Let Them Eat Cake - July 29, 2014

From that deep and searching title you may be thinking what awesome event could have be the cause of such a title as that well...
   

  First of all I'm writing this one Tuesday because it is our Pday this week. Yesterday was a big holiday for the Muslims. It was the day of prayer to end their month of fasting. The zone leaders told us all the cafes and stores would be closed. So it was a normal day for us and turns out...for everyone else in this country. The prayers ended by 10am and most stores and shops were open as normal. Even other zones still had Pday yesterday, so we are a little lost on it as well.

  The biggest event last week would have to be the baptism of David. I got to baptize him at the mission office on Saturday (Emma's Bday), and despite the rain and against all odds everything went great. He has been taught for about a month before I entered the area and has really fought hard for an answer to his life.
  He is very well versed in the bible, he was afraid of the Book of Mormon until he actually started reading it and saw the way it compared to the bible, which was the turning point in his conversion. Funny how what some may attack the book on can be such a foundation builder for another. President Packer has a beautiful talk on such things which was included in the card you sent me.

   Which brings me to the Package! I got it after the baptism on Saturday (it came in Friday, props to DHL!!) Elder Evans, now AP, wanted me to open it there with him and others gathered around so it was great when the first thing to come out was 2 black barbies! Ha-ha we laughed at that. Thank you soooo very much for all those wonderful things. I loved the card with all those talks, the hat and the Rat Fink pins, and the wonderful dried food.

   In other news as you have heard on the news Ebola is raging in Salone. One problem why it’s not getting better is that people think it’s a lie from the government to get foreign aid, or cholera outbreak, or many other conspiracy theories. They think if they go to the hospital the doctors will kill them so they don't go and visit witch doctors instead - they’ll kill you a lot sooner than Ebola. Anyway many areas have closed, including an entire city which a week later one of the branch president there died of the virus.

  The Church and Mission is motioning it very closely and has us in strict cautions, not shaking hands, visits to sick, or anything like so. So not too worried but rather excited if we are transferred out of the country I'll get my 5th mission transfer, hopefully to Accra West...or Switzerland -haha

 To close this, on Sunday when we got home I had a banana cake mix a bought on sale so I cooked it up and with some bananas and chocolate syrup we and a lovely dinner.

   That is Sierra Leone for you, baptisms, Ebola, and banana cakes. Just remember we can look at these things as problems, concerns, or faith shakers, but with righteous living and enduring well that which shakes our faith may one day hold our faith, I know that from events on my mission and see it happening continually.

  Love
      Elder Ray, Sierra Leone Freetown