New Liberia Monrovia Mission pictures



72 Missionaries making up the New Liberia Monrovia mission

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Priesthood Blessings

My pink eye or whatever you want to call it has vanished! I wore sun glasses for a good 3 days to cover it up. no big deal. Last Sunday was missionary Sunday and Yes, I taught Elder quorum again.  I love teaching that class now.  But its so different here than it is back home.  They actually participate here and they answer all the questions that are asked, so all I have to do is guide the discussion and ask inspired questions (look in the manuel for questions) to get them thinking.  Its GREAT!

So this week was good.  We were finally able to start my companion's training and get him into mission life.  He is doing really well. He is learning the lessons and the teaching material really fast so its good! Im glad to finally be senior companion now.  Its nice not having to be the young one taking all the advice from your senior comp.  Now I can run things how I want to.  Its sweet!  Me and my companion have a really good time together.  We get along great! And did you guys send a package to Elder Osayi?  I read in a letter that you sent something but I dont know if it was that letter or if it was a package?

Cool thing happened this week.  Me and Elder Avornu were walking down Train Track, which is one of the main areas that we proselyte in, when a lady came running over to us saying that one of our members were sick.  We went over and saw that it was Samuel Johnson.  He was baptized about 2 months ago.  He was laying down on one of his benches and didn't look good at all.  They had put a cold rag on him because he said he was hot and that his stomach was hurting.  I told him about the verse in the bible that tells people if they are sick that they should call upon the Elders of the Church to bless them.  So we told him that it was his choice and that by his faith he could be made whole.  He told us that he wanted one, so we went inside his house and we gave him a blessing.  We told him that he would be alright and he needed to get some rest.  The next day we were walking down the same way and the lady who called us over told us that he was doing a lot better today.  We asked where he was and she said he had gone out.  As we walked farther down the road, we saw this kid with a big smile running up to us.  This was not the same kid we saw yesterday. He looked like crap yesterday. It made me and my companion excited because we know that it was because of his faith and the priesthood.  When they say you can be called upon at anytime to use your priesthood, its a real thing.  We were heading to a lesson and then out of no where we were asked to give a blessing.  The power of the priesthood is incredible.  WE SHOULD NEVER UNDERESTIMATE ITS POWER.

Bishop Norman getting changed was some shocking news last week!  But Brian will be a way good bishop! His name actually popped in my head this last week when I was thinking about who would be the next bishop.  That will be way cool.

I love you all!! Keep me updated on life! and Send pictures!!

Love Elder Zaugg

 

PICTURES!!

 

 

 



SPIDER!!! (see story on April 1st)



$14 for a Chicken Sandwich, fries, and a small vanilla shake.
Worth every penny!!!!  (See May 20th for story)

My Companion said it had been months since it was cleaned....




So thankful my mom taught me how to clean! (See April 15th for story)



This is Africa!



Mothers Day phone call home! (see May 12th for story)



Rainy Season



Snails

Eye Infection

Mission life keeps getting better and better.  I can't believe that I am over my 3 month mark already! I still remember saying goodbye at the airport. Crazy how fast time is going.  I love it though! I enjoy every minute of my mission and I make sure that every minute I make count.  I know that I only have a short time to be on a mission so I don't want to ever look back and say I didn't do my best. How is everything back home? Has jake kapp received his call yet? I have been thinking about that kid and I want to know where he's going.

So this week has been interesting...  on Monday we went to the internet cafe to email and the other zone was there.  The bad thing about that, is that that zone had come down with pink eye. 0r I think they call it Apollo or something along those lines.  Anyway, its pink eye ha so they show up and I made the mistake of giving this missionary a fist bump... I didn't think anything of it, I just was like oh I'll make sure I don't touch my eye and I'll be fine.... Yeah that didn't work.  The next morning I woke up and my eye started to be sore and itch a little and at that point I knew what it was.  The day went on and we went out proselyting.  When we came back to the apartment my eye had swollen up and I looked chinese, but only in one eye! The nasty thing was that my eye was producing these nasty eye boogies for the longest time. Even when I woke up, My eye was stuck shut because of  them. It was bad! And that same morning when My eye was stuck shut, I noticed that my other eye started to pain a little. Yup both eyes are swollen now. haha now though, the white in my eyes is red but the swelling has gone down.  So It almost has gone away.  But it has been quite the week for sure!

Also on Saturday I got my son!!! His name is Elder Avornu from Ghana. He has been great! We will be a great companionship and do much good!  He is 21 years old. He knows enough to teach the people already so I am going to make him start taking the lead in the lessons.  Just like how I was trained (; He will do really good!

