Leavitt Family

GLORIA JEAN "JEANIE" LEAVITT OLIPHANT 6/11/41 - 4/4/11

2011-04-04T22:07:00.000-07:00

Jeanie Oliphant(Jack's oldest daughter) passed from this life at approximately 3:20 this morning at Dixie Regional Medical Center. She is having a wonderful reunion with Grandpa Jack and Grandma Dorene, Gordon and Donny and many others who passed on before her.

She was loved by many and will be remembered by many. She was a very kind, compassionate woman who loved giving. She would give anything to anyone.

WE LOVE YOU and WILL MISS YOU DEEPLY!!!

Funeral services will be Saturday April 9th, at 11:00 am at the red chapel ( 274 N 100 W) Hurricane, Ut. Viewings will be Friday April 8th from 6-8pm at Metcalf Mortuary on Main in Hurricane then 9-10:30am Saturday at the chapel.

REALLY OUT OF AFRICA Aug 29th

2010-08-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

Family and Friends,

Sorry for the generic email but need to let you all know where we are and what is going on. We arrived safely from Cotonou into Salt Lake City, Utah last Thursday. Friday we had our first appointment with Dr. Fernley on Marv's knee. The bottom line is that after extensive x-rays and examinations the outlook is a total new knee replacement. The current prosthetic has apparantly been displaced causing the knee to not function correctly and the excalating pain and reduction in mobility. The knee is not alligned. Also, there is some concern about ligament damage and nerve damage. Monday we go for a three phase bone scan which should provide further information. Tuesday we will meet again with the Doctor and go over what needs to be done, how it will be done, when it will be done and where it will be done. We are currently staying at an Airport hotel in Salt Lake. Monday we ill move into President and Sister Garff's home in Midway Utah until some decision are made, they have also given us the use of one of their vehicles. We are overwhelmed at the moment, saddened that this is NOT going to be a "quick fix". We have been released a missionaries and do not, (at this time) see it being over within the 30 day period the Church requires for us to receive a re-assignment back into the field. We are however, encouraged that finally Marv will be able to get his knee fixed and receive some reflief from the 24/7 pain he has been enduring for the last few months. We cannot respond to your emails as we are not able to receive or reply until we get a computer. If you recall our laptop was destroyed in Cotonou and we bought a new computer but it was a desktop and we had to leave it behind. Bear with us...there is hope on the horizon. We would like to return to Arizona and home as soon as possible to begin the recovery process...that is our goal. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. We hear and feel them and we love the Lord and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being missionaries....WE WILL BE BACK again at some time we promise.

Sue Leavitt

MARTIN'S COVE Aug 27th

2010-08-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hello again Family and Friends,

Well, the long anticipated regime changes at the Cove have been announced and we're very pleased with the new leaders. Elder and Sister Fenn have been called to be the new Directors (perfect), Elder Jim Emling our good friend from Boulder City has been called to be the new Facilities Supervisor and he and Sister Emling, who will be a Trek Scheduler, will be Polar Bears. The rest of the Polar Bears will be the Pankhurst's, the Posts, the Flunkeys, the Rhodes and the Michelson's. Elder Bagley has been called to be the Director at the Willie Site.

I have been setting forms for sidewalks and a patio around the pavilion at Missionary Village. The additions to the Pavilion and the Humanitarian Center are coming along nicely. As the visitors slow down we will be able to utilize more missionaries these projects and hopefully finish them before the majority leave in October.

We are expecting our son Glen and his family to come in tomorrow, and can hardly wait to see them.

Sister Leavitt has been rushing around preparing for their visit so she will not be adding to this email, but will be back online next week.

I would like to thank all those who sent me B-day wishes this week as I hit the big 68. When you start getting old sometimes it's not fun to be reminded, but it is great to be remembered, so thank you all. For those of you who forgot or didn't know, it's August 24, so write it down! The truth is, that it's celebration enough to have all of you as FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

Love Elder Leavitt

CAMERONS UPDATE

2010-08-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

Fabulous!!!!!!

Isnt it just such a great day today? what wonderful blessings have you received today? How did you do with your challenge? I also completed the challenge this week. last night we were sharing a message with an inactive member. He is pretty cool. He is 22 and has a lot of potential in the church. I just think he kinda slacked off on doing the things he needs to be doing but any way. We shared the story of Alma the younger with him. The part about repentance and how good it made him feel. It is in Alma 36 of the book of Mormon if you would like to read it. It is one of my favorites. This story i think really shows how much we can get from the gospel. I mean look at what happened to alma. he repented and was able to feel more joy than
he could really describe. thats pretty awesome.

So this week was really great for me. We had a Mission Training Meeting this week. It was the first one that we have ever had. They have to teach us a lot of new material or more like review and make sure we are using a lot of old things. It is just Kind of proof to me that this work is run by god. He knows what His children need to hear and feel in order to come back to him. Then on saturday while we were at home eating lunch the A.P.s showed up. They are the Assistants to the President of the mission. They told the house mates that i had that they were moving now. It was kinda sad. I have had 4 elders in my apartment for most of my mission and now we are back to two. It is really quiet now. plus i don't have any body else that speaks English in my house now. Kind of a bummer but now i will have to speak some more tagalog. I Also found out this morning that i will be getting a new companion on Thursday. It is kinda cool but can be a little nerve wracking at the same time. You never know who you are going to get. I will be sad about my current companion though we have gotten along really well. we really only fought about him not eating vegetables. but that wasn't really serious. well i will let you know how my new companion is next week.

Love Elder Leavitt

OUT OF AFRICA Aug 15th - 21st 2010

2010-08-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

Attached is our journal from the week past...we hope this finds each of you, our family and friends in good spirits. Remember we love you and we love our work here.

Dad, Mom, Grandma,Grandpa, Marv,Sue

Elder and Sister Leavitt

“MAINS” ATTRACTION

Dear Journal,

Our (albeit cheesy) clever title this week comes from the fact that yesterday (Saturday August 21st) we participated and completed our All Africa West Humanitarian project entitled HELPING HANDS. The word for hands in French is “mains” and we attracted a lot of attention….now you know the rest of the story.

Here is our week, past.

Week of July August 15-21, 2010

Sunday
We attended church again in Akpakpa as we have designated the month of August to concentrate our training with them. We are so grateful that we have found them a new building as each week their congregation grows and grows and, by the time Sacrament Meeting is over they are spilling out the doors. Following the services we headed home to spend the remainder of our day preparing for our very busy week.

Monday
With a list as long as our arms we headed out early to get all accomplished. Tomorrow we leave early, early, in the morning to drive to Togo to meet up with Elder and Sister Herr and help drive back the Ayekoue’s and Sitati’s. We made the rounds of bill paying, bank, post office and even picked up a package for Elder Halterman from the Airport Postal facility without incident (miracle). Shopping at Erevan for last minute supplies was also achieved. Back at the apartment we spent the remainder of the day catching up on paperwork and projects that needed our attention. Grateful that we were able to accomplish all items on our list we decided an early night would be wise. As Elder Leavitt was walking towards the bedroom his knee locked on him causing excruciating pain. Sister Leavitt helped into the bedroom and into bed. We elevated the leg and he asked her to push gently down on the painful area. A loud cracking sound ensued and painful screams from Elder Leavitt, but then thankfully the knee was working again. We are anxious that this is the second time an incident such as this has occurred and feel strongly that we need to now address it with our area authorities.

Tuesday
We decided to leave for Togo around 7:30am and all night long the rains have been coming down so, the roads are wet and very muddy. The knee is behaving itself today, albeit the pain is now a constant companion for Elder Leavitt. As we drove out of town we hit a giant traffic jam which held us up for a good 45 minutes. Our border crossings were uneventful and quick but we got drenched in the process and that was not fun. By the time we hit Lome, Togo it was close to 11:30am (Togo time). We decided to grab some food at Festival de Glace as Elder Leavitt needs to take some medicine and not on an empty stomach. The restaurant was empty. When the rains come down, the people disappear. It was raining very hard and the roads were flooded. After our meal we decided to head for the Supermarche Ramco downtown but the roads were so very bad we had to turn around and went to the one near the Ecobank. We were able to find just about all we were looking for that we cannot get in Cotonou. It was then about one hour away from the Togo Conference conclusion and so we headed to the Be Apartment where it was taking place. We arrived on a break (which was a good thing) so that we were not a disturbance. The missionaries were glad to see us, and we them.
Elder and Sister Herr, President and Sister Ayekoue and Elder and Sister Sitati were in attendance and Elder Sitati was just getting ready to give the final remarks of the conference. We are meeting the Sitati’s for the first time and quite honestly Elder Sitati was so much younger looking than I imagined. They are from Kenya, and he is a member of the First Quorum of Seventy and the Second Counselor in the Africa West Area Presidency. He is very tall and a quiet soft spoken man. Sister Sitati is just about the most humble sister I have ever met and a joy to sit and visit with. Both are converts to the church and share their wonderful conversion story and bear individual testimonies that are very spiritual. As they concluded the conference the spirit was very strong. We greeted them as well as President and Sister Ayekoue and then, with Elder and Sister Herr, left to return back to Togo. The Ayekoue’s and Sitati’s stayed to interview missionaries and will drive later. Sister Herr had packed us a lunch to eat along the way and we were enjoying their company when, just minutes from the Togo/Benin border Sister Herr remembered she did not have either her or Elder Herr’s passports. We quickly pulled over and called Blaise who found them in the house, he then jumped on a moto to head to meet us halfway and brought us the passports. Back we go again this time making it into Cotonou just after dark. We unloaded everything from the truck and headed up to settle in for the night. Today we made the decision to make Doctor Maughan aware of the escalating problems with Elder Leavitt’s knee…it was not a decision made in haste and took the entire ride over to Togo to come to the conclusion that things are getting worse and the pain is becoming unmanageable. We also made Doctor Maughan aware that we had an opportunity of being with our Mission President for the next two days and a member of the Africa West Presidency to discuss the matter. The decision was made to take this to the next level and see what has to be done. Doctor Maughan assured us that we are doing the right thing and it is time to take action.

Wednesday
We woke very early to get ready for today. We start the conference at 8:00am and go til 1:30pm so it will be a long day for all. We are anxious to hear from President and Sister Ayekoue and Elder and Sister Sitati. The missionaries are excited too. The conference started on time but….Sister Ayekoue did not come as she was sick. Sister Herr acknowledged that she did come to the Togo Conference but spent most of the day asleep on one of the missionary’s beds. We were well taught by President Ayekoue however and Sister Sitati. Then the Leavitt’s and Herr’s were asked to contribute their testimonies and a spiritual thought, which of course we did. Elder Sitati taught us well, (between 2-3 hours). He has a wonderful way of involving you in his teaching and urges and encourages participation. All too soon it was over. President and Elder Sitati then started missionary interviews and we all sat and visited. Then Elder Sitati requested an interview with us. We took this opportunity to make him and President aware of our problem and the fact that we were in dialog with Doctor Maughan who has stated that his recommendation to the Africa West Area Presidency was that we return to the U.S. for evaluation and treatment. He is not recommending that anything be done in West Africa. He has further received communication from an Orthopedic Specialist from Salt Lake who feels, (given the description of what is happening), that the tibia which houses the prosthetic knee is fractured and is causing the pain and allowing the prosthetic to move. Elder Sitati was not aware of the attack/robbery to Elder Leavitt that took place on March 30th of this year which has resulted in causing these problems and was very concerned. He said he would call Dr. Maughan this evening and President Cardon to get further direction. He counseled us to look forward, to be thankful for all we have done to this date…he thanked us for our diligence and service and for our faith in trying to hold it together and finish our assignment here. He said it was time to take care of the problem and of us, he said the Lord will take care of the people we have come to love so much. We left feeling humbled and thankful for his counsel and this lovely man. That evening Elder and Sister Sitati conducted a Fireside for all new converts and investigators which was very well attended. President Ayekoue shared some thoughts. Again, Sister Ayekoue did not come. After the Fireside we were invited to go back to the hotel for dinner with the Ayekoue’s and Sitati’s. We asked that we be excused, we have so much to decide and contemplate and wanted to talk with each other and work things out…they understood. Elder and Sister Herr dropped us off at the apartment and went to dinner. We learned after they returned later that the dinner was one event Sister Ayekoue did show up for. Sorry if this sounds bad but it is our journal and an outlet for feelings and we both feel that she has seriously let her missionaries down this time.

Thursday
Today everyone leaves. We went to the hotel to say goodbye to the Sitati’s and Ayekoue’s. They were very gracious and shared their love for our missionaries and members alike. Elder Sitati reported to us that in conversation with President Cardon he was in total agreement that we are to return home and get the evaluation and treatment needed for Elder Leavitt, as soon as possible. However, he will not release us as missionaries but wants to keep us as “active”. They are so very concerned about the lack of seniors coming forth to serve (less than 3000 currently serving in the field) and need us (if possible) to return to the field of service. So, we will come home, get the knee taken care of and receive another assignment to finish. We do not know where that will be; President Ayekoue said he and the missionaries will pray us back into West Africa. We were overjoyed with this news…we are not ready to NOT be missionaries…we love the service and YES the blessings we receive. So even with a crippled painful knee, surgery, therapy and whatever, we will wear our badges, remain missionaries and when ready…GO BACK TO WORK IN THE FIELD…HOORAY! After the goodbye’s we had breakfast with the Herr’s and (as we do so well) talked and talked. They will carry the torch for us while we are gone…cannot possibly think of a better couple. They are more than ready…more than capable and more than willing…THEY ARE A TRUE BLESSING TO US. For the remainder of the day, the Herr’s drove back to Togo and we drove around Cotonou and took care of our business then…back to the apartment for some rest.

Friday
First stop the bank then the post office and then back to the apartment. We have more rain today and cool temperatures. Elder Leavitt worked on his working fund and had a meeting with Elder Cloward and Elder Gnohohi on our leaving. We organized our minds and made plans so that when the time comes to leave we are leaving with everything in order. We also took this day to come to grips with our situation and mentally prepare our minds for the changes it will bring. Our evaluation and surgery will take place in Salt Lake and physical therapy/healing in Mesa, Arizona. We have Sister Casey living in our home and she has agreed to vacate by October 1st, what a blessing she is. We also sold our vehicles and have no car to drive when we get home so that has to be worked out…so many things, so many emotions.

Saturday
Well today is the ALL AFRICA HELPING HANDS SERVICE DAY. Cotonou has decided to clean a median strip about 50’ wide running from a roundabout in Gbedjromede to another roundabout (about ½ mile long). As is always the case it is full of trash, weeds etc., well you name it, it is there. We showed up at the Gbedjromede Chapel at 8:30am and our lovely missionaries were there…then members started to show up in droves armed with rakes, brooms, hoes, trash bags, baskets…we had it all. We started about 9:00am and worked until 12:30pm non-stop. When we started it was a filthy mess, when we finished a clean, trash/weed free beautiful addition to any neighborhood. We had local dignitaries come to cheer us on and the mayor even sent a large garbage truck to receive the results of our efforts (I am pretty sure we filled the whole thing). We laughed, took pictures, and just plain had a great time. Elder Leavitt tried to participate but ended up cheering us on out of the window of his truck. We could not have had a better project or have expected a better execution of the project. I have attached a picture of the group at the conclusion. We attracted a lot of attention, (especially Sister Leavitt with the children) so we took this opportunity to stand at the concluding roundabout and sing “How Firm a Foundation”…our audience loved it. The day continued on as we took everyone back to the Gbedjromede Chapel for drinks and hot dogs. That afternoon at 3pm we had a great baptism with six people being baptized. Elder Halterman and two local members did the baptisms…what a great day this has been. With a trip to take Elder Cruz and his apartment elders back to Menotin, we finally hit the apartment at 5pm thankful for a fulfilling day, answers to prayers, and the blessing of serving with some really great missionaries.

PS: With not knowing what will happen this week…this may be our last journal entry for a while. Do not worry, we will make it through and return back to missionary work…we thank you all for your love and friendship.

The attached picture was taken at the conclusion of our service project and just as we had finished singing our song…what a great bunch.
Elder and Sister Leavitt

MARTINS COVE 8 16 10

2010-08-17T09:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

This has been a fun week with the visit of some of our children and grandchildren, Chris, Leanna and Connor, Garrett, Olivia, and Wyatt. In addition, Sandy Marshall, Leanna's mother accompanied them and we really appreciated the opportunity to spend time with her. We also had a visit from their friends Lee and Stacey Atkins and their 8 kids who are now living in Craig, Colorado. We had a great time showing them around the area as well as taking them on a trek up to Martin's Cove. We were a little concerned about going up into the Cove with a large group of sometimes rowdy kids, the oldest two being 12 and the youngest being 3 months, but I was so proud of how they recognized the spiritual nature of the trek up into the Cove and that they were all very reverent and respectful. Even the missionaries stationed up at the top of the Cove commented on how reverent they acted. Of course, the rest of their time here it was like herding cats. But, when you love the cats it's a loving and fulfilling experience.

While they were here one of their goals was to see Oscar the trail dog. We were a little concerned he wouldn't be around as it's the end of the trek season, but to our amazement, when they arrived at the apartment there was Oscar laying on our porch. That "amazing dog" always seems to know where he's wanted or needed.

Well, the kids all left today and it's going to be a big let down, but, we'll get back to work and try to stay busy to keep from missing them too much. It was so much fun getting all the hugs and attention -- even the Atkins kids were hugging us and calling us grandpa and grandma. One of my highlights of their visit was getting all dressed up in my leathers and doing my impression of the frontiersman and pioneer Ephraim Hanks and watching their wide eyes as I got into the part. After my performance, they all made me feel like I was a folk hero. Ephraim has such an interesting and colorful story that it's hard not to pay attention. We also got the opportunity to see Connor pass the sacrament for our first time since he became a Deacon and we were really impressed at how seriously he took his participation in this sacred ordinance.

This week the 12 week missionaries leave for home as things start winding down for the season and we have only another month and a half before finishing our mission here. It will certainly be a time of mixed feelings as we have had such a great experience and such wonderful associations with the other missionaries. We have truly made some life-long friends. But, we will be excited to spend more time with our family and friends at home; i.e., canasta & golf with the Johnsons, golf with Al and Jo, lunch with Mark at the Cup, and reuniting with the ward members. Something tells me we won't be bored. I will probably be estranged from Sister Leavitt for a while as she catches up on all her lunches, dinners and shopping with her family and friends, But from time to time I'll meet her for a tee time or at bedtime. I try to warn people not to make friends with her because they will never get rid of her. I guess I shouldn't complain because that outgoing personality is the reason I was able to stay friends and keep dating her until the time she thought she was going to lose me as a friend so she married me. All kidding aside, what a great companion!

We love you all,

Elder Leavitt

Hi everyone -- As Elder Leavitt said, we had a wonderful visit with our family. We were blessed w/ gorgeous weather so we were able to do all that we had planned. The kids enjoyed the Interpretive Center in Casper, the Pioneer Museum in Lander and, I think, were blown away by how beautiful Wyoming is. We actually explored part of the country that Elder Leavitt and I hadn't seen before near Lander. It required going over some dirt roads but we saw some high mountain lakes and breath-taking scenery. But the highlight of the visit was our trek to the Cove. The kids loved the experience and as Charlie said, despite their young ages, appreciated the significance of what happened here. It was also so special for me to have Wyatt, Olivia and Garrett in Primary. They were so cute and smart and gave such good answers that some of the other teachers thought I had been coaching them :) Grandma was so proud !

I know all of you identify with us when we tell you what a incredible experience it was for us to be able to share Martin's Cove with our family. We had many "tender mercies" while they were here -- one of them being able to visit with Jolene Allphin -- the author of "Tell My Story, Too". We had the unexpected honor of hearing her tell her experience of attending the Testimony meeting of the Ward whose bus burned down on their way here to trek. She related one miraculous story after another. I told Leanna, that it's hard to believe, but these spiritual moments happen all the time up here.

The kids were just great -- they had so much fun playing in the campground behind their trailer and exploring the prairie. They also got to see Grandpa Leavitt kill a rattlesnake. Just before we started our trek, Lee Atkins spotted a rattlesnake in the parking lot. Charlie ran and got a snake-catcher and soon the snake was disposed of. I didn't get any pictures of it as my camera was by the handcart and I didn't want to leave and miss the action so I'm counting on getting copies of the pictures Olivia took. It was quite an exciting start of our trek.

The Monday after our family left, Charlie started feeling a little punk and had a severe headache. We were worried about it as he just recently has developed high blood pressure. His asthma was also acting up and he was very congested. We had had a dr. appointment set up for him because of his blood pressure so when he went in the dr. gave his a thorough exam and sent him for a bunch of tests. To make a long story short -- he had pneumonia, again. He had it last year at this same time. We have decided that something is in bloom at this time of year that he is highly allergic to. After giving him some strong antibiotics, he is feeling much better.

All of us here are anticipating the call of our new Director and of the Polar Bears for this next year. Elder Freeman told us that Elder Estes will be here on Monday to make the announcement so we're all excited about that. We'll have the news in our next email.

This weekend we are having a "grill-off" with one of the Casper Wards and next week Glen, Becky and girls will be here. We can't wait to see them and hope the weather continues to cooperate so they can see Wyoming at its finest.

We had our annual talent show as a send-off to the 10-week missionaries. In a word -- it was fabulous. We have so many missionaries w/ so much talent -- much of it being comedic talent. We laughed our heads off. Sister McAtee wrote a little ditty that several of us sang at the conclusion of the program -- the lyrics were really clever and funny but I also think everyone was touched. We saw many tears after our performance. It's very hard to say good-bye to our friends whom we have come to love so much.

The attached picture was taken by the Red Butte area in Lander -- one of my favorite spots in Wyoming.

Happy Trails for now.....
Sister Leavitt

OUT OF AFRICA Aug 8th - 14th 2010

2010-08-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Dr. Maughan our Africa West Afrea Doctor in Accra, Ghana calls us the "Energizer Bunny Missionaries" and this week we wore out our batteries thats for sure. Here is our report.

Our love continues to grow for our children and grandchildren and our friendship and thanks continue to come forth to you are friends...thanks for your support.

Dad,Mom,Grandpa,Grandma, Marv,Sue

Elder and Sister Leavitt.

PS: I will be posting more pictures today on http://www.leavitts-backtoafrica.blogspot.com/ so take a few moments to peek into our world.

IT’S ON, IT’S OFF…IT’S ON, IT’S OFF…IT’S FINI!

Dear Journal,

Where oh where has this week gone? We have most certainly put some mileage on our old bones (and truck) to accomplish our tasks this week. We have also had many experiences to test our fortitude.

Week of July August 7-14, 2010

Sunday
We began our week attending Akpakpa Branch for the final session of their Branch Conference. It was very well attended and the spirit was so strong. Sister Leavitt was thrilled beyond thrilled when the Primary children got up and sang their song “I Know That My Savior Loves Me”. The members of the branch were very enthusiastic with how well the conference had gone and how much they had learned from the teachings and training given. We felt good. Following the meeting we then headed over to Menotin to take care of some business, then home for a quiet rest of the day and, preparations for a busy coming week.

Monday
We left the apartment early, early today as we have a list a mile long of things to be accomplished. One of our must do’s is to get some credit for the Akpakpa building electricity (pre-pay) meter. We went to our usual spot only to find out they could not take our money as their computers had been down for over a week. We were told of an alternate spot but we will have to hunt to find it. We then hit all of our other places on our list finishing up at the Leader Price Supermarche. Sister Leavitt is excited that she has found a source for DVD movies in English and the young man is from Ghana and she can communicate with him.
Elder Leavitt has put in a request for a Bourne Identity movie…not only did she find one, but three + 7 other high adventure movies ALL ON ONE DVD. We are positive they are all copied and we know that is not right…but it is actually our only alternative. We were also told by the same man that the place we needed to pre-pay the electricity was right across the street…so this was a two for one, stop. Our next must do is to find a clinic for one of our missionaries to go and have some lab tests done. We decided to enquire at a large Pharmacy and, the man drew us a map which proved to be less than helpful. We criss-crossed back and forth trying to locate where we thought this clinic would be, to no avail. In desperation we called Precious to see if she knew of it, but the name was not familiar however she knew of a clinic that the other senior couples had always used. We decided that we would have her go with us tomorrow and see if this clinic could perform the tests. By the time we arrived home it was way after 3pm and we were dead on our feet.

Tuesday
We arose today at 6am for surprise missionary apartment inspections. Our first call was Menotin. We gave them a five minute warning and when we arrived they were up, dressed and ready. It was quite an impressive site; they had even dressed alike, all wearing bright pink ties. Their apartment was spotless, attitudes great and their song wonderful. Everyone should start their day like this. Next stop, Gbedjromede…same scenario, it was a pleasure being with them. Then on to Akpakpa and another repeat. We remarked what a difference this was from when we started these inspections, finding surly missionaries half dressed, dirty environments, disorganization in every direction. Now they are focused, alert and just plain on the ball. We gave them a spiritual thought about being of one heart and mind in all things and a motivational poster to remind them. We also drew a chart of how as teams with a combined focus (in this instance Jesus Christ), even though they are divided by culture, personality, etc., working towards that goal brings them closer. We urged them to be smart in all things, work, health, play, etc., then Sister Leavitt told them she had brought them a pill to take every day to help them do this, and proceeded to give them all a box of Smarties (candy similar to M&M’s)…they loved it. We said our goobyes and wondered how on earth we were going to pick a winner. We decided we would stop for a late breakfast/early lunch and focus on the rest of our day and try to come up with a winning apartment. We stopped at Festival de Glace in Akpakpa and had a really nice lunch, it was quiet which gave us some time to sit and think…we finally picked Menotin because they excelled in all areas…good for them. We then went to retrieve Precious from our apartment and have her show us where this clinic she knows of is. One look and we said “NO-WAY”. We did however get directions to the clinic we are looking for and finally after a series of twists and turns, found it. Precious and I went in to make an appointment and ensure that they could do all the tests. It was fun trying to communicate but with Precious by my side it was accomplished. We then took Precious home. Our next item is to go and pick up Madame Vierin and take her and the revised contract as agreed upon, to her lawyer. While they went into the lawyer’s office I sat outside and waited. It was not long before I heard heated raised voices coming out the door and my husband was loudly exclaiming “no, no, no”. It would seem that although Madame Vierin was in agreement with the minor changes the lawyer was not and was being very obstinate and rude. The end result was my husband walked out with me in tow. As we headed for the truck he stated that without the communication skills he was out of his league and could not deal with it anymore. President Gbedjangni just has got to step up and fight for what he wants for his building…somehow he felt relived and exonerated by his decision…it is OVER, he said. We then remembered Madame Vierin and Sister Leavitt had to climb the numerous flights of stairs to retrieve her from the office to take her home. She talked ninety miles an hour to us all the way in her local language as well as French so much so we had to stop and get Elder Halterman to interpret…it seems she just wanted to make sure we were actually taking her home. After this ordeal we were both so utterly exhausted…we went home to call it a day. We did have Precious call President Gbedjangni to tell him that the contract had fallen apart, then Madam Vierin called Precious to say she wanted another meeting, then President Gbedjangni said another meeting was set for 1:30pm on Thursday and he would attend, with us. With confusion at every turn we wonder is this thing on or off…we just don’t know.
Wednesday
Today we feed our Gbedjromede missionaries for lunch in our apartment. We fixed the same menu as before, chicken spaghetti, salad, etc., etc. They arrived promptly at 12:00noon and so did 11 boxes of supplies via DHL. So while Elder Leavitt and the missionaries were blessing the food and getting started…Sister Leavitt was in the receiving zone, checking in 11 boxes of Book of Mormons. The lunch was a huge success and we thoroughly enjoyed these wonderful young men. We love doing this by apartment as it allows us to visit and get to know the missionaries so much more intimately than when they are all together. When they were done they left with food to take home and were thrilled. We cleaned up and decided that we needed some down time, took a nice nap and relaxed for the remainder of the day. Marv enjoyed his Bourne Ultimatum movie and we both still are amazed at how many full length feature movies you can actually get on one DVD…AMAZING.
Thursday
We took our missionary and dropped him and his companion off at the clinic for his lab tests. We then went to the bank, post office and paid a phone bill. This was funny as the bill said we owed 70,000cfa. When we tried to pay it the girl kept saying “no” and pushing the money back. Finally a man came out and said we only owed 1,645cfa. When Sister Leavitt asked why the bill said we owed 70,000cfa on the “amount to be paid” line…he said it was a mistake. We pray he is right and the phone does not get disconnected. A few more stops and then we headed home to wait for our meeting at 1:30pm with the lawyer. We then went to pick up President Gbedjangni in the most horrendous rain storm which came in so quickly and violently it was frightening. He said he wanted to follow us in his car (which left us wondering why we had to come and pick him up). As we travelled over to the lawyer’s office we hit the worst of all traffic jams on a round point. You literally could not move with everything coming at you from moto’s to giant trucks to cars…you name it. Somehow Elder Leavitt slowly threaded that Toyota through and we came out unscathed. We parked in front of the lawyers building and just as we were about to enter President turned to us and asked Elder Leavitt if he had called for an appointment. We just stood there dumbfounded. Precious had called him two days ago and was told that HE had got us the appointment. Elder Leavitt looked totally worn out, he quietly looked at President and said, you said you had secured the appointment, I cannot communicate with these people, there is no point in climbing those stairs, for I guarantee nobody is there, we may as well leave. President verified that nobody was in the office and then assured us he could contact the lawyer and this time, get an appointment for Friday. Then Sister Leavitt said that we would see him tonight at the Public Affairs meeting at 7pm. He said he would be there at 7pm, not 8pm which is usually when he shows up. We took ourselves home, confused and dazed at this whole process but did share a laugh, just because. We had a quick bowl of soup and at 7pm headed over to the chapel for the 7pm meeting. At 7:30pm nobody had showed, finally Brother Missigbeto came and announced that they had changed the time of the meeting to 8pm at the request of President Gbedjangni who could not make it at 7pm, but they were sorry nobody had remembered to call us. TODAY WE GIVE UP!

Friday
We will not have a definitive schedule today but we will need to get on the ball and do some shopping…which we did. Mostly we bought the supplies needed for the missionaries, brooms, pots, rags, etc. and got them delivered. We ended up after much shopping at our Chinese Restaurant for lunch, very good. As we were leaving the restaurant we got a call from Precious to say that President Gbedjangni was in the lawyer’s office with Madame Vierin, the contract was signed and they needed the deposit money (1,250,000cfa-cash). Thank goodness Elder Leavitt had anticipated this and gone to the bank. We ran home to get the money and headed to the office. My husband’s motivation…today maybe, just maybe this will be FINI! When we got to the office President was waiting and Elder Leavitt whose knee was very bad today, opted to stay in the truck and let Sister Leavitt do the leg work. All signatures in place, money counted and copies made she walks out and announces IT IS OVER! We then went to see Precious in her shop to get more copies made. Then we picked up our missionary to take him back to get his test results from the clinic so Sister Leavitt can scan and send them to Dr. Maughan in Accra, Ghana. It ran like a well oiled machine….all done.

Saturday
A GREAT DAY! We attended the baptism of Freeman and Alicia a wonderful couple from Cameroon. He is a Doctor and she a Teacher. They have a lovely baby boy named Brian. Elder Cloward and Elder Gnohohi have been teaching them and they are the kind of couple we need, to grow the church here in Benin. The baptism was wonderful and the spirit very strong. Following the baptism we headed home for today is Elder Leavitt’s birthday and we want nothing to do but relax, spoil ourselves and watch a movie or two…sprinkled with a good long nap. Ten minutes into this plan our bell rang and downstairs was Pierre with another person. The other person turned out to be Arnold Odonker from Accra who is here to conduct a meeting with the Branch Presidents and Financial Clerks. We love and remember Arnold from Nigeria. He wanted to visit with us and we were happy to see him. He also asked if he could stay with us, which he did. Our day turned around on us and our thoughts turned to accommodating Arnold which involved finding a safe place for him to park his car overnight (on the street is not safe). We had a nice dinner and visit with him following his meeting, and then we called it a day.

Til next week….Elder and Sister Leavitt

Le Couple

2010-08-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Howdy Family and Friends,

Well, this week was a little quieter than the last few. We still had a lot of trekkers, but not the onslaught as in weeks past. There are still plenty of projects that need to be accomplished before we all head home, but now we'll have quite a few more bodies to help with the physical work. The Humanitarian Center needs to be finished up on the inside, but they have really done a great job of matching the outside up with the existing building. The Pavilion expansion also needs to be finished up on the inside. I, personally, want to finish working on the baptismal area of the Sweetwater River, now that the water has receded, so that it will a little easier to get the kids in and out. We wouldn't want any of the newest members of the church washing down the river. Most of the projects on my (bucket) list are now completed, so I'm pretty well relaxed.

