December 2

Greetings America!

What an awesome week.  Elder Brockbank and I have been focusing on
people who are less--active in the church and we've had some pretty
incredible experiences with people who have just been looking for a
friendly face in their home and are suddenly super motivated to come
back to church and get involved with the branch.  I love seeing them
on Sunday.  They are always all smiles and the people who see them are
also so excited.  It's the best.  Anyway, in the meantime my companion
is also kicking my butt during work outs, but it's really nice to get
back into the habit of exercising other than our weekly basketball
games, which is still super fun.

SO.  On Tuesday we started pretty early and saw a ton of people, some
new some old.  You can always tell people who are less interested when
you've just finished discussing Adam and Eve and you ask if they have
any questions and they go, "Brother Garland, are you married?" soooo
welcome to Africa haha.

One of the inactive ladies we went to see was so excited to see us
that she gave us a whole bushel of bananas.  We had just recently
bought several in preparation for Thanksgiving, so we went ahead and
that night made chocolate banana shakes which were seriously to die
for.  You think I'm suffering out here...well, actually living pretty
large haha.  That night I even made us all mango smoothies on the side
of our tacos.  Now you're mad, I know.  Sorry.  My mission is the
best.

Wednesday was even more cool.  I found out that my companion and I
were momentarily in the same Western Humanities class last year before
I switched out into a new one. That was crazy.  Some random guy on the
street stopped us to tell us he used to meet with sister missionaries
in Brazzaville and wanted to study with us, so that was awesome.
Another inactive guy made us manioc fufu (so much better than in
Cameroun; it's thicker and tastes better and you will have to just
look up pictures and I will guarantee that whatever you see is exactly
how it tastes) and fish soup which was so good.  We need to see
inactives more often.  All they do is feed you.

We made split pea soup and bought rolls on the way home from some
street vendor and they were delicious.

Thanksgiving was a blast.  I don't know if I would've even had that
much fun back home.  Ok I would have but! In the morning we went out
to the church to play a Turkey Bowl basketball game, and our apartment
took the cup best 2 of 3!  Then Elder VanAusdal and I were in the
kitchen all Wednesday night and Thursday making stuffing, mashed
potatoes and gravy, creamed corn, and then an enormous banana cream
pie with a cookie crust and fried apple pies, cookies and deviled
eggs.  Elder VanAusdal made mostly everything, but I take credit for
the cookies and eggs.  We each had our own rotissary chicken to go
with everything, but I could only finish half.  It. Was. SO. Good.
Everything was.  The best part was just being with the other elders
for the whole time.  They're all really fun and we get along famously
and they like my cookies so that's also good.

We had a sort of Thanksgiving hangover on Wednesday, but I blame the
fact that our air conditioner in our bedroom is broken instead of
blaming all the food we ate.  For the last week or so I haven't slept
very well.  I just lay there in my sweat and...that's it.  Stare at
the back of my eyelids.  Thankfully fatigue gets the best of my
eventually, but I inevitably wake back up and lay there again.  Either
way, we had a good Friday too.  We were on a search for more inactives
and it went really well.  Another inactive guy bought us this
delectable coconut pastry things that were sooo good.  Then Elder
Baker made carbanara and it was sooooo good.

Then Saturday rolled around and we went to see that inactive lady who
gave us bananas and she had us look through an enormous stack of
pictures of herself which was super awkward while she made us saka
saka (another plant leaf that was, you guessed it, boiled, smashed,
and put on a plate), rice, and fried chicken.  It was actually super
good, but I think I prefer ndole...either way.  African food is
delicious.

We taught birthdays in English class while the other elders ran a
"basketball" class.  I think they just didn't wanna teach English
haha.  I had a blast though.  I may or may not end up teaching English
some day.

Shmorgishborg for dinner = fries, rice, and chili.  Try it out. So good.

We had a typically excellent Sunday.  For the first time in a few
weeks we had coordination meeting with our DMB who just spoke the
whole time and we didn't really learn anything.  Then the presidency
asked me to bear my testimony because I hadn't yet introduced myself
to the congregation.  It went pretty good! I said, "brothers and
sisters, mbote!" and they loved that because most of the time they all
just speak French even though everyone speaks Kikongo, as a rule.  We
met a lady who'd been coming to church for weeks and turns out is just
an investigator who's been trying to get baptized but didn't know how
soooo we're meeting with her this week. Welcome to Africa.

It was also fast Sunday, so I had an awesome study on fasting and
praying, which always go together in every single scripture you find
them.  Fasting is easier when you always have a prayer in your heart
and a pot of sweet and sour chicken, fried rice, and peanut butter
cookies with a chocolate pushed into the center waiting for you at
home :)

That's about all the miracles we saw this week.  Just kidding they
were endless, but I only have 9 more minutes and I need to be home for
lunch (Sandlot).  Seriously though! The Church is true!  Christ lives
and loves you! I love you and want to hear from you, so gimme a
call/email!

Till next week!

Elder Garland