That Time I Stayed at a Hospital in Benin

Thanks Elder Mejean for shining my shoes.

Remember that one week when I scared everybody about going to a hospital during the Ebola outbreak? Thankfully that time I really was kidding about going to hospitals.

But this week, I actually got to stay overnight in a hospital! Cool, huh? No worries, I wasn't the one who was sick... and no, it wasn't Ebola this time either.  Elder Mejean, who leaves in about 12 days, got super, super sick this past Saturday. When we got home he was throwing up everything he was eating/drinking, had body numbness, and was getting weak to the point where he couldn't open up his hands anymore...

So, late on Saturday night, President and Sister Morin told Elder Mejean to go to the hospital. The Office Elders picked him up and originally his companion was going to go with him, but I was the only one who ended up knowing where the hospital was (thanks to nine months in the Office!). 

Now, before this hospital experience, I had already had a few different experiences with African medical care. The mission tries its best to find the best medical care here in Cotonou, but even with the best, it's a bit dismal here. For example, earlier this year I had a filling fall out of one of my teeth. The first time I went, the dentist filled the wrong cavity. The second time I went, she actually filled in the right tooth... but 6 months later it fell out again. And I can feel the same filling cracking again... As you can imagine, my confidence in African health care, no matter how good it looks, isn't really great. 

Anyway, we got to the hospital and they started taking care of Elder Mejean. Then they took us to our room and... it looked promising! It had a TV, an air conditioner, hot water tank, and two beds... but like I said before, no matter how good it looks, it really isn't that great. 

They gave Elder Mejean some IV meds which helped him out a bit. Thankfully, by this point he was doing much better. But, we quickly found out that there are a few simple commodities offered in western hospitals that just don't seem to be necessary in our little African hospital. 

For example, water. When we asked them to send up water to the room, they told us that they weren't able to because they don't have water... ummm... okay. Thankfully, the Office Elders were able to send up some water they had in their car... otherwise we were out of luck. 

Another thing you would think they would offer us would be sheets. Nope! I know this place wasn't supposed to be the Sheraton hotel, but come on. They did give us a bed sheet to place over the mattress but nothing to cover myself with. Thankfully, in my haste in packing my bag to stay overnight at the hospital, I brought an extra t-shirt and underwear which was the only thing I had to put over me while I slept. 

Surprisingly, there's a reason why underwear isn't sold as a bed linen. By the next morning, I thought the nurses had come into the room and given me an extra blanket because I was all wrapped up in a sheet... when I opened my eyes, I found out that I had used the one bed sheet they gave me and wrapped myself in it. It was actually quite comfortable but I really hope they sanitize regularly the beds that we slept on. I hope nobody who had leprosy or any other strange skin disease slept on that bed, too. 

Anyway, that morning happened to be Sunday morning. Elder Mejean was still feeling a bit sick, but the couple stopped by in the morning to give us some breakfast and lunch (which was delicious!). President also gave Elder Mejean and I permission to bless the sacrament in our hospital room, which was a special experience. It was weird being a missionary and not going to Church! But, I was very glad that I was still able to take the sacrament. 

After that, I decided that I would go check out our hot water status for a nice long shower... Well, upon further inspection I saw that the hot water tank was turned off (so there wasn't any hot water) and I also saw that the lines were looking pretty rusty and it looked like it hadn't been used for a very long time... oooohhhh well... no hot shower this time. Thankfully the air conditioner was in perfect condition. 

The couple had also dropped off some Liahonas (magazines) that I was able to read to pass the time. I also read random Old Testament stories to Elder Mejean, but that got old really quick. We ended up talking a ton to pass the time.

Thankfully we got a few visits throughout the day. The Office Elders in my sector brought over Rebecca, the mom of Sara (who was my last convert while I was at the Bureau), who made us some couscous and tomato sauce which was really nice of her! Since we were in Elder Kunz's sector, he and his companion came and visited us for a bit as well! 

Towards the end of the day, we started wondering when we would be able to leave because Elder Mejean was feeling fine. At the hospital there is no way to call the nurses/doctors, so I was the one who always had to go down and get them if there was a problem. I kept having to go down and kept wondering when they would come up to the room, but they were taking forever. Finally they told us that he would have to spend another night at the hospital so that it would be a full 24 hours. However, Elder Mejean's comp came and took over my spot and I was able to leave that little room for once! I was quite happy to return to my bed back at the apartment! Never thought I'd say that. 

