Christmas Came Early- Week 8

Bonjour once again to you lovelies!

Cote d'Ivoire is continuing to have a new adventure, surprise, or trial waiting around each corner and it has been a blast finding out how to react and learn from each one! This mission has taught me many lessons that I will treasure for the rest of my life!

In regards to my early christmas, my fan sadly died this week. It was an ugly and slow death it was hard to watch. First came the screams and the slowness of motion, and then unexpectedly it came to a halt. So I had to suffer a night with no fan and let me tell ya that sweat pool is hopefully the only one I swim in while on my mission.  However, the night is always darkest before the dawn, and the next day we went to another apartment to pick up a fresh one. The apartment we went to is called "la maison blanche" and the name fits. It is ginormous, has a grand staircase, multiple balconies, a living room with a piano, an...AC! We just sat in the room with AC for literally 15 minutes it was so nice. Anyway we got back with the new fan and assembling it felt like christmas when I would get a new lego set and I was so excited putting it together. Then finally the moment came where I started it up and it I can only imagine that it is like what it will feel like when we enter into the Celestial Kingdom, enough said.

I had my interview with President Lewis on Thursday and it was fantastic! He really helped me have a stronger knowledge of my purpose as a missionary and my love for this work. My mission president is awesome and he's the best other missions can fight me. I liken interviews with the mission president to a Bachelorette cocktail party. A bunch of people waiting around waiting to talk to someone talking about random stuff but all they want to do is just talk to the person and when they have their turn it goes by so fast and when it is done you just want to go back and keep talking! Yeah it's a weird parallel I know haha.

So probably one of the hardest challenges to face while serving here is the difficulty of feeling the Spirit. Either during lessons, sacrament meeting, or just while walking down the street. There are A LOT of distractions here and they vary in many forms. It can be from children, animals, bugs, loud fans or just loudness in general, or just weird customs that some people have here that I am not used to. I don't want to get to into it too much because I don't want to sound like I'm bashing my mission but that has probably been one of the hardest adjustments since you know, the Spirit is vital in teaching and just going about you day in general. However it has really helped me increase my tolerance and my focus so it has been getting better!

The work is going great! Frère Odilon and Frère Christ are seeming to be on track to be baptised this Saturday so that's exciting! Their baptismal interviews are on Tuesday so pray for them! We found some new amis who seem really interested in our church! One came up to us actually and asked to meet with us and is very excited to meet with us. One we came up to when we saw him studying the Bible outside so we have started teaching him and he has a lot of questions and concerns. He actually reads what we give him though which is rare here, but he just has trouble believing that the Bible isn't the only word of God but hopefully he can come to know of the truthfulness of the Book Of Mormon! This work is awesome and continues to fill my soul with joy!

Sorry for the long email this week haha but I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving this week! Thanksgiving isn't really a thing here but who knows maybe we'll make something special or go out to eat I don't know. But in the Spirit of Thanksgiving...

WEEKLY WISDOM: Be thankful for your challenges and your afflictions because without them it would be impossible to know happiness and joy in this life. We also have the opportunity to learn and grow from our challenges and form ourselves into the saints and disciples of Christ that God wants us to be.

PHOTOS:

1. Me and my beautiful new fan. I decided to name him Princeton. He's so beautiful.

2. We love the african knock-offs of Coca-Cola and Sprite haha

I Love To See the Half-Done Temple- Week 7

Bonjour mes amis et ma famille!!

Wow wow wow these weeks are continuing to fly by like seriously! And Thursday marks 3 months that I have been gone like wow!

The highlight of the week was our conference at the temple! The bus ride there was crazy sweaty and stinky. The bus had air conditioning but it barely worked. It got to the point where when I let my arms rest on my lap and then lifted them back up, my pants were soaked. It was awesome to see so many missionaries and also the progression of the Abidjan Temple! It is kind of funny because it looks like every other sketchy building here that is under construction but it will one day be an amazing House of the Lord where people can go and grow closer to our Heavenly Father! Hopefully it is finished while I am here so I can help these amazing people attend the Temple!

