Snake Temple

Whats up guys? :)

So I'm glad that you guys have enjoyed your extended fall break and I'm sorry that the snow had to come but I honestly I completely forgot that by now in Utah we usually have snow! That's one of the weirdest things to think about because usually I would just be hanging out with friends and getting ready for Christmas but I'm instead in Africa and honestly, I'm not sure I would want it another way! :) at least for this Christmas! We'll see how I feel next time around but really I'm doing good!

It sounds like you've guys have had a really good week and I hope your good days continue! I'm really glad that everyone is doing good and that everyone is happy! Um and one second, what happened to Courage in the first place? Cause the last time I heard he was on his mission? Also some disappointing news that I found out this week was that one of the Elders that came into the field with us ended up going home this week. I don't know for what reason but it was really sad to hear. It's really a sad thing to hear when missionaries go home especially when you've personally known them and seen who they are.

With that thought really I'm starting to figure that out more and more. Especially here because sometimes the missionaries here are literally asked to open up a new sector and basically establish a church in a specific town so if there's questions in the branch it truly is the missionaries who are there to make sure everything goes right. Really I've been able see how much is possible to help. I really wish that I could do everything I possibly could to help everyone but sadly I can't help every single person. No matter how much I might want to. There's so many little things that I've took for granted at home that some of these people haven't even experienced before and it really has given me a new perspective. Oh and now I'm not exactly picky in what I eat now ;) But anyway I've learned a lot and I hope that I'll continue to learn.

So just a quick story we went to a snake temple and there we could pick up and touch a whole bunch of snakes so I got some pretty decent pictures of that so I hope that you'll like them!

I hope you're all doing good and that you also will continue be like that! Thanks for everything that you've done and I did get the Christmas package and I haven't opened up the other half yet so Ill keep forcing myself not to! Anyway until next time!

Nice snake tie

Ring around the snake

Watch your step!

Point of No Return Monument

Thankful Week

Whats up?!

Im glad to hear that you guys had a good Thankgsgiving break and that everything is going well over there! Everything is going pretty well over here! Weve actually had some interesting stuff thats been happening between some of the members of the branch and so weve been kept pretty busy with that. I dont think that I would be allowed so say because its actually pretty sensitive stuff that I honestly thought I would never really come across in my life but its happened so thats kinda been a subject of our work lately but just know were getting things handled and the problem is starting to die down so thats been good!

And honestly 2 years doesnt seem really too long to me right now. I'm really enjoying what I'm doing and really the people are great and I'm just happy to be here safe and sound. Thanks for sending the package I hope I'll be able to get it soon and I'll do my best to wait for Christmas but that may be a little difficult ;) I'm glad mom was finally able to make an awesome pie! If there's one thing that I have noticed, is that really I'm pretty much down to eat whatever because really sometimes you run out of money and you just gotta find what ever is cheapest sometimes but really the food is good!

So for the food seasoning I think I'm good but if you could send like more drink mixes and stuff. That would be awesome cause that really tasted good! So the new missionary has started to adjust fairly well. He struggled quite a bit at the beginning because he really loved everything in America and litterally theres nothing here thats the same so that took him a while but hes getting into the swing of it.

As for my testimony and spiritual experiences. My testimony is really strong. To me everything in this church just makes sense to me and if God sent Jesus Christ to be his example then why wouldnt we follow everything he taught and set up while he was on the earth. For me everything just makes sense and as I'm teaching and learning I just keep finding more that just adds to it so its building. Sometimes spiritual experiences out in the field can be difficult but the most spiritual experiences I found are when someone has a problem and you are able to help them through the church. That's really one of the coolest things that I've seen and problems here are quite frequent so yeah! But really there are always spiritual experiences no matter how small they may be and really it's just a matter of paying attention.

De toute facon, je vais finir en français parce que j'aime écrit en francais. C'est amusant et bon pratique. J'espere que vous allez avoir une bonne semaine! Et aussi que vous pouvez voir plus les benedictions que Dieu vous a donné et aussi qu'il va vous donner. et je veux le meme pour moi aussi. Parfois, c'est un peu difficile de voir tout qu'il a fait pour nous, mais, si nous prenons les temps de nous arrêter et regarder autour de nous. Je sais que vous allez voir les chose que vous n'avez jamais reconnu avant. Je vous souhaite une bonne semaine! Je suis impatient pour le prochaine fois. Merci pour tout ce que vous avez fait pour moi. Je n'serais pas ici sans vous. Merci pour tout. à tout alors!

