A sacred experience in Gabon

Sunday, December 8th I had the privilege of attending church in the West-Central African country of Gabon.  Few Westerners could place Gabon on a map, and the country is small in population, comprising only 1.5 million people.  Gabon lies on the equator and is a land of rain forests and exotic wildlife.  When I knew that I was coming to Gabon, I asked my US Embassy contacts if they knew of a member of my church that could help me get to church.  Within 5 minutes, Michael Moody emailed me back and told me that he would pick me up for church and invited me for lunch AND dinner after church.  All in 5 minutes…from Gabon!  What a world we live in.  I figured that my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) had been established in Gabon for some time.

When Brother Moody and his family picked me up Sunday morning, I learned that I would be attending the only congregation of the church in Gabon.  I learned that the church had only existed in Gabon for about a year, and that Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles had dedicated Gabon in November 2013 for the preaching of the gospel.  The Moody's showed me where the dedication took place, in a beautiful arboretum by a tall tree over 200 years old - article about the dedication here:

http://www.lds.org/church/news/gabon-country-dedication-in-ancient-forest?lang=eng&country=afe

Front side of the church

The scene as I entered the Primary room.  The little boy is on the back row, second from the right.

The newness of the gospel here gave me goosebumps and I was so excited to attend church.  As I walked into the nice building that the Libreville Gabon branch used, I walked past a room of several children who were sitting so peacefully and quietly that you could hear a pin drop.  I had not planned to sit in class with the children - in fact, as I am a Primary teacher of 6 year olds in my ward in N. Virginia, this would have been an opportunity to "get a break from the kids."  However, as I looked upon these sweet, reverent spirits, I felt drawn to them.  I quietly took my place at the back of the classroom.  There was one little boy, the smallest boy in the class, that I was particularly drawn to.  He walked, but was probably less than 2 years old.  I beckoned to him and he came and sat in my lap.  That was a sweet experience.  Sister Moody soon arrived to lead the meeting.  She is a mother of 5 and a great gal.  Having learned French on her own, she beautifully led the children through their study of the Articles of Faith and through song practice for next week's primary program.  Though it was pretty hot and humid, it was great to be with these children who are so reverent and Christlike.  They surely have little in terms of possessions, but they possess the light of Christ.

I was honored to pass the Sacrament during the branch's Sacrament Meeting (the little boy wanted to take many pieces of bread, not just one (-: ).  Following a nice meeting, I got to visit with several of the Gabonese Saints.  They were very friendly and welcoming.  How grateful I was that I could speak their French language!  What a blessing that has been in my life.  I learned that very few of them have been able to go to the temple, and very few have been baptized.  Their branch is currently searching their city of Libreville (means "Free City") for a suitable pool to conduct baptisms.  They could baptize folks in the Atlantic Ocean, but there is some pollution in the water.  I feel spoiled to have easily had the spiritual opportunities that they have not had.  But the church is growing rapidly in Africa, and there is a great power and spirit accompanying that growth.  And today was the 1-year anniversary of this first Gabonese Branch!

1-year anniversary picture of the Libreville, Gabon branch

Little ones picking little mushrooms after church.

Following church, I got to know Elder and Sister Michael Moody Sr.  Elder and Sister Moody are the first LDS missionaries in Gabon.  They have served several missions in "austere" locations…Haiti, Tahiti, etc.  I was amazed to learn that A. Harold Goodman, Arian's grandfather, called Elder Moody to serve on the Church Music Department and that they were good friends.  Elder Moody led the creation of the 1985 church hymnbook and has composed many popular church hymns, including "This is the Christ," "Faith," etc.  The Moody's are completely devoted to the Lord and His work, and it was wonderful to be with them - they are fine examples to me.  We discussed the fact that instead of purchasing a timeshare for retirement, that their timeshare is serving missions.  It was great to get to know Brother and Sister Michael Moody, Jr. as well.  Brother Moody serves in the US Embassy in Libreville, Gabon.

From left to right: Brother and Sister Michael Moody, Jr., Yours Truly, Elder and Sister Michael Moody.

I am so thankful that I was able to share in these experiences and I look forward to many more here in Africa!