We're all anxiously awaiting to find out who the next Polar Bears will be and who the new leaders are. Hopefully we'll know in the next few weeks, ( Maybe)

Saturday this year's Polar Bears and a few other received an invitation to go the 2nd annual Pathfinder Days at the Pathfinder Ranch located just a few miles east of the Cove. They really put on a great show with a multi-event rodeo which includes events for all ages. They also had everything you could possibly want to eat or drink all day long. With a wonderful Rib Eye Steak Fry at night. They also had a great Country/Western band. Every person, young or old who won an event, whether it be egg tossing or calf roping won a beautiful silver Pathfinder buckle. They also raffled off beautiful saddles, a western Colt 45, and a 500 dollar gift certificate, with all proceeds to benefit the local 4H program. The owners of the ranch must spend a fortune every year to put on this event for all the local ranches, and their cowboys and cowgirls. The youngest competitors looked to be about 4 years old, but they were tough little cowpokes. We really appreciated the opportunity to attend.

Our good friend Maria Heaton from Boulder City was here to see us and we had a great visit. We took her up to Thermopolis to see the Dinosaur Museum and she also attend the Pathfinder Days with us.

This next week our some of our children and grandchildren, Chris and Leanna and kids, will be coming up and we can hardly wait. The hardest thing about serving is missing our family.

We love you all, and will see some of you soon!

Elder Leavitt

Howdy from me as well,

Maria said that when we were at the Pathfinder's Days that she had never seen so many "real" cowboys in one place before :) The cowboys in Wyoming are the real deal -- that's for sure.

I just received a call from Maria and her flight has been delayed 3 hours -- I wish I was with her at the airport so we could visit and the time would fly by (pardon the pun) because when we're talking we lose all track of time. It really makes me feel bad that she is stuck at the airport as she missed our band practice tonight that was especially fun. We all got to pick our favorite songs so we did lots of new ones and it was great.

Tomorrow night we get to attend a concert by Kevin McNiven -- another real cowboy who lives in Lander and sings amazing "western" music. We have one of his CD's that we play every time we go to Casper. It features his rendition of "Wyoming -- it's Home Sweet Home to me", has become like a national anthem to me. I don't think any of the Missionaries can listen to it after they leave and not tear up as we really come to love Wyoming after having lived here.

Not much else to report this week -- I had a very special and spiritual experience w/ Maria up at the Cove. Our friends, the Emlings were on post up there, so we loved hearing them tell the pioneer stories. We also met a couple who were dating -- both recovering from recent divorces. It was wonderful to see how both of them were able to gain strength from the example of the pioneers to face the challenges they have ahead of them. These valiant and courageous pioneers continue to change lives.

Our love and prayers to you all,

Sister Leavitt

P.S. Attaching a picture of Maria and Charlie at the dinosaur museum.

OUT OF AFRICA Aug 1st - 7th 2010

2010-08-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

A PORT IN A STORM.

Dear Journal,
We have had quite a diverse week, to say the least. We also have experienced a myriad of emotions, to say the least. We have most definitely felt the hand of the Lord this week….to say the least.

Week of July August 1-7, 2010

Sunday
We have assignments today at Menotin Branch, Marv will teach Elder’s Quorum with Elder Cruz as his translator and Sister Leavitt will work with the Primary for the last hour. We are finding that by concentrating on one branch consistently for a whole month our training is more effective. The downside is that when it is time to move on and attend another branch, the one we leave gets upset. The fast and testimony meeting was well attended and some very sweet and sincere testimonies were given…the spirit was very strong. The highlight of the meeting was the blessing of two babies by the priesthood. Elder Leavitt’s training is bearing fruit, we do believe this is the first time since coming here that we have seen a baby blessed. Babies are born all the time, but they are never blessed. This point was made by Elder Leavitt more than once in training and they even practiced how to do it with a hymn book…by golly I do believe our branch members are listening. Primary was another story…it was very chaotic and disorganized. All Sister Leavitt’s labors in providing tools for effective teaching seemed to have been ignored. So, we did a sharing time and then had a fun singing time. The President and 1st Counselor commented that they had never seen the children have so much fun and could I come every week and do the same. Well you can imagine the answer was a “no” with the explanation that I was there to train and provide the tools, but they must rise up and do what they are called to do. Hopefully at some point all this will take root and sprout up. We were both quite tired as we headed back to the apartment and planned to have a really nice nap. As we entered into our street we could hear the loudest thumping noise. Today is Independence Day for Benin, celebrating their 50 years of independence from France. The apartment next to ours was having a celebration with a DJ and speakers the size of the Eiffel Tower. It was so loud the building was shaking….this went on until 9:00pm that night. As we lay in bed exhausted from the constant noise and thumping, the noise finally stopped. We both dared not take a breath for fear it would start up again…but it did not.

Monday
Today was the day when you realize that you have a full day of mostly just running from one place to another. At home we would enjoy this kind of a day, stopping for lunch, enjoying the different destinations our errands take us to. But here it is very wearing as you continually fight the horrific traffic conditions and, when you get to your destination, finding a place to park, and when you do it is invariably on the opposite side of the road to the place you need to be and you have to walk across dodging moto traffic, and almost getting hit various times…not fun. But, that is what we do so we set out. One “must do” place was the Leader Price Supermarche to get the finished lease for the Akpakpa building to President Desiree for his information. Well Elder Leavitt had to double park and I had to walk it in to the President’s office. He immediately took it and started crossing everything out he did not like and saying he wanted to meet with Madam Vierin and the Lawyer. I made him go outside and explain to Elder Leavitt why he was upset with a lease that met all the specifications agreed on, and met the total approval of Accra. We found Elder Leavitt and the two of them conversed. I could tell my husband was not happy with President Desiree and I was not happy either. He is a good man but he is not experienced in these kinds of things and was targeting in on things that had no on sequence. We told him if he was going to upset everything at this point he was in total charge and had to take responsibility and run the risk of losing the building altogether. Elder Leavitt also reminded him that we have given notice to the current Landlord that we would not be re-leasing. He said he knew the lawyer and would set up a meeting with Madame Vierin and explain to her…we shall see now where this goes. Marv is weary of this, he has accomplished so much with no language skills and now to have this Branch President step in at the last minute is almost too much. We headed back to the house and decided to get our calendars set up for August and September. It was while we were doing this that we realized that, even though we had notified President Ayekoue two months ago that he had scheduled an Akpakpa Branch Conference for this coming weekend…we had heard nothing from him. Elder Leavitt then called Precious (it is her Branch) to see if they were planning on a conference this coming weekend…oh yes she advised they had made numerous announcements on Sunday about it. Marv then called President Ayekoue and sure enough he had forgotten all about it…he said he was not able to come and would give the assignment to President Dieudonne Attiogbe and have him take care of it. Our President is not a big one for attention to detail. We could not help but wonder what would have happened if we had not thought to check up on it?

Tuesday
Got an early morning call that missionaries were out of cooking gas. Also Precious is starting back today to clean the apartment and I need to have a talk with her to go over our discussions in that area. Marv left and went and got gas and I waited for Precious. All accomplished and while Precious does her thing Elder and Sister Leavitt headed out to take care of personal business. I knew that the lease was weighing heavily on my husband, he looks so tired and worn down. We talked and talked while he drove, we are at a loss as to what to do. He asked my opinion, I felt very strongly that we should not have involved President Desiree as he does not seem to be a businessman and does not comprehend the lease. We decided a change of scenery might help and drove to Port Nouvou (about 30 minutes out of Cotonou). Port Nouvou is actually the capital city of Benin and once we were there we were blown away with how different it was from Cotonou and yet so close. The streets were practically empty of moto traffic and very well maintained. It was a treat driving around the town…definitely somewhere we will visit again when we have more time. We were also able to make some decisions regarding the lease. Marv will attend the meeting set up for tomorrow morning at 8am with Madame Vierin and take Elder Cloward to interpret and hopefully at the conclusion we will have a good resolution that makes everyone happy.

Wednesday
Elder Cloward came over and he and Elder Leavitt left in good time to attend the meeting with Madame Vierin and President Gbedjangni. Just as they were leaving he asked me to call President Gbedjangni to make sure he was on his way. He answered his phone but seemed confused and said Madame Vierin was not at her house and we would have to reschedule. I called Elder Leavitt and gave him the news…he was not happy. He and Elder Cloward then went to the bank and accomplished a few other things. When they returned both Marv and I realized that in all honesty President had forgotten to set the appointment and not called until the last minute. This seems to be the normal way of a West African man. After some back and forth another meeting was set for 3pm tomorrow. afternoon. Our air conditioner in the living room had also decided to not work so we called Pierre to come and check it out. Speaking of Pierre he is busy making us props for a Mighty Change and has produced a spectacular Liahonna..what a treasure he is. The rest of our day brought a myriad of emotions from frustration with our President Ayekoue and his lack of communication to joy from members who continually amaze us in their faithful service. We heard from Elder and Sister Herr that President Attiogbe would be in Cotonou on Friday and we invited him to stay with us…which he willingly accepted. At the ninth hour Marv got the idea to ask President Attiogbe to come in tomorrow so he could attend the meeting with him and Madame Vierin. They work together very well, have accomplished many lease negotiations in Togo when we served there, and Marv feels comfortable with him. He was very gracious and said he would be here tomorrow afternoon in time for the 3pm meeting.

Thursday
Spent the bulk of the day preparing some thoughts for the Branch Conference as we will both be training. Also Sister Leavitt ransacked the house and found items that will work for the Mighty Change in the costume department…more to come on that. We had a nice morning and then prepared for the arrival of President Attiogbe. As the clock crept closer to 3pm there was no sign of him. We had Precious call President Gbedjangni to ask Madame Vierin if we would come at 4pm instead of 3pm…he said he was not aware of a meeting at 3pm today….we give up! We called Precious back to see if she could get us a meeting with Madame Vierin at 4:30pm, which she did. Dieudonne actually arrived at 3:30pm which gave he and Marv time to go over the original lease, line by line. We headed over to the new building to see if we could find Madame Vierin…she was in her house and gladly received us. We produced the original lease (not the one President Desiree marked up) and went over it in detail. She was pleased with it and accepted the minor changes Elder Leavitt and Dieudonne had made. She was very receptive to Dieudonne and they got on well. This was a very good decision! The final plan is to get with her on Monday or Tuesday with the lawyer, get it finalized and signed and then we are done with it for good, and we hope this happens. We just had time to run home and for Sister Leavitt to make some soup and omelets and then the three of us rushed over to the Gbedjromede chapel to attend the Public Affairs meeting to go over the progress on Helping Hands (8/21) and Mighty Change (8/28). President Gbedjangni the Chairman of these events was a no-show, and no other Branch President were there. Brother Missigbeto took 30 mins to advise us that at his meeting in Accra last week he was told that the Public Affairs has no responsibility for the Mighty Change. No projects have been selected for the Helping Hands and the Mighty Change is at a standstill. Elder Leavitt made his feelings known and President Dieudonne also expressed his sentiments and compared our progress with Togo, who seem to be doing much better. Sister Leavitt basically advised them that this was our 5th meeting on these projects and we have not moved one inch towards anything…(this did not go over well). They are hung up why they should not do this or that, and who will pay for this or that…everyone wants to be a Chief, nobody wants to be the Indian. Then Sister Leavitt got out her bag and produced her costume suggestions and things picked up from there…they loved her ideas and samples. She even came up with armbands for Helaman’s Warriors made out of toilet paper rolls. We were so weary when it was over…the three of us dragged ourselves home and went to bed.

Friday
Today we will call it a “play day”. It has been about 2 years since Dieudonne was here and he just wanted to ride around with us and see what was new. We took him as we visited the post office, bank etc. Then Sister Leavitt took him into Erevan and he absolutely loved it and walked around with her with his eyes big as could be. We then had a late lunch/early dinner at Festival de Glace and headed back to the apartment to ready ourselves for tomorrow and the Akpakpa Branch Conference.

Saturday
We started off the day with a baptism…two were baptized one from Akpakpa and one from Menotin. It was a sweet baptism but not without another frustration. It was supposed to start at 10am, at 10:30am we still had not started even though everyone was there. I found my husband and enquired why he was not happy. It seems the Gbedjromede Branch President was refusing to allow the missionaries to use Gbedjromede’s baptism clothing…he said that the individual branches involved should provide their own. We only have one baptismal font and it is at the Gbedjromede building. Elder Leavitt quickly got it straightened out with a note to address this at some future date with all three Branch Presidents, when will this nonsense cease to end…don’t know. Following the baptism some of the missionaries came back to the apartment to see Dieudonne…they love him so much. Then it was time to head for Akpakpa for the training meeting. It was to start at 2pm but actually started at 2:30pm due to late arrivals. My session was to have the Relief Society President give part of the training but she was not there as she had travelled, so Dieudonne said a few words and then turned it over to me. I trained for 1-1/2 hours on “Rise to your Call”, lessons learned from the women of the bible and how to organize in your respective auxiliary. I had around 25 people in attendance a mix of adults and young women and Precious was by my side to translate. It went very well and I had great participation and response. Elder Leavitt trained on ordinances and had around 12-14. He was pleased with his participation too. We then went into the Adult session from 4-6pm and Marv and I both participated. At the end of the day we felt it had been very worthwhile and were pleased with the comments made by the members. We then headed for our Chinese Restaurant along with Dieudonne and with Elder Cloward and Gnohohi in tow (Elder Cloward had been translating all afternoon for Elder Leavitt). We enjoyed a really good dinner and also enjoyed each others’ company.

The attached pictures hopefully will give you a bird’s eye view of our driving conditions around Cotonou.

Til next week…..Elder and Sister Leavitt

Le Couple

MARTINS COVE - 8/3/10

2010-08-05T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hello again to all our family and friends,

The last couple of weeks has been like a Tidal Wave of trekkers. This wave has been building to a crescendo all summer and finally hit. But, one more week and the tide will go back out and calm water will arrive. I'm sure it will be like a gigantic let down as all the pioneer activity has been very exhilarating. To see these beautiful young people dressed in their pioneer outfits, pulling their handcarts, trekking out on the trails, doing the river crossings, the woman's pull up the steep inclines, the square dancing, and their spiritual meetings puts you on a spiritual high that is impossible to describe. It's wonderful to see a small sampling of the many virtuous, wholesome young people there are in the world.

I have also been kept busy putting the finishing touches on the assigned list of improvements I would like to finish before our release date which is coming fast. (Sept. 28.) The last major job on my list is placing gravel on parts of the road and parking areas of Jackson Campground which when it rains become very slick and easy to get stuck in. I was fortunate (blessed) to locate a gravel source across the river about a half a mile away and a sturdy old bridge to haul across. I have been very fortunate while serving here because our leadership has pretty much given me free rein to use my experience to accomplish the jobs they've wanted done.

One of the things we are going to miss most about this mission is the missionaries. We have made such wonderful friends and had so much fun associating with them. We hope our friendships will last a life time.

We're very excited to have some of our family members coming this month. We can't wait to show them around. We have had the opportunity to meet many of our extended Leavitt family from all over the country, most of whom we would have probably never met otherwise. It was only our Leavitt name tags that introduced us.

We love all of you and appreciate your love and support.

Elder Leavitt

Hi everyone -- One of the highlights for me during the last two weeks was hearing from a great-great granddaughter of Joseph and Emma Smith. Although she had this great heritage, she didn't really understand or appreciate it because she was raised in a family that literally despised the Mormon Church. She had been lied to her whole life and didn't realize that Joseph Smith had founded a true and living Church. Because she was studying her family history, she was referred to a Mormon Church to do the necessary genealogy research. This was the beginning of her finding out about her Grandparents and her relationship to them.

Needless to say, she was amazed and overwhelmed. She began to research the Church in earnest and ended up being baptized. It really was a miracle as she had to overcome so many ingrained prejudices to be able learn about the Church with an open mind. Her message was so compelling because what she talked about was healing the rifts in families and in relationships. Because of her up-bringing, she was raised in fear, hate and anger. But, she has been able to turn it around and has been able to bless thousands of lives with her testimony of the saving grace of Jesus Christ and his ability to heal broken lives and families.

Her mantra is "Let go, embrace Christ and move on" -- something we can all benefit from.

On our "P" day this past week we went to Saratoga with some Missionary friends. Had a wonderful time. Saratoga is another quaint, little Wyoming town that had a main street with many fun stores. We also visited Encampment which is another very small Wyoming town (Population 59 !) that has a unique display of many buildings that they have acquired over the years, that show what a Wyoming town looked like in the 1900's. The thing I enjoyed the most was a 2-story outhouse -- necessary because of the accumulation of snow in the winter. Finally we drove over the Snowy Range, down into Laramie, where I graduated from College. Snowy Range was gorgeous and I was amazed it was about 50 miles from Laramie but I never visited it when I was in college.

As Elder Leavitt said, the last couple of weeks have been almost frantic, we've been so busy with trekkers. But I have to say our Missionaries have done an incredible job and we can end this trek season feeling good about the work we have done this summer. We have had wonderful evaluations from the trek groups so we know we have accomplished our goal of helping these kids feel of the Spirit of our Lord and helping them to know they can do difficult things.

Although it's a couple of weeks late, wanted to attach a picture of Elder Leavitt on half of the paved road. He worked so hard on it, it's something that he can look back on and know he made a significant contribution here. In the background is Devil's Gate.

Well, the bed is calling to me -- really tired this week. Hope I can get rested up now that we're almost through with the trek season.

Our love and prayers to all of you,

Sister Leavitt aka Peggy

CAMERON - My week. A story from the mission field.

2010-08-05T08:31:00.001-07:00

Last monday we had a cool FHE at a members house. I learned my companion is actually a pretty good actor cause at one point he pretened to cry. then On tuesday He was sick so i was stuck at home all day. That was really tough and i was looking forward to zone conference the next day and getting to work again. So the next morning we had Zone conference. I learned there that i was having an exchange with the district leader that day. After we had to go to my house to pick up some extra clothes which is like an hour drive then back to Tarlac which is another Hour then to his area which was about half an hour. By the time we got to his area it was nearly 7. And raining cats, frogs, and dogs. we didnt get much done there. so the next day i got to go back to my area and i really wanted to work. but My companion was still sick. then he was sick on friday too. Those were some of the longest days ever. BUt i did get to work on saturday. tHat was really great. I didnt realize how thankful i was to leave the house everyday. When there is nothing to do at our house it can be pretty boring. So then yesterday was church. Our chruch time changed, Its a long story why but the attendance was pretty low because of that. then we got invited to a members house later that night for a party and we were going to share a message. so that was pretty fun but i was fasting so all the food they offered me was kinda depressing. then we went home and i got to sleep. for p day this morning we went to a park and played dodge ball. then we went to the mall and i bought stuff to make my birthday sweet. I also bought some filipino fighting sticks. OUCH!!!! me and the other american in my house both have padded sticks but it still hurts to get hit. I have a huge bruise on my arm. so that was pretty much my week in short. I hope you enjoyed It

Love you

Elder Leavitt

OUT OF AFRICA JULY 25-31, 2010

2010-08-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

TIME TO SAY “GOODBYE” AND “HELLO”.

Dear Journal,

This has been quite a week for Elder and Sister Leavitt. We anticipated it being full and busy but we found it to be more than that. We have seen changes in the Benin Zone, not only with our missionary compliment but changes in our branches as well. We are committed to bring about more changes and hope that as the coming week evolves we will have accomplished more by the end of it. Here is our report for the week past.

Week of July 25 – 31, 2010

Sunday
We planned to attend the Akpakpa Branch for Sacrament today and then immediately following take Elder Yao and hit the road to Lome, Togo. We realized as the meeting commenced that the branch was upset with the changes in their missionaries. President is pulling all four of their missionaries at one time. Elders Bertoch and Yapo have been a successful companionship and have done some great work for this branch and are loved by the members. Elders Yao and Geisler, likewise…such a hard working team and, again, made many contacts and brought changes into the branch. They were each, in turn, asked to come and bear their testimonies and it was a very spiritual and emotional meeting. Following it was hard to get away as everyone wanted their pictures taken with Elder Yao and, it was a tender goodbye between he and his companion Elder Geisler. As these missionaries work and live together they form a bond and become very close…that is what makes them so successful. The ride over was uneventful and it was good to be out in the country again and see the familiar sights on the way. We pulled into Lome in good time and immediately took Elder Yao to get him something to eat.
We then headed for the Tokoin building to meet up with Elder and Sister Herr who were attending the Be-Kpota meeting. We stayed with them through the meetings and Sister Herr and I attended Relief Society which was conducted not in French but the local dialect…very interesting. The Herr’s then took Elder Yao to his new apartment and companions in Hedzranowae. Elder and Sister Leavitt drove over to the Herr’s home and let ourselves in, unpacked and got comfy. We had a lovely dinner with Elder and Sister Herr and got caught up on the news from Lome and shared the news from Cotonou. We were more than ready for bed and a good night’s rest…tomorrow we head back to Cotonou with missionaries going to Benin and we have an early start planned. Elder Leavitt: Elder Yao who is normally an extremely talkative animated young man was very sedate and quiet as we took him to Togo. You could tell he was missing his companions and members of his branch, already.

Monday
The alarm clock went off all too early (5am) but we really need to get on the road and get the missionaries to Benin as we have five of them who need paperwork started for an entry visa into Cote d’Ivorie. We picked up Elder Ghisquiere and Elder Cruz first and then stopped and got Elder Kakou. It was good to see our Lome missionaries again and we told them how much we missed being with them but how glad we are for Elder and Sister Herr. We made really good time over to Benin and even made a side trip to Ouidah for Elder Ghisquiere. The whole time we worked with him in Cotonou he always wanted to visit Ouidah, we realized that this was his absolute last chance and so we made a quick ride through and he really appreciated it. Elder Cruz loved it too and even went and held a snake or two. Once in Benin we took and fed them as they were starving and then dropped them off at their respective apartments. The missionaries were glad to see them and old acquaintances were renewed once again. Finally back at our apartment we were ready to unload and even had a huge delivery from DHL to contend with. It seemed as though we only had time to catch our breath and we had to head out again for our appointment at the Cote d’Ivorie Consulate to get the paperwork in process for Elders Ghisquiere, Bertoch, Starita, Geisler, and Tshibasu. This entails pictures, passports, letters of invitation, copies of passports, copies of flight itineraries and forms to be filled out…it took about two hours total and then we took and delivered them all back to their apartments again. By the time we were all done it was going on 8:00pm before we were able to sit down and have a bowl of cereal and relax. Elder Leavitt: We are excited at the opportunity to have with us again Elder Cruz and his companion Elder Kakou. We knew we were going to be able to work with Elder Cruz since his last area of labor will be Cote d’Ivorie and we have the only Consulate here in Benin for that country and he will need a visa before entering. Sister Leavitt: Our DHL delivery today consisted of the August Liahonas for our missionaries. We laughed as we did not receive the May Liahonna until June, the June was not delivered until the end of July with the July issue. I guess we are making progress getting August actually before August. YEAH!

Tuesday
Today will be a day of getting our regular work done, we were both still very tired from our past few days and decided to take it easy. We also need to get paperwork to Precious today for the visa for Elder Cruz. To say it was a stressful day was an understatement and it more than took a toll on Elder and Sister Leavitt and their usual very amiable relationship. We realize we are missionaries but we are also human beings. I could tell that my husband was in pain with his leg today and I was not handling the environment at all well.
When we got to the apartment it was time for a meeting and re-commitment to honor each other’s private battles and be more sensitive, forgiving and most of all tolerant of each other and of those we interact with. Missionaries MOST DEFINITELY do have bad days, and today was a BAD DAY. Enough said!

Wednesday
Sister Leavitt needs this day to clean the apartment and get laundry caught up. Elder Leavitt needs this day to get caught up on email messages, working funds, couples exchange, and problem solving for projects he is working on for the individual branches. Sister Leavitt cleaned windows, cupboards, shelves, floors etc. Elder Leavitt made spreadsheets, balanced working funds and made a huge dent in a mound of project paperwork. By the end of the day, exhausted but fulfilled, we both felt really good.

Thursday
Today we ran more errands and then took Elders Starita and Tshibasu to lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant. We wanted to have some alone time with these two as they will leave us on Friday. We have found them to be such hard working missionaries and we are so sorry to see them go…they will be missed greatly in the Menotin Branch. Elder Starita loved his food but Elder Tshibasu (even though he said the Chinese food was good), he said it was not “very good”. This was his first time tasting Chinese food…Elder Tshibasu is from the D.R. Congo. Following lunch we took them home and then headed to our apartment. At 5:00pm we had an appointment with the lawyer to pick up our rental agreement for the new Akpakpa building. When we got there they acted surprised to see us. Elder Leavitt reminded them that they had told us to come. We sat and waited until finally someone called us in.
Bottom line they had not prepared the contract and things got a little confusing. Elder Leavitt usually has Pierre with him but today he was in Ghana so not available. It was a circus trying to communicate to this man who claimed he understood and spoke English. Then the landlady Madame Vierin showed up…someone had called her, so it got even more confusing. Finally we got a contract and ended up taking Madame Vierin, another lady and Tina (the daughter) back to their home. We then hurried over to our appointment at the Gbedjromede chapel for the Public Affairs meeting to discuss the plans for the Helping Hands service project and the “Mighty Change”. Last week we had left the meeting with some definite assignments which were to be reported on this week. Well as confusing as the meeting with the lawyer was…this was more so. They had not listened, they had not done their assignments, we have not moved along with anything one bit (in fact I think we have moved backwards in some areas)…very frustrating. Finally we called it a day and went home to our apartment and YES, another bowl of cereal for dinner. Elder Leavitt: Sister Leavitt seems to feel like we may have taken a step backwards with the Mighty Change however, I think we have taken a step forward unfortunately it is three months too late…we shall see. Sister Leavitt: While sitting in the lawyer’s office another couple came in obviously for an appointment. The lady seemed to be sick with a bad cough so I offered her a cough drop. All of a sudden she came and sat beside me and started to produce out of her handbag pictures of herself taken after some kind of a horrible attack. Her head was all bleeding and beat up, with blood streaming down her face and the back of her head. I did not know what to say…she told me she was attacked by her 44 year old brother.

Friday
Today we say goodbye to our six missionaries…this is very hard for us we have grown very attached to these young men…each and every one of them an outstanding missionary. We are proud to have worked and served with them, we will miss them greatly. We got them all to the airport and into the check-in line. We said our goodbyes and wished them luck with their new assignments in Abidjan. Elders Ghisquiere, Starita, Bertoch, Geisler, Tshibasu and Yapo will be great no matter where they serve. I told Sister Bailey they were getting the “cream of the crop”…she agreed. Following the airport we headed to pay phone bills, check mail, then to the Novatel Hotel to make reservations for President Ayekou and Elder Sitati who will be coming in August for a mission tour. Over to DHL to send mail to Accra then back to the airport to check to see if the missionaries were through and at the gate (they were) and check on the status of the flight leaving so we can communicate to Abidjan for their picking them up. We then went into Eravan to do some shopping and treated ourselves to some chocolate croissants. Then we drove over to the Leader Price Supermarche to meet with President Desiree on the lease. One last stop before home, a quick visit to the new apartment to see the progress being made there. Finally we got home and unloaded and decided a quick lunch and then a nap, was in order. The remainder of the day was relaxing until 9:30pm when Elder Leavitt and Elder Cloward headed back to the airport to pick up the four new missionaries coming in. The plane landed on time and they were able to deliver them to their new apartments. We finally got into bed at 1:00am. Elder Leavitt: As we drove away from the airport after watching our missionaries pass out almost every Book of Mormon Sister Leavitt had given them with a challenge to share them with a stranger on their journey.
We looked at each other and found that we both had tears streaming down our faces.

Saturday
Today we have made a firm pledge to stay in this apartment and do nothing…I am pleased to say we have remained (for the most part) loyal to that pledge and have not gone anywhere, and only done small things as we have wanted to do them.

Til next week….Elder and Sister Leavitt
Le Couple

OUT OF AFRICA JULY 18-24, 2010

2010-07-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

SPAGHETTI MISSIONARIES!

Dear Journal,
As we begin documenting yet another week of our mission we cannot help but wonder at how fast the time is flying by. It is incredible that we are now over half way through our mission and hurtling towards our one year mark. With the entrance into the mission of Elder and Sister Herr taking over Togo, we honestly thought our lives would slow down to the point that boredom would be an issue…oh how wrong we were. We truly look forward to 2:00 pm each day when (schedules permitting) we take our nap. Naps are a new thing for us and we find that we now cannot live without them...wish we had found them sooner. Here is our week.

Week of Sunday July 18-24, 2010

Sunday
We went to Gbedjromede today and attended a very good Sacrament meeting. President Lokossu watches over his branch with a quiet, organized presence and it is a pleasure being there. Following the service we rode over to Akpakpa to drop off some materials. We are so thankful that we are working on a new building for this branch as they were truly spilling out of the doors today. Our missionary team here is EXCEPTIONAL, Elders Bertoch, Yapo, Yao and Geisler are diligent, hard working, and much loved here…it is a pleasure to see them in action. We were also happy to see our friend from India who came to visit with us, his name is, Nelaballe Manoharam. Unfortunately he told us that he is heading back to India and his wife as all attempts to bring his business into Benin have failed due to the unbelievable corruption here. That is the problem with West Africa, when good people come and want to do good things honorably, they are forced to deal with a corrupt and dishonorable system and they are forced to abandon their hopes and dreams and leave.
We are sad that he is leaving as he was making a difference in the branch and loved by the members. We headed home for an afternoon of relaxation before attending a rehearsal for the “Mighty Change” program at 5:00pm in Gbedjromede. The rehearsal was very well attended with over 30 youth present. We had anticipated a somewhat disorganized display and were not disappointed but, we have to say that it worked itself out and the youth were a lot farther along than we expected. They have been given a script by Accra and for the most part were doing well. One problem was that when it came time to sing a designated song as printed in the script the songs they were singing had nothing whatsoever to do with the theme they had presented. Elder Cloward and I could not figure it out until we looked up the hymn number in the ENGLISH hymn book and realized that it was the correct hymn. The youth were looking up and singing out of the French hymnbook and the numbers are different…we got that fixed. The rehearsal went on for longer than we anticipated and, darkness came and so did the mosquitoes. At last count I received over 20 bites on my legs.
Elder Leavitt: One of the phenomenon’s in West Africa is that the power is so unpredictable. Sister Leavitt and I were sitting and silently praying that the rehearsal would soon be over as the wooden benches were breaking our backs when all of a sudden the building was plunged into darkness. I told Sister Leavitt that the Lord had heard our prayers and now we could go. However, not to be distracted from their rehearsal, simultaneously 30 youth pulled out their cell phones, hit a button and illuminated the room and went right on with their practice. You gotta sometimes hate those cell phones.

Monday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR WENDY.
Today we are busy doing what we do best…driving around Cotonou, paying our bills, checking
mail, etc. We are also now preparing mentally and physically for transfers coming up. Last night, late, we received the email from Abidjan with the transfer list…it was a shock. We will lose half of our missionaries to transfers. The hardest to take is that we lose the entire Akpakpa team. These are great missionaries doing great things. We knew that we would lose Elders Bertoch, Starita and Geisler as they are on their last Benin visa. One of the many functions we perform is taking care of the legalities of our non-West African missionaries in this country. Benin (unlike Togo) only allows three consecutive visas before the recipient has to leave the country for 30 days. However, we did not count on losing Yapo and Yao. We also lose Elder Tshibasu who along with Elder Starita have been amazing missionaries in Menotin. Elder Halterman stays but moves to another area and apartment. We will have to take Elder Yao to Togo and bring back three missionaries. Two who are being transferred here (Elders Cruz and Kakou) and one who needs to come in to obtain his Cote d’Ivorie entry visa (Elder Ghisquiere) along with Elders Bertoch, Starita, Geisler and Tshibasu. Our missionaries going to Abidjan are three American, one French one from the D.R. Congo and our 6’8” Elder Yapo. This represents a great deal of paperwork and it is a three day process to obtain the actual visa before we can send them out…so today we started the process by visiting the Cote d’Ivorie Embassy to pick up all necessary paperwork. We also did some shopping and enjoyed some lovely cool temperatures.
Sister Leavitt: Today we received a delivery from DHL of 7 packages and a pouch. After the driver left we realized that two of the packages were not for us but rather for the Jehovah Witness organization. We tried to call and explain that two packages were not ours and, where were our two packages? But our pleading was lost in translation and went nowhere…we will tackle it tomorrow.
Elder Leavitt: Sister Leavitt is not satisfied with just having twelve missionaries, today she adopted a mother hen and six of her newly hatched chicks. Now she has me going up and down the stairs feeding them.

Tuesday
Today Sister Leavitt had planned a day at home to do laundry and cleaning but Elder Leavitt talked her out of it and suggested she do it on Thursday. So, we ran more errands and enjoyed more lovely cool temperatures. The rain is basically staying away but we have a goodly amount of wind and it is a nice cool wind….and WE LIKE IT! As we travelled around we took the two packages with us that need to be returned to DHL. It is amazing to us that we realized we were the ones who called to advise them that they had delivered two packages to us that were not ours and, as we ran around they kept calling us on our cell phone DEMANDING that we bring the packages to them immediately. We never got a thank you or anything…you would have thought it was our fault that they had been delivered to us in error. I actually do not know what DHL stands for but, for me in this country I think it stands for Dumb, Hysteric, Lunatics…so there.
Elder Leavitt: Today we went shopping at Eravan for the chickens we are going to put in our spaghetti. They are cooked on a rotisserie and when we got them into the truck they smelled sooooo good, it almost made me want to eat one right there and then.

