Yaounde 9/26/11

Hi Mom :)

Alright, questions... I am doing great! I am super tired because the work is NUTS, but I am loving every minute of it. At the moment Elder Lamb and I have 18 baptismal candidates. We had 15 investigators at church. Missionary work is so different here than anywhere else in the world. The things I am experiencing right now are so much different from the stories I heard from all my friends that went on missions or from friends on missions right now. Africa is just different. There is no other way to put it. So we do baptisms on the first and third Saturday of every month, and this Saturday we are planning on having 4 investigators baptised. We are baptising this members son who has been taking the lessons for almost a year. He will be getting baptised like 3 days from his year mark. So it is cool to be a part of that. His name is Yves and he has such a solid testimony and his mom is so grateful for Elder Lamb and I. It wasn't us though... it was the Spirit and the Lord! The Lord is just blessing Elder Lamb and I with a front row seat :) We are also baptising this lady, Soeur Kamlé, and her two sons, Junior and Prince. Her husband is already a member so he will be doing the baptisms. She told us about this CRAZY dream that she had once while she was attending another church a few years ago. She said that she walked into a building and went into this room and realized that it was a baptismal service. She saw two men dressed in exquisite white clothes and they beckoned her to come over and they asked her what size she needed (for baptismal clothes) and she told them that she wasn't getting baptized, then they said "have faith and you will be baptized". She then went down the hall and opened every door and every door she opened she said that there were two Book of Mormon prophets in the room. She said that she saw Nephi and Lehi and many others. And she said that she recognized every single one. Elder Lamb and I were just in shock that we were hearing this. We asked her so many questions like "what did Nephi look like?" and "What did they say to you?". I asked her to type up her dream for me so that I could put it in my journal. I am in such a hurry... sorry. I didn't do that dream justice. It was so incredible though! Working with Elder Lamb is awesome. I love that guy so much. He is helping me so much. I was really nervous about who my trainer would be. I really wanted to connect with him and just be myself with him. Well, I can totally be myself with Elder Lamb. We are awesome friends. He is awesome. I don't know what more I can say about him. I am so blessed to have him as my companion. For conference we are going over to the Thompsons at 5 at night to watch the morning session. And then we will go back to the apartment and come back the next day to watch the Priesthood session. Its a bummer that we can't watch them all, but we will be able to in like 3 weeks. As for the food, I guess it has been getting better. I haven't been fed anything crazy so that was good :) Sister Thompson is an amazing cook. Our district was at the Thompsons last night for dinner for a district meeting and she made home made pizza and it was sooo good. I ate so much... like 8 or 9 pieces. Mmmm :) Alright so I think I got all of your questions.

Alright here are some things that I wrote down in my daily planner that I wanted to tell you...

1) So I met this lady named Paulette and she asked me what my name was so I told her that my name was Elder Schmid and she went "Oh okay, Elder Schitt!" and she kept on calling me Elder Schitt the whole rendez-vous. It was pretty funny! We corrected her at the end of the lesson. I wish I could of recorded her saying it... priceless.

2) Elder Lambs mom grew up in Safford. Her maiden name is Curtis. Her parents names are Merna Hooper Curtis and Brooks Curtis. Does Grandma know them? Also, there is an elder in my zone, Elder Tingey, and he has family in Safford/Thatcher, as well. The Udalls and the Curtis's, as well. So email me a more detailed genealogy thing so I can see if we are all related! Like 6 or 7 generations back.

3) I was walking through some slum area and this kid was wearing a Phoenix Suns jersey. That was weird to see at first.

4) I was teaching a lesson and this lady had a crying child and I knew immediately what was going to happen once she picked up the child... she exposed herself and started feeding the kid. Yeah... kinda awkward. That lesson was interesting.

Alright so those were the things that I wanted to tell you. I just want to let you know how much I love you and how grateful I am for everything that you did for me. I know that I am where I am supposed to be right now and that is all because of you and dad. I am so grateful for the examples that you are to me. I hope all is well! I love you :)

Elder Schmid

Random pictures in Yaounde

Elder Lamb, Ernestine and myself. My first baptism in Africa.

