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| Elder Taylor (Monrovia) waiting to see Sister Snow and Sister Holland |
There seem to be some perks that come with our mission. One such perk is that we occasionally get special assignments. We received one such assignment to stay close to Elder and Sister Holland & Elder and Sister Snow while they traveled this part of Africa. During this assignment, we became specialists in tagging along. We are now good at it if anyone needs a lesson.
While we didn't gain any special 'inside' information (like when is the second coming), we did enjoy working as missionaries fulfilling our special assignment. As Elder Holland put it--we were being missionaries--which are apostles, like him, only with a lower-case 'a' instead of a capital 'A'.
During the trip, there were no major health issues and we were happy to be of no use to anyone. There were a couple of minor stomach issues here and there, but who doesn't have those while visiting Africa?
The Hollands and the Snows were as warm and gracious as you might imagine them to be. If you haven't had a hug from Sister Holland, then you have missed out. I think we had one every morning. We enjoyed being with them and observing them during the down time as much as we enjoyed seeing them in front of the big congregations.
We learned a great many things during their stay. We've ridden a spiritual wave that is only now beginning to ebb. They spoke with power and inspiration where ever they went. Their message was always well received. I enjoyed listening to them speak to the missionaries perhaps the most, as this had particular application to us in our mission as well.
We tried in vain a couple of times to make it to Monrovia. Airplanes simply cannot land in the worst of the harmattan. We spent the entire first day in the airport, in the air, circling Monrovia, and then returning only to get up the next morning to do it all again. Meanwhile, the saints and missionaries in Monrovia patiently waited. We finally landed a day an a half late and they swooped us off to the district center that was packed with the still patiently waiting people. (When it was announced to the congregation that our plane had finally landed, the people stood and cheered.) The missionaries waited from eight in the morning till about six that night for their turn. We took this photo during a leadership training where these three missionaries watched and listened through the slit in the overflow curtains.
They were so excited to get to hear 'Apostle Holland' speak--the enthusiasm of the night was infectious. We wound up staying in Monrovia just one night, but the time was packed full of training and meetings. Upon our return, Elder Holland commented about that weekend being the best two weeks he had ever spent in Africa.
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| Which one of these things is not like the other? Hint: think marshmallow in a bowl of cocoa puffs (this is what we've been told we look like here in Africa) Can you tell there is a 25 year age difference? |
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| Elder Priddis (AP) doing some instructing |
Essentially we were part of an entourage that followed the Apostle while here in West Africa. Elder Holland was always accompanied by two to four other general authority's--Elder Snow, and one to three of the area presidency as well as each of their wives, plus usually an area 70 or two. There was a camera crew of two with all of their equipment and a body guard. There was also usually one or two security officers from our area as well as a travel specialist who worked on all of the arrangements--lodging and food. We were schooled in proper etiquette when travelling with an Apostle. Some of these guidelines follow: if the Apostle is wearing his suit coat--you wear your suit coat (I didn't bring mine--how embarrassing); if he is in a long sleeve shirt--you are in a long sleeve shirt; the same goes for short sleeve; taking snapshots or photos is generally frowned upon unless there is a time specifically set out for photos--we didn't take many pictures out of respect, as we could tell the snaps were sometimes annoying; if an apostle invites you to sit down for dinner, you do it (don't even ask how we figured this one out); basically if an apostle invites you to do anything--you do it; and when the apostle stands up from the dinner table--dinner is finished, even if you arrived late because you were on an errand. Two more unspoken rules that I thought were the best (we learned these from the body guard so they are probably more rules for the body guards) are; never let yourself be in a photo with the apostle--that's bad form, and if an apostle comments on your tie (I like that tie!), then it should never be worn again as it is too flashy. Its been fun to see things from behind the scenes.
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| With Elder Holland and Elder Snow |
Its been a great few weeks and we intend on another blog soon about our little adventures in Freetown, Bo, and Kenema with the missionaries and hospitals. We had a great adventure.
...finally back home in Ghana
Elder and Sister Fife
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