First email from Benin! "yovo, yovo bon sior comment sava merci!!!! (white man, white man good evening how are you thank you)... so random!"

You know it's hard for me to blog and not have a picture !
I found this photo online. It is a Benin Sunset :)

     So I dont know where any of these buttons are on this french keyboard... I feel like a four year old trying to learn how to type in school. I also dont know where the exclamation point is..... haha so I wont being using that till I find it. Anyways, Africa is absolutely amazing!!!! FOUND IT!!!! yeah.... okay but yeah, its awesome! the people are amazing! When I first stepped of the plane, I was sweating hard core. I thought this was going to be the death of me! But its actually not that bad! Its nothing compared to two a days in pads during the afternoon... For real. I cannot believe how much football has prepared me for my mission. Not just mentally but physically as well! This is really hard and frustrating to type on this keyboard... so i apologize in advance. 

     Everything is going awesome though! I have elder browning in our apartment and that has been a huge blessing! He has helped me out a ton with getting everything settled and such. My companion is from the congo. He is a really cool guy. I can tell he gets frustrated sometimes because I cant understand anything that he says! but i just tell him sorry and its good. my days so far consist of me just following Elder Ngobumbuh or whatever his name is around. I dont know how to say his name yet! ill learn hopefully. haha. I cannot understand a single word that the people say to me... Its not french! Haha no it is. but its different for sure. Im sure it will come. im giving it 6 months.... then I should be solid. I dont know much french. But hey If I come back and dont know it, thats okay! no i know it will come. 

(Found photo online)

     So the little kids here I want to pile into a plane and take them all home to America. They are soooooooo freaking cute! Whenever you are walking down the road, they all sing this song that they all know. it goes: yovo yovo bon sior comment sava Merci!!!! Every single time! it means; white man white man good evening how are you thank you. Haha so random! There was one point where there were no joke 15 little kids walking behind me following me for a good 5 minutes. It is the weirdest slash coolest thing. The people are very, very nice. even though I cant understand them... I know they are cool. And the women here my goodness!!!! They are so gorgeous! Just naturally beautiful! not in a weird way... you know what i mean. I hope haha. Anyways yeah its just amazing here I love it. food is nast ha. everything has tomatoes in it or tomato paste... you know how much I like them! all is well though!!! our lessons are either outside or in a shack... I usually just bare my testimony at the end for whatever the lesson was on. 

     I know that I am just in that new missionary phase, but ill do all that I can to keep this sense of urgency and love for the people! I am in Benin yes, and Elder Browning said that he even liked Togo best. So if I like Benin this much, I cant wait for togo! Youre right when you said that I dont have much time... after reading my emails then responding it is hard with time. and this ghetto keyboard!

     So ill wrap it up here... I will have more time next week im sure because i took forever to log on. everything is in french... ha. Well you guys are always in my prayers and I think about you all the time!! I love you so much!!!!! All is well so dont you worry about your son here in Africa!!!! Love you!!!!!!!

 Till next monday, love elder Layton!!!