Photos:

The baptism

Super fun day with our zone!

Hey Family,

So the week was pretty great!!! Tuesday we had a lesson with this new investigator we got from fr luc and fr marius and sr elodine those guys we’ve been teaching and it was pretty good. The thing is he knows what we say is true but he doesn’t put it in practice so it’s tough hahahahaha. Wednesday we had a few cancellations, but we just did a little contacting and then saw our other investigators fr pacome and sr michelline but fr pacome has to get married before he can be baptised so that’s been a bit of a difficulty but with time! Then sr michelline she left back to her village this week and wont come back so thats a bummer but its okay because she was living in concubinage also that night too we tried calling sr nyomie the girl that was supposed to be baptised but she didn’t answer either cuz she was at village too hahahahaha good thing is she is already back here hahahaha! Thursday morning we saw fr luc sr elodine and fr marius and had a good lesson with them. I was super forward with them maybe a little too harsh but I just told them how it is and that they can either take it or leave it but that we are here to teach not force and we had a big lesson on agency and the plan of salvation it was super good and at the end we talked about baptism it was super awesome!!! fr luc said he wants to be baptised this next Saturday but the others are super calacala so pray he and sr nyomie can be baptised and that we can get a hold of sr nyomie!!!! Thursday we did like contacting all day after that though cuz all our rendez-vous fell through hahahaha but it turned out great!!!!!! We found some new people so we will see if any of them progress got lots of rendez-vous with them this week! Friday we taught sr Aïcha this girl whose brother is a member fr leonce the kid a while back that wanted us to talk to his dad who’s a drunk and smoker and stuff. We had a good lesson with her and we found these less active members that I pounded their foutou!

Then after we went to see this girl we contacted but she just keeps giving face rendez-vous and stuff but then saturday we went and saw her and l met her siblings that were super interested in our message so it was super great to see how persistence with things just brings blessings. Then Saturday was the concert with the mission choir at the stake of niangon centre. On Sunday we had church and stuff and it was soooooo gooood sr tabitha came and she brought her made that works at her house and stuff that we have been trying to talk to for so long but she always refused and then she came to church so that was a miracle hahahahahaha!!! Then after church we had choir practice for stake conference cuz our stake president heard our zone has singers so we were invited to that it was fun! then after choir we went to my mt elder nkrumah’s appartement for a little party we had with some other elders in the zone it was pretty fun!!!

Photos:

Our ward

I decided to pound some foutou for these less active members they were surprised i knew how hahahah thanks to my good ole mama audettte who taught me a while back hahaha

My noushi hommies hahhahaha and elder bateman! it was at our concert we had saturday night with our mission choir!

Hey Family,

How are you doing?! Life is awesome. My comp is soooo coool man we have been having so much fun!!!!! I sure love this guy!!!!! He is my favorite comp I’ve had so far on my mission!!!!! Its nuts its coming to an end so fast!!!! It makes me sad man. I have fallen in love with these people!!!!! But don’t worry man my best mile is always the last!!!!!! Just pray for fr luc fr marus and sr elodine that they can see the importance of baptism! and that fr jean-constant will have a change of heart and come back to the church. He didn’t show up for his baptism so we went to find him and when we did he said he didn’t want anything to do with us anymore. I’ve never been so devastated my whole mission but I realized I cant rest on the devastation because it will discourage my comp so I just turned to him and told him bro it doesn’t matter man we aren’t here to baptize the world just like 1 corinthians 3:6-9 we are here to plant and harvest but the Lord is who makes them believe!!!!!! It was a really pivotal moment for me!!!! I was super discouraged man and I was just hiding it from my comp cuz I didn’t want him to feel bad and we had to run back to the appt right before the baptismal service for our ZLs cuz they had 3 guys to be baptised in our ward and so while I was there at the appt I just said a prayer that the Lord would help me to see the reasoning of all of this and I felt as if he was talking to me and I just kept hearing that scripture in my mind  like he’s the one that makes them believe and I just saw that it was a complete trust thing. He wanted to see if I would still continue with this guy or just leave him after the first turn down and man it was just a tough experience but really good for me! And then also pray that sr nyomie can be baptized this Saturday!!!! She is supposed to be baptized this Saturday!! And then pray that we can find more people and that the ones we have already will come to church!!! I love you sooo much man I understand the love you have for me because it is what I have for you! You’re my best friend!!!! I can’t wait for that day I can squeeze the crap outta ya!!!!!!! I love you all so much!!!!!! Have an awesome week!

