Christmas Connection

Here is the exchange list. Person on the left is on the person on the right. The ultimate goal is to connect with the person or family that you are on. This may be a gift, but it could also look like doing service for them, sending memories, visiting them, telling them how awesome they are (in more words than that) or any other creative ways. 

Dad, Mom, James - Daltons

Chrystal - Joseph and Eliza

Taylors - Joshua and Briana

Tanners - John and Heather

Daltons - Jared

Joseph and Eliza - Esther

Joshua and Briana - Dad, Mom, James

John and Heather - Chrystal

Jared - Taylors

Esther - Tanners

Our Apartment November 7, 2022

Some have asked what our apartment is like. Here are some interior photos and one from the outside. We are very comfortable. I know there's an effort to especially help senior couples to feel so. Our bedroom is probably bigger than some of the homes in the area. We have air conditioning, a refrigerator, freezer, washer, dryer, and microwave. Most homes do not. Our extra bedroom is so we can host any mission visitors. We've hosted President Kellie twice overnight. He's the second counselor in the mission presidency.  

We're on the top floor, the third floor. The second floor is where 4 young elders live. The ground floor is the garage for our Toyota Hilux and where the generators for power and the water pump are placed.

We've been counseled to not invite local residents into our apartment. The disparity is great enough that it may cause a division of feelings. Our goal is a unity of faith. 

A drying rack in the spare room. Most of the time we use the dining table for our work area. There is a desk in the spare room.

Sweat, Smiles, and Speeches November 7, 2022 

Thank you for your continued support and prayers. We feel the blessings of many prayers. We especially feel thankful to our Father in Heaven and His Son for sustaining us and guiding us. 

A full week. I'll share some of the best parts. 

Wednesday evening we felt so blessed for the technology that allowed us to view Lauren's funeral. We saw on video many of you. Yet again we witnessed Vera Lyn's amazing faith, despite loss, as she courageously spoke. She stood as a sure witness of trust in God. Equally inspiring were the messages from Tailyn, older sister, and Kenyan, older brother.  Our hearts found comfort in seeing and hearing them, knowing that through faith in Christ we are supported in our trials.

We went to LAC on Thursday for their Thanksgiving celebration.  Bro. Foday Dukuly Branch 2 Elders Quorum president rode with us. 

The LAC group, striving to become a branch, meets in a school. Brother Dukuly spoke about ministering. Ministering is the means by which members look out for one another. Each family is assigned two ministering brothers who ideally keep in regular contact with their families to support and strengthen them. Each adult sister is assigned two ministering sisters who see to her needs and concerns. Bro. Dukuly's message was kind of long, about 90 minutes.Then the full time elders took about 10 minutes to talk about member missionary work. Encouraging members to love, share and invite their friends and neighbors to hear the gospel message.

The meeting was scheduled to start at 10:00, but it was probably 10:30 before we began. Many families were there and lots of children. That group is about 60-65 members. I made 75 cinnamon buns to contribute to their meal. We figured probably 100 plus people came. After the meeting the social/activity part began. A little distance away is a field where the young women played kickball and the men played soccer. All those children who'd been sitting for more than 2 hours were restless. When we saw two boys begin to tussle, we started some circle games. Ring around the Rosies, Froggy in the Meadow, Hokie Pokie, Wheels on the Bus, Do as I'm Doing, everything we could think of. We must have had at least 35 children circling and playing with us all wanting to hold our hands. We played for about 45 minutes or more. The sweat was pouring off of us in gushing rivers. Not because of physical exertion, just because of the heat and humidity. Finally we had to leave so we could get back to Buchanan before dark.

The miracle of that day for me was that while it was a slightly tiresome meeting in a cramped, stuffy, schoolroom,  the heat sweltering, and all kinds of elements to contribute to frustration and irritability, I felt nothing but joy, and love for these people. Extra energy and many blessings.

We drove home through part of a rubber tree "plantation" as they call it. We saw trees being "tapped" with little cups attached to them below a slash in the tree where the sap can drip out. The sap is a pale blue color. Fascinating!

I was asked to speak at a young women's program/activity Saturday afternoon . All of my thoughts about what to say in conjunction with the theme "Trust in the Lord" centered around our niece, Lauren. Here in Africa halfway across the world, her exemplary influence was felt. I created a PowerPoint including several photos of Lauren. I felt honored to share the goodness of her life, the lessons we've all learned, and the power of our Savior to carry our sorrows.  

