Bringing the Gospel to Yaounde, Cameroon

Friday, July 5, 2013

And life moves on

After 35 hours of traveling, I finally made it back home safe and sound. It's hard to believe that I am already here. The last week in the field all my stuff was packed and I knew that I would be going home, but it just didn't feel like it. It felt like I was just getting ready for a big transfer. But, now I find myself over here in Mesa, Arizona soaking in all the dry heat and shriveling up. No more humidity. I did go for a run today, though, and it started to pour so I got soaked, but I'm already used to that feeling. 

My last day in the field was just like a typical day. I had planned on teaching a little bit my last day there and I fixed this big last rendez-vous with one of the people that I have come closest to over my 12 weeks in Bastos. We planned on meeting at the church at 12:00 and we were going to share a nice light lunch and have a nice lesson. Well, when we left the apartment it was raining and I was drenched very quickly because I don't have an umbrella. Thankfully, I had little plastic bags that I could put my books and what not into. We finally made it to the church and waited for a very long time and this certain individual wasn't coming. So we gave him a call and asked him where he was and this was his response, "What do you expect me to do? It's raining! I can't get wet!" I just wanted to slap my hand to my forehead and tell the guy, "Oh don't give me that!! I'm drenched!" I didn't though. So that was my last teaching opportunity in Africa... a ratez-vous, or in other words, we were bailed on.

The best part of my last day was going out with the Whitesides and the two other leaving elders to a very nice restaurant that sold amazing steak with mushroom and pepper sauce. I have come to really love the Whitesides, and I am so grateful for all that they have done. They have sacrificed so much so that our lives can be that much easier out there in Africa. We would be a bunch of lost boys living in chaos without the senior couples. It was nice just sitting down and talking with them and getting advice and counsel from them. I love  my friends, the Whitesides.

McGrath, Addington, Hoiland, Graham, Me, Davis, Greenie

Hatch, Johnston, Me, Rambeloson, Gélinas, Massé

Addington, Whitesides, Me, Hoiland


Going...

Gone!
 
Flying into Washington and stepping onto American soil was incredible. Being in Africa for almost two years has really helped me come to understand how great we have it over here. I wish I could have understood better how I was feeling because I feel like I was in a daze my whole trip home. I tried writing it all in my journal but I felt like those entries were pretty pathetic. It was sweet drinking from a drinking fountain for the first time in 22 months. It was difficult for me as well to not say "bonjour" to an African. I'm in an all English country now. That will take some getting used to. 

My emotions were high when flying into Phoenix. I was excited beyond belief to be once again reunited with my family and loved ones. It was neat knowing that they were now no more than 2 minutes away. Of course, I went to my mom first and gave her a great big hug and then hugged my dad and continued to do so for quite a while. There were a lot of family members there and I was so grateful for their support. 

Everyone anxiously awaiting!


 
Group shot

The family all together after two years :)


Oldest and Youngest
 
I was officially released as a missionary around 10:00 PM over at the stake center by my stake president. The hardest part was when he told me that I could remove the two badges that were on my suit and shirt. I have come very close to those badges. They have guided me, supported me, encouraged me, lifted me, taught me, and much more. Having the name of the Savior in front of my heart almost 24/7 was life changing. I am grateful for the Spirit that came from the "missionary mantle". It has helped me become who I am today and I know that today I am much closer to my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

These past two years were incredible, but I know that they will not be the best two years of my life. But they were the best two years that I could have done for my life at this time. I have come back a new man... or as the prophets of old would say, a new creature in Christ. The work of the Lord is a redeeming work. Not only for those who receive the Gospel but for those who preach it as well. The Lord promised that multiple times in Doctrine & Covenants. I am a witness to that. No, I do not have salvation today, but I know that I am closer than I have ever been before. I still have a ways to go, but I am going in the right direction. That direction came because of my mission. My mission has been a miracle in my life. The best years are yet to come I believe and those will involve marriage and a family. The last two years will serve as a foundation for the rest of my life. I have learned many things that can and should be remembered and put into practice throughout the rest of my mortal life and even eternal life. No education from Duke or Harvard can give me the experience that I have gained while serving the Lord with all my heart, might, mind, and strength for the past 24 months. 

It's sad that it has come to an end, but I know that I am where I need to be. I echo the words of Paul... I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. For me, though, I also say that I have found the faith... and kept that which I found. The end was inevitable. I didn't let it distract me or annoy me. I worked as hard as I could until the very end.

I know with all my heart that Jesus is the Christ. I know that He really did come here to Earth under the direction of a loving Heavenly Father to perform an infinite atonement. I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can be reconciled once again with our Heavenly Father and enter into his presence to never leave it again. I know that salvation is real. I have tasted of it personally and I have seen many others begin to grasp the understanding of exaltation and that understanding has lead to faithful works which have helped them progress eternally. I know that I have participated in the work of Almighty. And I know that He loves you and I perfectly. His arms are open and He calls to us.

Thanks for following,
Christiaan Schmid



Fun gifts brought home from Cameroon




Saturday, June 29, 2013


We are so excited for Elder Schmid to return.  He leaves Cameroon at our 3:20 pm, Friday.  He will not land in Arizona until 8:58 pm, Saturday.  Close to seventeen of those hours will be spent in the air.  We have been working hard cleaning the home, making signs and preparing room for him.  Our emotions have been all over, but mostly excited!  We hope all goes well for him and that he is able to get a little rest because once we meet it will be a long night of catching up :)  We love you Elder Schmid and we are soooo excited to have you back home with us!
 
Dear Mom,
 
Holy cow…, this is the last email that you will get from me while I am out here on the mission! I am blown away by how fast time has gone by. It seems like it was just a few weeks ago that I was meeting Elder Johnston for the first time and now I will be saying goodbye. It’'s surreal. It’'s weird that it is my turn. It'’s bittersweet. I just can’t believe that it is already here.
 
