Time is ticking...
This week came and went. We had some great experiences every day, as always. Though sometimes it's difficult to stay efficient with our time, we do our best and work our hardest. On Tuesday we had quite the load of lessons, and then on Wednesday we went on a split. In the morning we all went over to the Kinsoundi elders' apartment (which is sooo shady and makes me grateful for my house!) to do companionship study with the elders who are training. It was awesome - I went with Elder Ntambwe (who I know from Pointe-Noire from when I FIRST got there) and his trainee Elder Bakajika from Kinshasa. After studying together Elder Ntambwe made fufu and make a sauce and cooked chicken for everyone (excpet Elder Tweneboah - he doesn't like fufu haha). I realized that's what makes the elders leave so late, because it takes forever to prepare, so that gave me something to talk about during our zone conference a few days later.
Anyway, I followed the elders around their sector all day, which was a nice change of pace. Well...actually, it was really hard haha. They work across two big mountains, which of course we had to walk up and down and through to get to their appointments. It made me grateful for my relatively flat sector. The people we saw, however, were great. We focused mostly on less-actives, one of them being a man whose belly was super bloated and whose legs were drying out as he suffered from liver cancer. He was healthy enough to shuffle around a bit, but that's all. He was really happy to have a visit. Little did I know that it would be his last...we got word during church on Sunday that he died not long after. It was really weird for me to hear that. Like, one day he's there, and hup! Gone. We were all laughing and praying together and hup! Dead. I was sad, but happy that he'd be ok in the spirit world. No more itchy legs! There is hope!
We also visited a really young couple (dont le mari est membre), and who had lost an infant about a year ago, resulting in the husbands inactivity. He got mad at God and kindof rebelled. But through our visit with him and his wife we helped them to realize why bad things happen to good people, and in the end he was saying the closing prayer, thanking God for his trials. Incredible. I also saw a man who looked totally normal and then BAM! HUGE big toes. Like elephantitis toes. He was walking pretty normally, barefoot, but dang...what a crazy disease. At the end of the day I went to their ward building to interview one of their candidates, which went really well.
On Thursday we went out to see one of my favorite investigators, Sandrine, and her family, and ended up doing her dishes! It'd been a while since we got to do any service, so I was once again thankful for that. Then we had a blast teaching the Plan of Salvation to another girl who just ate it up.
President called a zone conference on Friday, which ended up lasting a lot longer than we'd planned - from 9-3 we were at the stake center/mission office talking about things we can work on as missionaries and we mostly talked about extending more boldly invitations. I also got a birthday present from Elder Wright - a Cameroon jersey and Cameroonian bottle caps that I'd regretted not picking up when I was there (I've collected the ones I've found in the Congo). Needless to say, I was wicked happy. I love that guy.
We had a sandwich and then left to see President Yengo, the stake president, at the ward to talk about things that he thinks the wards can work on that we can transmit to the elders. He's a very wise man, and I loved meeting with him. He knows that without them our work is really difficult, so he's doing his best to help us!
On Saturday we got to see some new people before heading out to a marriage in Kinsoundi, which ended up being your typical African wedding - long talks about marriage, break outside and everyone dances as they walk presents to the married couple and to take a picture with them, then food was served (rice, beans, chicken, fish, bread, salade, kwanga, juice), and then we all went home! I got to see some old friends from Pointe-Noire again, and we got to take some pictures and speak Munukutuba and everyone laughed, which is your average reaction from an African listening to a white guy speak his own language haha.
Sunday was both great and rough. First, we started off our fast for one of our investigators who's having a problem getting out of financial difficulty. Then, it was SUPER hot all day, which made it hard to walk around. Then, we heard that our bishop's dad passed away, so that was sad. He wasn't there for us to console, but we plan on passing by sometime during the week. Frere Bath (pronounced Bat) gave my companion and me a tie, which was really nice. We got to confer him the Priesthood after church, and then we accompanied him to his house to talk about his responsabilities, after which we headed down 45 minutes the other direction to see another sister. We went home to study, where we were so whipped. We've been without power since Friday, and now we have no more water again. It's been...rough haha. My companion made fufu up the heezy, and we ate it with an awesome tomatoe sauce with beef AND chicken, and then I devoured a huge mango afterwards, sooo I slept like a champ, even without power.
And so begins my last week in the field...it will go by super fast - we have a lot of meetings with the new missionaries and President. So there might not be much to write next week. Not that it matters - it will be my last letter home and then hup! I'll BE home!
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