2/3/14

Dear Family,

Transfer news came and my dreams came true!! Elder Oni and I will be staying together. He has one more transfer so i think he and i will be together for the rest of his mission till like May. No problem because he is a fantastic missionary and i still can learn a lot from him. And drumroll please. My Father, ELDER KOUAO (Ivory Coast), will be also out here in Harbel. He will be companions with Elder Haas (a South African). He came actually yesterday. He still has all of him crazy cool life stories that he will be constantly talking about. We actually started our P-day eve last night and we played a little bit of Phase 10. Very funny seeing Elder Kouao experiencing new things. So now i am the only white guy in my apartment which is totally sweet. I really always forget that i am white cause i don't see any white people to remind me that i am. I look into the mirror and jump sometimes. Or i wonder why people stare at me an then i remember.

The branch here in Harbel is really progressing and we are excited for the improvements the people are making. Sometimes i wish i could just take everyone to a good Stake somewhere in the world and say look this is how your are suppose to do things. Then they would have no problems because they have seen it. But here we work only by faith. Its like trying to tell someone who is blind to paint the "Mona Lisa". Very difficult if you rely on yourself but thankfully this is Jesus Christ Church not just anybodies Church which makes it much easily because we have handbooks and revelation.

We have had some very spiritual experiences this past week with some of our investigators. We didnt have very many come this week but it will be alright we will help them more to see the importance of Church attendance. One of our investigators sister Kuku Mcgill is really progressing which is wonderful. She now has the full support from her father about getting married to a man inside the church. They are now planning on a day when they can get hitched.She really understands that her goal is do not be living in sin. And when her and her boyfriend get married they wont be again and she can be baptized.  Hopefully its before Anna's and Sydney's so that Elder Oni can see it. The race is on!

One thing i will look forward to when i come back home is Seatbelt laws. Very inspired that we have them in America. Not really for the safety aspect but more the comfortably. Now why do i say that, if you remember i just didn't like seat-belts back at home. But when we drive to do baptismal interviews for people in Kakata we ride in a taxi.
The taxi is usually a Frankenstein car that they managed to put back together and put life into. Cusion on the seats is a luxury, even if it is a dirty shirt or small pillow the car rides are no small ride. But the car has 5 seats one for the driver and you fit 6 others on the remaining 4 seats. if there is a working trunk two with sit outside the car and close the trunk on there legs so they "dont fall off". Hey but i cant really complain what taxi service will drive you for an hour and a half and make you pay less then 2 U.S. (150 Liberian dollars) you just cant get that in America.

Well as you can see we are having a great time here in the bush. We finally will go into town tomorrow after we first visit Kakata to do two more interviews. Only like 5 hours in a taxi. Woohooo.

Thank you for the love and support you so dearly show to me. I love you very much and continue to pray for you.

Love,
Elder Skouson