Riley in Africa : Half way there, living on a prayer

That is right everyone, this week marks one year on the mission. I have seen and done a lot of things. I’ve lived for days without power, weeks without water. I have had food poisoning and worms. I have been made fun of for my race every day, and get ripped off at every store for the same reason. I also have baptized 12 people including two families. I’ve had 6 companions who all think I’m a great guy. I have been in three sectors where I have made many great memories. I sang in General Conference, I have shaken the hand of an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have grown my testimony a ton and I’m only half way.

If you were to ask me the hardest thing so far, easy it’s the food. I really wish I was not so attached to food. I always seem to get hungry again and am forced to eat tomato sauce and rice every day. And that is not to say the food in these two countries is bad, it’s really good. I love many of the native dishes, it’s just missionaries never have time or don’t know how to make them. So we resort to eating only to survive and not to enjoy.

If you were to ask the best thing so far it would be hard because there have been so many good things. It’s either seeing the Lord work through me and really feel like an instrument in his hands for good, or seeing people I’ve helped convert progress in the church. Both things bring so much joy to me.

To celebrate my one year on my mission I had some cheerios sent by my Grandma Scott for breakfast and I went out and bought ingyam peele which is one of my favorite foods of all time and from what I know does not exist anywhere in America. It’s hard to explain but there are pictures below. It’s like a spongy white glob of stuff you dip in sauce. This sauce came with chunks of roast beef which is the first time I’ve eaten cow since the MTC almost a year ago, so that was a real treat.

This Friday and Saturday we got a message that a group of people against the government called for a black Friday meaning no one was supposed to do anything. Like no one was supposed to open their shops or drive taxis or go to work. Everyone was supposed to stay at home and protesters would go out in the streets, wear all back, and destroy any shops that tried to open to protest the current government. All because the same family has been in power since the country became independent or something. I wasn’t sure the reason, any way so that was exciting.

I took this chance to get enough energy to clean my sheets. It’s been a while and they needed to be clean, but if any one washes things by hand they know the two hardest things to wash are jeans and sheets, it’s quite tiring. Anyway, because I had time on Friday and there were nice blue skies, I knew it wouldn’t rain. I did it and hung my sheets on the line on the roof. My stomach started hurting me again so I went to take a nap then all the sudden in my nap the power got cut, which is normal. The power cuts every day for about 15 or so minutes about twice a day. But then I heard a big thunder clap, I think that’s what that is called, and I got up as fast as I could thinking about my sheets. The rain came out of nowhere and it was so much. I ran to the roof and in two seconds I was soaked to the bone by the amount of rain and wind that was coming. I got up just in time to see my sheets about to be blown away. They were barely hanging on. I got them of the line and brought them down, very sad that I would have to re wash them. Freak rainstorms man.

Then on Sunday I had a whole different kind of storm, a storm of children. Right after the first hour I was asked if I could teach primary. I, of course, could never refuse service like that I happily accepted but I accepted a real charge. Here in this branch there is no junior or senior primary or nursery because there are not enough leaders but there are plenty enough kids. They gave me a group of about 19 or so kids ages ranging from 2 all the way to almost 12. This would have been great for me because I like kids, yet I had to keep these kids entertained for 2 hours in the same class with one big problem I had no way to communicate with them. A few of the older kids could speak French and there were two little girls from Ghana so they understood a little English, but not much, so for the rest of the kids all they spoke was their native language of Evee. Every one in the room understood Evee, except me. So it’s like some tall weird Yovo is in the front of the room speaking in baby gibberish to you. Are you going to sit still and be good? No. You’re not, you’re going to throw a party. I couldn’t do anything to stop them because they couldn’t understand. It was madness. Little kids would come up to me with big eyes asking for something. Did they need their mom? Did they have to go to the bathroom? Did they need a drink? I didn’t know so I just had them sing songs. I kinda got a few to play follow the leader. If someone was good I would give them my badge so they could be a missionary too. It was hard, my lesson was on why hitting was bad because the older kids kept trying to discipline the younger kids who were being disobedient. But I kept trying to get them to not hit, but the older kids said that is the only way they listen. There were a couple girls who just grabbed on to my legs the whole time and wouldn’t let go and when it came time to go home they wouldn’t go to their moms, so that was funny. They all seemed to like my class.

Also that same day a great spiritual experience happened to me with the investigator given to us by the American elders We went to teach him and he had marked up the plan of salvation brochure with tons of notes and questions he said he had a big problem understanding the fall. He had asked his pastor and read the Book of Mormon but was still not satisfied. Kadima did a good job of explaining the fall and as it was my turn to elaborate I just explained how I understood the fall. Although not said in the best French I felt my words being guided and his face lit up as the spirit taught him exactly the missing peace in his comprehension of the subject. In preach my gospel it says you can tell you’re a successful missionary if the spirit testifies through you. I felt being an instrument in Gods hands for one of the first times on my mission which makes me super happy.

Some fun apartment facts we have the worst ant infestation ever. Every corner there is an ant hill. Every day I sweep it. The next day it is back and cockroaches are everywhere. Our freezer works way to well and you open it up its just a solid ice block, the whole thing, there is no room to fit anything in, it’s all ice.

Here’s to the next year.