A random little boy and myself standing by a little creek during a rainfall.

Elder Lamb and myself. My first companion in the field!

Fufu, the white stuff, and I'm not sure about the other. My first African meal.

Life in Yaounde 9/19/11

Alright, I'm going to start off by trying my best to answer all of the small questions that you asked. In Yaounde, the weather is amazing!! Sooo much better than the weather in Douala. I feel like I am in San Diego... no joke. This week I was formally introduced to the African rainstorm. Lets just say I don't need to go out and teach in another one again. Imagine our monsoons at their worst and it just continues and continues and continues. I was drenched AND I had an umbrella. I took some pictures but they don't even come close to giving it justice. When it does get humid though, my asthma acts up a little but nothing to bad. I always have an inhaler with me just in case but I normally just use it right before I go running in the morning or play bball on pday. I think I am adjusting just fine. Things that were so crazy when I first got here are just normal now. Its weird how fast that all changed. One thing was pretty funny though. Elder Lamb and I were waiting by a gate of someones house and I looked across the street and I saw someone going to the bathroom in the sewer. I turned to Elder Lamb and said "haha, look at that man taking a crap," and then he said, "Are you sure that is a man?" And right as he said that, IT stood up and pulled down its dress and started walking. I totally saw a woman strait up let it all out on the side of the road!! SICK!! I'd be completely fine if I didn't have to ever see that again.

So those jokes that Ashlyn said are awesome. I miss her so much. I miss all of you. Tell Caelan that she will get that letter I owe here. I seriously have such little time to write letters. Life here is sooo busy. Way busier than the MTC. I am trying my best though. I heard that my letters take 2-3 weeks to get from here to over there so tell Caelan to expect one in at most, 2 months... haha sorry, but I am trying my best. As for looking at my blog, that wasn't me. The Thompson's said that they checked it out. I am going to look at it just after I finish emailing. Yes, it is allowed.

Alright, so I have so much I could tell you but I don't have nearly enough time. This week has been so crazy. I am going to first off tell you about the baptism that we had on Saturday! I was able to baptize a lady named Ernestine! I wasn't even here 10 days and I was able to baptize one of the Lords children here in Africa! It was so incredible. The water was freezing but thankfully I am tall enough so it didn't reach a certain point... if you know what I mean. I was so focused on memorizing the baptismal prayer in French that when I started I totally forgot to say her name so one of the witnesses, Elder Tingey, loudly whispered "name! name!" So I thought, ah crap! I then started asking her for her full name and then I realized that I was speaking english and she had no clue what I was saying, so I quickly started "parler"ing the french and asked her what her name was. She had the craziest longest name but I was just like "alright, here we go!" And I started over and recited her name, the best I could, and said the prayer perfectly and baptized her. I am 110% positive I totally butchered her full name but its okay. I am sure in the eyes of the Lord all was well. So yeah, that was my first baptismal experience in Africa! It was great!

Right now, Elder Lamb and I have 10 candidates for baptism for October 1, 5 for October 15, and 1 for November 5. Some of those investigators are going to go to the other group of Elders in my area because they live in their sector, but still... missionary work is thriving here in Africa. Remember when we were reading in Elder Palmer's blog about how their zone had like 18-19 baptisms? Well I think it is very possible to beat that record. If we are just obedient and do all that we can, that goal is so plausible. I am so stoked to be a part of all this.

Like you already know, people here in Africa have many dreams and visions. People have told me about their dreams and visions almost every day. I want to tell you all about one. I don't have my journal with me so its not going to be exact but you will still get the point. So last week, Elder Lamb and I went to teach this part member family. We were focusing on the mother and two children. The whole family was there during the lesson, though, and we taught about the Book of Mormon and the importance of it. Well, we came back and visited with them two days ago and the father told us about a dream/vision that his oldest daughter had right after we left on our last meeting. She said that an old woman came to her door and kept on asking "Where is the Book of Mormon? Where is the Book of Mormon?" She continued to ask that and walked into the house and started searching for the book. She was looking in all the drawers and in every single little spot that it could be. She finally looked on top of the TV cabinet and found it. She picked up the book and started chastising the family saying "Do you realize what you have? This book is such a treasure and yet you neglect it!" So, continued to chastise and that was that. So, because of that girls vision they have all become diligent readers of the Book of Mormon. The Lord works such great miracles.