President Kearon was there and shared an amazing message of not worrying and just to lose ourselves in the work. He also re-emphasized the same message from when he visited the Provo MTC of Becoming the Message and having joy in this work which was awesome to hear again! He has such and energy and light about him and you can't help but be fascinated by what he has to say. It might be his british accent who knows.

 We invited one of our amis, Frère Christ, to baptism this week! He has such a good grasp on the doctrine and he remembers a lot of what we teach him and keeps his commitments which is awesome! He is set for the 30th and I am sure he will be really ready for then! This is my first ami that I actually started to teach and help him come unto Christ so I am really excited! We also have a lot more amis that are progressing very nicely and hopefully can be baptised by the end of this transfer! This work is honestly something else. I get so happy when I am able to bear my testimony and share the love I have for this Gospel and also for the love that my Heavenly Father has for me!

I had my first fish head this week. That's right I looked a fish dead in the cooked eyes and bit its head clean off, and it actually didn't taste bad at all! A little crunchy though haha. I also had some foutou which is like a sticky banana paste that you dip in sauce and it is really popular here but for some reason it just doesn't agree with my stomach at all so hopefully I learn to like it. There is one thing I will never like here though. That's the pork. How pork works here is that they take the dead pig then just chop it into a bunch of little bits including the head and legs...everything and then barely cook it so it is super chewy and it includes the skin, bone, and even hair sometimes. You know how some members decide to not drink caffeine? Well it's like that for me but just with the pork here. It isn't good for my physical or emotional health. It makes me really miss my Uncle Kevin's amazing pork at IDK Barbeque there's a little shoutout for ya Kevin. I expect a paycheck when I get home.

WEEKLY WISDOM: Just Smile! Even when It seems hard to. I have a story with this one. During one of my lessons I was giving the story of the First Vision and while I was reciting Joseph Smith's account, the people we were teaching started laughing because I was talking weird and soft so my companion had to take over and I got really discouraged but instead of continuing my day in discouragement, I decided to just smile and it actually helped my attitude and by then end of the lesson I paid no mind to it. Never forget the power of smiling. It can improve your day and also someone else's!

PHOTOS- Sorry I realised that I forgot to put descriptions for my photos so you were probably confused for some of them haha

1- Sweaty Bus Ride!

2- Me in front of the soon to be temple!

3- Conference Selfie!

4- My Provo MTC MTs!

5- Shot with Stake Center and a lot of the missionaries!

I'm Addicted To Water- Week 6

Hello Hello Hello! I am none other than Elder Perkins

(If you can get that reference you will get a gold star...somehow)  

Okay this week honestly flew by and I don't have much to talk about haha. Anyway just so everyone knows...It is HOT in Africa. I get back from our sector most days and my clothes are honestly drenched in sweat and I have to just sit for a while in front of my fan which is slowly deteriorating meaning that I have to now give it a little airplane jumpstart to get it moving. Also in regards to my title I have been drinking a lot of water you're welcome mom. I probably drink around 3-5 liters a day because it tastes so good I honestly can't help it.

I had my first baptismal service this saturday! Baptisms here are a little sketchy since we have to fill the fonts ourselves which means that the water is only up to just below the knee making the baptisms very interesting. They almost have to lay them completely flat to get them fully immersed. Also before the service we had a missionary activity with the members of the stake and we helped them answer some common questions here in Cote d'Ivoire. My companion and I roleplayed with members of being a concerned investigator couple wondering why we have to be married before being baptised so that was funny.

So we have a conference at the Abidjan Temple site tomorrow with the famous President Kearon of the Presidency of the Seventy and I was called to be in the choir for it! We are singing "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go" in french of course and I am so excited for it! I also can't wait for the temple to be done so the amazing people of Cote d'Ivoire can receive the blessings of the temple more easily! It is scheduled to be done while I am here so fingers crossed!