Wednesday
Today we have invited the Akpakpa Apartment missionaries to come and have lunch with us.
We decided this prior to finding out they were leaving us. Sister Leavitt has long wanted to have all the missionaries to the apartment for a lunch at the beginning of each month to celebrate birthdays. But now, with twelve missionaries it is a bit much and we are limited by space, utensils, and whatnot as to what we can serve so, Elder Leavitt suggested we have them come by apartment. We only have one birthday in July and that is Elder Geisler so we invited them first..now we are glad we did. We were going to serve chicken, rice, veggie, salad…etc., but Sister Leavitt wanted to try her daughter Wendy’s Chicken Spaghetti (much to Elder Leavitt’s chagrin)….and she won out. We made the spaghetti sauce and bought two large chickens. Elder Leavitt pulled all the meat off them and we mixed it in. The menu consisted of, Four packages of spaghetti, three large jars of spaghetti sauce with various added seasonings, two large chickens, four loaves of French bread sliced and made into cheesy garlic bread, two large bowls of cabbage salad with raisins, carrots and pineapple, 8 sliced tomatoes, two large avocados sliced and one large cucumber sliced. Dessert was a plate with a chocolate mousse brownie and chocolate croissant with fresh pineapple. THEY ATE THE LOT! We had such a good time with them. Elder Geisler opened his birthday present consisting of a jar of Skippy Creamy Peanut butter and a large Nestle Crunch Bar…he was happy. The best part was as they were leaving Elder Geisler came and said to Sister Leavitt…”this is the best day, the food was good but I felt like I was at home with my family”. I told him he was, with his missionary family….we love these missionaries to bits. As Elder Leavitt drove them home, Sister Leavitt cleaned up the kitchen and loved every minute of it. The afternoon was brief, but we did enjoy some down time and then we got ready to receive Daniel Kabason from Accra who is here for a meeting with Elder Leavitt and the bank.
We took him to dinner and then, when we returned back to the apartment he declared that he was so tired and would it be ok if he just went in to bed (it was 7:00pm)…absolutely it was, and we did the same thing.

Thursday
Breakfast with Daniel…what an outstanding young man he is. We remember working with him when we served in Nigeria. Elder Leavitt and Daniel then left for the meeting at the bank and Sister Leavitt finally got her day to stay in the apartment and clean, and she did. At 5:00pm Elder Leavitt and Pierre attended an appointment with the lawyer of Madame Vierin to finalize the lease on the Akpakpa Chapel. The evening brought yet another meeting at 7:00pm that of the public affairs committee. We attended but it did not go well, for some reason President Desiree who is the Chairman was not in good spirits and behaved very rudely towards us…why we do not know. Elder Leavitt said he would get to the bottom of it this coming Sunday. This is when the culture clash becomes hard for us. We need to get our August 21st “Helping Hands” service project organized and going and we asked questions regarding this project and received no answers so we had to give some directions and deadlines and we don’t think he took very kindly to that. Our calling is to help and support the members and missionaries alike. The members would like that we just do it all for them and that is not the way. I love Elder Leavitt’s charge that “we are here to HELP them NOT to make them HELPLESS”. Following the meeting we headed home…very, very tired indeed.
Elder Leavitt: At the meeting of the Akpakpa lease I was greeted by two attorneys and Madame Vierin and I do believe that these two arrogant attorneys thought I had fallen off a cabbage truck. They started by telling me (through Pierre) that I needed to give Madame Vierin 4,000,000cfa in advance to help her
get her building completed. Along with a series of other unacceptable demands. We finally left the meeting with them agreeing to fund the money to Madame Vierin out of their own pockets, reducing our contract from 5 years to 3 years with an option of first refusal for an additional 3 years with a maximum 20% increase. When I got done I felt like somebody had taken me out and whipped me with a board…it is so very hard to negotiate through an interpreter.

Friday
We have worked out how we can make the upcoming transfers smooth and get everyone transferred and in place as directed. Elder Leavitt reported to Accra on the Akpakpa lease situation and they were very complimentary and pleased with his achievement (so am I). We checked the mail at the post office and ran some things over to Precious in her shop and got some copies made. Other than that, today we have enjoyed the cool, lovely temperatures and the nice clean apartment and, oh yes the excellent Banana Raisin Bread I made yesterday…LIFE IS GOOD.

Saturday
We started our day today by going teaching with the missionaries, Elders Halterman and Aisseba. They have a family they are currently teaching and the Mom is from Uganda and speaks excellent English. We arrived at their home which was very nice at 9am and were privileged to meet Elizabeth and her son Mark who is 20. We also met Ashley, Elizabeth’s little granddaughter, very cute. The missionaries taught them about baptism and we loved being included in the lesson. Elizabeth is a teacher, her husband was not home as he is a Director of a school and had to work. Mark asked many, many questions and is very bright.
It was an interesting 2 hours as many topics were discussed. We loved the experience and hope we get more. Not often can we be involved because of the language barrier but this time, even though the teachings were in French, because of the multi language skills of the family we were able to contribute. Following the lesson we ran some errands and then headed home. At 3pm we attended the baptism, a total of three were baptized but there were many investigators present. It was a lovely service. Our missionaries got their transfers today and the moves were met with mixed emotions, unfortunately Elder Leavitt was the one who had to shoulder emotions expressed by the different Elders…but he is very good at that. Tomorrow we will attend Church in Akpakpa and then hit the road to Togo to transfer out Elder Yao and bring back three others as mentioned earlier.
Elder Leavitt: It is so nice every now and then to get to participate in the spiritual side of our mission instead of the temporal. Sister Leavitt: DITTO!

Til next week….Elder and Sister Leavitt
Le Couple

ARNOLD "PETE" LEAVITT

2010-07-20T08:26:00.000-07:00

I just received word that Arnold (Pete) Leavitt passed away last night around 7:30. His daughter, Liz May, sent word and said he had a fast, aggressive form of cancer and passed peacefully. We will be updated on the memorial service.

Thanks, Liz, for keeping us informed. We send our love and prayers to his wife, Joan, his daughters and family, and siblings. He will surely be missed. Pete was always very active in the Leavitt Family gatherings of any kind. We will sure miss his sweet sense of humor and wonderful hugs.

Hugs, Pete

OUT OF AFRICA - JULY 11-17, 2010

2010-07-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE WEATHER?

Dear Journal,
We have most certainly worn more than a few hats this week as we have tackled the tasks set before us. Elder Leavitt most especially has donned more than his share…to mention just a few. Auditor, Real Estate Agent, Trainer, Motivator, Navigator and, most important guardian of Sister Leavitt to keep her sane and safe. Here we go.

Week of Sunday, July 11-17, 2010

Sunday
Off with a stop at Gbedjromede to deposit some paperwork with the branch president then on to Menotin for Sacrament then finishing up at Akpakpa to conduct an audit. Sister Leavitt visited the Primary and monitored the lesson given and then Relief Society and did likewise. Following church we gave the man visiting from India a ride home as it was starting to pour with rain. Once home we relaxed for the remainder of the day and Sister Leavitt did more work on her primary book. Elder Leavitt: The audit was excellent with the branch clerk prepared and ready. He speaks excellent English as he is from Nigeria so the process was quick. Sister Leavitt: Sister Gbedjannaghi as she taught the Primary lesson had a baby on her back. I knew that she did not have a child of her own that small so I asked her who the baby was. She explained that an investigator was attending church and had her baby who was fussing so, in order for the sister to enjoy her first experience at church, Sister Gbedjannaghi strapped her baby onto her back and took her into Primary. The baby was a contented as could be and fast asleep.

Monday:
The morning brought another visit to the proposed new Akpakpa church building with more pictures needed for Accra. This time we asked Brother Agassin (Pierre) to come with us so he could survey the work that needed to be done to complete the space.
It was interesting to see how Madame Vierin reacted to Pierre as they met for the first time. Elder Leavitt: One of the problems that you have when you take a West African to translate English to another West African is that you see a real hesitation for them to translate anything that is not a positive. During these negotiations Madame Vierin wanted all her money up front and I was not willing to do that. So we took about an extra hour before I could get Pierre to basically tell her what the terms and conditions would be. What should have been a 15-20 minute meeting ended up to be about 2-1/2 – 3 hours. Sister Leavitt: While taking more pictures I went outside on the balcony and took pictures of the street below. Because of the huge amount of rain the high water ditches that run down the middle of the street had become full. There were about 8-10 young men standing in the water with shovels cleaning the debris out that had been thrown in, so that the water could freely run and drain. It looked to me like a really awful job. It was interesting to watch Elder Leavitt and Pierre as they went and measured every room to get the dimensions for Accra. Pierre came with a tape measure, Elder Leavitt said he would just stride it off. Pierre did not think this would work so Elder Leavitt said, Ok I will stride it off and shout out the measurement and then you measure and we will see how close I am. In every single case Marv was within 1” of Pierre’s measurements. Pierre would smile and shake his head…it make me laugh to watch them.

Tuesday:
Marv and Pierre made a return trip to the proposed new Akpakpa chapel today as more negotiations need to take place. Sister Leavitt stayed at the apartment to clean and do laundry. The negotiations with Elder Leavitt and Pierre took an additional two hours before they were done. By the end of the day we had received more and more rain. Brother Agassin told Elder Leavitt that after the 15th the rain will stop…we will see. Elder Leavitt: I took the remainder of this day to prepare for the upcoming audits and work on my working fund for Accra. Sister Leavitt: Call me nuts but I love to clean…cleaning is therapy for me. I feel normal when I scrub a toilet and that’s the truth.

Wednesday:
Another day…another trip to the proposed new apartment for Elder Leavitt and Pierre. Today they also got to meet Madame Vierin’s mother. Following the meeting they also stopped by Precious’ shop to pick up the primary book, all finished…it looks good. Other events worth mentioning today, the air conditioner in our bedroom broke (yet again) and Elder Leavitt braved the floods and torrential rain in the late afternoon to go to Menotin for yet another audit. Sister Leavitt stayed in the apartment while the A/C man tried to figure out what went wrong with the unit in the bedroom. Elder Leavitt: It was quite delightful to meet with an older (but not entirely disengaged) party to this transaction. Her mother has a relatively good understanding of business and what it means to advance money and then withhold it from the rents in the future. Madame Vierin seems much more interested in getting the money for a trip to Paris, France with her family, than anything else. The mother, at one point in time told her daughter to stop and not act so stupid.
Sister Leavitt: Today while out and about, Elder Leavitt took the money to Elder Bertoch for his new shoes. He was very proud that he was able to buy from the market two pairs of new shoes for a total price of 20,000cfa ($40.00). I am questioning the quality of the shoes but he is very happy with them, so I will shut up.

Thursday
Visit to the post office first thing which yielded three packages for Elder Geisler (birthday coming up). Elder Leavitt had decided to do a surprise visit to the Gbedjromede Apartment Elders across the street at 6:30am today. He has been noticing no lights on and wanted to see what was happening. Bottom line only one missionary up and dressed…the others in bed. They got a lecture and I am sure my children reading this will remember their Dad’s admonition for Seminary wake-ups with a loud…”FEET ON THE FLOOR”. Today amongst other things we went to the Bank and picked up more finished primary books. We treated ourselves to lunch out (Festival de Glace). Afternoon brought more work at the apartment and a pre-audit by Elder Leavitt for Gbedjromede. A/C man came back to finish the A/C unit. At 5pm we went to Gbedjromede Chapel for another audit by Elder Leavitt. Sister Leavitt read up on the “Mighty Change” program in preparation for a meeting with public affairs at 7pm. The rain continues to come down in torrential torrents…when will this end? Sister Leavitt: It was interesting noticing the facial expressions as I tried to explain to the public affairs committee that we needed to get this program back on track the way the Africa West Area Presidency envisioned it. Lots of nodding of heads and writing of notes. My husband’s admonition for me to NOT GET INVOLVED beyond giving them information will not fly…if it’s going to happen we will have to be involved to some degree.

Friday
This morning Elder Leavitt left early for an 8am meeting with Madame Vierin’s lawyer to go over the lease agreement. He took Pierre with him. The problem was the lawyer did not schedule a meeting for 8am this morning but rather 5pm on Monday night, COMMUNICATION! So, Elder Leavitt returned to the apartment as quickly as he left. All he could say was the lawyer was extremely arrogant and rude and he had to climb four flights of stairs and return back down again and his knee hurt…not a good start to the day. On their way back they delivered Elder Geisler’s three packages to him. Sister Leavitt called Sister Petersen in Accra to get some direction on pioneer costumes for this production…this will be interesting as Sister Leavitt does not sew and does not understand any type of pattern…Carline where are you when I need you? Elder Leavitt made several phone calls to Accra also getting some financial problems solved for Gbedjromede. At 12noon…all things settled we hit the road to Togo to take supplies to the Herr’s. Ride over (under cloudy skies) was uneventful and border crossing very pleasant. When we finally got to Elder and Sister Herr’s house they were not there but we soon found them and joined up with them for a late lunch at Festival de Glace (yummy, yummy crepes sucre for Sister Leavitt). Back to the new house and they have done a wonderful job with putting it together. The four of us sat and talked and talked and talked until after 11pm. I guess we were enjoying having a conversation and actually understanding one another. Elder Leavitt: This morning as Pierre and I were returning home and it was raining cats and dogs I reminded him that he had told me that after the 15th of July there would be no more rain, as the rainy season was over. Without hesitation he said, “You have to blame the French, they think they are in charge of the weather and now, they realize that God is the one in charge of the weather”.

Saturday
Woke up with sunshine coming in the windows (have not seen that for a while). We packed and quickly said goodbye to Elder and Sister Herr and headed back to Cotonou. We had a good uneventful ride albeit the roads are atrocious because of the rain…lots of ruts and giant pot holes to dodge. On the way in we stopped at our Chinese restaurant for lunch and then headed for the apartment. We were so, so tired. Wouldn’t you know it, the power was off and Pierre had the plumber with him and they had the water pump in pieces servicing it. Pierre thought we were not coming back till Sunday…OH WELL SUCH IS LIFE for the Leavitts.

Till next week….Elder and Sister Leavitt, Le Couple

EMAIL FROM MARIE LEAVITT

2010-06-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

I loved all the quotes in this little 3 min. movie
and I love you so I wanted to share. Enjoy!!....Marie

You've probably heard the 3 keys to making money in real estate...location, location, location.
I'll now share the 3 keys to managing your attitude...reinforce, reinforce, reinforce!
What are some of the secrets to staying positive? Just click here to watch this inspiring 3 minute movie.
And if you like it...share it with friends, family and co-workers. It'll put a smile in their heart'st!

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE -- CAMERON LEAVITT

2010-06-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

So yeah time does fly by. I feel like Monday was two days ago. I saw the pictures from your party and that looks pretty fun. oh i also saw the pictures on the blog of you guys at the temple and Dad and Courtney are both looking pretty good. Like they have lost some weight. Well I have lost some more too. I haven’t felt sick for a while which is really good for me. I think taking soda out of my diet was a big part. Well. So this week I learned a ton about faith from some investigators of ours. They are still pretty new. Well one day when we went over there and the mom was sick so we offered a priesthood blessing and explained it worked based on faith. She accepted and the next time she was all smiles for us. Before that she had been kind of shy to us. The dad there is even more amazing to me. We committed them to come to church Saturday night and then Sunday he was there even though he had to cancel some work he had. The mom had to take care of the sick daughter but the dad came because we promised him he would be blessed for coming to church and he wanted the blessings. Well that taught me a lot about faith. I could definitely show more faith like them. We have a lot promised blessings and why shouldn’t we collect on them. We just have to show our faith by doing what is right now even though we can’t see immediate results. Well besides that just had a good week. We helped some people move some dirt into their house so it doesn’t flood. (they have dirt floors) so now their house is a little higher than the dirt around it. oh and big improvement in my tagalog this week. i don’t know why i just felt something new this week. Lord works in mysterious ways. well thanks for all the support. oh and the challenge for the week cause i am forgetting sometimes is to have family prayer this week. This really is a tool that the lord has given us to combat Satan. He is attacking the family and we need to become closer as families to overcome his attacks. this will help up be closer.

love you. Elder Cameron Leavitt

MARTINS COVE JUNE 27, 2010

2010-06-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

Dearest Family and Friends,

We have now served here at the Cove for about 14 months and have had good experiences and great experiences. Many of you, especially our non-member friends, may wonder why we would be willing to give up this much time out of our lives to serve in such a out of the way place with it's extremely unpredictable weather. Besides doing our best to serve the Lord, I think this email Sister Leavitt received last week sums up the reason we are here, and in some small way makes us feel like we are able to help influence the lives these young people who come on trek. We love and miss you all.
Elder and Sister Leavitt

P.S. This weekend was our last weekend with the Bretzings -- what a great blessing it has been in our life to know and associate with them. We wish the God speed as they end their stewardship over the Farmland Reserve Missions and begin another exciting journey in their lives.

----- Original Message -----
From: jansisneros@comcast.net
To: Peggy Leavitt
Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 8:18 AM
Subject: Things I learned on Trek...

Sister Leavitt,
Here is the email I sent you about "the things I learned on Trek".
I read this at our post trek fireside on sunday June 14. Everyone laughed at the 8 humorous things because they could all relate to them!
It's good to share the funny and the spiritual side of things. It's fun to laugh and pray together because it forms such tight bonds.
I'm glad you are having such good weather there. It has been beautiful here as well. The other day we had some big billowy clouds in the sky before a rainstorm. I just sat on my back porch and watched them. They were so beautiful and it reminded me of Martin's Cove.
Thanks also for forwarding my letter onto Elder & Sister Bretzing - that was nice of you. I hope they know how appreciative we all are of the efforts of all the missionaries there. It's a lot of work to bring so many people to one place and make it all work out so smoothly. We just love y'all so much!
Hope you have a great day. Thanks for being my Trek buddy and my friend at Martin's Cove. Makes me feel like I'm still there.
Love,
Jan

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: jansisneros@comcast.net
To: "Sister Leavitt"
Sent: Friday, June 18, 2010 10:08:54 AM GMT -07:00 US/Canada Mountain
Subject: Things I learned on Trek...
Sister Leavitt,
Thanks so much for sending me your home phone number. I have family that live in St. George and we do get to Las Vegas occasionally. I would love to stop by and see you some day.

Here is a list of some of the things (funny & serious) that I learned while on Trek:

1 - $2.00 rain poncho's from WalMart don't work...in Wyoming!
2 - $5.00 rain poncho's from WalMart don't work....in Wyoming!
3 - Duct tape is the 8th wonder of the world! We used it for blister control, tent repair, shoe mending, clothing repair, and on and on.
4 - I can eat with the same fork for 3 days without washing it and I won't die.
5 - There are approximately 8 tents from the Syracuse Bluff stake drifting some where on the plains of Wyoming!
6 - A ford truck can pull a 53 foot semi out of the mud!
7 - A 5 oz tent pole, blowing in the Wyoming wind, could actually be considered a weapon of mass desturction! We had one come loose from a tarp and found it impelled into the side of one of our food trailers! Can you imagine if it had hit someone in the head! We were protected...
8 - The pioneers might have been tough - but they never had to remove a lid from a 5 gallon bucket! I came home and my finger tips were so sore. I couldn't figure out why they hurt so bad. Was it putting up my tent? Was it loading the semi? Was it saving a young woman in the sweetwater river? No...it was that cotton pickin bucket lid! Ouch!

I also learned these lessons:
1 - The 6 most important words in the english language are "I Love You" and "All Is Well"
2 - I can cry when it rains....and it will still rain
3 - I can complain when it rains....and it will still rain
4 - I can worry when it rains....and it will still rain
5 - When the gong gets tough, we can stand in the rain and cry OR we can put on our boots and trek thru the mud.
6 - We can learn good things from bad weather
7 - Everybody has different opinions and different personalities and that's what makes life interesting.
8 - A smile is understood in all languages
9 - Kindness and forgiveness are better than hatred and anger
10 - I can make a plan, but the Lord might have a different plan and I should just smile and say "okay".
11 - As a Sister in Zion one of the most important things I can do is support my husband in his calling and honor his priesthood.
12 - I learned how to apologize when I did something wrong, and forgive if I had been wronged.
13 - It's important to say "Thank You" and "I Love You"
14 - Trust and obedience are better than judging and criticizing
15 - The best way to lead and to teach someone is to love them - not forcing or yelling or demanding...but loving them.
16 - The most important things in life are my family - my husband and my children - not "stuff" but people and relationships.
17 - A good attitude makes life more enjoyable
18 - The plains of Wyoming have a special place in my heart.
19 - I learned that you can put 100 young women in a barn on a cement floor to sleep and none of them complain.
20 - I learned that those same young women can wake up the next morning and have their own private testimony meeting that they will never forget. Had the storms not come, they would not have had this opportunity.
21 - I heard a father give his daughter a blessing to calm her fears and strengthen her body.

Each one of us that went on Trek together, formed a bond that will never be forgotten. On the Monday after Trek, each one of us went back to our regular routine in the regular world. We have tried to tell "others" about our Trek experience but in doing so have felt a little lost. If the "others" had not been on Trek then they simply did not understand our excitement and enthusiasm. They just don't comprehend. But we know in our hearts just what happened. Our hearts are connected now forever. Together we all witnessed the workings of our Heavenly Father. Together we all felt the spirit. Together we all helped one another survive and endure. We have our own language now - the language of Pioneer love. In our Stake, we have created what we call the "Trek Salute". Whenever we pass someone who has been on Trek, instead of stopping and talking about our experiences, which could take a while, we simply put our hands over our hearts and pat twice. This simple gesture says so much more than words could ever say. It says "I was there! I felt the spirit! I love my pioneers". It is our own language....the language of pioneer love.

Love,
Jan

FUN WEEK -- ELDER CAMERON LEAVITT

2010-06-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

well Hello again. It has been another great week here in well wherever you are. It has been a great. So i have to tell you guys about this funny story that happened last monday at a family home evening we had. so we got there and i had never met the family before because we were having one at a different ward. so we get there and there was 3 boys maybe 6 10 and 12 of age. they had no idea that i could speak tagalog so we convinced them that i couldnt. we spent like 30 minutes getting a pretty secure case they thought i couldnt speak a lick. then it was announced that i would be giving the lesson. Which was planned. so when i got to the lesson i said well im sorry that i dont speak tagalog very well so pray for me. Then i went into a lesson in all tagalog. the kids were amazed. the middle one about ten was just sitting there with his mouth open the whole time. the oldest one was laughing and the youngest one just looked so confused. it was way funny. But thats what we are supposed to do. The gospel isnt about boredom. It is supposed to bring joy to us. so why not make it fun right? well this week has been pretty good. We moved our house which makes 2 houses that i have moved since i got the philippines. we are now living next to a gas station about 100 yards from my old house. We just carried all of our stuff down the street. It must have been pretty funny watching us carry all of that stuff down the street. Our new house is actually pretty nice and a way cool part is that we are hooked up to the generator if there is a power outage. which are very frequent here. Other than that i have been really happy that our work is picking up here again. People are listening to the message again. Im really happy we struggled for a long time here in my area but we are finally getting back to where we can just work. YAY!!! it is so hard to have to find people all day. well i love you all. keep on keeping on.

Love Elder Leavitt

MARTINS COVE JUNE 21ST, 2010

2010-06-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day Family and Friends!

There's a saying that goes. " Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a DAD". I have been a father for a long time, but hopefully I have evolved or at least am evolving into being a dad. It a great blessing and privilege to have children and to be involved in their lives and to watch them grow, learn, and develop their own personalities and become the individuals that will reach their full potential while becoming productive members of society. I truly believe that if they rely on the Lord and do all they can to serve Him that there is no way they can fail.

Well, this has been a hectic and busy week! It started out with thousands of trekkers being caught in a storm of epic proportions, which included 60 mile an hour winds, lighting, and a torrential downpour. Tents were blown down or blown completely away and everyone was soaked clear to the bone. To help some who were suffering from near hypothermia we allowed them to sleep in the barn. As mere mortals we could not imagine how this could be a good experience for them, but all the reports we got back, told us that it just what they needed to give them a greater appreciation of the pioneers and what they had to suffer through. We were told that most of them would go through it in a heart beat to have the great spiritual experience it provided. That is one of the common threads here at Martin's Cove, which is the opportunities for these youth to have life changing experiences that are found in fair weather or foul.

I am still busy grading roads, helping with the building projects and serving on the posts. The river reached it's peak runoff this week and the lower part of the site was underwater. This caused a spectacular water fall down at the dam below Pathfinder reservoir. Sister Leavitt and I drove down and took some pictures. It reminded us of our second date back in 1983 when Hoover dam was going over the spillways. We also were able to attend the National Collegiate Rodeo which is held every summer in Casper. These are the best of the best rodeo competitors. Great fun! We also had a Dutch over cobbler cook-off out at missionary village today. With the peach, cherry, apple, and chocolate-cherry cobblers, it just doesn't get any better than that. Sister Leavitt and I don't cook with Dutch ovens, but we sure do make little pigs out of ourselves to make up for it.

This week we also had a much anticipated visit from our dear friends Ross and Susan Johnson who were returning from their mission in Ohio. It was a great treat to have them here for a couple of days. The weather wasn't that great, but we were able to continue our canasta competition which has been going on for many years. We men, of course, continued our winning tradition, with one or two exceptions. We are jealous that the Johnsons will be so far ahead of us in golf practice, before we return to Boulder City, that we will never be able to catch up.

Life is still good here at the Cove and the weather is starting to get nice and warming up into the high 70's and 80's. We love you all and appreciate your emails and prayers.

Elder Leavitt

Hi everyone -- as usual, Elder Leavitt has done a great job of summarizing the last 2 weeks.

We were so disappointed that the weather was awful when the Johnsons were here. We were unable to do any of the things we had planned for when they were here. However, they were still able to feel the great Spirit that is here and to learn about our heroes -- the handcart pioneers. It was wonderful seeing them and to hear about the marvelous experiences they had on their Mission.

The morning they left the weather warmed up and it has been quite beautiful, by Wyoming standards.

We finished the 2 busiest weeks of the season in fine style. I worried and prayed about it for weeks but the Missionaries were amazing and we hosted and served the 1000's of trekkers we had visiting us and it really was quite remarkable how everything fell into place. Another factor was that the worst weather we have had was during this busy time, and everyone -- Missionaries and trekkers -- turned it into a positive experience. I don't have time today, but next email, I will send you a quote from one of the trekkers who was here.

Love and prayers to you all,

Sister Leavitt

OUT OF AFRICA JUNE 13-19

2010-06-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,
We have been without a computer for a while as you will read in the attached. All is well and we are now back with a brand new computer. We continue to love our work here even though it seems we are confronted with many trials at every turn...but, we keep plodding along. We are behind in our journals but will send another one tomorrow and then be caught up. We are happy to report that our Grandson Evan received his Eagle Scout as some of you contributed to his cause and the orphanage he supported here. We are so very, very proud of him. We continue to love and miss you all. Thanks for all you do.
Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, Marv, Sue
Elder and Sister Leavitt

[]
THUNDER, LIGHTENING A LITTLE BIT FRIGHTENING!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Today we attended Sacrament meeting at the Gbedjromede Branch and then visited all three other branches following. We needed to meet with all three Branch Presidents and present their order forms for their 2011 curriculum supplies. We found it a little challenging not speaking French but we were able to detect that they need help in their ordering process. We told each of them to prepare what they think they need and we would meet with them individually again during the coming week and go over their needs and prepare the final draft. They seemed to like that idea. We experienced very cloudy skies all day today and we were thankful to return to the apartment at the end of our day before the rains came down…and they did.
Monday, June 14, 2010
We are up and awake early today as we need to run errands and take care of business before we head for the Benin Marina Hotel to meet with President and Sister Ayekoue and Elder and Sister Herr. President and Sister Ayekoue will be with us until Wednesday conducting the Benin Zone Conference, and they have just concluded the Togo Zone Conference and the Lome District Conference in Togo. We anticipated their arrival from Togo at the hotel around 12 noon but they actually arrived around 1pm. We have not seen Sister Ayekoue since last Christmas. She has had some health issues and undergone some surgery. She seemed tired and Sister Herr said that she had slept during the ride in. We got them into the hotel and turned our truck over to President Ayekoue who seemed to have trouble with the security system (more about that in our observations). We then left with the Herr’s who will stay the night with us as the weather is awful and the roads flooded. We ate lunch at the Chinese restaurant and then did some shopping at Erevan. We then headed to the apartment and dropped Marv off as he was feeling very tired. The Herr’s and Sister Leavitt continued the shopping experience at the Orca Store. We had a light supper and basically visited in the apartment for the remainder of the night. The rain was torrential and the thunder and lightning frightening at times. President Ayekoue stopped by around 9pm after finishing missionary interviews in the apartments. We had hoped that Sister Ayekoue would have been with him but she stayed at the hotel. President literally waded across the street in his big rubber boots to get to us…what a trooper. Heavy rains continued through the night and the thunder and lightning was some of the worst we have ever experienced. At one point we swore the lightening had hit the house…very bad.

Page Two
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Early wake up as today is Zone Conference with an 8:00am start. The Herr’s also wanted to hit the road home early. We decided to check emails before leaving and found that our computer was dead…nothing would come on. We decided that in the night the lightening probably had hit the house and damaged our laptop. We said goodbye to Elder and Sister Herr and, armed with our umbrellas walked over to the Gbedjromede chapel for Zone Conference. President and Sister Ayekoue arrived but Elder Leavitt had to take the truck and go rescue the Menotin missionaries who were stuck with flooded streets and no hope of getting transportation. He reported he found them wading through water and were oh so very glad to see that truck and white man heading their way. We had to start Zone Conference 45 minutes late. Sister Ayekoue for some reason decided to make a bed for herself on one of the benches and slept through the first half of the conference (Elder and Sister Leavitt was quite perplexed by this). As always President Ayekoue’s teachings were on the mark. Elder Leavitt did ordinance training sharing some of the incorrect things he has observed in the branches and enlisting the help of the missionaries to help the members correct their mistakes. Sister Leavitt did an object lesson with Oreo Cookies and how companionships should develop an unconditional love for each other. She also presented each missionary with a new toothbrush and toothpaste urging them to keep their mouths healthy. Sister Ayekoue (after her nap) presented a story about a mouse and choices…all in all it was a great conference and a very strong spirit. Following we all headed to Festival de Glace (where else) and had our Zone Conference lunch. We were then dropped back at the apartment by President and asked to meet up with him and Sister Ayekoue at the chapel for auxiliary training at 6pm. Sister Ayekoue to train Relief Society, Young Women’s and Primary. We had time for a nap as we were so tired. At 5:30pm we walked over to the Chapel only to find President in front of about 30 women training. The minute he saw Sister Leavitt he asked her to come to the front and take over. He then went to conduct interviews for members who had been waiting for him since 4pm. Confused and taken back Sister Leavitt took over (thankfully one sister could interpret for her) and continued to train until 7pm. Sister Ayekoue had decided not to come. Poor President had to stay until 10:30pm to catch up on interviews. We then took him to his hotel and said goodbye as tomorrow they will catch the hotel shuttle and fly back to Abidjan. We love Sister Ayekoue and the service she gives to this mission but every time we have occasion to interact with her it is a negative experience. Once of our missionaries actually asked Elder Leavitt why she bothered to come at all as she spent little or no time with her missionaries….good point.
Page Three
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
We have to stay focused today, early start for bank, post office, paying bills and shopping for groceries. We also dropped our laptop off at the HP store to see what has happened to it and were promised a “diagnosis” for tomorrow. We managed to accomplish all and even took time to have lunch at our Thai Than restaurant, however it was a negative experience as the owner’s little boy was a holy terror running around the restaurant and bothering the customers. We headed back to the apartment and got all our groceries put away and then headed over to the Menotin Branch to meet with the Presidency on their supply order. Two sisters cornered Sister Leavitt for a private meeting regarding their getting no support from their Branch. What it amounted to is that they wanted money from Sister Leavitt who quickly reminded them that she was a missionary who paid her own way and they needed to go to their Branch President for assistance. This is all too common for white missionary couples and unfortunately some couples give and make it hard for the others who come after and would rather teach the members to be self sustaining.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
What we want most out of this day is a NORMAL DAY, to stay home, get caught up on household stuff. We did make one run to get drinking water for our missionaries for tomorrow as we have our Super P Day. We experienced more rain today and hope that tomorrow will be nice and dry for the missionary’s trip to Ouidah. Not having a computer is hard for us, we found out that the motherboard was fried and not repairable. They said they could get another one but the laptop is old and it has crashed once. We cannot buy a laptop here as they all have French keyboards and they are three times the price of laptops at home….so we have decided to take our time and figure out what to do.
Friday, June 18, 2010
The long awaited day has arrived…SUPER P DAY is here. The bus arrived promptly at 8am. We decided to not go with the one Sister Leavitt looked at in the marked but found a nice brand new one for them. The missionaries were more than ready to go and looked interesting in their variety of “P” day outfits. Elder and Sister Leavitt followed the bus in their truck as we would like the option of our own transportation and yes, an escape route if necessary. We arrived in Ouidah in great time. The weather was absolutely perfect.
Page Four
The missionaries split into two groups, one group went to the snakes and the museum and the other group took the walk of sorrow to the beach. Elder and Sister Leavitt drove back and forth checking out the sights and checking on the missionaries. We all met at 12noon at a restaurant we found called Cote d’Pesce owned by a very nice Frenchman who had been to Salt Lake City and knew all about the Mormons (or so he said). The restaurant was very clean and the service albeit slow was good and the food was great. The favorites of the missionaries were, Pizza and Lapin (rabbit) with rice. Elder and Sister Leavitt had omelet’s. After lunch they were off again and were having such a great time they asked to stay an extra hour. At 3pm we gathered under the “dead tree” and heard their stories of the day, then we headed back to Cotonou. They all voted that this had been a truly super SUPER P DAY. Elder and Sister Leavitt were truly exhausted and called it a day, too.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Woke up still tired from yesterday, but we have a busy day planned. We need to get final preparations finished before Elder and Sister Bailey arrive tomorrow. We did some last minute shopping and my sweet husband took a side trip to the Boulangerie (bakery) to buy me a wonderful chocolate birthday cake. We stopped at a Cyber Café (internet) to check our emails and let our children and family know that we are without a computer and capability of using Skype. That afternoon we attended the baptism with five being baptized. Following the service we returned back to our apartment to finish getting ready for the upcoming, very busy, week.
Marv’s Weekly Observations:
My observations this week should be termed “revenge of the fleet manager”. I have had such a horrible time with the Fleet Department getting the right vehicle and having it turned over to us. When I arrived at CFAO Motors to pick up our Toyota truck I was expecting a keyless entry, power windows and automatic locks. What I received was no keyless entry, no power windows and no automatic locks. However, for the paltry cost of $600.00 they gave me a security system that if not clicked every single time the door(s) open and prior to starting, the vehicle will turn off automatically. This is wonderful if your vehicle is stolen but a total pain if you have a short memory and you have fat fingers. The switch is located in a tiny hole under the steering column and you have to insert your finger and click twice. Every time I forget and my truck stops I have a sudden urge to wring Dweama Frimpong’s neck, but since I have developed so much new patience I think of happy things, forgive him and go on (after clicking the switch of course).
Page Five
Sue’s Weekly Observations
To continue to with the truck security theme. So now we have to pass on this system to President Ayekoue as he will be driving our truck for two days during Zone Conference. It was so funny watching Marv demonstrate and explain what he had to do. The first time the truck lunged forward almost hitting the Ford Truck in the rear, then he kept forgetting to hit the switch each time the doors opened. I told him that to remind Elder Leavitt I take my right index finger and bend it twice in from of him and say “click, click”. He loved that idea and now, whether driving or not when he sees me he bends his finger and says “click, click” Sister Leavitt.
Til next week….Elder and Sister Leavitt, Le Couple.

