October 20

Hey sports fans,

This week was really fast and slow at the same time.  So if that makes any sense, we'll get started.

Elder Sperry and I decided to live more heathily, so we started making more smoothies, which are delicious.  So don't be concerned about this whole ebola thing - I have bananas and red currants to protect me. 

I finished reading the Miracle of Forgiveness, which is kindof a bummer because I was hoping it would last longer.  I have to find another book to read by some General Authority, they're always so good.

Poor Elder Ralison, our Malgash friend was send to Brazzaville to get his kidneys checked out because there "happened" to be a specialist in town that very day.  We had many prayers sent out for him, so I'm pretty sure the Big Man upstairs heard and was looking over him too. 

One of the eggs in our shelf exploded of its own free will and proceeded to fill the apartment with the most foul, rank smell you've never welcomed into your nose.  It was so awful.  I think that's why people back home refridgerate their eggs...?  I have no idea actually.  Why do you put eggs in the fridge???  I also haven't even seen a white egg in months, so...

This week was huge for teaching, though one of our investigators called us and told us she was moving to Brazzaville, so that was too bad.  We have a few new investigators despite our overloaded program, and we saw one of them on Tuesday - Nathanael.  He's a cool dude, the first vegitarian I've met in Africa.  He's straight up, serious, but sincere, so we appreciate that.  Looking forward to talking more in depth with him tomorrow!

Elder Naughton, waiting for his visa to Gabon, took the role of district leader in Mpaka and gave us the lesson on Wednesday about our role as missionaries and how we can accomplish that role.  It was a great reminder.  We sat down with a girl who told us about how she used to lead a pretty poor lifestyle but blamed it on a demon that entered into her and that her mom had to call the local pastors to cast it out of her and then they found a ring in the back of her mouth.  So she's more obedient now.  Thank goodness. 

We went to teach a younger girl (the sister of a member) about the 10 commandments, when in the background "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree" came on full blast.  It was so hard to concentrate.  Elder Sperry and I looked at each other, and both did the bell shake and bass line intro.  Come on...it's a classic.  Thankfully we were able to pull it together and make a good lesson out of it.  We had to see them early in the morning, so we didn't get to eat lunch until later.  Along the side of the rails there's a bunch of shops, bars, and grills, so we stopped at this one mama and asked for a couple brochettes of chicken gizzards with kwanga, and of course they thought that was hilarious, as did the guys next to whom we sat.  We answered a lot of questions, and ended up teaching the restoration to some guy who was curious about why we were there.  We might eat out more often...the whole thing only cost us $2.  Probably because we mostly just ate the knuckle parts of the chicken leg...but it was grilled, so hey.  Delicious chicken knuckles with mayo and onions.

I got a surprise phone call from President Monga on Thursday asking for the airport I would fly into, telling me he was working on my flight information.  I wasn't expecting that, so that was a little nerve-wracking.

We had a full Friday, and after our bus ride out to Mayinga I got off and totally forgot to pay the controller (the guy who sits on the inside of the big sliding door and calls out the stops and makes kissy noises to people on the outside and bangs on the roof or the side when someone calls a stop or wants to be picked up).  Elder Sperry reminded me after I took a couple steps, but when I turned around he was like, "nahh it's ok!  You guys are missionaries!"  So that was really nice. 

Archilley, the girl who was possessed by a demon but thank goodness is better, told us that her dad just got back from China and that he was home.  Well when we got to her parcelle there were probably 6 people all sitting aroud in chairs listening to music from a car parked nearby, and while she was getting chairs for us I asked, "So which one of you just got back from China?" All of them just stared at me, so I asked the question again, "Did one of you go to China recently...?" And one guy answers, "She went inside to get chairs."  I was like, "Oh yeah, I know, I just...ummm..."  "She's getting chairs."  "Yeah..." that's when we walked away and sat down with our friend.  It was so awkward.  But when people don't want to listen, they don't care how you feel haha.