Just some little Africa funnies this week I accidentally blended together the word "thanks" and its french counterpart "merci" and said "menks" so that was crazy and also awkward haha. I stun the african missionaries here whenever they realise that I know how to play soccer and I gain their respect haha. OH also this might be apostate but I started to liken being an American in Africa to being Jesus Christ when he visited the Americas. Know well that I am NOT saying that I am like our Savior in any way, shape, or form he is perfect and I am far from perfection believe me. But when african children come up to me and feel my palms and skin all of the time it is kind of hard not to relate it to that sorry if I am speaking blasphemy but I haven't been struck down yet so I think I am good.

That's all folks! The days may be rough but I can never regret my decision to be here in Africa preaching this amazing gospel!

WEEKLY WISDOM: In the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith Junior, "Judge Righteous Judgement" Don't be too quick to judge, but still strive to know all that you can of a person and stick yourself in their shoes so that you can know how to act.

Ah! Something Bit Me!- Week 5

Bonjour mes amis et ma famille!

This week has been a good one but also of much trial and tribulation as most weeks as a missionary go. However, the joy that comes from this work exceeds all hardship and doubt.

The title is from while we were waiting for someone for a rendezvous and I felt a tickle on my neck but I didn't think anything of it but then a couple minutes later I felt a sharp sting on my chest and it scared me so bad and I smacked so fast. I reached in to find a really big ant and it just fell through my collar.

I also got pretty sick this last tuesday to the point where it hurt to move or even think. I thought it could be malaria but I didn't know for sure. I asked my comp to give me a blessing then I went to bed super early. Then the next day I felt a lot better with just a mild headache so who knows it could've been an evil spirit and my companion cast it out for me haha.

The French this week got a ton better! It is coming more fluently out of my mouth and the people can actually understand me now when I teach instead of Elder Agbahounzo having to restate everything I say. It has also gotten a lot easier to comprehend...most people. Some just have the weirdest accent and talk so fast it still is hard to understand. There's also a tribal language called mooshi that they sometimes mix in with the french. I'm learning words here and there from it but it'll take a while to get used to that.

Something that is really funny about the people here is that they love to show off their english knowledge any chance they get even when it is a very limited knowledge. It's okay it gives me the chance to get back at them for laughing at my french hehe.

Another perk of being white ihere is that people will give you free stuff because they want you to like their culture. I have gotten a lot of free snacks from the boutique for free and even free bread so that has been great!

I got pretty homesick this week but as usual the Spirit lead me to comfort. I am so grateful to be so in tune with the Spirit so I can always receive direction and advice. It really is a Gift of God. Shoutout to my Uncle Tony who gave an awesome talk at BYU that gave me a lot of comfort. I highly recommend it especially for my college buddies.

WEEKLY WISDOM: Never be afraid to kneel down and ask for help from Heavenly Father. You will receive comfort in ways you may not expect.

The BYU devotional that Kartch refers to, is a great talk for young adults. It is at https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/anthony-d-perkins/nevertheless-went-forth/  

Mike

Almost Burned My Face Off- Week 4

Bonjour mes amis et ma famille!

Okay it wasn't that big of a deal but it got you to click on my email didn't it? So that is all that matter. I am scared for the day when I run out of clever titles and then absolutely no one reads my emails besides like my parents. Anyway just when I was cooking some chicken for spaghetti I had the heat on super high for the oil and when I put the chicken in it, it caused a huge flame that almost reached the ceiling and it almost hit my face so that was spooky.

Okay I don't have much time so I am just gonna give the juicy deets of the week. First off the work kind of exploded this week! We found around 6 new Amis de l'Eglises and they all seem pretty interested so I am super excited for them! Also 10 of our Amis came to Church yesterday and it made me so happy! The joy that comes from this work surpasses any marvel movie if that helps you understand and I do love a good marvel movie haha. Also I have my first baptism scheduled for the 9th of November!! His name is Frère Odilon and he is super chill. We have a lot to teach him but he is on his way and I am so happy for him!