This past week flew by. I am officially done getting stuff for everyone back home. I was stressing big time about that because I wanted to get good things, but I think I really succeeded. I am excited to see how you all react when you all get your little ‘goodies’.
 
When you are involved in the training program you have an extra hour to do study as a companionship so that means that you have one less hour out in the field. Well, Elder Johnston and I worked it out this week so that we could have more time in the field and it paid off. We were able to have many lessons but more importantly we were able to go out and help more people throughout the week and let them know that we care about them. We always teach more lessons with inactives than we do with our own investigators, but I am totally okay with that. Some of my greatest joys I have had on the mission were with inactives who once again found the light that they once had.
 
We have been working with Ebenezer ever since I got here. He was baptized back when I was in Ekounou… October 2011. He was strong, but work began to really interfere with his weekly church attendance. So we went over to his place and let him know that we care for him and want what is best for him. He first started to change because he knew that he could trust us and he know that we loved him. Love is crucial for the progress of all things eternal. God is love. So once we established that progression followed and it has been neat to see how far he has come along. We have been going over the after-baptism lessons and we talked about the priesthood. He has the Melchizedek Priesthood and so our goal was to help him understand at a deeper level the power and authority that he holds. We had an awesome lesson but the best part was what happened afterwards in his personal study. We had him read D&C 121. The next day we planned on following up on that section and then moving on to temples and genealogy, but instead he taught us for about 30 minutes about what he had learned as he read that section. It was incredible. It was so evident that his testimony had grown. He even told us himself… he said, “I learned something yesterday… the priesthood is real.” It was such a simple testimony but yet so powerful. He no longer knows that it is real because the branch leaders tell him or because the missionaries tell him, but he knows because the Lord told him through the spirit. I wish that could happen in every single lesson we have. The world would be a Mormon world in no time.
 
In my life I have heard returned missionaries say many times, “the mission is the best two years of your life.” Though well intended, I don'’t agree. DJ and I talked about it a bit before I left on my mission and I really appreciate the counsel that he gave me. My whole mission I went out and worked, but not with the attitude that these would be the best years of my life,… instead I worked as hard as I could because I knew that these two years would be the perfect training for what the Lord has in store for me. My best years are yet to come, but I know with all my heart that they will be better because of what my mission has done to me. I have truly found who I am over these past 24 months and I have come closer to my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ. I know with every fiber of my being that they are real and that they love us unconditionally and are waiting for us to come back home. All is set, the way is there, and they are beckoning to us… their arms are open. I have recognized that on my mission. I have changed my life… no, the Lord has changed my life because I was willing. I can'’t wait for you all to see that. My mission has been a miracle and it is sad that it is coming to an end, but I know that whatever comes in the future I will now be better prepared to accomplish the will of the Lord. The journey was long and I definitely had thorns and briar's along the way, but I know that my testimony that I have received has brought me up to higher places, spiritually speaking. I am converted. My mission was a success.
 
See you in a few!
Elder Schmid

Thursday, June 20, 2013

 
Hey Mom,
 
OK, for the info that you wanted me to post. I tried but Facebook is so foreign to me I didn’t know what to do. So I emailed the info to Tyler and he will post it on Facebook for me. So if you want him to edit anything, or put anything else, go through him. All my friends are his friends so that will work out. Also, have Caelan do it.
 
I think I have my shopping almost done. That is a huge weight off of my shoulders. I got some sweet stuff for you guys. I’m excited to show you all. I am pretty sure you will all be stoked. Today we went to marche central and this wood marche and I drove the people mad. I have gotten pretty good with bartering and the guys I buy from don’t like that. They see my skin and they have money signs in their pupils, but then I start talking with them and they realize that I know how to play the game. I took some money out of my account. Twice as much as what I originally told you. So that should last me the rest of my mission.
 
On Saturday I completed my 21st year here in this mortal probation. That’s weird. It will be cool having a horizontal license! Not much happened on my birthday. I got a snickers from the Whitesides the day before, and I got a hug from Sister Whitesides the day after on behalf of you. That was my favorite part :) It will be nice to hug you in real life here in 12 days. I got a couple of happy birthday’s and that was it. Birthdays are pretty low key over here. Too bad they don’t have a Red Robin over here… mmm shirley temple!
 
Sissy little Arizona boy over here got a little too much sun this week and got dehydrated. I was pretty weak and so I stayed home on Friday. With that time, I rested and drank tons of water. I was also able to finish my study in the Pearl of Great Price and write all the kids a letter that I’ll send off soon. I just have to write one for you and Dad. Even with a day off we were able to get a lot done and I am pleased with the outcome of the week. Elder Johnston is an awesome missionary. I am so proud of him. He has come a long way already. I can’t believe that we are getting transfer info this Saturday. New missionaries come next week on Tuesday. I'll be able to see one of them before I go. “Hey bud, I have less days than you have years!” hehehe.
 
Not too many people know that I am leaving over here and I think I’m going to leave it that way. That’s what I did in Congo and that made leaving so much easier. Of course, I told the people that were very close to me and that’s what I’ll do here. That will help me stay focused up until the end. I plan on teaching lessons the same day I leave. I gotta go strong until the very end.
 
That’s about it for the week. I’m sorry these emails are getting short but it’s all good. I’ll be able to talk to you about what goes down here in under two weeks! Have a great week! Oh yeah! I just bought a ton of earrings, so I guess Ashlyn can have a pair :)
 
Je t’aime,
Elder Schmid
 
Finally found a Boy Scout!