OUT OF AFRICA JUNE 6-12

2010-06-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

Well here we are now homebound in Benin. We thank the Herr's daily for their service in Togo. We love and miss our family and thank all of your who prayed for Dorothy, she is doing much better, still has a long way to go, but doing better. We hope you had a good week and have an even better one next week.

Always

Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, Marv, Sue

Elder and Sister Leavitt

A NEW CHAPTER!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Our plan today is to attend the Gbedjromede branch. Sister Leavitt especially wants to monitor the Relief Society as we have been getting some bad reports from the missionaries that the Relief Society is not running at all well and that new members are complaining that the sisters just sit and gossip and do not “greet” them. We also understand that the President of the branch is releasing the old Relief Society President and calling a new one. When we talked with the missionaries they stated that the Branch President was doing something different for today and that was, after Sacrament meeting all the adults were meeting together to watch two hours of the Priesthood session of General Conference. Sister Leavitt voiced a concern that it was his decision but could the women not at least watch the Young Women’s conference instead of Priesthood? Elder Leavitt met with President Lokossu and gently recommended that if he wanted the adults all together, maybe watching the closing session of General Conference would be more appropriate…and so it was changed. We therefore left following Sacrament meeting and went over to Akpakpa Branch to meet with President Desiree and the branch clerk over the recent audit conducted by Elder Leavitt. We were thrilled to see that President had listened to Elder Leavitt and had designated a teacher for Victor Dike (the lone Deacon). His new teacher is Elder Bertoch whom he loves so much…good to see that when you teach and make suggestions they are acted upon. We finished our business at Akpakpa and then headed back to the apartment for some nourishment and rest. The evening brought some mighty thunder, lightning and eventually torrential rain. As we sat in the apartment nice and dry we heard the doorbell downstairs …Sister Leavitt peeked over the balcony but could not see anyone in the driving rain. Again the doorbell, again nobody, then a third time and now she sees two drowned rats standing soaked to the skin. Sister Leavitt buzzed them into the gate and it was Bertha (Precious’ sister) and Victor. They had been attending a practice for the Africa West youth activity and could not get a transport home. We dried them off with towels and gave them something to eat and then Elder Leavitt solicited the help of Elders Halterman and Aisseba to accompany him as he took them home. The rain was so torrential you almost needed a couple of oars to get going.

Monday, June 7 2010

Today we knew we must stay focused and get some much needed things done. First stop the post office and then the bank. Thank goodness we got there early enough that it was just a quick in and out and not a repeat of a week ago when it was a two+ hour wait. We also needed to make hotel arrangements for President Ayekoue at the Benin Marina and do some serious grocery shopping. We were blessed today with decent traffic and our navigating the city was quite tolerable. We even got to pay some power and water bills. Erevan was a disappointment as it seemed to have half empty shelves…(maybe they are waiting for their ship to come in). We had lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant and it tasted very good.
In the afternoon Sister Leavitt had an appointment at the dentist to take impressions for her new cap. It took about thirty minutes total and the new tooth should be back in a couple of weeks. We then headed back to the apartment via DHL to check and see if we have any packages. Natasha assured us that we had none and none were on their way so we decided to call it a day. We had been back in the apartment only a little while when the doorbell rang and we looked down and there was DHL with a delivery of 5 packages for us (I will never figure this DHL thing out here). They contained the May General Conference Issues of the Liahonnas (very, very, late), which everyone has been anxiously awaiting…we were glad to finally get them.

Tuesday June 8, 2010

We started our day heading off to get Pierre who will show us where the Ghana Embassy is located in order that we may apply for our Ghana visas for our visit in a couple of weeks. We filled out the forms and left our passports and were told to come and pick them up tomorrow. We took Pierre back and then ran some more errands ending up at the Orca store to buy some new rugs for the bedroom. We are getting a sense of how nice it feels not having to rush around because in a few days we have to head for Togo…that is now in the past for us. Precious came and cleaned today and she and I worked on the Primary Booklet which, is now in the final stages of corrections…I am very proud of the way it has come out and feel a sense of accomplishment in this project and, appreciation for Precious who has been there with me every step of the way. It will not be perfect, but pretty close and, if it can and will be used by the members here to get the Primary’s where they need to be…then it all will be well worth it.

Wednesday June 9, 2010

Pierre called to say that the Ghana Embassy had contacted him and there was a problem with Elder Leavitt’s passport and we needed to go speak with them around 9:30am. So our plans for today changed and we headed for the Embassy. The problem was that Elder Leavitt did not have enough blank pages left in his passport and the alternatives were, cancel the trip to Ghana, obtain a “letter of travel” (whatever that is) or try to get the U.S.Embassy to insert more pages. So, off we go to try and find the U.S.Embassy. Marv had an idea as to its approximate location but we could not figure out how to get to it due to street barricades. We finally got it worked out and got close enough to park. We then had to go through three security checks until we were finally in the building. It was so nice to be able to talk with people and read materials in English. We were told to come back after 3pm and the pages would be inserted for us. We then left and went to find Precious who wants us to help her pick up some household things a former member of her branch has left behind, as he now lives in Nigeria. Well we picked her up but she did not have specific directions to the place and we got hopelessly lost in the horrific traffic so we gave up. She said she would get better directions and we told her we would try again tomorrow.
We then headed back to the American Embassy and waited until 3pm at which time we received the passport. Quick trip back to the Ghana Embassy and they took the passport and inserted the visa and VOILA! we are done.

Thursday June 10, 2010

We need to deliver the missionaries their Liahonnas and then head over to pick up Precious. This time she knew exactly where the place was and we were able to get there and get her stuff loaded in no time. The three of us then stopped at a Festival de Glace for an early lunch. While we were eating two nuns came in and they were with the Sisters of the Poor in Calavi. I had met Sister Angela at the airport a few months back and I asked them about her. They were thrilled that I remembered her and their project. We promised to put on our calendars a visit to see them in July, and we will. After lunch Precious called a driver of a bus who wants to transport our missionaries on their Super “P” Day to Ouidah on June 18th. We made arrangements to meet him in the Danktopa Market to see his transport. I would like to describe to you the Danktopa Market but words cannot express the mass of human flesh, trash, and total chaos that this place represents…in a word it is HORRIBLE. My husband has tried to get me to let him drive us “through” many time only to be met with my screaming rampage of protest. Now…we go IN. It was everything I had imagined made 100 times worse with the rains which had produced ankle deep waste of rotting garbage. The driver met us and told us to park (there was no place to park) so my husband directs me to get out with Precious and walk over to the bus to check it out. As we tried to navigate the mud, water, rotting filth and try to avoid being hit from every angle by a moto, truck or just a pedestrian I could only think to myself….”have I really been born for such a time as this”? We did make it and the bus was not bad. It was loading with men, women, children and the occasional chicken and then this crazy white woman climbs in and starts to count seats…I definitely amused them. We got the price and told the driver we would be in touch. Then we attempted to exit the market without taking out another person and/or vehicle, and we did. We took Precious to a transport stop and then headed home. My head was pounding and we both agreed that this had been a most eventful day.

Friday June 11, 2010

Today we have promised Elder Bertoch we would take him to the post office at the airport to pick up his package. We made one quick pass through the post office to see if our package notification had come (been waiting since February 26th) but no luck. Elder Bertoch as able to retrieve his package with no problems and that was good. We then stopped at Menotin and picked up Elders Starita and Tshibasu. We will have a Zone Leaders meeting at our apartment and Elders Cloward and Kouassi along with Elders Halterman, Bertoch and Starita will attend. We found the meeting very informative (heretofore we have not been able to attend due to our travel schedule) and it really opens your eyes as to what these young men have to deal with on every conceivable level. We are so proud of them and love them to death.
Following the meeting we decided that since yesterday and the day before had been days full of driving back and forth a day at home, in the apartment, was what we needed so we took advantage of it.

Saturday June 12, 2010

No “P” day today as we will be attending the baptism. We did however spend the entire morning in the apartment getting ready for Sunday. We want to meet with all the Branch Presidencies on several issues and need to get our ducks in a row. The baptism was wonderful a mother and her three children were baptized (Elders Yao and Geisler’s contacts) as well as a young man (Elders Halterman & Aisseba’s contact). The spirit was so strong. Following the meeting we had promised to pick up Elders Bertoch and Yapo at their apartment, they did not attend the baptism as they had no candidates but had several teaching appointments. During this past week as we were shopping in a market called Dupont the young man at the cheese counter saw Sister Leavitt’s badge and announced that he had taken the missionary lessons in Togo but had not been baptized. He further told Elder Leavitt that he loved the Book of Mormon and still had the one the missionary had given him in Togo. We asked him if he would like to attend church here and he said he did not know where to go. We then enquired as to where he lived and he announced Akpakpa. We promised to bring the missionaries to him and they would help him and so we did. He was working, and recognized Sister Leavitt immediately, Elder Bertoch got right to work getting his information. Of course Sister Leavitt could not leave without buying some good English cheddar cheese which she gave to Elder Bertoch as he and Elder Geisler love grilled cheese sandwiches. Back to the apartment and we enjoyed a quiet night and, thanks to Elder and Sister Herr, watched a good movie.

Marv’s Weekly Observations:

Boy it was nice to walk up to a counter, speak with somebody in English, make my request, have them give me a form to fill out in English, fill out the form, return it and be told it would be ready in approximately four hours. I am not sure this ever happens in West Africa except here at the U.S.Embassy….great experience.

Sue’s Weekly Observations:

I am always observing my missionaries when we attend meetings with them. I can tell if they are having a good day, or bad day, if they are sick or well, happy or sad…I can just tell. Yesterday at the baptism I observed that my lovely Elder Tshibasu (D.R.Congo) was sitting quietly alone, with his head down, very subdued. Most unlike the other missionaries who were laughing, patting each other on the back and greeting members. I leaned forward and said “Elder Tshibasu, are you alright? You are very quiet”. He looked at me and said “Sister Leavitt thank you I am fine, I am just taking time to listen to the spirit”. Lesson learned from a very spiritual, lovely young man.

Til next week….Elder and Sister Leavitt. Le Couple

MARTINS COVE JUNE 7TH, 2010

2010-06-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hello again everyone!

Busy,busy,busy! That's the word for the week. We are going like a house afire try to get all our little projects finished before we are inundated with trekkers. We have the Humanitarian Center expansion to finish, the Pavilion expansion to finish, the Cherry Creek restroom to finish, and we also have more handcarts to make because the 180 we have is not enough for all the extra trekkers coming this season. I still have to finish fine grading the entrance road in preparation for paving hopefully this month. I just finished rip-rapping (placing large rocks) the river bank where the high water was washing it out in the location where we do baptisms. Some of the rocks I placed along the bank weighed nearly 5000 pounds and nearly tipped the backhoe over. I don't think the river will move them. We're excited to see the trek groups starting to come in, but this next week we will have over 2000 so we are going to be as busy cats in a room full of mice. It was great to see the 12 week missionaries come in this last week as they will be a great help to the cause. It's a rewarding experience to see the Lord's hand in this mission and see how he can make sense and beauty and actually gets meaningful results out of the chaos which could be caused by a bunch of old people. We may be over the hill, but that only means we are picking up speed!

We had Stake Conference this Saturday and Sunday and it was another spiritual feast. Our Casper Stake President is one of the most spiritual and articulate men I have ever had the privilege of listening to. I find it amazing that no matter where you go in the world there are people who are so well educated and intelligent and are willing to share their talents and abilities and give countless hours to serving the Lord without receiving one penny for their service. I also feel privileged to be one of the thousands of senior missionaries throughout the world, who are giving of their time and talents in serve the Lord at our own expense. I have heard it said that the value of our (all senior missionaries) combined donated work, if paid for, would cost about $500,000,000.00 per year. But, my real truth is, that I could work and serve the Lord from morning to night the rest of my life and not put a dent in what I owe Him for his blessings. I have learned the hard way that we cannot find peace, joy or happiness in this mortal life without receiving those blessings which He gives freely to those who strive to keep His commandments, and follow His teachings. And that's an eternal truth.

Well, we miss you our dear family and friends and look forward to reuniting with you in the fall.

Elder Leavitt

Hi everyone -- I had my part of the email done and the computer "crashed" and I lost all that I had written. So, I'm not going to write much as I don't want to do it again. I didn't have much to add to Elder Leavitt's email anyway.

I am attaching a picture of Elder Leavitt putting the last truss on the Humanitarian Center. He had quite a crowd out there admiring his skill with the backhoe -- notice the backhoe up in the air.

As he stated we have the busiest week of the summer coming up. We'd appreciate your prayers that despite this hectic time the trekkers feel the Spirit of this sacred site and that their lives are changed for having become acquainted with these heroic pioneers.

We are so excited that we'll be seeing Ross and Susan in a couple of days. When we visited them in Ohio we were blessed w/ gorgeous weather and brilliant fall colors. It will be cold and chilly here but we have baby antelope :)

Until next week -- we love you and you're in our prayers,

Sister Leavitt

OUT OF AFRICA MAY 31 - JUNE 5

2010-06-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

THE “LONE” RANGER RIDES AGAIN!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

We attended the Souza-Netime Branch today with Elder and Sister Herr. Following the meetings the four of us will hit the road and head for Cotonou, Benin. A decision has been made by Accra on the Ford Ranger truck, it will become the interim truck for Elder and Sister Herr in Togo until their Toyota is ready. Therefore they are to take us back to Benin where the Leavitt’s will receive their new Toyota on Tuesday. As Elder Leavitt says we have rode this horse way too long and we have titled this journal above as, for us, it is the LAST RIDE for the “lone” Ranger (the only one in Togo) for the Leavitt’s. Back to Sunday. We enjoy this branch very much and during Sacrament the Herr’s were invited to bear their testimonies. Following the meeting Sister Herr and Sister Leavitt went to observe Primary while Elders Herr and Leavitt attended the investigators class. The Primary was superb (one of the best ones I have ever seen in West Africa) very impressive. One little boy caught our hearts with his giant spirit as he attempted to answer ALL the questions during sharing time (whether invited to do so or not), such a cutie. After the block we hit the road to drive over to Cotonou. We enjoyed the ride with the Herr’s and were able to acquaint them with border crossing procedures. Once in Cotonou we headed for the apartment to get settled. We soon realized we had little or nothing to fix for dinner so, it was soup and crackers for all…but we survived.

Monday, May 31, 2010

We plan today to take Elder Herr to the bank and get him set up as the additional signature on that account. We also need to check the account as well as the post office for mail. The skies are cloudy and we anticipate some rain. We had some breakfast and then set off. While Elder Leavitt and Elder Herr were in the bank I walked with Sister Herr down the street to look into some of the fabric stores. Once back together we headed for Eravan as we desperately need some food. We shopped and they shopped and when we were done we were quite loaded with supplies so we headed home. Marv was prompted to check on the progress of the truck we are supposed to pick up tomorrow, unfortunately we did not receive the answer we had hoped for as the dealership has not received the information from Accra they need (oh what a surprise). We were told that hopefully by tomorrow all will be in place. We spent the remainder of the day catching up and taking care of business. We also have received word that one of our missionaries has been in pain with a bad toothache for two months so we had Precious call and make a dental appointment for him as well as Sister Leavitt who has a loose crown.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The Herr’s had so hoped that they would be taking us first thing this morning to pick up our new truck and they could then head back to Togo…but not to be. The bottom line is that Accra has not transferred the money into the account of the dealership and, not obtained the necessary proof of insurance. The Leavitt’s and the Herrs were back at the bank first thing to check the progress and also to pick up some cash as the dealership said they can obtain Insurance for us but it needs to be paid in cash up front. The lines at the bank were horrendous and poor Elder Leavitt sat in line for over 2-1/2 hours waiting to obtain the funds. Elder and Sister Herr and Sister Leavitt did the rounds of the fabric shops again looking for good drapery material for the new house in Togo. Finally Elder Leavitt emerged with the much needed cash. We then called the dealership and were told to come after 3pm, so we all went to lunch at Festival de Glace. Then Marv took Sister Herr and Sister Leavitt back to the apartment to wait while he and Elder Herr went back to the dealership with the money and to check the progress of the truck. Back at the dealership Marv realized that Accra had sent a promissory note for the amount due but, the actual deposit would not be in for another two days however, they would honor the note and release the truck to us tomorrow…WHEW! Back at the apartment we all decided to take a ride to the Orca Stores as the Herr’s would like to look for things for their new house. Sister Leavitt also needs some new rugs for hers so it was a win/win. Back once again and we are now firm with our plan that tomorrow, Leavitt’s will have a new Toyota and Herrs will leave with the Ranger. Had a nice dinner of tuna salad, tomatoes, avocados, and freshly baked banana nut bread. Quite a day for all four, but at least things got done.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

We have been told we can obtain the truck at 8:30am so the Herrs dropped us off at CFAO (dealership) by 8:15am and they hit the road. We have decided that once we have our truck we will also head for Togo as we need to get our new TV which is still there. We were supposed to go this coming weekend for a training meeting with Elder and Sister Bingham from Accra, Ghana on the Africa West Helping Hands Day coming up in August but, they cancelled the meeting as Elder Bingham is just recovering from Malaria and Sister Bingham has now come down with it. We will also be able to be back-up in case the Herr’s run into any problems along the way. We actually got our truck and were able to drive off the lot by 9:30am. It is a bare bones vehicle but at least we have dealer support for this one in both Benin and Togo…so feels much better. Our drive was under very dark and gloomy skies and the traffic out of Cotonou was the worst we have ever seen. Came upon one dead body and a diversion where a huge oil tanker truck at fallen over and blocked the road but, other than that plain sailing. When we got to Togo the Herr’s were safely tucked away in their house and said they had not had one problem…now they are pro’s. Got the TV and then said goodbye and headed back to Cotonou…again under very dark heavy skies and when we got to Cotonou the rain was torrential. Once back in the house we were very, very tired. This day marks the end of almost eight months of driving back and forth every 6-7 days and taking care of two separate countries and 24 missionaries in total…must say we have mixed emotions but feel a sense of relief. As Elder Leavitt said…we now make new goals for the next ten months as there are lots to do.

Thursday June 3, 2010

All this driving has taken a toll today…we are tired and stiff, stiff, stiff. But, things need to be done. Our first order of the day is to take off and pay bills and check mail, which we did. Precious had cleaned for me yesterday so that was a blessing; she has also managed to get all the paperwork in for the visas on Elders Bertoch, Geisler and Starita. Sister Leavitt had loads of laundry to do so that took up a good part of the day and, we needed to get caught up on personal paperwork. The rain was unceasing today and the temperatures much cooler…we loved it. We find it hard to get around in the rainy season as the roads are very bad and the sides roads all but impassable but, the cooler temperatures and the clean fresh air are a welcome treat for us.

Friday June 4, 2010

Today is “go to the dentist day” for Elder Andon and Sister Leavitt. Left the house very early as we need to pay a phone bill and we could not do that yesterday due to long, long, lines. So we are determined to be the first in line today and we were. A funny thing happened on the way out of the building. Because of the rain and mud Elder Leavitt had me wait on the steps into the building for him to pull up. As I waited a man dropped his wife off and she entered into the building. Then another man came and looked down and there was a wallet in the dirt, he asked if it was mine and I assured him it was not. So he then started to put it in his pocket, it was then I remembered the lady and told him it belonged to a lady who had just entered the building…he ignored me. I realized that he had no thought for the owner, so I grabbed his arm and said (in my horrible French) that he should come with me and we would find her. He had no option but to come with me…I found her going into the elevator and called to her and pointed to the wallet…she screamed and started to thank me, but I gave the credit to the man who just looked dumfounded not knowing whether to take her thanks or apologize for his planned action to keep the wallet. When I related the story to Precious she said “oh Mom, he would have kept it for sure, they never give things back here”. We then headed to get Precious and then to get Elder Andon. Our dental appointment was for 9:30am but we actually got in at 10:30am (even in West Africa dentists cannot keep to appointment times). The dentist who we were told was a white French man actually turned out to be a black woman (his wife) who was from Cameroon. She took Elder Andon first who was absolutely terrified…never had been to a dentist before. His tooth was a mess and she had to remove the nerve. He also has some serious gum disease going on due to not taking care of his teeth, so is on antibiotics now. Then it was my turn. My loose crown which I thought they could just glue back on turned out to be a deteriorated root causing the problem so I have had to have a new crown made. I have to say that this dentist amazed me, she was the dentist, answered the phone, made the appointments and took the payments…she was all over the place. She was lovely and gentle and really knew what she was doing. My temporary crown I have in now is ten times better than the one they took out…I could not have been happier with the results for me.
As for Elder Andon he has to go back when his infection clears up and have a serious cleaning and gum treatments and he is not looking forward to that. I think at this upcoming Zone Conference all our missionaries are going to get a good talking to about taking care of their teeth and a gift of a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Well today is our “P” day and, although we will be busy with the missionaries we will wear our “P” day clothes at least. We have invited all twelve of them to have lunch with us to kick off our new independence from Togo. We have elected to let them make sandwiches of their choice. We really enjoy having them with us and with Togo have not been able to do so as much as we would like. They all came and basically we went through the following:

5-Loaves of Bread 1-Jar Peanut Butter

1-Jar Jelly 1-Giant Bowl of Tuna Salad

2-Large Bags of Potato Chips 5-Avocados

12- Tomatoes 3 –Onions

5-Fresh Pineapples 6-Large Mangoes

16-Cans of Soda 4-Bags of Assorted Cookies

2-Dozen Hard Boiled Eggs 1-Platter of Assorted Cheese Slices

(And a partridge in a pear tree…just kidding)

They enjoyed being together and we enjoyed them. Elder Cloward the Zone Leader says he hopes they are not affected by transfers this time around as he has “the perfect zone” at the moment and they are working hard and bringing in many converts to their respective branches….we could not love them more or, be more proud of them.

Following the lunch they left and Elder Leavitt left with Elder Halterman and Elder Aisseba and a member of the Gbedjromede branch who has a building in Akpakpa for lease that might make a good branch building as their current one is too small. Sister Leavitt stayed behind and cleaned up. At the end of our day we made some calls to family. We learned that Marv’s sister Dorothy is very, very ill in hospital and the prognosis is not good, this has made us very sad as we are so far away. Dorothy’s husband is also fighting cancer and undergoing treatment so it is a hard situation for us being so far away…we ask that you keep Dorothy and Ron in your prayers.

Marv’s Weekly Observations

As parents we always hope that each of our children will be able to improve their lives and achieve much more than we have. This has been accomplished with our children, however as I sit and watch the mothers and fathers of the African young men and women and discuss with them the future of their children, it seems so sad that through the gospel they see so much potential but, in actuality, their country has so very little to offer in respect to education, jobs, Home ownership, etc. Most of the young people have only to look forward to doing the very same thing their parents did and that is, exist from day to day. Hopefully this will change in the next generation.

Sue’s Weekly Observations:

Normally when someone has finished a task (we have finished taking care of Togo), the question would be “well, so what are you going to do with your time now, Marv and Sue? We have the following projects waiting:

Detailed training in all Auxiliaries:

Priesthood, Relief Society, Young Women, Primary

Conducting of Meetings training.

Branch Audits

Establishing libraries in each Branch

Village of Hope Orphanage

Sister of the Poor Old People’s Home

Missionary’s Super “P” Days

Helping Hands Day

And on, and on, and on….so busy we will be.

Till next week….Elder and Sister Leavitt

Le Couple -Benin

MARTINS COVE 5/30/10

2010-05-31T14:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Family and Friends, and Happy Birthday tomorrow to my beautiful wife.

Sorry we missed a week, but we thought maybe you needed a rest from our ramblings.

Actually we have been so busy that I just couldn't muster up the energy to sit at the computer and ramble. I tried to get my sweetheart to do the email, but she said that she didn't want to change the format this late in the game. I have had a ton to do to get ready for the trekkers and try to finish up a number of projects before we became too busy to work on them. I've had to take charge of pouring a slab for the pavilion expansion. Six of us old missionaries poured nearly 19 cubic yards in one day without stopping for a break or lunch. We could have used more help, because all of us barely had the energy to get home. Only three of us had ever been involved in any concrete work and only one of us (me) to any extent. Well, we gotter done, but it was not quite up to what I considered professional standards. When I told my supervisor what I thought of the job, he just pointed out some of the other concrete on the place, and I felt a little better. We decided our work was definitely up to senior missionary standards.

Last Wednesday we hiked up to the top of Rocky Ridge again. As I have mentioned before, Rocky Ridge is the highest point on the Mormon Trail at 7300 ft. From the Sweetwater River it is a 700 ft elevation change in 2 1/2 miles. A tough pull for old folks, but a small indication of what the handcart pioneers went through as they hiked and pulled handcarts for 15 miles (27 hours) in a blizzard. Thirteen pioneers died from that ordeal.

The last few days I have been grading and grooming roads and trails in preparation for the onslaught. Yesterday we had 2 to 3 dozen young volunteers along with a number of adults from Casper who came out and helped me groom the trail from Handcart Parking up to the top of the Cove, a distance of about a mile, all up hill. They did a fantastic job and really saved me tons of work. It's so inspiring to see how the people (especially teenagers) of this area take such great pride in this Historic Site and want to do all they can to keep it functioning and well maintained.

Today we were blessed to have President Scott Lorimer of Riverton, Wyoming speak to us again. He is the person who was probably the most instrumental in the church acquiring these historical sites. He is so interesting that I could listen to him for hours and not be bored, and that's saying something for me, because I can doze off at a fireworks display.

This week our good friends the Bevans from Canada should be arriving for their 12 week service and we are very excited. We had gotten very close to them last summer as they were our next door neighbors and Elder Bevans and I worked together quite a bit.

Well, we miss our family and friends and eagerly look forward to hearing from all of you. By the way, for those of you who haven't figured it out, we don't have a clue how to use Facebook, so those of you who do, you're wasting your time trying to communicate with us on any of those fancy web-sites. We can barely use email. If they weren't endangered we would probably still be using carrier pigeons.

Your loving father, father-in-law, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend, (get the hint) Elder Leavitt

Hi everyone,

Well, other than the weather, things have been great here. We've had a couple of nice days but mostly it's been cold and windy. Thankfully, it was a beautiful day when we went over Rocky Ridge, but still colder than it was last year. I'm attaching a picture of the Boulder City contingent (the Imlay's, Emlings & Leavitt's) at the top of Rocky Ridge. One of the aspects of this trip I enjoyed the most was the drive to Rocky Ridge. This year we kind of paralleled the National Historic Trail which is the trek that the kids will take getting to Rocky Ridge. Last year we drove on a fairly well-maintained dirt road. Anyway, despite the fact that it was a little "hair-raising" in spots because of mud bogs and steep inclines, it was a thrill for me to see the actual trail and to see where the trekkers will go. I schedule that activity but have never seen the trail before. For those of you who know, I picked up about 20 blue agate rocks on Rocky Ridge so I'm hoping that some of these rock hounds around here will polish me up a rock so I can make a necklace with one of these beautiful stones.

As Elder Leavitt said, one of the highlights of our year is getting to hear President Lorimer and his wife. He is such an amazing guy but so humble about all that he has accomplished for the handcart pioneer sites. He said today that he and his wife are having all the missionaries over for dinner in the fall - they live in Riverton, Wy, so we are already anticipating that.

Well, we are anxious to see Ross and Susan Johnson who will be here in about 10 days -- can't believe it's so close as it seems we've been waiting a long time to see them. We will have a ton of trekkers while they are staying with us, so we may take them square dancing with us :) We have some other fun things planned as well -- it will be wonderful to see them.

We are really enjoying the new missionaries -- they have adapted so quickly to the routines and are falling in love w/ the pioneers, just like we all did. There are some incredible people with amazing talents.

I also forgot to mention that I was released from being the Relief Society President and called to be 1st counselor in the Primary -- I was totally shocked. Other than play the piano, I haven't done anything in Primary and usually 2nd year missionaries don't serve in Presidencies. However, I'm grateful for the experience -- today was the first day we've had Primary age kids --and it was lots of fun. We build handcarts out of crispy treats, eat home-made bread, sing songs, and play -- Primary is the place to be :) Also, I'm excited because when my grandkids come this summer, I'll get to be with them in Primary :) Yea !!

Well, that's it for this week.

With love and prayers,

Sister Leavitt

MARTINS COVE 5/18/10

2010-05-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

Hello again dear family and friends,

Sorry we're late again, but it has been another busy and schizophrenic weather week. The first of the week we had several snow storms, then the weather warmed up to about 70 degrees by the end of the week. In spite of the weather changes we have the floor for the Pavilion expansion ready to pour and we have had a great fireside with Andrew Olson, the author of the "very best book" detailing the Martin and Willie Handcart Pioneers entitled the "The Price we Paid".

Yesterday we took a bus tour along the immigration trail from Casper to Martin's Cove with members of CES (Church Educational System) who gave us some great insight into the pioneers. While on this tour I also discovered that I am never too old to learn something new! One of our stops on the CES tour was Bessemer Bend, the location where the first rescue team found the Martin Company on October 28th,1856 -- starving and freezing in 12" snow. Bessemer Bend is next to the North Platte River about 8 miles from where Casper is now located. While at Bessemer Bend, we were told the story of Elizabeth Horrocks Jackson, a well-known pioneer lady (there is a painting of her in the Trek Center) who lost her husband at that location and was left with 3 small children to fend for. While Elizabeth's story (which I have heard many times) was being read, they mentioned a sister, Mary Horrocks Leavitt as also being a member of the Martin Company. Well, when my wife brought this to my attention, naturally, my ears quickly perked up as I was sure that none of our ancestors were with any of the Handcart Companies. As soon as I got the chance, I asked the CES people about her and was told they didn't know where the name came from, but advised me of where I could go on the church web-site to find out about any immigrant in any company. I could hardly wait to get home and check it out. By going to LDS.org, and clicking on "church history" and then looking at the very bottom of the page I could see the small word "pioneers", and then by clicking on that word a page about immigration companies came up and all I had to do is type in a persons name and it would let you know if that person was in any of the handcart or wagon train companies between 1846 and 1868, and any additional information. To make a long story shorter, I discovered that Mary Horrocks, sister to Elizabeth Horrocks Jackson, married a man named Nathaniel Leavitt after she arrived in Salt Lake. Who was Nathaniel Leavitt? With some research I discovered that Nathaniel Leavitt came west on the same wagon train as our great-great grandmother Sarah Sturtevant Leavitt, and turned out to be her nephew. His father, also named Nathaniel and was the brother of Jeremiah Leavitt our great-great grandfather, who died on the plains. Nathaniel Sr died in Michigan in 1830, when Nathaniel was about 6 years old, so Nathaniel Jr, who about 26 during his immigration west, must have been closely attached to our family. After their marriage,in the Endowment House in the spring of 1857, Nathaniel and Mary spent their most lives living in Ogden, Utah and raised a large family. So what I learned, in my old age is that by marriage, we have a connection with one of the handcart pioneers, which to me is exciting. I also learned that there are more Leavitt's in this country than there are NORMAL PEOPLE. And I love them all!