Elder Mejean did end up getting out of there at around noon today. He's doing fine and the final word was that he had a stomach infection due to some bad sweet potatoes that he had eaten. Thankfully, I had a mangez-vous the night he had eaten them. If I hadn't, I would probably have had the same fate as Elder Mejean! It was sad throwing away the rest of the 3-5 pounds of sweet potatoes that we had left (that cost us two dollars) but you know... I now know that avoiding a hospital stay here is for the best! 

Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos because Elder Mejean kept telling me that my camera would get stolen if I had taken it out... so no photos for the monumental hospital stay. And nothing did actually get stolen so that was a bonus! 

Other than that, this week was pretty average. We had a conference this week about obedience which was really good. We had learned a lot about things we can do to lengthen our stride and make this mission an even greater mission. 

To leave you on a good note, we had another ami get baptized this week! Her name is Betty and you might recognize her from the wedding pictures from about a month ago! She is actually Ismael's wife and she has finally gotten baptized as well. She wasn't able to be baptized with her husband because she was traveling but we were happy to finally be able to do it. 

Me, Ismael, Betty, Ismael's sister and mom (members of the Gbedjromede Branch), and Elder Semeha.

Betty is a really great person and she happens to be the first non-Beninois/Togolais that I have baptized. She is from Nigeria (so as you can imagine, I did most of the teaching!). She is a real sweetheart and tries her best to understand French and participate in Church. Now, we hope to start to prepare them for an eternal marriage in a years time! 

I hope that everybody has a great week. It's pretty crazy to think that October is right on our doorstep, but here it is. Keep up the prayers and the good thoughts and I'll do the same.

Love you guys,

Elder Hawkins

Very colorful bush that I found. (yes that would be our neighbors hanging laundry on the bushes to dry). 

Scenes of Cotonou

Scenes of Cotonou

Scenes of Cotonou

Wildlife of Cotonou...a crab... 

....and a pig crossing the water drainage.

An African Wedding

Usually when I start to write these weekly letters, I can never remember anything to write home about because I feel like absolutely nothing happened in the week... but, well this week was completely different... and it all started this past Tuesday.

Tuesday: My companion and I were in the middle of teaching a member at her small restaurant right behind the Stadium, when all of a sudden I get a call from who else but Brother John from Kodjoviakope! He had told me in previous weeks that he wanted to come and visit me to say hi! Being a missionary, I told him that was fine but that the visit couldn't last too long because we still have missionary work to do. Honestly, I didn't know if he would actually find the time to come or not.

Me and Brother John! Same as always!

But, he did! We walked across the stadium to go and find him! It was really great to see him and we were both really happy to see each other. All in all, we went back to my apartment to drop off all the stuff that he brought to me... he gave me carrots, oranges, apples, a 24 pack of Sprit/Fanta cans, and a couple of other gifts. Frankly I was so surprised and I really didn't know what I did to deserve all that stuff but, I was really humbled by it. John said it was just a way of showing his appreciation for the work I do as a missionary and the help that I gave him while serving in the Kodjoviakope group. We talked for a little bit but then we walked back to the stadium so he could get back to Togo! Thank you Brother John! 

Wednesday: A day that started out pretty normal... had a nice lesson in the morning, rendez-vous planned all through the day... ahhh what not to like?! And then, as we went to our second-to-last RV of the day, we find out that a marriage that I didn't even know was going to happen between our amis Ismael and Betty was going to go down... this SATURDAY. Apparently, Ismael had been working with our branch president to figure out all of the details for the wedding arrangements and the proper documents needed in order to be legally wed. And apparently, Ismael wanted to get baptized the same day as the marriage so that his wife could attend before going to Nigeria for a month. 

So, after getting all of that straightened out, I told him that we needed to see each other pretty much every day until the marriage/baptism... there were so many logistics that had to go into getting this to work and as I go through the rest of the week, you will see what I mean. 

Thursday: Now feeling the pressure from the upcoming baptism there were so many things I had to do: (1) call the first counselor to President Morin to interview Ismael for his baptism (2) figure out when the baptism would be and where it would be (3) teach/brush up on all the lessons with Ismael so that he would be ready for the interview. Frankly I just wanted this week to end so badly because I just couldn't help but think of all the things that could possibly end up not working out... but I didn't give up and I endured to the end! 

