April 21

Hello to everyone!

Crazy week.  On Tuesday we went on splits, so I went with Elder Wright
in his sector and it was really fun.  On the way to our first
rendez-vous I asked the guy calling all the bus stops if I could do
his job, and he said yes.  So I leaned over out the window, started
making the kissy noise (it's a way to call people here.  I know.
Weird.) and hollering "Fond Tie Tie Fond Tie!!!"  The people in the
bus were dying.  People on the side of the street were dying.  I was
dying.  The driver was dying.  One guy actually called the bus over,
so I tapped on the roof and the driver pulled over, but thankfully we
stopped before he died completely.  The best part is that we had no
more places in the bus, so I called the bus over for no reason.  It's
ok because a maman in the front got out and let him in because she
thought it was so funny.  To avoid any certain deaths, however, I
decided to let the "controller" have his job back, to the dismay of
the passengers.  It was a good time haha.

Anyway, I met a lot of their investigators, one of whom I'd welcomed
at our church one day and redirected him to their church for the next
week.  He still remembered me!  Ulrich - the director of an elementary
school.  He's really cool.  On the way there we walked along this
river bed where there were 3 or 4 completed houses that had sunk 3/4
of the way into the river bed because every big rain the mud comes
through and covers everything in its path - even houses haha.  So that
was cool.  While we were sitting with Ulrich in the school, a kid came
in, grabbed a broken shovel and banged on it to call class.  African
school bells.  Awesome.

At the end of the day I did another baptismal interview with an 11
year girl who is as smart as I am, so that was a little unnerving.
She was so great.  Very intelligent.  Asked a lot of great questions.
She lives with her parents on the wharf, so our interview took place
on her cement floor by candlelight.  What a unique experience.  On the
way home we were backed up in traffic because, believe it or not,
there was just a tire sitting up in the middle of the road, and no one
wanted to move it.  Africa haha.

On Wednesday we went to a member's house to teach her husband and kid,
so that was fun.  They knew the missionaries a long time ago, but they
were just as excited to talk with us.  The member even offered an
interpretation to the dream I had about being a pilot.  She said
"maybe it just means you'll be a leader and help people find their way
and stuff like that!" so that was really cool to think about.  More
career opportunities...hmmm...

Their neighbors are also members, so we sat down with the mom of a
girl who's been coming to church for over a year and wants to be
baptized.  We asked if it was ok if we taught her daughter and she was
very happy to say yes.  She makes her own yoghurt and offered us some.
 So good.  She taught us how to make it, so I'm gonna try to do that
again.  It's been a while!  Oatmeal is getting a little old, too.  I'm
tired of sifting out little critters haha.

We did our weekly planning on Thursday, and got a phone call from the
Baileys telling us that Elder Gelinas got his visa and plane tickets
to Gabon and he would leaving for Libreville the next morning at 8! So
that was pretty abrupt!  We had our last full day together, and then
the Baileys fed us this delicious cajun chicken pasta and then took us
back to our apartment to help him pack and then they took him away!
It was so sudden.  I miss him already.

District meeting on Friday was great - the Baileys shared with us a
video on Easter called "Because of Him" which apparently was a huge
hit on YouTube!  Look it up if you can!  It's great.  Just a reminder
what He did for us.  Elder Etherington and I had our first full day
just the two of us (Will Smith anyone...?).  It started great - our
taximan gave us a free ride all the way out to Mpita (that means
nothing to you, but it was far), all because we talked to him about
the Gospel.  So many blessings for sharing your testimony!

President Cook came through on Saturday morning, so we met him for
lunch at the Baileys and had the best corn chowder of my entire life,
complete with homemade rolls and just so good. Cookies and brownies,
oh my.  I got to have an interview with President, and that's always
awesome.  We talked about Brazzaville being a possibility for the
Americans with our new mission president coming in July - his name is
still unknown, but we know he's from the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, from Lumbumbashi and served in Cote d'Ivoire and speaks English
apparently.  That will be a crazy difference, but we're all excited.
It'll be sad to leave President though.  This will be my 3rd one.
Yikes.

We went from there to our baptism - brother Van.  It went smooth as
butter, as soon as everyone showed up to do their job! I was super
stressed because first the chairs weren't set up, and then Van wasn't
there, and then Ghostavie wasn't there to baptize him, and then Gracia
wasn't there to lead the service, and then and then and then and on
top of all of it President was there asking where everyone was.  But
everyone came eventually, and it was awesome.  I loved it.

Easter Sunday was awesome.  Well.  When we woke up in the morning, I
noticed that the kitchen door was open.  Then I saw Elder Wright and
Johnston's stuff out on the veranda.  Then I was suspicious, so I
asked Elder Wright who said he had no idea why it was out there.
Turns out we got robbed in the night.  Someone climbed up the balcony
from outside and came right in the kitchen, stole our DVD players,
took the other Elders' backpacks, emptied all the brochures and
scriptures, took our phones and Elder Etherington's watch.  The last
stuff was on our desk.  In our room.  So that was the creepiest part,
knowing that he'd come in our room and took stuff right next to us.
BUT we were super thankful that God protected us, and that the thief
didn't, for some reason, take any of the money that was on our desk or
the kitchen table or the other elders' desks.  World's worst thief.
Anyway.  We're safe, and we're locking our kitchen door, so it's ok.

We had 22 people at church.  Incredible.  We met new people and old
people and members and friends.  The President was in Dolisi...no news
on going up there yet.

I love you all and I'm thankful I lived to preach another day.  This
work is so great.  So many miracles and tender mercies.  Life is
wonderful and beautiful.  Stop to smell the roses (if you live in a
country that can grow them).

Have a wonderful week!

Elder Garland