So lately, I have had those feelings or desires of wanting to see you again and I have gotten a little homesick... not too bad but I experienced some. Well, whenever I do, I just think of walking off of the plane in Phoenix and seeing all of your faces again. That image that I have at that moment of seeing you again pulls me through any homesickness I have. I love you all so much and I can't wait to see you all and hug you all again. I pray for you everyday and I want to tell you that your prayers for me have definitely been noticeable in my life. I can't wait to come home and go through my journal with you all so you can see all the miracles that are happening in my life every single day. I know that this gospel is true and that it is a gospel of happiness!! I love telling that to my investigators. We are so blessed. ALWAYS count your many blessings. I love you mom :)

Elder Schmid

Yaounde 9/12/11

Family!! I am so excited to email you right now. I have so much to say but I don't have that much time. But I am going to try my best.

So my stay in Douala only lasted about 16 hours. We had an amazing dinner and then I wrote in my journal and then I went to bed. I was so tired. The next day we woke up and had breakfast with the elders in Douala and then Elder Hoiland, LaFleur and I went to the immigration office because we were going to Yaoundé. It was basically a super run down building. There was dirt and mud all over the floors. We did whatever it was that we needed to do there and then the senior couple in Douala, the Nuttals, took us to the bus and shipped us off to Yaoundé. The drive was so beautiful. We went through the jungle and we passed little villages and stuff. It was super pretty. Driving in Africa is NUTS!!! There are like no traffic rules at all. So we finally got to Yaoundé and then Elder Thompson picked us up. He took us to his apartment where his wife and Sister Jameson were cooking dinner. It felt so good to see Sister Jameson (Misson Presidents wife whom we met when Christiaan got his mission call because they live only 15 minutes away from us.) It was like a little slice of home right there in front of me. She is so awesome. Elder Thompson then went to go pick up President Jameson because he was out doing branch business. When they got back we had an amazing dinner and then President Jameson interviewed the new missionaries. I love President Jameson. He is such an awesome guy and I am so excited to work under him. After the interviews we packed up and Elder Thompson and the President took us to our apartments. Elder Hoiland and LaFleur are in the Ekounu II area and their trainers are Elder Hansen and Elder Tingey. After we dropped them off we went to my apartment. My apartment is in this little sector called Mimboman. I finally met my trainer! His name is Elder (Tucker) Lamb. He is such a solid missionary. After working with him for a week I know that we are going to do great things together. I was so tired so I went and wrote in my journal and went to bed. So that was my first day in Yaoundé. There is so much more I want to tell you but I don't have enough time. I am going to try to knock out some letters over the next few weeks and send them to you.

So the work here is BUSY!! Currently Elder Lamb and I have 30 investigators...yeah. We are so busy! The only time we have to do contacts is when we are in a taxi and we talk to whoever is sitting next to us. Picture the little orange car the Allreds have (Chevy Aveo hatchback) with 7 people in it. That is what taxis are like here. It is so crazy. My first day, we were in this really super poor area and we were giving a lesson at like 7 at night in this shack and it was so incredible. We were teaching this young man named Frankie. I asked him if he would commit to being baptized and he accepted! My first invitation here in Africa and it was accepted!!! The work is incredible over here! I have invited 7 people to be baptized and they have all accepted! Out of our 30 investigators right now, 11 have a baptismal date! The work is going so fast down here. I am so blessed that I am able to take part in it. Sister Jameson was telling us how in Africa it was like Joseph Smiths time because the church is so new here. Incredible.

This area is so poor. I live in a castle compared to everyone else and the best thing I could compare our apartment to is the motels on Main St. It is literally shacks with the thin metal roofs like on the cabin on Mt. Graham. People here are so poor but they are so happy! Its incredible. They are such a happy people. Elder Lamb and I take a taxi basically wherever we go and we pay the equivalent of 20-40 cents per ride. Everything is so cheap here. Their gutters on the side of the road hold all the trash. They are very gross. I have seen dead animals and waste and they all stink so bad.

