things here are really different namely that my area is HUGE and people actually have houses out here. it reminds me of back home but cold and the roads STILL dont make sense. so the first week has been me sitting in the passengers seat as i let elder miller (my new companion) drive me around and tell me oodles of information about the people here and i still dont feel like that i know as much as i should.
but yeah im starting to know that haitians now that ive been to church once and elder miller and i are going to start hitting them hard starting with those that are in our ward. ok so when i said that we have the best mission i really ment it cause there are still people here that are going to church and speak french, spanish, dun (and african dialect), as well as the haitians and none of them understand the english church service. so its been a real challenge with translation and the branch president told me that he had requested me for a while now and has a lot of work for me to do. already i like this guy.
the ward here still has its slight dysfunctionalities as the city did but there are a lot more members, youth, and more people interested in the gospel. its a real backwards change for me coming from an opposite place just last week.
but yeah here are some pictures of our SUPER NICE PAD THAT HAS A COUCH!!!! ... A COUCH!!!!! WHAT A BLESSING. there is another of elder millers birthday at the branch presidents home and the last but not least is the ongoing scoreboard for scum that we play a couple of times every night before we hit the sac.
its really funny the way i have been welcomed. people here are really wierd when it comes to talking about ghetto places cause apparently they have never been to brooklyn and have seen the tom foolary that happens there. also they all are shocked (once again) that i can speak creole and they act shocked that im out here but there are about 10+ french speakers plus 5+ haitian members??? most of the branch speaks english and about a fourth speaks spanish as well.
the spiritual problems are still here too. i have witnessed drug deals and people are still fornicating the same rate here as the rest of the world. glad to know that satan has yet to stop. but yeah i had a very interesting experience this last sunday...
we got called into the branch presidents office and he told us to go visit a member whose son was not a member and wanted to meet with the missionaries. we were excited and went over and talked to them. the son then proceeded to tell us the horrible things that he had done in his life. he is suffering alot from the aftereffects of drug abuse and a serious problem of being unable to control his anger which has gotten him jail time. he called us cause one of his friends just got a sentence of 26 years to life and when he was in jail himself he saw right in front of him one inmate stab and kill another. he said he can now see that what he was doing was bad and that he wants to turn his life completely around. im very surprised how well I took all of it and im very happy that i got another witness of the atonement that day. its going to be very hard to work with him but i have never seen a more humbled and repentant man IN MY LIFE. gosh im going to cry sitting in this library thinking about him and the gall of bitterness that he has gone through but i really hope that i can help this man change his life and show him what heavenly father has in store for him.
well thats all for this week and please send back my card cause i have another one for you :) thanks everyone for the mail and KEEP IT COMING!!!!
ps grats tyler for making it into BYU and getting his eagle scout
-elder Johnson
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