Love,

Elder LeBaron

Pictures: a dope suit I wanna buy hahahaha its expensive though is from angola its 35.000FCFA so like 70bucks hahahahahahahah it was fun tryin it on though and taken some pics!!!! our mangez-vous with family odjo had escargot and bœuf with foutou banane and sauce graine it was sooooo gooooooddd!! Our DOPE Ward! My wanna be daughter hahahahah she came over to me and my best friend Elder Kanza my ZL and I waved for her to come to me and she like ran over to me and came and sat on my lap she is seriously so precious man!!! I’m gonna miss these kids man!!!! but even more I’m gonna miss Elder Kanza. He is seriously my best friend man and such a good guy!!!! 

Hey Family,

This week has been great. Water problems in the apartment are making me so grateful for running water back home. I haven’t had a hot shower since I got here. Gotta love bucket showers! Hahaha I’m absolutely loving my companion! He looks out for me so much. They’re really racist here and yell stuff at us all the time that’s super rude, and my comp yells right back and gets super mad at them. I say dude you’re a missionary you can’t say stuff like that. Haha. But I do love how he protects me! He’s seriously my favorite comp! I have really come to learn patience a lot on the mission and just not snapping right away at someone like I used to if they would say something against me hahahaha I don’t anymore. I guess I’m growing up. 🙂

You know it hasn’t been easy switching missions but it has forced me to be strong on my own and really just search the Lord! I’ve gotten so close to him!!! Satan has been working so hard on me lately but I have seen the power of the scriptures that just eliminates the temptations! It is amazing!!!

Pray for my investigators come to church and those who are preparing for baptism keep their commitments. I love you guys soooooo much!!!!!!!! Have an awesome week!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Elder LeBaron

Pictures: some attiéké(it wasn’t that great) we ate cuz we got back late from secteur and my maman wasn’t there to make me a super panini it was a good time though!!! notice i ate with my hand and he grabbed a spoon hahah it was sooo funny!!!! the other was some foufou my comp made it was good!!!

Family,

Looks like you guys had a good week! I seriously have been soooo blessed with this new companion! He is like my favorite comp so far hahahhahahah!!! He’s from Togo!!!!!!! So dope!!!!!! and sooo chill!!!! His name is Elder Akpotossou!   He’s super cool!!! Freakin buff too hahahaha He wants to join the US Navy. I love him so much!

Well my investigators are not keeping their commitments. Please pray for fr luc that we can get a date for his baptism and sr nyomie that her father accepts and fr jean constant that he gets baptized this Saturday and fr pacome that he can continue to come to church and stuff and that sr evelyne, sr fidele, and sr joellle will come to church!!! Its cuz of your prayers that I’m still here!!! This week was great as well I talk about it all in the recording . We got a date set for sr nyomie so that rocks!!! Its the 16th of Feb!!! Sadly fr jean-constant wasn’t baptized. He had cadre de dignité so yeah bummer with that! IDK how to explain cadre de dignité in English cuz it has like no translation basically its just high sins like avortement or loi de chasteté  parole de sagesse and just stuff like that hahahaha! He had helped someone do an avortement and he did one with a girl he got pregnant. I guess this dude used to be quite the player and then he got sick from  drugs and alcohol and so now he is looking for God and he has stopped all that stuff for like a year or so cuz he just wants a better life. He’s such a great guy!!!! So yeah it should be this next Saturday that we will baptize him!!! With my new comp I think I may fall in love with training! That would be cool if you met the president! I’d love to see that pic you guys at dinner with him that would be sooo cool! Well I love you soooo much!!! Have an awesome week!!!!