I ended up going on a split with Elder Mejean (from France) so that we could teach Ismael and his wife at the same time... let me explain that last phrase... Ismael comes from Benin, so he obviously speaks French but his wife Betty comes from Nigeria, and she only speaks English. And there was just way too much material to cover so I had to bring Elder Mejean so that he could teach Ismael in French (my comp isn't experienced enough to know what to teach and what not) and then I would teach Betty in English. At first we wanted her to get baptized too but because she would be traveling to Nigeria early Sunday morning, she would not be able to make the confirmation so we decided to hold off on that until she gets back in October. 

I was really happy with the lesson though because I was able to see that Ismael really remembered very well everything that we taught him and he was really prepared to be baptized! However, I think a lot of the credit goes to the fact that his family are members in a different branch and they have been encouraging him to get baptized and that helped him to be really familiar with the beliefs of the Church. Meaning, everything we taught him was stuff that he was already willing to follow! 

Friday: Friday morning I went down to Fidjrosse to attend my very last Zone Conference of my mission... it was a little bit surreal to be honest, but the lessons were really great and I had a great time. My companion testified for the first time at his first Zone Conference... and then I testified for the last time at my last Zone Conference (yeah, those kinds of things have been popping up a lot with him... his firsts, my lasts). I'm a bit sad that that was the only Zone Conference I would have with President Morin as he has some great plans to advance the work in this mission.

Cool picture of the storm that came after Zone Conference

Afterwards, we headed back to the Branch in Menontin because the Zone Leaders had three baptismal candidates that needed to be interviewed... also, we had to be there because I had managed to set up the interview with President Morin's first counselor and Ismael, which went very well! The three that I did were the very first interviews that I had done as a District Leader and they went well. Despite the fact that one of the couples I interviewed spoke French at a very basic level, I could really tell that they had the desire to be baptized and be in this Church... they had been attending for so long, but with all the marriage stuff, they hadn't been able to be baptized and they had been amis for almost a year. 

Anyway, those interviews weren't supposed to last too long but because everybody was late to their interviews (surprise, surprise Africa!). But, all went well.

Saturday: This was the day we had all been waiting for. We woke up early (before 6) so that we could get ready and meet people at the branch in order to take them to the marriage in Calavi. My couple getting married was going to go there themselves so they didn't need a ride but Elder Mbala and Mejean's couple did need a ride so the Office was nice enough to give us a ride to the wedding.

The view from Calavi branch.

The marriage was supposed to start at 8 but it actually started at 8:20, which I was really mad about because I thought it was actually going to start at 9 (because usually they tell people to come an hour earlier than you're supposed to, for African Standard Time). The reason why I was mad was because my couple hadn't gotten there yet! ARGH! Africa time strikes again! 

So, I took Elder Merrill and stood on the side of the main street to help people find the building (people can't miss two white guys in missionary attire). Thankfully I did that because my couple finally did arrive and were finally able to make it to their wedding. 

To give you an idea of how weddings work, you need to know that it's very hard for people to get married here because of the immense amount of paperwork required by the government as well as the dote (dowry) that has to be paid (which is usually expensive). Thankfully, through the negotiating of some Church members, we have been able to find a guy who can marry people for cheap and with little paperwork! So, we had about 10 couples from around Cotonou come to the wedding ceremony to get married. 

The upstairs pavilion... by the time everybody got there, the place was packed.

So, you might be wondering, what does a Beninois marriage consist of? Well, let me tell you... nothing very special. The mayor comes and basically gives weird council to the couples. My favorite was this: "Even if you are going to the marche to go and buy eggs to make omelettes and your husband is in bed, you need to go and tell your husband that you are going out." Other than that, I did not listen because this guy ended up talking for almost 2 hours about things that quite frankly were pretty dumb. At one point, he even talked about making tea or something and everybody got a little chuckle out of that as we don't drink tea! 

Betty and Ismael exchaning vows

After that, all of the couples went up to exchange vows... some of the couples chose to do it in Fon, others in French... it was funny to see Betty go up and exchange vows because she's Nigerian and doesn't speak very much French. However, the funniest part of it was whenever the couple had to "prove to the mayor that they loved each other" (ie KISS!). It's funny because people here do not kiss... "public display of affection" does not exist out here in the slightest sooooo all the kisses were super funny. However, I'll give it to Ismael and Betty because I'm pretty sure that they had the best kiss out of everybody as it looked natural and loving... and not like two 7 year olds kissing each other from peer pressure (that's the best way I can describe the other kisses).

After that, they had to sign the big book of weddings, as I call it. I think that's to legally record that they were married. The couple signs it as well as the witnesses. It was romantic.

Signing the book!

Afterwards, everybody took pictures with the mayor and then pictures of all the families. I was thankful that it was at Calavi because it's a beautiful building with a great view of the lake! It made for some great pictures. 

