Week 11 in Libreville: sometimes I forget I'm in Africa

 Another week on the equator.* Let's get into it:


WHEN IN AFRICA

So many funny moments this week:
Elder Zoller burned his leg hair off because the gas oven *briefly* exploded. Everyone's fine and it won't happen again. 
Some driver almost ran over my foot. It was a really busy area so I forgive him. 
Also crossing the highway is perfectly normal. Like, there are designated crosswalks on these highways where cars are going 90 km/h**. Kind of stressful.

MISSIONARY MOMENTS OF THE WEEK

We're still trying to teach Margueritte and Clarie as much as possible. In one of our lessons this week, Margueritte started teaching the Word of Wisdom to Claire. She's super receptive, knowledgable, and ready for baptism. We might even move her June 12th date up.
We had a new-person lesson with this guy who was born in Cameroon, lived in Nigeria for forever, and now lives here. He knows little English so I want to know more about is time in Anglophone Nigeria. But, he took all of the information really well, and I was impressed with Elder Zoller and I's ability to teach in French together. I'm a little bilingual at this point. Just a little. But when I tried to give him a Book of Mormon, he looked puzzled. As it turned out, he thought I was selling it! He graciously accepted it after I told him it was free!

SCRIPTURE/SPIRITUAL THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

2 Samuel 22:33:

"God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect."

Back to the OT for this one. It's got some gems. To fully explain this week's thought, I want to add this quote from Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf's address from April's General Conference, adapted a little bit:

"It is so humbling to know that [becoming perfect] is possible—not because of who we are but because of who God is."
 
God can make our ways perfect - that is His whole plan for us. We are not perfect in this life, but we aren't supposed to be - at least not on our own. It is only through the Atonement of Christ that this heavenly perfection can be realized. Because God is merciful, we can overcome all our imperfections and fulfill our heavenly potential. 

Thanks for getting to the end of another update! I'd like to now know, what's new with you?

Je vous aime tous, 
Elder May

*Actually it's *just* north. But that's just semantics.
**do the math, Americans.

PICTURES:

(highlights include)
I made pizza this week. Shoutout to dad for getting me grandpa's recipe. 
Also there's a brand of mayo here that's almost my name. Etan Mayonnaise. (okay it might be 'elan' but just give me this one)
All 9 Americans went and played basketball at a local court today. That's where the subject line comes from. That and the pizza.







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