Greetings from Africa,
I am sure you have all heard of the musical, The Book of Mormon. It is about young LDS elders who come to Africa and are out of their depth...or something like that. Well, we are living that story BUT we are amazed at our young elders and the incredible job they do!! For those from the USA, it is a huge culture shock! Yet they work hard, exercise faith, grit their teeth, press forward and overcome obstacles. For many, it is a big challenge, but they do it!
But now we are experiencing the opposite of that scenario. One of the wonderful things we are able to do, is help African young men submit their mission papers. At the present time, we are assisting 2 young men. Those of you who have submitted mission papers recently, know how time and labor intensive it is. For them it is all paper and pencil, because they don't have access to the internet. Larry even assists the Branch Presidents, and explains to them how to fill out their part in the application.
One young man has been raised by his grandparents. His mother died many years ago. His father lives in the area but hasn't been involved in his life. We drive 40 minutes to pick him up and then bring him back here for his medical appointments. He would never be able to navigate the medical system, find the correct department, get to the hospital lab, and explain to the doctors what is needed. We made separate trips to get his immunizations and to get his TB test checked. (Of course, he has no idea what immunizations he had as a child.) Next he needed his dental checkup.
Sanele, is another young man. He was attending his first year at the University where he is studying Mechanical Engineering. His cousin passed away and he attended the "unveiling"---(That is when the entire extended family goes to the grave and they unveil the headstone.) Another of his cousins was a member of the church and invited him to church. He studied the gospel for 3 months and was baptized. He is the only member of his family to join the church. His parents allowed him to join but don't want to hear about the gospel or his upcoming mission. He is so faithful and is also the seminary teacher!
Having young men and women who are worthy, willing and desirous to serve a mission is a HUGE accomplishment for the African people. Most will serve on the African continent.
It is such a joy to assist these choice young men.
Another highlight is having all the elders in our zone over for dinner tonight. They ate enough for a small Army and we dirtied every dish and pan we have. Larry is in the kitchen washing the dishes so I could send this email.
We love you. We love our mission. We are so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the joy it brings into our lives. We love sharing it.
The Todds
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