Jonathan and Necci
Sierra Leone group
Regina
Eighteen people came from Sierra Leone to the temple this week – 6 days on a bus on bad roads. They did not all know each other that well since they are from different branches. With one exception, they came without any Family History records. The one Branch President with them had just been called and had not yet been endowed himself. They apparently had little, if any, preparation. There were four couples to be endowed and sealed. One couple had been married in a civil ceremony in Sierra Leone and came to be sealed in the temple.
We were glad we were here to give them some guidance and help preparing names of their ancestors. The new temple presidency is not accustomed to his kind of group coming. A few stories might be of interest.
Regina is a little old lady who came on the trip without any money. She was sure the Lord would provide if she had enough faith. She is the only one from her Branch here so she didn’t know anyone, but she wanted to come to the temple. Today she was baptized for her daughter who had died, and she loved it! She really enjoyed doing the baptisms and wants to do more. She has two children living with her at home – one in college and one in secondary school. She has three grandchildren who also live with her. The roof blew off her house in a wind storm during the rainy season in July. The missionaries came and helped put the roof back on – “even the white Elder”. The Elders are very good to her. Her husband died many years ago, and she told God she would never marry another man. The ordinances were done today for her husband, and she will be sealed to him and her daughter later in the week. One of the sisters on the trip has been sharing her food with Regina. We gave her some food – banana, cooked fried rice, plantain chips, and a papaya. She had no money to pay for garments, but she was told it would be taken care of – somehow the people in the Distribution Center took care of it. Regina is actually in her 50’s, but she looks 70 – she is very thin and frail and has been ill – almost couldn’t come because of it. She was a nurse before the war, but her papers were destroyed, and she hasn’t worked as a nurse since. She grows cassava in a small garden behind her house, and they sell them in the market – that’s how they have money for food.
We were present yesterday for the sealing of Jonathan and Necci. Elder Wall was the sealer, and he did a beautiful job. We were impressed. Isaac (who knew Jonathan in the MTC) and one of Jonathan’s missionary companions (from Kumasi) were also there for the sealing. Jonathan and Necci are both returned missionaries so they had been previously endowed. Necci is from Nigeria. Her parents joined the Church in 1979. They have 14 children – 7 boys and 7 girls – 7 have been on missions. She is the second to the youngest. Jonathan served a mission in her area and met her then. She later served in the Lagos East Mission and met Jonathan’s sister who was serving a mission in the Port Harcourt mission – they communicated and reestablished contact with Jonathan. She is a beautiful girl, and we can see why he would think she was worth waiting for. They are working for the Church Humanitarian Services in Bo, Sierra Leone. They are bright, eager, dedicated young people and will be a great asset to the Church wherever they are. Jonathan told us that four of the children in his family have served missions, including him.
We met with the group the night before they were to leave. We had taken a group picture on the temple steps and made copies for each one. The Branch President said it was probably the first time some of them had ever seen a photo of themselves. We also printed out their pedigree charts and family group records for them to have a copy. The ordinance dates were already in place – it happens instantly now when names are recorded in the temple. I made a batch of Claire’s soft gingersnaps for them to enjoy on their way home. The Branch President made a little speech thanking us for our help. We had a prayer together, and they were ready to leave the next morning.
Our week was made special because of this experience. Some of these people didn’t appear to have too much capacity to understand the temple experience, but they had made the sacrifice to come to the temple because it was the right thing to do. Regina was so thrilled to do the work for her daughter who had died as a teenager. Jonathan and Necci loved the wedding photo we took of them in front of the temple. They will be such a strength to their Branch in Sierra Leone. We plan to go to Sierra Leone in February and will look forward to seeing our new friends again.