May the Lord bless all of our family and friends that you may all be healthy and prosperous.

Love Elder Leavitt

Hi everyone !

We were excited to find the connection to Mary Horrocks Leavitt -- I would ask my Boulder City friends to let Jill Stewart know as Jill is a direct descendant of Elizabeth Horrocks Jackson. Jill and I have talked several times about Elizabeth, so I think she'll be excited as well to find that we have a connection to her.

Two of our favorite experiences last year, and again this year have been the bus tour which follows the Immigration Trail from Casper to Martin's Cove and the fireside with Andrew Olsen -- to have them both in one week has been incredible. Andrew Olsen gave an entirely different talk than he did last year -- this time he focused on the rescuers who risked their lives to save the Willie & Martin Handcart Companies. It was very informative and helped us understand the great sacrifice these men made to save the handcart pioneers. Many of the rescuers were Missionaries who had just returned from their Missions and left again, after having been home just a few weeks, to rescue the pioneers.

Today, we went over to the Willie Center to tour their Visitor's Center and to do the Woman's Pull on the National Historic Trail. The weather again was a factor. It was raining like crazy today, and so I wondered how we cope on the Woman's Pull with the roads so wet and muddy. However, we were able to pull our handcarts without too much trouble despite the conditions. One of our new sister missionaries has a glorious voice -- she sings like an angel-- and she sang "Come, Come Ye Saints" before our pull. It was a memorable and emotional experience for me as I thought of the handcart pioneers on the exact same trail I was on, pulling their handcarts in ice and snow, while starving and freezing, but having the grit, determination, faith and courage to make that perilous journey.

After having been out on the trail, the Willie Missionaries put on an outstanding program for us -- it was wonderful and funny. We heard cowboy poetry, beautiful music and a very funny comedic routine. Their version of their blue grass band played and we had so much fun singing along w/ all our favorite songs.

It's been very busy in the office -- we have a new secretary that helps out a couple of days a week. Yesterday was so hectic I came home with my stomach in knots. I had so much work piled up from having been out of the office for the CES tour and then my computer wouldn't work. I had to call Salt Lake to get it fixed and it was late afternoon before they had the problems figured out. I ended up going back to the office for the evening to get some of my work done. I will still have a huge pile tomorrow after having been gone today. Trek season starts this weekend, as we have 3 treks coming in from Canada, but it begins in earnest the weekend of June 10, 11 & 12 so the trek leaders are calling in to "tweak" their treks. But, we're also booking treks into 2011 & 2012. Busy, busy.

A new Relief Society President has been called and a new pianist for Sacrament meeting -- thank heavens ! I will be getting a new assignment, I'm sure, so I'll let you know about that next week.

I'm attaching a picture that was taken of us at Bessemer Bend.

Our love to all of you,

Sister Leavitt

OUT OF AFRICA MAY 2-8

2010-05-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends

A bit behind this week but have been very, very busy. Hope this finds you all well and happy...we certainly are doing great. We miss and love you all...thanks for your emails and support. Love and miss our children and grandchildren most of all.

Til next week, we continue to be

Dad,Mom,Grandpa,Grandma, Marv Sue

Elder and Sister Leavitt

EVAN’S VILLAGE!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

We awoke today under very cloudy skies and to the sound of rain falling. We realized that we had received quite a bit of rain in the night as the streets were flooded. In all the branches today they will show two sessions (their choice) of General Conference, and we are grateful that we have received the DVD’s in both English and French to fill the need. Because Sacrament will not be passed and, due to the fact that we have seen all sessions of the conference, I decided that today I would like to stay in the apartment and get some rest as I am feeling quite worn out. Elder Leavitt wanted to attend the Gbedjromede Branch to make sure the newly baptized (as of yesterday) men from that branch were confirmed and received the priesthood. The Branch President did not want to take care of this but wait a week and Elder Leavitt advised him not to do so. So, Elder Leavitt left and I stayed home. By the end of the day I felt much more rested and Elder Leavitt was able to witness the confirmations and ordinations so it was a good day. We read our scriptures and watched some CES Firesides which we really enjoyed. Towards the end of the day Precious came to stay the night with us as tomorrow, very early we are headed for the village of Azove to deliver food supplies to the Village of Hope Orphanage as donated by our grandson Evan for his Eagle Scout project. We had a nice dinner together, and went to bed early.

Monday May 3, 2010

Well this will be a big day for our grandson Evan, the Village of Hope Orphanage and a very full day for Elder and Sister Leavitt, Elders Dagroue and Kouassi and Precious. We packed a picnic lunch and headed out the door by 6:30am. We were in hopes that the rain did not present muddy impassable roads for us and the drive over would be smooth. It takes about two and a half to three hours to get to the village and we had promised David (the owner) that we would try to be there around 9:00am. The ride over was spectacular as the recent rains had washed everything so fresh and clean and made the vistas quite beautiful. We had documented earlier what a beautiful and interesting drive this was and today was no exception. We were highly entertained by Elder Kousassi who seems to have acquired a harmonica and is in the process of learning how to play it and proceeded to go through the hymn book starting at hymn number one. About hymn number twelve Sister Leavitt could not take any more and asked if anyone minded if she inserted a church CD of songs…there was a resounding…NOT AT ALL. The plan for today is that Sister Leavitt will stay at the Village of Hope orphanage/school and David will accompany the missionaries and Precious into the markets to purchase the supplies. Evan has raised approximately $1,117.62 and (with our input) has given us directions as to how to execute the project and what to purchase. David of the orphanage wants all the money to go to food as they do not currently have enough to feed the children. The $1,177.62 converts to approximately 500,000cfa (Grandpa and Grandma added some to round it off) and that will go a long way towards food supplies. Elder Leavitt will drive to the market but then hide as his big white face will only increase the pricing and hamper the negotiations. So with all plans in place we approached the orphanage right on time. David wanted Precious and the missionaries to see the facility. It was just as humble and meager as we remembered it. We could hear the children in their classrooms singing and participating and that was a good sign. We were thankful for Evan, and that we had chosen to come this day as we saw the two women cooking their one meal. Having run totally out of rice their meal was beans, cooked vines harvested by the children out of the surrounding fields of cassava and a soup to pour over it. While Elder Leavitt and company left for round one of the purchasing process Sister Leavitt camped out under a mango tree and was entertained by a little two year old who was fascinated by her white hands. After about two hours the truck returned loaded to the hilt with rice, beans, salt, and a huge basket of dried fish. David had hoped that we would have enough money to buy the fish as the children just love it. They grind the fish up and add it to just about everything and it gives them a lot of nutrition in their food. The next round started right by the orphanage as negotiations began for garri (a flour like substance made from the yam). Precious took the lead and it became very intense but ended up yielding two giant sacks at a good price. David called over two of the older orphans and they brought a cart and started hauling over to the house. Then the truck left again for round two. Sister Leavitt again stayed and this time was entertained by some of the orphans who came and literally lay on top of the fish basket. When she asked one of the women what they were doing she replied “they are smelling the fish…they love it”. Sister Leavitt thought it smelled absolutely awful but then, Sister Leavitt has never been hungry. Some of the older orphans came back to their home from secondary school and each one, as they passed us three women sitting under the tree “greeted” us with a “bonjour and a bow”, very respectful. Eventually the truck returned again this time bringing salt, sugar, tomato paste, onions, pepper and other spices. The day’s purchases yielded the following:

100 Pounds of Dried Fish

130 Pounds of Beans

800 Pounds of Thai Rice

500 Pounds of Garri

5-Cases of Large Cans Tomato Paste

200 Pounds Sugar

13 Gallons Cooking Oil

9 Pounds Salt

160 Large Onions

Various Assorted Spices

Washing Soap

The supplies will provide food for the children for approximately two months allowing them three meals per day. Suffice it to say David and the children were beyond grateful. They held up a sign saying “Merci Beaucoup Evan” and one little girl (my favorite) held his picture so tightly we could not get here to let it go.
Precious and the missionaries loved every minute of it and we all left the Village feeling very blessed and so grateful for Evan who enabled us to do this. Our drive back was uneventful with one stop along the way to eat our picnic lunch. One funny thing was that as we pulled into what we thought was a vacant lot to eat our lunch; all of a sudden two men came out. One proceeded to take the picnic cooler away from Elder Dagrou supposedly to carry it for him (but we actually were not going anywhere) and then it became a tugging match between Elder Dagrou and the man with the cooler. Elder Dagrou won due in large part to the fact that he was starving. We arrived back into Cotonou in good time and dropped everyone off with many thanks for their help and support. We all agreed that it was a most wonderful worthwhile day.

Tuesday May 4, 2010

Today we must get our regular business done having spent yesterday at the orphanage and so we did. For the most part our power in Cotonou has been good but, today it was off for a five hour period which did not make us happy.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Basically a repeat of yesterday except the power behaved. We need to keep on top of things as we have a busy weekend coming up with Zone Conferences. Paid bills, banked, post office and basically stayed focused.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

We will prepare all that we need today for Zone Conference as President arrives tonight. We need to come up with a fun activity on the Book of Mormon (and we did). We have had very cloudy skies so the rainy season is most definitely making an appearance and we are loving the fresh air. We paid more bills and did some grocery shopping…good day.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Up early and out to the hotel to pick up President. Sister Leavitt had not had a good night due to stomach problems. We arrived at the Gbedjromede Branch building in good time and started to set up for conference. The missionaries arrived promptly and we were so proud of them. The conference was great and our activity was very well received. We also acknowledged birthdays with ties which the missionaries loved. We ate our Zone Conference lunch at (where else) the Festival de Glace and then had President take us back to the apartment as he will start missionary interviews and keep the truck. We did receive word from him at lunch that we will be expected to teach and train tomorrow at the Menotin Branch Conference (that was a surprise) so we were glad to get home to prepare. We were absolutely exhausted but remarked what a great day it had been so we hit the bed very early for some much needed rest.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Slept in (oh what luxury) then we both started to prepare for the Menotin Branch conference. President will pick us up around 1:30pm; we will train from 2-4pm and then attend the adult session of the conference from 4pm-6pm. The day was hectic but the training went very well on both our parts. We anguished over how much these members DO NOT KNOW, and how inadequate we feel with no language skills. President is thrilled that we do as much as we do, but we wish we could do so much more. Elder Leavitt had 12 brethren (including two investigators) and Sister Leavitt had five sisters. During the combined adult session all of a sudden we were announced as speakers so we spoke, there is always a surprise at every turn. Following the conference session we waited for President to meet with members and take care of business and then we took and dropped him off at his hotel. We headed home extremely tired but feeling good about our day. We ate cereal for dinner, then packed as we will leave tomorrow for Togo after Menotin’s Branch Conference, to start Zone Conferences there, then went to bed.

Marv’s Weekly Observations:

Oh how the French love to smoke their cigarettes. There is no such thing as “no smoking” here in public area most especially restaurants. It would be nice to be in a nice restaurant, eating your meal without cigarette smoke becoming a part of your menu.

Sue’s Weekly Observations:

Some of you donated money to Evan’s project may we take this opportunity to say “thank you”. Please know that you did a wonderful thing and you made a difference. We hope you enjoy the “Merci Beaucoup” picture.

Til next week…..Elder and Sister Leavitt

Le Couple

MARTIN'S COVE 5/9/10

2010-05-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

Hi family and friends,

This has been a busy week, but a lot of fun, training the new missionaries. We remember last year when we arrived that we were very apprehensive about what would lie ahead of us. There weren't many veteran missionaries last year so we couldn't receive the intensive training that we were able to give the new missionaries this year. I really feel they have appreciated it, because they have expressed their sincere thanks for our help, and how much more at ease they have felt after receiving it. I know I personally received zero training in the beginning because they were desperate to have a sprinkling system installed and so I was immediately asked to take on that project. But, I gradually learned the ropes and the rest is history. The last few days of this week I have been down with some kind of bug and so I have been out of commission, so to speak. Hopefully I will be back in shape for next week because we have a lot to accomplish. We love you all and appreciate your love and interest in our mission and our welfare. May the Lord be with all of you is our constant prayer.

Elder Leavitt

Hi everyone -- this will probably be our shortest email ever as we just wrote to you a few days ago.

I remember that I told you that snow was predicted for the day we were taking our new missionaries out on post to train them -- well, we woke up to snow so it was a very cold day to be out all day. I think between trekking in the high winds the day or so before transporting the missionaries around is what has Elder Leavitt sick. He's feeling a little better today, so hopefully he'll be back to normal before long.

Not much else to report -- we're becoming more acquainted with the new missionaries and are really enjoying that. We have more exciting things planned this week but it may have to be postponed because of rainy/snowy weather. I remember last year being cold in the Spring, but this year seems to be even colder.

Our love and prayers to you all,

Sister Leavitt

P.S. Sister Freeman reported today that Kaylee (her granddaughter) was allowed to leave the hospital to be home for Mother's Day. She'll have to go back, but this was a very positive step. Thank you to those of you who are praying for her.

MARJORIE JOHANSEN'S FUNERAL

2010-05-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

I have written about Marjorie Johansen’s funeral on my blog and have a few pictures. If anyone is interested, my link is below.
Hugs,

Pete
http://www.misspete.blogspot.com

CAMERONS LETTER---THAT'S ME!!

2010-05-03T10:44:00.000-07:00

well this week has been pretty sweet. I did something i have been dreading since the day i found out i had to do this in tagalog. I OYM ed. which means i just talked to some one then invited them to hear a message. It stands for Opening Your Mouth. This was the first time i have done it with assitance of my companion. I just found an old lady who was in her yard and walked up to her and started talking. I nearly peed my pants but i did it. It was pretty good. although she didnt want to hear our message. she invited us to her church though. Iglesia ni cristo. If you get a chance to hear about them it is an interesting story. their founder is a convert to the church. any ways i wont go into a lot of detail. Me and my companion have been working really hard on trying to find new investigators lately. If you know anybody that might be interested in hearing about the church and you see the missionaries tell them. It saves us a lot of energy. This area is a harder one for baptisms. Mostly because there are a lot of inactive members here. so we teach our less active members. I have probably told you all of this before so i will tell you something fun. This morning for our p day activity we went out to a river. It was way cool. and it was a way far drive. We went as a zone. we couldnt swim since that isnt allowed but we got our feet wet and watched some kids jump in. I think all of us were pretty jealous. I know i was. But it was still really pretty. I didnt get a lot of pictures but i will send them on down the line. OH another cool experience. we were trying to find someone to teach earlier this week. and we stopped by some less active members house to teach to them but they werent home. So we were just about to walk away when i felt something say we needed to try another member that lived really close to that area. they werent home either but while we were there i saw a young woman. and something told me we needed to talk to her. we waited to see if the member was home for about another minute and lost sight of her. We then went and talked to this one older lady. she said she was busy at the moment but told us to try her daughters house. it was about 10 feet from where we were standing. so we tried there and there was this girl that i had seen earlier. She let us in. We were able to teach her and her husband. They had a new baby and we talked about how families can be together forever. it was a great lesson. well i think there might some big things in store for that family. i will be really excited to see what happens. well my challenge for the week is simple read alma 7:11-13 then ask yourselves what christ did for you. then ask why. If you dont have a book of mormon then there is one online at lds.org well i hope all of you are well. loooooove Elder Leavitt

CAMERON --- YAY SM!!!

2010-04-26T14:56:00.000-07:00

Well it was transfers this week for me. I got my first opportunity in four and a half months to go to Angels and do some shopping at every one's favorite mall SM. The inside is cold and looks just like an american mall. It even has a mcdonalds and a pizza hut. oh and a sbarro cause they are everywhere.We get like two hours there to shop and eat lunch but for us it is a pretty big treat. i was not transfering this time but just getting a new companion to take back to my area. My new companion is Elder Penuela. He is from the south island of the philippines which is where all the terrorists live. So people like to talk to him about that. So far things are going great with him. Well. Besides that I was able to be at another baptism this saturday. His name was bro.Sherwin. He is only 14 but he has a good testimony about the truth. I was really happy to see him baptized. I am in a low baptizing area right now because there are so many inactive members here. We split our time about half teaching investigators and about half teaching inactive members. There are over 500 members in the boundaries of my ward and just about 100 are active. Thats pretty hard. But we try our hardest to do the lords work here. there are so many inactive members here because in past years they did not have very strict standards for people to be baptized. One even described it as " we taught them one day and baptized them the next." Well im not saying they were always wrong but they would have made my work alot easier if they had waited. all well i love the members here. They are always nice to us. I am doing really great lately. I have apparently lost a lot of weight. I was talking to a brand new missionary and he said that if ihad not told him he never would have thought that i was fat. I have lost over 6 inches off my waistline. I never knew how much that was. I had a pair of pants made in my first area and she did not finish them before i left there. so two weeks ago i finally got them from another missionary. They were so big that i could not keep them on. I felt like a little kid trying to put on dads pants. i buttoned them and they fell off. Luckilythere is a lady in my ward who can fix them and she was able to get them to a wearable size for me.Thats kinda crazy for me. well I hope all of you guys are doing well. hopefully you guys recognize me when i get back. well This week i would challenge all of you to find some one that needs help and then do it. It can be as small oras big as you want but find someone that you could give a little service for. LOVE YOU!!!!!Elder Leavitt

MARJORIE JOHANSEN PASSED AWAY

2010-04-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

Mom (Marjorie) passed away Saturday, April 17, in the early afternoon. Although it is always hard, it's also a blessing because she had been going slowly downhill this last year. She had been doing pretty well until she fell and broke her wrist in July. Then she had lots of recuperation with that, do okay for a while, have an infection, do okay, have an infection or slight fall and then be petrified that she would fall again. Around September we put her in an adult foster care home. A caregive with a maximum of 5 people to take care of. She continued pretty much the same way, and with every setback the dementia (which they called mental impairment) would get worse.

She did pretty well for a while over Christmas but right after acted like she had an infection and just couldn't get up out of bed. When it was evident she was going to be bedridden, we knew she needed more care. So we started looking and they put her on hospice at that time. Just decline -- no disease involved. We moved her to a care home with 4 people that specialized in hospice care.

So we knew we were near the end just not when. Her passing was quiet and peaceful.

I had promised she would be buried next to Dad in Las Vegas so we have been trying to work out the particulars. It will be:

Saturday, May 1st, 2010
12 noon-funeral
10a.m. to Noon -- visitation and viewing.
Bunker Brothers Mortuary, 925 Las Vegas Boulevard North.
burial will following about 1:30 or so at Davis Funeral Home and Memorial Park (previously Paradise Memorial Garden) on South Eastern).

Thank you so much for letting the family know.

Love you, Karen Powell

OUT OF AFRICA APRIL 18 - 24, 2010

2010-04-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

(CLICK EACH PAGE TO ENLARGE)

MARTIN'S COVE 4/25/10

2010-04-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hello again family, friends and in particular our beautiful grandchildren,

First we would like to say Happy Birthday to our special long-time friend Susan Johnson, who with her husband Ross, is serving a World Class CES Mission in Ohio. Susan we love love you and will be looking forward to seeing you soon. We had the opportunity to see their son Mark last week, as he came to the Cove to possibly bid on paving our entrance road.

This has been another hectic week here at the Martin Site, and also the Willie Site. Early in the week I had to go to the Willie Center and repair a couple of broken waterlines. This had to be accomplished with the river overflowing it's banks. This meant digging down 7' with ground water pouring in. It also meant pumping water as fast as we could to get down and repair the broken lines. It turned into a wet, muddy, three day challenge.

Friday and Saturday we welcomed the arrival of about 170 more trek leaders who had come to be trained before bringing their youth here for the pioneer experience. We will have two more Trek Seminars over the next two weeks. Sister Leavitt and I had the privilege of leading about 75 of these leaders on a trek up through the Cove and being able to relate the Veil Bridge, and Martin Handcart story to them. What a spiritual and authentic experience. It was authentic because the wind blew and the rain poured down the whole time, (needless to say I had a wet week) but our enthusiastic group handled it very well. My old legs felt a little weary by the time we returned from the six mile round trip journey marching up and down the hills, while being soaked. But we survived the elements and the trek leaders felt they had gotten a little taste of what the Martin Handcart Pioneers went through. (very little, considering those pioneers trekked 1300 miles through wind, rain, snow, with the last 350 miles being through below zero blizzards.) But, I think the experience certainly made them appreciate our handcart pioneers a little more. Another special treat was that our former Bishop and his wife, Earl and Leslie Leavitt (distant relatives and good friends) from Boulder City were with the group. They along with the Hafens and Larsens, who we knew from Henderson were here to be trained for their Stake trek this summer.

We also had the Directors of the Farmland Reserve, Elder and Sister Bretzing, who are over our Mission, come from Salt Lake to visit and critique us. And we also had the pleasure of having a General Authority, Elder Bachman, from the Quorum of the 70 "emeritus", he stated that "when they retire you to emeritus status, it's like going from rooster to feather duster". He was from Church Headquarters, and had come to observe our training techniques. He and his wife spoke to us in church today. They both spoke about the great Mormon Pioneer movement in which 70 to 80 thousand Mormon immigrants crossed the plains to the Salt Lake valley to escape religious persecution and to be able to experience religious freedom. From that hardy core group of saints the church now numbers nearly 14 million. Many of those early Saints came from England, Europe, and Scandinavia. We as present members of the church owe these people a great debt of gratitude for their being willing to leave their Countries, their homes and sometimes families, to travel across the sea, and then across the Country, under the most trying circumstances, for the opportunity to freely practice their beliefs and answer the Lord's call to gather in Zion.

We love you all, and may you have health and prosperity.

Elder Leavitt

An open letter to my children and grandchildren:

I would like each of you to be aware that you have a great pioneer heritage. I would ask you to research and study it. Your ancestors were not only instrumental in helping to settle the west, but this great Country. One of our first ancestors to arrive in America was Captain John Leavitt, who brought his family, along with other immigrants, to help settle the New World in the early 1600's. Our ancestors were instrumental in helping to settle New England, ( many are still there) and some of our ancestors were part of the Plymouth Colony. When our family heard about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints while in Hatley, Quebec, Canada, they were touched by it's scripturally correct principles and, very soon, accepted its teachings. As soon as they were able they joined the main body of the saints in Kirtland, Ohio. Our ancestors were among the first major group of the Saints who came west on an arduous journey which took the life of a several of their immediate family. In spite of these trials they were able to be very instrumental in settling the then primitive Utah territory.

Our direct ancestor, Dudley Leavitt, was instrumental in establishing peace with the various Indian tribes which allowed for settlement of the many valleys in Southern Utah and Southern Nevada. These early efforts helped allow for the thousand of immigrants coming after him to have a place to build settlements and raise crops to support their families. This pioneering spirit by early members of the Church also opened the way for people of other faiths the opportunity to come west and settle. Las Vegas was first able to be settled due to the early efforts of our ancestors and other hardy pioneers like them paving the way.

Dudley Leavitt's brothers also help settle parts of Northern Utah, Idaho, and even Alberta, Canada. One of the trek leaders who came last week was from Leavitt, Canada, settled by Thomas R. Leavitt. This man, from Leavitt, named Jaime Quinton, said he was acquainted with many of our relatives up there. ( He is also the cousin of Sandra Bevans, one of our missionary friends from Cardston, Canada.)

The point I am trying to make, is that you, my beautiful family, have a great heritage and that it is one of my greatest desires that you should try to live your lives as to honor those great ancestors who sacrificed so much so that we might have these wonderful freedoms and opportunities. Our family is from royal linage and has been traced to royalty in England, France, Germany, and Scandinavia. I have personally traced our genealogy, in one line, back to a "King Claudie of Germany", born 6 years after the birth of Christ. It is said that one of our lines through Scandinavia has been traced back to Adam and Eve. But, my dearest loved ones, our linage is of no consequence if we don't try our best to honor our name, our County, and our religion which our ancestors gave their all for, and try to do our best to perpetuate our great legacy. " I know I can't change my past, I can only learn from it, but I can have control over my future".

Dad and Grandpa

Hi Everyone -- I'll add just a few words as "Grandpa" has covered everything very well.

I, too, want to add my birthday greetings to my dear friend, Susan. I love and miss you !! She and Ross will stop by "The Cove" on their way home to Boulder City. Can't wait to see you.

I had hoped to attach a picture of us trekking w/ the Trek Leaders but it was raining so hard I was afraid to take my camera out of case. It was also very cold, so I was proud of both of us that we made it. Charlie did a great job of telling the stories and keeping us moving.

Spring is taking a long time to arrive in this part of Wyoming. It snowed last weekend and parts of I-80 were closed. Today I saw a daffodil just starting to bud outside the Visitor's Center -- so I'm encouraged that Spring is around the corner.

The new Missionaries will be here Tuesday so we're really excited. Lots of work and fun ahead of us.

My love and prayers to you all,

Sister Leavitt aka Peggy

CAMERON--life goes on... oh wait it just doesnt ever stop

2010-04-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

Well it is the start of another week for me. It is still Sunday for most of you, but it is the end of another 6 week period called a transfer. which means that there are changes in companionships and areas. I will be staying in my area another 6 weeks but I will be getting another companion on Thursday which means that after today I will only have two days left with my current companion. Scary I know but kind of exciting. I have a feeling that the President has something kinda big in store for me and I’m a little nervous. This last week has been a really great one for me. we had the interview for our baptismal candidate and now he will be baptized on this upcoming Saturday. His name is Sherwin. He bore a really sweet testimony about how he knows the truth to us the other day, after we taught to him. Well this week has been one of annoyance for me. It is nearly elections here and for those of you who have ever experienced an election in the Philippines you might know what I am going through. So because some people are pretty poor and can’t afford to watch TV, they strap speakers onto cars and advertise that way. Unfortunately they all feel like putting their name into a song somehow is the best way to campaign. more unfortunately they all use the same song. I’m getting a little tired of hearing the words “I want nobody, nobody but (insert name)" for some reason that song is huge here and now I just can’t stand it anymore. It woke me up at about 6 this morning. Well I’m not sure what else to talk about this week. it seems like almost every week is the same except for whatIi do. sorry its hard to explain. so I’m sorry this is short. but I want all of you to know that I know this is Gods work. that he has given us this wonderful gospel because he loves us. I know that as we follow the gospel and the commandments that God will bless us. We don’t always understand the rules he has given us to live by. Right now I am probably living by a lot more than most of you but I do know they are given for us. I have a challenge for all of you. no matter how many times you have done this before or if you havent then that is even better. but read Moroni chapter 10 verses 3-5. then do it. Pray,. ask if the Book of Mormon is true. That is my challenge for all of you.

MARTINS COVE APRIL 18, 2010

2010-04-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

Hi Family and Friends,

The 2nd year missionaries have arrived and are really working hard. We have poured about 18 yards of concrete this week, which included the slab for the Humanitarian expansion, some sidewalks, and the porch at the new missionary apartment. We have put up the new sign for Prairie Park, mowed some lawns, painted the welding shop along with general spring cleaning. The big news this week is that we had our first Trek Leaders Seminar on Friday and Saturday. We had about 112 Trek Leaders arrive on Friday morning and after registration began Their training. My assignments were to assist with the parking, a job I'm somewhat familiar with. I also had the opportunity to give the Ephraim Hanks story (in first person) to two different groups at Fort Seminoe. For those of you who don't know, Ephraim Hanks was one of the rescuers of the Martin Handcart Company and a very interesting individual who led an extremely colorful life. He was man of action and, among the many of his other escapades, had carried mail across the plains, on horse back, from Salt Lake to St. Joseph, Missouri over 50 times. This was before the Pony Express even existed! When he heard about the handcart people stranded on the plains, he rode nearly 300 miles, many of those miles through a blizzard and brought buffalo meat to the starving immigrants. He also made friends with many Indian tribes, and was honored by them at his funeral when several thousand showed up on the hills above the cemetery to pay their respects. For my performances I was able to dress in a handsome frontier costume I borrowed from Ken Simkins a good friend from Boulder City, who along with his wife Donlee also served two missions at Martin's Cove. For added effect I also borrowed an impressive 50 caliber cap and ball rifle from Elder Fenn. These props really get you in character.

It was great to meet all the Trek Leaders who came for training, which is a must for them if they are going to bring trek groups here or at the Willie Site. One of the Trek Leaders was a young lady named Rachel Muir, who we knew as a child from our first ward in Boulder City. Another was a man from Leavitt, Alberta, Canada. His name was Jamie Quinton, and as it turned out, is the cousin of Sandra Bevans, one of our last years missionaries. She and Dallas her husband live in Cardston, Alberta, Canada and were our next door neighbors, and great friends at Missionary Village last year. And we are excited that they are coming back this summer. Leavitt, Canada, which is located about 8 miles outside Cardston, was named after my great-great uncle Thomas R. Leavitt who settled that area back in the late 1800,s.

This week Sister Leavitt and I will lead the trek to Martin's Cove, and tell the stories for the next group of Trek Leaders coming in at the end of the week. We are excited for the opportunity. We are also excited that some of our children and grandchildren and family and friends may be coming to visit us this summer. When you are away from family and friends for an extended period of time it brings great joy when you get to see them. We love you all!

Elder Leavitt

Hi everyone -- it's been an exhausting but exhilarating week. We worked so hard putting on the Trek Seminar and it was very successful, thanks to everyone putting in long hours. I went on a trek and am pretty stiff and sore from the long hike. Eventho I've exercised this winter, I apparently wasn't working the right muscles. I need to do a lot of walking to be in shape this week when Elder Leavitt and I are Trek Leaders. Additionally, we have heard that it could be raining or snowing so that will add another dimension to the trek.

Another emotional element to this week is that the Freeman's (our director's) 5 year old granddaughter has a yet undiagnosed illness. She has been hospitalized since last Sunday and initially they thought she had leukemia and then e-coli. At this point they just don't know but she is doing a little better and is stabilized altho her kidney function is only at 50%. She also had to have blood transfusions earlier in the week. We Missionaries fasted and prayed for her on Wednesday and that was when she started turning the corner and doing a little better. However, please pray for an accurate diagnosis and recovery for this precious little girl named Kaylee.

We continue to experience the tender mercies of our Lord and many spiritual experiences on a daily basis. It's been wonderful having all our friends back. We are all so grateful for this amazing experience we are having here. The Trek Training was powerful and I know it will translate into the trekkers who are coming this summer will have great spiritual experiences. We have 3 more trek seminars in the next three weeks so we will be very busy. However, that's why we're here and we all love being a part of this very important work of educating members of our Church about the handcarts pioneers and what they sacrificed and using this knowledge to make it relevant to the youth of today.

Another special blessing this week was having the Bretzings here -- they are the Directors of the Farmland Reserve and are responsible for missionaries all over the United States and some Foreign Countries who work on agricultural properties for the Church. We love the Bretzings and appreciate how they enter in and help out wherever they can. We also love that Elder Bretzing will yodel with the band. Our band had our first performance this week and we were pretty rusty, but it was so much fun!! I've decided that being in the band is for the band members as we have such a good time but don't know if our audience enjoys it as much as we do :)

That's all for now -- we're looking forward to seeing Earl and Leslie Leavitt (from Boulder City ) this week who will be Trek Leaders in 2011. Dress warm, Leslie, as the weather is forecast to be cold and rainy.

I think that's all for this week -- it been a memorable week for us. We love being here and want to cherish every day we're here as our Mission will soon be over.

My love and prayers to each of you,

Sister Leavitt aka Peggy

P.S. No picture this week but I'll have some of our trek next week.

OUT OF AFRICA April 11 - 17, 2010

2010-04-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

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OUT OF AFRICA APRIL 4-10, 2010

2010-04-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

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MARTIN'S COVE APRIL 11, 2010

2010-04-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring Family and Friends,

Spring has not yet arrived on the high plains of Wyoming, but the beautiful blossoms in the form of our returning missionaries have. It's been an exciting week welcoming our old friends, and some new, back to the Cove. They have brought with them a new energy and given us Polar Bears a big boost in our desire to serve. They have hit the ground running and already they have gotten things spruced up and shining. We've already had a trek group of over sixty trekkers show up this week. These brave souls wanted to have a authentic pioneer handcart experience, and they certainly did. After visiting Martin's Cove, they spent the night in tents at the Willie Center. Elder Jorgensen reported that they camped on the snow and then the next day he led them on a trek for 10 miles in the snow which measured an average of 10 to 12 inches with drifts up to 4 feet. At about the halfway mark they were given the option of taking a shorter route back and forgoing the long women's pull directly ahead. This is the part of the trek where the men leave women and wait at the top of a long hill while the women pull the handcarts up the hill by themselves. When given the chance to opt-out, one young women stated that, "I have not come all this way to wimp out". As the young men marched ahead up the hill, on their own they decided to march in two lines to break trails through the snow so that the women's handcart wheels would not get stuck. The young men also took as much of the camping equipment out of the handcarts as they could carry to give the girls a fighting chance. It was still a very difficult pull up the snow covered trail, but they made it, and we were told that there wasn't a dry eye in the group. It's amazing how these treks change lives. It also about did Elder Jorgensen in!

