As we 'carry' ourselves to Bushrod Island.

When Liberians are offering someone a ride, they say, "I can carry you."

***

We wanted to show what we see as we drive onto Bushrod Island and down UN Drive.  We make this trip almost daily.  Sometimes twice a day.  

This is what it looks like as we drive over the Gabriel Johnson Tucker Bridge.

This man is hauling heavy mahogany boards over the bridge on a 'push-push'. 

As we leave the bridge and look to the right, we see all these zinc roofs that have many small businesses under them.  

Motor bikes are no longer allowed on the main roads, so we are now seeing theses Huasha taxis.  They  are like a motorcycle in the front with a seating compartment on the back.  We've seen as many as 6 people get in for a ride.

Need to learn how to drive in Liberia?  You can come to the Island for driving lessons.  We are curious what they teach new drivers.  The condition of the car might show you how the driving is here!

This is the landmark that helps us know where to turn for the New Kru Town Sister's apartment.

The Logan Town, New Kru Town, Point Four, and Doe Community Elders' apartments.

There are 3 apartments on the second floor of this building where the Elders live.

Many people take a wheel barrow and turn it into a business.  This man is selling bread from his.

Put up an umbrella, set up a table under it, and start a business.  Need a pair of tennis shoes?  

OR a mattress?

A quick stop at Family Bakery and you could get some bread, rolls, or even a donut.

We travel under the Bong Mine Bridge as we go further onto the Island.

The Elders on Bushrod love this store.  It's one of the few supermarkets there.  We like to stop there also.

This is just a small sampling of what we see as we travel onto Bushrod Island.  We very much enjoy our assignment to serve with the members and missionaries there.  

Our Beautiful Liberia!

We wanted to share some of the pictures we've taken here in Liberia.  There really are some beautiful things to see here.

This is the view from the balcony of the Mission Office.  You know how I LOVE the ocean, so I especially enjoy this view.

This road is found as we travel to Duala.  Because it is paved, it feels like real neighborhood.

The view from the Mission Home veranda.

We missed not having a garden last year, so we thought this Branch garden project was beautiful.  They grew cabbages that they were able to eat and still have enough to sell.

This is our view as we looked back at the fishing village where we got on a boat to travel to Monkey Island at Marshall.

Look at the interesting way the branches of this palm tree grow.

A view of Broad Street from the top of the Ducor Hotel.  Broad street is the main street in downtown Monrovia.  It has planters down the middle that have iron fences, trees, grass, and benches.  The Ducor Hotel is on the highest point in Monrovia.  It was closed just before the start of the war and has pretty much been destroyed between the war and looting. 

Took this picture as we crossed the bridge from Bushrod Island back into Monrovia.  I loved the reflection of the sun in the water.

Up close look at the boats in a fishing village in Banjor.

Notice the American flag on this fishing boat.  

From the top floor of Hotel Africa.  This hotel was also destroyed during the war.  Look closely and you can see what's left of the swimming pool.

The Liberia YSA Summit will held this July at Rick's Institute in Brewerville.  The school has 500 acres and raises some of their own meat to help feed their students.  I loved the picture of the cows among the palm trees.

It was hard to know when to stop sharing pictures.  We've seen some beautiful places as we've traveled around.  

"I can see it!"

This last Tuesday, we received the final box of reading glasses from our Butler 10th ward.  It was about a month's time between the arrival of the first box and the last - even though they were all mailed on the same day.  It really was just like Christmas for us to get these boxes.  We had the best time opening them up, sorting them by strength, and handing them out.

Here are just a few of the people who have received glasses -

This is Francis Wreh.  He is the reason we suggested sending reading glasses.  We noticed when he came to our Eternal Marriage Class that he would hold a piece of a broken magnifying glass and try and read through it.

He would move the glass up and down, trying to get it just right, so he could see.  You wouldn't believe how happy he was to have 'real' glasses to wear.

 Sister Howard tried on several pair before deciding that these were the one.  After class, she carefully folded up her glasses and put them back in the plastic sleeve they came in before putting them in her purse.

This is Richard Desmond.  He is very shy and quiet so it took real courage for him to ask for a pair of glasses.  Look carefully and you can see he chose the glasses that have small reading lights built into the temples.

Selena Joloka first tried on a turquoise pair of glasses to match her shirt, but these are the ones that worked best for her.  When she put her glasses on and looked down at her Book of Mormon, she said, "I can see it!"  She was so happy.

This is Selena's sister, Theresa.  During the war in Liberia they went to live in Ghana in a refugee camp.  They just recently returned.  They are delightful women!!  

These are just a few of the people who've been helped - so far.  Thanks again to all those who helped with this project.  You really have blessed the lives of many here in Liberia.

"To teach and preach and work as missionaries do..."

 The Ghana MTC was looking for pictures to put up in their classrooms.  They wanted pictures from each of the West Africa Missions showing missionaries teaching.  Here are a couple of the pictures we submitted of our Liberian missionaries.

  We teach an Eternal Marriage class at the Paynesville Chapel on Wednesday night.  We love it when we drive up and see the missionaries teaching under the big tree there in the yard.

L to R - Elders Price, Pearmain, Pishl, Tolar

Here are the missionaries teaching one of the guards at the compound where we live.  Abraham asked Elder Berrett a few weeks ago if he had anything he could read about our church.  He gave him some pamphlets and contacted the missionaries to meet with him.  They've been teaching him and his wife, Princess, for several weeks now.  

L to R - Elder Guymon, a branch missionary, Elder Bosomtwe

 Elder Berrett is doing some training in the yard of the New Kru Town Chapel with Brother Geeplay, the branch clerk, and the branch president, President Doe.

This is Sister Weah, the branch Relief Society President, and me, in the Relief Society room of the New Kru Town chapel.  We were doing some Visiting Teaching training.

When we were home in January, we met a great young man named Alex Vandi from Liberia who is now living in Utah.  He told us about his sister, Margaret, who lives in Paynesville and gave us her phone number.  We were finally able to meet with her this last week.  We gave her some pictures of her brother and had a nice visit.  She wasn't interested in hearing about the church, but we were able to tell her a little bit about it.

The Monrovia Liberia missionaries are working hard to bring the gospel to many.  We love being able to serve with them.