Hey Guys,

So last week long story short we left our area to some random market for Elder Ayama to buy a new white shirt and to get us stuff for our apartment and it just took forever so we got back at the apartment at 6 and my comp wouldn’t leave with me to go to the cyber and he was super dumb about it hahah, so that was frustrating!!   To be honest it was super hard to not be able to email you guys last week, but I’ve been praying that I can just forget about you guys and focus on the work and then that happened on Monday, like literally it was as if the Lord was like you’re not gonna email home cuz like on the way home our transport was all wacked out and we had to change to like 3 different cars and one of them got in an accident with us in the car lol!!  We were in bumper to bumper traffic, so it was like nothing just a little dent lol!!  French is a tough language to master, but I’m just trying to keep up the practice!   The ward is good! They don’t feed us a whole lot, but its not a big deal cuz we have been eating pretty good at the apartment!  But its okay. Everything is super great now we because we had 5 baptisms on Saturday!!! The members don’t like doing missionary work, but we had an activity at that village Beninkoso this last Saturday in the morning, so that was super great for them!! Also for the village 4 of the people that we baptized this last week were from the village!!   We also could possibly baptize a whole family by the end of the month if they get married and stuff so it would be like 7 more people!!  We have FHE with that family tonight, so that will be cool!!
My relationship with my comp is great too.  He’s really a great guy and he’s helped me to learn so much!!!  There’s still a language barrier, but the French is starting to come more. My comp is a convert to the church.   He has an older brother in this mission as well, which is cool.   Its just him, his older bro, and his other brother that are members.  The rest of his family is just kinda all over the place.  I’ve realized I’ve been acting too prideful and need to just let him teach me!  My health is super great too!  I’m like a skeleton though lol, but like health is great I feel like its just the normal adjustment to Africa cuz like I’m not hungry, and I’m eating great!  Everything that went down with my old comp has settled.  I’m just close with everyone which is such a blessing.  I’m staying through this transfer with my companion.  Elder Ayama is getting a new person to train tomorrow cuz Elder Da leaves today to the Congo cuz his visa came.  Hard to believe he’s leaving already.  Time on a mission is a funny thing.  Sometimes its so long and other times its super fast.  Thats why I’m just trying to focus on the days and just give it my all all the time cuz it will be done before i know it!  I can’t even believe I’ve been on my mission for four months!  It feels like I just left.  How’s grandpa doing?  I’ve been praying for him a lot.  How is grandma darling handling it.  I also pray for Ben every day that he gets into Surg Tech.  Pray that Fr Chris can keep coming to church so we can baptize him, and also Family Brou, and just pray I can focus on the work!  The start of my mission was rough, but its so much better now!!!  Honestly though I think about home too much, but all of this  hard work has helped me to really start focusing on the mission.  I still get homesickness sometimes and I worry about you guys.  It comes and goes.  Its not that I’m worried its like i just see stuff that reminds me of home, and I know you guys will be taken care of!  Man you guys have helped me realize so much! You got no idea!  I don’t know how to even explain it but you have answered my prayers hahah I love you guys so much!! This is seriously the best experience of my life!!  I have been blessed so much!! My comp has helped me to realize how to really be obedient and it has been hard.  I’ve realized how much Elder Wabunga rubbed off on me lol!!  The Lord has a great work for me to do these next few months!  Well I have to go.  The AP’s are at our apartment ready to pick up Elder Da.   I love you guys so much!!!!!

Beaucorp d’amour!

Elder LeBaron

Hey Family,

Happy “belated” birthday Justin and Dad!!!  I totally forgot with all of the stuff that went down last week!!!  My mind has been in another world…literally!!  LOL It was a pretty good, long week. haha I’m exhausted!  We’ve been working super hard.   My new comp is great, but likes to do things his way haha.  With time we will be good!  Good news is he is a great worker, which is what I need right now and he only speaks French so even better!!!  He is a stud!!  He works with the members so well.  He’s been on the mission for only 6 months!  He was the Ward Mission Leader before he came on his mission, so he really understands how to work with members.  It’s awesome!  The work is great!  I’m exhausted, but feel so good!!  Also, he’s VERY obedient, which is so wonderful.  I see the Lord’s wisdom in all of this.  Everything has worked out so perfectly!!!  The Lord has blessed me so much this past week!!  We have a ton of investigators that we have been teaching for a while, and they’re starting to be more involved in the lessons and stuff and are progressing more! Our goal this next month is to have 10 baptisms!!  So pray we can accomplish that!!
My health is good.  My stomach has been feeling weird though.  I’ve been getting these sharp pains in my stomach when I eat.  It’s probably because we’re eating more now because my comp loves to eat!  I am not going to send a recording or anything cuz I don’t want to waste the time.  These computers are soooo slow, so I can only do so much.  Josh, I’ve been praying you get into BYU all week and that Ben can get accepted to serg tech!  Also, crazy what happened to grandpa!!  He’s in my prayers!!!  It was like the spirit told me something was going to happen to him and what I specifically needed to pray for!  Please pray for my investigators (Sr Martine, Sr Sara, Sr Watowadi, and Family Brou).  I’ll continue to pray for all of you!!!  Love you guys sooo much!  Have an amazing week!!!!

Love,

Elder LeBaron

Hey Family,

What’s up?  This week was pretty nuts with my comp getting sent home!  I still don’t have my new comp.   He was supposed to come today, but has yet to come lol!  I’ve just been working with Elders Da and Ayama, so its been great!
Elder da and I have gotten way close!!  Service is the key!  I’ve been serving all of my companions the past several weeks and it makes a big difference.  How was your week??  How is grandpa? He’s been on my mind a lot this week!  I’ve been really worried about him.  All of the missionaries are treating me good.  I think everyone is more respecting of me now because they know after what happened with my comp I won’t stand for disobedience and major rule breaking.  It’s kinda funny!  hahahha It’s all in the Lord’s hands!  My new comp is going to be a trainer for the first time and only knows french, so that will be interesting but I’m actually happy cuz I think I’m gonna learn a lot of French!!  Elder Loukombe is his name or something like that hahaha! But yeah I’m stoked I heard he’s kinda stubborn though so we will see how that goes lol!!  I’m stubborn too, so this should be fun.  As long as we’re obedient and work everything will be ok!  hahahaha I’m not gonna make any judgements till I actually work with him though!  I’ve really learned that doing the right thing is hard, but the blessings that come make it all worth it!!  We taught a few people last week!  I just pray I can remember where my investigators live cuz I have forgotten where a lot of them are haha its not good!  We taught the other day and I have been trying to practice French a lot at the apartment with Elder Da, but its hard.   I think my problem is I just need to practice more!  I have the study down and stuff, but I just need to get better at teaching hahaha!
It’s hard cuz we don’t have a lot of time to practice in the apartment.  I just pray my new comp helps me out with that when he comes!  It’s awesome Josh has applied to BYU!!  I can’t wait to see if he gets in!!! I have been praying he would!! I know me leaving was super hard on the family! I pray every day for all of you!  I love you guys so much!!!!! hahaha Well, I feel so much peace now I have seen the Lord’s hand work in amazing ways this week!!!  I feel so much better now that my comp is gone.  It was seriously the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with in my life.  Also, my French is starting to come a lot easier too!   It is amazing!! The blessings always come after the trial of our faith!   I have learned so much!! I have so much more on my side then I realized!I know I have done the right thing, and the Lord knows it too! I have seen his hand in all of this and finally see His wisdom!! Well I love you all like crazy!  Have an awesome week!!!!!!

Love you!!!

Elder LeBaron