 

Later that evening Alan and I taught a Book of Mormon class. The two branches here are trying to increase doctrinal learning and bolster faith. We've been doing this for 3 weeks now. This is the first one we've taught. We know there is great power in reading the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. We know it is truly the word of God. We talked about how the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. If the Book of Mormon is  the word of God, then Joseph Smith really was a prophet, and the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints really is Christ's Church on the Earth today. We shared part of a talk by our president Russell M Nelson, where he promises that if we read the Book of Mormon every day we will make better decisions every day. 

Today we were on the road the entire day. We left about 6:45 this morning to help with transfers. Transfers are when missionaries are reassigned to new areas. One of our responsibilities is to help transport missionaries. We were supposed to meet our first contact at 8:30. We got there about 8:45. From the other direction they had terrible traffic delays and didn't get to us until after 11:00. We had another 5 hours of driving after that where we dropped off an elder and picked up another Elder and brought him back here. Tomorrow morning we take three others to Monrovia and pick up two to bring back here to Buchanan. So a couple of long days to start this week. However we enjoy talking with these young men who are very exceptional. They have great stories of faith. They love the people here. They teach us many good things. We appreciate their examples.

We are healthy. We feel increasingly at home. We're learning and growing.  Again we thank you for all your support.

Lots of love,

Elder and Sister Erickson

Photos include the activity at LAC, a tapped rubber tree, lower left is the sap cup, cute girls at church, and an attractively painted home.

SIBLING REUNION 2022

 Location and date final announcement!

Please let John, Chrystal, or Esther know if you have any concerns :) Our priority is to see everyone! 

We are planning on Palmyra NY. We would fly into Rochester and stay close by to see the Sacred grove and some other close by sites. Expected costs are around 400-600 a person depending on how much your plane tickets will be. Let us know if there are any issues with this and talk to us personally! 

Christmas Bacon

Everything is better with bacon, right? So what happens when Christmas and bacon meet? Below are the assignments. 

Dad, Mom, James - Taylors
Chrystal - Tanners
Taylors - Daltons
Tanners - Joseph and Eliza
Daltons - Joshua and Briana
Joseph and Eliza - John and Heather
Joshua and Briana - Jared
John and Heather - Esther
Jared - Dad, Mom, James

Esther - Chrystal

I think the goal is to get the family or person something that helps them feel loved. So cheese or socks. Or both. 

Faith is trust in God above

*Spiritual thought I was going to share at the reunion 

There was no major signs of miscarriage before that 20 week ultra sound day when the ultra sound tech said, "There's no heartbeat."  I even remember sitting in the waiting room answering texts and reading a trivial magazine.  Ignorance was bliss.  But looking back, there was a couple of things I noticed.  Rhett's baptism happened about a week before.  Mom and Dad came.  I was busy preparing all day with last minute setup, program touch ups, and refreshments.  I didn't really eat all day and usually I would feel the need to eat, especially when pregnant.  Strange? Mom commented on how I looked good.  And I looked down at my own belly and analyzed it's shape and size.  "I feel smaller," I thought.

During the beginning of this pregnancy when I would feel small, I would wonder, Is the baby still growing? Is everything ok in there?  There was some anxious feelings and some deja vu experiences as I would go through the another phase of the pregnancy. 

One Sunday night, I woke up with a horrible feeling.  I was awake several hours of the night and when I did finally fall asleep, I thought that maybe I would feel better by morning.  But when morning came, there was still that disconcerting feeling that I couldn't seem to shake.   I wondered if there was something wrong with the baby.  So I did what I could do.  I prayed for comfort.  I called Glen who was out of town. I called the doctors office to see if I could get in for an appointment.  Not until Wednesday.  I texted a friend to see if she had a doppler I could borrow and tried to listen for the heart beat.  But the uncomfortable feeling was still there and I couldn't even focus on even daily tasks.  Finally toward evening, I decided to call a friend of ours to see if I could get a priesthood blessing.  He said he could come over later with his Dad.  I had explained to him a little of my situation on the phone.  When he came over he asked me again how he could best bless me.  I said, "I just feel like its out of my control and there's nothing I can do."  He responded, "What about faith?"  I paused and contemplated that.  I had forgotten about faith.  I had been living in a just in case mode-Don't get to may pregnancy clothes because you might not use them.  Don't get any baby stuff because you might just have to take it back.  Don't tell too many people because then you might have to go back and tell them differently later.  And so I thought, how can I live with faith and hope instead of fear and in a safe protective mode where I'm also afraid to act.  

