Conference was cool!

April 10 2017

I am so bad at remembering birthdays... Happy birthday Aaron! Well, this week was okay, I guess. Sunday was weird because none of our amis came to those conference sessions and we couldn't get hold of any of them. Conference was cool. We watched it by downloading it and putting a USB into a TV. I left my journal at the apartement because we went to Mont Fébé today (where Jeffery R Holland consecrated Cameroon for missionary work) which was pretty awesome. As for our amis; Fr Rodrigue is doing okay. He wants to get baptised, but Elder Dou isn't totally convinced he is ready so, we'll see how that goes. Fr Arsene is cool, we are planning on inviting him to get baptized this week. We lost contact with Fr Cyrille... yeah. Frustrating with some amis becuase they say they'll come to Church but never do... but we keep on praying for them. Yep. That was pretty much our week. I'm going to make pizza this week.

Je vous aime tous!

Joyeuses Pâques!

Nous ne craignons pas l'homme!

Elder Russell

Well, things are progressing here.

April 3 2017

Well, things are progressing here. We are still working with Fr Rodrigue (though it seems his rent was somehow solved) We are also teaching a young man who is the grandson (I think) of one of the members. His name is Fr Arsene and he has a strong desire to be baptized, even though he doesn't know all the docterine yet. Fr Essomba came to Church again, he has been having financial troubles too among other things. He has started doubting God so we will keep on talking with him and try and help him through this time. Elder Dou is still a good companion. He has lots of stories to share so that is always interesting. I will be excited to see conference, which we will do this weekend. And I heard that President Monga is now an Area Seventy, some missionaries found out somehow. Also Happy Birthday! I have been writing in my journal more, but I forgot it at the apartement... that seems to be very common, though I did take a couple of pictures to send of me and Elder Dou.

Je vous aime tellement!

Nous ne craignons pas l'homme!

Elder Russell

This week was another slow week.

March 27 2017

This week was another slow week, lots of appointments fell through. Fr Rodrigue did not get baptized this week as we did not finish the lessons and because he has some financial worries. He has talked with the Branch President so I hope he will be able to find a solution (preferably a job). Yep. Some good news: Sr Anita is engaged! She is engaged to Fr Nyom, a return Missionary in the New Bell Branch.

I forgot to take pictures.

Je vous aime!

Nous ne craignons pas l'homme!

Elder Russell

So lots of changes......Otherwise not much has changed

March 20 2017

We invited Fr Rodrigue to be baptized (he of course said yes. He has a very powerful testimony) We showed him the video of Joseph Smith and he cried. So I'm really excited for him, his baptism might be this week if we can teach the lessons in time. He also already respects some of the more difficult commandements so... not many problems there. Also, transfers! I am no longer with my longtime friend Elder Bouthot; I am now with Elder... Dou! Elder Dou comes from the Ivory Coast, he has also been in Yaoundé the longest. Elder Bouthot has been transferred to Doula A, the branch of Douala (that is where Elder ZoBell served) Elder Zobell will be the new companion of Elder Dou's old companion (Elder Kenabualu) and Elder Best will be with Elder Pindi (Elder Odimba is also in Douala, with Elder Tataiho). So lots of changes. It will be really cool and interesting to work with Elder Dou, Elder Wright said he is a very good person. Otherwise not much has changed. Our other amis with baptismal dates progress slowly, but they progress.

Je vous aime tous!

Nous ne craignons pas l'homme!

Elder Russell

​Many of the Zone at touristique Express to say goodbye.

Pokémon sandshrew

March 13 2017

We ate sandshrew this week... some explanation: we ate pangolin. It looks like the pokémon sandshrew so... yeah. It wasn't the greatest thing I've eaten, very tough skin and it tasted too much like liver for my taste. I don't like liver. Anyways, we got Fr Rodrigue (the investigator who has visions... literally) a Book of Mormon! We also invited him to get baptized; he accepted. So, really excited for him. Fr Frederic is going well, but he still has his foot problems, which means he can't get to church, plus some eye problems which make it difficult to read. So... yeah. Fr Essomba seems to have disappeared, but we did see his wife. I think he has lots of struggles financially right now. We had lots of amis at the Church, many were younger children. I hope the Church will influence them for good (and that we can meet their parents sometime soon.) Transfers are next week. We did two splits and I worked with Elder Best and Elder Wright. It was cool. We also got couches for the apartement, which is nice. I looked through my journal (which I still need to write in more) and it was fun to see the changes since I came on my mission.

But yeah, I might need to get new clothes soon. I didn't think I'd change so much on the mission...

Je vous aime tous!

Nous ne craignons pas l'homme!

Elder Russell

almost one year!

March 6 2017

Yep, almost one year. Weird. It feels like school, in the sense that it seems long but when you look back you realize that, nah, really wasn't that long. 

Sr Lydie did get baptized this week! Fr Frederic was a bit busy this week so we weren't able to visit him, sadly, but I hope we will this week! We did find an investigator who totally has visions about the Book of Mormon. He came to Church one time because he is from one of the villages and saw a Church and said "Oh hey, a Church." So he came in. I think he said he was a priest or something and he has taken religious classes. Anyways. So at the end of one lesson he starts praying and my companion and I just sit there, because we don't want to interrupt his praying. Then at the end of his prayer he takes a journal and starts writing like crazy. Then he explains what he say and it was pretty much a chapter from 2 Nephi. The chapter that says "and there will be many who will say 'eat, drink and be merry; for tommorow we die; and it shall be well with us'" plus a few other chapters before and after that one. So we shared the chapter with him. So I really pray that the lessons will go well with him. Sadly we are out of Book of Mormons. Yep.

I love you all and miss you all too! Je vous aime!

Nous ne craignons pas l'homme!

Elder Russell

But we have AC!

February 28 2017

It is good to hear that all is going well! I'm writing a bit late this week because we changed apartements. The new apartement is really nice but a little small. Elder Bouthot and I will be studying in the living room because there is no room in the bedroom for our desks. But we have AC! Sr Lydie should be getting baptised this week which should be cool. Fr Frederic is still healing but we pray that it can be fast so that he can come to church. A new ami, Fr Roger, has accepted the Book of Mormon, he is really eager to learn. I'm a little rushed and I didn't bring my journal so I might miss some things. We visited Fr Essomba again and had a nice, quiet lesson on the law of chastity. He is also going through some rent troubles (let's just say things get complicated here sometimes).

Something I learned this week was that one objective of the mission is to convert me, so that later in my life I can help others and my children. Also we are back to our normal schedule, apparently there were some miscommunication somewhere and our schedule hasn't changed.

Sorry for the short letter but like I said, a little bit rushed.

Je vous aime!

Nous ne craignons pas l'homme!

Elder Russell

kitchen in old apartement

kitchen in new apartement