International Split

First off just a few funny Kola jokes to start with. This guy is a comedian like I never saw. He has taught me how to make people laugh and has opened up this whole side of missionary work and really it’s just so much fun chilling with him. There are some things he does that I think are so funny. He really likes to look a certain way with tightly trimmed pants and fancy shoes but he likes the look of kind of bulging pockets for some reason. So, before we leave the house he just stuffs a ton of things in his pockets the most random things too. He will be walking around with two blank planners, a tie, a bottle of Advil, crumpled up pages of the Ensign magazine. You name it, he will walk around with it. Also, I wear my keys on a karabiner on one of my belt loops. I have the key to the apartment and the church building. Kola likes the look of the keys like that so he has started to carry around three random keys he found that don’t work. He carries them around in the sector just to look cool, that’s Kola for you.

I also got a bunch of letters this week from people in the ward and different family members. It was fantastic to read all your best Christmas wishes about a month later. But really, thank you so much to everyone. I would write thank you notes back but there is no way to do that in my sector but I am so grateful for all the people who were thinking of me at Christmas time.

The second part of the week I went to a different zone in Benin in what we call an “international split.” Olela wanted to come back and see some of his converts or whatever so I went to his zone. It was super weird to do a 2 day 2 night split over there. I was with Elder Wride and he got a call that he is going back to the US to get a hernia surgery, wow hernias and people going home seem to be following me. SO, I didn’t do a whole lot of work over in Finagnon. But Elder Wride is such a strong missionary he has to come back to this mission and he is sure he will come back so I am looking forward to his return.

I just put in my request for my 3rd and final visa here in Benin and after this one I’ll have to go to Togo with the new system the state put in place, so that’s kind of crazy. I hope I stay with Kola at least one more transfer because I seriously can’t believe this transfer is almost over. The transfer calls go out this Saturday. This transfer has felt even faster than the MTC which is nuts and it has been super filled with fun and missionary work I had one baptism that was long awaited and hopefully one more by the end of this week.

Kola doing the hair of one of our investigators. He is super good with people and making them laugh.

At a meeting to watch a missionary broadcast, but of course we couldn't watch it because the technology didn't work in Benin. But we took a picture of our MTC group.

I did a split in Finagnon and slept on the floor with my mosquito net. It was very hot, but that is just how it goes.

Amazing pancakes cooked by Elder Wride with chocolate syrup.

When I got back to the apartment after three days there were a ton of dishes to do.