Sister Elaine Dalton with Sister Fatmata James, Freetown East District Young Women President and Sister Petan Mansaray, Freetown District Young Women President
The evening’s activities were so spiritually inspiring. Sister Mariatu Brown had arranged to have the
Minister of Social Welfare, and Gender and Children (I know I haven’t
remembered that title correctly) and the Director of SLANGO (Sierra Leone
Association of Non-Governmental Organizations) who is also a woman, come to the
dinner. They were introduced before
dinner and then given an opportunity to speak.
The Minister of Social Welfare said that she had actually joined the
church in Liberia, but had not been able to find it when she moved to Sierra
Leone. She knows where it is now, of
course, and had actually been encouraged by Elder Holland when he was here to
come back. She was very complimentary of
the Church and all we do for the people of Sierra Leone. The Director of SLANGO says she has wondered
many times why the Church does not publicize more about the humanitarian
projects that it does. She also
mentioned that she knows of our youth and really wanted to know what makes them
so different from others. She has
noticed something about them that she cannot find in other good youth in Sierra
Leone. She wondered what it was. We all smiled and knew that those young
people have the Holy Ghost with them and the joy of the gospel shines in their
eyes. Previous to her speaking, Sister
Dalton encouraged everyone at their table to recite the Young Women theme for
her. She was quite impressed. President Roggia spoke next and mentioned many of the humanitarian projects
that the Church has coordinated in Sierra Leone including bore holes,
wheelchair distribution, neo-natal resuscitation training, measles immunization
campaign as well as others that are in the beginning stages through the work of
Elder and Sister Burns including helping a polio camp orphanage, a blind school
and a deaf school. He said that the
Church does not publicize a lot of the projects because that is just not our
way, but that we are so grateful for an opportunity to be of service to the
people of Sierra Leone. Both ladies were presented with a For the Strength of
Youth pamphlet and a Personal Progress book.
Both Sister Burton and Sister Dalton had an opportunity to
introduce themselves along with their husbands.
We were inspired by what the husbands said about their wives and we could
see such a great example of valiant marriages that was inspiring to us and will
be to the Sierra Leone saints. Elder and Sister Sitati each gave some remarks
and I was impressed with what they said.
Sister Sitati just told of the daily habits of family prayer and
scripture study as well as weekly Family Home Evening that had helped their
family to grow and mature in the gospel.
Elder Sitati said that when they joined the Church many years ago, their
oldest child was 9 and the youngest was 2.
The branch they were in had 19 members.
There was no one to look to for guidance about how to integrate the
gospel into their families so they just listened to all that the prophets said
and tried to follow their teachings.
Elder Sitati said, “We began to have family prayers, scripture study and
Family Home Evening ‘because the prophet said so.’” I was so impressed with his
example of a willingness early in their church membership to follow the
prophet.
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