Eric's email of April 7th, 2011

                Elder Tingey and I just got done with our first rendezvous of they day with Frère Celestin.  It was only our second time teaching him.  In our first lesson we talked about the Restoration, and he accepted the invitation of “lorsque vous arrivez a la connaissance de le veracite de ce message, vous ferez-vous baptiser....?”, (when you come to a knowledge of the truth of this message, will you be baptized?)  but he put the accent on the “as he comes to a knowledge...”.  Today we watched the Restoration DVD with him.  He wanted to rip it onto his computer, but we told him there is a copyright.

                Ok, this might have lots of typos, because I’ve gotten used to the French keyboard.  But this one is English/Arabic, so I’m getting kind of confused.

                Daniel Ndiemboh is progressing very well.  He came to church the first time of Sunday.  He pulled up on his motorcycle with 2 of his daughters on back.  But the best thing was that he shared a testimony in Sacrament meeting!  After the first person he got up, introduced himself, and talked about what he had received from the missionaries at his house.  He also spoke of one time when Elder Tingey and I gave him a blessing for his back pains, and by the end of the lesson he was pretty much healed.  And he said that he wishes to come back and stay in this church, and that his family does the same.  I would say, that is a good sign of progression.  We will see him tonight, and we hope to set a baptismal date with him.

                There will also be a party for the Relief Society this Saturday, with all 4 branches of Yaounde.  We have invited all of our amis de l’Eglise, and we are expecting a very large turnout.  More people seem to want to come to the party on Saturday than to Church on Sunday.

                We have also had a change in the branch here.  We used to be doing translation and such during Sacrament meetings, and there used to be separate English and French Relief Society and Elders’ Quorum.  But we discussed it a bit at the last zone conference, and President Headlee officially told our branch to stop separating those classes, and no more translation during sacrament meeting.  But they still have English Sunday School.  And the translation was becoming bothersome, 2 Sundays ago they cut out a whole talk and 1 hymn because all the time was gone already.

                Soeur Christine and her 2 children are getting closer to their batpism on the 16^th.  Elder Nsimba will do their interviews tomorrow.  I pray like crazy that they make it this time.  And the niece of Frere Ndzana is also getting ready to get baptized the 16^th.

Tonight we also plan on having the best lesson ever with the Longla family.  We have confirmed that the entire family will be home, and we are going to talk about the temple and eternal families.  The father has already asked if he can change his religion to this church, we know that the mom loves what she already knows about the temple, and the oldest daughter said she will be baptised after her exams, which have her go to church even on the weekends.  So we plan on getting the entire family engaged together, so that they can receive the eternal family blessings of the temple.  And that would help us get future anglophone leaders in Yaounde!

                We also watched the Saturday morning session and Priesthood session last weekend.  The connection was good so we got video.  So where in the world is Meridien, Idaho?  (New temple announced for Meridian, which is a burb of Boise.)  And also, are there any plans to ever get a temple in Richmond, or anywhere in Virginia?  We also saw one of the very recently returned missionaries singing in the choir in the Priesthood session, Elder Wilkinson.

                Also later today, Elder Tingey and I are going to go try to play basketball at le palais du sport that the chinese built here.  Many people have told us that the outdoor stuff is free.  Too bad I’m horrible at basketball now, Scott and Jacob are going to spank me when I get back.

Je vous aime,

-           Elder Eric Palmer

      

      Mark emailed Eric that he (Mark) needed to brush up on his French for his upcoming trip with Jacob next week, so Eric is "helping" him by writing to him in French:

      (Mark told Eric that next week he and Jacob will be getting up at the same time as Eric because they will be in the same time zone)

      Vous allez vous lever a 6h30 aussi? (You are going to wake up at 6:30 too?)

Je ne vais ecrire qu'en francais pour t'aider.  Et je vais employer le passe simple.  (I will write in French to help you.  And I will use "passe simple" - a complicated verb tense.)

Le Cameroun and le Congo Brazza furent colonizés par la France, alors on dit quatre-vingt-dix ici.  Mais a Kinshasa on dit nonant et telles choses.  Et tu me le demandas deja.  (Cameroon and Congo Brazza were colonized by France, so they say four-twenty-ten (to say the number 90).  But Kinshasa says ninety.  And you have asked me this question before.)

Oui, j'aimerais etre entraineur pour l'equipe de Jacob.  Mais ne dit-il pas qu'il ne veut plus jouer au foot?  (Yes, I would help coach Jacob.  But I thought he didn't want to play soccer.)

Nous recommencames a faire la course trois fois par semaine.  Maintenat nous faisons un mile ( je ne le connais pas en francais) et demi.  J'y serai pret.  Mais le marathon se fera en mars?  Serai-j'en Virginie?  (We started running again three times a week.  Right now we go 1 1/2 miles.  I will be ready.  (To run the 1/2 marathon with Mark in the fall.)  But isn't the marathon in March?  Will I still be in Virginia?)

Je vais reflechir a ce que je voudrais pour mon anniversaire.  (I will think about what I want for my birthday.)

Well, I probably complicated that french too much and made some errors, so bonne chance.

      Ok, I'll be ready for that, but I'll have to just gradually increase the distance.  And how do you prevent side aches?

And I just looked at the blog, and I thought it was funny that everyone else in that main picture has gone home or been transferred except me.
Je t'aime,
- Elder Eric Palmer

To Mom:

Alright, I don't know if Scott just doesn't write, or has Dad's "insanity" syndrome (doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results), because I got no email from him, neither Jacob this week.  If he sent it to my fastmail again, I don't even know what to say then.

That question was in English, by the Longla children. (What is our faith and abundant life in a pluralistic world?)

They package has not yet arrived chez moi, and I don't have my camera this week, I'll bring it next time.

Also, do you want me to call on Mother's Day on Sunday evening again?

Je t'aime,
- Elder Palmer