Gabriel is a wonderful member from Ghana who joined the Church, here in Al Ain, in January. He has been in the UAE for almost three years, but during that entire time, he has continued to send almost all of his money home to his wife, Sandra, and their two daughters. This has been a little problematic because he would only keep enough money for his rent and gasoline and went hungry much of the time. With the Food Storage here at the Villa we have taken care of at least that part of the problem.
Gabriel drives a motorcycle and is a food deliverer. One day he was on his way to deliver some food when he entered a roundabout and unfortunately, an oil truck had spilled oil on the street and Gabriel slid on his bike and skidded several feet. The ambulance came and took him to the hospital but because he missed his delivery he was suspended from work 🤯. There was also no compensation from his work or from the truck that caused the accident. He tore his pants and ripped his shoe and he ended up with a deep hole below his knee and two deep holes on his foot. We were in Abu Dhabi and couldn't get back until that evening so we asked Louie 😊 to go pick him up from the hospital. The next morning we went to see him. He had never picked up his antibiotic prescription and had instead gotten some medicine from friends 😕 to keep the infection and pain at bay. Of course, that made us all a little nervous. So, we spent the next few days going all over the place trying to find somewhere that would fill his prescription. Some of the hospitals won't fill prescriptions with the 'economy' insurance, which makes everything even more difficult. We had to take him back to the doctors twice and each time he wanted them to tell him that he wouldn't have to wear the bandage wrap anymore because he couldn't wear a shoe with it (and couldn't work). He was disappointed each time when they told him he still needed to wear it. His sores were just so yucky and deep. Anyhoooo, it took a few weeks for him to get better and then he got suspended again because he had been off work for more than three days. His contract says he is supposed to have 15 days with pay, 20 days at half pay, and then more days with no pay. No one seems to follow the UAE's rules.
Through all of this, Gabriel has just been such a good sport. He is always thinking about his wife and daughters back home and trying to get back to work so he can continue taking care of them. It has been hard to watch him go through all of this, especially knowing how much he sacrifices for his family.
Now the great part about this story is that Sandra has saved all that money that Gabriel has been sending home for the last three years and is now able to open a bakery! But the really beautiful thing in all of this is what Gabriel has been able to do for his family spiritually. Because Gabriel has been sharing the Gospel with his wife, she was baptized at the end of May! And then, just last week, his oldest daughter, Blessing, was baptized too. His youngest is still little, so he'll be able to baptize her in a couple of years when he is back in Ghana. He has been working so hard and sacrificing so much to provide for his family, but he isn't just sending money home; he is sharing the Gospel with them and helping his family find the same joy he has found. Gabriel's goal now is to save money until the end of the year (or next year 🤔) and buy a car so he can be an Uber driver back in Ghana. Cars, especially used ones, are hard to come by in Ghana because everyone hangs onto them and doesn't seem able to ever upgrade. So Gabriel has figured out how to ship a car from here back to Ghana at a better price.
Above are a few pictures of: the Sisters and Elders teaching Blessing the missionary lessons/ Blessing's baptism (which Gabriel was able to watch on FaceTime)/ the sign that Sandra is using for her bakery/ and a gal's order for 350 cookies! The bottom picture is the driving school that Billy has taken Gabriel to around a dozen times to sign up, take the test, practice lessons, etc. It took him three times before he passed (let's just say we were all very happy when "they" let him finally pass 😒 - need I say more). On the other side of the street from the driving school is the designated area where churches that can get permission can build. It still hasn't happened with us, which is so discouraging. When we meet together for church or any activity, it is absolutely so wonderful. There is just something really special about all of us being together and I wish we could do it more often.
We joined Leena and Jacob at another Indian restaurant and it was so delicious! It’s always so much fun being with them. Leena is so funny and has the best sense of humor. One night, Leena wanted to make dinner for one of our Branch activities. She gave me a shopping list but a few of the items were a little difficult to find, but after hunting at 3 different stores I was able to get everything. Talk about scrumptious! It really was delicious. I only wish I had taken a picture of the finished meal! I also had Leena over for a lesson and afterward we watched the Relief Society devotional together. It was fantastic and I really enjoyed spending that time with her. I’m so grateful for the friendships we are making here and for the opportunity to share these spiritual moments together.
  |
At Primary today, we invited Alma to join us even though he’s not quite old enough yet. He had a blast. Even with only Kahleia and him, it was a little hard for him to sit and focus for the full two hours. It was still so much fun though, and it’s always good for Alma to get out of the house! Whenever the kids miss Primary, we save all the pages and activities we used that week and try to drop them off to them; Kahleia is always more than happy to work on her pages! We try to make copies for little Alma and Elli, too; they’ll get to join us next year in Primary. |
Far Left: Victoria, Front Row: Ram, Rob,Carla, Prince, Jamie, Sheila, Taonga, Charm, Louie. Back Row: Rochelle, Sunshine's friend, Alex (in blue), Hygine, Billy, Sunshine.
What a fun time playing badminton! Victoria is not only our YW’s President, but she is also our wonderful Activity Chair, with Adrena as her assistant. They plan such great activities and this one was definitely a favorite! Everyone joined in and had a great time and there was so much laughter and fun. It was a memorable evening together!
Sometimes it's difficult to remember that hardship can produce growth, endurance can produce strength and difficult seasons can ultimately contribute to a good life. That is what we are experiencing in Al Ain with these phenomenal people!
Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 — “Two are better than one… For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow.”
Proverbs 17:17 — “A friend loveth at all times.”
