The Night Bus

Bonjour from Côte d’Iviore! This week was great! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! It definitely didn’t feel like Christmas here, with the 95° weather and the church next to us blasting their music, but it was okay. I don’t really have any super interesting activities or events from this past week, but I’ll share a little of what I have.

On mardi we went to a singing activity at Toit Rouge. After asking about 8 or 9 orange taxis, we finally found one guy that would take us there. I have never felt closer to dying in my life. For those of you that are familiar with the Night Bus from Harry Potter, it was really similar to that. He drove through red lights, on the sidewalk, through gaps between cars that seemed at times too small for someone with a motorcycle, turned sharply, braked quick and started quick, almost hit one of the dudes that pushes the wheelbarrow things around, turned sharply the other way, and finally, we arrived at Toit Rouge. The whole drive. Wham!, everyone in the back squished to the left side. Brake!, everyone almost hits their heads on the seats in front. Wham!, starts again and everyone is pressed against the right window. Oh hey, now we’re in oncoming traffic at 70kph aaannnd wham to the left. Brake! Start! Wham! The craziest driver ever. And the whole time, he’s talking to us, turning to look at us in the back seat, and asking us for cookies. Driving clutch. I could talk a lot about that 40 minute experience (he made it there 20 minutes faster than we normally do), but that should suffice for now.

Anyways.

Later that day, la famille Attuman (branch president and his family) had us over for Christmas Eve dinner. They’re so nice, I love that family so much. We ate attieke like last time, except this time there was keesh (quiche) and some little cookies too. It was so good, I ate way too much. Then, after we had cleaned up dinner, Sr Attuman brought out this cake roll thing! I ate a slice of it. I was stuffed. Then after, we sang some hymns in French, and I felt the spirit. It was a great experience. I love that family so much.

 Fr Daniel received the Aaronic Priesthood on dimanche! I’ve never been more happy to sustain a priesthood ordination than for him. Now that he has the priesthood, he can baptize his son! Fr Daniel's son was going to get baptized a couple weeks ago, but his mom said no because she wanted Fr Daniel to do it. It’ll be a sweet experience I’m sure.

So, last week we found 7 new ami’s. Only 3 of them were super interested. Sr Marie Lue and Fr & Sr Djehi. We found 4 people this week that seem really interested. Sr Esthel (she’s the oldest daughter of la famille Djehi), Fr Ette, and two soeurs just the other day, Sr Janine & Sr Morellu (sp?). Sr Marie Lue we’ve taught twice, and she believes that our church is the true church, but her family and fiancé don’t like the church, so she struggles with that. I hope she’ll choose what’s best for her. The other day while we were at sector, my comp felt inclined to enter one of the corridors of houses to find someone to teach. We talked to the first guy we saw, Fr Ette, and he invited us inside. He knew that we were messengers sent from God. We taught him a little bit about the restoration, and he was very interested. We’re hoping to return next week. While we were returning from a rendezvous, someone called out “les Elders!” These two soeurs walked over and told us how one of their friends invited them to the paroisse in Port Bouet, and that they want to know more. We got their contacts, gave them brochures, and we’re planning on teaching them next week. Now, to the Famille Djehi. They were a contact from our bishop, and they’ve been wonderful. I’m not sure how many kids they have, but it’s at least 6 (ranging in ages 18-3 years old), including Sr Esthel. They’re always so nice to us, and very interested in the gospel. I have high hopes for them. Every night I pray that they will be sealed in the temple as a family. If I can participate in their journey to being together for eternity, I’ll be more than happy. I understand how some people have said that the greatest joy you can have on a mission is helping a family be sealed together. Ah just imagining how wonderful that would be, I can’t express my feelings. Anyways I’ll update you guys on the progress of all those people next week.

All of those ami’s, along with Fr Daniel and a few others were all prepared by the spirit. I didn’t really know what that meant before, but I definitely do now. Here’s a scripture to go along with that thought:

“The Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them ... That they might not be hardened against the word, that they might not be unbelieving, and go on to destruction, but that they might receive the word with joy, and as a branch be grafted into the true vine, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord their God.” (Alma 16:16-17)

This scripture is so true. Here, the Lord has poured his Spirit on this people. The people are truly humble and listen. Their hearts are softened and they accept the gospel willingly and eagerly. It’s such a blessing to be here and participate in this glorious work. My eyes have been opened and my heart has been filled. I love this place. I can’t express how grateful I am to be here. Thank you guys so much for your support and love. Until next year!