So a new fun fact about Cote d'Ivoire that I learned is that there is an Antichrist here Wahoo! Yeah he is actually pretty popular and he has some pretty weir beliefs so it is fun to run into one of those guys.

I cut my own hair on Wednesday and I gotta say I did a pretty good job for it being my first time. There are barbers here but they are all super sketchy and are not used to cutting a white guys hair. My comp helped with the back so it asn't completely atrocious but I am basically already a professional. There are pics below.

We gave four blessing this week which is super cool to start using the power of God to bless these amazing people. I couldn't participate much since it is in french of course but it is still cool. I learned how to do all of the ordinances in french so I can do more in the furture so I am excited for the next opportunity! 

One experience was crazy. We visited Soeur Gbazaré who is a member and she lives on the outskirts which is kind of on the pooer end of my sector meaning four concrete walls and thin matresses on the floor and stuff like that. We asked her how things were going and she said that it has been hard to get food for her family and stuff like that and I honestly had no idea what to do because how could I give her comfort? I have lived a cozy life in the U.S and never had too worry about what I am eating next. I shouldn't have been able to comfort her. But then the Spirit told me to flip to Ether 12 which involved having faith and hope and how God can make us strong in weakness and she started to cry and then i started to tear up and the Spirit was so strong. I then started to explain how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love her and they understand her difficulties and it was honestly the best french I ever spoke. It was the most I ever felt to be an instrument in the hands of God. We then gave her a blessing of comfort and during the blessing I swear that I could feel angels present in that room giving comfor to her. That one experience humbled me so much helped me realise that this is the Lord's work and I am here for a reason. 

Sorry for the long story but that is basically it for this week! The french is still coming along and I have just been loving it here. It is super hard but at the end of the day I really am loving it and I wouldn't want to e anywhere else.

WEEKLY WISDOM: Moroni 8:16 "Perfect Love Casteth Out All Fear" You can bet that these past four weeks have been scary and hard but while studying I found this scripture and I gound so much comfort. You can also find comfort in the scriptures as long as you are guided by the Spirit and are open to its revelations.

Jusqu'à semain prochain!

Elder Perkins

I Hate Sand...- Week 3

From Mike - FYI if you are/were a doubter about the wisdom of having missionaries being able to call/video call home weekly, I am a true convert! Even though the internet connection is ridiculously slow, and the internet cafe is obnoxiously loud, being able to see and talk to Kartch every week is great for us, and he says it really helps him too.

...It's coarse, rough, irritating, and it gets everywhere. I never thought that I could relate to Anakin Skywalker so well in my life(hopefully not too well)

Bonjour mes amis et ma famille!!

Yes there is sand everywhere and it gets in my shoes, in our apartment, and in my bed. I have started to view my sector as Tatooine just substitute droids with wild animals and spacecraft for vans packed with people. My trainer is Obi-Wan Kenobi and I am Luke Skywalker who doesn't know in the slightest what he is getting himself into. I am basically one of the Jedi of the church in simple terms. Anyway sorry for the random Star Wars reference. I made the mistake of asking my family about episode nine that's about to come out and I got a little trunky haha.

Okay well this week has been a lot better in terms of getting comfortable living here and getting acquainted with how things work around here. I am already almost a basic Cote d'Ivoire missionary. I have a really bad tan on my arms and neck and watch, I have some dope African ties, I love Youki Pomme which is a popular drink here and tastes the exact same as Martinellies if that's how you spell it, I say the word "tcheee" which is just like saying "dang" or something like that, and I do the missionary handshake with everyone. It is just a slap, a bump, and then you hit your plaque it's pretty sick. The only thing I am missing is the basic white plastic sandals called lekeys that everyone wears here and you know...speaking french. But those two will come in time for sure. Especially the sandals.

