Loved talking with the Fambo!

I was just counting down the minutes all week to the time I was able to call my family!  I loved hearing all of your guys voices and especially Milo's!  I was debating who's voice sounded cuter... Dad's or Milo's... Sorry dad... the cute voice award goes to the best nephew ever!!!  I don't think I have ever really mentioned it.. nor did I ever think it would happen.. but I have been a little homesick.  I brag about how awesome my family is to everyone and then I realize how little time I gave to them while I was home.  Makes me wish I could come back and just spend all the time with you guys but then I am reminded.... I get to spend eternity with you guys so I guess I can finish my mission first ya? haha

So while I was talking to you I told you I would share the experience over email of what happened when I went on Exchanges with one of the Zone leaders.  So I was able to go to their area and I was with Elder G***.  A little bit about him.. my first couple impressions were that he is and extrovert and is a nut about missionary work.  I have had the opportunity to talk with him a lot because we serve in the same branch but after our exchange... he seriously feels like one of my best friends and I look up to him so much.

We exchanged Thursday night so I was able to sleep at his apartment.  We spent like 2 or 3 hours just talking and laughing about all the crazy things we did before missions.  He is a lot like all my friends back home and has very similar interests.  He is way in to wake boarding and just being weird and making people laugh... which are my hobbies haha!  So after all this talking and sharing stories.... Our conversation changed small.  We talked about how much fun we had but how our desires are changing.  Don't get me wrong.... I will always do weird things with my friends... but my perspective on life is changing.  We went so deep and were talking about the desires of our hearts and how it is possible to change our desires.  Our conversation went from just laughing and light hearted to one of the most deep and spiritual experiences I have had.  He shared with me some struggles he has had and I was able to relate with him perfectly.  I cannot even explain in words the powerful spirit that was there as we talked.  We both want to be perfect followers of Christ but we both know that we fail... and that we fail often.  The only way to really change a behavior is to change your desires.  However... changing your desires takes time and incredible amounts of effort.  After listening to him share his struggles... I couldn't hold back the feelings I had inside any longer.  I told him that everything he said was EXACTLY what I needed to hear.  A Tender Mercy as my dad likes to call it.  I shared with him about why I knew God wanted us to go on exchanges together and it was for this experience.  He spoke to my heart.  I felt so much love and peace.  We both stood up and bro hugged it out for like 30 seconds.  When you have a spiritual experience with someone... you are connected with them on a whole other level.  I am eternally grateful for the prompting Elder G*** had to share his struggles with me because it is the exact message God wanted me to hear.  There are no coincidences with God. 

Elder G*** and I then went on to have one of the most successful days I have ever had.  We would get bounced and so we would decide to say a prayer and ask where we should go... and the first people we talked to were itching to hear our message.  This happened twice that day.  He helped me to understand sooooooooo many things while we were out together.  I can't wait to apply what I learned.  I am so glad that Elder G*** didn't get transfered and he is still my zone leader.

Lot's of other cool things happened this week.  an investigator has been going through a really really hard break up.. He text us one night and told us that he was going to kill himself because he couldn't bear the pain anymore.  We were able to rush over and read scriptures with him.  I was able to explain the atonement.  We gave him a blessing and I have never heard a more spiritually guided blessing.  I know Elder Allen was saying exactly what God needed our investigator to know.  I was literally crying during the blessing, I need to stop crying on the persons head ha.  Sweet experience to be the tools for God.  I love being a missionary. for true true one.

Something I learned while talking to my family.... I need to have more fun!!!  So if anyone has any weird ideas of fun things or games I can play through out the day I would love to hear them!!  I get plenty of spiritual fun but I am lacking in the physical fun! haha 

 

Shout out to my Mom.  I love you more than all the stars in the sky.  You are the best person and mother I have ever known.  I am sorry I am so good at making you emotional haha.  I can feel the love you have for me all the way across the world.  Thank you for everything.  Happy Mother's Day yesterday!

first pic is me and Elder Gherkins at the end of our day....

second pic is me and Harold.. the paralyzed man who came to church this week as well as last week!! woooo!

Cody Eatting Fire Grass, Rainboots and Spiders

 Cody Eating Firegrass over Rice (twice a day)

 

 These are the rain boots and umbrellas the mission office issues for the missionaries. 

There has to be a lot of rain for them to need rain boots this hefty.

 

Sierra Leone is not for wimps. 

Cody says the spiders are as big as his hand.



God Helps Those Who Help Themselves!!!

I had a pretty sweet week!

