Bonjour, et bonne chance avec la neige, ma famille! (:
Hi everyone. I hope you're all doing well.
E. Malala: I'm going to try an experiment. *fills a watermelon husk with water and sets it on the stove*
Haha, we have lots of fun together, Malala and I. We're having a great time together. And no, a watermelon husk does not burn when put on the stove. (;
This morning, Elder Malala and I calculated some statistics about our missions. We have taught 2,500 lessons between the two of us, over the course of our missions. Based on an average of total lessons taught with different companions divided by weeks spent with that companion, if measuring by lessons, Elder Malala is my hardest working companion.
Elder Malala and i are very similar. Him and his family love music. We share the same birthday! We get along very well. Sometimes we just talk about whatever's on our minds. He's a great guy, and I'm blessed to have been able to work with him.
This week was focused a lot on preparing Papa Favor for baptism.
Wednesday evening, we worked with Frère Djiowulo, a recently returned missionary. Man, working with RMs makes life so much more easier. At one point, Frère Djiowulo said "I'll search for contacts, because I now need to do what I've exhorted other people to do for two years." RM Goals, my friends. (:
We've been teaching two children, Willy and Julianne. Their mother is a member, and she wants her kids to be baptized. On top of that, she will soon be married to a non-member, so we've had one or two discussions about religion since then. Working with families is the best.
On Thursday, I did a split with Elder Gozo. He's from Cote d'Ivoire, and he's very cool. He's a hard worker, and he's obedient. We had a good time together, and it's nice to know that Hedzranawoé 2 is in good hands. (:
Another one of our amis is Pépé, an old man who has a heart problem that ceases blood flow in some of his limbs, so he has problems using his right arm, and walking. He's a very sweet soul. Progress is slow, but it's worth the time to "sit a spell" and help Pépé out. He's a great guy.
Another great ami is Petro. He's a security guard, and he's super humble. Every time we pass by during his night shift, he's just simply happy. He always appreciates our visits. He's a great guy as well.
We gave a Book of Mormon to a friend of Petro. His name is Ekué. His sister had a miscarriage recently, and one day he told her something rather doctrinally bleak about the miscarriage, and then that very same day he went to work, and found Petro reading the Plan of Salvation brochure. He was super interested by it, and when we met him for the first time, he said "Can I have a Book of Mormon?" I really like that question. (:
We've re-started the English class that used to be here in Hedzranawoé. We had a few people participate, but we're hoping that many will come to learn!
The baptismal service for Papa Favor was great. Maman Favor's mother was in bad health, so normally she should've gone to the village, but she took the time to see her husband get baptized. While we were taking photos, I made them hold hands, and they smiled, and you could just see eternity beginning. Cherish the small things, folks. (:
In all, it's been a great week. I focused my studies on "Joy and Spiritual Survival," by President Russell M. Nelson. It's a great talk, I highly recommend it. True joy is dependent on how we focus our lives on the Savior Jesus Christ. While there are many cases that require professional assistance, we can all find joy in focusing our lives on the Savior. At the beginning of my mission, I could say that I wanted to do something for the Savior. Nowadays I'm just a witness of what the Savior does for me. And I invite y'all to do likewise.
Have a fantastic week! I love y'all so very much!
Elder Brian H. Phillips
"Travailler comme c'est votre premier jour, témoigner comme c'est votre dernier."
Hi everyone. I hope you're all doing well.
E. Malala: I'm going to try an experiment. *fills a watermelon husk with water and sets it on the stove*
Haha, we have lots of fun together, Malala and I. We're having a great time together. And no, a watermelon husk does not burn when put on the stove. (;
This morning, Elder Malala and I calculated some statistics about our missions. We have taught 2,500 lessons between the two of us, over the course of our missions. Based on an average of total lessons taught with different companions divided by weeks spent with that companion, if measuring by lessons, Elder Malala is my hardest working companion.
Elder Malala and i are very similar. Him and his family love music. We share the same birthday! We get along very well. Sometimes we just talk about whatever's on our minds. He's a great guy, and I'm blessed to have been able to work with him.
This week was focused a lot on preparing Papa Favor for baptism.
Wednesday evening, we worked with Frère Djiowulo, a recently returned missionary. Man, working with RMs makes life so much more easier. At one point, Frère Djiowulo said "I'll search for contacts, because I now need to do what I've exhorted other people to do for two years." RM Goals, my friends. (:
We've been teaching two children, Willy and Julianne. Their mother is a member, and she wants her kids to be baptized. On top of that, she will soon be married to a non-member, so we've had one or two discussions about religion since then. Working with families is the best.
On Thursday, I did a split with Elder Gozo. He's from Cote d'Ivoire, and he's very cool. He's a hard worker, and he's obedient. We had a good time together, and it's nice to know that Hedzranawoé 2 is in good hands. (:
Another one of our amis is Pépé, an old man who has a heart problem that ceases blood flow in some of his limbs, so he has problems using his right arm, and walking. He's a very sweet soul. Progress is slow, but it's worth the time to "sit a spell" and help Pépé out. He's a great guy.
Another great ami is Petro. He's a security guard, and he's super humble. Every time we pass by during his night shift, he's just simply happy. He always appreciates our visits. He's a great guy as well.
We gave a Book of Mormon to a friend of Petro. His name is Ekué. His sister had a miscarriage recently, and one day he told her something rather doctrinally bleak about the miscarriage, and then that very same day he went to work, and found Petro reading the Plan of Salvation brochure. He was super interested by it, and when we met him for the first time, he said "Can I have a Book of Mormon?" I really like that question. (:
We've re-started the English class that used to be here in Hedzranawoé. We had a few people participate, but we're hoping that many will come to learn!
The baptismal service for Papa Favor was great. Maman Favor's mother was in bad health, so normally she should've gone to the village, but she took the time to see her husband get baptized. While we were taking photos, I made them hold hands, and they smiled, and you could just see eternity beginning. Cherish the small things, folks. (:
In all, it's been a great week. I focused my studies on "Joy and Spiritual Survival," by President Russell M. Nelson. It's a great talk, I highly recommend it. True joy is dependent on how we focus our lives on the Savior Jesus Christ. While there are many cases that require professional assistance, we can all find joy in focusing our lives on the Savior. At the beginning of my mission, I could say that I wanted to do something for the Savior. Nowadays I'm just a witness of what the Savior does for me. And I invite y'all to do likewise.
Have a fantastic week! I love y'all so very much!
Elder Brian H. Phillips
"Travailler comme c'est votre premier jour, témoigner comme c'est votre dernier."