Okay I want to explain how church is here in good ole Africa. Try and think of every single religion you can think of and no joke I bet every single one of them is here. Basically every single christian denomination is here. Also buddhist, muslim, and some indian religion that I forgot about and many more. If you have a microphone, a loud speaker, and a gathering place, you can start your own church. Now my church building is definitely not what you would call "up to code". Half of the rooms aren't finished and once again there is sand everywhere. I can barely hear the speakers let alone understand because we have fans going and there is no mic. There is also no piano so we all sing acapella and it is never in the right key. And let's just say the people here are VERY confident in their singing when they necessarily shouldn't be haha. So I just cringe only a little bit during hymns but it is okay. Also in our second ward building, the church next to us cranks up their microphone and their music and since that ward is outside we can't hear anything so it got to the point where we got our own mic too so now we are battling with the church next door haha.

We found a lot more amis this week! One sister in our ward introduced us to her neighbors and they are named Frere Christ and Elvis which are pretty cool names! Fr. Christ came to church yesterday which was awesome! We had another lesson with our buddhist amis, Fr. Richmond, and he still is having a hard time believing us but we're trying our best. We're teaching two sisters, Soeur Carmel and Soeur Edith, and they are really interested but it is hard to meet with them a lot because they are gone for school a lot. We taught a bunch of teenagers this one time which is really scary because they were all different religions and they were all listening but not really accepting the doctrine. Some just got up and left so that was awkward but we set up an appointment with one of them so hey that is a victory!

The language is coming along little by little but I can see that I am making progress so that is all that matters. I have kind of accepted that I won't be super comfortable at the language for a while so I just have to be patient as always.

Anyways it has been just a grand time here. It has been a rollercoaster of emotions and digestive functionality but I have withstood all of it and I have grown so much closer with my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ!

WEEKLY WISDOM: Patriarchal Blessings are the coolest things ever. I challenge y'all to read it at least once a week and if you don't have yours, I strongly encourage you to do so. They deliver so much guidance and wisdom everytime you read it!

Photos:

1. BURGER KING I never though that I would like burger king. I probably just lowered my standards

2.  My first set of pine ties! Pine is just african cloth it is super cool!

3. Sunset from my apartment

Sweet Dreams are made of Doxy-Week 2

Bonjour mes amis et ma famille!!

Okay so the doxy pills that we have to take for give you really weird dreams so that is my entertainment supplement for my whole mission: I am honestly probably gonna start a dream journal haha: One included my companion and I teaching a dog that had rabies and attacked us so there's a taste of what it does: It also helps with acne so that is a huge bonus: maybe I'll just keep taking it after my mission haha

I honestly don't know where to begin with my letter because there is so much that I can talk about that I don't know what I should or shouldn't share: The work is going pretty well: My trainer says that right now is a slow time because so many peole are gone for school so it is hard to find people or people who will follow through with appointments: We are teaching a Soeur Naomi which is cool because that's my sister's name and she seems to be taking the gospel really well: It is hard to tell if she is actually comprehending what we teach her though: 

We are also teaching a buddhist named Frere Richmond and that is really really fun because he has a lot of questions and a lot of contradicting beliefs so it is hard for him to accept the doctrine but we(more Elder Agbahounzo) try our best: I bore my testimony of the BoM to him when he wanted proof of our church but he still seemed unconvinced: He's one tough cookie: 

We also hav a lot of inactive members here for some reason so we visit them a lot and a lot of them came to church yesterday! That really puts a smile on my face haha:

I am somewhat drowning in the French: People just talk so crazy fast and kind of mumble so it makes it hard to pick out the words I already know let alone the words I don't know: And all of the natives make fun of my bad french so that makes it hard: Like they don't mean it in a harsh way but it still hurts my confidence a bit: It is a really good thing I have the Spirit to do most of the communicating for me or I would be useless: Gift of Tongues is real: I just need patience, diligence, and the love for these people and I will get it soon...hopefully

