Packed with Love

April 2026

Before we left, we wanted to find a way to serve the Saints in West Africa. Ang mentioned that some missionaries begin their missions with only two or three white shirts to last the entire two years, so we thought a white-shirt drive would be the perfect project.

We shared invitations with friends and family, and so many people stepped up to help. In the end, we collected more than 80 white shirts, which were distributed to missionaries in both the Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan West Mission and the Ghana Accra East Mission.

Many friends from the Odessa 1st Ward and several Gwilliam and Vore family members participated. In addition, a few families from our stake and some of Parker's friends donated shirts as well. Most purchased shirts through Amazon. Others donated shirts they no longer needed, although men's small and medium sizes can be hard to come by in a typical U.S. closet.

A friend in our ward, Cathy Bonifay, generously offered to alter the long-sleeved shirts, converting them into short-sleeved shirts. It truly was a group effort, and Chris and Ang were very grateful for everyone's kindness and generosity.

Grandpa Vore also took on a little service project of his own for the mission leaders. He sent them a suitcase filled with all sorts of goodies—pistachios, beef jerky, medicine, socks, brown sugar, granola bars and other favorite items—to help them feel loved and supported. 

Between the white shirts for the missionaries and the care package for Chris and Angelique, it felt a bit like Christmas morning. They are working so hard to spread the gospel and love their missionaries. I am glad they were able to feel some love and support from home.

Lions, Missionaries, and a Senegal Safari

April 6, 2026

Monday we started off by going to the Bandia Lion Reserve. We met up with a senior missionary couple, the Hydes, who are serving a humanitarian mission. It was fascinating to hear about the programs they are helping facilitate for our brothers and sisters in West Africa. 

I'm probably going to get some of the details wrong, but I'll try to share one of the programs. Individuals can receive a microloan to start a poultry business. They receive training on proper chicken and egg care, along with instruction on how to run a small business. Then they are given an incubator and eggs. After 21 days of incubation, it's go time! They have a solid foundation for building a profitable business through poultry farming, egg production, or both.

At the reserve, they drive you into a large enclosure with the lions. Then the employees place raw meat on the roof of the truck, and the lions crunch, drool, and slobber as they eat it directly over your head. It's quite the experience.

Here is a video of some of our adventure.

Because the lions and lionesses are at a preserve and getting fed regularly, they feed them horse and donkey meat, which is leaner and less fatty.

These animals are massive, and I really had no idea just how large they were until I was sitting so close to them. Their bodies stretched nearly the length of the truck, and just look at the size of this paw.

Chris & Angelique Vore, me, Brian and Parker

After the lion experience, we headed down the road to the Bandia Wildlife Safari. The missionaries serving in Senegal were able to join us on their P-day (preparation day) for an African safari.

They were from Nigeria, the Republic of Congo, Australia, the United States, and probably a few other countries as well. They were happy to be together. Chris and Ang moved from one group of elders to the next, chatting with them mostly in French.

Luckily for us, almost all of them knew at least some English, and we were able to visit with them too. Parker fit right in with the group. They talked about missions, school, and the MTC (Missionary Training Center). It was fun for me to watch Parker interacting with them and to think that he had been serving just a couple of countries away not too long ago.

We had also brought some Fun Dip candy to share. The elders from the U.S. were thrilled to have a little taste of home, and the other missionaries were eager to try it.

There was a small gift shop (with A/C!) and an outdoor art market.

It was hot and dry. I was thirsty. Everyone was thirsty. After about a 90-minute wait, we loaded onto a truck to see the wildlife.

The land was parched, but Chris and Ang said it looks completely different during the rainy season. 

Afterwards, we ate at the restaurant. Parker was just so happy for the missionaries. He would shake his head and say, "They will remember this forever." Or "We never did anything like this in our mission." 

Elder Hyde took care of preordering the food, and he ordered a large pizza per missionary. Parker was so happy for them. He knows the poverty most missionaries from Africa have experienced their entire lives. I think watching them enjoy such an amazing P-day brought him almost as much happiness as if the day had been planned just for him.

Africa At Last: Our First Day in Senegal

April 2026

Almost three years ago, Parker completed his mission to Accra, Ghana. Brian and I thought it would be pretty cool to pick him up afterwards, meet some of the people he taught, and see where he served. Parker wanted to have the experience of traveling home with fellow missionaries and going back to Ghana at a future date.

Well, between weddings, vacation time, school schedules, and finances, I wasn't sure a trip to Africa would happen another time, but it did. 

Looking back, I am so glad we waited because we were able to visit both Paker's former mission (Ghana) and Chris and Angelique in part of their mission (Senegal). 

What followed was two weeks of family time, new friends, new foods, bumpy roads, unexpected adventures, tender mercies, and memories we'll never forget.

My neck pillow. Parker said I looked like a terrorist.

Parker was a trooper traveling with the 50 and older crowd. 

Brian and I had no shame. We were prepped and overpacked with everything we might need: expensive neck pillows, compression socks, hydration packets, chargers, back up chargers, mini fans, printed itenaries, sunscreen, mosquito repellant, trip insurance,  and more. 

Bri did pull down his cool compression socks eventually. I was wearing pants mine weren't so overt.