The Gabon Atlantic Ocean coastline

A day with the Amish (well sort of)

We ventured out to Amish country in Southern Pennsylvania on Saturday, October 12, 2013.  We had a delightful visit, accentuated by the fact that we avoided the incessant rain that had pelted the region during the past 2 days (6 inches in 2 days).  However, first things first.  At 0000 hours (midnight), Sat. October 12, my boys and I made a pre-trip sacred pilgrammage to a place called Gamestop, where we joined 50 other southern Pennsylvanians anxiously awaiting the release of something called Pokémon X and Y.  Surprisingly, my kids were the only people in the store under 16 (maybe that has something to do with my parenting skills).

One item of note was when an enormous man walked into the store wearing a t-shirt proclaiming "Walking Dead Survivor."  Something to consider, for sure.  He seemed a gentle giant, though, as he calmly took his place in Group 6 of the small throng amassed to pay exorbitant prices for children's entertainment.  It is also intriguing to note the niche of the GameStop employee - a group of friendly, able, unquestionably dedicated personnel to their pursuit of all things gaming.  They carry a certain spirit about them that certainly lends itself to gaming.  They were pleased to welcome the presence of the boys and quickly assured us that our Virginia Gamestop store would reimburse us the $5 that we paid for pre-ordering these games in VA.

Arriving at revered Gamestop at a bewitching hour

The transfer of property

On to the Amish...our first stop in the small but crowded village of Bird-in-Hand turned out to be a lively Amish market store.  Here we found many sweets and other precious goods to tickle our fancy, including 2 gigantic pumpkins costing only $5 each.  It was also notable that the boys were "of a pleasant demeanor" during this stop for one of the only times during our séjour this day.  We also dabbed into the neighboring hamlet of Intercourse, which is a thriving Amish tourist community in spite of being the butt of countless jokes.

Making apple cider doughnuts

It appears difficult to actually be with the Amish, rather than find the tourist perspective of the Amish, but we gave it the old college try.  What I can conclude is that the Amish are dedicated people, talented farmers, and fairly reserved folk.  It was fun to see several buggies sharing the traffic lanes with the cars and we did see lots of Amish people.  One of the coolest things we saw was a bike/scooter combination being utilized by teenage boys - the young men would "scooter along" as there was a foot rest for scootering, though the contraption looked like it could be ridden as a bike as well.  

The Deluxe Buggy

Been waiting to see this sign my whole life

It was fun to taste this homegrown root beer, unlike any that I have tried before.  The root beer was not too sweet, but had plenty of soul.  I enjoyed it more and more after each Dixie cup refill.  Next, we went on a buggy ride led by John, a retired Amish farmer who now leads tourists on buggy rides.  I enjoyed his distinct Penn Amish dialect (I didn't understand about 10% of what he said), and he gave a good overview of Amish life.  Amish children attend school in a 1-room schoolhouse from 1st-8th grade (all together), classes are often taught by teenagers.  After 8th grade, students do 1 day a week of vocational training, but that is the end of their formal education.  Men farm corn, soybeans, etc. while women make clothing, do house chores, etc.  A simple life that the Amish seem content with.  As part of the tenets of their religion, the Amish do not use electricity, but instead use natural gas and solar heating, surely in more prosperous and efficient ways than the rest of us use electricity.

Don't know how we conned this boy into smiling for this picture on board this buggy

John, our Amish buggy leader, sharing his tales with the pack

A true Amish gentleman and a true tourist

Finally, as the boys were waring down, I toured America's first pretzel bakery, Julius Sturgis, in Lititz, PA.  It was fun molding my first pretzel dough and learning how the Sturgis family pounded the dough, heated the dough in 550 degree ovens to make soft pretzels, and later put the soft pretzels in hot rooms for hardening.  As a sidenote, do not pass up the opportunity to eat a few of Sturgis's Jalapeño pretzels -  a beautiful creation.

Truer words were never spoken than "Oregon Dairy is More than Just Milk."  What it is a pleasureable world of a large corn maze, a highly respectable playground replete with a horse swing (see pictures below), a fine general store, and a delightful restaurant.  We enjoyed PA specialties at the buffet including chicken pot pie and stuffed ham.  A great conclusion to a very fun day.  

Horse swing

A pumpkin whoopie pie sundae, a taste of whoopie pie heaven here on earth, and a fine precursor to "Fast Sunday."

