"2 Year Hunting Trip"

Well hello my family! It's a beautiful night here in the MTC, and we are doing our laundry for the last time until we leave! Well Elder Burkhart and I aren't, we are doing it on Monday because we leave a day after all the Elders that are going to France. They leave on Monday afternoon. This might be the last email I send you from the MTC.

Packing is like Tetris!

     Everything is going really good in regards of just preparing for departure! I haven't really started to pack yet, so that will be a trick I’m sure! Everything is all disorganized and everywhere in my suitcase. So I just zip it up and pretend like it's not there! When Monday comes, our packing day, I'll just take everything out, put it on the floor, and start from the ground up! Like Tetris! 

We have a scale in our building so we will be able to figure that out all out. I'm shooting for one big bag less than 50lbs, the other big bag under 70lbs, and then my carry on can be 40. 

I think that I'll be able to do it! I'll let you know all those details and how that went on the phone! Which I am totally stoked for by the way! Try not to cry too much... ;) Haha just kidding. But really. If you cry I’ll cry. So don't cry!

     I received that letter from Brother Harding on Tuesday! Among some other things.... A box full of candy and chips and doughnuts and all that fun stuff! It was way nice! I was pretty nervous after I read the letter! It was interesting though. He also sent like 30 pictures so that was pretty cool! It was fun to see everything. Tell him thank you!

     One of the French teachers, not ours, went to Benin and Togo on his mission and he gave us a TON of information! We had a "Q&A" so here are some things that he said:

- Togo is less developed that Benin

- There are more members in Togo than in Benin

- The Catholic religion is really strong in Benin/more so in Benin

- Our apartments consist of sinks, 2 burners for food, shower, bathroom, desks, and beds. Simple stuff. No microwaves.

Togo Wash Day

Benin

- He said that kids from the age of 1-8ish don't speak French at all. They speak a native language called Eve as well as adults over the age of mid 50's. They just never learned it.

City of Cotonou

- The food is actually not as bad as it seems. A lot of fish, fried chicken, TONS of good fruits, this corn flower stuff mixed with water that has the consistency of a cream of wheat he says is actually pretty good. You eat it with chicken or fish most of the time.

Delicious Fruit!

- You'll usually always have an African companion. Which is usually fine, it's just that you will have your different cultures and it will be weird for a while, but you'll both get used to each other.

- They have pretty good grocery stores and such that you can get anything at. He says you can get like ground beef and stuff but that it's expensive. And if you have African companions that you're living with, you'll usually eat African food.

- Most the companions you will have generally know A LOT about the gospel which is awesome.

Laundromat?

- They have Laundromats that you can do your laundry in but that can also be expensive. He said that there were those P-days when he felt like not doing laundry by hand, so they would pick like one day a month or every other month to do laundry at the mat. So we'll see about that! As well as some members are trying to save up money so that they can go to the temple, so you can pay them to do it for you. The mission president will decide on that though.

- He said one thing that bothered him was the fact that he never really felt clean haha. The fact that you're always sweating, and then there is dirt everywhere so you feel dirty. He says that you get used to it though! I don't think that it will phase me much.

- Um.... He said that we will most likely spend equal time in Benin and Togo. He started out in Benin, and flew in between the both of them.

- They have banks and such that you can make withdrawals out of and stuff with your personal money. So I’m sure that I’ll figure that out.

Pirates of the Caribbean

- I also found out that one of the Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed in Benin! The part when they are with that voodoo lady and all those huts on stilts in the water. That is in Benin! So you'll have to watch that! I don't really remember it, but that's what he said!

- Fruit is absolutely amazing. Eat that as much as possible!

- The first like month I won't be able to understand anyone...

     So yeah that's about all that I can remember what he said.... After he got done talking to us, I wasn't as nervous! I mean I still kind of am, but thats to be expected. He said that it is going to be hard, just like every other mission. It will just go by a lot easier at the first if you just find the things that you really like, and focus on those whenever times get rough or hard. 

Hunting Trip Weapons of Rescue!

I'm kinda going to look at it like a 2 year hunting trip! In a different culture with different people, and I’m hunting! But not for deer or bear.... for our Brothers and Sisters that are lost! Kinda like a 'Search and Rescue Team'... With my Livre De Mormon (Book of Mormon) as my flashlight, Le Saint Esprit (The Holy Spirit) as my GPS, and precher mon evangile (Preach My Gospel) as my as my rope! Or something else that 'Rescuers' use... Ha. So yeah I am super stoked to finally get to Africa!

Benin

I can't wait to get to talk to you on Tuesday!! I hope that all is going well at home and wish you guys the best as always! I love you all :) Keep on praying and always remember, Dieu est notre pere celeste. nous sommes ses enfants. lorsque nous gargons le commandements de dieu, nous pouvons receivre beaucoup de benedictions! Je vous aime famille! (God is our Heavenly Father.We are His children. When we keep the commandments of God, we can receive many blessings! I love my family!)

Elder Landon Dean Layton