New years in Cote d'Ivoire really is just wild. This
place goes off. We had to be in early at 5 o'clock because they start the
parties early here. Here, New Years is MUCH bigger than Christmas. Everyone gets
in nice new African clothes and walks around and eats a bunch of food. It's a
day that most people spend time with family which was nice to see for once
here, families together. The 31st everyone launches fireworks. It honestly could
have been more intense than July 4 in America. Everyone launches BIG fireworks!
The 1st our president said that we couldn't go out of our apartment. So we spent
the whole day cleaning. I think he was super smart to make that rule because
even the 2nd everyone was still super drunk. All the kids went around saying
Bonne Ane L'argent, that means Happy New year money! Being the white here it
made me a really hot target for the kids. I can't tell you how many times kids
came up and asked me for money. It got so tiring but it made me feel some
sympathy for parents on Halloween.
This new sector has been kind of hard for me. I came from a
Sector with LOTS of amis to a sector with near to none. I've been trying hard
to find but for some reason it just wasn't working. This Friday I decided I
would call everyone inside the sector book. I probably called like 150 old investigators.
We found 7 new amis and honestly I was super happy. 7 is a good amount and
already this last Sunday one of them came to church! We had 5 amis there this
Sunday which wasn't horrible but now we just work super hard! We don't
have anyone on date yet for baptism but we have some good amis. This week we
found one polygamist family, one guy that believes in fetish (a local tradition where they believe in Black Magic), and one guy that
doesn't believe in God. We definitely have our work cut out but having amis
like that is super fun. It makes teaching a little hard and the questions they
ask are different and really make me think.
A couple days ago I had a pretty scary experience. We were
walking back from sector one night and this guy just started following me.
Probably for like 10 minutes he followed us than we started talking to someone
and he just came up and got in my face. He didn't say anything but he just
kinda sat there in my face like staring at me. My companion noticed and we just
ran into the cyber across the street. We figured he wouldn't do anything to us in
the Cyber but then he followed us. He blocked off the entrance and just sat
there staring at me for 20 minutes. I kept looking at him and he kept flashing
these hand signs at me and just smiling. He would then talk Nushi (pigeon
french) to people and they would all just laugh. My companion just told me we
had to keep waiting and eventually he left. I honestly was pretty uneasy
though. When he looked away I put all the money I had on me in my socks
hahahahah.
This week something that really hit I found in 3 nephi 12, verses 47 and 48. It says something like, Old things have happened and passed...
New things are to come! Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I,
or your father who is in heaven in perfect.- I really feel
thankful to be a missionary because if there is anytime I have to become
perfect its right now! I know that I'll make mistakes but I also know I can
repent. No matter what our old lives were we don't have to live in that
anymore. The invitation from God is to leave it behind us and to become BETTER.
MORE like him. I'm so grateful for my savior and that he sacrificed so that I
can become more like him and his father, SO that's my goal this year, is to be
perfect like he is. And that's my invitation to you. If you have some things
holding you back, let it go. Make it become the past and become more like our
father in heaven. I know that he lives and I know that he loves us!
I love you guys! We are all in this work together, thanks
for cheering me on!
Bisou,
Elder Freedman
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