Monday, January 16, 2017

Where's my water?

This week was good. It is good I feel good about it. I really do think I have changed a lot since I've come here because if I was Riley, this week would have stressed me out but Elder Larson can take it. This mission is all about adapting, keeping your standards, doing the best you can and adapting to the things that you need to adapt to. This week I had no water at my apartment. I don't know if all of you know all the implications of having your water cut for a week. Some of you might but it's not an easy thing. You use water to clean your hands, cook food, wash clothes, flush toilets, take showers. It all uses water. I'm sure you all know this, but just try living without water for a week and that's a little taste of what I did. However, I am very blessed to have a well right next to our apartment so we used well water for the days and also bought sacks of clean water to cook and drink. Sadly, that well is where all the mosquitoes lay their eggs, but it's all good. I was really blessed to have the water only gone for a week. There are many missionaries who have gone much longer, up to 18 days. I am so blessed: and the water came back on Saturday but you know how it came back? I went to look at the water system and saw one pipe was closed, I turned the lever and bang we had water again. The water was never cut but I guess when the water guy came the week before he closed it off and didn't open it again so we had water that whole week we just didn't use it. At that moment I thought about getting angry but I wasn't angry. I lived without water for a week for no reason, I bathed in mosquito invested water for no reason using a bowl. But guess what? I went all 12 apostle in this situation and thought about how turning that lever was like repenting and how a person has all the blessing waiting right there. The only thing they need is to repent and open the blessing of heaven, you just need to act. I wrote a lovely talk about that in my personal study journal and thanked the lord for the experience I had without water. It was a good week for learning lessons.

I also am great friends with Kola, we joke all the time. I never thought on my mission I would make such good friends with all these people, but these could be friends for life. Even though they live so far away. First Mukendi and Olela now Kola and Kiela, and many other Congolese friends, it's fantastic. If I had to choose my second nationality after American, it's Congolese by a long shot.

Kola got operated on this week he had an infection in his armpit or something and it was all swollen and big so they cut that thing open and for whatever reason we go back to the hospital every day in the morning to get it fixed up again. So, we were at the hospital every day this week, and probably next week. But Kola was so strong the day of his operation he wanted to go out into the sector and I'm like "no Kola, you're not even supposed to use your arm, they told you to rest for like three days." He is like "fine we will go out tomorrow," he is like "if I die in the sector I will be blessed forever. That's why I'm not scared to cross streets like you." Man, Kola is great.

He also found some old vitamins left by an old missionary and he takes one everyday and thinks it like gives him super powers or something. I explained to him how vitamins work but he is convinced all the problems in the world will be solved by taking his daily vitamin like I do. It’s so funny we went on splits the other day he is like okay what do I need to take? And all he ended up taking were his scriptures and one vitamin to take the next morning. To him all that is important is to take his daily vitamin.

Sorry there was not a whole lot of spiritual experiences to share this week besides the blessing of getting water back.
Living without water meant I bought a lot of bags of water and used a well. However...
...I realized I lived without water for a whole week for no reason The pipe was just closed. Ugh.
Hospital waiting room. I've spent a lot of time here, so glad I've not gotten sick
Dorsey and I made pancakes. Tasted just like camping pancakes and those are the best kind.
I made my first Congolese meal, foo foo! It was a little soft, but I'm becoming more Congolese by the day. I speak their language better than the language of Benin.
Me at a cyber (where I type my weekly email)
The amazing package Mackenzi Marsh sent me!
Me as Mr. Fox (This is my favorite movie)
Me with Ranaivoarisoa