I forgot how underdeveloped Congo is. Compared to Cameroon -
very! In fact this computer I am typing on is sooooo slow and the keyboard doesn’t
change into English so, this might be a shorter email. I have safely arrived
just as the senior couple told you, they are very nice. I’ve only been here a
few days (although it feels like a few weeks already). I’m still trying to get
a grasp on what is going on down here. It doesn’t help that Congolese have some
of the craziest names ever - like; wernel; or ristelle; and princelly. But the
best so far has been "it's fine by me"! (In French: ça m'arrange)
Well I’ll just tell you about one awesome experience. Saturday
there was a party for the relief society, and all the members were invited. Well
we played the role of usher and greeted people as the meeting started. Well in
walked a 13 year old girl. And I knew that I had seen her before but I couldn’t
remember where. She came up to me and without reading my name badge said
skeptically, Elder Johnson! Now sadly I could not correctly remember her name
and failed on my first attempt. (So embarrassing). We continued to stand in the
hall; us the missionaries, and I kept trying to remember who she was. Finally
it came - DELICIA!
Delicia was this absolutely amazing amie I taught my first time
here. She was only 11 back then and she wasn’t ever baptized because her mother
was very very sick and her life wasn’t really stable. No one to bring her to
church and her family had lost their house so they split up until that got
arranged.
As soon as I realized who she was I grabbed Elder Etherington,
who works in my old branch, and I asked rather excitedly, "is there a girl
named Delicia in your branch?” he said, "yeah, why?" As soon as I got
my answer I was ready to throw open the sacrament hall doors and run to where
she was sitting haha. I almost did! But walking as fast as possible I found her
in the congregation - knelt down beside her and almost shouted; "You're
Delicia!!! I remember now! You’re Delcia!" Then noticing the woman next to
her I got even more excited "And you're her mom! I remember. You're both
members now?" yup, both are now members. Saturday night I ran into
multiple people that I knew from before. By far happiest day of my entire
mission. I haven’t been able to talk with Delicia since to figure out what
happened after I left and how she was finally baptized; but I’m planning on it
before I leave. Doctrine and covenants says that our joy will be great if we
bring but one soul into the kingdom of God - I felt that joy when I realized
Delicia Saturday night. I was also thankful that I worked hard to teach her -
even though things didn’t work out then they eventually did.
