Bacongo

This week has just been the usual. I am serving in Bacongo, Republic of Congo. If you look it up online you can see it’s right on the river that divides the Republic of Congo from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

On Sunday things got interesting. We walked in and the bishop came to my companion and asked him if he would speak ha-ha. Then things were just normal and we got a surprise one of the young women came up to my companion Elder Kamba and said “We need a teacher”..... d'accord.(alright in French) So we taught the young women’s class. Never thought that would happen but I should have realized I’m going to get that a lot. So we are teaching and the craziest thing happens President Monga (our Mission President) comes and peeks his head in ha-ha my comp and I just look at him and smile cuz we just do what we are asked. Ha-ha.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. Our Stake President spoke to us I think it was about Easter ha-ha but I’m not entirely sure French is coming along I’m understanding more which is helpful so I can follow along in the conversations.

I love you all and hope you have an amazing week eat some Wendi’s for me!

Have a great week stay strong go to the temple please it’s the best place to be in the world!

Attached are pictures of his room and his companion and him with the ward clerk.

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Love,

Elder Stephens

Republic of Congo, Brazzaville Mission

Preston.stephens@myldsmail.com

Week Three in the Congo

Bonjour,

This week has been great we have food now so that’s always good to have. 

My companion is Elder Kamba. He is an African from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He does not know English. We have 6 Elders in our apartment.

This week we have committed three people to be baptized. That’s awesome. We walked and walked this week. I also set up a mosquito net on my bed, so I would stop getting bit finally. So you have two options clean and get bit by mosquitoes or be dirty and get the flies. I choose the mosquitoes because they are at night and the flies are during the day. We had some rain storms here and that was awesome the thunder is so loud! 

The other day we found a mouse in my room. I was reading and my comp says there’s a mouse in French. I said no your joking he’s like no then I go to zip up my suit case and then he jumps out of his bed to the hall way then I hear something in the other corner of the room so I jump from my bed to his.... breaking his bed.... to the hall way making it safely to the hall way yelling at the other elders to come fix this mess. I then proceeded to stand on a chair in the kitchen and call for the other elders to get the mouse and they did and then it ran out to the living room but the front door was shut and then I’m like open the door open the door cuz I wasn’t going to go over there with the mouse running around my feet. Then one of the elders did and I was able to breathe a sigh of relief ha-ha... oh Africa.

I know that the gospel is true. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and redeemer. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that if we read it we will grow closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I know that the gospel blesses families and I am so very grateful for my family they are such great influences in my life and faith. Families are essential to our happiness because we can be together forever. I love the scripture Joshua 1:9 Be strong and of good courage for the lord thy god is with thee wither so ever thou goest. And 1 Nephi 3.7 I will go and do the things which the lord has commanded. I know that this work is divine. I feel it. I don’t know how I would be able to do this work if it wasn’t. I love you guys thank you for all of your support. Have a wonderful week. 

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Love,

Elder Stephens

Republic of Congo, Brazzaville Mission

preston.stephens@myldsmail.net 

Hello from Brazzaville!

Friends & Family,                                                                                                      

So I’m in Brazza =) its hot here. But at night it cools down so it’s really nice. So what’s my schedule like well its starts at 530 with an apartment prayer then we work out till 6 and then breakfast and get ready till 7 and then it’s studying for the next four hours because I’m training. Then lunch. And then were off. And we walk and walk. We have money for taxis but I don’t know if my companion likes to use them cuz we haven’t yet I’ve walked so much but it’s ok cuz I’ll lose weight if I don’t drink soda but I do cuz it’s good here we have Fanta in these glass bottles and they are 60 cl so bigger than the plastic bottles but the same price. They also have this stuff called planet and that is the bomb. It’s like they took the African fruit and put it in the bottle its awesome. It’s not annana season.... we found that out the hard way and we had to walk like 3 miles to find that out and then 3.5 miles to go home.... 

We eat this sandwich its called vinande hashe (I butchered the spelling) it’s like a over a foot long subway sandwich with beef and then they put mayo ketchup and some special something it’s like out McDonalds haha.

In Brazza people don’t feed you so we elders make food for ourselves and its good when you have food to eat..... So we’ve been getting home at 7 and then having to go to the market after... and then we finally get dinner at 9:15pm and at that point you really decide if you’re hungry enough. They also slice water melon like 8 times so the slices are huge. Milk... its powered I got a large can just barley smaller than a number 10 can it was expensive.... but I wanted milk. 

We had a baptismal service on Saturday we had a teaching appointment so we didn’t see the beginning but we saw the baptisms themselves. After they gave everyone sandwiches. I don’t know if that’s normal but it was awesome.

Church was good I bore my testimony in French and then we had French classes. 

Oh I got a blister on my Achilles heel.

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Love,

Elder Stephens

Republic of Congo, Brazzaville Mission

 preston.stephens@myldsmail.net

One month down si vous plait

Hello Friends and family,

Ok to catch up on some stories. A couple of days ago Sister Brubaker (The MTC Presidents wife)comes in and asks our district to come help her so we finish class and then we go and help her pull a rug out from under her bed, so we did that whatever we go down for lunch. So then we are at snack that night and some elders and sisters complained they were constipated. So the rest of us are suffering eating apples that are not the best... instead of bread or muffins. So Sister Brubaker comes down like normal and she stops at our table so I said holding my apple "Some elders complained that they are constipated and now the rest of us are suffering eating these apples" and she said I’m sorry, Will you follow me to my office? So we did and then she had made us Peanut butter cookies they were so good it was real American sweets. So it made up for the Apples. 

I love my Leatherman. I've taken apart blinds and rebuilt them because the elders... I don’t even know how but they got so many knots in the string but it wouldn’t move so I fixed that and put it back together. Then like a week ago Alexander (ZL) comes in and says “hey can you come with me to fix a door... ok??” His Leatherman philips didn’t fit. So we take the handle off and then there’s a square shaft (I've never taken a door apart) so I’m like well…  I use my pliers and pull the shaft out and then I made sure that both sides could engage. Oh yea so the door wouldn’t work it was essentially locking the elders into their room and they needed someone from the outside to open it, that’s why I was called in. I think the shaft had slid out of place from it been slammed to many times.

This week has been good. I conducted the evening devotional.... that was rough, the meeting was 15 minutes late and then president calls me. So I go up and he’s like why is this and that basically what is happening? Then he’s like oh yea will you conduct. You need to find two prayers and we have two musical numbers and an opening hymn then hand it over to me and then I need you to turn off those three switches and the green one but then I might have you turn the green one back on...... ok president. So I go to get paper and I ask two Frenchmen to say the prayer bad idea and their names were really hard to pronounce. So I got the prayers. So I go back to the front to start the meeting........ Bonjour... (Its night I should have said bonsoir) my name is Prest.... Elder Stephens and I will be conducting so we are going to have an opening hymn then an opening prayer by totally mess the name up. Everyone losses it and I just kept on going a musical number and then I sat down. So we did the song and the prayer and then president turns to me and says go do that again I don’t think they heard you because they were laughing at your pronunciation... ok ... we will now have a musical number we will also then hear from the Brubakers following them we will have another musical number and the closing prayer by elder messed that name up too and then I went to sit by the lights. So then I turn the lights off and of course he had me turn the green one back on... haha then I finally went to go to my seat.... fun stuff.

 preston.stephens@myldsmail.net

Love,

Elder Stephens

Republic of Congo, Brazzaville Mission