2nd Week in November...

November is here and going Fast!

Update for the first two weeks of November we have been very busy. The school projects we talked about in our last post have all been approved. This was great news. So we will be working with the schools to make sure Each School completes their contribution for the project.

                          

These little children will receive Desks , Books, visual aids and some materials to make their school more comfortable for learning. Just a small project but very needed in these two schools.

The schools have a few desks and the one arm chair are what they have. We are providing a bench and desk type for 3 students at one desk.

 

The new water tower and tank for running
water.

This last couple weeks have been spent making sure the Clinic Materials have been delivered in proper condition. This clinic is so wonderful . They have worked so hard to improve their clinic to receive some new beds and microscopes, Other needed materials. Their sacrifice or contribution was to rearrange their rooms in the hospital to be more workable and cleaner. 

This clinic lost many of its staff during ebola.
They have been trying to serve the people in  the conditions they had which was really getting run down.They were treating people with very meager supplies.
They were hopeless.
The older son of one of the Drs who died is the Lab Technician at the Clinic now. He  long with many have been so happy and excited for this boost to their clinic.

Not like a clinic you and I are used to but this clinic serves many many people daily who are unable to get to the 'major' hospitals outside their area.

The Clinic came forward with lots of energy and lots of man power from the community to help them.

They first poured a driveway over the very rocky dangerous path form the street to the clinic.

They painted the entire clinic in and out. They Lay the tile on the floors of the delivery room and bathrooms. They also built two tables and used excess tile to  tile over them.  They  did so  many upgrades themselves and we supplied Paint, Tile ,  the water Tank for the running water, and  Some cement, and all the new medical equipment. 

This has been a great clinic to watch. They really came together as a community and clinic to get back something in their community they really needed.The minute they finished the refurbishing and some of the new materials their business picked right  back up. They are delivering babies right and left. This is a horrible mosquito area and so they treat many many people for malaria. last couple weeks have been spent making sure the Clinic Materials have been delivered in proper condition. This clinic is so wonderful. They have worked so hard to improve their clinic to receive some new beds and microscopes, Other needed materials. Their sacrifice or contribution was to rearrange their rooms in the hospital to be more workable and cleaner. They painted the entire clinic in and out. Fixed the driveway into the clinic and did many other upgrades themselves. We will supply the water Tank for the running water, the paint,Some cement, and all the new equipment. 

The waiting area in front of the clinic. Big improvement .
The side walk and driveway are the first improvements
the clinic came up with as a commitment.

The newly remodeled pharmacy area.

New operating table for small surgery.

New Laboratory Equipment

New Autoclave and surgery supplies.

Some of the new beds and Mattresses!

This last Saturday we  spent in Doe community to help teach the primary leaders some music. No one came. There was a Young Mens activity.

John and I decided to walk down the street and in to the neighbor hood to see president Salami.

As we headed down the street my foot just turned to one side and caught the edge of a mud puddle. 

In a second I was down  in the mud puddle. Not just a mud puddle but a puddle of mud and  Goo and whatever is in the street. Two young boys,14 year old Teachers,quorum members,  from the Branch were asked to walk us down to the presidents house. Well they began with out being asked to try to lift me out of the puddle. Finally I was out and the lady in her shack store next to me said boys go fetch water and two more were off getting a bucket of water. 

When they returned they all proceeded to wash me off. My skirt, the lady, my legs and toes and my feet (the young men) . 

as they washed me people walking down the street would stop and say how sorry they were that I fell into the mud. It was very sweet.

The boys got every drop of mud off my legs sand feet. The people kept coming and sympathizing with me. 

When I was clean I thanked them all and the two boys proceeded to walk us down the street to the presidents and back. 

The walk down the street was through a very busy and a little wild street of the community.  It was an experience of its own . I was so glad these two boys were with us. 

At one point we passed some very vulgar activities going on right in front of all of us. 

At that point the boys(remember they were  Teachers age) the boys had us very close to them . A moment later the young man by me slipped his hand gently around my hand and slid his fingers through mine and started to  steer me and guide me through the congested street . Very carefully and very gently. when we were in a safer place he and the other boy stayed right by us until we were  back to the truck. 

It was very touching . Very eye opening. A great blessing for us to see these 2 young priesthood holders honoring their priesthood.

I was moved to tears when he took my hand. I couldn't quit thinking about it all afternoon and night . 

The next day at church the boy who held my had bore a very strong simple testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is a member with his single mother and two younger sisters. 