Us with the Newlyweds!

After all of that, we hopped in the back of the assistant's truck to go back to the apartment to get ready for the Baptism at 3 PM. Once we did get to the Aibatan branch for the baptisms, we found that nobody was there to unlock the building (oh the Sisters were late... surprise, surprise and it's their branch building!). Thankfully, they came right on time at 3 PM, but forgot the fact that we had to prepare for the baptism by getting people in baptismal clothes and setting up chairs (thankfully Elder Jenkins and his comp had filled the font a few days before). All in all, it went pretty well. I gave a talk and my comp did the baptism and everything went nice and smoothly. Though, it did end up taking like 2 hours to do everything.

At the baptism!

(Elder) Semeha the Baptist (he ended up baptizing like 4-5 people so he got plenty of practice).

But, with all that running around, we were WIPED OUT at the end of all of that. I don't think I had ever slept so well on my mission. 

Sunday: Thankfully, Ismael came to Church on time and I was able to confirm him as a member of the Church! And then to cap everything off, we went to Jericho later in the afternoon to celebrate Elder Hank's birthday at a member's house who promised to prepare "American food". It wasn't really American food, but hey it was salad with cucumbers, radish, chicken, balsamic dressing, etc. I'll give them credit, it was the most American salad I've ever had here! Then for the second course we even got spaghetti and fried potatoes with balsamic vinegar, my favorite traditional American dish! It was good nevertheless! 

Party at Jericho! Oddly enough, Elder Hanks (the birthday man is not pictured). 

So yeah... that was my week in a nutshell for you guys! It was crazy and I'm glad to be everything turned out well.  My hopes are that this week is a little less hectic, but as I've come to learn in Africa, you've gotta be just about ready for anything and everything!

Thanks for all the prayers everybody! Hope you all have a great week and a great Labor day! Elder Mejean says that he loves you guys too! Oh that little Frenchy.

Love,

Elder Hawkins

Family picture of the yovos.

Elder Silvas and I... had to take a picture of my man in his sharp suit.

Africaball and Baptism, Life is Good

I think this week could not have started any better because it all has to do with one of the greatest words ever to be created in the history of mankind:

Elder Hawkins swinging away and probably imagining my head as the ball.
(pics courtesy of Elder Haggard! He added the captions. Haha!)

Baseball.

That's right... I played baseball, Africa style. How? Well it all had to do with my favorite Mexican-American missionary, Elder Silvas from Anaheim, California (well near it anyways). He and Elder Buxton, both avid baseball fans like myself, found this baseball bat sized bamboo stick in their sector and had this crazy idea that they could maybe, just maybe, play baseball with it. So, for a while they were playing baseball with a ball made up of rolled up paper and they told me it worked pretty well.

Elder Hawkins and Elder Silvas posing for the camera as we set up teams to play Baseball.

Thankfully, they had the bright idea of bringing it to the beach for a mission activity we were having this past Monday. They brought the bat and an old tennis ball they found. We drew the lines in the sand and we had teams of about 7-8 people per team (pretty much all Americans... Elder Desvergez tried to play but... errrr... didn't quite understand that you had to run the bases after hitting the ball). 

Elders Hawkins and Jenkins (?) realizing that they aren't physically active enough so they needed to stretch.

I had so much hope that this little pickup baseball game that we were playing would actually work! It had been so long since I had actually played, watched, or seen anything that resembled baseball! (okay, that one time I ate at an Indian Restaurant and watched cricket does not count.) 

Elder Silvas batting

Little by little, the game was coming along! Hits were being hit, great fielding plays were being made, chants from Backyard Baseball were being chanted... ahhhh... it was just some good ol' American fun.

And then, the unthinkable happened: OUR TENNIS BALL TURNED BASEBALL RIPPED OPEN. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

But have no fear, Elder Silvas, myself, and a couple of other missionaries hopped into the car to go down the road to Erevan, aka Heaven in Benin... where one can find all one's yovo needs. We were on the hunt to buy new tennis balls, no matter what the cost! But, typical Benin, Erevan did not have any tennis balls they were willing to sell to us! They had some back in storage that were "defective" and they refused to sell them to us even though we told them they don't need to be perfect tennis balls... just something good enough to hit with a bamboo bat! 

Alas, as we were walking away, completely defeated, Elder Woodland made a joke saying that they should know that old tennis balls just get sold as dog toys after a while. BINGO! We bolted to the dog section of the store and there they were: the perfect African Baseball! It was a little steep (paid $6 for two balls) but it was totally worth it as we were able to continue our game of Africaball. 

