Visiting Yaoundé-Time with the Elders

We're always torn during our visits between time spent with missionaries and time spent with mission branches, which need a lot of training and direction. Our time has to be divided between these two assignments and we never seem to get enough time with either.

We love being with the missionaries and had some good time with them this trip. We were able to attend a baptismal service for seven people. It's amazing how much love we feel for them in just a few hours as we heard their stories, saw them baptized and then confirmed the next day in church. A little grandmother and her grandson joined that day, along with several young men and one young sister whose uncle had introduced her to the church and preformed her baptism. Our missionaries handled the service perfectly.

There was great support from the members of the branches as they met in our little rented building. We were so happy to share this day with all of them.

This was an especially great day for one of our elders, Elder Schmid from Mesa. On his first day on his mission in September, he met a young man and at that first meeting challenged him to baptism. At this baptism service Elder Schmid baptized this investigator. It wasn't Elder Schmid's first baptism but will be one that he'll always remember.

A returned missionary who Brent had released the week before in Kinshasa, Elder Ngo'oh, was at the baptisms and church. He's now Brother Jean Claude, but it sure was fun to see him at this branch being a great support just a week after seeing him as one of our missionaries.

We laughed with Elder Tingey as he played the keyboard with the simplified piano book, which is also all I can manage to play. He said that his mom had told him that someday he'd regret not practicing more, and she was right. My mom said the same thing and was just as right. But he did a good job with his piano playing. His music, which added greatly to the meeting, although limited in his eyes, would have made his mom proud.

We always take the opportunity to do a little training and teaching as we visit our missionaries. It was made very clear to us in our training at the MTC that this is our primary responsibility.

We also visited their apartment and Brent took time to interview them. This individual time together is very precious to him and I think that it is to the missionaries too. It was preparation day and they had their laundry drying all over their apartment, but were happy to take time for a personal interview.

I especially love seeing our missionaries walking away down the dusty streets,

heading out to make a difference. We sure do love these guys!