I couldn't help but think of how much Heavenly Father knows each one of us. Even these sweet young men in the middle of a country full of situations I would never find on my own streets at home. 

What trials and temptations they face every day the minute they walk out their little house.

I was so blessed to have that experience that day. 

John Talks with public Affairs representative

Us Waiting

This week here going on is full of ending projects. we are organizing and learning about handover ceremonies. We have two this week one is for a latrine in a community called chicken soup for a school. 

THe other will be friday at the fishing village in Marshal.

A really good picture of the Latrine.

I will tell about the first one and Friday write about the Fantee-Town Marshall project.

Visionaries academy. One school we saw when we first arrived. In a community where people use the bathroom all around the school yard.  They also use all over the community and so they struggle with polluted water and polluted grounds all around. Rainy season makes it worse.  They asked for a Latrine to help their situation.

They have had a struggle doing their own commitment but finally they came through. Tuesday , yesterday, we were able to hand it over to the community.

A student gives a presentation

Semion the Contractor gives a little part and hands key to
Elder Wollenzien

Morris Wanakandu Speaks

Semion gives key to Elder Wollenzien

Elder Wollenzien gives it to the community leader
Or Administrator of the school.

Elder wollenzien with all who worked on the well
even the lady who cooked for all.

Back to schools week.

This week we had a couple of school projects approved. 

The end of the year is coming and we are  getting close to the very end of our Humanitarian budget. So our last projects for the year are for some smaller schools that need some help to just get a little better education environment for their children.

One of the rooms of the Peace of Mind school.

The building have been constructed by the person who runs the school and her parents organization.

These are small schools epoople have organized and then they charge less money for the fees to make it possible for  the children in the neighborhood to go to school.  Some are set up just for money and some actually care about the children learning.

These are what some of these classrooms look like in the little schools.
They have very simple desks and very limited books. The fees are not enough to cover the school needs.  
We are hoping to supply some nicely built desks so more students can sit down at school.
     

 This school also needs cement to put on the floor of this larger area to make the floor more steady for the desks.

They are registered and running smoothly so far. We just have to look them over and see what they are actually doing in the school before we submit  project.

Many of the schools are very simple and some have a little more stability in their buildings. The main thing is that they are willing to contribute something to the sustainability  for the program.

In any case we try to make sure they really are teaching the children and then what will they do to contribute . What effort will they put into the project. One school will completely  do their cement work for the floor, They will make a plan for their children to take batter care of the desks.

Back to the land of Begin again! Here we are.'

Today is the day to Begin Again!

And this is the perfect photo to begin. (Before picture)

Today we decided to begin a Blog post again. 

Mainly for my family and my sons good in laws.. They have lost track of us and I really want to make it easy for Ramona to see our posts when she wants to.  So Rich and Ramona This is for you. 

Sound cracked up to be quite a blog doesn't it. But beware....Its just us.  My writing is poor and I'm not sure what photos to use as we have a million by now. 

I hope there are somethings of interest to someone. I do Know there will be a day my children will want to read about us.

About the Photo.

This is one of our more successful projects we are working on. It may look to an outsider as a pretty poor sight but that's how it began.

There is a clinic here (no Names) which has been functioning in the middle of a very overcrowded poorer community for 20 years. The community can only afford this kind of medical help and so they rely on what they can from this very small clinic....and 'pharmacy'.

Before picture of the office .

Before picture of another patient area.

When Ebola came this clinic had kept itself pretty protected until a very unfortunate incident which ended up taking the patient and several members (workers, Physicians and nurses) of the clinic.

They went closed for a while and yet with the need of the community a small group of Nurse practitioners and a great family decided to open the clinic back up. There are church members  of both the  Muslim and other christian religions very close around this clinic and they  told us of this situation. These Church member are so poor they count on this clinic for help with the small money they make at work.

Remember these are before pictures. Notice the broken road around the clinic. They are actually trying to build up the road with concrete pieces.

Before Pictures of their Lab.

  

When we talked to the clinic they told us of some of their needs. We looked around and saw the poor shape they were in .They were working the best they could in some pretty poor supplies.

There are some items they needed to be able to make their clinic cleaner , more comfortable and would give them some newer supplies to work with. They deliver a lot of babies here. 

Looking around we pointed out some things that might could be improved to help their clinic function better. 

Pictures are some of the construction going on. and making a new bathroom for the women area. 

Constructing a new bathroom. 