As for my stats, I think I had a couple of RBIs and even had a few runs scored... even had to do some sliding which is more like me just letting my legs collapse under me and fall to the ground (it was sand so I could do whatever). I did have one strike out which was pretty embarrassing but after that I regrouped and had some pretty good hits. Had to channel in my inner-2007 Ryan Howard after all. I even held up my bat and did the same batting stance that he would do before going to the plate and everything... I'm sure only Keegan and of course Fro will get that but everyone out here got a kick out of it.  

What our Companions chose to do in place of baseball. (Notice what flag they are centered around.)

OBAMA Beach!

Afterwards, everybody who was playing was talking about how that was probably the best P-day activity that we have all ever had since coming on our missions (I agreed). All the Africans were just watching us and probably wondering what we were doing, but I asked Elder Izekor about what all the other guys were thinking and he said they all thought it was pretty funny that we were playing American baseball. They said they were pretty interested so maybe we'll get a P-day Africaball league started out here pretty soon and teach these guys how to play some baseball! 

Elder Izekor, myself, and Innocente's family! Sammy, the little kid, was not likin' the baptismal service (as seen from the picture) but he settled down after a while!

On a more spiritual note, my ami Innocente got baptized today! It was a great baptismal service! Even though I was freaking out just a few hours before because someone told me that the baptisms actually started at 9 and not at 10... but it did eventually start at 10 like I thought so there were no worries... everything went very smoothly.

Lala did actually make the end of the baptismal service (though he was super late because it started raining)!

I'm really happy for Innocente... I actually mentioned her a while ago, in one of my posts when I had an ami ask me if baptism would solve all her problems and make her life worry free (from my email sent on April 12). We had a couple of problems with the baptismal dates because of things she had going on but she always kept faith that she would be baptized. She was telling us that she knew how it was a test from the Lord, testing her faith and her willingness to be baptized. 

I think it was for the best that she was baptized today though. Because of the extra time we had, we were able to really prepare her for baptism and really were able to reinforce all the lessons that we had taught with her so that she would be ready for her baptismal interview. 

I think the culminating point of the actual baptism though was the testimony she gave afterwards. All converts are invited to bear a little testimony with everybody and she was the first one to get up and bear her testimony on her baptism. She told us how scared she was the night before because of all the unknowns and what not. Then she said how she felt so heavy going into the water, but remarked on how lite (light? mo you gotta correct this for me!) she felt coming out of the water. She testified that she knew she made the right choice and honestly, my heart was so full of joy and love at that moment. 

Words could not express they joy a missionary feels when we see people walking along the path that leads to eternal life. I remember telling Innocente during that one lesson I mentioned earlier how baptism is not the solution to our problems but is a tool to help solve our problems! In fact, I'm reminded greatly of a scripture in Mosiah 5, my mission scripture actually: 

 7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.

 8 And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.

 How true is it, that we enter into a covenant or an alliance (in French!) with our Father in Heaven! My goal with Innocente, now that she has been baptized, will be to help her recognize this tool in her life. What an amazing tool we have, a covenant and an alliance with God! I've heard it many times, both in English and in French, that succeeding in life is not about what you know, but about who you know! What better person to know, and get to know, than God! Someone who can give you anything in the twinkling of an eye, I think, no... I know that's a good connaissance to have! 

Thanks again for all the support, love and prayers that everyone sends my way. I got some great letters to respond to this week so I'll try and write back as soon as possible! 

'Til next week!

Elder Hawkins

MOTO MISSIONARIES! Just kidding, these belong to the guardians of the bureau. Oddly enough, they are parked in President's garage! 

me being crazy at the baptism... nice picture of my tie though.

Is that green or red? Do I go?

Testimony? Check!

Armand at the baptism

Well... just another week gone by here in Benin... 

I guess I'll start with the highlight of the week... which happened today with Armand's baptism! And I was even the one who did the baptism, which was pretty fun. It's been a good while since I've been able to get into the baptismal font but it was pretty crazy today... there were 18 baptisms today in Benin so the church was PACKED with people. 

I was really happy to be able to baptize Armand though... every time we taught him, I was just amazed at how prepared he was for everything. In fact, earlier this week, we were gearing up to teach him about the law of Chastity. Now... as you can imagine, two 21 year old missionaries introducing another 21 year old guy something about sexual purity and chastity is probably one of the most awkward things ever. Before the lesson, Lala and I were just talking about how this will either make or break the baptism because the Law of Chastity is a tough commandment for people to keep here. 