Church was incredible! We had 10 investigators attend! I had no clue what was being said but I could really feel the spirit. The spirit amongst the branch is so strong. I had to get up and introduce myself and bear my testimony. It went well, I think. A member, Frère Kamlé, got up and gave a talk and while he was talking he started to sing. Elder Lamb leaned over and said "he is singing for you and welcoming you." So of course, I looked at Frère Kamlé the whole time and was smiling and acting like I really appreciated it. Well, later I found out that Elder Lamb was joking so Frère Kamlé probably thinks I am a freak who doesn't stop smiling. It was pretty funny. As I was sitting in sacrament meeting I realized that it was 9.11. I can't believe that it has already been 10 years... time goes by so fast.

African food is sooooo disgusting. Mom, I take back every single time I ever said something you cooked was gross... I would take some crazy cheese dish you make 1,000 times over something African. My second day here I had this nasty green goop crap with fufu and these nasty bitter African plums. It was so hard for me to eat it. I miss my American food so much.

My companion is so awesome. Elder Lamb went to BYU for a year and half before his mission and played football. He is a pretty big (big as in buff) guy. He is like a head shorter than me. We get along so well though. I was really nervous about who my trainer would be. I wanted someone that I could really relate to and be myself with and he is definitely that person. I am so blessed to be working with him. We have been finding so much success.

When I first got here I was really struggling. Satan was really getting into my head and for the first time since being away from home I really desired to go home. I didn't want to be here. I was so out of my element and away from every single comfort I had grown up with. But I am a firm believer that God answers our prayers. I know that He will always answer the prayers of the faithful. I know that I am supposed to be here. I know that I have great things that I have to do here. Satan knows that too and that is why he is trying so hard to bring me down. When I was depressed and down I prayed to God and asked for comfort and love and He answered my prayers. Whenever I get down, I just think of you guys and that moment when I walk off the plane in Phoenix and hug you all again. That always makes me feel better... :)

I love you so much and I miss you but I know that I am supposed to be here. The mission is incredible and I wish you all could experience what I am experiencing right now. You are always in my prayers. And thank you for your prayers... I need them so much. I love you :)

Avec amour,
Elder Schmid

09/07/2011 He's Here!

Dear Brother and Sister Schmid,

We wanted you to see that your son is in Yaounde. We're so grateful to have him with us and are excited for him to begin his work here. There is a wonderful senior couple, the Thompsons, who are in Yaounde to assist the elders and the four branches. He's in very good hands and we anticipate that he'll have a wonderful experience here. Thank you for the love and support that you've given him.

We're grateful to serve together in Africa as we further the work of the Lord in this part of his vineyard.

Love,
President and Sister Jameson

09/06/2011 I Have Arrived!!!!

Holy smokes... there are a lot of people in Africa. I'm finally here!!! I have been waiting to be here in Africa since March 4th and now it is finally here! I can't believe it! I am so stoked! The airport scene was nuts. We snuck past security cause Elder Hoiland didn't have his yellow fever vaccination certificate and then Elder Nash had his camera stolen out of his backpack as we were standing waiting for the truck to come up. Nothing like a warm welcome from Africa. The moment I walked out of the plane I started to sweat. It is so humid here... I thought that I would be able to handle it. Boy, was I wrong. I am so sticky and sweaty right now. My sweat was going through my suit coat. It is so nuts. Well I don't have much time and I need to write in my journal about how crazy today was. I love you all and I am so glad that I was able to talk to you!! Je vous aime!

Elder Schmid

09/06/2011

We were all able to speak to Elder Schmid at 3:ooam our time this morning during his layover Paris. Tired, excited, ready to serve. Here is a photo of his current flight status to Douala, Cameroon (7:00am AZ time).

09/05/2011

En route, flying right at the southern tip of Greenland, right around 10:00PM Arizona time (PST). Wonder what's going through his mind...