Are you willing to sacrifice being more effective for being united?

Oh! I completely forgot to describe our service project this week!
Our neighbor's brick oven broke, so Elder Bile and I decided to go
help the mason rebuild it on Wednesday!  4.16.14

Moving 200 bricks was a workout!  Goodness I'm out of shape!

This was the easy part for us!

Well, I don't want to sound like a broken record, but it really amazes me how the time flies.  Honestly this past week has flown by again.  I don't have terribly much time today, but I just wanted to share a quick lesson that I have learned from this past week.  It has already changed my vision of everything so much.

So, just to begin, as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we work in companionships of two.  We spend ALL of our time with our companion.  From when we wake up at 6 am and go to bed at 10 pm, we are always together, except in the bathroom of course. We also sleep in the same room, so we're still together from 10 pm to 6 am.  As with all relationships, this much togetherness can lead to some discord and sometimes it takes a bit of time to talk together and work it out. Well, sure enough, this arrived for Elder Bile and me.

As I sought counsel from our leaders to help us resolve the problem, the response came in the form of a question.  "Are you willing to sacrifice being more effective for being united?"  This simple question changed my whole perspective on the current situation.  In fact, it realigned all of my priorities in the work in which I am engaged.  Not only in this work, but in the rest of my life as well.

As I've reflected on this question, it's turned out a bit like this. If we are united, we will have quality in our relationship and work. If we are effective, we may have lots of useless quantity that may be nothing but hollowness.  If we are both united and effective, we will have quality quantity.  However, when it comes down to it, unity is more important than anything else.

The more that I've thought about it as well, the more that I see that it applies to every relationship that I will have in my life, most importantly with my own spouse and family in the future.  I have been very grateful for this new knowledge and vision that God has given me, and it has been just another testimony for me that it is through trials that we grow, through "Mountains to Climb" that we reach higher.

Anyways, today, we had the Lomé Stake Easter Soccer Tournament.  I am exhausted and sunburned, but it was a blast.  Our missionary team ended up in the final where we lost 1-0.

after my pre-match warmups

Just before the starting whistle

from our first round game

another from our first round game

I switched to attacker for our semifinal game.  Someone was tired, but still wanted to play, so we switched.  We also had to switch our jerseys due to previous color conflicts. 

from the semi final

another from the semi final

Our team picture from this morning 4.21.14

I love you all and wish a very inspiring week!

Avec amour,

Elder Jenkins

 

Pigeons grow super fast!  This was one week from hatching day!  4.16.14

Easter sunrise.  There was a church that decided to do a fanfare
parade by our house at 5:20, so I was able to go up on the roof and
get good pictures.

Zoomed out

Thought these clouds were cool!

The staining process.  Foster Clark's is kind of like Crystal Light, but different

Yeah, brown eggs don't work too well with staining

After shelling and staining again

Easter breakfast!  4.20.14

YUM!

The Primary's Easter presents!

Inside 4.20.14

Hahaha I don't really have a caption for this.  BON VOYAGE!

I made chicken noodle soup this week!  Elder Donadier LOVED it!  He
asks for it all the time now.  PLUS, one of the stores had CAPRI
SUNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Haha not really sure what this means.  It's painted on the wall of
one of our investigator's house.  the translation is: "You want or you
don't want?"

The Prime Minister's baptism and football in Africa



Gabriel's baptism.  Left to right: Elder Dagrou, Président Laurent (of Doumassesse, who gave us the contact), Gabriel, me, and Pres. Sam (the 2nd counselor of our branch)



Well, after this week, I will be done with all formal types of training as a missionary!  Of course we're always learning, but I'll still now be a full-fledged missionary! It's amazing to see what's behind me now, and I'm very excited for what's ahead!  This past Saturday we had our baptism of KODJO Gabriel, the former Prime Minister!  He's already shared his tesimony many times in front of many people, but then, speaking in front of people isn't really a problem for him.  But he has definitely become more comfortable with us, so we've seen the fun side of him more, which is a blast!

This morning, we had an activity.  Every month we have one (it's always soccer which I don't mind), but every 3 months they really make a big deal about it.  We tried to get it at the stadium today, but it wasn't possible, so we got the next best thing.  It was a sand/ dirt field, but there were lines down and nets in the goals.  So every 3 months, we make a big deal about it and have the missionaries against the members.  Today, we had two missionary teams and one member team.  We decided to do three matches so that every team could play each other.  My team was in the first match, against the members.  When I say that we make a big deal about it, I mean we make a big deal about it.  We had a head ref, two line refs, and even a fourth ref!  Matching uniforms with numbers, proper substitutions, just about everything.  It was pretty legit.

Anyways, first game.  Elder Mundu, the team captain, put me in as attaquant milieu (striker).  OK. Sure. So I go to that position.  It was a pretty good match.  In the first half, the other team laid a pretty nice goal into the upper 90 against Elder Layton, our keeper.  During the second half, we were on the attack more, and I got a decent amout of action, even one shot on goal.  However, as time was winding down, something needed to happed to equalize.  We were destroying possession, but not coming up with goals.  Finally, we got a set piece about 30 meters out.  The shot was blocked by the wall, and then Elder Dagrou, my companion, took a nice shot that rebounded off the post.  There was only one defender between me and the ball and the goal, and when he attempted to clear it, he whiffed.  Then it was only me, the ball, the keeper, and the goal.  The keeper was playing WAY left, so it was an easy tap from 3 meters out for a GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After that, the Africans really started to respect me more.  My companion said he was very proud of me and was surprised that I could actually play.

Well, that's this week!  Today has been way fun, but exhausting!  Until next week!

Avec amour,
Elder Jenkins



At the apartment before the game in my new ManU jersey and shorts.



my new cleats

Random pic during the game today.  We were forced to wear Chelsea uniforms; I reluctantly switched out of  my new ManU one.

Elder Layton's incredible game winning save during penalties.

Celebrating the score!  My favorite part of the picture is the dejected look of the guy in the red to my left.

Celebrating our first win of the day.

Still celebrating our first win of the day.

Team picure

(borrowed from Elder Layton)

(borrowed from Elder Layton)

(borrowed from Elder Layton)

me with my new uke

(Note from Mom - Labor Day we have gathered in Colorado Springs for Parents Weekend for the last five years.  This morning the 4 of us were eating breakfast in Manitou Springs and each emailing back and forth with Elder Jenkins in Africa and it was almost like he was there with us - it was a great family breakfast together!)

Family breakfast in Manitou Springs