Okay fun stories time: There was a herd of cows blocking the whole street this morning(picture below) also a group of dogs  starting fighting in the street and alnost ran into me so I almost died in short(sorry no picture): I have seen multiple kids just squat down and go to the bathroom in the road: I have stepped in poop twice already, of what kind I am not sure there are just so many possibilities:The kids here have warmed up to me and started coming up to say hi and give me hugs! So I am basically a celebrity now: Using the power of le blanc hehe especially for conversation starters: "Hey you are white" "Yes I am, do you want to hear about the Gospel of Jesus Christ?" and BOOM I am in and they will be baptised in a week simple as that: Haha just kidding it is not that easy but I wish it was so everyone could have the happiness that this gospel brings!!!!

WEEKLY WISDOM: Don't take things for granted: Even the small things: You gotta enjoy the little things

PICTURES!- Sorry for none last week it was a busy day

1. Last night in the MTC. I miss these guys

2. Airplane flight selfie!!

3. Just me and a cool tree at the mission home

4. Me and my formateur Elder Agbahounzo!

5. SUPER sketchy bridge that we cross a lot to get to one part of our sector. It is super shaky and like a 15 foot drop to a trashy river haha

6. Atchieke- a common dish at Cote d'Ivoire. I don't have the courage to eat the fish head yet but I will get there

7. Cows

8. Sleeping quarters

Le Blanc-Week 1 in Africa

Hello hello hello everyone!

Wow has this week been a doosy! Let me tell you guys that Africa is wack.

 First off though I want to talk about my flights to get here! It was crazy long and exhausting but it was super fun. Good thing I was with my MTC comp and some others or else I would have been missed every single flight. So the flight to Seattle was not bad but when we got to the Tacoma airport the jetway wasn't working and we waited forever to the point where we could've missed our flight but luckily we were changed to the gate right next to the gate for our flight to Paris so that was a miracle. Right before boarding, a woman stopped us and asked for a blessing. It totally threw me off guard but we went to a kind of isolated corner and somehow I ended up giving the blessing. It was the first blessing I have given so I was stressed but it was a super spiritual and an amazing opportunity! She was headed to Nigeria for a humanitarian trip and was really scared about it so she was really grateful.

Our flight to Paris was LONG and long flights suck for missionaries because no movies or anything: However, did I peek a couple of times at someone watching Avengers: Endgame?...maybe...Then our flight from Paris to Cote d'Ivoire wasn't too bad! We were on an AirFrance plane so it was really nice.

Okay here is what it is like in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire: There is no streetlights, no street lanes, no waste management, no air conditioning, no carpet(I already miss carpet), and no white people. Walking down the street consists of basically every single person looking at you and the kids yelling "le blanc!" meaning "the white". At least there is no confusion for when people want your attention. 

I got assigned to my formateur(trainer) Elder Agbahounzo! He is from Togo and has been out for nine months! I'm so grateful that he is my formateur: He is super patient with my french and gives me plenty of chances to teach these marvelous people! They all like to make fun of my french and how I am american: I just laugh it all off. If I got mad everytime soneone nade fun of me here I would've been home after day one haha.

I'm in the sector of Beago which is nore of the village part of Cote d'Ivoire. Meaning that all of the roads are dirt, there is trash everywhere, and there are A LOT of animals walking around including goats, dogs, cats, and cows. What a party. 

This week has been very rough don't get me wrong, especially with the language, but I know that this is where I am meant to be and what I'm supposed to be doing. Only Heavenly Father is crazy enough to send a kid like me to Africa. 

WEEKLY WISDOM: End your day by identifying how Heavenly Father has influenced your day: It could be something very small, or something plain and obvious. Find those tender mercies in your life.

P.S. Sorry about any weird typos, the keyboards here are different haha

Kartchner didn't think he'd have time to email, sho Mike took very detailed notes of our phone conversation...

Elder P was not able to email this week, he decided to spend most of his time today on a "video" "call" with me and his mom. The "video call" from an internet cafe was mostly intermittent screenshots and jumbled audio, but hey better than nothing. We hadn't heard from him in 8 days, since he left the Provo MTC. His mission president did send us the attached photos from the mission home last Friday. We weren't worried, but it was very nice to speak with him today!

