Hellos and Goodbyes

Hello dear family and friends!

   How are you all doing there in the weird Wyoming weather!? Here in Brazzaville it's still hot like always, but it's getting just a little bit cooler which really helps when there isn’t any power at night! This week was a really bust week and we didn’t really get to work a lot because of all the things that we had to do with the new missionarys coming in and the old ones leaving--but it was still amazing! But before I tell you how my week went, I just wanted to thank everyone for the emails that they sent me and I hope that you all have a good week!
  
   So this week was hectic but fun as well! On Tuesday, the people that were supposed to go Cameroon couldn’t go because their flight got transferred, so we had to organize what would happen because President Monga was in Cameroon. Then after all that, we had to go and do a trainer's meeting with the new trainers and then we went to the Browns house! The Browns are a couple that work for the US embassy and they had us over for dinner and it was so awesome! They are so nice and they made pizza for us and we talked about them and the mission here in broken French.  I spent a lot of the time translating, but it was really fun and they are just a really cool example; in spite of all the differences in the culture and the language, they still come to church every Sunday! I hope that one day my future wife and I will be like them! Then on Wednesday, we went and got the new missionaries and they are super cool! They are Elder Tatahio from French Polynesia and Elder Odimba from Kinshasa.  They are really awesome guys and I'm looking forward to working with them! That same day we saw Elder Waite and Elder Nzema off and it was really weird because it seems like they came just before me and was just weird! And then on Thursday we went on splits with Elder Bilolo because he was waiting for his new companion and we had a really good day with him. We had a cool lesson with a lady named Joseph and we talked about the importance of family prayer and she was really touched and said that they would start doing it daily. On Friday, we had the orientation meeting for the new missionaries with President Monga and it went really well.  Afterwards, we went and ate and it was amazing food like always. And then on Sunday, it was ward conference and we had a lot of new amis and there were a lot of people there and was just a lot of fun.
  
   But that’s about all for this last week! This week we have zone conferences so it should be pretty packed! But all is well here and everything is back to normal! Really awesome being a missionary and doing Christ's work. I love you all and I hope you have a great week! And for a challenge this week go and eat cheesecake for me!

Love,
Elder Legerski

Splits, Transfers, and Saka Saka

Hello family and friends how are you!?
   This last week was a really fun week even though I was almost never in my own sector because I went on a bunch of splits with people, but that's okay! I just wanted to thank all of the people that wrote me and I wanted to wish my cousin Biz a happy wedding and a happy honeymoon! Wish I could have been there but I hope that you will be at my wedding!

   But this week was really an amazing week!  I started by going with Elder Kabeya for the third or fourth time and we had a really good day together, even though we had to take a lot of transport because they don't live close to their sector. It turned out to be a really awesome day and we even taught a lesson in the middle of nowhere, right the middle of a bunch of fields, so that was awesome! And then on Wednesday we had the last ever district meeing with Elder Nzema and we had a lot of fun and we drank sparkling cider together and I almost took his head of with the cork, but i didn't! And then on Thursday we helped one of our inactives cook and we ate saka saka (a dish featuring Cassava leaves) with her and it was soooo gooood! I loved it so much and I ate sooo much!

Saka Saka...and according to Elder Legerski, it's delicious?!

And then on Friday, we had the final dinner for Elder Waite and Elder Wzema and it was super good and we ate super good food again! It's always nice to have someone else cook for you because it makes life a whole lot better! And also on Friday, we had transfers and I wasn't moved at all! But Elder Izere and Elder Kazemb are leaving and Elder Sperry is coming to Brazza so these next 5 weeks should be a lot of fun! Then on Saturday, I went out to Talagai and I worked with Elder Pindi for the day and it was a lot of fun!  For most of this week we didn't have power, so it was really hot at night, but now it's started to come back! And now even with the fan I'm starting to get cold! And that was all for my week! It was really tiring but it was a lot of fun!

   This coming week we have new missionaries that are coming so it's going to be a really packed week, but it's also going to be really fun! I love you all and I hope that you have a good week! As a challenge, go and eat some dessert pizza for me!

Love,
Elder Legerski

All is Well

4/5/2016
Hi!,
   I'm not really going to write a letter to you guys this week. Last week was a normal week and everything was good, except for a few things. I don't know if you have read the news about Africa, but there were rebels who were shooting and burning police stations and they got close to our apartment,but we are fine. They moved us out and we are at President Monga's house now so we are all okay and safe. Just wanted to let you know! I love you all so much!

Elder Legerski

4/11/16
Hello family and friends,
   How are you doing!? This week here in the Congo was just amazing and everything was like normal! I just wanted to thank everyone that wrote me this week and I hope that you have a good week!

  I finally got to watch General Conference and it was amazing! This week, all that I'm going to say is that I know that the keys of the priesthood were restored on earth. And also, that if we will do family counsel like Elder M Russel Ballard told us to do, it will bless us abundantly!
   I love you all and I hope you have a good week! And for a challenge this week, I want you to write me the blessing that you have recived for keeping the Sabbath day holy!

Elder Legerski

A Love We Cannot Even Imagine

Dear Friends and family how are you doing!?
   I'm doing really well here in Brazzaville! Everything has really calmed down and things are pretty much back to normal! But since I wrote you last week, nothing really has changed! But we did go to the marche today and I can say that my bartering skills have gotten really good and they pretty much got to a master level today!