So holy smokes... I have no clue where April went!  I have already been out for 3 months!! Can you believe it??  It is weird to look back... I feel like I have only been gone for like a weekend trip.... yet I feel like I am starting to forget certain things about home.  Like the sweet taste of cafe rio pork... I try and imagine every night while laying in my bed what a pork burrito tastes like.... all I can taste is mashed up fire grass on top of rice... haha... yum!

So I went on Exchanges this week with an Elder that is younger than me on mission!!  Elder Brandt is still in his first transfer.  I went to his area, so he did all the planning of who we would go see.  I realized how much I have grown while I have been out.  When I first came, if I knew I would be going out as senior companion I would have been stressing! However, the whole day we were out together we just followed the spirit and we had some sweet lessons and contacts.  I am slowly getting over my fear of going up and talking to random Africans! I can almost offically speak poor poor English... or in other words... Krio.  So mom, all those years of working on my grammar went to waste.  If you had taught me bad grammar then I would have been perfectly prepared for Sierra Leone! haha  Transfers are next week and it is very possible that I could train so It was really nice to go out as 2 noobs who still are learning and see that it is possible to make things happen!

One of the highlights of my week. I got a text from Elder Muthoni... my companion back in my last area.  They were having a baptism with 4 people that I had helped find and teach!!  One of them in particular... her name is Suba Johnson.  When I first met her she was one of those people you would say to yourself " man she would never accept the gospel"  well.... Never judge... cause BOOM... she just got baptized! ahhh so sweet!  I got that text at 6:30 in the morning too so it helped motivate me to work out.  So she got baptized.. and i'm keeping from putting on the pudge(fat)! haha

It has been starting to rain.  I thought I would hate it... but it has been cooling everything down!  I love the sound of the rain on the tops of the tin roofs here.  You know it is raining before you ever feel it because you can hear it hit the roof tops way out in the distance!  Another blessing.. since it has been raining... we finally got power for the first time in like 4 months in Bo!!  And it lasted for a whole 30 minutes!! yay!! haha  We get 3 hours a day with the generator on and then we shut it off so we can sweat the bed.  It is an awesome experience waking up wet and realizing the body print you left on your bed is just from sweat haha!

The best blessing/miracle that happened this week was definitely with a Man named Harold Rogers.  Harold is paralyzed on his whole left side.  He has been taking missionary discussions for the past 4 months but has never been able to come to church.  We told him that if he would make the effort to come to church 1 time, then we would prepare him to be baptized.  Well, the past 3 weeks I have tried to do everything to help him come to church but he always ends up coming up with an excuse.  So... I had the strongest impression to go to his house before church this sunday.  We showed up at 8:15 a.m. and saw him sitting in the same spot on his porch as always.  We asked him if we wanted to come to church and he again began to give excuses.  I said like 10 prayers inside my head while we were standing there talking to him.  Finally, after helping him realize that all of his concerns could be easily solved.  HE CHOSE to come to church!! yes!!!!!  we went and called a motorcycle to take him to church.  We helped him get ready and then lifted him on to the back of the motorcycle.  He had a helmet that was much to big and kinda hung off his head crooked.  He looked absolutely adorable haha!  A young boy rode on the back so he was sandwiched in and wouldn't fall off.  I cannot explain the pure joy I felt as I watched him ride off to church.  Man.... Missionary work his sweet. I read today in Jesus the Christ about happiness and Pleasure.  Happy memories are easily looked back upon and that same joy returns inside my heart.  Pleasurable memories don't have that lasting feeling.  Watching Harold ride to church will definitely be a lasting happy memory that I will never forget.

Our area has had a very slow start.  I am doing my best to find and teach more people and especially families.  Families are so important in this gospel.  I am so grateful for my family and the support and love I am given from them.  Family is definitely one thing I took for granted while I was home.  However, whenever I look back on the memories... they bring that lasting happiness.  So sweet.

I can't wait to talk with my family on mothers Day!! Woot!!!  

Today is our super P-day so we were able to watch Ephrams Rescue.  Wow.  Powerful movie.  If you haven't seen it I would suggest watching it.  I hope that one day I will have the same amount of faith as the pioneers who crossed the plains.  "God helps those who Help themselves"  quote from the movie that I loved.  People in Salone don't really understand h0w god works.  They think that if God wants them to do something then HE will make it happen.  However, if we don't put forth the effort first then we can't just sit and wait for the reward.  Do your best and then Christ will do the rest.  

 
funny quote for the week while talking to a boy who has been a member for 10 years.  "Wait... Prophet Mohamed isn't a Prophet?!?" haha I about died when he worded it like that.

Shout out to all my friends at college!!  Hope finals went well! Can't believe you are all moving back home! I had some of the best memories just that 1 semester at Utah State with you all!