Smilin' ~ Dancin' ~ Shakin' ~ that Thang!

Dearest Family,

     Gotta be smilin', gotta be dancin', gotta be shakin' that thang! Ah the mission... The best 2 years :) Thank you so much for your letter! It sounds like so much is going on at home! And that is fun to hear! The Waterfield's kitchen looks super good! I bet that it was fun to pick out the whole layout and colors and everything! I know that when you guys all put your heads together it wouldn't take long at all! AND, if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself! Unless it's something that you don't know how to do. Then you call someone else. Like fix your water pump at your apartment in Africa! We have been calling the plumber quite a lot these past couple days... No water this whole week :/ But we are lucky enough to be able to go downstairs and fill up buckets to shower! Something that I have gotten really good at. I can now take a full shower with only 2 liters of water! Challenge you to try it this week... Bet you can't! And Jordan and Cam will be moving into my room eh...? Faut pas faire les betise dans mon lit! Make sure to wash my sheets before I get home... ;)   (Cam is going to California in a couple of weeks, for a couple of months for an internship. They will then move to Provo where Cam will attend law school at BYU in the fall.)

     So yeah... As for me, this week has been the most mundane week of weeks. Nothing doin' really. A lot of waking up and studying. Then eating and drinking all the time! The heat has been pretty intense this last week. Haven't really got any rain. We were walking in the street the other day talking with Frère Santos about the weather. I asked him why the rain wasn't falling like it was supposed to. He said in reply, "They are holding it back because of the parties." (Because this season is when the Catholic Church does all their baptisms and confirmations and stuff like that). I was like, "they? Who are they?" And he went on telling me that a lot of people go to the voodoo worshipers during this time of the year to make the rain not fall on their parties... Because we all know what happens when the rain falls here. Kinda hard to have your parties in the middle of a river! But it is just so crazy how FIXED people are on blaming things on voodoo. Anything out of the ordinary, it is automatically voodoo. Even the members here are firm believers in it all. I guess it is just an African culture type of thing. I can't tell you how many times I have heard in lessons, "listen, we are in Africa, a lot of stuff happens here.." blah blah blah. My companions are always wrapped around their stories and I am just trying not to laugh! Voodoo really is so huge here. But I don't know why I haven't written much about it. The sector that I am in right now is just so full of Muslims that you don't see much voodoo. There is a big statue that I am going to try and steal a picture from... Frère Santos said that people would get mad if they saw me take it... So I will have to be pretty stealth about it! Gotta take it though. Our ami Francise was into voodoo before now and he has told us some pretty weird stuff that he has done to be protected from sicknesses and just bad stuff. He was pretty stoked when we told him that all of that crap will be washed away after he is baptized! We will have to work really hard with him this week to get him ready. 

 

Elder John B. Dickson 
First Quorum of the Seventy

 This Saturday we will be having Elder Dickson from the 70 coming to have a meeting with the missionaries! I am excited for that! I was asked to give a little talk on the importance of our daily planners... Because some missionaries don't really use them at all  like they are supposed to be used. So I am excited for that. Elder Poll told me that there is a good chance that I will be translating for Elder Dickson as well! So I am kind of nervous about that, and excited at the same time! Translating for a member of the Quorum of the 70... Pretty awesome! I will let you know how all of that goes down. After this next zone conference, I will only have one left before I leave home!! Wahoo!!! I have been talking to Shumway and he said that he couldn't believe that I only had 6 months left! He said that the first month being back was like the first month in Africa haha super weird! But he said that it is awesome now... Super excited! 

     So yeah there is my letter for the week... I didn't get a chance to take any pictures this week... I hope that you will forgive me! Next week for sure! I love all of your guys so much, and I can't wait to hear from you guys next week!

             Love,

                             Elder Landon Dean Layton

Elder: Hey Mamma! What's up? Sorry we just got to the cyber... I liked the letter!!
Michelle: Hello! Glad you liked the letter. How are you doing?

Elder: I am doing well! It is been SO hot this week! Sweating nonstop!

Michelle: Oh I'm sorry that's so hard. Kind of zaps your energy I bet.

Elder: Not really haha after just about 2 years... I am used to it!

Michelle: Oh that's nice that you do get used to it. Anything fun today?

Elder: Not at all. Just cleaning! But being relaxed is pretty nice... This week’s letter is going to be pretty boring...

Michelle: Oh come on! ;) I liked when you told us about the spaghetti you have a member get you for dinner. Small things are fun to hear about too. Staying healthy?

Elder: Ah I see... Yeah I am! I cut my hair finally... The heat was getting to me too much!
Michelle: I wondered how you were doing with all that hair. Cooler is better for sure. Have you ever been to the python temple?
Elder: We are going there next Monday! I am in the middle of planning it all...
Michelle: Oh good deal. Wasn't sure if you liked snakes lol. I sure don't!
Elder: Haha well I have never really been around one before if you think about it... I mean I guess we will see! I don't like spiders, that is for sure!
Michelle: I'm with you on that! Any baptisms on Saturday? Was that one ready?
Elder: He didn't do so well on his interview... We are going to try and do it this Saturday!

After reading his email...
Michelle: Thank you for your letter! It was wonderful. Elder Dickson?! Wow very cool! Can't wait to hear about that! Make sure and take pictures of that! Take a"selfie" and send it now to me.
Elder: Haha I don't know what selfies are...
Michelle: Oh you're so out of it! A selfie is when you take a picture of yourself .
Elder: Haha yeah people wouldn't think that that was weird at all! We are going to a FHE tonight so I will be able to take some pictures there!
Michelle: Okay do for sure! Haha or you could take a picture of yourself in a mirror. That's also a selfie lol. Do they have mirrors there? Do people use them?
Elder: They usually use broken moto mirrors hahaha
Michelle: Oh that's so cute. So humble.
Elder: That and there is really no need for them haha. They don't ever wear makeup here.
Michelle: How do they check their teeth to see if they have foofoo our a fish eye in their teeth?
Elder: Haha they brush their teeth with sticks! Have I not told you that yet??
Michelle: No! They do?
Elder: Haha yeah! I thought that I had told you that... They are like 8 inch long sticks and they scrape their teeth with them and chew on them!
Michelle: Oh man that's... Genius? I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. I wonder what they do for feminine hygiene? Maybe I don't...
Elder: No they feminine products all over the place. Super cheap I am sure...
Michelle: That’s good to know! Please continue to take lots of pics! "pictures" 

Elder: Haha, I 'm not that slow mom... have a good Memorial Day!!
Michelle: Will do! Love you!!!