Friday, June 14, 2013

 
Dear Mom,
 
“So, the investigator that you were hoping to baptize on your birthday, she is married to a man with multiple wives? How old is this girl, because you mention that she is fitting in with the Young Women? How exactly is she apart of polygamy?” So, I am going to respond to this little confusion. Aimée is the investigator that we were planning on baptizing on June 15th, but due to lack of conversion and other little things we are going to postpone the date to July 20th. We have a little over 700 members of the Church over here in Yaoundé and only 53% are active. So we don’t want to add to that already pretty low number. A lot of missionaries in the past only had one thing on their mind “BAPTIZE! BAPTIZE! BAPTIZE!” and because of that we are now working with a ton of inactive members. At this moment we see Aimée becoming one of those “inactives” and we don’t want that to happen. That does nothing for the struggling church here. She always tells us that she is ready, but as missionaries we are blessed with the gift of discernment and it is obvious to us that she is not quite ready. It was a bummer because that would have been my last baptism, but this isn’t my work. It’s the Lord’s and we try our best to do it His way.
 
Now, Lydie is another investigator who is 17 years old. Her mother is involved in an unofficial polygamist relationship. I say unofficial because she is not technically married to the man. In fact, he isn’t married to any of the four women. We still put it under the category of polygamy because it is so close to the line. The only thing that says it’s not polygamy is that the marriage certificate is not there. But, on the other hand, he pays for all the houses that the women live in. He frequently visits them and does his thing. He pays for the children and their schooling. He is recognized as the father of all the children even though he isn’t Lydie’s birth father. I could go on and on. I talked to President Jameson about it because, like I said, it technically isn’t polygamy due to the lack of an official marriage certificate, but Elder Johnston and I were just not sure as to what to do. President Jameson even went to his leader down in South Africa, who is in the 70, and he gave the final decision, which I completely agree with. Lydie cannot be baptized because she is living in a household where polygamy is practiced. It was sad telling her that, and her mom got upset and I quickly turned to her mom and let her know why she couldn’t get baptized and called her to repentance. The mother understands that what she is doing is wrong. She has told us that many times, but then she always says after that, “but life is hard!” So we are kind of at a standstill with Lydie. I hope that clears things up a little bit. I just dropped a lot of info.
 
The other day we were at Aimée’s house and it started to rain. Here in Cameroon during the month of June, when it rains it will rain strait for hours… no joke. Well, we had a pretty packed schedule for the day, and so we went out and walked in the rain for about 45 minutes. We don’t have umbrellas. I don’t know why… we were in the quartier, as well, so there was mud all over the place and everyone was slipping and sliding. I almost walked all the way without getting any mud on my pants, but then, towards the end, somehow I splashed it up. Once that happens I just throw my care out the window and just walk. You get so dirty over here. We were drenched but it felt good. It gets pretty warm over here. Later on that day, we were at an inactives house and there is this pretty steep hill right by her house and we were watching people try to walk up the hill and it was very amusing because it was very muddy and people were falling and slipping all over. There was one guy that was carrying about 50 lbs. of water on his head and he eventually lost his sandals and was barefoot sliding down the hill while balancing all that water on his head. It was pretty impressive. In the end, water splashed over the edge twice, but it was probably no more than a cup. I wanted to applaud when he finally got up but then I realized that I was still in a lesson.
 
I want to thank you so much for sending me “As A Man Thinketh.” I was so surprised to get it. I had no clue that it was coming. I read it in one day and I’m reading it again right now. James Allen has incredible insight. Knowing what I have gone through over the past two years of my life I can testify that things truly do start in the mind and once you can master what takes place in your mind, it is at that moment when change and self mastery come. I want to go out into the jungle and have my study journal and that book and my scriptures and just ponder on that stuff all day and write down my thoughts.
 
We had our last zone conference with President Jameson and I also had my exit interview with him. Normally, missionaries have that the night before they leave, but we don’t have that blessing over here because he is over in Kinshasa. That interview was probably one of the most monumental moments of my mission. I would write about it but I would rather talk to you about it. I have a new temple recommend and it is good for three months. It was a powerful moment for me… testifying of my worthiness. I’m grateful for what the Lord has helped me become over the past two years. I am definitely a better person.
 
Saying good bye to President and Sister Jameson. 
They entered the mission and will leavethe mission the same time as Elder Schmid.



Last zone dinner with the Jamesons.

Missionaries of Yaounde
 
 A few weeks back I ordered 14 pairs of garments that I will bring home with me. Why 14 pairs? Because they are very cheap over here. Church materials are sold at a smaller price here in Africa. I got all 14 pairs for under $10. Awww yeah. We had no water for a few days and all my white shirts were dirty, as well as my garments, so I opened up a new pair of garments and it felt so good putting them on. I have gone two years with the same garments and they are pretty worn out.
 
Well, that’s about it for this week. It sounds like you had a great birthday! On June 23rd I will be exactly as old as you were when you gave birth to me. Now, THAT is weird!! I did the math for dad as well and I won’t be hitting that mark until September 2019. I was doing numbers last night and I figured out that when I see Tyler on the 29th I will not have seen him for 1,144 days… a little over 163 weeks. That’s nuts. I miss that kid. I miss you all and I can’t wait to see you here in just a few short weeks!
 
Je t’aime maman,
Elder Schmid

Monday, June 3, 2013

 
Dear Mom,
 
I always love to hear from you :) Thank you for always sending love my way. I'm going to miss these emails when I am home, but that will be okay because I will be with you! I loved hearing from Aiden and Ashlyn. I'll try my best to find what they would like. I think I'll be able to find everything. On va voir.
 
I can't believe that another week has come and gone. It is still hard for me to believe that I am finally at this point in my mission. Just thinking about it is a little overwhelming. To be honest, I’'m getting a little emotional about it right now just thinking about it. I think what gets me most is that I'’ll be reunited with my eternal family and will be meeting a brother that I have never known in mortality. It just makes me happy.
 
As a zone, we all went up to Mt. Febe where Elder Holland came four years ago to dedicate the country of Cameroon. We have access to the dedicatory prayer and Elder Whitesides read it as we stood there on the very rock that Elder Holland was on, and then afterwards, we all sang "“High On A Mountain Top"” and it was such a powerful moment. We may not have the best voices, but for me personally, that was one of the most beautiful renditions of that song I have ever heard, let alone sung. It was a beautiful moment. I wish you all could know what Elder Holland pronounced upon this beautiful country.
 
