Eric's email of February 17, 2011

Its hot today.  I just came from the marché with Elder Garner.  We went and met Sister Thérèse (the won who became the new Relief Society Présidente) to go pick out some fabric, because she is going to make me a couple outfit things.  I think she called them bobos.  (We will want pictures of that!)

This morning, our district also went on a hike.  We were going to go up by Mount Fébé again, but instead we took a different route and found this little quartier that was pretty much the village.  It was nice and peaceful, though.  It makes me want to live in Wyoming when I grow up.  I left my camera so that it wouldn't get stolen at the marché, but I’ll send pictures of it next week.

One of our investigators, Sister Nicoline, is progressing pretty well.  The past few times we have seen her, she has shared her testimony and how she has changed since she has started talking with us.  Yesterday she even said she wanted her shildren to grow up in this church, and that her oldest son who is about 7 I think, makes sure that they pray as a family together every night before sleeping.  And, she also found a job this week.  She has a friend who works somehow with the president of Cameroon or at least in his huge house, and she said that today she would start cooking food there.

And there is one other person that we usually teach with Nicoline.  His name is Josie, Elder Tingey and I taught him once, but he actually lives in the other branch so Elder Tukuafu and Elder Garner teach him at his house.  But he usually shows up to Nicoline’s place when we are there.  He is getting ready for baptism on the 5th of March, but wants to be baptized yesterday.  He watched a movie with the others about John Tanner, who was apparently baptized the same day that he first received the Restored Gospel.  And Josie wanted to know why he couldnt be baptized that day as well, but said he’ll be patient.  And he also helps because sometimes he explains what we say in pigin english if other people don't understand.

I don't have my planner with me, so I’m struggling to think of the things that happenned...  On Monday I believe that the rainy season started.  Right after Elder Tingey and I finished weekly planning, it started raining, hard.  I like rainy season, except for when it rains hard one day, then the next day it doesn't rain, but the sun is out and it is super hot.

Blaise’s family is still doing well, they have started to try to do family scripture study each day.  But we will be pushing their baptism to March, because we had some kind of miscommunication.  2 of the 3 thought the baptism was to be March 18th, not this Friday.  And also, the mother is traveling this weekend, and another family thing will be hapenning on Friday, so they will decide on a day in March.

Wow, it is really hot in the cyber café.  And the darn Disney channel is on in french here, and its distracting/annoying.

The branch also redid the home teaching lists.  They assigned two elders to work with a missionary companioship.  So this Sunday we will going home teaching with someone after church.  Hopefully it will work this time, because it has been almost non-existent in the past.

Well, thats all that is coming to mind right now.  I’m up to Alma 18 now in the Book of Mormon, and I’ve been finding a lot of great missionary things by Alma and Amulek and Ammon.  Especially what they did so that people would listen to them in the first place.

Je vous aime,

-          Elder Eric Palmer

To Mom:

 

No, I cannot believe that in a year we will be waiting for Scott's call.

(There is an interesting thing happening on Jeopardy right now with a super computer playing the all-time champ.  Do you remember Jeopardy?)  I never really watched Jeopardy.

(Last week you talked abut a movie "District 2."  What is that?)  The District 2 is not like the RM, its a real church movie that is made to go along with Preach My Gospel.

Haven't had a dehydration headache in a long time.  (Good!)

Je t'aime,
- Elder Eric Palmer

 

To Dad:

 

No, there isn't a train network here.  We take taxis everywhere, and if we go from Yaoundé to Douala we take a bus.

I never got to see that Christmas eCard, everytime I tried to open it, the computer said it didn't have the right program thing to show it.  (Jib Jab)

( Is there a large Catholic population in Cameroon? If so, is Mardi Gras celebrated?)  Yes, there are a lot a lot a lot of Catholics here.  I think it was the first Christian church to come here.  But I don't know about Mardi Gras, I don't remember anything happening last year for it.

Je t'aime,
- Elder Eric Palmer