- Elder Lyman

A Child is Born

Bonjour from Côte d'Iviore! This week was great! For some reason the week felt like an eternity, even though the days passed quickly. Explain that for me? My new comp is super cool. Elder Agbahounzo. He's the chef du district in replacement of Elder Kalala. He's way cool, and I can joke around with him. Things are looking good in our companionship for the future, in the terms of teaching and helping people 

The only struggle is that now with an apartment of 6 elders there's lots of bickering between the other elders, but I won't get into that.

We had our Christmas activity on the 18th at Toit Rouge. The zones of Divo, Port Bouet, and Toit Rouge were there, which was way cool. We watched some church videos, did an object lesson with cups, and ate some pizza. It was a good activity. I got to see my MT's, Elder Godfrey, Gifford, and Erickson, which was really nice. I finally found a cantique; I've been searching for one ever since I got here. Overall, the activity was a great experience!

Elder Agbahounzo and I have been working hard this week, and we've found many new amis de l'eglise. One contact in particular is very promising. They're the Djehi family. The parents are married, which is very uncommon because of la dote, so I'd call that a miracle. They're a wonderful family, and I think that there's a good possibility that they'll be baptized. We also have Sr Adeline and Sr Marie Lue who are really interested and have a lot of questions. I'll probably have an update on their progress next week.

This year for light the world, a video was released, called "The Christ Child." The video is very well portrayed, I definitely would recommend watching it. It makes you think what it would have been like to be there. How amazing would it have been to have recognized the prophesied star and seen Jesus in the flesh? To have had the opportunity to see the Savior of mankind? I love the emotion portrayed in the video by the 3 wise men. It brings the foremost of them to tears of awe and joy, just to be in His presence. To finish, here's a real quick scripture from Isaiah:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." (Isaiah 9:6)

He is the Gift. He is the Light, the Lamb of God, The Prince of Peace. Just like the shepherds, we have been called from our labor and given an opportunity to worship Him. For this special time of the year, we can center our thoughts and actions on Him. This Christmas, focus your thoughts on our Savior. He lives. He loves us. He is The Christ.

Merry Christmas everyone.

-Elder Lyman

• Cantique = hymnbook, and Elder Godfrey had an extra, so he gave it to Elder Lyman.

• The cup activity “lesson was that little by little we can learn to do things, not everything at once.”

• Elder Lyman hates it when the other Elders bicker and will go without food if that is what the bickering is over. Or he will make a spaghetti omelet. Or eat one of the dwindling number of protein bars we sent him.

• Elder Agbahounzo is a hard worker.

• Elder Lyman had to prove he was himself on Hangouts this week because last week someone hacked his email and was asking his friends and family to follow them and send money. Euros, of all things. They don't use Euros in his mission.

• The Elders don’t have to knock on doors because “everyone is always chilling out in the street”.

• “On the 15th, I remember specifically praying to find new people to teach, and that's when we found 7 in one day. So a lot of the new amis are from then, along with 3 contacts from members, 1 from OVB, and 1 from just the ami not being there.”

• If the sun is out Elder Lyman’s clothes take 20 minutes to dry on the line outside.

• Tomorrow (Tuesday) there will be a special 3-mission meeting. Elder Lyman's area is removed from the rest of the mission in the city-wide area so he feels that they aren't kept up-to-date with happenings, but he thinks the 3-mission meeting is a choral thing.

• chef du district = District Leader

• For newbies... la dote = "the bride price" which is a certain amount of money a man must pay the bride's father in order to marry her. Many people live together and consider themselves married without being legally married because of the cost of la dote.

La mutation

Bonjour from Côte d’Iviore! This week was great! I’ve been really busy this week and today, so I’m sorry that I haven’t written very much. Everything is still wonderful here, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than serving the Lord. I’ve started to realize how much I love the people here. At first I was somewhat removed, mostly because my comprehension of French was very minimal at the start. The other day, I thought about all the members, amis de l’eglise, and missionaries here. I love each and every one of them, and having to say goodbye will be sad. Ça va aller for now though, because I get to stay here for 6 more weeks! La mutation (transfers) came on the 14th. Elder Kalala is now back home. He was the best companion that I could have possibly asked for. It was sad that he had to go, and I miss him, but life goes on. I’m happy that he can be with his family again. 

My new companion will be Elder Agbahounzo! He’s from Togo, which is way cool, I’ve never met anyone from Togo. I’m super excited to work with him, and I hope he’s excited too.