 
Johnston and I on Mt. Febe where Elder Holland stood
and dedicated the country of Cameroon.

 
We had 12 people in an 8 man vehicle. 3 up front, 5 in the middle and 4 in the back.
 
When you are on a mission I feel like you are constantly on a roller coaster and every week you are going up and going down. This week was a tough week for our inactives and even for one of our investigators. Our “best” investigator can no longer be baptized due to living conditions involving unofficial polygamy. Her mother's bad choices now are preventing this girls eternal progression. This girl is only 17 but has such a strong testimony and reads every week and loves being at church and is already at home in the young women's class. I was really hoping we could baptize her on my birthday, but even though the polygamy isn't officially recognized by the state because there are no marriage certificates, it is too close of a line for the church. The final call was made by the member of the 70 in South Africa. I accept what the leader counseled and agree 100%. It's just hard…
 
It's been weird… finishing up the mission. Don't worry, I'm not getting trunky or anything, but these past few days I have had the opportunity to really reflect on how far I have come over these past 23 months and I am constantly overwhelmed by the love of God that has been poured upon me. My life has been changed and I can't wait for you all to see that for yourselves when I get home. I look forward to having those little testimony meetings with the family again and reading with you all in the scriptures at nine in the morning :) I love you all so much and I hope you have a great week!
 
Bio,
Elder Schmid
 
 
Me and some random African kids that walked by us as we were chilling
 after walking a ton just to find our investigator not at their house.
Lame. The kids were cool though.
 
 
Dear Mom,
 
What the heck?!?! Kurt is engaged?! Tell that fool to write me! I haven't heard anything from him ever since he got back home to everyday p-day land. He has no excuses! As for me, I have many. This week’s emails were full of surprises... Oma’s surgery, Kurt's eternal progression, Jackson and Talia back in 61st, Amazing Delia leaving to serve the Lord, etc. I am very happy right now. Thanks for all the good news! Except for Oma's surgery.  I hope she gets better!
 
I have been thinking of Caelan a lot lately. I am so proud of her and I still can't believe that she has graduated from high school and that she'll be attending the fall semester at BYU. Natascha sent me some of her graduation photos and she looked stunning. I am still blown away by how much everyone is changing. There was one picture of Darian and she looked so beautiful! But she always has :) It will be neat to see what happens in Caelan’s life over the next couple of years.
 
This week was a pretty good one. We have had some intense rain storms come through Yaoundé. One came in the middle of the night last night, and we were all awoken by slamming doors because we have all the windows open so we can get a nice cool breeze while we sleep. Well, that little breeze turned into a little tornado. I don’t think I have ever witnessed rain fall as hard as it fell last night. I had to quickly jump out of bed to close the windows and there were already big puddles on our floors. It was nuts. For a while I just sat there, on my top bunk, looking out the window and our road that turned into a raging river. I wish you all could experience a rainstorm over here in Africa. A couple of days before that we were with one of our inactive members and it started to pour. When it stopped we left and found that there was water everywhere. We had to have good hops and good balance to stay dry and not get mud on our clothes. I succeeded :)
 
We have an investigator named Aimée. She reminds me a lot of Kendi. It is really fun to teach her because she is just a fun person… and a drama queen. She has been with the missionaries for a while and actually when I first got here we almost dropped her because she wasn’t progressing at all and not coming to church. Well now she has been to church the last five Sunday’s. She likes to feed us and it always looks like something that came out of a horses rear end… I’ll try sending you a picture of it this week. It isn’t good, but it isn’t bad either.
 
We have been working with a man named Ebenezer. I think I have told you about him already. He is an inactive member, but soon that will change. He has made it to church the last two Sundays and it has been incredible to see his spirituality change over the past couple of weeks. He is doing great.  We promised him that the Lord would bless him with big blessings and direction in his life if he recommitted to come to church and renew his covenants with the Lord. Well, just a few days after attending sacrament meeting his wife gave birth to a beautiful little girl with a full head of hair. We were talking to him the day after and made sure to make him aware that the Lord placed this blessing at this time in his life because of his faithfulness. He got emotional as we were talking with him about his responsibility to make sure that this little girl grows up knowing what a true priesthood holder of the Lord is and how a man should treat a woman. He is stepping it up and I hope and pray that he can stay strong and endure to the end.
 
We have two inactive men in the branch that we have been working with ever since I have been here, and both of them this Sunday advanced in the priesthood! One was ordained a priest and the other one received the Melchizedek priesthood and was ordained an elder. That was exciting news. Now when I write I say ‘inactive’ but they are definitely active now… they’ve changed, but now our goal is to help them continue with this change and progress towards the ultimate blessing.
 
Here is something funny that happened on Sunday. There were the two priesthood ordinations and for one they called up his older brother to do the ordination. This older brother had never done something like that before so he was completely lost. Our branch president was there right at his side telling him word for word what he needed to say. Then it came where he needed to give a blessing. President Luc told him what to say… “And now we would like to give you a blessing…” and then he backed away. The guy said it and then sat there not knowing what to do and then simply said, “and we give you this blessing in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.” It was pretty funny. President Luc couldn’t help but smile and pat the kid on his back.
 
Well, that’s about it for this week. My asthma is still going. I have it everyday and even with the new inhaler it comes. I have been sleeping better, but last night I woke up with tight lungs. The Lord is blessing me with patience, though, so I know that I will be able to last and then we’ll see what’s up when I get home. I’ll take your advice and get a blessing this week. I love you all so much and I hope you have a great week!
 
Je t’aime maman,
Elder Schmid
 
 

 
Marina, Odette, Elder Johnston, and I.
They are inactive members that we are working with.
We are trying to teach Odette how to read and write.


 
Me and one of my eternal investigators in Douala.
We became really good friends during those 7 months.