We had a great visit with our family last week and want to thank them for their hospitality and love. It was so much fun to see our grandkids and see how much they've grown.
The highlight of the visit was our granddaughter Olivia's baptism. To watch her dad perform the ordinance was a heart touching experience. Her older brother Conner (12) gave one of the most beautiful talks on baptism I have ever heard, and he prepared it entirely on his own. Her older brother Garrett (9) also gave a beautiful prayer. These are the experiences that lift our souls.

Thanks to Al and Jo for inviting me to Jo's birthday breakfast at the Coffee Cup in Boulder City. No, I didn't have coffee, but I did have their fabulous potatoes and gravy.

Although we traveled through blizzards coming and going to Boulder City, Nevada we entered into a whole new world of spring in Southern Nevada with leaves on the trees, green grass and flowers blooming everywhere. Go less than 200 miles north, we experienced the most snow we've seen all winter in Cedar City, Utah. Fortunately we were able to dodge some of winter's worst storms, frequent road closures and with the Lord's blessings made it back safely.

Well, we love you all and appreciate your prayers on our behalf and think of you in ours.

Elder Leavitt

PS This will be the last email we will send to the 2nd year returning missionaries because they are here to live the experience with us.

Hi everyone -- I first want to explain that I didn't know about Jo's birthday until "after" we got back home to Martin's Cove. I had breakfast with my incredible "sissy's" that morning and Charlie didn't let me know until we got back that Jo had had a birthday. MEN !! Belated Happy Birthday to Jo from me.

We had a fabulous trip home despite the harrowing trip down -- we've seen more snow this Spring than we've seen all winter. As Charlie said, when we got caught in the blizzard out side of Cedar City, we could not even see the lines on the road -- it was white knuckle time for me !

Olivia's baptism was so special -- I'm attaching a picture. We appreciate all that our kids did to make us feel loved and pampered while we were home. It was so fun spending a little time with our grandkids and to see how much they have changed even in the short time we have been gone. I loved the sleep-over with my granddaughters and never tire of seeing them play with their dolls and dress up in Grandma's scarves. Many special memories !

Well, our second year Missionaries are back and many of them battled the same blizzards and icy roads we did trying to get back. Thankfully, everyone made it safely. We all love each other so much, our Reunion was sweet and emotional. It's wonderful seeing our friends, catching up on the last six months, and as always, working hard to get prepared for the Trek Seminars and the Trekkers.

I have just one thing to add -- the Bluegrass band had its first practice today. I was determined to be in it this year so Charlie bought me an autoharp for our anniversary. Today was the first time I have played it and I had a blast !! Eventho it is out of tune (Sister Fenn will tune it for me this week) that didn't stop me from strumming away. I know being in the band is going to be one of my favorite experiences this summer. I have visions of joining the bluegrass band in Boulder City if they'll have me -- what about it Ken and Donlee ??

My love and prayers to you all,

Sister Leavitt aka Peggy

HAPPY EASTER FROM CAMERON

2010-04-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

well hello there again. seems like every week is going by even faster. sometimes i have no idea what to talk about. Funny enough that happens to be the case today. Well
i will tell you about probably the highlight of the week. It was friday night. That means that here it was holy Friday which is kind of a big deal in these parts. I saw
several processions with their.... I cant remember the real english word so i will say dolls. but they marched down the street to the church carrying all of the "dolls"
representing saints and of course Jesus christ. Well later that night we were at our investigators house. We decided to try a different approach so we watched. Joseph
Smith Prophet Of the Restoration. Well it was a pretty spiritual watching. And at the end my companion couldnt even talk so I had to go on and talk about what we just saw and what we were feeling. I think i did a pretty good job. I talked to them And explained to them that what they were feeling was the spirit and that it was testifying to them of the truth. also mentioned the upcoming conference which has not yet happened here. Well i was talking to them for about 15 minutes. which that right there is note worthy it means that i have come a long way to be able to talk for 15 minutes straight in a different language. well by that time my companion was
able to speak again. And he also bore testimony. It was just such a spiritually powerful appointment. If you have not watched it lately or have never seen that movie i would recommend it to you. Well the good news is that those investigators after over two months of promising finally came to church yesterday. It was really good seeing them there and they even brought a friend. We were able to set a Baptismal Goal Date for them. If they continue to come to church It should be in May. It is usually hardest to get some one to come the first time. so I really have a lot of hope for these investigators. We asked them yesterday what was their favorite thing that we have shared and they said The lesson about the gospel of jesus christ. or the first five prinicples of the gospel of jesus christ. Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. I think they have a really strong tesitmony about the gospel. Well for the rest of my doings for the week. I have continued to be sick although it is starting to get
better and hopefully I will be back at full activity by next week. I have heard that Conference was pretty amazing as usual. and i will hopefully be able to give you my
thoughts next week. well i love you all.

Elder Cameron Leavitt

OUT OF AFRICA MARCH 28 - APRIL 3, 2010

2010-04-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

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OUT OF AFRICA MARCH 21-27, 2010

2010-03-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

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MARTINS COVE 3/28/10

2010-03-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

Hello again family and friends,

This week I have been sent to help the Willie Center missionaries. The Willie Center, also known as Sixth Crossing, (the location the pioneers crossed the Sweetwater for the sixth time) is located about 65 miles west of Martin's Cove and also located on the Sweetwater River. This is the spot where the Willie Handcart Company was also caught in the big storm of October, 1856. And they, like the Martin Company suffered greatly due to starvation and cold. I was asked to bring the backhoe over and dig up some broken waterlines. It seems that several of the hydrants used for supplying water to the missionary RV spots were leaking water down at the bottom. The Willie winter missionaries wanted to get them fixed before the summer missionary's began to arrive. One of the messy problems I encountered was that the hydrants extended down into the ground about 7 feet, but we hit a lot of ground water about 6 feet. Consequently, after digging through the frozen ground to get to the breaks, I had to keep bailing water with the backhoe bucket to allow us to fix the breaks. Each time I bailed enough water to get it about a foot or so below the break we only had about ten minutes to try to make the repairs before I had to start bailing again. Kind of reminded me of riding in a leaky row boat, bail or drown. Some of the problems we encountered were due somewhat to inferior installation skills used during the initial installation. These are some of the problems you encounter when you have old people (like me) from all walks of life serving as your primary work force. But, in spite of our limitations we seem to get the jobs done, though sometimes twice. Although it was a cold, muddy job, we were successful in fixing the ones we found leaking. When the weather warms up, and other lines have a chance to thaw, maybe we can have some more fun! When I returned to Martin's Cove I continued working on the Humanitarian Center expansion.

Today in church we had a beautiful little family from Casper talk to us. They included the father who is on the Casper Stake High Council, his wife who is their ward's Young Women's President and a descendant of handcart pioneers, and four of their five daughters, the oldest being about 10. The only one who didn't give a talk was the baby. It was a special and spiritual meeting and the little girls were as sharp and cute as they could be. The two oldest girls gave their talks entirely on their own and kept us spell bound.

Well, this week we head home for a few days and we can't wait to see our family and while we're there give Uncle Sam his due in taxes. When we get back to the Cove the summer missionaries should start arriving and so things should start buzzing around here. It will sure be great to see all those with whom we served last year.

We love our family, our friends, and our Lord and consider it an honor and privilege to serve Him in this unique little part of the world. May the Lord bless you all! You're in our prayers!

Elder Leavitt

Hi Everyone --

Today concludes a very busy week. Those of us who work in the office finished putting all the material together for the new and returning Missionaries in the "red book" and also completed all the script books (script books contain all the stories that we tell our visitors about the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies). Huge job and I'm glad it's done. We have a few housekeeping types of things left to do to be completely ready, but we're feeling like we've got the bulk of the preparation work done.

Today was the last time the Polar Bears had our Sunday services and pot-luck with just the Polar Bears. Missionaries will start returning this week and the 2nd year Missionaries will all be here by April 7th. As excited as we are to see our friends, we were feeling sentimental today that the winter is over for us. None of us can believe it passed so quickly and we all agree that it was one of the best experiences of our lives.

We celebrated Sister Freeman's birthday on Wednesday by having a surprise birthday party -- and I must say she was totally surprised !! (See attached picture) We decided on having a breakfast as that is the only time we could get us all together. We decorated the Gathering Room and it looked so festive. As usual we had a delicious meal and laughed and laughed and had a great time. We appreciated an opportunity to do something special for Sister Freeman as she had done so many thoughtful and special acts of service for all of us that is was wonderful to be able to do something for her.

While I was booking treks this week I had an interesting conversation with a man whose in-laws were Missionaries here when Martin's Cove Site was opened and dedicated. He talked of being in the presence of President Hinckley when we stated that in the future thousands of people would be coming to this site and that it would have a transformative power over the lives of our youth. We have certainly seen that statement come to fruition with the thousands of kids we have seen just since we have been here.

Well, I can't conclude without mentioning the weather -- on Tuesday we woke up to the most snow we have seen since we've been here. We were so excited we ran out of prayer meeting and started taking pictures. See attached picture of Charlie attempting to get the snow off of his truck. Of course, because it was a Spring storm, most of the snow is gone today -- and the WIND has begun. I feel like I did when we arrived last Spring when the wind was howling day in and day out. I bet the wind was blowing 40 miles an hour today. Thank heavens I have the "Charlie Leavitt Special" haircut and as the wind doesn't bother it too much. :)

I've started the process of packing up my winter clothes to take home and trying to decide what to keep. I don't want to make the mistake I did last year when I didn't have warm enough clothes for the Spring and I felt like I was freezing most of the time.

Happy Birthday to two special "girls" -- our daughter-in-law Leanna's birthday was yesterday and our granddaughter Olivia's today. Our love and best wishes for a great birthday to both of you.

Because we will be home next week, you won't hear from us for 2 weeks. Until then.....

Our love and prayers to all of you.

Peggy

CAMERON 3/22/10

2010-03-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

Ang Sarap ng Balita

Well, it has been another great week here. We had our zone conference here this week. Elder Ko of the seventy taught us the secrets of missionary work, or at least some really cool stuff about it. I also got a sweet comment from the mission presidents wife that i am looking really good lately. but she also said mom that she doesnt want you thinking that i am being deprived
here. so mom im not being deprived here. I also hit another great milestone this last week. but i
have a story about it so ...... travel with me down memory lane. (swirly twirly music and a spinning motion as we enter the past)

It was a sunny friday afternoon. Earlier in the day we had done our weekly planning. I made some delicious rice and food from a can for lunch. Afterwards I thought to myself, "self wouldnt a quick nap be really great right now since you have an hour until you need to get to work for the day." so i took a rather delightful nap even though it was a really hot after noon. and my house heats up like an oven. about ten minutes before i needed to get up and get changed I awoke with a slight pain in my abdomen. "Nothing big just need to work with the pain," says I to myself. Ten minutes later I was wandering around the house unsure what to do. The pain had grown and
grown until I was in fear of passing out from this pain in my stomach. I wandered outside trying to figure out what my body was about to do when suddenly I felt it happening. I think of you know what is happening here. I hurried over to a wall and was able to shortly stare my lunch
in the face. ( that is my milestone by the way. First time puking in a foreign country.) anyways long story short. I still went out and worked that day even though i still felt terrible inside. After a few hours I didnt think my body could do the twenty minute walk to our next appointment. So my ward mission leader who is only 19 threw my arm over his shoulder and I was able to half
walk half be carried to our next appointment. It was pretty sweet seeing his love for this work and not wanting it to be stopped because my physical body didnt want to. He knew that the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. (Matthew 26:41) any ways that really stuck out to me
how great this work is that one person not feeling good cant stand in the way of Our Heavenly Father's great plan for all of his children.

well i hope you guys have a great week. i love you all.

ELDER LEEEEEEEAVITT!!!!!!!!!!!

MARTINS COVE MARCH 21 2010

2010-03-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hello again Family and Friends,

Well it's been a schizophrenic weather week here at the Cove. One day it's beautiful, and the next we are in the middle of a blizzard. But it's still a great experience and we're getting a ton accomplished. This week I have been working on several projects, including digging footings and building a pad for the Humanitarian
Center expansion, taking down a couple of gigantic cottonwood trees from in front of the pavilion at missionary village (which will allow for the expansion there), and
placing a 24" X 20' culvert under the road I built across Cherry Creek. This has also been a week of snow removal when needed. With this push on projects it's been a
very tiring week to say the least, and I can hardly wait for reinforcements to begin showing up. The other Polar Bears have been busy also. They have been finishing up the new apartment which will be occupied by our new chefs, the McAtees. They have also been reconstructing the kitchen in the barn to make it more user friendly. We have added some huge refrigerators and a freezer which will accommodate a great deal more food. Just what we need, more food! Truthfully, we are looking forward to Sister McAtee's great culinary skills! With the McAtee's new assignment I wonder if Elder McAtee will find the time to retain his title as "Champion Rattle Snake
Hunter."

In a couple of weeks we will be able to go home for a few days to get our taxes done and attend our granddaughter Olivia's baptism. We are really looking forward to
seeing our family and catching up on their lives. We are sorry that we won't have time to see all of our friends who live in that area, but our time will be short and our priority, of course, will be our family. We are excited that many of our family and friends have told us that they are planning on coming up for a visit this summer. We'll try to make it worth your while! But then again, the Cove experience
alone is worth the trip.

Today in church we had a young man from Casper give an inspiring talk on personal inspiration. As part of his remarks he told us of an experience that happened on his
mission a few years ago. He told us that he and his companion were giving the missionary lessons to a young man who seemed to be interested in the church and
although the young man still had a number of concerns he was praying about them. One of his concerns was accepting the Book of Mormon. The young man told the missionaries
that he would be gone for a couple of weeks to visit his father and seek his council. He also knew that his father had shown a lot of animosity toward church because of his father's own religious beliefs. The night before this young man
visited his father he had a vivid dream in which he saw a Book of Mormon on his fathers table. He knew that realization of this dream was highly unlikely due to his
fathers Anti-Mormon stance. When he walked into his fathers house, sure enough, there on the table was a Book of Mormon. When he questioned his father about the
book, the young man was told by his father that the day before he had found it laying in the street and although he "hated Mormons", ( an attitude I have a hard time associating with someone who believes in Christ ) for some reason he was prompted to pick the book up and bring it home. He said he had every intention of throwing it away later, but had laid it on his table and forgotten about it.
Consequently, because of this spiritual experience, or what some may term a coincidence, the young man decided to join the Church and is now a strong member.

To those of you who are not of our faith this story is probably hard to relate to, but to all of you who are, this is just another one of the countless examples of personal spiritual experiences that tie us to our faith.

This story is not made a part of this email to try make those many family and friends, who are "not" of our faith, believe! But on the other hand, we desire to share these experiences with those many family and friends who "are" of our
faith and who, because they have personally had spiritual experiences, are touched by the spiritual experiences of others which help ground us in our faith. I know they touch my heart!

We love and respect all our family and friends no matter what your beliefs and consider all of you a blessing in our life.

Elder Leavitt

Hi everyone !! As Elder Leavitt said, the weather has been a topic of conversation this week. I think we experienced what I would call our first blizzard this week --
certainly more snow in one storm than we have seen so far. I'm grateful that we were warm and cozy in our apartment and could watch it out the window and not be out "in" the storm.

We have had many visitors this week -- probably because of Spring break and also because of the aforementioned storm, I-80 was closed. This forced some people to
choose the longer route to get to Cheyenne so they therefore drove by Martin's Cove. I met several visitor's who were not Mormon but were nevertheless touched by the story of the courageous handcart pioneers. I was also privileged to meet a descendent from the Hodgett wagon train (which met up with the Martin's handcart company here at Martin's Cove), a descendent from one of the rescuers, and a direct
descendent from a family who traveled with the Willie Handcart Company.

I'd like to quickly tell the story of the woman I met who was the great great granddaughter of Charles Moulton, who was an infant with the Willie Handcart Company.
Charles was born on the ocean voyage to America and not only survived the ordeal of getting to Iowa but also the handcart trek across the plains. But what is
even more amazing is that he was able to hang onto life after having been caught in the frigid winter storm that hit the Willie Company on Rocky Ridge. After this baby
arrived in Salt Lake, "when his pitiful little body was held up in the sun one could see right through it, so little flesh did he have". Another miracle is that his whole family made it which included his parents and 7 siblings. Before they left England their mother was given a blessing in which she was promised that her entire family would make this incredible journey safely. Surely the Lord had his hand on this family and now they have a great posterity who honor their pioneer ancestors.

Happy Birthday to our precious little Isabella, who is 3 years old today. When we talked to her this evening, she told us about her birthday party and the gifts she
received. It was so fun to hear her sound so grown up :)

Well, enough for today. We love and miss you all and are getting excited to see our Missionary friends who will be arriving soon.

Our love and prayers,

Sister Leavitt

OUT OF AFRICA Mar 14 - 20th 2010

2010-03-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

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CAMERON 3/15/10

2010-03-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

Here is our weekly letter with a couple lovely pictures that Cameron sent to us. He sent a bunch of pictures I will try and get posted on our blog this week. He would love to hear from you, and snail mail is only 97 cents, and makes him feel so important when he goes to the mission home to get his letters. Here is his address again if you need it:

Elder Cameron W. Leavitt
Philippines Angeles Mission
1827 Gumain St. Redwood Villas
Clark Field, Angeles City
209 Pampanga
Philippines

From: cameron leavitt
[mailto:storminmormon47@myldsmail.net]
Happy Days are here again!

grabi naman. another week is gone. time goes by so fast. its weird cause looking ahead i have a really long time left here but looking back three months went by liquid fast. well this week i had some intersting experiences with some parades. parades here happen all the time. so seeing one is no big deal. but this week i happened to see a gay pride parade going down main street of my little town here.
it was pretty disgusting. one of the grossest ones came up to my companion and asked for money. they were trying to get money thats why they had a parade. EWWWW. any way this week is also the fiesta in my town. they had four parades yesterday. and since
my house is on the main street of the town i heard them all. the earliest one was at 5. AM yeah i was angry when i was awoken by the sounds of horns and drums that early in the morning. i was more angry when another one went by the house at 6. i just wonder if they could have coordinated this a little better. the next one was at 9 and blocked off traffic to the church so my church that is supposed to start at ten started at like 10 15 because nobody could get there. it was rather funny but not at the same time cause we had to scramble to get things ready for the sacrement Meeting. well i had some really great lessons this week. we started teaching one guy
that his wife is a member and missionaries have been trying to teach to him for 6 years he just hasnt wanted to listen and runs away from the house when he sees
them coming. it is pretty cool that we are teaching him. well this week Elder ko of the seventy is visiting my mission. hopefully we pass cause i think he is going to crack down on us for area book stuff. well love you guys. have fun. also sent a lot of pictures this week.

OUT OF AFRICA MARCH 7-13, 2010

2010-03-14T22:51:00.000-07:00

(Click on each page to enlarge)

MARTINS COVE 3/14/10

2010-03-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone !

Elder Leavitt put his foot down and said that I had to start out the email this week. We had the Visitor's Center this afternoon and he had several visitors (I stayed home and let him handle it) so he decided since I was "loafing around", I should start the email.

We were prepared for Spring -- temp's in the 50's, the birds singing, and a warm breeze blowing. However, we woke up to snow this morning and the wind howling -- I took a picture of the gate coming into Martin's Cove today after Church so it gives you an idea of what it looked like. We are told, despite the cold temp's today, that it will be back in the 50's this week.

We had a wonderful visit in Denver -- the drive down was a little scary as the roads were the worst we have driven on. Between Rawlins and Cheyenne they were icy and very snowy but they were not closed -- we heard they were the following day. It seemed like the minute we crossed the state line into Colorado, the weather was beautiful and we enjoyed mild temps the entire time we were there.

Charlie and I went to the Temple Saturday morning and enjoyed that lovely Temple. (see attached) It was really busy and we had a hard time finding a place to park -- I think they had 3 weddings that morning. We saw a new bride outside getting her picture taken and eventho the weather was nice, I was impressed that she wasn't wearing a coat -- it was still chilly. However, we've discovered here in Wyoming, and I'm sure it's true in Colorado, that when we still need coats we see kids walking around in shorts and T-shirts.

While in Denver, we were able to visit my sister, Helen, and brother, John, and their families. We had a great time and I really appreciated the opportunity to get caught up on what is going on in their lives. I was able to bring a little piece of my family back with me as my sister-in-law, Karole, gave me a painting of antelope with the Wind River Mtns. in the background, that my mother had hanging on her wall for many years. I had coveted that painting as we are in the perfect country for the painting and I wanted it hanging on "my" wall. When I mentioned it, Karole was gracious enough to part with it so it's now in our apartment and feeling very much at home with us :)

We were also able to work in a quick visit, with Sandy Strack, who is a childhood friend --she lived down the street from me when we were growing up in Pinedale. Again, we had a wonderful visit and were so happy to see her and her husband, Art.

As for news around here -- still busy, busy getting ready for the Missionaries. It will be just a few weeks before the 2nd year missionaries arrive -- what a reunion that will be ! I think they will be impressed with all the work the missionaries have accomplished this Winter.

The new couple who will be managing the Ranch associated w/ Martin's Cove arrived yesterday. They are a cute young couple with a darling little 18 month old boy. All the Sister missionaries are going crazy over having a baby here -- they'll have plenty of baby-sitters, that's for sure :)

The other picture that I'm attaching is one I took of Elder Leavitt after he had transplanted a pine tree. He's had an eventful week, so I'll let him tell you about it -- just suffice it to say, I had my laundry challenges this week.

We want to wish our son Chris, a Happy Birthday on the 20th ! When his birthday rolls around each year, it always brings back a flood of memories as he celebrates his birthday the same week we celebrate our anniversary. He just turned 13 when we got married so I'm not going to tell you how old he is by telling you how many years we have been married. Happy Birthday, son -- we love you !

That's it for me -- it's Charlie's turn :

Hi Folks,

I think Sister Leavitt did an exceptional job covering all the basic information so there's not much I can add. I have been excavating at east end of the Humanitarian Center this week preparing for a 34 foot expansion. While I was working in that location, I took the opportunity to dig up a leaking water hydrant by trenching down about 7 feet. While I was repairing the hydrant Elder Warr walked by just as the trench caved in covering my legs. I think it scared him a little, but even though I couldn't pull my legs out, being an old ditch digger I knew that all I had to do was dig around my legs by hand to free them. The ground on top was frozen down about a foot, but the water leak had softened the lower ground making it pretty unstable. (as an experienced excavating contractor I should have noticed) Anyway I got the hydrant fixed and while the trench was open I was able to add a water connection for the new restrooms that we will be adding to the new expansion. Last week I had the opportunity to build a much needed roadway across Cherry Creek. During the trek season the trekkers have often had to detour about a 1/4 mile up to the old highway and around to get across the creek. With this new roadway, and with the culvert we're installing to carry the water under the new roadway, the trekkers can leave Cherry Creek Campground and head straight out onto the original Pioneer Trail on their way to Jackson Campground.

I would like to thank my nephew Lorin Leavitt for sending me a re-supply of Pro-Arginine on a moments notice, my arteries were beginning to plug up because I had been out for about 3 weeks. Thanks tons, I'm back in tip top shape. Hug Dianne and give Conner and Dillon a high five for me!

The Lord loves Martin's Cove and so do we. The Spirit is very strong here and the veil between heaven and earth is very thin. We feel it a blessing and a privilege to serve here and have the opportunity to have so many rewarding experiences. May the Lord bless and watch over each and every one of you.

Love Elder Leavitt

PS. Congratulations to our son Glen on his promotion to a permanent position with the Clark County Regional Transportation Center.

Congratulations to our grandchildren on being some of the cutest and smartest the world has ever known.

OUT OF AFRICA FEB 28 - MARCH 6

2010-03-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

(CLICK EACH PAGE TO READ LETTER)

OUT OF AFRICA FEB 14 - FEB 27

2010-02-28T11:09:00.000-08:00

(CLICK ON EACH PAGE TO READ LETTER)

MARTINS COVE 2/28/10

2010-02-28T08:05:00.000-08:00

Good Sabbath to our dear family and friends,

We are so lucky to have such dear friends who keep us informed and up to date and especially for your uplifting support as we try to serve the Lord on these high plains of Wyoming.

Thanks again to cousin Laura Hauck for that impressive article in the Meridian Magazine. Isn't it great to have relatives in "high places." Although this was a flattering article we know our service does not come close to comparing other missionary service in the family. For example; Laura and her husband's service. I recall the time when they were serving a mission in Africa and were held at gunpoint by rebels. And again, we can't hold a candle to cousins Marv and Sue Leavitt who are serving their second mission to Africa. Some of their experiences have been right out of a comedy/horror novel. I don't think Sister Leavitt would survive the primitive nature of these missions. But, we bloom where we are planted, even if it requires living a millennial existence and regularly eating ourselves silly.

This has been a week of ditch digging for me. When I was a young man my dad used to warn me, that if I didn't take a more serious interest in school, that I would end up digging ditches for a living. Well, daddy knew best because that is exactly what I ended up doing for a living. Now that I am retired and serving a mission I'm still digging. This week I have been cleaning the irrigation ditch which brings water from the creek to a 12" pipe which feeds our sprinkler system and also waters the meadow located down by Devil's Gate. Since last summer I have wanted to make improvements along this ditch, but it was not possible due to the fact that during the warm weather the meadow through which it runs is like a swamp and the equipment would get stuck. During the winter the ground is frozen so there is not the problem of getting stuck, but there is a problem digging in the frozen ground. Oh well! At least when I'm finished the water will flow freely down the ditch for a number of years and during this process I'll be building up a roadway along the ditch which will allow easy access out to the diversion dam year round.

The next project on my schedule is to remove two large trees next to the pavilion out at Missionary Village. This is being done in preparation for an expansion of the pavilion. It is planned to enlarge the pavilion by about a third and add some restrooms. Those of you who were here last year know that we were pretty cramped in the pavilion at times. We are also scheduled to expand the Humanitarian Center by about 30' and add some more restrooms at that location. These restrooms will not only accommodate the Humanitarian Center but will also serve the Chapel. A much needed improvement!

Today both Sister Leavitt and I had the opportunity to teach lessons. She taught in Relief Society, and I taught Priesthood. We both used the same subject of God's Love and Law. The main point of the lessons is that our Father in Heaven loves us without equal, but His love does not supersede His laws and commandments. One of His eternal laws is that we all have our agency in this life to do as we please. But, if we willingly and knowingly break His laws we must sooner or later suffer the consequences of our actions.
God's choicest blessings are clearly contingent upon obedience to God's laws and commandments and are clearly laid out in (D&C 130:20-21) which states "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated. And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."
God does bless all mankind with universal blessings such as mortal life and all the opportunities and necessities to live it. (Anyone denied this opportunity because of someone else's actions will be compensated by the Lord.) Through the resurrection of our Savior we are all given the opportunity to live in the hereafter, but those choicest blessings of Exaltation (continued increase, progression and family relationships ) are reserved for those who choose to keep His Commandments.

We love you all and pray for your welfare,
Elder Leavitt

Hi Everyone -- seems like last week we were excited about the snow and this week the sun has come out. It was probably in the 40's today - it really felt warm. The snow is melting and it was a gorgeous day.

For Family Home Evening this week. we all shared how we have grown and have been changed by this Missionary experience. As well as we all know each other, we learned something new about one another. I think what impressed me the most was that we universally felt insecure and inadequate in some way when we initially arrived -- overwhelmed at what we had to learn and by the assignments that we were given. However, we all got out of our comfort zones and learned new skills, worked hard, and in turn, have been blessed immensely.

We continue to work hard in the office to be prepared for the new missionaries who will be here soon. We are using reams of paper as we make copies for new script books, manuals, and trek information. I've learned a couple of new skills in the office -- how to make spiral notebooks and how to make a chart or graph on the computer. I know for most of you, this is elementary, but for me, it was a big step -- yea for me !! :) I also had the joy of talking to a couple of friends from home who have been assigned to work on the Henderson Stake trek in 2011 -- I visited with Donlee Simkins and Brenda Larson who are already busy making arrangements for a trek that will be over a year from now. We also learned that our former Bishop, Earl Leavitt will be a Trek Leader for the same trek. We were thrilled to learn that and know he will do an outstanding job.

I enjoyed another hour plus conversation with my sister, Kathy this week -- again, we talked until the battery on the phone went dead. We were planning what we'll be doing next summer. We're excited that Kathy will be coming to Martin's Cove -- we also will visit Pinedale along with my other sister, Elsie so lots of fun things in the works.

We've enjoyed watching the Winter Olympics this past week -- I know our Canadian friends are excited about the result of the hockey game.:)

You will not hear from us this next weekend -- we are going to Denver to see my sister, Helen, and brother, John and to also attend the Denver Temple. We're looking forward to the excursion and will return with stories to tell you.

My thanks, too, to Laura Hauck for the article in the Meridian Magazine. I don't think I've met Laura (maybe at a family reunion years ago), but I'm looking forward to meeting her and hearing about her Missionary experiences. We have had so many positive responses from the article so more and more people are learning about this amazing and spiritual site where we work.

A shout out to our friend, Bonnie Wilson, who will be celebrating her birthday on Wednesday. We love you and have a great one !

Our love and prayers to you all,

Sister Leavitt aka Peggy

P.S. I have attached a picture that I took along the road to Casper on our day off -- as Elder Leavitt said last week, snow can be beautiful.

MARTINS COVE 2/21/10

2010-02-22T11:04:00.000-08:00

Happy Winter to everyone,

Well , finally we got our blizzard, and I'm not talking about the kind you get at Dairy Queen. This week we were blessed with more than a foot or so of snow. It was mostly a fine dry snow but it kept coming most of the week. With the wind blowing all week it made for some pretty significant drifts. I was keeping most of it off the roads with the Motor Grader, that was until I ran the blade into one of the tires and ruined it. Because of a defect in the blade rotor motor control, (which turns the blade around to get different angles so you can push the snow to the side) the blade did not stop when I released the control lever and I didn't notice the blade was still turning until it was too late. Consequently the blade put a 10 inch gash in one of the tires and the only fix is to buy a new tire. I must hold the record for the most flat tires in Martin's Cove history. Maybe it's because I drive the equipment more than anyone else, or maybe it's because I'm a little over-confident as an operator! Whatever the reason I'm not proud of the record.

This week I also had to take the backhoe over to the Willie Center (65 miles) during the blizzard to repair a broken waterline -- they had been without water for about 24 hours. Luckily it was an easy fix and I was back home by lunch. Yesterday I was on the backhoe all day trying to keep the roads open, and even with this effort we still had about 6 inches on the road when we got up this morning. Not being from snow country I am amazed at how beautiful the snow is when it covers everything. When the sun comes out and shines on it, it looks like trillions of sparkling diamonds. The amount of sparkles that you see may be even more impressive in numbers than our national debt, but I doubt it. Maybe you can tell that at night I usually watch the national news, that was until it became so depressing that Sister Leavitt and I have chosen to watch re-runs of NCIS. (Naval Criminal Investigation Service) It's pretty bad when watching a crime flick can be more uplifting than observing our national state of affairs.

Fortunately the Lord is still in charge and He will have the final say in what takes place in this country and on this earth. Hopefully we will all be on the right side of history when He sends His angels to separate the wheat from the tares, and then burn the tares. (Matthew 13: 24-30) This parable is even more understandable in modern revelation (Doctrine & Covenants 86:1-7) Well what do you think, is the field is getting pretty ripe?

We want you all to know that we love you and miss you, especially our dear children and most beautiful grandchildren. (yes we are prejudice) We feel so blessed to have them in our lives. We miss, but want to congratulate our very good friends and golfing buddies, Al and Jo on their new golf course mansion in Oregon, we're looking forward to visiting you up there next fall. (Al -- I need lot's of golf strokes) We are looking forward to the return of those dear friends,who as missionaries, will be coming back to the Mormon Handcart Historical Sites this spring, and we will also miss those good friends who are not returning. We are anxious to meet the new missionaries who will serve here this next year, some of which are our dear friends from home. We also want to thank all of our brothers, sisters, relatives and their families for all your love and support. All of you make life worthwhile and help to make serving here an honor. Everyone we know has, in some way, helped to give our lives purpose!

Love Elder Leavitt

Hi Everyone -- Hooray for snow -- I never thought I would be saying that. However, we haven't had much snow this winter and so we've enjoyed the last few days. I told Elder Leavitt that I don't know if the amount of snow we've received would constitute a "blizzard" as the roads weren't closed that I know of, but it's his story and he's sticking to it :)

Spent most of my week in the office and we're still booking treks -- what amazes me is that we still have folks who are wanting to book treks for 2010. That's a little late in the game, if you ask me. There is so much planning to do, but hopefully by attending our Trek Seminar they'll get the necessary information to get everything organized by the summer. We also have been very busy preparing for the returning missionaries and the new missionaries.

One morning I was assigned to the Visitor's Center and I had 14 members of one family visit. They had been in Casper for dog sled races. This family raised Siberian Huskies -- in Kansas! -- and wanted to check out some of the historical sites before heading home. We had a wonderful visit and eventho they were not of our faith, they appreciated all they learned about the handcart pioneers.

