March 10

Hey howdy hey!

Just another crazy week in Congo.  After writing home last week, for
Elder Morin and Lundberg's last P-Day we all went to this "shipwreck"
beach where there are several giant tankers just crash landed on the
beach.  It's sweet.  To get there you have to walk on this oil spill
beach, which is really sad.  Lots of random junk just covered in dried
oil that will never go away probably.  Unfortunately, my camera
randomly stopped working, so I'm gonna have to take that in soon to
some random sketchy African boutique where they somehow know
everything about everything.  ANYway, we figured out that all the PDA
you don't see anywhere else in Africa is all on the beach!  We watched
like 4 different couple just gettin their mack on.  I literally forgot
that that was normal.  Well...something that people do, haha.  I was
fascinated, but it started getting weird so we walked on to see the
boats.  We walked back annnddd they were all still there haha.  Crazy.
 I was starting to believe that you just see a pretty girl, ask her to
marry you, and then babies!  I forgot there was an in between.

We got home and we were locked out, but by some African voodoo magic
this guy comes by like 5 minutes later and snaps off the entire lock
with a little click of his pliers, and for $10 put in a new lock on
the spot.  Yeah we're real safe there in Mpaka haha (we really are
safe, in 6 years there's never been a problem with the missionaries).

On Tuesday I had my last full day with Elder Hatch.  We had some
awesome lessons with some awesome people, and at the end of the day we
had a couple minutes and we were close to the house, so we grabbed a
bunch of Family brochures and stood on the corner of a busy road and
passed out probably 30 of them in 15 minutes.  One lady stopped and
was like, "oh my...thank you. Thank you.  God bless you, thank you,
thank you."  She was just so excited to read about how we can make our
families stronger as we teach each other the principles of the Gospel!
 It was great and made my night.  Then there was one person who
straight cold shouldered a brochure from Elder Hatch, and we were so
confused, we didn't know what to do.  It was only the 3rd time in my
mission that I've ever seen someone refuse a brochure.  Incredible.

Wednesday was hard.  We left to zone teaching early in the morning
only to find that half of Pointe-Noire had been flooded by one of the
worst storms that they had seen that had come through in the night.
We didn't have power that night, and there was a huge party going on
right behind us (yes, in the middle of the week in the middle of a
neighborhood, yes, no respect for neighbors) and I heard a little rain
start on the roof, so I prayed that it would start raining hard so I
wouldn't hear the incredibly loud music.  Well, be careful what you
wish/pray for, because it might result in the death of several people
and the flooding of entire neighborhoods.  It was really sad.  I don't
feel responsable, but a little guilty anyway.  It took an hour and a
half for us to make a 15 minute trip down the road because there was a
river going over the street at one part and swept through the
neighborhood, and then there was another one by a busy intersection.
Incredible.

We eventually got there and ate taco salade after talking about being
self-reliant and having self-integrity.  Delicious, both the teachings
and lunch.  It was Elder Morin, Lundberg, and Baker's last zone
conference with us, so we had a little testimony meeting that ended up
in many tears (mostly on my part, ugh) but was super spiritual.  I
said goodbye to Elder Baker that night after Elder Bailey dropped me
off at the Pointe-Noire apartment.  I was welcomed by 2 inches of
water everywhere in the apartment, so for the next 2 hours I helped
clean up while Lundberg made carbanara for dinner.  I slept pretty
well, but it'll be a long adjustment from AC to fan...

On Thursday I went out with Morin and Gelinas for Morin's last day.  I
learned a ton of munikituba, and met some great investigators.  The
last rendez-vous was with a maman and papa who have been waiting 4
years to get baptized, and now in the next 2 weeks or so things will
be happening!  Elder Gelinas and I will have the pleasure of teaching
them, so we're really excited for that.

We came back so the other elders could pack for their flight home, and
then we all claimed the stuff they left behind.  I scored some sweet
ties and shirts that will always make me think of them for the next 10
months while I'm still here.  Eventually, Elder Bailey came to pick
them up, and we had to say goodbye.  I'll miss those two.  They were
awesome missionaries and served with honor, which they will go home
with as well.  I'm excited for them to be back with their families
though.  I hope I can be as good as an influence for the other younger
missionaries as they were for me!  It's ok because I'll see them all
in the next next or so.