Today was a great day of religion.  I enjoyed going to the LDS church here, which you will see pictures of below.  There are three LDS wards in Budapest.  I gave some thoughts today on sharing the gospel during Sacrament Meeting - I have had the chance to talk about the gospel with many people while I have been here (more in France as I spoke the language there).  Today was my last Sunday here and even though I was only here for a few weeks I made some great friends.  After church, I went with my Bihari family (the family that I live with) to a Hanukkah party.  The Bihari's are non-practicing Jews.  The Hanukkah party was at their cousins's house, who are Orthodox Jews.  Among other things, this family strictly keeps the Jewish Sabbath Day holy, avoiding all work from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.  They have timed lighting in their home so that they don't have to switch on lights, etc.  Most male Orthodox Jews wear the kippah, the small cap.  On Hanukkah (from Wikipedia): "Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar. The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched Menorah or Hanukiah, one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. The typical Menorah consists of eight branches with an additional raised branch. The extra light is called a shamash (Hebrew: שמש, "attendant")^[4] and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest. The purpose of the shamash is to have a light available for use, as using the Hanukkah lights themselves is forbidden."

I enjoyed the simple Hanukkah ceremony, in particular because I learned more about a religion that has always been very interesting to me.  ^[5]

 With Brother Kovács in front of the Budapest stake center, the first stake center in Hungary 

 Budapest Stake Center

 Preparing the oil in the Menorah

 Lighting the Menorah

Of the three rows, the one to the right is for the father and the two others are for the two sons of the family.

My first political demonstration

Today I attended my first political demonstration, with about 10,000 Hungarians.  The US Ambassador to Hungary, Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis, was also in attendance, along with the Israeli Ambassador.  Please read the article here first for background: http://www.euronews.com/newswires/1746688-thousands-rally-against-far-right-in-hungary/

The event marked an unusual reconciliation between the Far-Right Fidesz party and the Socialist MSZP party after the disparaging remarks made on Monday.  However, many people here are waiting, most likely in vain, for condemnation of the remarks by Prime Minister Viktor Orban.  

 The pre-game meal

 Heading to the demonstration

 Looking towards the stage with the parliament building in the background.  The bright lights are flashing the word "NEM," which means no.

 Most flags in one place I've ever seen outside of the US and outside of Norway's independence day

Castle Hill in Budapest, Hungary

Wonderful day yesterday visiting Castle Hill, the prime territory of Budapest.  Various groups, including the Ottomans, Hapsburgs, Nazis, and Soviets have warred over this strategic location.  Happily, Hungarians now are in charge of their own country.  

World War II bullet holes still visible

 Advertisement against the left political party.  The Fidesz (center-right) party has a majority in parliament and a great deal of power in Hungary.  They are taking increasing controls over the media, universities, and increasing taxes.  Most Budapestians are not happy with the party.  

Parliament offices

Caught a military band

In honor of my alma mater, the Air Force Academy falcons

Royal Guard

Matthias Church, rebuilt often over eight centuries.  Name honors  King Matthias Corvinus (15th century), who led a renaissance of Hungarian political power and culture.  Hapsburg Empire kings were coronated here as well.

Royal Crown and Coat of Arms

Alter in Matthias Church

Overlooking the Danube, Europe's largest river, from Castle Hill.  Parliament Building is the spire across the river.

Chain Bridge, Danube River.  One of the great bridges that span the Danube in Budapest.  Buda is on the near side of the river - Pest is on the far side.

Note the crown over the Virgin Mary (Matthias Church).

Queen Elisabeth, wife of Franz Josef, Ruler of Hapsburg Empire

Military in the Alsace Region

 Outside of the Hartsmannwillerkopf Memorial Site (on the left is Mr. Evan Reade, Head of the U.S. Consulate here in Strasbourg), along with French officers, Tim Stokes, and me).  Along with 100 French soldiers, we participated in the memorial ceremony honoring the 215th Infantry Regiment, which was very important during World War I fighting in this area and continues in operation today (the regiment served in Afghanistan last year).

 With Major General Cochin, French Army, and President of the memorial site.  I asked him if he played basketball (because of his height).  He replied, "I hate basketball"! (-:

Visit to Eurocorps, one of Europe's joint military organizations.  Picture with Major Hans Haegdorens, Belgian Army and Chief of Eurocorps Public Information Office.  Eurocorps is a joint entity comprised of Germans, French, Belgians, Spaniards, and Luxembourgers, along with smaller entities from Poland, and Italy.  Along with the headquarters staff that we visited today, there are 5 French-German combined battalions in the area.  The operational language for the units is English.