I'm attaching a photo of all the Sister serving here at Martin's Cove as Polar Bears. One night when we were working in the Humanitarian Center, I realized the fabric in the quilt was of Polar Bears, so I insisted we all get together the following day to have our picture taken with the polar bear quilt -- so here it is. You also might notice that Sister Stastny and I have on the same vest -- as I've told you before, that's not an uncommon occurrence here as we all shop at the same store :)

We had a lovely Sabbath today -- we had a High Councilman from Casper bring his son and his fiancée -- both of whom are returned Missionaries. The young man served in Toronto and the young woman served in Budapest, Hungary. How inspiring were there remarks !

Also, Elder & Sister Hardy's daughter and her children were visiting and the Hardy's daughter played a beautiful piano solo -- it literally brought tears to my eyes. The Hardy's also have a granddaughter named "Izzy", who from her profile reminded us of our granddaughter, so Elder Leavitt and I got so homesick for our little Izzy and all our other grandkids. We can't wait to see them again.

That sums up another week here at Martin's Cove. The time is flying by and before you know it we'll be swamped with trekkers. In the meantime we're enjoying the beautiful snow (see attached picture of the fort) and the blessings of being here.

Our love and prayers to all of you,

Sister Leavitt AKA Peggy

OUT OF AFRICA JAN 31-FEB 6

2010-02-07T11:06:00.000-08:00

(CLICK ON EACH PAGE TO READ LETTER)

THE COWBOY WAY

2010-02-01T13:36:00.000-08:00

FROM MARTINS COVE

I have lived, loved, lost and loved again. Life is not easy, but it is what it is.

Cowboy rules for Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Idaho and the rest of the Wild West are as follows:

1. Pull your pants up.. You look like an idiot.

2. Turn your cap right, your head ain't crooked.
3. Let's get this straight: it's called a 'gravel road'. I drive a pickup truck because I want to. No matter how slow you drive, you're gonna get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way.
4. They are cattle. That's why they smell like cattle. They smell like money to us. Get over it. Don't like it? I-10 & I-40 go east and west, I-17 & I-15 go north and south. Pick one and go.
5. So you have a $60,000 car. We're impressed. We have $250,000 Combines that are driven only 3 weeks a year.
6. Every person in the Wild West waves. It's called being friendly. Try to understand the concept.
7. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of geese/pheasants/ducks/doves are comin' in during a hunt, we WILL shoot it outta your hand. You better hope you don't have it up to your ear at the time.
8. Yeah.. We eat trout, salmon, deer and elk. You really want sushi and caviar? It's available at the corner bait shop.
9. The 'Opener' refers to the first day of deer season. It's a religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November.
10. We open doors for women. That's applied to all women, regardless of age.
11. No, there's no 'vegetarian special' on the menu. Order steak, or you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham and turkey.
12. When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables, and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup! Oh, yeah ... We don't care what you folks in Cincinnati call that stuff you eat ... IT AIN'T REAL CHILI!!
13. You bring 'Coke' into my house, it better be brown, wet and served over ice. You bring 'Mary Jane' into my house, she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair.
14. College and High School Football is as important here as the Giants, Yankees, Mets, Lakers and Knicks, and a dang site more fun to watch.
15. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don't hit the water hazards - it spooks the fish.
16. Turn down that blasted car stereo! That thumpity-thump ain't music, anyway. We don't want to hear it anymore than we want to see your boxers! Refer back to #1!

MARTINS COVE 1/29/10

2010-01-29T13:56:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

It's been a pretty normal week here at the Cove. I have been hauling gravel to the Cherry Creek Campground all week and probably would have competed the job in three or four days, but on Saturday I had a flat on the dump truck, so getting it repaired will probably set me back a few days. The weather has been pretty mild (with the exception of the wind) for most of the week. We were supposed to get a snow storm on Saturday and Sunday but it didn't materialize. It looks like Utah and Colorado got the brunt of the storm. From the weather reports it looks like California, Nevada and Arizona have been inundated with rain. I guess we are lucky to be residing in a state that has such a temperate climate, Ha, Ha.
At church today we had a member of the Casper Stake High Council speak to us, as well as four teenagers who had previously taken treks. The youth told us about their experiences and how the trek had such a positive effect on their lives and had given them a better appreciation of their pioneer ancestors. The High Counselor talked about his mission experience in England. He told about one of his experiences when he and his companion befriended an older couple who belonged to the Church of England, even though this couple had no desire to hear about our religion, they really enjoyed visiting with the missionaries whenever they would stop by. Their neighbors and church friends warned them to stay away from the Mormons, but they continued to have them over. To make a long story short the man who was totally blind finally felt the spirit and wanted to find out more about the Book of Mormon. Because he obviously could not read the missionaries provided him with the book on tapes. Sadly, the High Counselor was transferred to another area before he could know the end of the story. But, as missionaries we are very familiar with the Holy Spirit and how it can change hearts and improve lives. We see it everyday during the trek season and feel It's presence in all that we do. I can personally testify of this feeling from past experience! Before the the Lord intervened and the Holy Spirit touched my heart, my life was in total chaos. Since I accepted the Lord as my Savior and have tried to live by his gospel, my life has just continually gotten better. It's gives me a great feeling of peace to know "where I came from, why I'm here, and where I am going from here". I know through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that my sins can be forgiven and that I can move forward with hands and heart washed clean by His atoning sacrifice. Sorry to preach, but I feel great about the Plan of Salvation, and the fact that all mankind, no matter what our religious beliefs might be, we will all be resurrected and live again. And more importantly, the blessing that families faithfully living the true gospel of Jesus Christ, are given the opportunity to be sealed together forever. I can't think of a better message than that.

We love you all,
Elder Leavitt

Hi everyone -- a beautiful message from Elder Leavitt.

I have a couple of things to report this week. Last Monday, which was the Martin Luther King holiday, we had a Young Single Adult Ward from Riverton, Wyoming come to visit. I was assigned to the Visitor's Center so I have the privilege of telling these wonderful young people the story of the Martin Handcart Company. It was a very special experience for me. Then, most of them hiked to the Cove -- it was a very cold, blustery day so it took some grit to do it, but they did.
On Wednesday evenings, the women here get together to make items for humanitarian purposes. Currently, we are making dolls. I have discovered I can stuff dolls, so I'm attaching a picture of me stuffing dolls (the Bevans will love my sweatshirt) and another picture of the interior of the Humanitarian Center with some of the other women who are living here this winter.
A cute story -- my sisters have been so good to call me and if you know the "Rowland Girls" -- we can talk ! My sister Kathy called the other night and we ran the battery down on our land-based phone so I got on my cell phone until that battery went dead :) We talked for a grand total of 2 1/2 hours !!
We enjoyed the company of Mo and Barbara Campbell, my brother-in-law and his wife, who stopped by to see us as they were traveling from Sheridan to California to celebrate Mo's 80th birthday. It was great to see them and I'm grateful that they were able to dodge the awful weather between Wyoming and CA.
That's it for this week -- thanks, everyone for staying in touch.

Love, Peggy

HELLO FROM AFRICA, JANUARY 17-23, 2010

2010-01-24T13:32:00.000-08:00

WHERE IS A WALMART WHEN YOU NEED ONE?
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Beginning our week in Togo we awoke to our lovely screechy bird (oh no…now there are two of them), so I will rephrase…our lovely SCREECHY BIRDS. It is apparent why they picked our back yard to camp out as they have an abundant of mangos and papayas to gorge themselves on. In fact the original bird is now so fat we cannot scare it to fly over the fence…it is no longer able to obtain lift off. Anyway, they are our wake up calls. We got ready and headed off to worship in the Tokoin Branch. There was a lovely cool breeze coming through so we decided to sit outside in the open air which also affords us the opportunity to shake hands with all those attending, our favorite thing to do. As the service started we found ourselves surrounded by little ones who found us very amusing. They were quite naughty however and Elder Leavitt had to give them a lesson on being reverent and folding their arms, they eventually got it. Following the service we met with the Zone Leaders for a few minutes and then we headed off to Hedzranowae to pay the missionaries their soutien. We found out that they are still using their air conditioning and that did not bode well with my husband, as they had been told most emphatically not to due to the outrageous cost of electricity. We then stopped by the Souzza Netime Branch to see the missionaries and also pay them their soutien. We reminded all of them today that Tuesday we would be by their apartments early to inspect and for them to be ready. They are excited as the prize is quite nice this time around. Once we were done we headed back to the house to relax for the remainder of the day. We found the temperatures very comfortable today so we took a nap and then got caught up on our scripture study. Marv has committed to read the Book of Mormon, backwards and is really enjoying it. I am reading the Book of Mormon in English and French simultaneously and finding it interesting and hard. Before we retired for the day we called to check on Elder Fontaine and his Diarrhea…all is well so I guess my gesturing in the Pharmacy produced some good medicine.
Monday January 18, 2010
First order of the day is to get the mail and supplies delivered to the missionaries’ apartments. This is their “P” day and they have a sports activity and want to get an early start. (Elder Leavitt and I have now been in the mission field over three months and have never once had a full, uninterrupted “P” day and really don’t ever expect to have one on this mission). Then onto the bank and make sure we have money in the account and then get some cash. While Marv did the banking thing, I walked next door (sort of) to the Ramco Supermarche (different one) to check it out and get some supplies. The store was big and nice and I was basically the only person in there. As I perused the aisles there was some lovely music playing, mostly hymns that we sing but sung by an African choir and I just love their voices. My mind went immediately to the fact that you would NEVER find yourself walking through say Safeway or Albertsons listening to hymns…it would be offensive to most people. I found myself humming and singing along…loved it. I also got all happy when I glanced down on the laundry soap aisle and found a bottle of Tide with Bleach liquid…WOW. I picked it up and then saw it was 11,500cfa ($23.00) so I put it back down…NO WAL-MART PRICING HERE. Suddenly I heard a loud voice say “hey Sue” and realized my husband had caught up with me. We finished up our shopping and then headed over to see my friend from the Tokoin Branch who sits under a Mango tree with her little vegetable stand in order to buy tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and six pineapples for tomorrow. Shortly after coming back President Dieudonne called to say that the Landlady’s daughter of the new Be Apartment had been refused to cash the check we had given her for the rent. Elder Leavitt was livid and asked President Dieudonne to get the particulars. It seemed she had presented the check and HER bank was skeptical as to how she got that much money so they refused to cash it after stamping the check numerous times all over the front and the back. She then took it to our bank to get it cashed and they refused to cash it because it was covered in too many stamps. Then the man at our branch (the one Marv had the run in with) said if Marv would issue a new check and she would bring it right over he would cash it for her. She came to the house and Marv wrote a new check. President Dieudonne and Marv both talked to the manager who said he was there and would wait for her…so away she went. Side Note: We received a call yesterday (Friday 21st) from President Dieudonne stating that the Landlady’s daughter left our house and went directly to the bank as requested (maybe 10 minutes away) to find out that the manager had left for training and the person in charge refused to cash the check because it did not have a correct RID number. We have no idea what that is and neither does our accounting department in Accra. Now when we go back to Togo next Wednesday we start this mess all over again. Back to the journal. Following this we decided to have some lunch and then take some down time. We are buried in paperwork here and I have taken on a project to go through every draw and cupboard in this house and get rid of the mounds upon mounds of paperwork left by various couples that currently has nothing to do with anything. My goal (should a new couple come to work in Togo) is to present them with an orderly efficient environment, but that remains to be seen. We finished up our day with a lovely dinner at a new restaurant in our neighborhood called Lotus (Vietnamese)…it was delicious. One final entry for today. When Marv was visiting with President Dieudonne today, after the lady had left he asked him why he had not disconnected the air conditioner in the Hedzranowae Apartment, he said he had told them they were not to use it ever again and knew they would honor that request. Marv advised that they were still using it and what should we do. He paused, became very thoughtful and then his face brightened and he exclaimed loudly…”I WILL REMOVE THEIR REMOTES”. I thought that was so funny and it made me laugh.
Tuesday January 19, 2010
Woke up early as we need to get out and inspect the apartments early and let the missionaries get on with their day. We started with Hedzranowae. The missionaries were surprised we called so early (why we do not know as we had told them). When we got there their apartment was very clean and organized but they were a mess, sleepy, grumpy, bad attitudes, and a great deal of whining mostly over not being able to use the air conditioner. We had taken two fresh pineapples with us and did a presentation on how to say “welcome” in many languages, but then stated that our favorite was Hawaiian and “Aloha”. So we taught the new West Africans how to say “Aloha” and presented them each with a pineapple, symbol of hospitality…they loved it. We also took time to sit with them and hear their complaints and needs, took pictures and then we left. We felt sad because their apartment was really nice and clean but their attitudes were bad and they were not even dressed and ready. Next stop, Tokoin and what a difference. They had swept, mopped, and polished. They were ready and smiling all dressed in their white shirts and ties and they even had lovely music playing. Again we did our pineapple thing and again they loved it. We met with them, heard their thoughts, took pictures and noted things they needed. Then last stop, New Be Apartment. Again, beautiful and clean, all missionaries dressed and ready to go, great spirit, it was a pleasure to be there. Pineapple presentation again well received by the new missionaries and old ones too. On the way back we decided that it was going to be a tough call as to who would achieve “FIRST PLACE”. When we got done it was the new Be Apartment with Tokoin only ½ point away. Hedzranowae had it all together except themselves. Be outdid Tokoin because it was evident that they had listened to our last Zone Conference message about working as a team and treating each other as a family. They had been planning and setting goals as well as sharing and keeping their environment clean. Tokoin missed that part, but had made significant improvement over last time so they got a second place prize. Be Apartment received 2,500cfa each and a date for Ice Cream when the Leavitt’s return to Togo next week. Accra called and asked Elder Leavitt if he would price a Toyota Corolla in Togo to see if it was easier to just purchase the vehicle locally, instead of transporting from Ghana. They never take into consideration that neither one of us speaks enough French to negotiate, but we went over to the CFAO Motors anyway hopeful that somebody will speak English. Now when you go anywhere here there is ALWAYS a uniformed person who directs you where to park, which is a nice feature except they always make you park in tight spots eliminating an easy exit out of your vehicle. When you are newly arrived you are obedient and do as you are told, but when you have been here a while you park wherever you want to making them mad but now we don’t care. Well we parked in an undesignated area outside the dealership grounds and caused an uproar. Once inside we had a devil of a time finding someone who spoke English but finally a man showed up and then took us outside, walked us through a large service area, out the other side, through an open field and locked gate into another compound, then through another locked gate into a yard full of dirty filthy cars that had just been offloaded from a ship (we think). Finally he looked around and then pointed to a Toyota Corolla covered in filth and muck and said…when do you want it. Well, we said we did not think we did as it was not an automatic and we honestly could not tell the color, year or anything else for that matter. He shrugged his shoulders and said “au revoir” and walked away. I laughed and said to Marv, compare this experience with home and what you go through if you even look sideways at a lot, they are all over you. For the remainder of the day we worked on our individual projects. We did receive an invitation from the American Embassy in Togo to attend a reception next week and work with them on a security council, the date of the event is Wednesday evening. We will have to come back one day earlier than planned but we feel this is important.
Wednesday January 20, 2010
Woke up early to head home, packed and ready to go we made final stops at each apartment to check one last time on the missionaries before heading back to Benin. Our drive was under very, very dusty dirty skies…Hammaton is in full force now. You get lovely cool breezes but the dust in the air is horrendous. On our way into Benin Precious called to say that Pierre had been at the apartment the day before to have the air conditioner serviced and had painted our bedroom for a surprise…OH NO! She was concerned about the smell but we told her we would deal with it. We basically decided to head straight for the house and were hopeful for a nice quiet cool environment, but not to be. Once inside half of our apartment was without power to include the water pump downstairs and, the newly serviced air conditioner is blowing lovely hot air. My husband never gets discouraged but he sank down in a chair and looked at me and basically said…is it too much to ask that maybe just one thing goes right? We called Pierre and he promised to come over with an electrician, I commenced to unpack and Marv tackled the paperwork which needs to be addressed. He is concerned that we are getting low on money in the bank accounts in Togo and Benin and Accra assures us that all deposits have been made, but this is not reflected on the bank statements so…Elder Leavitt is going to commence an audit from day one we arrived. He hates working out of two separate bank accounts and finds it both difficult and frustrating. Pierre showed up just as the air conditioner commenced to work, we found that the power outage in half of the apartment had been caused by a surge which had blown all the lights and, the water pump switch had to be replaced…so after two hours all was well. The bedroom looked nice albeit a bit smelly. Finally we are alone and all is working and organized..we fixed some soup for dinner and then went to bed early.
Thursday January 21, 2010
We rose early to go to the apartments and deliver packages, supplies and mail that had arrived in Togo. We also need to get to the bank and Marv needs to obtain his PIN number so he can check his Benin accounts on line and last but not least we need food and supplies. Pierre announced to us yesterday that the seasons have now changed. Meaning, Hammaton, dust and cooler temperatures are here, when you awake in the morning you would swear that you were under cloudy rainy skies but it is dust, dust, dust. We now have Elder Golden’s schedule for his Mission Tour commencing in Togo on February 1st and it is a doozy…hope we can keep up. We also have to get the Benin visas going for Elders Bertoch, Starita and Geisler. This and anything else that gets thrown at us needs to be attended to. When we arrived at the bank we went to obtain our PIN number to be told we needed to go to another area. We arrived there to be told that they did not know anything about it. We were finally given a young man who was so out of his element and so totally lost as to what to do it was painful to watch. We finally just left our names, phone number and email and told him when he was ready to call us and we would come back. He assured us that all would be complete tomorrow…as we write this…NOTHING! We headed back home as Precious needs to meet with us as well as Geoffrey from Menotin Branch. Geoffrey wanted Elder Leavitt to help as the Menotin Branch has not received any of their LUBA for the last six months. Just got into the house and of course the power went off and stayed off for about two hours. Meetings over, we decided to take a nap….these naps save us these days as this dusty environment is taking its toll. The remainder of the day was a series of phone calls, emails and work but within the confines of our (for the most part) air conditioned apartment it was not bad.
Friday January 22, 2010
We had not really planned to go anywhere today but my husband has decided that he wants to have all the missionaries over to our apartment on Saturday after the baptism so, away we go to get the fixings to do sloppy joes. President Ayekoue also called to advise that he does not want to stay at the Benin Marina and wants reservations for himself and the Goldens at the Novotel Hotel, so we stopped there to make the necessary arrangements. Then on to Eravan for the ingredients, stop at the boulangerie, produce stand and then home. While in Eravan Marv got excited when he found a 10 pack of his razors for his Gillette Turbo until he saw the price…$58.00 NO WALMART PRICING HERE EITHER. Again, we walk in and the power goes off…(I am starting to wonder if I am responsible for this outage). We unpacked and basically just felt tired and lazy. Elder Leavitt did decide to finish his audit and found upon completion that the reason we are always low on funds is that four checks had not been approved and funded totaling about 5m cfa, and that three adjustments needed to be made totaling 2.2m cfa. This should all be resolved by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. We got the sloppy joe mix done and it came out very delicious, and my contribution JELLO, Americans love it…West Africans hate it…”TOO WIGGLY”. Towards the end of the afternoon when we were feeling relatively smug with ourselves that life was looking up, Sister Bailey sends us an email that a Sister Johnson from Accra was looking for us to advise that she is accompanying the Goldens from Accra and needs help with a project she is doing in Togo and Benin compiling the history of the Church in those two areas. We did get the call, I was very up front with her…SORRY BUT NO I cannot make arrangements to ferry her around Togo, set-up appointments for her, find early church members, statistics, places where early church services were held, oldest living members of the church and on, and on, and on. Lovely lady but she needs to know we have no time, we are in the middle of a Mission Tour when she comes, and the biggest problem of all WE DON’T SPEAK FRENCH. My husband also posed the biggest question of all, how is she getting from Togo to Benin, we have one vehicle and with Elder and Sister Leavitt, Elder and Sister Golden and President Ayekoue that just about maxes us out in room. Elder Leavitt’s suggestion was that maybe she schedule this visit when it is not in conjunction with a mission tour and we would be able to make all these arrangements in Benin and Togo and take here anywhere she wanted to go…but she would not hear of that….it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Saturday, January, 23, 2010
Basically our day has been….woke up went and bought bread for the sloppy joe’s, quick stop at the market for other supplies, produce market for veggies then home. Cereal and juice for breakfast, Sister Leavitt made Banana Nut Bread, Elder Leavitt continued with his audit and now we relax until time for the baptism and the missionaries…life is good, we are tired but today we are NOT GOING TO PUSH IT…famous last words…day is not over yet! Now we will tell you “the rest of the story”. When it was time to go to the baptism I, Sister Leavitt just had to listen to my body and say…not today. So, Elder Leavitt said he would run over (it was close) and check to make sure all was ok. I stayed and read some of my scriptures and then got ready for the missionaries. When Elder Leavitt returned he said it was a small baptism of 2 from Menotin but nice. We then readied for our 12 missionaries who soon arrived. We had prepared a HUGE pot of sloppy joe sauce, bought 12 baguettes (bread) fixed buttered corn, had chips and dip and for dessert, jello, with whipped cream, homemade banana nut bread and sliced fresh pineapples (two). When they left the only thing standing was a top from one of the pineapples everything was gone, gone, gone. I guessed they liked it. Now we are getting ready to call it a day…it was a good one.
Marv’s Weekly Observations:
I would never have believed that I would have been able to understand as much of the spoken and written French and still not have one iota of ability to communicate back to them in French. It is like I am living a one sided life with the ability to understand but not to communicate.
Sue’s Weekly Observations:
I loved the music in the Supermarche so much that I went and found the manager (who thankfully spoke good English) and asked him if he sold it. He told me no, but that he had bought from a vendor just down the street and then offered to go down and buy one for me. I was really touched by that.
As I go up and down the little streets I see all kinds of small shops (actually shacks) that provide a small income for the owner. They range anywhere from hairdressers, to food vendors, to selling recharge cards for your cell phone. But the ones I love are the tailors and especially the seamstress who spends untold hours creating lovely things from the amazing African fabric available here. I am fascinated as I watch them iron the project in progress…they use an iron with a removable bottom and place hot charcoal in it in order get a hot press.
Til next week…Elder & Sister Leavitt
Le Couple.

MARTINS COVE 1/18/10

2010-01-18T13:49:00.000-08:00

Hi Family and Friends,

This week I take back what I said about Global Warming. All week we have experienced balmy daytime temps mostly in the low 40's. Who knows about next week? This week I experienced a little bout with bronchitis due to helping the other missionaries who have been working on the remodel. They were installing insulation, and in such an enclosed area with all the fiberglass and dust I guess my tender little lungs rebelled. But as soon as I got back out into the clear Wyoming air and took a few drugs I was back in business. I found that grading roads and making gravel suits my lungs much better.
I had another interesting experience, this week, while grading the road out to the gravel pit. The road runs past a fenced-in hay stack which the ranch uses to supplement the cattle's feed. While I was grading along, oblivious to anything around me, (probably singing to myself) the ranch manager pulled along side me and motioned for me to stop. He pointed out the 800 head of cattle which had lined up along the fence by the entrance road thinking that I was getting hay for them. He pointed out that he had been trying to graze off the feed in that area and I was hindering the process by drawing all their attention to me. He asked me to quit until tomorrow when he would move the cattle into the field where I was working. The next day when I went out to finish grading the road I was, with in a few minutes, surrounded by all 800 head. They again, thought I was there to feed them. I was determined to finish my grading job, so I just put the motor grader in first gear and kept going. It was only as I was about bump them with the graders big front tires, would the cattle then part like a sea of horns and fur. They kept me totally surrounded until I was completely finished. It turned into a tough job considering I couldn't see the road ahead of me, which is something you really need to be able to do with a grader. I think I made the road a little wider than it needed to be! Oh well, that's life in Wyoming, the cowboy state.
This mission is not all work of course, we have had some great spiritual experiences, i.e.; our church service, our family home evenings, and our scripture studies. I have been studying in the Book of Mormon and I have truly come to believe that this Book along with the Bible is the greatest witness of God and Jesus Christ I have ever read. It is the keystone of our religion and my faith hangs on the teachings contained in that book. We believe it was translated from ancient records by divine inspiration. I'm not saying this to try to convert anyone, but rather invite all of our family and friends, who have not had the opportunity to read it, to to take the opportunity do so. We think it will give you a better understanding of who we are, and why we are enthusiastically willing to sacrifice 18 months out of our daily lives (especially our retirement years) for our belief. The Book of Mormon makes for very interesting reading and is highly recommended by this old cow-bumper. We love you all and pray for your welfare daily and ask for your prayers for us. It's my belief that the Lord usually answers an individuals prayers through another person.

Elder Leavitt

Hi everyone -- in reading Elder Leavitt's report, I was wishing he had had a camera when he was grading the road with all the cows surrounding him. That would have been quite a picture !
As mentioned, our days become pretty routine, so when another couple asked us to go to Thermopolis with them (because of a change in the schedule, we got the same day off -- that rarely happens), we jumped at the chance. When Sister Stastny asked me about going, I asked her why they were going there and she said " we just want to point our car in a different direction"! I laughed my head off as it is so true. Even our days off get to be routine -- jump in the car, drive to Casper and run errands. Anyway, I had been to "Thermop" -- as the locals call it-- years ago when my younger sister lived there, but I didn't remember anything about it. Just south of Thermop is a gorgeous canyon one drives through to get to town -- it is described as one of the prettiest drives in Wyoming and it just might be. It was spectacular! Thermop is a small town of 6000 and its main claim to fame is their hot springs. However, we chose to go to a dinosaur museum that was built in the early 90's. I was really impressed with it -- for a small town they had a large display and it was very well done. I'm attaching a picture I took in the Wind River Canyon and one of Charlie in the dinosaur museum.
Still busy booking treks -- the computer that crashed is up and running again, so we're back on track.
As Elder Leavitt states, our testimonies continue to grow and strengthen -- every day is a blessing. We love the people we are serving with and we are grateful for the spiritual experiences that we have on a daily basis. As much as we miss our family and friends, I know we will miss being here when it's time to go home. I try not to take any day for granted. When I look out my window and see Devil's Gate (a famous landmark along the Immigration Trail) I try to remind myself to enjoy it as next year at this time, I'll be doing something far different.
Well, enough -- we love all of you and thank you for the emails that keep us connected with the outside world.

Sister Leavitt aka Peggy

HELLO FROM AFRICA, JANUARY 10-16, 2010

2010-01-17T13:30:00.000-08:00

INTERNAL ERRORS?
Sunday, January 10, 2010
We headed this morning over to our Menotin Branch in Cotonou to worship with them. The Menotin Branch building is fairly new, and when leased this Branch was very small. However, the missionaries have more than doubled the attendance in size and, even though we have a three year lease on this building it already cannot hold the amount of people who attend. We changed our seats three times to accommodate members arriving late and, after the sacrament was passed having moved once more to basically the outside of the building, decided to move on to another Branch to finish the day. We are concerned with four new missionaries coming into this area just how this building will cope…nice dilemma though as it is wonderful to see the growth in this area. We headed over to the Gbedjromede building and visited with some of the members there and also the missionaries. Once done, we headed back to our apartment. Normally we treat ourselves to pancakes on Sunday but today Elder Leavitt chose French toast and it was a good choice, quite delicious as the bread we had was just right. Some much needed down time and we ended up the day with the same comment that it had been a very good day indeed.
Monday, January 11, 2010
This will be a challenging week for us. We are embarking on transfers and we will have four missionaries leaving us (unfortunately one already gone as of yesterday, but not a good release), and we will have eight new missionaries coming in, four into Cotonou and four into Lome. We needed to make sure that we were up to speed with the bank and post office and that towards the end of the day we picked up the passports for Elders Jerman and Teti from the Cote d’Ivorie Consulate. We had received a phone call yesterday afternoon from DHL to inform us that we had a document in their office and when could they deliver it today (that is a first). Anxious of have the DHL problems solved and hopeful that perhaps this “document” brought some kind of resolve, we informed them we would pick the document up ourselves. So after the post office and bank the first priority was a visit to DHL. When we went in (Elder Leavitt accompanied me this time) we were greeted by an agent we did not know who produced the “document” which unfortunately had nothing to do with our issue. Sister Leavitt then asked if Natasha was in the office, she was, and was called downstairs. We asked her if our account was still cancelled and she informed us both that it was. She then said that they had received a great deal of emails from DHL Global and other DHL entities within the U.S. regarding the problem. Sister Leavitt then proceeded to inform her that this was just the beginning, the cancellation of the account was not known to the Church, the Church was a large customer of DHL and it was a very serious matter. She then said, well the account is not actually cancelled it is just not available for use (frozen in other words). Sister Leavitt said that she needed to obtain information on how, who and when this action took place. She said it stemmed from two shipments brought into the office by us in December that, when delivered, were not signed for by the recipient which resulted in DHL being liable for the payment (this was all new information). Then, she basically spilled the beans and said that their Financial Officer upstairs in the Cotonou Office had taken the action to freeze the account. Elder Leavitt then asked how much money was owed; she said they could not tell as the waybills were not available. Well the explanations kept getting more and more bizarre by the minute. Then the final irony. Natasha asked if I had any shipments for today. Of course we did we still have the shipments from last week they refused to accept. She said why didn’t she accept them with the billing number and then we would see who on the other end was refusing to sign! We were dumbstruck but hey, if they will take them…we gave them. We both left the office shaking our heads but at least with our mail on its way. When we arrived at the apartment Sister Leavitt immediately sent off emails to all involved documenting this strange incident. It was not long before emails starting coming back from the Church Offices in Accra sent to everyone demanding to know who was refusing to sign for received mail from the Leavitt’s in Benin resulting in this mess. Finally the phone rang….it was Natasha from DHL….”Sister Leavitt” she said, I have reported to our Financial Officer the seriousness of the freezing of your account and the problems it has caused…he has looked into the matter and we find that it is….an INTERNAL ERROR. All has been restored your account is good and you can now start bringing back to us your mail”. Marv just stood and laughed and laughed what a bunch of baloney. We finished up our day with a stop at the grocery store and a visit to the Consulate, but we were only able to receive Elder Jerman’s passport as Elder Teti has to pick his up in person tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Today we left for Togo to pick up the three missionaries transferring back here. We left again in the dark with an early start. We enjoy actually being on the road at this time as it enables us to exit Benin without being caught in the horrendous traffic. The drive over was smooth sailing and we documented some of our sights enroute for our weekly observations detailed at the end of our journal. Arrived in Lome around 10am and caught up with Blaise. We unloaded our stuff and met with Blaise to go over things that needed to be addressed. We then headed for the bank as Elder Leavitt needs to obtain some cash to pay soutien this coming week in Togo and reimburse Blaise and President Dieudonne for work done on the old Be Apartment. On the way in my husband asked me to call the missionaries in the new Be Apartment to see how they were enjoying their environment. Elder Cruz had only one comment to make, “its too hot”. When I reported this to Marv he said…something is going on and I think it has to do with the missionaries in the Hedzranowae Apartment. Now they are the ONLY missionaries in the entire mission with an apartment that has air conditioning but which, are not allowed to use it as it is way too costly and, for the most part because apartments here do not normally have air conditioning. They have complained and been told by President “no”, you have fans and you do not need the air conditioning and nobody else has it. When we got to our apartment and Blaise presented Marv with the electricity bills he had paid this week the Hedzranowae apartment electricity was through the roof and way over the mission budget. BINGO, they are using the air and bragging about it, and Blaise confirmed it. My husband was not a happy camper. We then headed to the bank and Marv verified that deposits had been made and cashed a check. He was then approached by a bank employee and asked to please go upstairs as there was a serious problem with the account. He met with an account manager who was very rude and demanded why Elder Leavitt never answered his phone as they had tried to contact him numerous times. He asked which phone number, and they verified that they had been calling the house phone in Lome. He explained we had been in Cotonou all week and just arrived and nobody is in the house when we are gone. He then got a tongue lashing about not providing pertinent information to the bank. The account manager told my husband that we were seriously overdrawn. He said that was impossible he had just verified the account balance and cashed a substantial check. The account manager demanded the return the money…my husband demanded the account manager produce a statement of deposits/withdrawals on the account, which he did. As the account manager sat clutching and reading it, my husband asked for his own copy and, after going over it pointed out a serious error on the part of the bank. The manager then quickly got on the phone, and after a series of “oui, oui, oui’s”, hung up and told my husband he was free to go and could keep the money it had been an “INTERNAL ERROR”. All this time (about 45 minutes) Sister Leavitt had been sitting outside in the truck waiting and wondering what was going on. Back to the house and President Deiudonne came over and met with Marv. We then took some down time to relax as the day was catching up with us and we hit the road again early tomorrow. We had dinner later that evening at our Pizza place..just salads as it was way too hot to eat. Then back to the apartment and Brother Gastion came and fixed our computer so we can use our Skype. We were able to Skype our daughter Julie which was nice and then Marv got caught up with his Brother and others while I packed up for tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Our plan was to pick up Elders Starita, Bertoch and Geisler and be on the road back to Benin by 8am Lome time (9am Cotonou time) and we made it. We so enjoyed our day with these three good missionaries who are transferring to Cotonou. It was a treat to have three American missionaries and we could all communicate in English. They loved the ride over, took loads of pictures as we drove through the villages and over the lakes and through the countryside…so much more to see than the big city of Lome they are so used to. We arrived in good time and decided we had better buy them some lunch before depositing them into their new apartments. As we headed for the restaurant the road we needed seemed to be blocked off except for one lane. Elder Leavitt decided that maybe there had been an accident so he slowed down and followed the traffic in front. Up ahead we could see maybe 2-300 yellow vested moto drivers lined on each side of the road and a large truck pulled over, we thought maybe a demonstration of some kind but it was not to be. When we threaded our way through we passed a dead body of a young girl who must have been hit and killed by the truck…this scene is becoming all too common lately we are afraid. All three will get new companions arriving on Friday from Cote d’Ivorie. Marv has worked long and hard with Pierre in Cotonou readying the apartments for the new arrivals. Two apartments will go from two missionaries to four namely Akpakpa and Gbedjromede making our full compliment in Cotonou now 12 missionaries instead of 8. We had a lovely lunch with them and then took them to their new homes. They are excited for the change and anxious to get started. Back to our apartment and unload. Precious had been the day before and the apartment was nice and fresh and clean. It had been a long day and we were so ready for some down time and bed.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Today we need to step it up a notch and finish readying the apartments for the arrivals tomorrow and the new missionaries and, the departures of those going out. With Pierre in tow we made the rounds buying fans, pillows, eating utensils etc. We also needed to get to the bank and post office as we will not have time tomorrow. Then we made the rounds delivering all that we had bought and checking that the new beds were in place along with bedding and mosquito nets. Had lunch and a quick stop at Eravan for supplies. Then back to the apartment unload. For the remainder of the day, some down time and bed. As a side note, Elder Teti finally got his passport and entry visa today…hooray!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Today we deposit Elders Jerman, Teti and Kpangi at the airport. Elder Teti and Kpangi have finished their missions (2 years) and have been exemplary missionaries. Elder Jerman will finish out his mission in Cote d’Ivorie having served in both Togo and Benin and is an outstanding missionary. We got them to the airport in good time and sent them in to check in. Elder Leavitt asked that I go in with them to make sure they got through the security check point with no incidents. It was not quite open but they were some of the first in line. As I stood with them telling them goodbye I could feel eyes on me. I looked around and saw three Catholic nuns sitting off to the side, one white and two West African. The white nun smiled and nodded so I went over to greet her. “Bonjour” I said and she greeted me back, I detected an English accent and told her I was British, from Manchester, so was she. She introduced me to her two novices. I told them this was my second mission to West Africa having served in Nigeria. The one novice broke into a huge smile claiming she was Nigerian. I hugged her and said I had served in Enugu…she was from Enugu. What a sight we were all hugging and laughing having so much in common. Sister Angela serves with the Sister of the Poor just outside of Calavi (where the orphanage is we are working with) and they run an old people’s home…we made a date to go out and see her, Marv and I. Marv said “oh no, here we go again…Sue has found yet another cause to get us involved with” and…YES WE HAVE. Confident our missionaries were on their way we left with a promise to check back later. We then decided to see if we could find a hospital Marv had heard about and ironically a restaurant that had been recommended to us. We finally did, then we headed to the post office for one more check and then back to the airport to see our three missionaries disappear through the security into the gate area. Now back to the apartment with a couple of stops. The rest of the day (until our new missionaries arrive), is ours to do with whatever we want. Heavenly Father blessed us with a lovely rain shower and, as I happily went outside on our balcony to witness the lovely cool rain I was rewarded with a sight from the compound across the street of two men hacking the heck out of a dead goat…NICE! We made some real headway with paperwork etc and it was good. Then it was time to head for the airport to pick up our four new missionaries….Elders N’Dri, Andon, Tshibaru and Yapo…all West African. The plane landed on time and we got them loaded and deposited into their new apartments with their new companions. Back home, and time for dinner and an early night for tomorrow we hit the road to Togo to meet our new missionaries there.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Normally this would be a “P” day for us but it never seems to materialize. We left Cotonou around 7:30am and headed back towards Lome. One stop at the Menotin apartment to deposit some mail and supplies brought in from the Mission Office by the new missionaries. Our arrival in Lome was greeted by a phone call from Elder Fontaine (French) who said he needed to be taken to the hospital as he was ill. Not being able to understand just what was wrong I had one of our American missionaries call him to get the full story. It was reported back that he had a headache and diarrhea. Elder Leavitt said we don’t need to take him to the hospital for that lets just stop at the pharmacy and get some medication. NOW PICTURE THIS. Here am I in the Pharmacy trying to convey to the pharmacist that I have a missionary with diarrhea. She is so not understanding me. I gesture lower extremities and discomfort…she gestures back a vomiting motion. No, I say and make a low flushing motion with my arms. Oh, she said and crouches down and makes a loud exploding noise with my mouth. “Oui” I say…that’s it. She produces some medication which thankfully has English directions which I can read. We take all to Elder Fontaine with directions for use and say we will check on him later. Then we go back to the apartment and have a nice light lunch of cheese, avocado, tomato, and cucumbers with a lovely whole wheat bread. The next item on our agenda….NAP.
Marv’s Weekly Observations:
- It never ceases to amaze me as we go down the street to see a human being acting as a mule. These men are pulling a four wheel trailer loaded with everything from lumber to petrol and they pull them hour after hour to deliver their goods. This, on highways in the midst of the horrendous traffic.
- In my life I have been exposed to driving almost everything imaginable from a two wheel scooter to an eighteen wheeler to a D-9 Cat, and I thought I had seen it all and experienced driving at its worst.
- But I have to say the only thing that I fear could cause me to leave this mission early would be to have a nervous breakdown while trying to traverse these highways with the tens of thousands of motorcycles and cars and not one intelligent driver amongst them. There are NO RULES, THERE ARE NO COURTESIES and if you do not start moving the minute everyone else deems that it is time to move…brace yourself for the blasting of the horns.
Sue’s Weekly Observations:
- As we travel early in the mornings to Togo and pass through the little villages, one of my most favorite sights is seeing the children marching to school in their brown uniforms all carrying a African broom, which consists of dried grass bundled together at one end. They then enter their school yard and immediately place one hand behind their back and stoop over and commence to sweep frantically until the dirt is smooth and litter free.
- On one trip over to Lome Marv took a different way into the city which took us behind the Port area where many, many trucks gather waiting for the containers to be off-loaded from the ships. Along this road are many, many stalls providing cooked food for the truck drivers. I saw 6 women gathered around a large hollowed out wooden container that stands about 2-1/2 feet high. With large wooden mallets with long handles raised high above their heads they commenced to pound the yam within the container to bring it to the consistency of cream of wheat (pounded yam or foo-foo). The rhythm they had was almost like a choreographed ballet as they swung in unison and sang…it was AMAZING!
Til next week….Elder & Sister Leavitt
Le Couple

