do I do?" But we didn't think anything of it.  A couple hours later, (5 or so hours) we were walking through our area and passed by her place.  We asked her mom  if she was around and she responded with, "We haven't seen her since this morning when she left for her interview."  Oh crap.......  Elder Humpherys and I look at each other and go,"Did she have any car pay to get home??"  Uh oh.... we whip out the phone and dial her number.  She answers and is happy as can be.  We ask her where she's at and she tells us that she's at the Logan town market because the rain caught her.  Then we asked if she had walked home and she said yes.  She said she didn't have car pay to get home.....  That explains the face she was giving at the junction when we were pulling away.  I couldn't believe that we left her there and that she walked that far!  It stunned both of us. The walk is like 2 or 3 miles.  It took her ALL day to get home.  We were just thankful that she was able to make it home.  Now you can see how this was a big miracle in our week!  She sacrificed sooo much just so she could be baptized.  Her baptism this weekend was great as well.  I love being a missionary at this time and in Liberia.  I know that this is the place that I am suppose to be and I know that this church is true.  I'm so thankful for all the blessings and miracles our Heavenly Father gives us each and everyday.  We need to be more thankful for his hand in our life each day.  We go from our day to day activities and we rarely see how much God has an impact in our life.  I love the church and I'm thankful that Mom and Dad knew where the truth was and let us kids grow up in it.  I see all these people lost and its sad. Thank you for all that you guys have done for me and I hope you all have a great week.  Love you all!

Some of my favorite scriptures
Mosiah 2:41

James 5:19-20

Love Elder Zaugg

Here is a great article from Meridian Magazine about the Missionaries in Liberia! http://ldsmag.com/article/1/13473

An Invitation to Fast - Please join with us on Nov. 3, 2013 as we fast for a new Church building for the Logan Town Branch.

Below are pictures of the Logan Town Branch Building.

                               (Pictures and captions courtesy of Bro. & Sis. Berrett)  http://berrettsinliberia.blogspot.com/2013/10/logan-town-and.html?showComment=1382967661281#c6507405561989202018

The Berretts  truck is the only one parked at the church on Sundays.  The members either walk or have to pay to ride a motorcycle taxi to get to church. The road in front of the building is full of deep potholes which fill up with water when it rains.  It's quite the adventure just getting to church!

Notice the roof and shutters on the windows.  There is no glass in the windows and no electricity or running water in the building.  When it rains, the ceiling leaks and the members just slide over on the benches so they won't get wet.  The branch will be fasting this next Fast Sunday that we can find a new building for them to meet in.  Please join with us in our fast.  These humble and devoted members of the church need a better place to meet.  

Update - It rained so hard at church yesterday, that the rain hitting the zinc roof sounded like a freight train.  The ceiling started to leak - really leak - emptying the first two rows of benches.  Rain was blowing in the windows so they shut the shutters and boy, was it dark.  We could barley make out the white shirts of those setting up front.  Because there's no sound system, we could not hear the speaker. Everyone just sat quietly, trying to listen.  I never realized before the humble circumstances that many of the members attend church in each week.  I love these Logan Town members