Emerging With Faith In Africa - Elder Holland

This is a video found on the church website, www.lds.org.  It is a beautiful video put together about President Holland's visit to Sierra Leone Freetown Mission to orgainze the 3000th Stake in the church, and the very first Stake in Sierra Leone.  It is heartwarming to watch and an inspiration for everyone who believes in the Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I hope you will watch it and then share it with others.  The entire article can be found at Unto All The World, Emerging Faith in Africa.

Sierra Leone LDS Mission in the Mormon Times

On March 17, 1013, Mormon Times featured The Sierra Leone Freetown Mission and below is a link to watch the video.  The work is growing so quickly there and Scotty is always sent to areas that have never seen LDS Missionaries before.  He is truly a LDS Missionary Pioneer.

 Sierra Leone Freetown Mission In Mormon Times

Thanks for watching!

Few Pictures of Scotty's area, Bo Town, Sierra Leone

Bo County Library in Bo Town

Scott Can Receive and Send Email to Anyone!!!!

Dear Mama,

This week has been such a sweet yet crazy week.

We have received several of the new Elders and I am now companions with Elder Jones.
It was really hard having Elder Lokpo leave, I realized how much I loved that guy as he was preparing to leave. The morning he left I was doing all I could not to get to teary eyed. But Elder Jones is wonderful as well.

Scotty's companion who he will dearly miss, Elder Lopko

We had a couple sweet baptisms this weekend, a young boy named Abdul. Abdul is a rather serious boy, doesn't smile all that much. But yesterday, we went to go visit after he had been confirmed. I couldn't believe how happy he was. I have never seen him laugh and smile so much. It was apparent that this boy was enjoying the gift of the Holy Ghost.

We also baptized a young woman named Adama. She has been ready for baptism for a long time now. She loves receiving the lessons, so we will most likely continue to teach her for a while.
So our area will not officially split until later this week when Elder Arhinful, the other Njaie Town Elders now, receives his companion. Things are not going to be easy when it splits. It seems President and the Lord like to keep me in an area for 2 transfers then split it. It is not easy to start in a split area. Lose a lot of investigators and you just have to find like crazy. But we have a wonderful Branch. We have about 30 Branch Missionaries, so we are trying to coordinate with them more. We had a Branch Missionary Training on Saturday, Branch President George gave some instruction and I followed. Between the 2 of us we ended instructing for over 2 hours. I was surprised they were not all sleeping.

Our District, Bo West, Sierra Leone

But as we have been proselyting with Elder Jones, Arhinful and myself. I can see the Lord providing more and more people to teach. We had some young women call us over to come teach to them. So we sat down for a while talking about our purpose and left some tracts and planned to come back the next day. As we went the next day, as we were entering the compound, a man stopped us. He said he was a pastor to another Church. My thoughts instantly went to that we were going to end up in another meeting with a pastor trying to confound us. But he was a very sweet guying telling us we were always welcome and we can teach. But he warned us not to teach one of the girls we met. After we had left the day before the womans husband got very upset/ jealous I guess. And he beat her rather badly. We saw her sitting in the sun and she could barely raise her hand to wave at us. It broke our hearts.

But the missionary work is going well. Heavenly Father enjoys adding responsibilities to me. But it is to just make up for the how lazy I was back home.
Our new District is so sweet, I really love the guys I am with. I still cannot believe Elder Jones and I are companions, so strange. But I am happy.

I am glad your health is doing better. And I know it will continue.
So for the package, mainly just surprise me. About Grandaddies war stories, only send it to me if it is a copy. Do not send me your only one. I do not want anything valuable. But in the package make sure you include the bag for my bladder pack.

One very cool news, mission rules have changed. I am now allowed to email whoever as long as they are not in my mission boundaries. So anyone reading feel free to email me. (unless you are some Sierra Leonean lady).

But I hope all is well with the family, keep me updated. I need to go fix our cooking gas. We have been back to cooking on coal the past few days.

So I love you mama,
Love your son,
Elder McDonald

Bo West Zone

Excited for Cameron!

Dear Mama,

I only have a small amount of time today, today is very very busy
preparing everything for the splits. But this week has been wonderful.
We had 2 sweet baptisms, a girl named Esther and another woman named
Isatu. I  will try to send the pictures next week.

So we received our transfer news. I will be receiving Elder Jones! He
was in my first apartment with me back in freetown. And as for the
other Elders, Elder Nwosu is receiving Elder Itomo. Elder Itomo was
trained by Elder Hovley. And then we are getting in Elder Arhinful in
the other Njaie Town area and he is going to train a new Elder, and in
the other area an Elder Arikpo who will be training a new elder as
well. I am very excited for it. But things will not be easy for the
next while. It is not easy having an area split.

I enjoyed reading all the stuff, I can remember the quite interesting
time I had with Brad Wilcox.

As for the books to send, do not send me the original copies, I dont
want anything to be lost or ruined. A lot of papers here get ruined or
eaten by mice. But if you can get me stuff for cheap or something.

I am so excited for Cameron. I will get in touch with him. Tell him to
send me an email with his church email address.

I am happy you feel better. Continue to improve mama,
Sorry I do not have much time today. I will have more next week.

Love your son,
Elder McDonald

Elder Busche is my Favorite - 3/4/2013

Written March 4, 2013

Dear Mama,

I am so happy to have found this. I was very worried when I did not see a letter from you in my inbox. But apparently it had put you in spam. But I found it.

I am so happy you are doing well, that you feel well. As I read your letter, my mind was taken to something’s we learned this week. As you spoke of your trials and afflictions.  Read Alma 36:3 and Alma 38:5, it talks about 2 things that can happen when a person puts their trust  in God, what God will do for them concerning their trials, troubles and afflictions. You are likened to Helaman, and some are likened unto Shiblon.

We even learned some more about finding out who we were in the Pre-Earth Life.  Who we agreed to become, and now look at who we are. And who are we going to be. I am so grateful to have a Mother and Father who have always taught me what I should do. Set an example for me.

I know that our family has experienced many things in order to refine us. We are a goofy bunch, Heavenly Father needs to beat us good importantly it is helping who we need to become and who we are doesn’t he?  But it is what has made us who we are now. But most going to become. It is certainly true you learn a lot on your mission. But I think I am always going to continue to learn from my mission, I cannot fathom the lessons I miss and do not recognize each day. That someday my mind may. I am especially happy to hear about Angela, it is sad it had to take so long before she was truly offered the Gospel. But lots of healing will take place.

I was surprised to see you send me something from Elder Busche.  I do not know if you remember but he is one of my favorite seventies of all time. The book I read of his is one of the best books I have ever read. I have a lot of respect for that man and I loved this writing. In the mission we have a lot of opportunities opening up in the next week or 2. My district will be growing from 4 Elders to 8. Both of our areas are splitting. So things are going to be busy, but I am excited, day after we receive transfer news, to see such growth. I am looking forward to let you know more next Monday after we receive the transfer news. 

Anyways, I love you mama, 

Love your son,

Elder McDonald