Now, I’ll explain a problem that I have. A problem with walking. Normally I can walk just fine, like any normal person. But sometimes, my brain subconsciously thinks, “Hey foot. I have a great idea. What if we don’t step on the sole, but we step on the side of the foot, doesn’t that sound great?” And my foot says, “Yeah sure, let’s try it.” Long story short, I’m walking normally, then all of a sudden, for some reason, I step on the side of my foot. I don’t know why it happens, because every time it does, I almost totally eat it. Thanks, brain.

Anyways.

One day, we ate lunch, then some amis de l’eglise made a huge platter of aloko with fish and pate for us to eat while out at sector. Then, we ate sauce graene with placali and gerri. Je vais grossir beaucoup. Ça va aller I guess.

On Mecredi, while at sector, my companions and I stopped at the Orange booth where Sr Cynthia works. While Elder Kal was talking with Sr Mesu and Sr Cynthia, a little girl about 2 years old walked up to me and stood at my feet, holding her arms up, as if she wanted me to hold her. I picked her up (don’t worry, her mom was there) and held her. She sat there for a while, just scrutinizing my face and white skin. She even poked my face a little, possibly making sure that I’m real. Then, instead of crying (as most kids her age do when they see me), she leaned her head against my neck, and kinda hugged me with her arms. It was the sweetest thing. It made me so happy. After a few more minutes of talking with les soeurs, we had to go. I set her down, and she started to cry! What was I supposed to do? We said goodbye, and walked away. As we were walking, I turned around to wave goodbye again, and the little girl was following me down the street! Eventually, we turned down into one of the concrete corridors, and I lost sight of her. Little kids are the sweetest things ever. Surprisingly, that was the first time that a kid had cried because of me leaving, not just me showing up. I’m not sure which is worse.

On Samedi, we had the service du baptême! Sr Laetitia and Sr Annick were our investigators from Vridi 1 (they’re sisters), and Fr Christian from Vridi 2. It went really well! The spirit was very strong the whole time. Fr Christian cried after he re-emerged from the water. He is such a cool guy and very spiritual. (Fr Daniel has met with the missionaries and attended church off and on for the past two or three years. Recently he was reading the Book of Mormon and felt he needed to be baptized to be able to partake of the Sacrament worthily) It was a huge blessing to do the baptism for them. One thing that I need to learn how to say in French is “plug your nose.”

Anyway, here’s my scripture for the week:

“And now, verily I say unto you, and what I say unto one I say unto all, be of good cheer, little children, for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you.” (D&C 61:36)

No matter what circumstances we are in, our Redeemer is always with us. Whether we recognize it or not, He is constantly influencing our lives for the better. He will never ever forsake us. Even when we feel sad, exhausted, hopeless, depressed, or lonely, He understands and is always there for us. When we call out for help, He always responds. I know that He lives. He loves us infinitely. He sacrificed Himself for us. The very least we can do to pay Him back is help spread His light and love with others. I hope that you are enjoying this season of giving, with Christmas just around the corner. I love you and miss you. Until next week.

- Elder Lyman

• People’s names are so long and difficult that at baptisms someone has to hold up a paper with all of the names of the person being baptized so the Elders can say it right. Elder Lyman’s first baptism had 5 long names. A first name, a last name and three middle names.

• Elder Kamara's new companion is from Tahiti and his name is Elder Tehiva. 

• When asked what the mom of the little girl Elder Lyman held did, Elder Lyman said, "She looked at me, and looked at her kid, and looked at me, and made the expression of "whatever, it's le blanc."

Elder David fried up some escargot. "It tasted like burnt"

 

 

• Elder Lyman writes details of days and events in his journal, but doesn't have enough time to include many details in group emails. 

• Elder David will stay in the area with his new companion Elder Ngundu, who is from Congo. There will now be six Elders in the apartment. And Elder Lyman will still be the only "Le Blanc" for miles.

• Decorating for Christmas doesn't happen where Elder Lyman is. The big malls have trees, but individuals and families don't decorate. Maybe can't decorate. It's probably cultural. It's a luxury.

• Fr = frere = brother
   Sr = soeur = sister
   amis de l’eglise = investigators
   Ça va aller = it will be fine or it's all good

• Whenever Elder Lyman sees people doing dishes or washing clothes he says "on peut vous aider?"  (can we help you?) The people usually say no, but he did get to make a little bit of futu banane once and help someone else wash their clothes. He hopes to be able to help more people in the future.

