Eric's email of August 26th, 2010

Dang it, p-days keep getting over booked, don't have a whole lot of time so I have to write all this as fast as I can. Sorry in advance for typos, feel free to correct. And this is an English/Arabic keyboard, and I'm used to French. We'll see how this goes.

I don't really have any plans to celebrate my one years old day, partly because I have barely enough money to eat this week and because our p-day got over booked. Next week, and from now on, I need to write in my agenda some rest time and study time. I don't like doing a whole bunch of junk every darn p-day. But Elder Acorda says we will celebrate my 1 year mark next week.

(From Mark- Do the sports updates that I send to you detract from the spirit or are they a good (and appropriate) diversion for you)? I don't have any problems with the sports updates, and I don't think they distract me. Can't believe college football is starting already, and that this is the last one ill miss.

Alright, so the questions about Pointe-Noire. First is the 3 most memorable people or whatever Dad called it (in no particular order):

- Frere Dieudonne Matsinga and family. He was a coordonnee we got, and was pretty much ready before we even talked to him. He fasted every day for 2 weeks before his baptism, only eating each evening. Pretty darn impressive. He is currently leading his family into the church, who had been Catholics since forever. I wasn't in his sector the last transfer, but his wife and 2 oldest kids came the last 4 or 5 weeks I was there.

- Frere Fabirce. We always say that coordonnees are a lot more successful than normal contacts taken by the missionaries. But Fabrice was easily one of the best and most ready people that was not a coordonnee (he pretty much contacted Elder Parsons and I), and just one of the best people I've met on my mission. Before his baptism he stopped smoking 10 times a day to nothing in 3 weeks. His scripture marking and underlining is the most beautiful I have ever seen. The suits and ties he wears to church on Sunday are legit. One time he gave us a commentary on his reading of Jacob chapter 7 that was incredible. He taught me at each one of our rendezvous.

- Frere Boris. He was an ami before I got there, but soon after we lost contact with him. Then one day while Parsons and I were in a taxi, I saw him, and yelled out to him "Boris, viens a l'eglise!" That Sunday he came back, and has been back ever since, and got baptized at the end of July. He told me after I said that, he prayed and asked if he should really be at this church. He told me he had a dream where he saw me and Elder Parsons and the church. Before he was kind of iffy, but now he is the man. He even came to the airport the day I left Pointe Noire and gave me a free pair of shoes (right now his job is selling shoes), and even helped me when they wouldn't let my by the security because of some dumb passport excuse.

Sorry, not enough time, but Dad remind me one more time next week and Ill give you my top 3 experiences from Pointe Noire.

This past week was better, last week in my email Pres Headlee told me about 'abundant thought', and to write one in our agenda each day. So I tried it, and I've seen a difference, especially in being sensitive to the Spirit. Yesterday we also had an English lesson, and I forgot how to say the word "apostasy" in English. But this anglophone we were teaching, we had left him a brochure last week, and he gave one of the best, simplest, easiest to understand explanations of prophets, Christ's ministry, the apostasy, the Restoration, and the Book of Mormon. He also said after he was done reading he just started praying. The man.

Like Jacob said, Ill see you in 365 days-ish. Crazy to think it has been a year. Kind of scary, actually. Today, this morning, I wasn't "trunky", but I was just thinking about what it will be like to get home, and it felt really close. Decided that I just need to focus and work my hardest so I can get every single blessing possible out of the rest of my time. Scott and Jacob and Andrea, even, seriously a mission is the best possible thing.

Je vous aime beaucoup!
- Eric

Eric and Elder Wilkins-his MTC companion

on their halfway day!!!!