December 7 - 9, 2015 - Office Life - New Missionaries

I was trying to make some changes to this post, but I lost everything so I am having to re-create this. So if you happened to read it before,--yes, it has changed a bit.

December 7 – Sister Mikesell was training Elder Peterson in finance procedures all day today. Sister Vance and I moved the pictures around on the transfer board to reflect the new assignments for the missionaries. I also helped Sister Draper get bags ready for the 8 incoming Elders and one sister who will be arriving on Wednesday. Each receives a set of sheets, a blanket, a pillow, a towel, a mosquito net, a flashlight and a whistle.

We had family home evening as group tonight with all of us that live here in the compound. Sister Cook led the discussion and had given each of us an assignment earlier today to prepare a small part for the lesson in Revelations. They have been studying the New Testament this year. We had a good discussion. Satan will try his hardest to get us to fail. We must stand strong with the Prophet, follow the commandments, and keep our families close to win against him. We know that in the end those who follow Christ will overcome Satan and his followers. Our reward will be eternal life in the Celestial Kingdom with our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ. That is the goal for all of us.

December 8 – Elder Peterson spent the day with Sister Mikesell learning more finance procedures. I typed the Names of Christ that we put on as ornaments last year. Mine are packed at the cabin. I typed them on green paper and laminated them. We will place them on a wall in the office in the shape of a Christmas tree.

The day was spent getting ready for the incoming missionaries tomorrow. I helped out with a few odd jobs for the Sisters in the office. It will be next transfer that Sister Draper will have me do the work while she teaches and oversees. That will be their last transfer before they go home. So I will have to learn quickly and take lots of notes. Actually, Sister Draper has some really good helps that she has put together for me to follow. She is very good at details. She will be an excellent trainer for me.

Sister Draper and I put together the bags for the new missionaries. It contains sheets, a blanket, pillow, umbrella, mosquito net, colored pencils, and a whistle. This whistle is used if they need to get help. If they blow the whistle, the neighbors will come.

Received this picture from Olivia

Grandpa (notice the glasses), Grandma, and Olivia

December 9 – Eight Elders and one Sister arrived in the mission today. One was Elder Kipata that some of you read about in Facebook from Leslie's post. Sister Thomas says many from Kinshasa have a similar story. There was paperwork for them to fill out, a quick overall medical exam, an interview with the President, and photos to be taken. They were exhausted. The MTC is in Accra, Ghana where they would have received their endowment. If I understood it right, they had about an 8 hour layover in Kenya before flying here. So it was a long journey for them. We could empathize completely. All they wanted to do was to eat and then find a bed for sleep.

Solange is a church member who works here at the Mission Home, helping Sister Thomas and clean the Mission Office. She also cleans the tile floors in our individual homes once a week. Today Solange cooked Fu Fu and Sombé.

Fufu is a dish that is very important to Congolese because it is a staple food. This dish is composed of water and corn flour, sometimes mixed with cassava flour. Fufu is to Western and Central Africa cooking what mashed potatoes are to traditional European-American cooking. Fufu is shaped into balls about te size of a baseball. To eat fufu: use your right hand to tear off a bite-sized piece of the fufu, shape it into a ball, make an indentation in it, and use it to scoop up the soup or stew or sauce, or whatever you're eating. Today Solange made Sombé to eat with the fufu. It is a spinach-like green vegetable that is a staple here as well. Sister Thomas made rice with beef in a sauce to go over the top. She also made spaghetti without meatballs to eat.

Sombé and Fufu

Beef in sauce served over rice.

Spaghetti - Yummy

All of us Senior Sisters went to help serve the food and then clean up. After the missionaries ate, Elder Peterson came over and we ate a plate of food. The Fufu and Sambé was not bad. The beef in sauce and rice was good and the spaghetti was delicious.