So it was just a normal night at our apartment with 7
elders. We all went to bed doing the same old thing. I am a pretty
deep sleeper for those of you who know me so I generally can sleep through
almost anything. Well at around like 3:30 I knocked my alarm clock
that I put right by my pillow off my bed. It woke me right up.. I was
fumbling in the dark for it and finally found it. As I was laying there
trying to fall back asleep I had a really weird feeling. I heard a loud bang
from the front of the apartment... I knew something wasn't right but I was
still so tired I didn't think much of it. I said a prayer to make the
feeling go away and I listened to what the spirit was trying to tell me.
I continued to lay there just thinking. about 2 minutes later I
heard one of the other Elders in a very panicked voice calling us to get out of
bed. He rushed into our room and said one word... TEEFS! (Thieves)
Oh man I just flew out of bed and rushed to the front of the apartment.
There was a stick wedged in between our front door being used as a
crowbar! We grabbed some sierra leone machettes called cutlasses and
tried to get out the front door but the stick was wedged in sooo hard that we
couldn't even open the door! We went out our back door and rushed to the
front. The gate was wide open and some of the barbed wire on our wall was
bent and pushed down. They apparently have a key to our very generic lock
we put on the outside gate. The only thing that kept the door from opening
is this little slide lock that we have on the inside. I am seriously
amazed they didn't get inside. We did the less smart thing probably and
went outside our gate to chase anyone we saw down. We weren't able to
find anyone but oh man my heart was pumping! It was so fun!! I miss
getting adrenaline rushes like I use to! A rush of the spirit is far
better but it was still pretty fun! When the first elder got up he went
and checked the front.. They had taken out our front light bulb and set it on
the ground so they could work in the dark. He said he saw a flashlight
and at least 3 or 4 guys! When he flipped on the light and we rushed into
the front room they took off! The coolest thing about the whole
experience for me was how safe and secure I felt.... even though I had
adrenaline pumping through me... I was never scared. I know the Lord was
watching over all of us. I know that if they had gotten inside... we
would have been ok. However, the Lord blessed us by using that tiny slide
lock that I have often laughed at myself in the past when I use it. God
would never let anything happen to us that wasn't suppose to happen.
It was pretty hard to fall asleep after such a rush but I
finally managed to get like 5 hours of sleep! We were all pretty tired
the rest of the day and some of the other elders were pretty on edge. A
lot of other drama happened later that morning with our neighbor who we saw
when we were trying to find the teefs. It made me realize that no matter
what the situation... no matter the time... Missionaries need to act like
missionaries... We are representatives of Jesus Christ so what we do should
portray what Christ would do in a situation. Then it made me think even
deeper. As members... we have all taken the name of Christ upon us...
everyday we need to be able to look back and feel content with our actions of
the day. Lots of people are converted through the example of others...
Whether we like it or not.. people will watch us everywhere we go. We can
choose to be good examples.. or we can end up being bad examples. I am so
grateful for all the amazing examples I have in my life. I truly try and
model my life after people like my dad. He is one of the best examples to
me and to my friends. All fathers should be that kind of example to their
children and I pray that one day I will be.
Alright... time to lighten the mood a little. The
funniest part about this whole story and culture... in the morning we found my
companions shorts that were hanging up to dry on the ground. he picked
them up and made a hilarious face... There were massive brown streaks all over
his shorts!! We searched a little bit and found some African droppings on
our front driveway!! hahaha! I about died of laughter when I realized what
happened!! Apparently it is semi-normal for teefs in africa to leave a
surprise behind! ahhhh!!! My companion didn't think it was too funny cause it
was his shorts that had feces all over them but my true laugh definitely came
out! I kinda want to find the teefs and just give them a pat on the back
for making me laugh so hard! hahaha
There are weird things that happen everyday here. I am
so happy for the uniqueness of my mission! No matter what happens in
life... whether some one wipes with your shorts or maybe an investigator
doesn't come to church. Push on with hope and trust that the Atonement
will wash EVERYTHING clean! ;) I love my Heavenly father and his plan more than
I could ever express in an email. Keep on keeping on!
Love Elder Crandall the Vandal!
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