The Gailey's and Me

 
A guy in our branch wears these wherever he goes.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Dear Mom,
 
     OK, questions, yes of course I am staying strong and enduring to the end. I hope that doesn't sound to surprising to you. Like I have said before, I promised myself that I would go hard and work hard until I'm done, and with 39 days left, I'm still living true to that promise. It has been easy for me because I made up my mind at the very beginning of my mission that I would stay strong until the end. Elder Johnston is progressing very well. It is incredible to see his progression over the past six weeks. He is an awesome missionary and will do great things for this mission over the next 21 months. No, he does not have any kind of blog. I guess he has grandparents that live in Mesa and it is possible that his parents will be visiting at the time I give my homecoming talk, so they might be there. My asthma has actually gotten worse... in my dreams I can't breathe and then I wake up and it's reality and I am struggling to breathe. It is kind of freaky and really annoying. I'm beating out my mattress tonight, but I don't think it is just the mattress. The other day as I was walking around throughout the day, I had to use my inhaler five or six different times. It's ridiculous. I'm just going to be patient and pray that it will go away when I make it back to the states. Yes, we are in rainy season and I don't have an umbrella, so when it does rain I get drenched. I don't mind it though. Having wet clothes kind of keeps me cool throughout the rest of the day. The people all around us think we are crazy white people, but we won't let a little rain stop us. There, I think I got all of your questions. Addy is engaged? That is exciting for the Thompson family! I wonder what Jordan's reaction was.

     This week flew by and now I am officially in my last transfer, or six weeks of the mission. I can't believe that. This last transfer went by so fast! It has been fun working with Elder Johnston, and training. The beginning of the last transfer was a huge mental struggle for me... not knowing anything about our sector, but the Lord was there and helped us both out and now we get around like we have been here for months. We have been working with a lot of inactive members and we had five at church yesterday! Along with eight investigators. So that made Elder Johnston and I very happy.

     Here is an interesting story. We have this investigator who was progressing but was having difficulties finding time to come to church because she is pretty committed to her current church. We decided to go to her house with this sister from our branch who is in the district Relief Society presidency, and see if she could work some awesome magic. I think for every word I said this sister we brought said 30. She could talk... and talk...... and talk............ and talk. But it was great having her there. We ended up getting fed some weird pistachio cake thing with porcupine meat in it (and at one moment I chomped down on a porcupine tooth that is about an inch long... ouch) and while we were eating the two women were going off in their native dialect. As we left, the sister said to us, "Wow, that woman has some problems!" She went on to explain to us that she is the third of four wives and has some major health issues. That was depressing news. She then went on to explain the health issues... this woman has supposedly been pregnant for 10 years. Yes, I understood her correctly as she was talking to me! 10 years! Is that even possible?! I guess she hasn't had a period for 10 years and now has major pains and what not. She said that the baby has never left her body. I didn't know what to think as I was listening to that. I wish I could have seen my face. So there is an interesting African story for you.

     We have been teaching this lady and her daughter for about a month now and they have been really progressing well! We gave them a Book of Mormon and had them read the introduction and all that goodness, and they did and even took notes. We then felt like it would be best for them if they simply continued their study in the Book of Mormon by starting with Nephi and we told them to read the first 3 chapters. We went back a few days later and the mother said that she had read the first nine chapters and Elder Johnston and I are going "Yeahhhh buddy!" and then the daughter looks at her like she failed and said, "That's it? I read up until 13!" So yeah they are awesome. We just have a little interesting dilemma, but here soon we will know exactly what to do. The whole polygamy thing might not even be true after talking to this woman's little brother, who is a recently returned missionary. This week we will make sure to get all the facts straight.

     We have one inactive member that we are working with who is named Ebenezer. He was baptized when I was first here in Yaoundé. He is awesome and loves to read the scriptures and what not, but it is just difficult for him to come to church because of his work schedule. We had one lesson where we talked about priorities and we helped him realize that even though he was saying that God is his number one priority he was not living his life as such. During this rendez-vous he was full of excuses and it was getting very annoying. I remember being a Deacon's Quorum president and having problems with kids not coming to church and I was talking to Dad and he said, "You call them and ask them plain and simply if they will be at church. Make it so they either say 'yes' or 'no'." I still live by that advice today so that's what my mindset is like when I extend commitments. I sat there for five minutes asking him simply, "Ebenezer, will you show God that you are faithful to your covenants by coming to church on Sunday and partaking of the sacrament so that you can once again have the companionship of the Holy Ghost?" It was very clear and easy to understand but he kept on saying things like, "Yeah, I will make every effort..." or "yeah, if God wills it..." or "I'll try to be there..." I HATE answers like that because deep down inside they are already thinking of not going. He ended up not committing and said simply, "I need to pray and fast to know what I need to do." Without even thinking or talking to Elder Johnston I said, "Good, we will fast with you too. When are you going to fast?" and he told us that he would do it on Saturday. So we joined him on the fast and went to visit him on Saturday to see what his answer was to the commitment that I tried to extend to him a few days earlier. Before we even asked him or mentioned it he said, "I will be at church on Sunday!" I was kind of caught off guard and said, "Have you even talked to your boss to see if you could get the day off?" He said simply to not worry about it. Well, Sunday came around and Ebenezer was there! It was a sweet little miracle.

Well, I gotta go. I love you all so much and I hope you have a great week! You guys are always in my prayers.

Je vous aime,
Elder Schmid

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

 
Dear Mom,
 
Gosh, Africa can be so frustrating sometimes. I had almost finished typing up a nice long email for you and then the internet went out and I lost it all. So I get to restart. Oh well... c'est la vie.
 
The Mother's Day skype call was incredible and it was awesome hearing everybodie’s voices. It didn't bother me at all that I couldn't see you guys. I guess I will be that much more surprised at how much everyone has changed when I get home. It was funny hearing Bronson grunt like Sasquatch throughout the call. He is such a goofy kid. I can'’t wait to see him for the first time.

