February 10

Mbote a beno !!

This week has been absolutely nutso, for the good though, don't worry.

After writing home last week, Elder Hatch and I went out to look for
cool $1 shirts in the market.  I found a couple I really like, but
couldn't push myself to buy the $10 perfect pair of bright orange
jeans from LaCoste which normally would be like 100 Euros.  We'll see
about this week.  On the way home, there were kids playing soccer in
the middle of the dirt road, and I asked if I could shoot on one of
them.  I hit the ball perfectly and drilled it in the back right
corner, so they freaked out because they weren't expecting that at all
I don't think.  Well another kid wanted me to shoot on him, so I was
going to do the same thing but left footed, but turns out it's been a
while since I kicked with that foot because I shanked it really high
and off to the left - right into the middle of a plot of walled in tin
shacks.  The kids were like "oh no.....it's over THERE..."  So I was
immediately wary.  We walked over to the "parcelle" and they all stood
back and told me I had to go in and knock on the door as they stood
behind.  I felt like I was 10 and knocked a baseball into the backyard
of Mr. Myrtle.  The scene was classic.  So I knock, and hear this
rough voice, "who is it?!" so I looked at the kid next to me and said,
"zonza!" which means, "talk!" in munukituba, and it shook his head and
told ME to speak.  So I said we were missionaries and I accidentally
kicked the ball over and the voice said something back that I didn't
understand, but the kid next to me looked really sad and started
walking away and he looks up at me and says, "she's keeping it, it's
gone."  Well their neighbor was watching the scene, and takes out his
phone to call the voice (I assume) and then as we're walking out of
the parcelle we hear the door open behind us and this enormous mama in
nothing but African cloth wrapped around her gargantuan chest and
torso comes out holding the soccer ball.  She was terrifying and
started yelling at the kids about how this was the 4th time this has
happened and how they were children of Satan, and I pleaded on behalf
of the kids because it was my fault. She turns back to the kids and
says, "it's because of him that I didn't pop this right in front of
you."  She gives it back to me and turns to walk back inside.  I was
so close to bursting out laughing so many times, the scene was just
hilarious and the kids were so classic "Sandlot," it was awesome.
They were so happy to have their ball back.  We were laughing the
whole way home.

On Tuesday we got the worst directions from this less active guy on
how to get to his house, and so we ended up standing at an
intersection waiting for someone to come get us, and ended up talking
to a group of about 20 children on their way home from school for
lunch who we were and how we weren't Chinese.  It was hilarious.  We
had to leave after probably 30 minutes, but on the way to our next
appointment we walked passed the less active guy's house by chance
(God has a great sense of humor, by the way).  On the way there we met
a guy named AIDS.  So unfortunate.

We had this very inspiring zone teaching with our leaders Elder Morin
and Elder Gélinas, in which we worked on setting goals and whatnot,
and it really hit home for me.  I realized that I'd been going with
the motions for a long time, and I needed to step it up and start
pushing myself instead of settling.  The effects and results were
immediate - Elder Hatch and I became super motivated to start
contacting all these houses that I've only ever talked about
contacting since I got here.  That night we knocked on a couple doors
and were welcomed in by this really nice lady and got to share our
message with her and we're hoping that goes somewhere!

The next day we met some more awesome people for the first time and
even set a couple baptismal dates with them!

On Friday on the way to an appointment we were stopped by a woman who
was baptized in Brazzaville but hadn't been to church in 2 years
because she moved to Pointe Noire and didn't know where to find it,
but now she's in touch with the elders!  Then we talked with this new
guy Jules who lost his dad and was really mad at God, but after
spending 2 weeks in prison for attacking someone with a machete he
decided to change his life and move to Pointe Noire and look for God.
So he started praying and asked God where He wanted Jules to go to
church, and the next day he walked past our church by the airport and
decided that that was where he needs to be and wants to be baptized
immedaitely.  Ta da!  Amazing.

It also happened to be Elder VanAusdal's birthday, so I made chocolate
cookies with white chocolate chunks and they were delicious.

On Saturday we set more baptismal dates, met more people for the first
time, walked to the moon and back, got to go to a baptism for an old
investigator of Elder Hatch, and I learned out to count to 10 in
kikongo (well, every number but 7 which no one knew...haha usually
they just use French numbers, so no one really knows the numbers in
kituba)

We had another packed Sunday, even though it rained.  That night,
instead of just coming home for planning and studies we decided to go
out to talk to that first nice lady we met a couple days earlier.
Unfortunately, she wasn't there, so we went and contacted more nice
houses and found some more really cool people who were all willing to
sit down and listen to our message.

My mind is blown every day I walk out the door and into my sector.  I
wish there were 200 missionaries just in Mpaka (my area) because there
are that many people that need to be taught the Gospel, and there are
only 4 of us working there!  I have yet to be turned away at a door
I've knocked on.  It's incredible.  The work truly is hastening,
especially in Africa!  I'm so thrilled to be a part of this work in
this place.  What a joy it is to bring the restored gospel of Jesus
Christ into the lives of people who have nothing.  These are they who
care little about what matters the least, and cherish that which
matters the most!  Everyone is a brother or sister here.  They are
always looking out for each other, and when they have the Gospel in
their lives they become even more united than ever!  It is truly a
miracle to be witnessed every day.  I wish with all my heart that you
could see, each one of you!  I do my best to bring the world of the
Congo to you, but if only you could be my eyes for just one day, I'm
sure it change your life!  I know it's changed mine.  Really quick,
we're going to do an imagination exercise.  You're going to close your
eyes (after reading all this), and imagine walking down a street that
is paved with nothing but the trash from months past.  Now imagine
that there are piles of new trash burning on either side of you.  Now
add a few naked kids running around playing with empty water bottles
and old bike tires, just laughing their heads off.  They go back into
their house where they eat a couple handfuls of boiled flour and
water, with a side of mashed tree leaves.  Dad comes home from work
after having pushed around a cart of bread all day and makes a grand
total of $5.40, with which he has to pay for food, water, and the
education of his entire family of 8-10 people.  Mom has been selling
broken chunks of charcoal all day and makes little to nothing either,
but together they pull through, smiling, singing, and dancing the
whole way.  That's how they live, day in and day out, until Sunday
when they dress in their nicest pair of jeans and shirt that they had
to sacrifice days' worth of food to afford so they can walk an hour
down the railroad tracks to church.  That is WHAT they live for.  How
they live doesn't matter to them, if only at the end all glory goes
back to God and His Son Jesus Christ.  They will give anything and
everything for Him, and they DO.  What have you needed to sacrifice
for your Savior lately?  Was a months' salary?  Was it 70+ hours of
work a week?  Was it your education?  Was it complete exhile from your
family, which means everything to you? Was it YEARS worth of sweat,
blood, and tears just so you could go to church and be baptized?
Welcome to the lives of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints in Africa.

I love you all.  I hope you all have a wonderful week.  Count your
many blessings.

Elder Garland