Handshakes and Hugs

Kathy-

It is 5:00 in the morning and I’m sitting in our living room listening to the Call to Prayer. I marvel at the commitment of the Muslim people as they pause five times a day and turn their thoughts to Allah. There are times in my life when I could have used a daily Call to Prayer. I don’t need that reminder now. I pray constantly, many times a day, and have felt those prayers being answered.

We just finished our last zone conference and have finally met all 106 missionaries! Three new missionaries arrive this Wednesday and transfers are on Thursday, so Scott and I are busy working on putting that together.

The new missionaries will be staying with us Wednesday night and then we will help orient them Thursday morning before they are assigned a companion. I’m not sure what that entails so I am relying heavily on the assistants to help.

Experiencing all these new things – mission leadership council, zone conferences, new missionary orientations, and transfers is a bit challenging for me. My Garmin watch, which keeps track of my heartrate, has chastised me multiple times these past weeks telling me my stress level is too high and reminding me to find ways to relax. “Thanks, Garmin watch!”

The members of the church in Sierra Leone have a unique way of greeting us and each another. They clasp hands and shake, then rotate their fingers above the wrist, clasp, and shake, then back to the regular clasp for a third shake. Then they form their hand into a fist and tap their heart twice. It is the sweetest gesture and warms me right down to my toes.

We were asked to speak at a combined stake meeting. (I was introduced as “President Wyatt’s woman”, which made me laugh). Sister Ettinger, our office secretary, offered to play the violin for a musical number and asked if I would accompany her on the keyboard. We chose an arrangement of “How Great Thou Art”. Very few people have heard the violin (or any instrument, except an electric keyboard). As soon as Sister Ettinger began to play, everyone in the audience sat straight up and leaned forward, many with their mouths wide open. Whenever she played the chorus, they sang along. In an instant of unchecked delight, a stake president on the stand burst into applause after one of the verses and then quickly stopped, remembering where he was. When she finished, the crowd talked excitedly to one another. It took a while for them to settle down so the next speaker could begin.

The people really love to sing! Some even sing a hymn when they share their testimonies. My favorite is when the chorister sings the first part of the hymn as the introduction and then stops and says, “One, two, three Go!” and everyone starts singing from the beginning.

Scott and I drove to Moriba Town to attend church, which was held under a canopy. Shortly after we arrived it began to rain - hard! Since the roof was tin, it was very loud and impossible to hear the speakers, so the congregation sang hymn after hymn at the top of their lungs until the rain subsided. It was rather pleasant to join in the singing, listen to the rain, and feel the tropical breeze blow gently through the room.

During the meeting, I noticed a young girl, in a “Little Mermaid” dress, sitting on the front row. She kept smiling up at me, so I smiled back. I crossed my legs and placed my clasped hands over my knees. I glanced at her and noticed she was doing the same thing. So, I uncrossed my legs and placed my hands in my lap. She followed suit. I folded my arms and so did she. We played this little game a few more times until I realized I was causing too much of a distraction. I was reminded how important it is to set a good example because you never know who is watching.

When church was over, a dozen children ran up to us, gave us high fives, fist bumps, and hugs. The little girl who mimicked me kept circling the group of kids, giving me fist bumps and hugs, over and over.

This week we took a 6-hour trip to the farthest part of our mission so we could visit with eight missionaries who are stationed there. When we pulled up to the gate in front of their apartment, we were instantly surrounded by a bunch of children. Several of them kept asking for a bible. I didn’t have a bible, but I had some pamphlets about the church in the glovebox. When I opened the door to get one, a little girl saw the owner’s manual for the car and grabbed it. She yelled excitedly, “I got a bible!” and started to run off. I quickly stopped her and talked her into trading it for a cracker. Suddenly I was the most popular person on the street. My package of crackers quickly disappeared. Luckily, I had enough for everyone. Scott asked if he could take a picture, and the kids were happy to pose. They laughed delightedly when he showed them the photo he had taken. (The girl sitting next to me with the big smile is the one who asked for the bible.)

The children laugh easily over the smallest things and enjoy any attention. Even the littlest ones hold out their tiny hands so we can clasp them in greeting. They don’t understand what I am saying but since the universal language is music, I sing with them. They love the actions for “The Wise Man Built His House Upon a Rock”. When they smile, the light of Christ shines in their eyes. How He must love them!

The people of Sierra Leone are very resilient. They’ve suffered through a lot the past 25 years – an 11-year war, Ebola, a terrible landslide in Freetown, and Covid. Evidence of better times shows in the beautiful buildings that were partially destroyed during the war. Our driver, Pascal, told us he hid with his family in the forest near his village for many months during the war, surviving on whatever food they could forage. He is a kind person, eager to please and be helpful in any way. You would never guess he had been through such difficult things. I’m sure everyone here has a similar story. Somehow, the people find ways to keep living and be happy in the process.

Many tribute Allah or God as their reason for hope. Our purpose as the “Latta’days” (Latter-day Saints) is to provide that hope through Jesus Christ. If we can do that, even for a few people, our time here is well-spent.