Mother's Day dinner
 
This past week went by super fast. It was P-week for us. We were only in our sectors for two days because of this huge zone conference that was in Douala. It was totally worth it though. President Jameson did interviews, and that was the best part, I feel, about the conference. I love it when I get one on one time with President Jameson. He is an incredible man and I can'’t wait for you all to get to know him better after we return from Africa. It is such a huge blessing that he lives close to us. I have such a strong testimony that God ALWAYS knows what he is doing.

Bus ride to Douala


Eating on their way to Zone conference

Bus station in Douala

It was neat being able to go and spend a few hours in a sector that I was in for seven months. I was able to go see Matthieu who was an inactive who we were able to reactivate, through the help of the Holy Ghost, of course. He has become somewhat inactive again and it is interesting to see the consequences. If you remember, he has some crazy infection in his leg that has been eating at his leg for years. We gave him such a simple promise… that if he went to church then his leg would heal. That is what he did and his leg started to heal and was steadily progressing. And now that he doesn'’t go anymore his leg is worse off than where it was to begin with when we started meeting him back almost a year ago. Interesting, huh? It was neat being able to talk to him and help him remember his responsibilities and covenants. Hopefully, he will recommit himself. I was also able to go and see Catherine and Rosalie, two of my converts. When I got to their house I was surrounded by a bunch of kids and young women in a massive group hug. Catherine wasn'’t there but one of the little kids went up and got her. When she walked into the door and saw me she ran to me and grabbed me and hugged me and started jumping up and down. I don'’t know if she was praising God or taking his name in vain, but I do know that she was happy. She was tearing up. It was great being able to talk to her and once again share my testimony with her. They are solid converts who are doing things right. I am so grateful that I was able to be there during their conversion.
 
The actual zone conference was awesome. We watched a segment from that new training DVD that the Church made and it was about working with inactives. Elder Clayton and Elder Christensen went out with stake presidents and met with inactive families. We watched that video and then discussed how we could improve our work with the less actives here in Africa. We are blessed to be able to work with them a lot. We have had to drop a lot of investigators, so that leaves us with more time to work with inactives, and you know that I love working with inactives. President Jameson has a great gift of explaining the scriptures and we went over some passages in D&C and discussed, as a group, how we could put them into practice. It was a simple meeting but I like them like that. We got a lot done and the Spirit was definitely there.
 
Taking the missionaries back to the bus station to go home to Yaounde

The Elders of Cameroon
  
I was able to get mail and I got some awesome packages from Natascha with soap and Tide and all sorts of goodies. She'’s awesome. She has definitely spoiled me while I have been out here in Africa. I also got letters from the Kettenrings and Brother Packer, which I loved so much. So if they are reading this, thank you so much for writing me! It means so much to hear from loved ones back home.
 
I love you all so much and I hope you have a great week. Mom, once again happy Mother's Day! I love you and I am so grateful for everything that you have done for me. You are an angel!
 
Je t’aime maman,
Elder Schmid

A generational picture (from left: Elder Schmid's grandson, Elder Colindres who is being trained by next,
Elder Thibault, Elder Schmid, and another son, Elder Johnston)

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

 
Dear Mom,
 
Let me quickly answer your questions. Asthma is still a little problem but it hasn'’t been as bad. I got a new pillow but I have been to lazy to beat out my bed. Maybe I'’ll find time to do that this week.  As for writing every week,… I love it. I have found a love for writing. I have a love/hate relationship with my journal. I am so grateful that I have put so much time and effort into it, but, that’'s the thing,… it takes so much time! At the end of my mission I will have easily invested at least 700 hours into my journal. I am almost done with my fifth one. I am stretching it so that I can finish the last page on my last day. Time is definitely going faster and faster. Especially when I look at how many days I have left. I have made it a goal though, since the beginning of my mission, to stay focused. I think President Jameson has trusted me with this responsibility to train again because he knows that I won’t get trunky and make things difficult for someone who still has a lot of time. He has only completed 10.27% of his mission while I have completed 92.7%. One of the hardest moments of my mission was when my trainer and his generation all went home a year ago. We were all there at the couples apartment sharing in the excitement of what laid in store for them… and then they were gone… and I still was staring down 14 months. I don'’t want Elder Johnston to experience that when I leave because, for him, he will still have a little under 20 months. That’'s a random tangent for ya. So there you go,… I think I got your questions.
 
This week was a great one. Elder Johnston and I were blessed with a lot of opportunities to teach, so that makes me happy. I love to teach and share my testimony. This past week I have been really providing Elder Johnston with a lot of opportunities to teach. He may not like the method that I use. I will teach for a little bit and get us rolling and then I will stop and look at him and say nothing more. Sometimes I catch him off guard and just smile. Ahh! You gotta love being a new missionary. I had some awesome day dreams when I first got out here to Africa… because I had absolutely NO CLUE what was being said. Elder Johnston has been awesome.  It stretches him and makes him pay attention, or at least try to. His french is great. It was great when he got out here. It has only been a month but I have seen a lot of improvement. He is an awesome missionary and will do great things for the people in this mission. One of the things that I love most about him is his desire to really teach an individual,… not just a lesson. That is the key to Preach My Gospel,… teaching by the spirit. The title “Preach My Gospel” is from a scripture in D&C 50, but I feel like they left out the most important part! It continues, “by the Spirit.” When we do weekly planning we have had some neat opportunities in planning for certain individuals and Elder Johnston has led a lot of those planning ideas. I am grateful to be working with him. I feel like the trainer learns more than the trainee sometimes during those first 12 weeks.
 