Elder Ellison

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA!!!

Whats up guys? :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA!!! And I actually remembered during the week so don't think I forgot all about ya!

I finally got my package!!! It was the best thing ever!! You think I'm kidding but that was really awesome! Thanks for everything that you did for me! I really like that book also those Oreo cookies were like the best thing I've ever tasted, that was fantastic!

I'm glad you guys have had a good week! And yes that Hires makes me only a little bit jealous but hey I had grilled chicken with rice and a tomato based sauce so I think I won that battle ;) Oh hey good on the Jazz! They might actually be a good team this year but then again I could've just cursed it by saying that!

Alright so this week has actually been a pretty productive week and a little crazy! So first off it was out first transfer this week and it was pretty eventful! Elder Ranaivo is becoming a new Assistant to the President and we're also going to be receiving a new missionary from the United States! So I'll pretty much be his trainer because the person who he's training speaks the most rapid French I think that I have ever heard! So that will be an interesting formation! Also I've started using French words that resemble English words a lot more and that's been a really weird thing! Kinda like formation I would've just said training but in French its Formation so I've just started using that!

Also we had another baptism this past Sunday and it was 2 people Marie and Laurent and really they're pretty awesome! They don't speak really good French so its really kinda hard to talk to them but when you can they are really kind and funny! I really like them!

Anyway that's pretty much it for this week! Ill update you on the situation with the new American next week! Have a good week and I'll talk to you guys soon!

Laurent and Marie 

Happy Birthday Cake

Marie

Bon Anniversaire

Hello!

Thanks guys! Its really is weird to think that I turned 19 in Benin Africa and that there's only 1 more birthday on my mission! I really appreciate that you have sent the package, but no I have not yet received it. I however did receive Brother Miles weekly painting and he sent that on the 11 and that just got to me last Friday so I'm sure the package will arrive soon enough! Please tell grandma and grandpa thanks! The one thing that I've bought here were a pair of Nike shoes that are probably not real but still are pretty cool and they were only 14 bucks! Also, our apartment just had a little party and we bought some cakes and they were actually super good! However one cake is more expensive than the shoes I bought but the lady who made them gave us a discount on the second one so that's awesome!

Dang a car caught on fire! That sounds like something that would happen here! I'm glad you guys have been having a good week! Its always nice to hear that my family having a good time!

So now with the homesickness I'm actually doing so much better! I just kinda missed having someone to just kinda talk to about pretty much anything! Because really there's only so much I can talk about in French. It's coming a lot faster and if someone is talking directly at me,I can understand probably about 90 percent of the time but if its like a big conversation that's kinda hard to follow. Things are starting to become easier to memorize so that's been good!

Alright Mama Sabine is pretty cool! Shes super nice and she lives with a pretty big family! Not all of them are her children but when you live with that many people they're pretty much your family. She sells candy and some other food for the most part but one thing that's super cool she has a lot of faith! Like any problem she has she believes that God is going to help her no matter what and that's actually really cool! She sometimes doesn't know all the doctrine so sometimes she'll say stuff and well have to explain it again but she really is awesome,

Food is pretty basic. Chicken, fish, rice, or a sauce is usually the case. I've made some scrambled eggs and I've made chocolate milk so that's awesome! I also want to make an egg salad sandwich because that's pretty simple. Um request wise just some different types of candy and maybe a jar of peanut butter! Oh and maybe a couple recipes too? Not anything crazy but variety would help. Oh and maybe the recipe for cookie dough? The eggs haven't affected me so far and if I get sick. It will totally be worth it! I've actually noticed I kinda gotten smaller but that's not because I don't eat enough, we just do so much walking and I try to do some exercises every morning but don't worry I'm not starving!

I really like that thought about joy. Also a big thing that goes with that is hope. Hope is one of the biggest reasons why sometimes we can do things or overcome trials that other wise would be really difficult. That's one of the many benedictions ( I used that word automatically cause its blessings in french ) of the church and that's one of the reasons I came on my mission. I'm glad things are going well and I hope you all have a great week! Love you! Talk to you next week!

First Baptism

Bonjour!

