Togo

We had the opportunity to go to Lome last weekend to witness and document the organization of the first LDS stake in Togo. Elder Terence Vinson felt this was important enough that we should tag along to take photos and get information first hand so we could write an article to submit to the publishers of the Church News. Talk about pressure! We are doing things in Africa that are stretching us to limits we never imagined. Here are just a few shots and thoughts about our trip to a little French-speaking country in West Africa that we had never heard of before we got our mission call.

   

  

The beaches in Lome are very nice. We were told they have
 recently been cleaned and groomed to encourage more local use.
You can see all the new palm trees that have been planted.

 Lome is a large port in the Gulf of Guinea. The charming old fishing
boats resting on the shore create a sharp contrast to the large
freighters anchored out in the peaceful bay. 

  

The streets in Lome are swarming with "motos." This picture was
taken out of our car window as we tried to cross an intersection.

We saw up to four people on one motorbike -- even little children
could be seen perched in front of and in between their parents.

  

Soccer shirts are wildly popular and inexpensive in West Africa.
I think this will be a future shopping item for Grandma!

Bright, colorful shoes must be a hot item in Togo. We saw many
shoe stores like this displaying their merchandise all over the city.

  

Arriving early for the Saturday afternoon meeting, we met a dear
 man sitting by himself in the chapel. Why had he come so early?
He had just bought his first white shirt and couldn't wait to wear
it to church. He came early and stayed late for every meeting.  

This is the front of the newly dedicated LDS church in Lome. The
members have been waiting for more than a year for the building
to be completely finished. The chapel and cultural hall are on the
right. The classrooms, offices, and wash rooms are on the left.

  

This is a side view of the pretty new building. The landscaping is
simple and easy to maintain. The parking lot is small. Most people
either walk (sometimes miles) or ride taxis to church each week.

 An LDS chapel in W. Africa is different than one in the U.S. The
 floors are tile, the windows are louvered glass panes to permit
maximum air flow, and ceiling fans help circulate any breeze. 

  

Funny story -- we saw this darling family walking into church and
asked if we could take their picture, then gave the dad a consent
form to sign. He looked at us and said "We're not a family!"

After the meeting was over, we met the dad with his "real" family.
Because of the language barrier, we never did figure out who the
other woman and child were!

  

Lome is only a 45-minute flight from Accra, so we were on a very
small plane. We had close-up observation of the landing gear.

I haven't been on a prop plane for a very long time. The flight to
Togo was extremely bumpy, but coming home was smooth sailing.