Here is something funny. We teach a couple that is trying to get married so they can get baptized, but they are basically already members of the Church. They are there every Sunday and René, the guy, got up yesterday and bore his testimony in Sacrament meeting and it was an awesome testimony. Well his girl, Carine, LOVES to feed their child whose name is Prince. The normal American child would already be on bottles but here in Africa it seems like they keep them close to their bosom as long as possible. Well the other day little Prince was crying and René basically said, “well I tried making him shut up! Here you go!” and he handed him over to Carine. Carine, in her innocent, little loving voice started chanting, while bouncing crying Prince on her knee, “"Bébé Prince ne pleure plus! Maman est là, elle va te donner téter!" ” Her french wasn'’t perfect but her idea was most definitely established. I'’ll let you translate that on google. Every single time we are at their house she feeds Prince. Sometimes she is sitting right next to you on the tiny couch. There are generally five of us so things are already tight and squished. So things could get a little awkward. Especially when Prince is done and Carine just wants to sit there and talk to you and not worry about covering up until five minutes later. Don’'t worry, after one week in Africa I learned to make perfect eye contact with people. Oh Africa…!
 
I was able to go on splits with Elder Addington this week and it was so much fun. For those of you who don'’t remember, Elder Addington was my companion in the MTC. It is neat seeing how much he has changed. At the beginning of his mission he was very quiet and to himself. Now he is very outgoing and funny and it is so easy to strike up a conversation with him. He is super intelligent and is an incredible teacher. People love to learn from him. It is easy for him to… make things so simple to understand. The mission has done amazing things for him.
 
So, this next week will pretty much be a p-week. We have p-day today, we will work on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then on Thursday we will go to Douala for zone conference and we'll be there until Saturday, and then on Sunday we will be skyping our families! And then it will be p-day again! Craziness. I am so stoked to go down to Douala and see the Jamesons, the Gaileys, and the missionaries down there. Zone conference will be awesome. I have some packages and mail waiting for me down there, as well, that I am looking forward to getting :) President Jameson picked up my mail and stuff that arrived in Congo after I left and will be bringing it to Douala with him, so I will have it all in just a few days! I can'’t wait! I have definitely been spoiled my whole mission. I am so grateful for the letters and packages that have been sent my way. Some of the happiest moments on my mission have been reading letters written by people who love me. It means so much.
 
Well, that about sums things up for this week. I’m glad everyone is doing well over there! Remember Mom, the counsel that the Lord gave to Joseph Smith! Don’t run faster than you have strength. You'’re an angel and do so much for the family but don'’t push yourself to exhaustion and sickness. That is the genius of the family…, we all work together. I love you and I hope you have a great week! I can’'t wait to see and hear you on Sunday!!! Happy Mother's Day in advance! Like I said, you’re an angel!
 
Love,
Elder Schmid

Monday, April 29, 2013

 
Dear Mom,
 
Time keeps going by at a faster and faster rate. This week went by way fast. It was a good week too. Elder Johnston and I are getting used to our new sector and finding our way around. We have an awesome member who has worked with us three times already. We don’t have a lot of investigators, so we have been focusing a lot on inactive members. We went to our branch president’s house and talked to him about our goal of working with non actives and he changed his clothes and went out with us and took us around to the houses of inactive members in his area, and this week we will start visiting them and helping them out. We have a special training program for the new missionaries that we call the 12 week program, and week to week we study about certain principles of missionary work. This week we studied the importance of working with members, so, we are trying to improve the member/missionary relationship and gain their trust. Things are looking good.
 
This weekend we were able to watch General Conference at the church with the church members and it was incredible. I have never been so concentrated on conference talks before. The four general conferences that have gone down since being on my mission have done so much for me. Before the mission I was excited for conference because that meant I could lay down on the comfortable couches and relax and sleep. But now those 10 hours are so precious to me. I loved Elder Craig A. Cardon’s talk on the Atonement and forgiveness. I love it when people get fired up and raise their voices a little. That’s why I love to listen to Elder Holland so much. Elder Cardon nailed some basic principles that can make all of our lives so much better if they are put into effect in our personal lives. I also really enjoyed Sister Dalton’s talk. That was powerful. She will be missed. I always love it when speakers talk about families and marriage. I really enjoyed Elder Clayton’s talk on eternal marriage. I loved how he used the phrase “watch and learn.” I have the perfect examples to watch and learn from… thank you Mom and Dad.
 
We have an awesome kid that we are working with named George. He is an inactive member who is coming back because he misses what he once had. His story is pretty interesting. He went to Equitorial Guinea following soccer dreams and false hopes, and one day when he was down there reality hit him and he realized that he was distancing himself from the Lord. He made some big mistakes over there and, with the help of his mother, got the courage to come back and straighten things out. He is a young kid, I think around my age. So these past few weeks Elder Johnston and I have been teaching him the Plan of Salvation. I love teaching him because he loves learning everything about every principle, so that allows us to go into deeper things that we don’t talk about too often or things that are not often understood by individuals who don’t have a deep conversion in the true gospel of Jesus Christ. This week he was telling us about one of his friends who would always tease him because of his religion. He would get picked on because he would wear his white shirt and tie every Sunday. He would get picked on because he is such a minority here in Cameroon. He would never let that get to him though. He said that it was difficult but he let it go and didn’t worry about it. He was still a friend to the other kid. The other day this one kid’s mother passed away unexpectedly. It has been a difficult trial for this one kid and also for George because George was often there with that family. So as we were in our lesson with George, he said, “I have been thinking a lot about what I could do for my friend. I want to go over to his house and share with him the message of the Restoration and talk to him about the Book of Mormon. I think right now would be a great opportunity to do that. Do you think that that would be okay?” Ummm YES!!! I was so proud of George. Here is someone working to find again his testimony and through the process he wants to lift others with him. We told him that that would be a great thing to do and also mentioned to him how much the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation could help that grieving family at this moment. He was so excited. I look forward to hearing about how things turned out. We have a Book of Mormon and Plan of Salvation brochure that we will be giving to George tomorrow so that he can give those to his friend. Missionary work rocks.
 
