Small, Small, Catch Monkey

March 2 , 2009

SMALL, SMALL, CATCH MONKEY
Many of the Gospel principles are difficult for the Africans to understand.  It is very much a cultural and Tribal issue.  There are those anxious for baptism before having the understanding to make the commitment.  The Elders teach that they must learn line upon line.  For some reason this was hard for their investigators to understand. One day as they were teaching Nester, he suddenly said..  “Oh, it is like small small catch monkey!”   Nester then explained the saying.  "If you run after a monkey, he will swing from tree to tree and you will never catch him.  But if you crouch down small and creep up slowly you can catch him."  Now the Elders use this African saying all the time and everyone understands line upon line.  A little bit at a time, small small catch enough understand to be baptized.

GRACIOUS AFRICANS
We were invited to the home of a member family last Sunday for a meal of traditional African food.  Eric and Evet have been members for about seven months.  They have a little boy and girl and a new baby to be born soon.  The humble home was so clean and the food was delicious.  Eric’s greatest desire is to go to Salt Lake to attend General Conference.  He has saved the money and will go this April if he can get his Visa in time.  One of the returning missionaries family are helping him get tickets.  Both of them are so proud of this accomplishment.  Those who are truly converted love the Gospel.  Their little girl Annika sat by me in church a few weeks ago.  I had colored pencils and paper.  As she colored, she whispered to me in French..  I whispered back saying, "I don’t speak French."  In a loud voice she responded, "WHAT? YOU DON’T SPEAK FRENCH!!" and then continued whispering to me in English.

TEARS IN OUR EYES
President Njampou, Elder Willis and I had a meeting with two handicapped Sisters in the Branch that are choosing the recipients for the 50 tricycle wheelchairs that the Church will be giving away in March.  We met at the three story apartment building of one sister.  Rose arrived pedaling along on her wheelchair.  We suggested that Emilienne come down stairs and we would meet on the front steps.  It would be easier for her to come down with her crutches than to get Rose with her paralyzed legs up the stairs.  Sister Emilienne was sick and couldn't come down. What to do?  How could paralyzed Rose get up two fights of very steep stairs in a dark hallway with no light?   Instantly, without hesitation, our small thin Branch President leaned down picked Rose up, put her on his back and carried her up those high steep steps, never pausing.  After the meeting, down he went, Rose on his back again.  Dear family and friends this brought tears to our eyes.  What service from a leader.  By the way he is a diabetic and has to go to a special place and stand in line a long time to get his blood sugar tested.  He has five lovely children and lives in a tiny two room house.  The children all sleep on the floor of the living area.  One daughter is a university student, one son will soon put in his papers to go on a mission.  The 16 year old daughter and 12 year old son do all the Branch music.  The son plays the organ when we sing a song he knows.  Sixteen year old Rose has a beautiful voice.

USING YOUR HEAD
Ones head is a beast of burden here in Africa. Tall stacks of men’s trousers balance on the trouser salesman’s head as he holds one pair to show his wares.  The same with the shoe man.  Women spread out a table cloth, set the large pans on it, stack the cooking ingredients in the pans, tie the four corners together and on her head it goes.  Then she is off to her little stand where she sells her specialty.  

Children from a nearby school walk by our apartment every day, their backpacks on their heads with shoulder straps hanging about their ears.  Two to three foot high plastic bags of street medicine top the heads of those who sell suspicious cures by the dose. Trays of glass bottles of peanuts, every kind of fruit, candy, and drinks balance perfectly. We saw a man with a huge bundle of fire wood, at least four feet long.  He wanted a ride on a moto.  The only way it would work was if half the bundle rested on the head of the motto driver.  They must have struck a deal because of they went, one end on the riders head and the other on the drivers. We are giving the prize to this one--While visiting a member in the hospital, patients were walking in the halls IV tubes in their arms and the bag of IV solution--(where else?) on their head. Think this is strange?  Well here came a nurse going to a patients room---a solution bag on her head!!

We are busy, preparing for the wheelchair ceremony(next letter), getting our home teaching done (nine families), planning for the temple trip to Nigeria (July), and trying to lift and strengthen our little Branch.  We miss everyone.  Thank you for your prayers and emails.

Love
Elder and Sister Willis