Now yesterday was our zone conference so thats why I didn't email yesterday. So no worries, I'm still alive and no rebel army has shot me or anything.  But our zone conference was really good.  We watched the testimony videos about Sierra Leone and Liberia which I think may have been played at conference. but I'm not positive.  After conference, we crammed into a taxi and went back toward Point Four and Duala.  When we were coming down this hill, out of the front windshield we could see an old man who was trying to sit down on the curb.  As he was trying to sit down, he took a step into the road and at the same time a bike carrying one passenger came by and clipped the old man.  It made him spin in a  circle and fall to the ground.  The bike did a little wobble then slammed into the ground and threw the two people off the bike. It all happened so fast. I was mostly in awe at what I just saw happen. It didn't look like anyone was seriously hurt from it.  It just looked really bad.

I wrote some scriptures down but I can't remember what they are about, but I know I put them down for a reason so read them (:

D&C 58:2-4 
Jacob 4:16-30

Tell me what you think about them. I'll go home and read them over so I will remember why I wrote them down. I hope everything is going well! Continue to stay busy and time will continue to fly! How was Fathers day?  Hopefully it was good!  I love you all!

Love Elder Zaugg
I LOVE AFRICA

Dump Truck Ride

Family!!
I have passed the 3 month mark! Feels like yesterday that I was leaving SLC Airport and saying goodbye to you all.  Time goes by too quick on mission but I love it! When you stay busy and are teaching, the time literally slips away. You feel like you don't have enough time to teach all the lessons that you want to.  And this mission is sweet.  We are constantly teaching people everyday.  Every hour is filled with a teaching appointment.  It makes mission a lot of fun! Also Happy Fathers Day next Sunday! I hope you enjoy it! Only one more Fathers Day left and I will be coming home(;

So last week I forgot to tell you some things.  As we were going to get subsistence from Point Four, me and Elder Smith were on a bike going through traffic, when we both noticed this white girl coming in the opposite lane in a truck.  We both got a little excitement in us because we don't see them very often.  Maybe once every month or so.  Anyway, as she got closer she saw us both and just looked at us funny haha probably wondering what two white guys were doing on a bike together. All I can do is laugh whenever these situations occur.  I think its funny how whenever a white person here sees us white missionaries walking around or zip by on a bike, they all give the same face when they see us.  Its priceless!  That is definitely one thing I will miss when I go home!

Also last week, we ran out of fuel for two days. So our apartment was in darkness for two nights.  Yeah, its not the funnest thing to have happen to you. Its a really good thing that our zone is in one compound though, because we would go eat and write in our journals over in their apartment. But subsistence got put off because there was no money in the bank and we had no district funds. so yeah... thats what happens when you run out of money.  Not very fun.  On the Second day of no light, after eating dinner, I had my head lamp on when I was going through the apartment.  As I got to the kitchen I was looking down, and when I looked up, the whole kitchen sink, window, wall, everything on that side of the kitchen came alive.... Cock roaches everywhere, little bugs that I dont know what they are, and a spider.  So if this happens in the kitchen at night when its dark, just imagine whats going on in the rest of the apartment at night.... Mission life is an adventure (:

So on Thursday, we had a zone service project in Elder Dahlin's and Elder Dlamini's area in Zuana Town.  This place is in the bush.  I have pictures that I want to send home so I hope that I will be able to today! It was a 30-45 minute drive then from there, it was a 30 minute walk through the jungle/forest. What we were doing, was helping  The Budges, who are a married couple from Utah that are here helping orphans.  They have only been married a year and a few weeks and they actually went home yesterday. Anyway, they are doing a project where they are building orphanage homes and a school system for the orphans out here in the bush.  What we were doing for the service project was help clean up the concrete and wood pieces so that they would be able to have their party for the finishing up of this one home. We were there for a good 3 hours cleaning up. It looked really good once we were all finished. They then fed us some bread and some other snacks then it was time for us to go.  As we were leaving, a dump truck was coming in hauling sand to this place.  After he finished dumping, we asked him if he could take us back to Iron Gate... And he said yes! We rode in a dump truck from out in the bush, all the way to Iron Gate! That was like a 45 to an hour drive in the back of this truck! It was sweet! It was like a safari almost except there was no animals... just way cool plants and trees.  It still was a way fun ride! I have pictures of it so maybe I will be able to send some of those home as well.

