So the war broke out in Liberia December 24, 1989. During the war, we had no hope. Rebels were killing civilians. There was not food. People had died in the street. Even for us to eat a single meal a day-- we can't get it. I lost my whole family in the war-- my parents and my siblings.

During the war, it was difficult for us in Sierra Leone. At one time, I tried, tried, tried. I got about two quarts of bulgur wheat. We couldn't even sustain us. My daughter was eating that food. She finished it. While I tried to lick inside the plate, the plate fell down from her. I shed tears. That was the most horrible time. The Church provided us food, hygiene kits, and clothing. But with the help of the Church's aid, people were able to feed their families. And I remember families getting a box containing everything the Church sends was a blessing for the life of that family for many days. During the war, this blanket kept us warm-- me and my children. And so I've decided to keep it as a remembrance. So whenever I have important visitors, this is what I will show to them, that I'm not finished. I'm still alive. When homes were burned down, people were living in the chapel during that time. We used the blankets to lie down on the floor of the Church. Latter-day Saints was the only church at that time that never pulled out of this town-- never pull out of this town. That faith, that belief, that hope, was within us. Why? Because of this humanitarian gesture that was afforded us. If I could speak to the people who made this possible, I would want to tell them thanks. I want to appreciate them. If I would talk to the people that put these things together, it's to tell them, whenever they do these things, let them don't think they're doing it in vain. That they should know that their time and their effort do not go in vain-- that many lives would be blessed. Because I know how each of these things blessed the lives of me and my people in those times of need. It helps me feel like my life has a meaning to know that we're all this on this earth-- in this world-- to bless each other's lives. It gives me a feeling of gratitude to belong to this organization that considers everybody in the world as children of God.