23/09/2013

Hey Everybody!....

      This is Elder Gray checking in for the first time in who knows
how long. I know you've all probably put me on the list of "worst
letter writers" ever... and that's only partly true. I've discovered
it's REALLY hard to send emails home over the internet when the
computer you're using doesn't have any internet connection. Trust me.
It's not all that much fun for me either.

      It's been too long to be able to give a super detailed list of
everything that has happened and to be completely honest I can't
really remember the last thing that I talked about. I guess I'll just
give a quick summary of things. I worked with three companions in
Cococodji. Elders Milambo (Congolesse) Dagrou (Ivorian) Lalaharninana
(French). We had insane success and helped establish a brand new
branch.

      I was transferred to the Akpakpa area the 13th of August and
worked with Elder Ragodonsondrasana (Malagash) for a month. I'm
currently working with Elder Ta (Ivorian) and living with Elders
Ratosomilala (Malagash) and Maxwell (American).

      Moving from the village to the city has been quite the adventure
and Elder Maxwell and I have had an awesome time trying to keep the
endless swarm of cockroaches at bay. One day we came home from a late
meeting, walked into the kitchen, flipped on the lights and saw dozens
of the little buggers scurrying around. Elder Gray promptly screamed
like a four year old girl and ran into the very well lit living room.

      After somehow convincing me to conquer my riduculously rational
fear of bugs bigger than my fingers; Elder Maxwell said the
inspirational words that I want sewn into a pillow one day. Armed with
shoes on feet, flip-flops in one had, and brooms in the other; "Gird
up thy loins Gray, We're goin' in!" we went for it. Yea, I say unto my
bretheren, so great and terrible was the battle fought that night. So
great and terrible as to have ever been known amongst the people of
Akpakpa. And it came to pass that their numbers were so many they
could not be numbered; and their bodies were heaped up and cast into
the darkness of the garbage. (Gray 2:4)

      All joking aside. I seriously wish I could send y'all pictures
of the heap upon heaps on cockroach corpses that we've assembled since
starting the war to cover all wars. (I'll send the SD card home in
January)

      Other adventures include buying a makeshift grill and charcoal
for good old Boy Scout style hot-dogs; burning all sorts of
broken/useless/too worn out to use items to celebrate my 7 month mark
and Elder Maxwells 18 month mark; trying to bake cookies in a rise
cooker because we have no oven; frying cookiedough because baking
cookies in the rice cooker went TERRIBLY wrong; and many other wild
adventures that go on the list of things to tell your family AFTER
being released. (I'm totally joking)

      When it comes to "missionary work". That's just about it. Work.
Being a missionary isn't easy. If it was they wouldn't have the term
"missionary work". If you think about it that term just kind of makes
sense.

      Our sector has three investigators that are progressing nicely.
Of course, like normal, nothing is easy and we're going to have to
fight through some problems with all three of them, but it's nothing
that we can't handle.

      The first is Aisha. She's the daughter of the Relief Society
present and has been running from the missionaries for years. She had
an accident and broke her left leg just before I got transferred her.
She hasn't been able to walk in months, but on the bright side.....
she can't run from the missionaries anymore! She's taken all the
lessons and has a super strong testimony. The only thing stopping her
from getting baptised is walking to the font.

      Papa Juste and his wife are the other two investigators. They're
a super nice couple that we've been teaching for the last couple of
weeks. It's been interesting teaching them, because most of our
lessons are specifically focused on marriage and getting along as a
couple. It's kind of funny when you think about two really young guys
who have no marriage experience what-so-ever couseling a very aged
couple on how to get along and how the gospel can change their lives.
The minute these two get married is the day they'll be baptised.

      Anyway. That's just about it. I don't really have a whole lot
else to say. I hope you've all been having a super fantastic couple of
weeks. Every day is a living testimony that this church is true,
because the missionaries haven't screwed it up yet. Love you all!

-Elder Gray