CAMERON'S CRAZY WEEK 1/11/10

2010-01-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

wow this was a crazy week. On tuesday i went on companion exchanges and had to go into concepcion. I met a little girl who was five and spoke only english even though she is from here. she is really good at english too. the next day my temporary companion and i went to our district meeting where i thought i would be able to return home but of course i was suprised by the news that i was doing exchanges with the zone leaders that day. Yay! I love surprises. and of course i had only brought enough clothes for one day. luckily my real companion had brought clothes for me. so thursday i finally got to go home. it felt fantastic to be in my own bed again. then saturday we had my first baptism. which was just crazy. everything kinda fell apart and we had to try to glue it back together again. first we were supposed to have one of the ward members baptized as well as our three converts but the bishop hadnt interviewed him yet. and then we found out that the bishop isnt coming. so he wasnt baptized. then we didnt have any baptisimal clothes for the two little girls that were being baptized. so we had to find some clothes for them. then the office couple for our mission decided to show up cause they go to baptisms on saturdays. But we did get the padilla family baptized and confirmed this week and i am super excited for them. and with all this we still managed to have a really good week teaching and got sister neneng ochoa to commit to be baptized. Her daughter paula is the one that approached us to have us teach her if i told you about her. if not she approached us to have us teach her because she wanted to know about our church and who we were. well the good work is continuing here. i am loving life here. we did a service project this week and ill have to get you some pictures. we dug a hole for a bathroom. all we had was a pry bar to break up the dirt and a nearly rusted through shovel. really the shovel had holes in it. it was a great time though. i guess when you are in the service of your fellow man you are only in the service of your god right? he is definitely blessing me in this work. i am even starting to get better at tagalog. i surprised myself several times this week with how much i was able to say in our teaching and then again in just normal conversation. but with god anything is possible so i can do this. love you all.

MARTINS COVE 1/10/10

2010-01-10T09:16:00.000-08:00

Hello again in 2010,

This has been another busy work week here at the Cove. Sister Leavitt has been booking treks like crazy for 2012, and I have been busy getting the wood shop ready for next season. In the last month or so the missionaries have painted the ceiling, walls, floors, and all the shelves in the wood shop. We have reorganized all the tools, and supplies, so as to make it a lot more user friendly. We have also set it up so that vacuums can be attached to all the machines which
will allow it to be kept much cleaner and have less sawdust flying around. Now if we can train
the missionaries to clean up after themselves, it might stay that way. Its amazing how much brighter it looks with all the new paint. The ceiling had gotten so dusty that it looked like it was painted brown.

Elder Freeman and I have also built another Bench for the Martin Cabin and are raising up two of the benches up to make it easier for adults to sit on them. I am also currently working on an entrance arch for Prairie Park with the name on top so it can easily be recognized. We are also in the planning stages to expand the Humanitarian Center and also add some restrooms on the end of the expansion to accommodate the Center and also the Chapel. With some extra money we were given in our budget we have purchased a lot of new tools and equipment. Some that I requested, (that I wish we had last year) were a portable cut-off saw, a slope laser and a magnetic underground locator, (which will locate buried metal and electrical lines.) But, at least we have them to use for this year.

The cold weather has not been nearly as hard to take as I had imagined it would, that's even
considering we had one night this week at -37 or -41 degrees with the wind chill. We haven't had much snow so far, and what we have had blows by so fast it ends up in Casper. For you missionaries sweltering in the heat down in the Yuma area, eat your hearts out!

The Freemans talked in church today and they were very inspirational. Sister Freeman talked about our mission goals, which are Faith, Obedience, Sacrifice and Charity. Elder Freeman referenced a talk given by J. Rueben Clark Jr. given in 1947 about the pioneers crossing the plains titled the Last Wagon.

We sure miss all of you, especially our beautiful grandchildren, and hope that some of you can come to visit us over the next year. We look forward to the return of our veteran and new missionaries this year and are excited about all the fun and spiritual experiences we'll have together.

A special thanks goes out to our daughter-in- law Becky for making a book of all our emails. To Jo Clow for sending us that great video of the BYU football team honoring the Air Force Cadets before their game. And all of you for keeping in touch with your emails. Some of them are
amazing! To our grandkids, thanks for your cards and letters, especially for your hand drawn
pictures, they are priceless.

Love you all, Elder Leavitt

Hi everyone -- I've started keeping a daily journal to help me remember what goes on day-to-day. Our days fall into a routine so it's easy to forget what happened during the week when we sit down to write our weekly email.

First of all I want to apologize to those who email us and we don't respond -- the problem is that our computer only works intermittently. I've had to resort to snail mail in a couple of instances as I just couldn't get the computer to work when I had the time to sit down and email someone. Speaking of computers, one of the trek-scheduling computers "crashed" this week and had to be sent to Salt Lake to be rebuilt. (We've been booking so many treks we burned up the computer :) Seriously, it somehow got a virus and just crashed.) So, being down one computer (until it gets fixed) will keep me busy in other areas than in the office.

Elder Leavitt mentioned the low temp we had -- it didn't last long, but it was kind of exciting to see the thermometer that low.

Another thing I must mention - especially to Missionaries who have been here -- most of us ladies shop at the same clothing store in Casper -- as is has fairly fashionable clothes that are
suitable for Missionaries. Well, it was bound to happen -- Sister Hardy and I showed up the other day wearing the exact same outfit -- I now call it our uniform :) Of course, we all ran for our cameras, so I have attached that picture.

I echo Charlie's remarks about Elder and Sister Freeman's talks -- they were so inspirational and have us fired up to get going for the new trek season.

All is well in the "high plains of Wyoming".

We love and miss you all,

Peggy

FROM AFRICA 1/3-1/9

2010-01-09T15:55:00.000-08:00

(CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE)

MARTINS COVE 1/3/04

2010-01-04T13:54:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year family and friends,

Well we all made it into the New year, and here at the Cove we can look back at a very exciting and special 2009. Last year we came to this Mission not really knowing what to expect. We knew it was a service mission and we would be helping thousands of young people to have a pioneer experience. But, we had no idea what a rewarding and spiritual experience it would be for us. To be able to watch the hordes of young people come from all over the country, dressed in pioneer attire, descend on the Cove, and then to observe them out on the trails pulling handcarts is a sight that brought us an indescribable thrill. To see them in their campgrounds, pitching their tents, cooking their meals, singing songs, dancing, and in general having a great, fun and wholesome experience is something we will never forget. This experience gave us hope for the future and a thrill in our hearts. We were also apprehensive about spending the winter in the high plains of Wyoming. But so far it has been a fun and rewarding experience. Although it's been colder than I have ever experienced in the past, it's been much easier to deal with than my imagination lead me to believe it would. Actually this past week has been much warmer than expected with most days above freezing, in fact most of our snow here at the Cove has melted. It's probably the calm before the storm, but we'll take what we are given and make the best of it.

Today in Church I had the opportunity to teach a lesson on looking forward in the New Year. I took my material from an article in the January Ensign by Elder Jeffery R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The lesson, which I feel was directed at me, talked about putting your past mistakes in the past and as the Apostle Paul told the Philippians, "place them on the dung heap of history" and then move forward. It gave me a lot of relief because I have had a tendency to beat myself up over my past. The Lord is not nearly as interested in our past as He is in our present and where we go in the future. That is all I'm going to say on that subject. ( if anyone would like to read the whole lesson, let me know and I'll email it to you)

I would like to thank our dozens of friends and relatives who stay in touch and have sent us Christmas cards, pictures and letters. You really make us feel loved.

I would like to send our love and congratulations to my Aunt Ila on her 90th birthday. You are such a grand and elect lady and we all love and appreciate the great example that you are to the whole Leavitt family. This beautiful aunt is truly a family treasure, out of her 14 brothers and sisters, she is one of the few still living.

We would like to express our love and admiration to our oldest grandson Tommy who is in the Marines and just recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. You are always in our thoughts and prayers!

We would like to congratulate our grandson Conner on your up-coming 12th birthday. You are such a wonderful young man, and a great source of pride for your grandparents.

May all of our family and friends have a Happy and Prosperous New Year, we send all of you our love and prayers.

Elder Leavitt

Hi Everyone -- I'm delighted that Elder Leavitt is back to his old form and that he hasn't been day dreaming this week :)

I can't agree more with what he said. As we look back over the year, we feel so blessed to have spent most of our year here -- in fact, it's hard to believe we have been here this long as the time has gone so quickly.

We celebrated New Years Eve in style by having a Wii bowling tournament. We now have two Wii systems here and they were set up in the Gathering Room. Sister Stastny had the high score at 214 with Sister Bolton right on her heels. I managed to bowl a 201 -- in fact I beat Elder Leavitt on every game we bowled together but who is keeping track?? :) We also played some other games and a couple of folks spent the evening putting a 500-piece puzzle together. Anyway, it was great fun and it was nice to sleep in on New Year's Day.

As we expected, the phone started ringing like crazy on January 2 with folks wanting to book treks for 2012 -- in fact, I booked 4 Stake treks in one day and I don't know how many Sister Hardy booked. So from here on out, we will be very busy in the office not only booking treks but also getting ready for the new Missionaries who will be arriving in April.

Our love and best wishes to you all in the New Year,

Sister Leavitt AKA Peggy

FROM AFRICA JAN 4TH, 2010

2010-01-04T13:43:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,
We know some of you are wondering where we went...we had a major computer crash on Christmas Eve and lost everything...hopefully we are now back in business. We will try to get caught up this coming week. Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.Elder & Sister Leavitt

FROM AFRICA EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT

2010-01-04T13:12:00.000-08:00

MARTINS COVE 12/20/09

2009-12-20T12:56:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas family and friends,

This past week has been anything but merry for Sister Leavitt. Some how she came down with a serious case of shingles. For those of you who may not be familiar with this particular disease, it is a virus which usually manifests itself with a blister type rash and can be very painful. Not only do you experience excruciating pain where the rash is, but also in other parts of the body. Sister Leavitt was in so much pain, I thought I was going to have to shoot her to save her life. Fortunately we got her into a doctor in Casper who prescribed some anti-viral medication which seems to be helping. Albeit, she spent most of the week in bed. Today, Sunday, is the second time she has ventured out of the apartment this week. She attended all of her Church meetings and our Sunday pot-luck, so I think she is on the mend. The other time she ventured out was Friday to attend our Christmas program put on by President Lorimer's brother and sister-in-law. Brother Lorimer is an accomplished baritone and entertained us with beautiful Christmas music. He was accompanied on the piano by his wife who is a concert pianist. The rest of the Christmas program was narrated by Elder Bretzing our Farmland Reserve director from Salt Lake. The Bretzings drove 350 miles just to take part in our program. After the program we had a sumptuous dinner. We also had about 15 guests. Some missionary couples from Casper, our High Council Representative and his wife, a rancher and a saloon owner from over by the Willie Center, Tina Sun and one of her ranch hands from the Sun Ranch, ( the largest ranch in Wyoming on which Martin's Cove Visitors Center used to sit ) the Singh family, an Indian (India) family who live in Rawlins and are investigating the Church. Sister Leavitt was in a lot of pain, but she loves any kind of musical performance, especially Christmas, and could not resist. We know and feel that all of your continuing prayers on our behalf have helped.

My week has been pretty much the same, installed a couple of more air hose reels in the woodshop, serviced the heavy equipment, loaded and hauled gravel to the Cherry Creek Campground. Fortunately the ground is not frozen solid so I'm still able to dig gravel out of the pit. Actually the weather has been fairly warm for Wyoming. (the mid-thirties) The only downside is the wind. When it blows, which is most of the time, the thirties feel like the low teens, but if you dress for it, the weather has been fairly tolerable.

We are really going to miss our children and grandchildren this Christmas. This is the first time in many years we have not been able to celebrate the Christmas season with them. We want our family and all of our friends to know how much we love and appreciate you and what you mean to us.

May the Lord bless and keep you safe this Holiday Season!
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah!

Elder and Sister Leavitt aka Peggy and Charlie

PS Conner, Garrett, Olivia, Wyatt, Tommy, Parker, Preston, Delaney, Rory, and Isabella. Grandma and Grandpa hope you have the best Christmas ever!

FROM AFRICA DEC 13-19, 2009

2009-12-19T13:40:00.000-08:00

MARTINS COVE 12/13/09

2009-12-13T12:56:00.000-08:00

Hello again everyone,

Greetings from the Cove. It's been another productive week in the cold, snowy, windy high plains of Wyoming. This has been an interesting week weather wise, with temperatures ranging from 30 degrees above to 37 degrees below zero and winds from 0 to 60 miles per hour. But, the work goes on and so we don't really have time to think a lot about the weather. I think I'm becoming somewhat acclimatized to it, or maybe I'm just frozen senseless. Sometimes I have dreams about playing golf on the beautiful green grass of the Boulder City golf courses, but then again look at the money I'm saving, and I certainly wouldn't have herds of beautiful deer walking around me every day! Some of them have turned into little beggars, but how could you turn down those sweet little faces. Seriously though, the weather, so far, has not been nearly as bad as we anticipated.

The first of the week I was busy making a stockpile of gravel for the roads and parking areas at Cherry Creek until a hydraulic hose on the backhoe sprung a leak. Because I couldn't work on the backhoe, until someone went into Casper and bought a new hose. As an alternative I installed a new air compressor in the welding shop, and new air hose reels in the welding shop and in the mechanic shop. In the process of hooking up the electrical for the compressor I accidently tripped the welder breaker. As hard as I tried I could not find the tripped breaker. There was a panel in the woodshop with a breaker that was marked welder, but it was not the right one, and to make matters worse, no one knew where the right one could be found. After a prayer for help, and fruitless searching, something told me to look in the far corner of a large room we call "the barn" which was the farthest distance possible from the welder, and there in a dark corner was a breaker panel with the tripped breaker. It was in a place that common sense would have never led me to look! Another one of the Lord's tender mercies. Tomorrow I will help install a new air compressor at the Willie Center, after a prayer!

Yesterday, after I repaired the backhoe, I was able to remove snow from around the Visitors Center, as it had built up considerably from the drifting, wind -blown snow. Due to the wind, the snow doesn't build up at all on the flats, but around structures and fences it gets pretty deep. The blowing snow looks almost like the blowing dust at home. Sister Whitlock, one of our Casper missionaries stepped into a two foot snow drift next to the Visitors Center, fell down and couldn't get up. It took two elders to pull her out. She was a little embarrassed, but okay.

On Tuesday of last week we had the great privilege of giving a tour of the Martin's Cove facility to 65 full time missionaries from the South Dakota Mission which includes Casper and Gillette, Wyoming. This was probably the worst day weather-wise this week. But, these valiant young men and women insisted on visiting the Cove and so they braved the elements (snowing with temperatures below zero) and made the trek. It was a great spiritual experience and I'm sure they received a small taste of what the Martin and Willie handcart pioneers endured. A few of the young men were even wearing tennis shoes, but none of them complained.

Today, Sunday, we had the privilege of having President and Sister Lorimer as our Sacrament meeting speakers. Sister Leavitt and I were scheduled to speak, but were more than happy to delay our assignment until January so we could listen to this great couple. You former missionaries know what we're talking about. For those of you who don't, President Lorimer was the Riverton, Wyoming Stake President who oversaw the creation of the Martin and Willie visitor sites, as well as the placement of all the Historical Monuments on the trails. He was also the liaison between the Church and the Sun family in arraigning for the purchase of a portion of the Sun Ranch (a miracle in its self) on which the Martin's Cove Visitors Center now sits. A person can listen to this man for hours. I'll let Sister Leavitt tell you about their remarks.

Love you all, Elder Leavitt

This has been another fabulous week. We so enjoyed having the Missionaries here. Although they did trek - they didn't do the entire trek. The Elders transported them up to hand cart parking so they only walked 1 1/2 miles rather than about 5 miles. However, the weather was so severe that day, as Elder Leavitt said, they really got a taste of what the pioneers experienced. I do want to thank Adrienne and Audrey for the long underwear, which I wore that day :) We fed them lunch and as part of lunch we had a special treat for them -- homemade cinnamon rolls. Of course, I was the only Sister who didn't make any -- those of you who know my culinary skills will not be surprised. As I explained to my Sisters up here, I have never made anything that requires yeast :)

Wednesday night I worked on a humanitarian project -- I helped sew handles on school bags that will be shipped to Salt Lake and from there, distributed all over the world. I have learned that I can sew a straight seam, but nothing more complicated than that !

As Elder Leavitt said, the Lorimer's talks were not only spiritually uplifting but very informative as well. Both of them tied information they have learned on trips to the Middle East into the Christmas Story. Sister Lorimer talked about the shepherds being chosen to be the first witnesses of Christ's birth. She explained how the least of us can be chosen by God to do the most important work here on earth -- all He requires of us is a willing heart.

President Lormier talked about the 3 Kings (or Wise Men or Magi). He explained the region from which they came and how difficult a journey it was for them to find the Christ child. He said they were the scientists of their day -- learned men who had studied about the Savior and his coming. I won't go into all of it as it would take too long and I'm sure you're tired of reading already. However, I want to share with you what we learned about the gifts the Wise Men gave to Jesus and the significance of each: Gold -- was a gift for Kings. Frankincense is sap from a tree (did you know that?). These particular trees grow only in a small region in the Middle East, between Oman and Yemen -- it was very hard to get. Among other uses, it has/had curative powers. It was considered more valuable than gold -- it was a gift given only to Priests or High Priests. Myrrh -- again is a sap that comes from a tree and is grown in that region. It is used to embalm people and is a commodity that is given to a man who is going to die.

After lunch the Lorimers gave each Missionary couple a beautiful wooden box with a picture on it that Sister Lorimer had taken while they were in the Middle East. It is a desert scene with camels in the distance. In the box were samples of gold, frankincense and myrrh that they had brought home with them from one of their trips. President Lormier explained that Sister Lorimer had given away all their belongings when they were in the Middle East --everything-- so they could pack their suitcases with gifts for their family and friends back home. So President Lormier said he wanted us to remember he gave away his clothes so we could have our gifts:) Seriously, it is a precious gift to us and something we will always cherish.

Enough for tonight -- thank you for reading all of this.if you have gotten this far.

We love you all and are loving the Christmas season in Wyoming,

Sister Leavitt aka Peggy

FROM AFRICA DEC 6 - 12, 2009

2009-12-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

MARTINS COVE 12/6/09

2009-12-06T14:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Winter to all our family and friends,

This has been a very invigorating week, with the temps not getting much over Zero, especially with the wind chill factor, in fact today the wind chill was about -20. But the work goes on! I have been grading for a new campground at Cherry Creek to add to the two existing at this location, not counting the one we added at Jackson Campground last summer. It seems we just can't get enough space for all the trekkers. Next year we have already scheduled 10,000 more trekkers than this year and still counting. Adding additional campgrounds requires a lot of work, including restrooms and water wells, not to mention fencing and parking areas.

Because of my experience with the sprinkling system last spring here at Martin's Cove ( I've become the sprinkler guru) the Director wants me to be in charge of putting in a system next spring at the Willie Center ( about 65 miles to the west of us ). For those of you who are not familiar with the two ill-fated handcart companies caught in the early winter storm of 1856, the Martin Company was stranded here at Martin's Cove and the Willie Company was stranded at the sixth crossing of the Sweetwater River 65 miles to the west. Eight of the ten Mormon Handcart Companies that came west to Utah traveled with few out of the ordinary challenges. In fact, because they were walking and pulling handcarts they stayed healthier and generally traveled faster than the wagons.

Even though we are having a great experience, we really miss our association with our family and friends, especially our beautiful grandchildren. I even miss my golfing and lunch buddies. Golf has been somewhat difficult here, by the time the ball stops rolling it is about a foot in diameter, and you have to travel 65 miles to go out to lunch. But, other than that this has been a walk in the park, that is, if you dress like an Eskimo.

Yesterday and today we were supposed to travel to Casper for Stake Conference -- this is where all the Wards in our area, (a Ward is a church unit of about 4 or 5 hundred members) get together for a Sunday meeting to hear from our Stake leaders and receive spiritual nourishment. But due to the snow and icy roads we chose to have our Sunday meeting here at the Cove. Our speakers were the Boltons who are a couple serving as ranch missionaries and work with the cattle ranch. Sister Bolton is a retired College Professor and Brother Bolton is a retired Social Worker. Brother Bolton and Sister Leavitt are able to share a lot of war stories. The Boltons both gave great talks (especially considering they had only a few hour to prepare) Sister Bolton talked about never giving up on life's challenges, and Brother Bolton talked on the importance of forgiveness, especially forgiving others and following the Lord's commandment to not judge one another and forgive everyone.

I received a nice call from my brother Lynn this week. It seems he has finally decided to retire from parking cars at age 83. I don't know what his problem is, I think he still has few good work years in him. The truth is he was forced to retire! I really love this brother who along with the Savior carried me figuratively on his back through most of my early years. May the Lord bless him with a long healthy retirement. I know that his 5 sons are always there for him. Well, were going to try to call the grandkids, so I'll sign off.

Love you all, Elder Leavitt

Hi everyone-- the message this week is probably the weather -- I promised some of my friends that I wouldn't complain about the weather, and I'm not, but it has been an interesting phenomenon to watch this storm we have been having. Eventho is snows like crazy, the wind blows so hard, that the snow doesn't really accumulate. I was up and down last night peeking out the window as I thought the snow would be getting deeper, but it really didn't. However, the snow drifts due to the high winds, so against buildings and snow fences, which you see all over Wyoming, you do see deeper snow. I now understand the phrase that it snows horizontally in Wyoming ! :)

For those of you who know Elder and Sister Bolton, I have to say that their talks were a spiritual feast this morning -- so inspired and powerful. I wish you all could've heard their remarks. For those of you who don't know the Bolton's, Charlie didn't mention that Sister Bolton is about 90% deaf, but it certainly doesn't hinder her in communication. She is a brilliant woman. Between their biological children and their adopted children, they have 15 kids -- sounds like my friend Audrey :)

We have a busy week ahead -- the weather is supposed to continue to be stormy and we have 65 Missionaries who are planning to come here for a Zone Conference to trek to the Cove. I can't imagine they will do it as cold as it is, but our Director said the as of Saturday when he talked to the Mission President, they were still planning on coming. We'll let you know next week what happens.

With all the singing of Christmas carols and everything that goes along with this holiday season, it makes us miss all of you and the traditional events we celebrated as a family and as friends . However, we feel so blessed to be here and are having the time of our lives. It seems strange to us now that we ever dragged our feet about staying the winter -- we would have missed out on this great experience and adventure.

Love to you all,

Sister Leavitt (Peggy)

FROM AFRICA NOV 29TH - DEC 5

2009-12-05T15:08:00.000-08:00

(CLICK ON THE PAGE TO ENLARGE ENOUGH TO READ)

Martin's Cove 11-29-2009

2009-11-30T08:13:00.000-08:00

Hello again everyone,

Another week of playing with the big-boy toys. This week began with rehabbing some of the trekker trails. Some of the trails ran through areas that after a rain or during the spring run off became very swampy. Although some of the leaders thought that hiking through these swampy areas might give the trekkers a more realistic experience, I disagreed. My argument against this idea was three fold. 1. The trekkers are very creative young people -- if the trail was full of mud and water, they would just walk around those areas and create new trails, which was evident. 2. It really was not a true pioneer experience because the pioneers would have avoided the swampy areas also, if at all possible. 3. And lastly, because we are in an area prone to rattlesnakes, and snakes are easy to see on the trails it is much better to keep the trekkers on the trails and not in the weeds and bushes where the snakes cannot be easily seen in advance. I was given permission to fill in the swampy areas. The bottom line is that the trekkers get plenty of realistic pioneer experiences with the normal everyday Wyoming weather.

The latter part of this week I have been kept busy removing all the pea gravel around the Visitors Center and replacing it with 3/4 inch rock. The leaders feel that this rock will stay in place better. I have no argument.

On Thanksgiving day we had a rewarding experience going the Salvation Army and helping to feed the homeless. The SA does such a great job assisting the less fortunate in our communities.

I found out today that a missionary couple serving here (Sudweeks) knew Eloise Leavitt from St. George, I told them that she was like a second mother to me, and that her sons were more like brothers than nephews. She was a remarkable woman and a great mother, and we all miss her.

Brothers and sisters, family and friends I know that the Lord lives and we are privileged to feel His presence in our lives everyday. May He bless you in whatever your righteous desires may be and may He bless all of those whom you care about, especially the sick and afflicted is our daily prayer.

Elder Leavitt

Hi everyone -- our computer has not been working for several days, so it's nice to be back online.

What a great week -- met a woman in Sam's Town who came over to talk to me because she saw my badge. It turns out that she is a convert to the Church and lives at a neighboring ranch. However, she had been in this area for only about a year but hadn't been to Church -- so I invited her to come to Church w/ us at Martin's Cove. She and her husband showed up on Sunday and we had a great time. They actually raise sheep instead of cattle, but that's OK by me. It was very interesting talking to her husband as he is a native of Casper and knew the history of this area. He was also a classmate of Dick Cheney -- I hope no one holds that against him! He is not a member of the Church but said that he is interested in investigating it. So, they plan on coming to Church with us eventho they have to drive almost 100 miles to get here!

We have had a lot of visitors this week as people were traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday. I worked in the Visitor's Center for 3 days and met so many wonderful people from all over the country. I didn't work in the Visitor's Center much last summer, as I was usually in the office, so I have really appreciated the opportunity to meet our visitors and tell them the story of the handcart pioneers. Had a funny experience w/ a couple today who had identical twin 2 year olds, also dressed identically :) It took me a minute to figure that out as they were running in and out -- I thought for a minute I was in the "Twilight Zone" :)

Thanksgiving was a very special day. Besides the Missionaries, there were many other volunteers not only from the Salvation Army, but other service organizations as well. We all worked well together and enjoyed meeting some new friends. We later all went to the movie "Blind Side" which was great -- I can recommend it to you. (I need to mention that we Missionaries fixed our own Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday -- it was almost as good as what we had at the Salvation Army !)

The weather has been so nice that I have begun to wonder if I'll ever see snow. However, the weather report says that the cold weather is on the way. Apparently the high's this week will only be in the teen's. Snow is also predicted, so maybe we'll have a white Christmas after all.

Tonight was such a beautiful sight -- we had a gorgeous sunset -- a full moon coming up over Devil's Gate, and the Visitor's Center was all lit up with Christmas lights. The Missionaries have been working so hard and the Homestead area is spectacular -- lights everywhere.

Well, so long from "the high plains of Wyoming".

Our love to you all,

Peggy