 

   But as this is Easter season, I just wanted to bear my testimony and say that that I am so thankful for Christ in my life. He lives and He atoned for our sins so that we may have eternal life. I love Him and I know that we cannot even imagine His love for us. 

   But thats all for this week! Stay safe and have a good week! For a challenge, go and eat a whole box of peeps!

Elder Legerski

Staying Safe During the Congo Elections

Dear family and friends how are you!?
   Well this week I don't really have a lot to say! I just wanted to say thank you to all my friends and family members who wrote me this week. And also I just wanted to wish my little brother Koltin a Happy Birthday! I love you lots, bro! But sorry that this email was so late we have had a little trouble in Brazzaville! (Due to the Presidential Elections in Zach's area, all telecommunications were blacked out and he and the other elders in his area were advised to stay in their apartment for a few days till things died down...http://www.ibtimes.com/republic-congo-election-2016-results-stalled-citizens-take-polls-amid-media-blackout-2339752)

   But to shoot to the point, we haven't been teaching since the 19th. Because of the elections things aren't super safe and we have really been staying safe and being really careful so we have just been in the apartment all week. But all is well and there is no danger now! But it's just been really boring and I'm really ready to go back out and work! 

   I love you all so much and I hope that you have a good week and I will talk to you in just a few short days! I can't wait to hear from you. And for a challenge, you guys have to go play War (the card game) and eat peanut butter cookies! 

 

Love, 

Elder Legerski

Hitting My 18 Month Mark

Dear family and friends how are you doing!?
   Everything is going really well here in the Congo! This week was a week that was full of mission stuff, but not too much missionary work! But despite all of that, it was a really good week and a really fun one as well! And as always, I just wanted to thank everyone who wrote me this week and just wanted to wish you all a good week!
    But this week was a week of people that left and people that came! But I will start with the ones who are leaving. Well, the Nelsons are finally leaving! The Nelsons are our office couple here in Brazzaville and they are done after 18 months here in the Congo! It's so sad to see them go home but I know that their family is sure going to be happy to see them! It was hard to say goodbye, but I know that we are going to stay in contact! Because we are losing the Nelsons, the Bills are coming back down from Pointe Noire to Brazzaville! So we need more couples in our mission! Couples are SO important for us and we are in desperate need for them! So all of you who can go on couple missions, get ready and come on down to the Congo, and all of you who can't, tell all of your friends who can to come on down to the Congo so you can help us missionaries do the work of our Lord, Jesus Christ! I know he will bless you for your efforts!
    But as I said, we also had new missionaries come in this week! It's always a big thing when people come into the mission! And so most of this week was spent doing trainings and greeting them and all of that fun stuff! We had an Elder from Belgium who is really cool and speaks super good French!! We also had 2 canadians, Elder Fraser and Boutot; but one speaks English and the other super good French! And finally, we had Elder Best and Stephens from the US, but Elder Best went straight to Cameroon cause he didn't get a Congo visa; however, Elder Stephens came here. It's always fun to see English speakers learning French because it reminds me of when I was at that point in my mission and was in awe of all of the old missionaries who spoke French already! But it was really awesome to be with them and I know that they will all make really amazing missionaries.
    And last but not least, I went to a baptism at the old ward of Guynemer! It seems like the Lord really likes me to seed and not to sow! In the past few months, 9 of my old amis that I left in the sectors have been baptized:) But thats okay because its all for the same cause and it's the will of the Lord! But Loubaki and Nancy got baptized on Saturday and it was really awesome; the first baptism in almost 10 months in that ward, I think. But the ward was there and the room was full! Quite amazing to be there and really nice to see all the people that I left there!
    But that's all for this week folks! Nothing else to report! I hope that you all have an amazing week and that I will hear from you next week! This coming week is officially 18 months for me as a missionary! If I was a girl, I would be coming home:) But for this week's challenge, go and drink some cream soda for me!

I love you all so much!
Elder Legerski

Our Amis Continue to Progress!

Hello dear family and friends how are you!?
   I wanted to thank everyone that wrote me this week...it was really amazing to hear from all of you and I hope you have a even better week than this last one!

   This week I don't have a lot of things to say. It was a really good week and we just got out and worked really hard. We only worked one day without a member and because of that, we are really starting to find new amis, new people to teach and people that are interested in our message. But that's about all that I have to report for this week! I just realized that I left my planner in my other bag, but oh well!

 

Elder Legerski and Elder Dou
 getting a weeks worth of water for the apartment
 

   As for the transfer, Elder Kabeya will be leaving our team and we will be back down to 2 people but he will be in our apartment still! We have 5 missionaries who will come into our mission on Wednesday so we will have a lot to do with meetings and all that fun stuff! It's always good to get new missionaries in the mission and it's really exciting being able to meet them all. 

But I do have very good news for everyone even if I don't have a lot of histories (stories)!  Elder and Sister Bills came to do a training because they will come back to Brazzaville to replace the couple that will leave next Monday. Anyway, I talked with them and they told me that John Matoko and Jean Beri, 2 of my converts, will receive the Melchizedek priesthood and that made me so happy! It's so good to see people keep on progressing even after their baptism! And also Loubaki and Nancy, who I taught in my last sector, will be baptized this Saturday so our hard work is starting to pay off! But that's all! Missionary work is amazing!

   But for a challenge this week, go eat some bbq ribs for Elder Freshour and I!

 

Love,

Elder Legerski!