No title (Haha!)

Monday, January 27, 2020 10:34 AM MST

This week had a number of different things about it, which was nice to break up the regular grind a little bit.  On Tuesday we had the zone leaders come to our district meeting and then after we did a split and our zone leader Elder Hood stayed with me in my sector.  It was a good time to work with him and learn some different techniques and just joke around with him.  Friday I did my first baptismal interviews for the candidates for the other elders in my district, and then since they passed we had a baptismal service on Saturday!  And then I gave a talk in church on Sunday, which I felt good about because I think that my French flowed well.  So lots of little different things happened this week, and it was nice.

As for our work, we should have 3 baptisms this Saturday!  2 of them are the wife and daughter of Koffi, who we baptized in September, and then the other is the cousin of Espoir who we baptized earlier this month.  They're progressing well and we're excited to see them and their families take this step towards Christ.  They've had lots of support from the members in their family, and we know that these baptisms will be a blessing and bring them closer together.  Saturday should be a good day!

The baptism should be a nice way to go out with a bang too, because transfer calls are this Saturday, and I definitely think I will be moving.  I'd be shocked if I'm not moving, since I'm finishing the training of my companion and I've been here since August.  But Saturday should be a fun day with the baptisms and then transfer calls, and next email should be fun too.

Mosiah 4:27

"And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength.  And again, it is expedient that he should be, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order."

We're not perfect and we can't be perfect all at once!  If we're going to improve, it comes a little at a time, we can't run faster than we have strength.  What's important is that we're diligent, that every day we're trying to improve ourselves.  And if we do that, one day we will win the prize!

My camera started working for a second so I have some pictures this week.

I love you all have a good week!

Elder Goddard

Elder Mputu and Amen (he is 2 or 3 years old)
Notice Amen is wearing Elder Goddard's tag. <3

Fufu and sauce (with fried fish) made by Elder Mputu.
Elder Goddard loves fried fish, especially the head with the eyes, skin and bones still intact. 

Elder Goddard and his mustache.  Haha!!

Ups and Downs

Monday, January 20, 2020 10:19 AM MST

I've learned a lot about patience here on the mission, but this week tested my patience with the work and with our amis.  Satan really is trying to get in the way of our work here.  Of the 4 people who were preparing themselves for baptisms in the next 2 weeks, one has had financial problems and has moved out, one fell and got a bad concussion, one got sick, and the last has been overwhelmed with schoolwork.  With all of that going on, we haven't been able to see them as much as we would like to and we'll have to move back the 2 baptisms we fixed for this Saturday.  It's disappointing for sure but we just have to keep the faith that Nephi's promise will hold true that there will always be a way to keep the commandments, that these problems will pass and they can be baptized at a later date.

So while we haven't been able to see our progressing amis, we were able to focus on working with our newer ones.  And that paid off as 5 of them came to church this Sunday, 3 for the first time.  And with us studying the Book of Mormon in Sunday School, it's such a blessing!  It's so easy to get them interested in the book.  So we have some new amis who have now come to church and are interested in the Book of Mormon, which are good signs for potential progression.  So we are were very happy to see that this past week.  We're adding new people to our teaching pool, and we should be pretty busy adding these new people on top of those who are already preparing for baptism.  The work is still going strong despite Satan's efforts.

A quote I read from Elder Uchtdorf's last conference talk really hit me this past week:

"If you hesitate in this adventure because you doubt your ability, remember that discipleship is not about doing things perfectly;  it's about doing things intentionally.  It is your choices that show what you truly are, far more than your abilities."

Our choices are so important and it's true that they show who we really are.  We can't really control our abilities, but we can always control our choices, our efforts to do what is right.  A missionary who shows his faith by being obedient but isn't finding success is much better than a missionary who is finding a lot of success but isn't making any effort to get closer to Christ.  It's just a nice thought and made me reflect on where I'm at in my testimony of Christ, and even what choices I can make to be closer to him.

Hope you all have a good week, love you all

Elder Goddard

It's hot again (6 mois - 6 month)

Monday, January 13, 2020 10:18 AM MST

So last week was just teasing with us and now the weather's hotter than ever.  I'm sweating through my shirt every day which is not my preferred way to spend the day but I do it for the people and for the Lord.  Just praying for cold weather again but at the end of the day I'm still in Africa where it's usually pretty hot so I'm not expecting much.

This week has been like the week of opposites.  First we have 5 people right now who have fixed a date for their baptisms and we're helping them prepare for that.  And they're awesome!  These amis are great and have a desire to do what is right and what they need to do before their baptism.  We love teaching these people.

But then on the other hand, all of our other lessons were far from that.  We had a lot of people just not show up which is always fun, or if they were there at the house, they either a) were drunk b) were breaking the law of chastity or c) talked our ear off about how badly we need to re-read the Bible to understand better.  So basically if our lesson wasn't with an ami with a fixed baptism, it went down the drain and we saw no progression at all.  Luckily preparing 5 people for baptism takes up a lot of our time so we didn't see too many of these other lessons, but it's just funny how completely different they could be.

This week was my 6 month mark, which means I've been serving the Lord for half a year now.  It's weird!  Month 1 and 2 were slow but now I'm suddenly here at 6.  Time's going.  Sometimes I just have to take a step back and realize how cool this is, and that I'm not going to be here forever.  I've already got 1/4 of my mission experiences, it doesn't feel like I should be able to say that yet, but it's the truth and I've got to appreciate it while I can.

Love you all and have a good week!

Elder Goddard

Ps my camera is broken so no pictures

J'ai froid! (I'm cold!)

Monday, January 6, 2020 9:30 AM MST

We've really started feeling the effects of Harmattan this past week.  Harmattan is a season in West Africa and the air gets really dry and it's really dusty because there's wind blowing down in from the Sahara Desert.  The dry air is annoying and is kind of taking its toll on us, but the crazy part about this season is that air isn't as humid, and the temperatures change more.  So in the morning, it's cold!  I'm actually cold in the morning when I wake up.  I actually have to use a blanket when I go to bed.  What a blessing!  I've missed it.

This past week the work continued strong!  We fixed 3 more baptisms this past week.  The first was with Frere Paul, who is an ami who's come to church 3 times now.  We just met him on the street when we were buying fruit and he invited us over the next day.  Usually when that happens, the person isn't even there the next day, but Paul had set out a table and chairs and was waiting for us.  And he's been like that ever since!  And when we asked him last lesson if he'd read the Book of Mormon, he said yes and he shared with us a scripture that touched him.  He's basically the perfect ami.

The other 2 we fixed are for the wife and daughter of Frere Koffi, who I baptized in September.  His daughter had come to the holiday activities, so we decided to pass by one day and see what her feelings were.  And when we left we had fixed a baptism for her and for her mom!  We went to fix it for February 9th, but when they found out I probably would be transferred before then, they made us push it forward.  I wasn't complaining.  So we have them fixed for February 2nd.

And then this week we had some actual baptisms too!  Frere Espoir and Frere Marc both got baptized Saturday, and confimed Sunday morning.  I was so happy to see them take this step towards their Savior and be able to say they're members of the restored church of Jesus Christ.  But I'm also really excited to see what they can do now.  I'd love to see Marc find a wife and get married in the temple, and I'd love to see Espoir grow up in the church and serve a mission one day.  The baptism isn't the end for them, it's only the beginning!

Happy New Year, I hope you all have started the year well and find all sorts of success this year!  Love you all!

Elder Goddard

Frere Espoir and Frere Marc 
(the lady was from the other companionship in Elder Goddard's district)

Elder Mputu (Elder Goddard's companion) baptized all three of them