Eric's email of May11th, 2011

  Well, its weird that my last phone call home is done.  It didn’t even feel like that long between Christmas and Mother’s Day.  And the time I have left is smaller than the time between those 2 phone calls.  Its weird/scary/exciting.  In fact, 2 years doesn’t even feel like a long time at all, really.

                So right now, nothing too out of the ordinary is happening.  We are just very busy, and getting ready for a baptism the 21^st of this month.  But, there is one wonderful thing happening in Bastos 1.  La Societé de Secours (Relief Society) is working wonderfully.  They have have a full presidency, Soeur Therèse is la Présidente, the 1re Conseillère is Soeur Thamar, 2e Conseillère is Sister Ndongo, and now they even have a secretaire, Soeur Philomen, who was baptized just last month.  And its not only them that are working well together, but all of the sisters together.  On Sunday, Soeur Therèse went with the branch president's wife to go visit Soeur Christine, who got sick after her baptism and still hasn’t gotten confirmed.  And on Saturday, Soeur Therèse and Soeur Patricia (who works with us a lot to see amis in Emana and Etoudi) are going to go visit Christine and some of our amis de l’Eglise, like Melanie and Marie-Sylvie.  I already know that without the Relief Society’s help, we would not have been able to progress well with Christine and Melanie.  So, I’m very grateful for the work they are doing.

                I also did a baptismal interview yesterday for Elders Nsimba and Prince.  The young man I interviewed is named Genesis.  I interviewed him last month, but we decided to wait and prepare more for his baptism.  But yesterday, right when we started, I felt different than last time, and was already almost certain that he was ready this time.  So I was mostly glad that he had prepared himself and received a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon.

                The only really other things I have to talk about are out amis.  Soeur Nina, the daughter of Salomé, is progressing well to baptism still.  Sœur Marie-Sylvie is doing very, very well.  Yesterday she got her Doctrine et Alliances, and kissed it when she got it.  She has an awesome testimony.  They only thing right now, is she thinks she needs more preparation before baptism.  I think she is completely ready to be baptized now.  She even stopped selling phone credit and fruit in front of her house on Sunday.  Elder Tingey also thinks she is ready.  Anytime now, she should become a member.  And Sister Therèse and Soeur Patricia will see her this weekend, so I think that will really help her.

                There is another family in Bastos 2 we have now, la famille du frère Jean-Paul.  Last month 4 of their kids got baptized.  There is one more that comes to Church but is still not baptized.  Apparently she is not wanting to be baptized because her mother (who is not yet a member but comes to church each week) is recommending her not to do it.  So, we are going to try to make the mother happy and do some service for her.

                With Soeur Melanie, we have finally figured out the real problems.  And the key is the Book of Mormon, but she says she is still not interested at all in reading it.  So we are going to start at the beginning, the very beginning, and start reading with her.  She is a unique investigator.

                Longla family is doing ok.  Rigobert and Melkior passed the Sacrament last week!  And the father says he will talk to his wife about baptism, because he wants to wait until October when he will be off from work.  As we try to explain the blessings of baptism and the temple, he kind of understands, but then seems to forget the next rendezvous.  And in general, most of the Anglophones aren’t very happy right now since the translation in sacrament meeting stopped.

                A member that just came back, frère Gildas, got a calling to be teacher.  And his friend, Frère Patrice, is progressing pretty well, but he doesn’t understand how someone could prophecy and also have free agency.  He’s thinking too hard.

                We are also planning a soirée familiale chez Frère Ndzana at Etoudi this Monday.  We are expecting a large turnout.

                In my ready I have read through Ether 11.  The book of Ether is basically the entire Book of Mormon in 30-ish pages.

 

Je vous aime,

-          Elder Eric Palmer

      To Mom:

 

      (What time was it when you went to bed after our phone call?)  After the phone call, I went to bed near 1 AM.  But surprisingly I didnt feel more tired than usual, because I feel kind of tired all the time.

(How many times have you been to the gorilla park?)  I have been to the gorilla park 2 times only.  (Did you know about the dental clinic held at the church?)  And yes, they announced the dental clinic for about a month.  But we didn't go to it.

(Scott is going to Prom and Party All Night this weekend.  Do you remember where yours were held?)  My party all night was at the school, and the dance was at the Omni Hotel or something like that.  

After the Book of Mormon, I'll probably just continue the Doctrine and Covanents.  I want to read that whole book from page zero until the end.  I'll have to finish it after my mission, though.

Je t'aime,
- Elder Eric Palmer

 

      To Dad:

     

      There have been a few members asking me something recently.  A few, mainly the Longla family, asked for "gospel music" so that they could learn hymns.  I don't know if it would be a pain to get a few Mormon Tabernacle Choir CDs that I could give to a few people.  That's the only request I could make.  And Elder Tingey isn't making any suggestions because he thinks he won't be with me when the package gets here.

In Cameroon, there are only officially organized branches in Douala (soon to be 2) and Yaoundé (4).  But when I was in Douala there was some guy in the Southwest who had found the Church in Russia, and was trying to teach a Gospel Principles class a such.  And I heard that there was a handful of people in Limbé meeting as the church kind of.  In Congo-Brazza, there are 2, soon to be 3 branches in Pointe-Noire.  In Brazzaville there is 1 stake.  I don't think the church is anywhere else for the moment.

No questions about internships or college and stuff?

Je t'aime,
- Elder Eric Palmer