Well here we go again. Another monday and another day of nothing much to say. I don't really know what that means but the past couple of weeks I'm really struggling of what I should write. I'm currently in Freetown for a meeting today. I traveled yesterday after church and we are going back this evening.
The news of the mission was that the new mission president has been called. Like you said his name is President Roggia. He is from Texas and he is a retired military chaplian. I didn't know what a chaplain was either but it guess its a religious counselor in the military. Another retired military man for this mission. Elder Wire was also a former military man and he was perfect for the calling. I don't think I will ever meet this man but the news is still exciting. President Squires was saying he might not get to meet him either.
Ok, well I'm just going to be honest with you all. The reason my last couple of weeks was boring was because I didn't go anywhere. I was stuck in the apartment for six straight days because my companion was very sick. He had Typhoid and Malaria at the same time. Elder Lauti has never gotten sick in his life and he sure chose the wrong time to start getting sick. He had the same sickness about a month ago and he relapsed last week. Now you are prabably thinking typhoid and malaria is pretty serious, but its actually quite common among missionaries here. I've even had it and its not much fun at all. I'm still trying to figure out why we got a typhoid immunization if we can still get typhoid.
It all started last week Friday, when Elder Lauti had a really bad headache and a fever. The conditions did not improve and I ended up taking him to the hospital with sister squires last week monday (which was why I wasn't able to email on monday last week). Oh man, that hospital was quite an experience. I don't think those doctors knew what they were doing but the good thing was that they had a drip. Thankfully he started recovering on Tuesday and Wednesday and by thursday we were able to go out for half a day. Its actually all really funny now. Oh another part of it, when my companion was laying down with a high fever I fanned him for hours at a time to keep his fever down. I seriously got a blister from fanning him so much. The good news is that he is 100% better now so you don't have to worry. You can even emial sister squires and she will tell you its all true and we are being well taken care of.
Hopefully I will have more to talk about next week because I'm out of ideas for this week. Love you all.
Elder Degen
Rice is Life
PS HI KEVIN!!!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
New e-mail address!!
The area office has asked that all missionaries begin using the myldsmail.net for emailing family. My new account is eric_degen@myldsmail.net. Please let all family members know. Remember that I can only respond to family members (extended included). I can receive mail from friends but don't expect a return email. Please begin using this account next week.
E-mail dated 2/9/10
Well, like you, I don't think I will have much to say today. This week wasn't really exciting. Let me start by answering your question about Sunday School. As missionaries we don't attend Sunday School, we attend the Gospel Essential Class (or as it is called here the investigators class). We use the gospel principles manual for this class and then we do the same thing in Elders Quorum. A couple of weeks ago, the leaders made a mistake and we read the same chapter for both classes. I believe that the actual Sunday school class is studying the Old Testament, but I've never attended so I'm not sure. You never know here.
So I have a random question. If you had to live without running water or power which one would you choose? I am currently without both and it is very obvious which one we need more. Living without power is easy, but living without water . . . It takes so much effort to go and get a bucket of water from the well. Needless to say our apartment was very dirty because of our laziness to get water from the well. I spent a lot of time cleaning the kitchen and the bathroom and they look so good now. Geez, that was probably the lamest paragraph I've every written. That's how exciting my week was.
Well, not much else happened this week and I'm out of things to say. I love you all and enjoy the week.
Elder Degen
Rice is Life
So I have a random question. If you had to live without running water or power which one would you choose? I am currently without both and it is very obvious which one we need more. Living without power is easy, but living without water . . . It takes so much effort to go and get a bucket of water from the well. Needless to say our apartment was very dirty because of our laziness to get water from the well. I spent a lot of time cleaning the kitchen and the bathroom and they look so good now. Geez, that was probably the lamest paragraph I've every written. That's how exciting my week was.
Well, not much else happened this week and I'm out of things to say. I love you all and enjoy the week.
