So this week included my last couple days in the MTC which were nice because we got to hear The Lux Choir sing on Sunday and then Elder Neil L Anderson speak to us on Tuesday night. I woke up at 2:30 Wednesday morning and basically was in airports on an a plane all day. Unfortunately for our second flight the engine on the first plane wasn't working so we sat in the plane for like an hour and a half before they told us we would have to take a different flight.
The first day in Manchester was the coldest it's been all winter, and then I was assigned to proselyte in Portland, Maine where they had their first snowstorm all year the next night. I get along very well with my new companion and he's excited to actually go do missionary work because his last few companions were very lazy and didn't get much done.
The first night in our area we were challenged by the Mission President to find at least one new person to teach,so we decided to go street contacting. We were crossing the street when my companion noticed a woman cleaning leaves out of her flower garden so we ran over to help. We asked if she needed any help with her leaves. She said no but I started picking them up anyway and talking to her about the Book of Mormon. Her name is Lindsey and we found out she had a Catholic background and believed in Christ but didn't go to church anymore. She said she would be interested in learning more about the Gospel, so we're expecting to meet up with her next week.
Most of the people my companion and I teach are refugees from Africa that had to flee because of a corrupt government. Most of them are from the Republic of Congo and a lot of them had to leave some of their family behind in hiding and are still working on finding a way for them to travel to the US. They all have crazy stories about how they were able to escape and come to America. One had even had his feet boiled in oil for protesting the government. The French they speak is an entirely different dialect that still takes some getting used to to understand. Some of the Congolese prefer to speak in English because they're trying to get better at the language, and I honestly have a harder time understanding their English than their French sometimes. All of the Africans are super nice and even though they usually don't have a lot, they want to feed you and help how they can. On Sunday we had to teach a lesson in Sunday School about the gathering of Israel, but in French. I felt kind of useless because I didn't have that much to say but my comprehension is getting better.
Love from the field, Elder Martin
Feel free to email me at jace.martin@myldsmail.net
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