Hezseltine Mission - Liberia: January 2016

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Released

Released Sunday, 31st January 2016, 1:30pm.

Friday, January 29, 2016

We arrived at the Salt Lake airport 29th January 2016. All our lugguage arrived together and came off the belt early. Amazing! That was a first. Our grandkids made us this airport sign. We were told that it is reusable and the last sign they would need to make for us :/ President and Sister Roggia were also at the airport to greet us.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Glasses, glasses, glasses

The first week in January I got a package from my friend Luann. It contained 72 pairs of reading glasses!

A couple of days before we left for home another package of 63 pairs of reading glasses arrived!

What a blessing!!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Sinoe and Maryland Trip

Several years ago there was a church "Group" in Greenville Sinoe County. There has been no contact with these saints for 8 years other than occasional phone calls. There are also members in Harper Maryland but no group. No church leaders have ever been to Harper as far as we know. The actual number of members and interest in both places was uncertain. These faithful members have been calling President Sayon with increasing interest and frequency. On 22nd February 2016 President Carlson, President Sayon, brother Pride Andrews, Sister Hezseltine and I headed off to Greenville and Harper to go visit these saints. This was a 4 day journey with over 500 miles of dirt road through bush/jungle, many bridges and many villages.

Day 1 - Greenville

Ignore that estimated time!

Getting ready to leave. We took 2 vehicles.
Getting air in tyres.

Day 1 – Continued

More dusty roads and many villages.

Logging station.

Lunch rest stop at ITI. Purchased pineapple and coconut – really sweet. Here’s the gas station. Restrooms are behind the building in the background, 2nd banana tree on the right – really.

Finally, our first sign to Greenville. But don’t follow the sign the bridge is out. We took the detour through Unification City. Good job we had Bro. Bolkai with us.

We dropped by Bro Bolkai’s farm 23 miles outside of Greenville. This is his family, mostly grandchildren on his 300 acre farm. Notice the bat (swallow) house over his right shoulder.

Long day on the road.
Accommodation at Greenville. The room had AC Smile

from 7pm to 7am. We are very grateful for AC.

Meeting with the saints in Greenville. No contact with the church for 8 years other than a few phone calls.

Day 2–Harper Maryland

Path in dark blue, no roads indicated on map.

Early morning ocean mist as we leave Greenville for Harper. Just another 140 miles (7 hours) or so of dusty/dirt road.

Accommodation at the Catholic Pastoral Center. And meeting place tomorrow (Sunday)

Our room. Notice the AC above my head Smile

Standing next to our bathroom. A “jack and Jill” bothroom. Luckily President Carlson was next door. Not true for President Sayon who found a lady in his bathroom. He took his matress and moved in with Pride.

Putting in the last of our 20 gallons of fuel. No gas station in Harper. Can only buy fuel by the gallon jug on the side of the road.

Miami Beach (really, that’s it’s name)

Day 3 – Harper Maryland–Sunday

Breakfast – Dry rice, fish, plantain.

10:00am meeting with the saints in Harper. We had no idea how many people would show up. They are “thirsty” for the gospel.
After the meeting we thought we would have enough time to make it back to Greenville by dark (7pm). This would save us a day.

More goats on the road. They think they own the road and you have to drive around them.

We arrived back in Greenville about 7pm and spent the night at the Mississippi Hotel. We discovered from President Sayon that you can order hot water to take a bath, so we ordered. A short while later a bucket of hot water was delivered to our room and we took a hot bucket bath. It felt soooo good!