Elder Degen
Rice is Life
Monday, February 1, 2010
E-mail dated 2/1/10
Ok I can't really start emails very well so I'm just going to dive right into whats on my mind. Its kind of interesting as I look back on the progress of the mission since it was created 2 and a half years ago. Very gradually the Lord has revealed line upon line his will with this mission. When I first came the mission was focusing on finding the rich, the noble, the learned and wise to teach instead of the low class. Just before I came the focus was finding the less active members and for a long time we focused alot on reactivating the less active members. Early in 2009 the revelation came to the mission leaders that we needed to focus more on teaching familys. Not necessarily changing the focus but rather just adding to it. About October of 2009 the focus was added once more this time about member present lessons. One of the things we report each week is the number of lessons taught to investigators with a member present. This is what we are really focusing on right now here in Bo.
Once we recieved this focus we quickly made a plan to do the Lords will. Ever since October we have been doing our best to get our member present lessons to be more effective. The results have been miraculous. Gradually we are seeing a change in the members' helping us. Now that we have seen how effective member present lessons are we don't want anything else. That is really our goal. All member present lessons.
As I was pondering one morning the question came to my mind What do I want for these people here? Baptism did not come to my mind like it would in most missions. My answer would be to have the church so strong here that they could sustain a temple. They can't get a temple unless they first become strong enough to become wards and a stake. We have been called here to build these branches, not to baptize. Maybe one day 5 years from now the mission president will be telling the missionaries to baptize more, but for right now we need to build this kingdom. I know that member present lessons will do this faster than anything else.
We are still focusing on families. This Friday we had a baptism of the nine year old son,Emmanuel Songu, of our first counselor in the branch presidency. I have really enjoyed going to the house and teaching the whole family for the past 3 months. I don't know of anywhere else where the missionaries would spend three months to teach a nine year old. But we felt that it would strengthen the family and it has. As the father was present for all the lessons he is now helping us teach another family that lives nearby.
As for the rest of our investigators we are still teaching the Kinawa family. We are also trying to finish the Smith family and we started teaching Abu Kougbaka's family. We are teaching the Moigula family, and the Massaquoi family is helping us teach sister massaquoi's brother. I think I'm starting to get attached to this branch.
Well Elder Lauti and I are staying together for this next transfer which will be six more weeks. We are learning alot together and I'm excited for what the Lord wants us to do next. Thanks for the updates and have a great week.
Elder Degen
Rice is Life
Once we recieved this focus we quickly made a plan to do the Lords will. Ever since October we have been doing our best to get our member present lessons to be more effective. The results have been miraculous. Gradually we are seeing a change in the members' helping us. Now that we have seen how effective member present lessons are we don't want anything else. That is really our goal. All member present lessons.
As I was pondering one morning the question came to my mind What do I want for these people here? Baptism did not come to my mind like it would in most missions. My answer would be to have the church so strong here that they could sustain a temple. They can't get a temple unless they first become strong enough to become wards and a stake. We have been called here to build these branches, not to baptize. Maybe one day 5 years from now the mission president will be telling the missionaries to baptize more, but for right now we need to build this kingdom. I know that member present lessons will do this faster than anything else.
We are still focusing on families. This Friday we had a baptism of the nine year old son,Emmanuel Songu, of our first counselor in the branch presidency. I have really enjoyed going to the house and teaching the whole family for the past 3 months. I don't know of anywhere else where the missionaries would spend three months to teach a nine year old. But we felt that it would strengthen the family and it has. As the father was present for all the lessons he is now helping us teach another family that lives nearby.
As for the rest of our investigators we are still teaching the Kinawa family. We are also trying to finish the Smith family and we started teaching Abu Kougbaka's family. We are teaching the Moigula family, and the Massaquoi family is helping us teach sister massaquoi's brother. I think I'm starting to get attached to this branch.
Well Elder Lauti and I are staying together for this next transfer which will be six more weeks. We are learning alot together and I'm excited for what the Lord wants us to do next. Thanks for the updates and have a great week.
Elder Degen
Rice is Life
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