I’m going to tell you about something that happens quite often in one way or another over here in Cameroon. Elder Johnston and I were leaving our apartment and we were walking up a big hill to go to the main road to get a taxi. As we were walking, there was this man who passed us going the other way. So, like we normally do, we said “bonjour” and kept on walking. He responded with a cheerful greeting and continued his way. We got to a gas station at the top of the hill and before we crossed the road this man that we passed a minute before had caught up to us. He started talking to us… small talk stuff. And we said, “weren’t you going the other way?” and he simply said, “I was trying to but some energy kept on pulling me toward you guys and finally I turned around and ran back up to catch up to you.” We basically said, “Well, that energy wants you to learn something very special and this is what it is…” and we gave him a Restoration brochure and we exchanged contacts. For me it was just another run in here in Cameroon. I looked over at Elder Johnston just a few minutes ago and asked him what he is going to write about in his emails and he mentioned this little run in with this man named Rod. It kind of helped me remember of the little miracles that happen every day in the life of missionaries.
 
Next week is going to be an interesting week for us. On Thursday, all of the missionaries here in Yaoundé will be taking the bus and going down to Douala for a big zone conference with President Jameson. We will be there until Saturday. Friday, President will be doing interviews for the Yaoundé elders and depending on the schedule of President Jameson that could be my final interview with him… my exit interview. That seems somewhat surreal. On Saturday, we will have the actual conference and right after that we will head back up to Yaoundé. Then, on Sunday,  we will be skyping our families!! So, I will be able to see you guys! I am so excited! It doesn’t seem like it has already been over four months since I have seen you guys and heard all of your voices.
 
Well, I gotta go. I love you so much and I hope you have a great week! Mom, always remember that tu as de la chance de m’avoir comme ton fils! (You are lucky to have me as a son!)
 
Je t’aime,
Elder Schmid
 
Cleaning my aprartment

Storm coming into Yaounde

Thursday, April 25, 2013

 
Dear Mom,
 
I just looked at every picture that Janalyn took for Caelan and they look amazing! Caelan is so beautiful! It is crazy seeing how much everyone is growing up. It sounds like she has been having quite the senior year. I am proud of her. I love my family so much and miss you all like crazy, but don't worry... after two more months of giving it my all, I'll be back home with you guys :) That's a wonderful thought.
 
So I have been having some pretty hard core asthma lately and all I have is an old inhaler that expired back in September 2012 so it hardly works. If you send me a package could you please put a new inhaler in there. I have no clue what is happening but I have been waking up in the night because it was so difficult for me to breathe. I have only used two inhalers my whole mission and I left all the others in Douala but those won't do me any good because they all expired last year. I thought it wouldn't matter, the expiration date and all, but now that I really need it, I am starting to realize that I was wrong. Don't feel rushed! I'm not dying... yet.
 
This week we were able to go to the monkey park and look at they monkeys. It was neat but it wasn't as fun as the last time I went. Last time I went we were able to get right up close to the gorillas and chimpanzees and what not, but this time they had us far away from the fences. We didn't even get to dodge chimpanzee poop and sticks! That's the whole reason we go there! It was still fun though. Last time I was there, I was with Elder Lamb. Time has gone by so fast. I think my favorite part was being able to be with the Gaileys. Our four man district was in their truck for the drive and I was up front sitting with Elder and Sister Gailey and we were able to talk a lot. I think I feel so close to them because they remind me so much of our family. I really hope one day that you will get to meet them. They are some of my best friends out here on the mission... that's for sure.


 Elder Johnston and I have been getting to know the sector and we have it down pretty well I think. It's still a little rough in some areas but things are getting better. We don't have as many lessons as I am used to. Like last week we only had 19 and this week we only had 17. I know that in other missions elders would kill to have that opportunity... so at the end of the week when I report my numbers, I have to remind myself how blessed I am to be in an area where I can just go out and talk with whomever I want about Jesus Christ and they will accept me and continue a conversation with me.
 
I really like what you said in your last paragraph.  (From mom's letter:  "I know the Lord is always mindful of you and will always watch over you.  I pray that He will continue to bless you with the strength you need to endure, and a feeling of peace so that you may always be happy.  I'm so proud of you and of all your accomplishments!  You left as an immature boy and you are coming home as a man of God.  I hope the traits you have developed on your mission will stay with you a life time.")  So much has went down since June 29th, 2011 and I have changed so much and I hope and pray that these changes will stay with me for the rest of my life. There will be days when I lay my head on my pillow after a long day and I just ponder my life and everything that has gone down. I realize how far I have come and I just sit there smiling. I am so blessed. I'll be talking to people about my life over here and when I'm done I'll sit there and reflect over what I just said and then quietly think to myself, "Man, my life is perfect." I am so grateful for the maturity that I have received since leaving you guys. My understanding of things of eternal importance has grown so much and it came after the biggest trial of my life. This week in priesthood we discussed chapter 7 in the Lorenzo Snow book. I love that gospel principle so much... we cannot be exalted and become as our Father is if we don't pass through tribulation and trial. I love finding answers to life's questions. I have found a lot since being set a part as a full time missionary. One of those questions that I had was, "As faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do we have such big trials? Doesn't the Lord bless those that love Him?" I found the answer to that question in the New Testament, 1 Peter 1:7-9.  ("That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.")  I love those verses so much. Those have become some of my favorite verses in the scriptures. I use them often because they provide so much understanding. The finest steel comes from the hottest fire... and our Heavenly Father doesn't want anything but the finest steel in us, therefore those who truly love Him and put Him first find themselves receiving some of the biggest trials in this world. We have gone through a lot lately as a family and as individuals but that is because we are putting God first. He wants us to be polished and ready for when we see Him again. I love talking about that so much with people.
 
Well, I love you and I hope you have a great week. Thank you for your prayers. I need them and I know that the Lord is answering them and helping me out.
 
Je t'aime,
Elder Schmid
 
Elder Johnston and I eating your typical Cameroonian dish...
mashed whatever-you-can-get with fufu.