Fred-n-Tracy Together

  Sunday's are a delight Sunday November 24, 2024    This Sunday we made history!  I will include in this post a history of how and when the church was established here in our area of Sierra Leone, but I will briefly write the history for ease of catching up. Here in the Kono district, in 2016 members of the church received permission to open a home group.  It began with 11 members I believe was the count.  Yesterday, Kono held their first Area Conference.  The area consists of 2 branches and 3 home groups.  On a side note, you need to have 3-4 branches to form a District, so we are not as of yet a District.  There are 451 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on record in this area.  Yesterday at the conference we had just short of 500 attending the conference.  It was a beautiful sight to see the growth of the church and the excitement of the members to see that a District, will hopefully be coming in the near...

  I love Sundays Lebanon Home Group - October 20, 2024    Each Sunday I attend church here in Sierra Leone I wonder if I have experienced it all and that it will start to become less meaningful.  Yet, each week I learn, grow, and experience something different.  The Sabbath Day in Sierra Leone is something I wish I could share with all.   I have talked about these home groups here in Africa.  The missionaries are finding and teaching so many new investigators, and having success in Gathering Israel that our church houses are full.  Many members walk long distances to attend church.  These home groups have been established to bring the church house closer to the people.  I admit that at first I was skeptical.  Now I think it is a marvelous plan.    Today we attended a home group in our area.  It is held in a small 1 room home.  We all have to climb a hill to reach the home.  The home will seat 26 maximum and ...

Sunday at a Ward in Freetown Sunday September 29, 2024      This Sunday, Elder Thacker and I were in Freetown running errands for our new place in Kono.  Freetown is the best and only place to buy household items.  It is not easy to find what you need.  I call it combat shopping.  Anyway, this is a side note.     We chose a random ward in Freetown to attend before heading back to Kono, a 5 hour Sunday drive.  We walked into this church house 10 minutes to 9:00.  We were impressed to find that 80% of the congregation were sitting reverently for it to begin.  The Bishop and counselors were in the front ready as well.  The chorister was leading the congregation in prelude music singing the first line of the song, then bringing the congregation in by saying "1, 2, 3 go."  I love it!!!  Elder Thacker and I both looked at the time when the Bishop stood to start the meeting...9:00 sharp.    For some reason Sun...

  General Conference - Oct. 5-6, 2024     Fred and I have always enjoyed General Conference.  It is a time for us to reflect on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to hear from the Prophet and the Apostles.  This conference will be added to one of my most memorable ones.  In the area of Kono where we are serving there are 2 branches and 3 home groups.  The area is blessed to have a member that owns a business providing higher education and certificates.  His building will hold 200 people plus he has a projector and a large screen smart tv.  With some preparation, we were able to watch live conference.     Some miracles:      1.  The electrical power in the whole area was not working for 3 weeks.  1/2 hour before conference the power was restored.  We were prepared with a generator, but we were grateful it was not needed.  On a side note. Can you imagine the difficulties that come with no electricity for...

The Sabbath Day is a delight Fast Sunday  "Break the Fast" - Oct. 13, 2024     We absolutely love and enjoy serving with the missionaries.  We live in an area in our mission that is 6 hours away from the Bo Mission home, and there are 10 missionaries or 5 sets of companionships that serve in this area.  We have come to know each of these young men.  To say they hold a special place in our heart is only a tip of the respect we have for them.  Elder Thacker is so good with them.  It was his idea, as to be expected, to host a "break the fast" Sunday meal for them.  These are pictures from the meal.  I will not mention any names, but hopefully there will be some parents that find this blog or my contact so they can see that their sons are doing well.  This Sunday's meal was Taco night.  Believe me, this is not an easy task when you are in Sierra Leone.  I think the favorite part was the brownies and rice crispy treats!  Y...

I love Sundays     I have always enjoyed Sunday's, but here in Africa each one is a special experience for me.  I have decided to add a new label titled "The Sabbath is a delight."  This way I can record my special Sunday moments and file them for quick access.  Today, I will just try to play catch up. Kania Home Group - October 13, 2024    Kania Home Group is one of the 3 groups that is in our area.  It is under the direction of the Branch President Fabba, of the Kapete Branch.  About a month or so I wrote of a service project we participated in with the missionaries to pour cement in a new addition to the school in which our home group meets in.  The new addition has been used now for our chapel on Sunday.  This past Sunday, Fred and I had the chance to attend the church meetings there.  What a humbling experience in many ways.     1.  The room was filled to capacity.  A month ago there were around 30 that...