But, in typical Armand fashion, he put us to shame. Why? Because HE TAUGHT US about the law of Chastity instead! During the lesson, we were explaining stuff and then I asked the question. "Why do you think this is an important commandment to follow?" Then he basically explained everything about it, the numerous amounts of blessings that come from it, and continued to tell us that it was already an important part of his life to begin with. After he explained that, Elder Lala and I were just like, "well... you pretty much already know and have a strong testimony about that... so we'll just leave." Haha just kidding but that's what we wanted to do because Armand is probably the best example of somebody I have seen that was prepared by the Lord! 

And it was pretty much like that for all the other lessons we taught him too. Word of Wisdom? Well turns out that he had an uncle that would drink and use drugs all the time and it ruined his and his family's chances to live in France. Testimony? check. Tithing and Fast Offerings? Ooh, well, he's already born his testimony in Church on fast Sunday and is already down with paying tithing and wants to pay it! Testimony? check. Honestly, this list can go on and on and on because he is just that cool! He keeps telling us that he doesn't want to wear a white shirt and tie until he receives the priesthood because, well, I don't know why but he feels like that's when it will be his duty to wear priesthood attire.

Otherwise, life has been pretty busy. Three missionaries returned home this week, finishing their missions this week so we got to hang out with them for a day or two. We also ordered Elder Lala's flight plans since he only has three months to go on his mission (scary stuff!). We've been gearing up for Porto Novo as well, as we will officially be opening up the Church in a city that's not Cotonou nor Lome for the first time in the mission! 

Goodness, I am really running out of things to say this week. I think the sun has been beating just a little too much on my head this week because I feel fried up there. It has been super hot lately (that's I how feel rainy season is here... rainy hours and then the rest of the days are just super hot). It's not officially rainy season yet but it has started to rain numerous times throughout the week. 

Okay, one thing I will make a comment about is this little map that my friend Steph sent to me this week. She asked me if the things that were on the map were actually true about the nations. I can't talk about every country but here is my list of African countries and what they are "known" for, from a white kid living in Benin's perspective.

Benin: The map says "bad driving" and they're spot on. Why are they known for that? Motos, lack of real driving schools, lack of car controls which means that cars break down all the time. 2nd place: voodoo.

Togo: The map didn't say anything about Togo but here's what I'll say: patte. Never seen a people more obsessed with wet cornflower than the Togolais. 2nd place: complaining about Togo.

Ghana: Funny people. Honestly, Ghanaians always seem to have a great sense of humor, at least the ones that I know from out here, be it missionaries, members or random people. Probably one of the most smiley people I know, too. 2nd place: Good soccer team.

Nigeria: Cheap gas. I'll have to get a picture sometime, but on the sides of the road, you'll see people with huge containers of brown fluid... meaning, it's cheap gas from Nigeria (a liter is 650 FCFA whereas you can buy road side gas at about 400-450 FCFA, which is about a 20 cent difference). Apparently, the government tried to ban the roadside sellers because, well quality is always a bit iffy, and all the roadside gas people went on strike. Then, people said that there were just huge lines at all the gas stations, filled with motos and there was like a mini uprising here because of it. So, they scraped the legislation and the roadside gas people stopped striking. Vive l'essence Nigerian. 2nd place: bizarre and many times incomprehensible English.

Cote d'Ivoire: Attecheke and cooked fish. I've already sent pictures of the meal "attecheke" but that's a food staple of the Cote d'Ivoire. The map says malaria, which I would suppose is true but that's pretty much most of West Africa as a whole compared to just one country. It's kinda funny here because whenever anybody gets sick, people just say they have malaria. As to whether or not they actually do get malaria, I have no idea, but people sure do seem to say they always have malaria. 2nd place: dislike of French people.

Congo (RDC): Cassava leaves. Probably a Congolais' favorite sauce of all time comes from the leaves of a cassava plant. Seriously, these people are obsessed with it. I've had it a few times and it's pretty good when made right... but come on... that's like saying I would kill to eat iceberg lettuce. 2nd place: using pretty much every other currency but their own.

Anyway, that's my little commentary of what these countries should be known for the most on that map! I hope everybody continues to has a great week and keep up the prayers for me! I need them and thank you for the prayers already said for me.

Have a Happy Easter!

Love you all,

Elder Hawkins

Hipsta pic for SisSieHawk. Figured it's been a while.

Man cake. Had to do something with all that leftover flour!