ANYway, our last rendez-vous on Friday was with our young friend Joseph and his mom Nadege, though she didn't get there until much later because she was caught in traffic coming back from Grand Marche, looking for ingredients so she could make us a big salade.  We were supposed to go pretty much right when she got there, but she was really insistent and we didn't want to offend her, so by candle light we helped cut cucumbers and wash lettuce as she threw together this delicious African salade for us, complete with baguettes.  It was mighty good, and surprisingly filling.  The best part is that on Sunday she came to church with her son for the first time, and was super well receieved by the other sisters.  I was proud of the Relief Society that day, but I'll get to that later.

On Saturday morning, Sister Bailey fell sick and wasn't able to go out with Elder Bailey, so he asked us to go with him to Foucks to bring them their 80 pound gas can.  It set us back an hour, but it ended up working out like it always does.  We came back, studied and ate lunch, and went out to get Paco so we could have our coordonation meeting and talk about the baptism on Saturday for Hermeland and an investigator from Pointe-Noire's sector who just barely moved into our zone.  After our meeting, we went to Mpaka's baptism for the two I interviewed last week, and it was wonderful.  Frere Mabiyala announced me to give the talk on baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost without telling me before, which is always fun.  It's like God testing you if you're ready to follow the whispers of the Spirit.  What happens is you stand up, walk to the stand, turn and look at the crowd, open your mouth and out come the words!  It is truly miraculous when the Spirit takes over and you no longer are giving YOUR talk but the Lord's.  When you align yourself so completely with His will that His words come out, not yours.  I LOVE THAT.  It's quite the rush, and so satisfying to know that God is using you as an instrument.  Not to say the talk was amazing or anything; it was just a normal baptismal talk.  But to feel like I was running off the Spirit...it was refreshing.

Afterwards, we had branch council for the first time since I was with Elder Etherington several months ago.  We missed English class, but sat down with a friend of ours after.  When we got home, we made mac an cheese and smoothies and sat out on the porch (it's the best when the power is out because it's really dark and quiet and peaceful) to drink them.  I was banking on starting up some deep conversation about life with Elder Sperry, but as is often the case we ended up talking about Starcraft and other nerdy stuff haha.  I believe there's a time for temperal talk on your mission, and that was definitely one of them.  We grow closer every day, sharing new stories and sometimes recycling old ones because that's what happens when you're together for too long haha.  Anyway.  I loved it.  We laughed a bunch.

Sunday was mint.  We had 22 investigators at church and gave 2 Portuguese Livro de Mormon to Belna (our recent convert who grew up in Cambinda) and her mom (who came for the first time), and they were thrilled.  Sister Doretta told us she was pregnant, and then Remy, her husband, pretended like he didn't know, which was hilarious.  Then Sister Bailey came to church because she felt a little better and told us that she had brought the guitar that had been promised to us several weeks ago.  It was the most happy Sunday haha.  President Caillet talked about abandoning tradition - something this people desperately needs. 

After church we went out to see some of our investigators, and invited another one to teach with us.  He did great, and his testimony of the Book of Mormon is wicked awesome.  The missionaries gave it to him a few years ago, and then he prayed about it and had the coolest feeling in him and says it was the first time he'd ever believed that God actually existed. Incredible.

We disciplined ourselves when we got home to eat lunch, and do all our studies before playing guitar.  It was so nice, but my fingers are torn to shreds...typing hurts, haha.  But it's been great to jam with my new simplified hymn book which gives guitar chords for various hymns.  It's great!  Plus Elder Sperry's been teaching me new blues chords, which has been really cool too.  I just missed playing guitar really bad.

That's about all that's happened this week!  It rained a little this morning, but we're still waiting for the first big rain of the season.  In the meantime, the weather is getting hotter, and hotter, and hotter. 

I love you all, and I pray for you always.  Time is getting shorter, but I've got my head up and I'm focused, so no worries.  Have a wonderful week, take your vitamins and do your sit ups :)

Elder Garland