This is the last week that I will be without a companion.  I will receive my son/companion this saturday. It will be almost half a transfer that I have been without a companion. Or at least without a companion for my area. Me and Elder Smith have been having a blast going between areas! I hope that we'll get the chance to serve as a companionship later on in mission.  We were teaching and doing all we were suppose to be doing, but we made it a lot of fun. Once you get finished training, mission becomes a lot better.  Training is something you need for sure, but it makes for an interesting start to mission life. It will be good having the privilege to train. Im excited!

The only things that I would like you guys to send, is healthy healthy healthy things and a plastic pillow case so that my pillow won't grow mold on it... yeah i had to wash my pillow today because the sides were growing mold.  I was told that a plastic pillow case will help so that moisture wont get into or on it so mold will grow.  So if you could look into that and see if it would help, then I would like it if you could send it.  I really appreciate all the packages and mail though! Its like Christmas whenever we get mail! 

I love you all and hope you all are doing good.  I pray for you always and always think about you guys.

Love Elder Zaugg 

Lifeless Lady

Family!

It is always good to hear from you all each week so keep the emails coming(:  I cant believe I am coming up on my 3 month mark either! It has gone by fast and continues to go by fast!  After I get done training my companion, I will be at 5 1/2 months... thats in 10 weeks.  This next transfer will only be 4 weeks long so that the Liberia mission will be on track with the MTC schedule.  So my companion will only be trained for as long as me.  That means I will be craming some of the weeks together so he can get everything he needs.  It will be fun for sure! Taking over the area and being the one in charge is a huge change.  Its a lot better than being the one getting trained.  Me and Elder Smith have been covering two ares this last week and this week to come.  It has been way fun going back and forth between the two.  But us both being white and from America... all the bike dudes try ripping us off.  I just think, "home boy, we take this road everyday, just stop."   :)  they think we are stupid I guess, because we were coming from this place called Point four and we were going to Iron Gate, and the guys said 80per person.... yeah thats an expensive ride in Liberia.  The ride should cost 40per person....  we got it down to 50 but that still is a rip off.  I can see why they don't put Two white people together very often.  I have noticed that people in my area call us over and want to hear what we have to say more often now because of us both being white.  Some of them only want money from us, but then you'll get those others who actually want to hear what you have to say.  The Lord works in mysterious ways though! Its really cool seeing how he is in your life everyday on mission.  Me and my companion prayed that we would be able to run into new people who were prepared to hear the gospel, or they would run into us... and that same day we had a mom call us over to talk to us.  She said that her son wants to join us and wants to listen to what we have to say.  So we made an appointment and said we would come and sit down with them.  Went back in two days and discussed with him and his two sisters about our message.  We shared with them The Gospel of Jesus Christ, which goes over faith, repentance, baptism, Gift of the holy ghost, and enduring to the end.  They were so receptive to the message, so we continued to go back to them.  They all three have been baptized now and are only waiting to be confirmed! They came late yesterday to church so they weren't able to be confirmed.  Being on mission and having these experiences is one of the greatest feelings.  I LOVE IT!  The longer that I am on mission, the more I love my investigators and desire for them to gain their salvation.

Another story that happend last p-day is kind of crazy.  Me and Elder Osayi went to President Twehweh Tweh's house for family home evening and rice. We showed up an hour late because we had trouble getting their so we weren't able to have family home evening.  But as she was bringing the rice out, we saw the size of the bowl she was holding...  It was half the size of the white bowl mom has that she makes her salads in for parties.  It was the same roundness, just not as deep.  She said she prepared food for 4 Elders.... only me, Elder Osayi, and President were there....  I about died when we finished the bowl.  Yes, we ate all of the rice...  the Lord makes your taste buds change for sure, because I remember not liking rice before I came out but now, I enjoy rice quite a bit.  The food here that they make gets better the longer you stay as well.  But back to the story.  Before we started eating it though, we were talking about the war that happened when a young man came running over pointing around the corner of the house.  At the same time we heard a lady yelling "O'Ma! O'Ma!" which they use to call moms over here.  Anyway, so we get up and run around the corner, and there's this lady, lifeless in this womans arms.... Just 5 minutes before we sat down to eat we were talking to her.  so we started helping them move her into a chair and she slowly started coming back.  President then gave her a blessing and she seemed to be getting better.  To this day, I dont know what happened to her, but it made a really interesting family home evening dinner.

I forgot my paper that I write on for the things that I want to write home about, so this is all that I can remember so I will write the other things next week! sorry I hope you all have a good week and I keep you guys in my prayers! I love you all!!!! Thank you for sending Osayi a package. I think it will make his day for sure!

Love Elder Zaugg

I LOVE LIBERIA!