Basic rundown of my notes from the call:

On the way to Africa, he gave first blessing in the Tacoma, Washington airport to a woman who was on her way to Nigeria on a humanitarian effort. He had anointed before, but this was his first blessing as voice.

He said there were many small miracles on the way to Africa via Tacoma->Paris->Bamako, Mali->Abidjan, but didn't have time to go into all the details.

Arriving in Abidjan:

Driving is crazy, no traffic signs or signals. People sell stuff in the middle of the street. There are goats, dogs, cats and other animals everywhere, including in the streets. There is trash in street everywhere, really stinks in some places. They take taxis a lot, they cost about $1 American.

Dirt streets, very little pavement, rains in mornings but not too muddy

Had to sleep one night in a crowded apartment so he couldn't use his mosquito net, and got a few mosquito bites, but he is taking his malaria pills!! (Mosquito-borne illnesses will always be a concern)

Mosquitoes are nocturnal, not a problem during the day. They usually return to their apartment at 7pm every night to avoid the mosquitos as much as possible.

He said it's hot, but not too bad. No air conditioning in his apartment, but the fans make it comfortable enough. But he's not sleeping well, very tired.

All the kids call him "Le Blanc"= "White Guy", make fun of him for not knowing the language... The language is hard, people speaking fast with dialect. He is teaching a lot. First couple of days, he doesn't think people could understand him, but his companion is helpful and he thinks people are understanding him better now

His first shower in his apartment was from a bucket because shower wasn't working. Showers are cold, no not water in his apartment. He is washing clothes by hand.

He misses carpet - there is no carpet - all tile or bare concrete floors. Computer keyboards are weird - keys are in different places. He will be using his portable keyboard gift from the Curtis'!

Electricity has gone out twice but at least they have running water all the time

He is exercising, went running one morning with his companion and sweat a lot, even though it is cooer in the mornings.

His companion is Elder Agbahounzo from Togo, Africa, which is immediately east of Ghana. His companion has been out 9 months, is a native French speaker, and is trying to learn English. Their proselyting area is Beago, which is about as far Southwest in Abidjan as you can get, very near the gulf waters. 

They are getting along well. He is a very good companion, Kartch drew "the long straw" to get him. His companion is a good cook, teaching him how to cook. Lots of chicken and rice.

When they don't have appointments, they just contact people on streets, proselyte from 10am-7pm daily.

His mission is geographically very small, nearly all missionaries are in the West side of the large city of Abidjan (4.5 million people), so on P-day's from 9am-12pm most of the mission meets at a stake center for sports - soccer frisbee etc. They had a lot of fun today, got to spend a lot of time speaking with the other greenie American missionaries.

He says having clean drinking water has not been a problem. They have a filter in their apartment faucet, and members/locals are good about providing him with bottled water. (Water was one of our big concerns, but so far so good)

He has not been sick at all, he said the food is fine, he is getting protein, chicken. He has also eaten an "entire" fish and sticky rice with his hands (but he let someone else eat the fish head). (Food/protein was another of our big concerns, but so far so good)

Overall he said it was just a fairly rough week, culture shock, just a whirlwind. The language is the hardest thing he has had to adjust to.

But he seemed to be doing okay and had a good attitude about the challenge that faces him!

Africa was referred to A LOT at conference this weekend - 2 of the first 4 speakers referenced Cote d'Ivoire specifically, and even spoke of a sister missionary in Kartch's Abidjan West Mission! We are very excited for Kartch to have this opportunity to serve the Lord amongst such humble people.

Thank you all for your support and prayers.

Mike

Sandals, Singing, and

Bonjour mes amis and ma famille!