In April of 2021, President Russell M. Nelson gave a talk entitled Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains.  He lists five ways that we can increase our faith.  1.) Study about Christ's mission and ministry.  Internalize the truth that the Atonement of Jesus Christ applies to you.  Learn about miracles and how they come by your having faith in the Lord.  2.) Choose to believe in Jesus Christ.  Take your questions to the Lord.  Stop increasing your doubts but allow the Lord to lead you on a spiritual journey. 3.) Act in faith.  What would you do if you had more faith?  Think about it.  Write about it.  Then act on it.  4.) Partake of sacred ordinances worthily.  These will unlock the power of God in your life.  5.) Ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ for help.  Faith and revelation take work.  God knows what will help your faith grow.  Ask, and then ask again. 

After the miscarriage, I went to the temple.  I asked the Lord if he thought I should get pregnant again.  I listened.  The answer that I received was, "Not at this time."  I remember feeling all the feelings of doubt such as, What if I wait too long and can't have any more children?  What if having more children on earth  is not what's in store for me and my family is now complete? What if I can have more kids but what about the age gap?  Liam was already 3.  

Having faith doesn't mean you always understand.  Sometimes we can only see with our earthly eyes instead of our eternal eyes.  Faith means that you know the Lord is in control.  You know it will work out though you don't always know how.  

When President Nelson and Sister Nelson visited Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, and Tahiti, it had been raining for several days.  Members fasted and prayed that the rain would stop so their outdoor meetings would be without rain.  In Samoa, Fiji, and Tahiti, when the meetings were about to begin, the rain stopped.  But in Tonga, the rain did not stop.  The saints still came in ponchos and sat through the wet two-hour meeting.  They didn't stay home even though they knew the possibility may be being rained on the entire time.  President Nelson states that the mountains in our lives will not always move how or when we would like.  But if we have faith, it will propel us forward and increase our access to godly power.    

After my blessing, I looked for ways that I could live by faith and live life all in instead of timidly with an underlying feeling of fear.  I bought a few maternity clothes.  I picked out a few baby items that I would like to have.  I talked about the baby with the kids and how he was developing.  I told more people.  I planned on when I could announce it to the family.  I checked out books from the library to increase my knowledge for delivery and after.  I worked on eating healthily and exercising.  I relished in each new kick or movement inside me.  I took joy in each dr. appt when I could hear the heartbeat again.  

The Lucky Right Leg that Lived

 I'm the leg that lived.  You might know some of my story but let me give you a refresher to what I been through. I have had a horse step on me when I was two, so Ive been told. I dont remember the incident, but I've lived to tell the tale.  I was younger then and had no idea that what would happen to me next. I had motorcycle burn, girls camp tent stake, and barbed wire fence,  all leaving the mark in their own way, never to be faded through time.  Next was a clos call , a fasciotomy, which saved my leg from amuptation. A sugery that brought a blessing of having two legs to walk on. It also brought another scare and nerve damage.  A needled that got stuck in my foot. I know its not really but me, but I felt directly connect to that accident.  That only ecouraged me to live my life to the fullest, which which is exactly  what I was doing  on Tuesday April 20th 2021.  I was moving about while in support  of my other compain limbs that were fixing dinner when I was doused  with boiling hot water.  The pot that was holding the noodles and hot water poured on me and left leg and covering both upper parts of our thighs. Only I got the brunt of the heat. The skin started  to peel right away.  It was really lucky that only a samll portion burned as badly as it did. After a long 20 minute cold shower I started to feel a bit cooled off. This was the begining to learn what a burns can do to the whole body. 1  A burn can dehydrate the whole body. A recomendation of a gallon a day is required to keep the body from geting deprived of fluids. Constant thirst can accompany burn. 2 A burn keeps burning even after the source of heat removes. It can let off some serious heat Another reason to keep hydrated.  3 The largest organ in the body is your skin, and growing back skin is no joke.4 In order to keep a burn from getting infected all the dead skin has to be scrapped off. A excurtiating process which caused me to be gratetful that mine is the size of a dollar.5  Skin heals fairly quick but it still best to restrict movement and rest as much as possible. A burn would can wear you out. It also weeps and leaks frequently.  With all the tramatic experiences I am  so glad to be alive and to be healing. It really great to be needed.   Pictures in order from beginning to current. s