A Few Random Events

A few random events:

Africa's new car:

We got a call from our vehicle coordinator saying that considering the size of our area (absolutely massive) there was no way we could go on bikes or rather, bike because Elder Shiday's is in a warehouse somewhere or something. I was kind of hoping for a truck or a Malibu or even another Corolla but what we got was a Ford Focus. It was similar to the car I failed my first driving test in. I was optimistic that perhaps it was driven by sisters before we obtained it but the interior revealed that was not the case. The back had been so stained it resembled Neapolitan ice cream. I dreamt back to my high school days with my Elantra where the previous owner had spilled a frosty or something and I always had to explain it wasn't blood and I thought of the many more times that lay ahead of me where I would have to make a similar explanation.

Africa's old car gets totaled:

Unfortunately "Julie" our Corolla (I didn't name it) is beyond repair. The office sent us over to the mechanic to grab all the personal effects and supplies we could salvage out of our car. We found the wretched thing in the back lot of a very large auto shop. The typical Texas Typhoon was upon us as we haphazardly threw Bibles and Book of Mormons into our new car, while teaching pamphlets were getting sucked in the wind up presumably off to Oz. All the while one of the mechanics was blaring Metallica , the most metal moment of my mission thus far. 

Papa Jean isn't afraid of the temple:

A lot of Congolese are wary about our temples. They still all know of the Kinshasa temple and they've heard that they have something to do with the dead. One Less Active member thinks we preform sacrifices in there another, a wife of a Less Active thinks th a the Bishop gives you a special prayer to say and then you can see your dead ancestors. Everyone who isn't a member thinks we do magic in there, literally everyone.

As part of keeping Papa Jean we're trying to get him to the temple with a family name as soon as we can. The problem is, we only taught him about temples once, a long time ago and not in great detail. In essence what we said was, "After you get baptized you can go to the temple and do proxy baptisms for the deceased." And it just went in one ear and out the other with him, that, or he didn't understand our French. Probably the latter. Anyway, we went to reteach him about the temple and when we taught him about proxy work he got really quiet. Then he pointed a finger at us and said, "So what you're telling me, is that I can go to the temple and be baptized for my grandparents who are dead?"

"Uh...yeah"

"Well you know that's great, you know I've always wanted to ask about that but I just didn't know how to phrase it, I remember the temple in Kinshasa and everyone said it was evil but now I know it isn't. I'll give you my schedule for next month and we can work out a day where you can take me."

What a boss. 

Sorry if this is a lame email, this next week will be better I can feel it.

Je vous aime,

Elder Murdoch

Sorry no pictures