Wow okay this week has been a blast and a little sad since it is my last week here! For those who don't know I received my travel itinerary last week and it's headed for Cote d'Ivoire!!!!!!!!! I guess that it still doesn't guarantee that my Visa is here but I'd say it's safe to assume I have it because I'm set to be leaving Sunday morning and I haven't heard anything about reassignment. So yeah I fly out super duper early Sunday morning to Seattle, then I go from Seattle to PARIS(woohoo!), then from Paris to COTE D'IVOIRE(bigger woohoo!) It's crazy to see everything winding down so quickly here. I'm ready but also not ready to head out to the field just because I really do love the MTC a lot. It is like EFY on steroids it is great. 

On Sunday, Elder Pugh and I sang Merveilleux L'Amour(I Stand All Amazed) in sacrament meeting! It was super awesome and we made one of our zone leaders cry so I see this as an absolute win.(Avengers:Endgame) 

Then the devotional that night was given by Brother and Sister Hemingway and they hit the importance of Preach My Gospel very hard. They challenged all of us to study from PMG daily and of course we all accepted. Studying in PMG both in english and french has been an amazing way to expand my gospel knowledge because it displays the doctrine so simply, but then it gives you ways to really dive deep into certain doctrine and it is so fun! Elder Young and I have been doing a comp. study activity everyday and I've been learning so much! The Tuesday Devotional was by Elder Kearon of the Seventy Presidency! If you don't remember he gave the famous Refuge From the Storm talk in April 2016 about refugees. He also has a British accent so that was entertaining enough. We also sang a song called "Hurrah for Israel" which was inspired by Elder Groberg's mission story(The Other Side of Heaven guy) and Elder Groberg was there!!! Anyway Elder Kearon shared how we need to "Become the Message". When we are out preaching, we need to have to display the joy and happiness that this gospel brings us. He is such an amazing speaker I didn't want it to end.

We had our last Skype TRC this week and it went pretty well. We talked to a lady from Normandy and she had really nice french but that's all she spoke so that made it really fun. SHE HAS A CRAZY CONVERSION STORY. Okay so she grew up Catholic and then both of her parents died and after she had a dream about eating white fruit, so she eventually met up with the missionaries and shared her dream with them and I bet their jaws dropped and then immediately flipped to 1 Nephi 11.(Get it? Tree of Life, white fruit? Crazy Right???) So yeah that was super cool to hear that story.

We also had English face to face TRCs this week and we taught this guy named Dwayne and he's literally one of the coolest dudes ever! He has such a good outlook on life and is so loving! He just didn't have a good relationship with God so we taught him why we experience trials and also the power of prayer! We made him cry, laugh, and feel the spirit. After our last lesson he got a picture with us! He is super cool and I hope everything goes well for him.

Okay I finally gave in and had my parents send me some sandals because I realized that if i'm allowed to wear sandals on my mission, I'm definitely gonna take advantage of it. I love them so much I feel so powerful in them haha. Plus I get to flex on those non-sandal missionaries haha. 

The French is just getting better and better! No joke my first instinct for when I pray is to say it in french now it is awesome! I'm definitely not anywhere close to fluent yet but I can tell I'm making progress. I'm just waiting for the African dialect to hit me like a brick when I get there. 

I am so grateful for my teachers. I am definitely not biased in saying I got the best teachers in the MTC because they are so encouraging and loving to us and I have learned so much from them. Both in language and teaching aspects. I'll never forget them. 

I'm sad that my time here is coming to an end but I am so excited to finally get to Africa and spread this gospel to every mountain and to all the holes in the rocks(Jeremiah 16:16)

WEEKLY WISDOM: FEAR NO MAN

Lot's of Love to all of you and thank you for supporting me!

Au revoir!

Elder Perkins

The Baloonie Saga continues...

1. Baloonie has fallen I'll. I don't think he's gonna make it

2. Baloonie writes his last will and testament. He is ready to meet his maker

3-7. More pics of my and Elder Young messing around

8. Lumiere and Cogsworth reunion! 

9. The Gentle Giant of our branch presidency, Brother Sowards...what a legend.