Hellooo!

I can't believe its Monday already! Time goes by so fast out here. I
think I tell you that in every email... but its true!! This past week
was amazing! I am excited to tell you about it. Nothing crazy
happened... it was just a very successful week. But first, I will
answer your questions.

I'm doing good. A lot better than last Monday, but I am still sick.
This past week was nuts. My voice was gone for 3 days so that sucked
when I tried to teach. I was coughing up that nasty super green mucus
all week long and it felt like I had asthma all day every day. It was
like a little hell... but I had a good attitude about it and the Lord
really helped me out. I can't even complain... no one can when they
see the diseases and the sicknesses that are over here. So really I
got off lucky. I went and saw a doctor Saturday morning and he
prescribed me a bunch of drugs. I probably look like a drug addict
every morning and night as I am popping all of my pills. They are
working though... my throat is finally clearing up. Earlier in the
week, I had members give me strait up ginger to eat and garlic as well.
That stuff was intense! Have you eaten strait garlic or ginger? That
will poke at your throat a little. I still have that green goodness
chillin in there.

I am honestly not sure whats going to go down with the transfers. We
will find out in 2 and a half weeks. I have the same thoughts as
you... I think I will stay because I know the area very well. I mean, I
have only been here for 6 months.

As for asthma... don't worry about sending more over. I have so much.
I am still using the same one I started using in the MTC. So I will
have a lot when I come home.

And for your comment about me holding out on you and not telling you
the worst... that might be true. There is so much good that happens
that it takes up all my time to tell you about it... You will find out
about the "bad" things when I get home. You will have fun reading my
journal :)

Alright so this week... first off I will tell you a little about Remy.
He has now been an official member for the church for 8 days. His
testimony grows day after day. It is incredible. The Sunday he was
confirmed, he received a bunch of church materials and the next day, when we
saw him, all of his books were open on his couch and he was sooo tired.
He told us that he was up until 4 in the morning reading. He told us
that it was impossible for him to stop! I love seeing that faith and
desire in my amis. Remy is an incredible example to me. He really has
that hunger to know more. We can all learn so much from him.
So, this week was crazy for Elder Pister and I because every single day
we had women coming to us telling us that they want us and they want
to marry us. People are so desperate here. It gets really annoying
after a while... people asking for money and everything. The only
reason they ask us is because we are white... and according to them
EVERY single white person is filthy rich.

This week Elder Pister and I bought a bbq grill thing... if we can
even call it that. You will understand when you see pictures of it.
But anywho, the most important thing is that we can now bbq our
steaks!! We had an amazing meal the other day. I miss steak so much.
That was the best steak that I have had in 8 months. We are definitely
going to hit up Logan's Roadhouse right when I get back from the mish.
16 months!

Our other recent convert, Emmanuel, is a spiritual giant as well. He
said something pretty funny this week. We showed up to his office and
played minesweeper on the computers as we were waiting for him and he
finally came out of this meeting and came straight to us and shook our
hands and said, "The Lord will always make sure that his Saints are
not poor!!!" Now, I don't exactly agree with what he said, but Elder
Pister and I let it slide. I guess he had just closed on an amazing
deal and he was about to receive a lot of money. He is such a funny
guy. When we first started teaching him, the whole reason he wanted to
join the church was to receive blessings for his business so that it
would be a very prosperous business. We were able to rearrange his
"sights" and focus on the real goal... but I think he still has a
little tiny bit of his old mentality still embedded somewhere in his
brain.

We have an investigator named Elie. I think I may have talked about
him before. He is progressing very well as of this week. Before, he
wouldn't really read or do his 'homework' and so the progression was
very slow. One day, we basically laid it on the line and told him that
if he didn't start doing what he needed to do we were going to drop
him. Well, I am very pleased to say that he got the picture. The next
day we met with him and he couldn't stop talking for a good 20 minutes
because he was telling us about the first 8 chapters in Nephi and about
every little detail! It was incredible! He told us that he only meant
to read 1 chapter and when he finished the first chapter he had to
keep on reading! He couldn't stop! I know that the Book of Mormon has
a real power! And, its incredible to see that power working on our
investigators. I know that that book contains the words of the Lord. I
love the Book of Mormon :) In my personal study I finished reading the
Book of Mormon in english and I started reading it in french for my
personal study and I am almost done with 1 Nephi. I love reading in
french so much. It is awesome reading in a different language... its
the same story but sometimes I feel like it provides a different
prospective.

There is another new ami whose name is Marcel. We just started
teaching him last week. He came to church yesterday and we just
finished a rendezvous with him before we came over here to do the
email. He pulled out his notebook and he wrote 12 pages of notes from
what he had read! He only read the title page, introduction, the
testimonies, and the info about the Book of Mormon. This man is legit!
He is so excited to learn more! We finished Le Rétablissement de
L'Évangile de Jésus-Christ aujourd'hui. I am really looking forward to
teaching him le Plad du Salut this week. That is such an awesome
lesson to teach... especially when your investigators finally
understand that there is a reason why they are here on earth and that
they were with God before this life.

The other night, Elder Pister and I finished an AWESOME day and so we
wanted to celebrate. So, we went to an outdoor bar and bought some
fanta's and watched soccer, I mean, we stared at some trees that were
in the distance right next to the screen.. It was legit.

We have these members that we went and visited the other night. They
are loin (french)!! We talked to them and shared a nice message and
then they walked us back to where we could get a taxi. I am glad they
walked with us because we were out in the middle of no where and it was
way dark. Not the best situation to be in when you are white and you
are wearing white shirts and ties. You stand out like zit on prom
night. Anywho, I was talking with the father, Frère Essoko, and he as
telling me about something that went down a few years ago. A
non-active member in the branch passed away but before he passed away
he told his non member brother that he wanted "the mormons" to take
care of his burial. So, when he passed away his brother went to the
church and told the leaders of his brothers last wish. So, the Elders
Quorum got together and went out into the pouring rain with their
white shirts and ties and dug a grave and held the funeral service for
their deceased brother. How awesome is that? I loved hearing that
story.

We have a family that we teach over where we live. They are just like
Elie, well, like how he was. They don't read or do their 'devoirs'.
Well, Elder Pister laid into them and told them that they need to
pick it up. He totally called them out and it was awesome because, at the
end, they understood that we don't play like that. He called out the
father too and told him he wasn't fulfilling his responsibilities as a
father to guide his children and help them progress. It was HOT in
that room. I didn't say anything really. I didn't dare. I was
completely fine with letting Elder Pister take care of it... and he
did. Afterwards the father felt guilty and gave us a ride in his
Mercedes all the way to the church... it was nice :)

The Thompsons will be leaving us on the 16th of March. It is sad...
I love the Thompsons so much! They have done so much good for the
Saints here in Yaoundé. As of right now, there has not been found a
replacement couple. So in your prayers pray and ask that a couple can
be selected and that they will accept their calling. We had our last
district meeting with them last night and it was awesome. They shared
their last "words of wisdom." I look up to them so much. They have
really taken care of us over here.

I got a package from Natascha this week and a letter from Kurt and
Aiden. Aiden cracks me up. I love the picture that he sent me! Thank
Sister Tenney for me.

That was my week! I love my life so much. I know that the Lord is
there and is helping me every foot of the way. I love you and pray for
you every day. Au revoir!

Je t'aime,
Elder Schmid