Before pictures of their women's area.

Example: when there is a need for transporting someone the ambulance or truck would have to pull into a huge mud puddle to retrieve the patient. Then hopefully make it out of the puddle. 

So Long story short we told the clinic that if they agreed to make some drastic improvements on their clinic (This was major wall and door changing, Cleaning and Cleaning some more. Painting, Building a water tower, De junking, organizing themselves to run their clinic smoother more efficiently and just get back on top of things....That if they would do those requirements we would supply some new supplies..Hospital beds  and baby beds and supplies they really needed to really get going again. 

Boy we saw the light come on in these people. The family helping them all of them have been working so hard to do the work required. They started on the ideas before we even told them we would do anything for them. They were just so hopeful and excited about receiving a hand up. /

It has been fun watching their excitement. Oh they have worked so hard. They even took the initiative to cement a driveway into the clinic for any transporting of patients. CEMENT! we thought they would just put some gravel in . Its a wonderful drive way that will help so much.

We were so excited for them. 

You may wonder what in the world are we thinking.Well you see our work is to reach the very Poor. The very poor use this clinic. They will whether it is improved or not. But our work is also to Find the people who just need a hand up to get going again and then they can lift themselves to greater heights. This is one of the many projects that is making this happen. 

To us it is amazing. These are amazing people in a very difficult place. 

Men after a long day cleaning. Notice the nice cement under their feet . They are
Sitting outside the clinic.

This is the water tower they built. It is
on the newly made driveway it is nice and smooth
for everyone.  We will put a tank up on top.

They are just about finished with the place. They are receiving a new Hygiene and Sanitation training course for all their employees and mainly for them to teach the  people in the community just to keep them reminded about GERMS! 

Well you see this is just one of the projects going on. 

This is why I don't do a blog because I take too long to tell a story.

The other things that go on are mission office and paper work. My gold crown fell out and I had it glued in at a dentist at ELWA ...you can look this hospital up on line.

The rainy season is ending kind of. The days are dryer but we get horrible rainstorms in the night still.

We are in Doe Community Branch and today I spoke in church with a very LOUD and echoing microphone system. (the last 3 weeks we had no power or microphone. So be careful what you wish for...right .

John helps in the Sunday school classes while I help in the primary. They have no songs. They sing but they have no music . So we are just learning songs on Saturdays and in sharing time. Until November ends. Then we move on to the next branch.

We have now 4 wonderful couples and the president and his wife. 

We serve with a really great Kind Humble President and you Know that's wonderful.

More next time....Hopefully sooner than later.

Love to you all.

E/S Wollenzien

Due to many things I will try not to mention names of people or places if possible or if its going to jeopardize anyones good name or safety.

Morris took pictures for me as we drove "slowly' through 'Red Light' (not what you think) Its a shopping area
But they don't like people taking their pictures. Morris is our 'Right Hand Man'. We call him our Naldo.

Moses the newest member

Today Moses was confirmed a member of the church . 

"Happiness in this life and happiness in the life to come are interconnected by righteousness."

- Elder Quentin L. Cook

Today finally arrives. The Baptism of Moses.

He was so excited he scrubbed the font , the church was sparkling , the gardens neat and well kept (he worked on it all week at the chapel) and water carried for the font.

Sister Kunbi on the left is probably the most instrumental part of his introduction to the Gospel and then being able to be released and come to learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ . 

Sister Kunbi is who requested  us,the mission, to go visit the prison and distribute reading materials a, treat and a christmas visit  and then see what other needs of the  prisoners we could attend to.

She works for ICRC in Liberia but is from Nigeria . She is a great member of the church.
Moses was a recipient of those materials  and after reading about Ezra Taft Benson wrote to the church asking for more reading materials (D &C, Pearl of great price, Book of mormon) . He had quite an experience the next month  (which I am sure is very sacred to him) which led to his conversion and then an unexpected release from prison.

President and Sister Carlson and Elder and Sister Kimball also a great support 

To the new members . This day was a very different baptism. It was so unusual that today there was only 1 baptism at this chapel usually there are multiple. 

This was a very special baptism and the testimony of this newly baptized member was amazing .

One of the branch presidents jumps into the  picture. I wish we had recorded his testimony . He has such an understanding of the doctrines and teachings of Christ and his church. 

Tomorrow he will be confirmed a member and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

"Happiness in this life and happiness in the life to come are interconnected by righteousness."

- Elder Quentin L. Cook