Alright so I'm glad that you're all doing good! I'm sure its kinda weird adjusting to an empty house. Oh yeah Chelsey told me all about her Birthday and I'm glad things are going well! And those costumes are pretty awesome! So I would chat with you a little more but you have asked a lot of questions and I feel its important to answer all of them. Oh and also I haven't received the package yet but I asked around and my companion told me to ask you guys what like mail company did you use to send it? I'm probably going to ask around a pretty soon because i don't know if he completely knows how it works. Also there's no addresses in Benin so its kinda hard to tell you where I live. Its somewhere in Porto Novo kinda next to a big green water tower. Also down the streets there's a statue type thing made of bronze and a round about. That's pretty much all I can tell you. Were near a white mosque if that helps.

Alright so for Christmas I think that I'm doing pretty good but thanks though!

I have one who speaks pretty good English but even still its not the greatest. I'm teaching my companion a little bit of English and the other Elder doesn't speak it at all besides yes!

Alright so how I'm doing? I'm doing pretty good right now! At the start of this week I was actually super homesick, one time to the point where like I actually felt sick. Also I have lost some weight but in a good way! I've started doing some push-ups and stuff like that but yeah!

Average day. Wake up at 6 have a prayer and sing a hymn with everyone in the apartment get ready for the day. Study up until about 10 for the most part come in at 12 eat then study or take a nap. Sometimes its super hot so we don't go back out till 4 but usually we end up back out there at 3 or so. Then we usually come in at around 6:30 or 7:00 because by that time its dark. So we really don't have much time because the days aren't very long and they don't want us out after dark. With all the time in the evening we have dinner, study a little or just relax. And that's the day!

So yeah she did get baptized! Her name is Mamma Sabine and shes really funny! Her memory is a little difficult so she had to really study to pass the baptismal questions but she has a super strong faith in God and its good!

Anyway I love you guys and I hope you have a fantastic week!

Mamma Sabine - First baptism

Nice day for a walk.

Delish!

Bonjour toute le monde!

I wish that I could reply to you all personally but I only have so much time and the internet connection here isn't the best but I'll try to fit in as much detail as I can into these emails!

Alright, so our arrival into Benin was a little crazy. Originally we were supposed to go to Chicago, catch a connecting flight to Paris, then in Paris catch one to go to Benin. Didn't quite work like that. So we missed our flight to Chicago because the plane was having problems so we were going to take a direct flight from Salt Lake to Paris and we almost missed that one because we didn't have a plane. It was a wreck anyway we got on and we landed in Paris and barely made our flight to Cotonou! We spent 38 total hours either in an airport or on an airplane it was a mess. But now I'm here!!

This place is insanity and I love it!! There is so much going on all the time and all of it crazy! Some of the people here are the nicest people I've ever met and they're so patient with my terrible French! That's the other thing, I wasn't trained for accents like this. It's so hard to make out their accents and some speak rapidly! I can understand the American missionaries but some of the others its a little difficult,

My companion is pretty much the best that there is! He is so cool and is so patient with me all the time! He's pretty much a stud!

Another thing I want to say is that the traffic here... is complete and utter madness. There are no rules and its just pretty much every man for himself! Also I've never seen so many motorcycles in my life, it's ridiculous. You can take a motorcycle but its strictly forbidden by our president because if you get hit while riding one, your dead.

Oh and the church here in my Branch isn't very big cause it just opened up like 5 months ago, oh and my branch is in the capital city of Porto Novo and its awesome! Every one just loves the gospel and really wants to help it grow. They're always willing to lend a hand and its awesome!

Alright i gotta get going but I love you all and I just want to say thanks to everyone for your support! If you want to forward this email go on ahead because I don't have everyone's emails that I would like.  So if I'm missing people please forward it! That would be great thank you all!
I love all of you! Have a good week!

Is that a goat down there?

Apartment

Roomies

His Companion Elder Hypote

View from the apartment

Dinner time

Elder Hypote

Elder Hypote

From the Mission President

Good Morning,

We would like to inform you of the arrival of your wonderful son in the mission field October 4th, 2016. He will be serving in Benin in an area called Porto-Novo with a great companion named Elder Hypote from The Ivory Coast. His next preparation day, the day he will be able to write home, is Monday, so you should be hearing from him soon. We also attached a picture of your son with my wife and I. He is looking great and is happy to finally be here, and you can be proud of the service your son is doing at this time for the Lord. May God bless you.

Sincerely,

President and Sister Morin.