Bonjour!

Things have gone pretty well this past week! Nothing too crazy has happened though! We have been working incredibly hard, and its a bit frustrating as right now we have about 12 Amis or so, that are completely ready for baptism, but because they can’t get married, for some reason or another (their spouse, money.) They haven’t been able to take that next step so we just have to keep fortifying them, but finding new Amis that will be able to progress. So this past week has been a lot of finding mostly!! Elder Desvergez has loved it as he loves talking with everyone ha-ha, we’ve found a handful of some bizarre people, but at the same time we have found some really good Amis! We have a new Amis who is a Rasta, and he’s actually very intelligent as well, he’s very interested in our message, but we’ll have to see how that goes! We have another ami I’m very excited about named Moise, he works in the government here, so he’s pretty well to do, and he has a few children as well, one actually is studying to be a doctor, and they have already been doing really well and were at church this past Sunday! He calls me Elder Clinton; because I think the only American he knows is Bill Clinton, so finding that I’m American, that’s the connection he makes. But it’s all good! We’ve been doing a lot of work in the branch this past week as well; we set up a fireside on Tuesday, and actually had a really good turn out! We had a meeting with the branch on Saturday as well, to try to get things more organized, and working, so I’m hoping that will help out! I GOT to give a talk on Sunday as well, on missionary work, and every member being a missionary, because the Branch President wanted me to chastise the branch, because they have struggled a little that way. I have no clue how to do that, so I just gave a talk! Ha-ha, it went really well though! But yeah the work is going great! It’s been a little tough this past week but it’s going well! Ambroise and Gilbert are doing amazing. Its the best to see them, and to see how far they are continuing to progress, its insane! Then I think back to the day when we found them back at the bar, and to see how happy they are now, and especially their families all together is the best! Because we’ve been doing a lot of finding lately as well its funny to see the people that don’t really want to talk to us. At first I though everyone did, but after this past week I realized there are even people here that don’t. For example when we knock a door, and we start talking, and the person is clearly not wanting us there, so they say I’m Ghanaian, (so they speak English) and then I start to speak English with them, then they say they don’t speak much English so they start speaking some random tribal language, only to find out Desvergez has started to learn those as well, and you can see the frustration in their face.... Man. Haha, we’ve definitley found some good new Amis though!! We for some reason have an unusually very tight relationship with the police and military here as well, Ha-ha, with the commissioner and many of the leaders being Mormon, or just liking us in general, that’s been really nice, For example this past week, we were walking through some crowd and there were military people ordering us around, and for some reason they started getting really mad, because they had to get some UN trucks through, they started pushing people and getting aggressive and such, and with me and Desvergez sticking out of the crowd like a sore thumb, it wasn’t a good situation.. Then out of nowhere, we heard someone yell Mes Amis!! (My friends!) And the head guy over the military group ran up to us and was happier than ever to see us, at first we didn’t recognize him because he was decked out in his officer gear, then we realized who it was, the second he came all of the soldiers that were pushing the crowd around scattered as they knew they were in trouble ha-ha, but yeah, its definitely nice having that hookup there! Things are going great here for sure! We have a mission wide services project this next Saturday, which will be pretty fun, so that’s exciting! I had to get blood drawn this past week for my Carte de Sejour, because apparently they are better than visas? So I headed over to the mission office, expecting that they had brought in some French doctors or something. The doctors weren’t there yet, but out of no where two random Africans in Bumbas (tribal outfits) showed up, and said they were the doctors.... never have I been so scared of a shot in my life, Ha-ha, it went well though as far as I know! I’m still not sick so I think were good... But yeah things are great here! It’s been pretty cool, which has been nice because we haven’t had power! And mentioning no power. We were at the coiffure today when the power cut, sooo. They ended up shaving mine and Desvergez heads... not the best look, I’m hoping well get that back real soon! Ha-ha I hope all is great back in America!

I love and miss you all! 

Elder Oliverson