• From an email - “It's often really easy to teach people here. They're always open to hear what we have to say. They invite us into their house, sit us down on the best seats available, offer us water, and listen for the most part. They get distracted if we talk for too long, so it's better if we switch off on who gives the lesson frequently. In their homes, if the TV is on, it's really distracting, as well as if there are people playing soccer or kids playing, etc. Sometimes people start falling asleep during our lessons, which we cure for the most part, once again, by switching off frequently with the discussion. I've had some good lessons, some bad ones. I've seen heated arguments, and spiritual discussions. I've seen the light of Christ enter people's eyes and the spirit touch people's hearts. If I were to unexpectedly finish my mission today, my life would still be forever changed.”

from left... Elder Kalala, Elder David, Elder Kasou and Elder Kamara

Lovest Thou Me?

Bonjour from Côte d’Iviore! Week 16 was great! This week we were blessed with  constant cloud cover for the most part, so we weren’t nearly as exhausted as last week. I was sick for a couple days, but don’t worry, it passed quickly, with only minor symptoms. I went on a 3ish mile run this morning... I’m out of shape to say the least haha. Ça va aller. I’ve had the blessing of being able to actually participate in lessons, and feeling the spirit when I do. It’s such a good feeling to be able to share the gospel. Even when my french is on the verge of incoherence, I know that the Holy Ghost is teaching people in their hearts what they need to know. Another huge blessing… We have 3, possibly 4 people scheduled for baptism this week! Sr Laetitia and Sr Annick from Vridi 1, and Sr Rebecca from Petit Bassam are our candidates. We might also baptize Fr Daniel’s son, but that’s a big if. They’re all really young. Sr Rebecca is 14ish, and the other two soeurs are 16ish I think. Le fils du Fr Daniel a huit ans. It’s been amazing to see their faith grow as we’ve taught them. I love watching the Holy Ghost testify truth and soften hearts. 

I don’t have much else to say for this week. We have zone conference on the 12th, and transfers on the 14th. Elder Kal goes home on the 16th, which will be a bittersweet experience. I’ll tell you how that goes.

My spiritual thought for this week is in the last chapter of John in the Bible. There are many lessons that we can learn from these scriptures, so I’ll just focus on a small portion of it. I can’t explain it nearly as well as Elder Jeffery R. Holland, who I’ve been listening to recently, or share with you the depth of my feelings, but here’s the scripture, along with some of my thoughts on it:

“So, when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.” 

“He saith unto him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”

“He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter Was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-17)

The repetition of the same question may seem odd or unnecessary, but it has a point, as all of Christ’s actions and teachings have a foreseen purpose. Jesus repeated the same question to Peter 3 times to stress the importance of spreading the gospel. Peter got the message, because seemingly after this moment, he changed, boldly preaching the gospel and fearlessly crying repentance to the world. In a very small amount of time, his character changed miraculously. Peter the follower, before the resurrection of Christ, became Peter the leader, the “rock” of Christ’s church at that time. How was this possible? Let’s refer back to verse 15 above. “Lovest thou me more than these?” Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him more than the fish that he had just caught. Peter did love the Lord more than the fish, and more than any worldly substances. He forsook all, and put his trust in the Lord. That is how he was able to have the power to do the things he did. He left everything behind, his nets, his boat, his fish, his family, along with other things I’m sure, and served the Lord with his entire being.

That has personal significance for everyone. The first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. That means putting Him above all else. Do we love Him “more than these?” It’s very easy to get caught in the tumult of life and the cares of the world. If we aren’t careful, those things can take precedence over what matters most. It’s been hard for me to let go of things that I’ve had to leave behind, but I love my God more. A profound feeling of joy and love that I’ve never before felt has started to touch my heart as I’ve been I working in His vineyard. I love Him. I will feed His sheep. I hope you, during this Christmas season, will choose to show Him that you love Him, and feed His sheep as well, through Light the World, social media, service, and other ways.

I am and forever will be grateful for our Savior. I know that He lives. I know that He loves us infinitely, no matter how far we may think we have strayed, wrongs we may have done, or alone we may feel, it is impossible to go beyond the reach of the Savior’s embrace, and His Atonement. I love Him. I hope you do too. Until next week.

- Elder Lyman

•Elder Lyman doesn't see dogs or monkeys, but "there is a herd of grounded ducks, some sheep, goats and chickens" that roam free. He also sees a lot of lizards.

•Elder Lyman found a hatched gecko egg in his apartment. 

•The crabs that they caught at the church and ate a few weeks ago were alive when Elder Lyman held them for the photo. 

