Hi All!

March 30, 2015

Hi All,

Thank you for your emails.   We love you.   We miss you so much.    We also love our mission so much.    We love serving the Lord.   Many days is it hard, but we always feel so good at the end of the day.    We pray every day to be able to know what the Lord would like us to do or who he would like us to help.     Then we get up and go to work.   We haven't felt any strong direction, but we always find people to help and things to do.   In fact, we are trying to discover what is the "Most Important" thing for us to do while we are here.   The needs are HUGE......members need training, missionaries need training, we are supposed to find investigators, and we need to get involved with the community and offer service.   One of our big challenges is the language...isn't that hysterical????   Because they speak English.   But they often can't understand a word we say and visa versa.

Sunday we went to the Enseleni Branch.    They love us and welcome us and great truly upset when we visit other branches so it is touchy.   They fix us dinner and want us to stay all day and night.   

We arrived for church at 8:45.   We pick up the missionaries and take them so they don't have to ride a taxi.    The branch has Primary/ Young Women first.   I was visiting the Young Women's class as part of my calling.   I was prepared just in case the teacher needed help.    Well, the only young woman was in the primary room.   She said she had to watch all the primary kids because the primary teacher wasn't coming.   She didn't have a manual so she just supervises 14-19 of them while they goof around.   Her father is the branch president and we know her well.   So I went and got Larry out of priesthood and asked him to watch the Primary kids.    He was a great sport about it.    He had no idea what to do but he ended up doing a great job.    Every week that we have been here I have taught Primary and Larry has gone to Priesthood and Sunday School.  But today I wanted to be with the young women.     Larry ended up telling them the story (or reading it from the Book of Mormon stories that they had there) of King Benjamin.   then he taught them when to pray.   Then he taught them how to give service---to their mom or siblings.   Then one of the primary kids stood up and led the group singing hymns.   They don't know primary songs but they know hymns.    They do know Child of God, Wise Man Built His House, and Do As I'm Doing.   So this 6 year old girl calls out the page numbers for How Firm the Foundation, Child of God, and 3 other hymns and they sing.   The other kids can't read but they have the page numbers memorized for the hymns.  I don't have them memorized.

 Meanwhile, I started teaching one young woman, Mellissah Alvana.   The lesson was on forgiveness and I had a video to show on the computer I brought.   I showed it and then another girl arrived.    Then the last 10 minutes 2 girls arrived.    At the beginning of the lesson and as each new girl arrived, I asked them to think of someone who had offended them, hurt their feelings, caused them pain, made them mad, teased them, etc.    They were supposed to keep this person in mind during the lesson.   At the end of the lesson I asked them a question about the person they were thinking of.   Each one of them answered that they didn't have anyone who had done any of those things.   I expanded it to include:   anyone who had ignored them etc, etc.   Each girl said they had never had that happen.   I don't know if they are Saints, or thick skinned or don't care about those things or they don't understand me or they don't want to admit it.    Anyway, that put a damper on the discussion....which was sketchy to begin with.    Then I closed with questions I had passed out.    They talked to the person next to them and answered the question for the group.    The last question said:   Do we need to forgive everyone?    Then the bombshell:   They enthusiastically answered:  NO!     What could I say?   I rephrased the question twice and got the same answer.   I retaught a little bit and received blank looks.    Then I pathetically closed with prayer.    Did they not understand my English?   Not understand the principle?   Honestly disagree?   ....This gives you a tiny snapshot of some gospel challenges for them and us. 

I think I will go back to primary.........However, Larry told them the story of Jesus Christ coming to the Americas and blessing the little children and fire surrounding them.    He said they were very quiet but looked a little confused.    I told him that I had showed them pictures and told them that story twice before.   I think it is such a powerful story.  

GRANDSONS AND GRANDAUGHTERS:

Music in the branches is a challenge here.   We don't have anyone who can play the piano or keyboard.   We have a keyboard we can bring with us, but no one plays it.   So the chorister (usually a missionary)  stands at the front and sings (solo) the entire first line of the hymn we will sing.   Then she/he says: One, two, three.....then we all begin singing.   It is that way in every branch.   I don't know if that is the African way of doing things or the missionaries taught them to do it that way.

So, please practice the piano.   You are so needed in the mission field.   If you don't play the piano, please practice singing solo.....I am serious.     In every place we have been, the missionaries are expected to sing loud and lead the group.  Even if there is another chorister, everyone watches the missionaries and follows their singing. 

In fact, please practice singing the hymns and try to learn them.    We are often short of hymn books, and of course, the missionaries give their books to someone else.    Yet they are still expected to sing loudly.

The great part is:   They always think the missionaries are great singers....no matter how they sing.     

We also have a missionary that sang and played a ukelele at our branch talent show.    He is now a celebrity.....they think playing the guitar or uke is impressive!

We love you so much. 

Elder and Sister Todd