September 10, 2016

A beautiful day with an unhappy ending.

After Breakfast, President Clawson, Elders Stevenson, Soares, Francis, Madu, Stanfill, and Davies met with all the members of the District Presidency and all the Branch presidencies.

 Our morning was free. We had no meetings to attend all day. However, Sister Clawson got the Sr. Sister Missionaries invited to a meeting the G/A wives were having under the condition we sit in the back and say not a word. It was a fascinating meeting and so very worthwhile for us to be there. They wanted to meet with 4 sisters to hear about their callings. Sister Clawson conducted the meeting then Sister Stevenson took over. She asked each sister to tell them a little about themselves and then talk about their callings. It worked out just the opposite. The back history of each of these 4 sisters was so harsh and their conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ so touching we sat in silent awe. I don't feel that I should share anything here. I may come back at a later time when my emotions don't overtake me.

After this meeting, there was another meeting between 9 natives and all the General Authorities, their wives and Pres. & Sister Clawson. These individuals were asked to share their experiences during the war or during the Ebola. Again, heartbreaking stories full of pain and grief. President Sahr Doe was invited to this meeting and he was asked to speak of his experience of his accident and life since. After all 9 of these individuals spoke, the 4 G/A laid their hands on each of the 9 and gave them a blessing. Sister Clawson cries every time she talks about it. She has not shared much but she did say that several of them were blessed to be free from the pain of what they witnessed and experienced. She said she had never heard such profound blessings. Sahr Doe was the last person to receive a blessing and it was so powerful that there were some very emotional people. Don was not in the room. He was there to help President Doe to get from the car, up to the 2nd floor of the church, and then back down to his car. So he was waiting outside the room. President Clawson was the first one to come out of the room and he and Don shared a sacred moment.

 Don says that when President Doe came out of that room his countenance glowed and he was so very very happy.

 We left the Stake Center and stopped by a decent restaurant for dinner. We both had so much to share.

An unhappy ending to a very beautiful day: Elder and Sister Sherwood were on their way home to Bo with one of the elders that was in the horrible accident two weeks ago. He is the one that had his spleen out and he was one that was on his way to his first assignment as a missionary. On their way to Bo tonight, this kid is still trying to get to his first assignment, they were 3 cars behind a vehicle that had a head-on collision with an on-coming vehicle. It was such a mess. They sat for one and a half hours watching bodies being taken out of the pota-pota and being laid on the side of the road. They didn't even have everyone out of the pota-pota before people were stripping the van. Elder and sister Sherwood tried to get this young Elder to talk thinking he may be dramatized. But he wasn't. He had seen so much death in his short life that this scene did not bother him. Elder Sherwood called Sister Clawson when they got to Bo to report what they had experienced. Sister Clawson was very concerned about the young Elder and Elder Sherwood said, "Sister Clawson, it isn't the young Elder you need to worry about, it is your Senior Couple".