Love,

Elder LeBaron

Pictures:

My new studly comp!!!! Elder Akpotossou

Hey Family,

This week was really great!!!!!! This transfer is going to be really good the Lord is soo amazing!!!! I have just seen him prepare me in so many ways for each transfer!!! I will be staying here in this secteur and will be training my 3rd son! At first I was super mad I was training again so I just went to my room and just got on my knees to pray for peace and it was just so incredible!!! I know with no doubt in my mind that this is exactly what the Lord wants and it is no question that is why I will be ending with that American president! This has been a bumpy ride but man has it been great! I have come so close to the Lord in so many ways!!! I will get my son tomorrow so we will see what nationality he is! I have a strong feeling he will be an english speaker. It is interesting because I have been praying so hard that I’ll be transferred and every time I just had a feeling I will train and then it happened but yeah it will be really great cuz we will have a baptism this Saturday for the fr constant!! Sadly we didn’t get those other investigators to church but I just know they will come. They are so close if they can just make it to church they will be baptized!!! Pray they can come to church!!!! They read the scriptures and have testimonies but they don’t come to church it is sooo hard to see but when you look at it you realize that everyone has their own agency! It kills you but all you can do is warn them and NEVER give up on them! I may be transferred and other missionaries in a year from now will baptize them like what has happened with fr pacome! I hope we can get him baptized!!! He just has to get out of all his sins. He loves going to hotels and bars! He parties tooo much and has a wife at port bouet. Its a sad situation but with the help of the Lord it can be made right!!! Sounds like u guys had a good week! Yeah that reminds me of the time I saw the blood moon here I will never forget it. I was at port bouet when it happened!!! Yeah I know that’s it tough with him leaving but don’t think in the present. Realize that he is going to become a man in the service of the Lord! There is no other way!!! The Lord will continue to strengthen you!!! Don’t worry grandpa will come lift you up! I think he’s got me back on my two feet for the moment! Plus you need it more hahahahaha!!! Just be patient with yourself! Regarding running mom, you will be back there and when I get home i’ll start running with you again!! I gotta get my rice belly away hahaha I got this small little roll hahaha and my arms are skin and bone and I got a little roll hahahahahahahahah! Man, I’m jealous you’re getting so much snow! I want to go snowboarding sooo bad hahahahahahah!!! Soon!!! In like 9 months hahaha!!!

So here’s a quick summary of the week since I didn’t get a chance to give you a recording. Tuesday was conference mulit zone so that was dope! had some great lessons on obedience and integrity! Wednesday we saw fr constant and then went and saw sr evelyne and sr joelle. It was a great lesson. We thought for sure they’d come to church but they didnt come sadly hahah Then Thursday we saw this one new investigator that came two weeks ago to church and is seriously golden!!!! She’s sooooo awesome her name is sr nyomie!!!!! She told us she wants to be baptized but has to talk to her dad so she will be baptized February! So hopefully right before I get transferd she’ll get baptized!!! We then went and tried to see this lady sr catherine that we contacted a while ago and ended up finding her younger sister at the house and had a good lesson with her. She doesn’t know if God exists and thinks that it is all fake and human made so we will help her with time hahhaha! Friday was good we saw sr tabitha and sr joelle again it was great lessons!! Saturday we saw fr pacome and taught with this guy fr tehin who is a member and camùe to find out it was him that referred him to the first missionaries and so we had him come to the lesson and it was so amazing the spirit was soo strong man in this lesson and in the one for sr nyomie like I almost started crying when sr nyomie was saying she wanted to serve a mission and get baptized and then she started crying a bit it was so insane man it was such a great week man!!!!

Well I love you sooo much!!!!! Have an awesome week!!! 

Love,

Elder LeBaron

Pictures:

party at my mt elder nkruma’s place it was sooo lit we had fajitas!!!! elder harris made them that guy can cook man!!!! he’s a new american that came like 5 months ago it was fun! we were with elder nwachuku this missionary that’s goin home tomorrow.

a little party we had at picasso!!! also the going away present i gave to elder citeya!!!

Here’s some pics of when mercer left the apartment.

The going away party for elder nkachuku