Elder Gelinas and I had our first real day together on Friday, and we
got to see some interesting people.  I love teaching with him because
he speaks real French!  Well, quebecois, but, it still counts!
Kindof.  Ok I just give him a hard time, but in reality he's
francophone and speaks perfect French and I have a lot to learn from
him.  Not to mention he's an awesome missionary and never let's up an
opportunity to share the Gospel.  We are going to do some awesome
things together, I think.  We'll be working hard all transfer, and if
I'm super lucky I'll get to work with him for another one.

It rained a little on Saturday, so no one really came to English
class.  We had to go through this training thing with other members
with a brother from Kinshasa, but I can pretty much sum it up like
this, just to put in perspective how far behind we are out here -
"Bretheren.  This might sound weird, but the Internet is the future of
technology."  That is exactly what he said.  So.  Now you know.
Internet is the future.

Unfortunately, it rained again on Sunday, and this time it was all
day, so our numbers were cut down real low.  When I got there, it was
the end of the Mpaka branch, where I just left, so I still got to see
all the members and investigators that I used to work with, which was
really nice.  One of the members told me last week that he would bring
me a new pair of shoes, just out of the blue, even though I politely
refused like 5 times, and he respected that!  The fit perfectly and
they're really shiny, so they're now my Sunday shoes.  What a kind
soul, to bring me a new pair of...soles...ha!  Anyway...there was
almost no one at church at the start of our branch.  There were
literally 4 of us when we started.  Woof.  It still went ok, and
afterwards we got to sit down with a woman and tell her how even after
baptism God doesn't expect us to be perfect.  That's why we have the
Atonement!  I LOVE talking about the Atonement.  Every time I do I
blow my own mind.  We've been working on tying everything we talk
about back to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and it's cool to see how
EVERYthing eventually works back to that.  He is the center of all
truth, no matter what you're talking about (given that it is Gospel
related, of course).  Anyway, we saw her parents next (the old couple
who's been waiting to be baptized) and the papa asked us for a
blessing.  It went smoothly, given that Elder Gelinas gave it.

I also forgot to mention that Elder Johnston is working with Elder
Wright, and I haven't seen him since I visited Yaounde a year ago.
I'm looking forward to being together in the same apartment for a
while.  He's a great kid and an awesome missionary.  I also met the
new African missionaries working with Elder Hatch and VanAusdal.
There's Rakotonindriana, the malgasy, and Ndayizeye, from Burundi.
The former is working with Hatch, and he's a hoot.  Very open, speaks
wonderful English, and is a great basketball player as it turns out.
The Burundian doesn't talk much and doesn't speak English (or
basketball for that matter, haha), but he's a really nice kid and is
always laughing or smiling, even if he doesn't say much.

It's going to be an incredible week, I can feel it!  It always is when
God is on your side.  I recently finished reading through the Doctrine
and Covenants, all 138 sections.  It took me the last 2 transfers, and
I learned so much.  So much knowledge is to be had in the scriptures.
They're all right there at our fingertips!  All we have to do is open
them and read, understand, and apply what we're reading and our lives
will become so much better!  We will be so much happier!  All I do all
day is tell people how they just need to read 5 minutes every day and
they will change for the better. I PROMISE them that it's true!  I can
do that because I've done it personally and I've seen it change the
lives of others.  Have you done it yourself?  Do you know that the
scriptures are true?  Do you read them?  If you do, great! Keep at it!
 If you don't, why not?!  If you don't have time, MAKE TIME.  If
you're tired, read at another time of the day!  I personally love to
read right before I leave for the morning because then I have all
these scriptures in my head throughout the day and they keep me
straight.  Whatever floats your boat, do it!  If you need to scoop out
a sinking boat, get to work!  If you need to build a better frame, put
your shoulder to the wheel!  If there's too much junk to keep you
afloat, get rid of some of it until you're above water!  If you don't
know how a boat floats, ask someone (Heavenly Father included)!
Whatever you can do, DO IT.  Your life will change.  The sun will
shine brighter and so will your face.  That is the effect that Jesus
Christ has on our lives.  That is the power of His Word. It even
"heals the wounded soul" and "tells us everything we need to do." So
read it already! :)

I love you,

Elder Garland