About a month before we left, I read something on Reddit that I tucked away for later: Enjoy the adventure. Delays, wrong turns, and unexpected challenges aren't interruptions to the trip—they're part of the trip.

I was grateful for that advice. Most of our trip did flow really smoothly, but when a couple of bigger issues occurred (VRBO scam, forgotten Yellow Fever card, canceled flight etc.), I tried to lean into the "enjoy the adventure" advice.

We didn't have much of an itinerary going for our two week trip...which seemed CRAZY and reckless. We fluffed it up along the way though and we had a great time.

After a twenty hour flight, we arrived in Senegal on Sunday April 5th, Easter morning. It was wonderful to see Chris and Ang on the other side of customs. We eventually made it through and were able to give each other big hugs. 

It just seemed unbelievable that we were reunited in AFRICA. I shared some of the history between Chris, Ang and I in this blog post. What a blessing to be able to visit them on their mission.

The first apartment I reserved for our group was not legitimate...so starting off strong!  Luckily, we were reimbursed and found a really nice three bedroom AirBnb rent. 

Chris and Ang had food and snacks ready, and we enjoyed conference together. It was a wonderful way to spend a good part of the day.

We also went to the Rising Africa monument. I was a little concerned because of my knee, but it held up through 27 flights of stairs-definitely a tender mercy. It felt so good to remember the blessing I had received the week before when my knee was so swollen. I knew I might need to go more slowly, but because of the blessing, I knew it would be okay to at least try join in activities like this.

This monument celebrates Africa's strength, unity and cultural heritage. Inside the statue is a three story museum with artwork that shares African culture throughout many years.  You can also take a very small and somewhat rickety elevator to the top of the  head of the man to look out over the city of Dakar and the Atlantic Ocean. 

The group tour was in French and so Chris quietly translated for us. Our guide was very thurough and informative.

When we got back to our place, I utilized our frozen veggies to keep my knee swelling down.

Chris and Ang prepared a delicious Easter dinner. 

Out of our apartment balcony, we could see this hill with a lighthouse on it. This is the place were Elder Bednar, in 2017, dedicated the country of Senegal for the preaching of the gospel.

After dinner, we wanted to go on a walk to the ocean. We could tell from Google Maps it was really close, but we couldn't really figure out how to get there. Chris was staying back to read and respond to missionary emails, and so it was all up to Angelique. I was so impressed as she used her French to ask people on the streets for directions. She began learning French shortly before they were called to serve as mission leaders in Cote d'Ivoire.

We went down this steep and narrow path that led to the beach....and my knee held up.🩷

There were lots of young men and a few young women exercising on the beach. They were in groups dancing, or sprinting, or doing pushups. 

Mosquito born illnesses such as Malaria and Yellow Fever are concerns in West Africa, and they were out in full force so we didn't stay long. 

Our walk to the ocean was a nice way to end our first day in Senegal. 

Baby Snuggles Before Africa

March 2026

I ended up getting to spend time with this sweet baby boy when he was just a week old, and he was absolutely tiny. Constantly swaddled, he looked like the cutest little burrito.

I was worried about my baby girl and glad I was able to give her a hug and help out in person by taking shifts with Cal, cooking, grocery shopping, etc. 

Labor and delivery are no joke.

It was fun to see Brinley and Derek in action. They were working around the clock taking care of this little guy and getting so little sleep, as new parents do. They were exhausted, but they made a great team. 

I also loved being with Aubrey. It was a little complicated because I was staying 30 minutes north of Orem, and Aubrey was 15 minutes south in Provo. She also was still in school and didn't have a car, but we made it work when it would work. 

Week one, I mainly tried to help Derek and Brinley take care of Brinley and Cal. 

Week two was supposed to include more time with Aubrey and her roommates, plus a little mission shopping. But out of nowhere, my left knee became a major problem.

We managed one modified shopping day. Aubrey pushed me around in a shopping cart at times, and I borrowed a motorized chair when I could. But my knee kept swelling bigger and bigger throughout the day. I could barely bend it, and walking became difficult fast. It visibly worsened by the hour.

I was trying not to panic, but I was freaking out a little bit. 

Our long-awaited trip to Africa was only six days away, and I knew there was no way I could travel around the world in that condition.

Brian was wonderful from home—offering physical therapy advice, encouragement, love, and reassurance. I went to Urgent Care, where an X-ray showed crystallized calcifications that were likely causing the swelling. Our family prayed that my knee would heal enough for me to walk and go on the trip. I also received a blessing that brought comfort, hope, and very clear direction on what I needed to do to heal:

Rest.

Thankfully, I was staying with Denise and Bruce, who are always so welcoming. Their backyard view felt peaceful and healing, and Denise took very good care of me while I tried to lay low and be a minimal disruption to their lives.

The swelling in my knee went down little by little. I was probably about 80% better when it was time to begin my 20-hour flight. 

I was especially glad Brinley felt well enough to come to Draper before I left. She, Derek, and Cal stopped by for one last visit before our trip.

And Denise happily soaked up some baby snuggles too.

 

I could post about 40 more pictures of this sweet boy, but I'll keep it to six. 

Goodbye for now, little burrito

I'm off to Africa with Brian and Parker for the adventure of a lifetime.

But I'm happy knowing we’ll all be back in Utah in May for this sweet boy’s baby blessing.