07-15-13 And You Thought Lions Were Dangerous In Africa!

So this week was a long one for many reasons, just to preface this story....................

After emailing home last Monday, we went downtown to go shopping as usual. We were walking around and I was in the back of the pack.  I must have been day dreaming or something because I hurt myself.  We all know how absent minded I can be sometimes. Anyway, there was a rusted metal parking sign in the middle of the sidewalk about knee level. All the other missionaries walked right around the sign but I didn't really notice it.  So, long story short, one corner of the sign caught my ankle causing me to fall - my knee landing right on the other corner of the sign. It left a little hole about the size of a q-tip in my knee (my first injury in a third world country was because I tripped! lol)  All in all I was consigned to limp around Africa for a day, but I'm all better now!  So that was the start of my week.  

Usually we are so busy with lessons, Teaching 7 or so a day.  Our week was scheduled similarly this week but over half of our appointments never happened because the investigators never showed up. That left us in strange predicaments - one day we were left for 2 hours on a street corner waiting for person after person.  Usually when that happens we simply pass out brochures and talk with anyone.  We have meet some great people!  One lady told us about her close relation to Obama and that she was simply waiting for her plane ticket to Washington DC to go live with them - stories like that just make us smile!

I had said we wanted to have 4-5 more people with baptismal dates this week, and although that was the goal, we only ever met with one of those investigators.  BUT, he told us he wanted to be baptized!!  So here is the current list and a short description of people being baptized.

Janella, a young woman who has been investigating for some time now and enjoys the gospel, she was introduced by her friend Anh - Baptismal Date:  3 Aug

Steven, a young man about my age (18) who was introduced to the gospel by his really good friend and the branch clerk, Anh - Baptismal Date: 17 Aug

Djo, an older man who attends church regularly and has a member friend - Baptismal Date: 17 Aug

Ngasachi, an older man (60) whose wife recently died, he has never been baptized in any church and has become a regular at church - Baptismal Date: 7 Sept

The work picked up yesterday though, while walking to an appointment we had with Steven, we came across 3 people who had previously taken missionary lessons or who really wanted to start them with us!  I guess if you hold out faithful to the end then all is well.  So this week I think me and Elder Baker have found our focus and hopefully next week I will be able to say we were busy! 

I have found that I absolutely love teaching English!  We hold an English class every Saturday and I always leave with the biggest smile on my face!  Maybe it's being able to teach someone something new, or maybe its because it's the only time i get to teach in English.  Whatever it is, I love it and hope I can do something similar when I return home - which is not for a while, obviously. (about 22 more months)

I think that that is honestly all for this week - I mean what do you say about the greatest place and mission on earth?

Love, 

Elder Julius Johnson