E-mail dated 4/14/09

belated family email,

We are sorry for the delay in hearing from your son in Liberia. Thank you for your patience. Well, because yesterday was Easter Monday we were unable to email because president squires told us not to. I don't know why, but we should always obey the man that recieves revelation for us. Well Happy Easter.

This week was pretty normal. I really enjoyed CJ's email from yesterday and honestly that really describes our Saturday as well. The only difference is that we baptized a yound woman in the morning. Her name is Azzie Abu and she has been coming to church for like a year and we finally got permission from President Squires to baptize her, so we did. She will be a strong strong member as she grows in the church. She is only 17 and she comes to church by herself everyweek. She lives in an orphanage, and her adopted parents are members of our branch (although less active). But she is faithful and very obedient to God's commandments (which can be hard to find here). As for the rest of the day read CJ's email. ha ha.

Actually here in Liberia, Good Friday is a huge holiday. Like bigger than Easter itself. I guess they celebrate his death more than his resurrrection. On friday we saw little kids beating the crap out of a dummy. The dummy represented Judas Iscariot. Everywhere in Monrovia little kids were beating the crap out of Judas and chanting "we will bury him tomorrow Judas die tonight" over and over again. I got it on video, so be patient and one day you shall recieve these things. I don't really understand the logic here. Everyone comes to church on the first sunday of the month, thinking that it will be good for that month, but yet we have a lower attendance on Easter Sunday. Liberia is so confused, maybe we should just go back to the law of Moses. I

got to see a small clip from the church website of Elder Hollands talk yesterday. Holy Goodness. That man has a testimony and no one can deny it. I encourage the whole world to view that five minute clip on the church website. Say Powerful, just say it.

That picture that Sister Wire sent you was our distric saying goodbye to my first companion, Elder Sadare (not Elder kpodi, who is a liberian and in no way shape or form will he ever serve in his own city). He has gone back to Nigeria. Oh, my companion Elder Seawright is also leaving on transfer, he is going back to Sierra Leone to be the new Assistant to the President. I'm getting a Ghanaian named Elder Doughan. Yes I know our names sound similar. Elder Doughan and I came together and we should get along pretty well. We are the only two assigned to Congo Town branch. That was the Wire's truck (the day missionaries have trucks in Liberia will be the Second Coming). Missionary work is awesome, I love teaching the people of Liberia. I honestly haven't been happier since I've come to Africa. I love these people so much.

Have a great week and and even greater day.

Elder Degen