• Le fils du Fr Daniel a huit ans = Frere Daniel's son is 8 years old

Cyber Monday/First Fruits. Week 15

Bonjour from Côte d’Iviore! Week 15 was great! To start, I’ll talk a bit about how people say hi here. There’s proper greetings, like bonjour (good morning), but the one most commonly used is “ça va”, which, directly translated, means “it’s going”. So someone will say “ça va?” Is it going? Then you respond with the same words “ça va.” It’s going. Then after that, usually people say “et la place” or “et la sainte” which means “how’s the home?” or “how’s the health?” Anyways, this past week, people asked “ça va?” I’d always say “ça va.” But then after that, they’d ask “et le solei?” How’s the sun? This question was often due to the fact that throughout this week, I was almost always red-faced, and completely drenched in sweat. This is because of the hours of walking in our two sectors in constant 90 degree weather with negligible shade. Ça ne va pas. Issall good though haha.

Okay because it’s cyber monday (I think), here’s a bit of information about our cyber. It’s really different from the cyber’s back home. Our computers are in these dirty wooden booths in a dark cement building. Often, the mouses don’t work, and the power or internet goes out sometimes. All of those things are tolerable. The bad part is that we (the missionaries) are the only ones in there doing something morally correct. With few exceptions, the customers that frequent the cybers spend their time using google translate to establish fake relationships and take the money of trusting people living thousands of miles away. Every lundi, when we walk in, there’s 4 or 5 people translating their french into Arabic, English, or German, talking to strangers, with the sole objective of pirating their money. One time, I turned around to ask my companion a question about the missionary portal. Behind me, a 13 or 14 year old boy was looking at pornography. It’s not just our cyber that’s like that, all of them are. It’s honestly the worst. If I listen to church music and try to focus on my computer, I can ignore those things. The things I’ve seen in there make me sick to my stomach and to my soul. I hope that I wasn’t too negative with that, I just wanted to let you know that the mission isn’t a piece of cake. There’s opposition everywhere. 

Anyways. Let’s go to a happier note.

Frére Daniel was baptized on samedi! It was such a cool experience. I was so happy for him throughout the whole program. On dimanche, he received the gift of the Holy Ghost, and bore his testimony. He shared his conversion story. He said something about one of the sisters in the ward visiting him, and then one day, the elders (us). I only understood 45% of what he said, but I remember distinctly at the end, he said that God has changed his life and he will forever be grateful. I can’t explain the happiness that I felt there. I had to put my head down on the bench in front of me because my eyes were starting to water. It is so amazing to me to be able to participate in this work. There’s no better feeling than to save a lost soul. I can’t explain to you in words how awesome it feels.

Elder Kalala and Frére Daniel

Elder Lyman, Frére Daniel, Elder Kalala and Elder David

 

 

Anyways, now to the spiritual thought of this week.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is when Jesus casts an evil spirit out of a little boy. It’s a very touching story, and there’s much we can learn from it. I’m going to focus on a different aspect of that story. In Mark 9:18, the grieved father says that he came to Jesus’s disciples for help, but they couldn’t cast the spirit out. This experience was troubling and probably humiliating for the disciples, as they had cast out evil spirits in the past. After Jesus cured the little boy, they asked the Lord why they couldn’t cure him. 

“And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9:29)

The Savior said that with a challenge like that one, his disciples had to fast and pray, thus growing their faith. Cultivating faith is no easy task, it’s a long process that takes much time and effort on our part, along with help from God. I came across this story in the bible as I was reading in Jesus the Christ, and I love this insight on it:

“Individual application of this principle may be made with profit. Have you some besetting weakness, some sinful indulgence that you have vainly tried to overcome? Like the malignant demon that Christ rebuked in the boy, your sin may be of a kind that goeth out only through prayer and fasting.” (Jesus the Christ, Ch 24, note 2, pg 395)

As I was reading, this section caught my attention. As I read and reread this part, the Spirit filled my chest and I pondered. In our world today, instant gratification is a big problem. Some things though, such as growing faith, or overcoming a weakness, require time and constant, diligent effort to become where we want them to be. Whatever it may be that we try to overcome or improve, we need to have patience. By prayer and fasting, along with other things, our faith will grow and we will be able to overcome our challenges. Perfection and conversion are both lifelong processes. Have patience with yourself, your Heavenly Father knows your struggles and desires, and will help you.

I can’t express to you the joy and love that I feel here. Yes, every day is physically and emotionally exhausting, not to mention worldly distractions, occasional homesickness, and the same daily meal. But overall, I have never been happier. With the Christmas season starting, I hope you find happiness in serving others and find joy with the light of Christ. I know that He lives and He loves us. He gave Himself as the ultimate sacrifice so that we can return to live with our Father in Heaven. We are all eternally indebted to Him. Let’s try to give back what we can this Christmas season and spread His love. Until next week.

Love you all.

-Elder Lyman