(Journal Entry November 18, 2016) Michelle and I just spent Wednesday evening, November 16 back in the Area Presidency’s video conference room, this time doing our own personal video chat with President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The meeting was a follow-up… Read More “Re-Called to Serve Him”

(Journal Entry, October 27, 2016) On Friday afternoon, October 21, as we pulling into the Area Office, we got a call from an assistant in Salt Lake City, wondering if Michelle and I would be willing to spend some time the following Wednesday afternoon in a videoconference with Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum… Read More “Elder Ballard Would Like to Speak with You”

Today I was privileged to be in the presence of greatness.  Some of you may have heard about the serious automobile accident last month in Sierra Leone, involving four newly arriving missionaries.  The latest news I have seen was published last week in this article in BYU’s Daily Universe, which gives an update on the… Read More Real Heroes

In LDS fast and testimony meetings, typically held the first Sunday of each month, after partaking the sacrament (communion), members of the congregation take turns sharing their testimonies, or expressions of faith, typically relating a recent experience that has given them the “reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).  The bishop… Read More Amazing Grace

(Guest Post by Michelle Clark) My parents served two missions in Nigeria, first as humanitarian missionaries from 1999 to 2001 and then in the first Aba Nigeria Temple presidency in 2006-2008.  They thoroughly loved Nigeria and the wonderful people there. When Doug and I were called to serve as Area Auditors in the Africa West… Read More I Will Go Before Your Face

In his talk in April 2014 General Conference, Elder David A. Bednar commented that “sometimes we mistakenly may believe that happiness is the absence of a load. But bearing a load is a necessary and essential part of the plan of happiness.” He referenced a friend with a new pickup truck who had gone into… Read More Keeping the Pickup Bed Loaded

Spending three days in Liberia just before the Fourth of July this year made me do some serious introspection about what it means to be an American and the rights and blessings that many US citizens take for granted.  I seriously wish I could take everyone I know, as well as a very long line… Read More “Land of the Free”

The headquarters of the Church’s Africa West Area is located in Ghana, where a fourth of West African Church members live. Another quarter are scattered across Cote d’Ivoire and four smaller countries, but just over half of West African Church members and congregations live in Nigeria. Despite housing the majority of the Church members, there… Read More I Went to the Danger Zone

One big tradeoff of serving a mission in the Area Offices is we don’t go through many of the routine activities typically associated with missionary work; finding, teaching and baptizing, visiting and befriending less-active members, getting immersed with local Church members and residents in your own little village or town and dealing with Spartan living… Read More Cupcakes, Green Berets and Seventies

We spent last weekend in Takoradi, a beautiful coastal city about five hours west of Accra.  When Elder Ronald Rasband came to Ghana last month, he divided the Takoradi Stake, so Michelle and I headed out there to help our recently called regional auditing leader in that area train the two newly called stake presidencies… Read More Takoradi, Village Weavers and a Huge Ugly Duckling