The Work Goes On!

Aug 8, 2016

Hey everyone,
This week was actually a lot of fun!
We have been preparing three people for their baptism this week, Bill, Esther, and Beauty. It's been a great experience being with and teaching these three, I'll tell you about how the Service was next week but I'll show you the photos in a couple weeks.

We've had great members with us this week, I am so grateful for their willingness to serve and teach! We really wouldn't make the progress we have without their help. Members are the key, here and at home. 

Sunday was pretty cool, First Sundays of the month are always packed! So many people show up only on the first Sunday. The service was great though, wonderful testimonies that I needed to hear. Towards the end of the service I was called in to the Branch Presidents office for a meeting. Now there are two branches in the building we use, Caldwell, and Upper Caldwell. Elder Degen is in the other branch. Turns out the two branches are coming together to host a little send-off party/fireside for the two of us plus a couple other missionaries who are leaving soon. That'll be Saturday, after the baptism, so that day should be great.

Also today we had some fun! Being Elder Degen's last pday before he goes home next week, we met up with a few other Elders to eat Ghanaian fufu, go to a bakery and walk some train tracks! There are some tracks here that run from the docks to way inland, these tracks fun 50 yards in front of my house and it also crossed the road via a bridge by the restaurant. So after taking photos with the Elders and the bakery owner, we did the next logical thing which was to climb the adjacent hill and get on the bridge! Now don't worry about the train, it hardly passes through and people walk the tracks all the time, but the bridge was just fun to be on, sweet pictures! But like I said, I'll show you those myself soon enough.

Looking forward to another great week ahead, more work and more joy. And the funny thing is that is always continues. I'll never finish the work, when I go, another Elder will replace me and work on what I left behind. We can never finish the work, but we're not meant to, we're here to do our part, and to do it well.
Elder Verdoni

Liberian Independence

Aug 1, 2016

Hello!
Another week came and I thought I would have time with it but it ran from me too fast! Still a good one!

Tuesday was Liberia's independence Day and holy cow we had fun but it was a little crazy. So first, I found myself at home for a little bit when I went to our Elders Quorum President's house for lunch. We were eating salad (not common) with Avocado, cucumber, and tomato(Unheard of) while listening to Jayson Mraz. Then after teaching a lesson to their niece who is investigating the church, we played Monopoly with the family with NCIS on the TV. 

I know all this may sound very normal to all of you but I assure you THE ENTIRE TIME I WAS JUST SO HAPPY AND CONFUSED WITH WHAT WAS GOING ON I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCE SOMETHING SO NICE, I MEAN NCIS WAS ON THE TV, COME ON. Sorry, had to let it out somehow. We had a good time, except when I first showed up the rain was heavy and I slipped and fell in a pile of mud. Awesome. They drove me home afterwards to change.

We saw a few other families and investigators that day but most were busy celebrating by eating rice and playing football (the real one). But holy Moses these people go insane for Independence. Honestly it's hard for me to describe so I'll just list some descriptive words; Music, people, SO MANY PEOPLE, riots, thieves, short or limited clothing on those people, clubs, alcohol, slight mayhem, basically having the time of their lives. Like I live outside the city and that's what I experienced.

On another note, we are doing well preparing our friends for their baptism in a couple weeks! I am hoping they will continue to keep their commitments and grow their testimonies, super excited for them. They are working hard. I really love the Branch and the members that are inside of it, there's just a spirit of friendship and union here and I love it. Feels like home.

Well, I could have probably put in more quality things, but this is all I can think of now. I love this work and how much focus and energy it takes to be successful.

"When you play, play hard. When you work, don't play at all"

Elder Verdoni