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First of all, on Christmas Eve, P-day, I received an email from Elder Layton saying that he was online so I quickly responded so that we could set up calling plans for the next day. I was home alone and we decided to try out the skype connection... Heart racing, in my pajamas and fresh out of bed, I did drag a brush through my hair first ;) WE CONNECTED! Ya I was pretty much freaking out as you can imagine as this was not planned. We were able to make our plans for the next morning and then he was gone. Merry Christmas to me though! A short call to his cell phone to try out that connection and the calling card... SUCCESS... All systems are a go! It just made Christmas Eve that much more special for sure! Said he hadn't shaved yet and was excited to grow a mustache when he got home ;)Christmas Day~ Around 8:15am our youngest daughter, who is a senior, was opening her gifts and an email came through from Elder Layton saying he was at the cyber (pronounced by Elder Layton as see~bur). While she opened up gifts I emailed back and forth with him. I even sent him a picture of Shelby opening up a pair of Toms shoes. I asked him if he ever saw them there and he said, "Toms are EVERYWHERE here!!".
"Ah it looks like you guys are having so much fun!! That is good! Well I am here and ready whenever you guys are...No hurry though :) Lets hope it works!"
I told him we were waiting for the other family members to come and then we would get on and try. He replied "Sounds like a plan!"
Around 9:10 am we all went downstairs where everything was set up for the call. The call was made, crossing our fingers...and Success! As many of you know that have a missionary when their image pops up onto the screen it is such an amazing rush! I'm sure even more so for them!
He told us that he paid a little extra to go into this room because it was more quiet and the internet speed would be faster there. It's also under a ceiling fan which he always tries to get for a little more comfort. He said the room wasn't that hot today and we asked the temp. He looked and said 84 degrees. Pretty warm to me. It was pretty sweet though, he had his handkerchief in hand and wiped his face a few different times. He was the only one in this room. When I skyped with him for a few minutes yesterday it was much nosier with other voices and street noise. Lots of honking. Beep beep!
Nobody can make Elder Layton laugh like his sister Jordan can! He finds her pretty dang funny as do the rest of us! She even did "Gina" for him.
His little nephew Ben was just 10 days old and weighing like 6 pounds when he left so he thought it was so crazy to see him walking around and being such a big boy. Elder Layton was talking cute to Ben saying hi and Ben got shy and hid his face. It was pretty sweet!
Showing us that he was wearing his new tie and watch that we sent him for Christmas.
After a good long visit in the basement we look Elder Layton outside. He asked if we had much snow so Shelby took him on a little tour. She showed him her Jeep that her dad bought on a killer deal for her. Not for Christmas but he'd never seen it.
Then his dad showed him what he was smoking on the Traeger because he asked. Mean huh!
Talking with his sister Jordan and her hubby Cam.
Aunt Debbie and cousin Levi stopped by to wish him a Merry Christmas too.
Sister Kylee's turn for her visit.
A little heart to heart time for mom and dad! This was very nice to have this quiet time alone with him. Dad and son both got a little emotional here as they spoke of their missions. It was pretty sweet and tender.
SOME THINGS THAT WE LEARNED:
1- GONE IN A FLASH! We learned that while in a taxi on Christmas Eve he was robbed. There were 4 Elders in the back seat and 2 Elders in the front seat. A Christmas song came on the radio and Elder Layton thought he would take his camera out of his bag and make a little video of the music along the drive they were on. Just as they came to a stoplight two black hands came through the open window, over two other Elders (Landon was the third in) and ripped his camera right out of his hands! He said it happened so fast and just like that it was gone! Their heads all turned around and saw him running down the street the other way. They tried to get out but the doors only opened from the outside. Some wanted to chase him and the driver wanted to turn around and chase him but Elder Layton said no, no not to. He said just to let him go. He said he didn't have the wrist strap on or maybe he wouldn't have gotten it. He was so shocked about what had just happened he couldn't believe it. The taxi driver was very upset and said that that shouldn't happen and was bothered by it.
Personally, I am so happy that they didn't chase after him! Elder Layton does back up his SD card every Monday so I don't think he lost many, if any pictures. This was a new Sony camera that we sent down with the Southam's granddaughter because he was worried about his camera not lasting. It had a crack in it but still works fine. So he will now use the backup camera until we can get him one. His was silver and he suggested a black one. Not as flashy. Big bummer, I could tell he was sad about it of course.
2- He said that the children there, while cute, can be a little annoying with their song that they sing to the white guys! Like over and over and over and it NEVER stops! Which brought me to the question of what the parenting/discipline was like there. He said that the parents are very strict and that the children get hit quite often. :( He said that sometimes its a slap on the hand or backside and that didn't bother him as much but that it did bother his African companions. He said it was very upsetting to them and they told him that he just wouldn't understand. He said that sometimes the hitting gets pretty aggressive and and children are beat and he has to look away. Right on the street. Can you even imagine that happening in America?? There are SO MANY laws here to protect children. Yet I know it still happens, but out in public? Never. Said that the church really helps teach the members how to better their lives. He was going to give a lesson in church from conference about treating your children kindly.
3- Christmas day for him sounded fairly uneventful. Said he was pretty tired and took a nap. No real plans.
4- For breakfast he said he eats eggs and hot dogs. Cuts up the hot dogs into small pieces and cooks them in a pan. He then adds a few mixed eggs, larger than our eggs, to the pan and tomatoes and make an omelet. Said that he really likes it and his African companions thinks it's just sick. Many times he doesn't eat lunch. Said he's too tired and too hot to eat. When asked what his favorite meal was he replied with, "Probably anything that you send me".
5- I asked him if he saw a lot of poverty there and he laughed and said that the whole country was in poverty. Said that the children just run around in their underwear with their big, extended bellies from not eating properly.
6- He spoke English pretty well to us but sometimes had to ask us for the right word to say. He said that he will start his personal prayers in English but always finishes them in French. They switch over at some point.
7- It was hard to see his converts go inactive but they keep working with them and trying. Sometimes they move and he looses track of them. Said that when his converts stay strong and are very active it is the best ever! Told us of how his recent convert with her 3 children in tow ride on a moto for 30 minutes to get to church. One is strapped on her back and two on the seat with her. Pretty inspiring .
8- He spoke in a very deep voice when he spoke to his nephew Jackson who is 13 and has changed a lot since he left. It was tripping him out and found it so strange.
9- His niece Macey wanted him to say "I love monkeys" in French to hear him speak. He was embarrassed and said no because people would hear him and think it was strange. She finally got him to and they laughed and he said that people looked at him when he said it.
10- Said that they finished the goat meat a couple of weeks ago. There were still a few intestines in the freezer that his Ivorian roommates would eat, then he shuttered.
Best of all he said that he is very happy and so happy to be serving the Lord in Africa! Said he is so happy that he chose to serve a mission. He looked and sounded great! We are so very proud of him and the fine man he is turning into.
*Wish I would have taken notes as I know that I've forgotten so much of what he said. It was such a busy morning that it totally left my mind. That's a pretty easy thing to do too as things leave my mind very easily!
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