E-mail dated 12/28/09

Hello once again. Since we just talked on Friday I don't think I have much new to say. Hmmmm. . . . Let me think. Well let me just recap the week and hopefully something new will come up that you haven't heard already. The transfer weeks usually seem to be a little busier because we travel great distances to get to new areas. Elder Lauti arrived in Bo on Wednesday evening and our first day together was Christmas Eve. Just like last year in Freetown, many of our members have travelled to thier little villages for the holidays so we didn't really have many appointments. We walked around for about 3 hours and contacted as many people as possible. Our branch planned to have a Christmas service project on Christmas Eve. The idea was to go caroling around the chapel as a branch. Well we started 2 hours late and only had an attendance of about 20 people. We still went caroling but with our smallness of number we had to sing loud. Most of our members can't really keep the correct tune and they don't really know the christmas hymns very well. Elder Lauti and I were screaming at the top of our lungs "Oh, come all ye Faithful" and "Joy to the World" over and over again. I can now scream those hymns on tune. Pretty good skill for the future eh?

I hope everyone had a wonderful christmas. I'm excited for our members and investigators to come back from their small vacations and ready to get down to some serious business.

I can't really remember which classes are the correct ones to sign up for. I think that the "fall 2008" ones are the ones I want. I remember taking a writing class before I came, check and see if this is the second writing class. I think I remember that I need to take two. I took the first business class so the next class to sign up for would be the Business 2010 and not Economics 2010. I took phychology in the spring of 08, so I think I now have to take anthropology (I don't even know what that means. Sounds cool though). I don't really know much else, its a good thing I saw that counselor before I left or else I would be in quite a pickle. Do your best!!!I don't really have much else to say. Maybe the new week will provide new stories. I love you all.

Elder Degen
Rice is Life

E-mail dated 12/22/09

Sorry for the delayed email this week. But let me tell you the reason before you start worrying about the Christmas call and the timing and what not. We had a Super P-day yesterday where the whole zone traveled to Kenema to go on an adventurous hike. Well, we took the wrong trial at first and instead of going back to the right junction to get on the right trail we decided we would wander through the bush and find the right trail. Yep, I bushwacked my way on a mountainside in Kenema. I didn't see any crazy things, except when Elder Kargbo drank water from the river (which influenced many others to do the same, don't worry I was always taught not to do that so I didn't). We eventually found the path after we hiked up the river. Any who, it was fun stuff and we didn't return to Bo until around 8 in the evening. Not enough time to email, until now.

Well on Sunday we received transfer news and surprisingly it effected our companionship. Elder Lamb is being transferred to Freetown and I am receiving Elder Lauti tomorrow. Elder Lauti is one of those missionaries that we met at the airport those many months ago. I had his passport and met him at his house the day before we left. It was a big surprise because both of us are MTC mates. We know each other well and we will get along fine.

I went on exchanges with Elder Kargbo on Friday. Elder Kargbo is one of my former companions from when I was in Liberia and he has improved so much as a missionary from the last time I proselyted with him. It made me so happy to see him teach with such confidence and power.

Yesterday in Zone Meeting (after the hike) I had the opportunity to instruct the Zone. I chose to instruct on the importance of our attitudes in the work. In order to create a Zion-like society requires the correct attitudes of every member in it. The definition of attitude is how we feel and think about something. The definition of Zion is found in Moses 7:18 "one heart and one mind" or the same feelings and thoughts of everyone in the society.

"When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest is when the Lord will endow us with power"

"Its our attitude not our aptitude (our skills) that determines our altitude."

"The only thing more contagious than enthusiasm is the lack of enthusiasm" Thomas Monson.

I've learned that if we choose to have a good attitude it makes any circumstances seem great. "Be of good cheer!" Those were just some of the things that have been on my mind lately and I shared them with the zone. Hopefully it will help.

Elder Degen
Rice is Life

E-mail dated 12/14/09

This past week we had our Christmas Zone Conference held in Freetown. Not really a "meeting" but rather two days of fun for everyone. Our "vacation" (as we in Bo called it) started on Thursday morning when we all arose early (around 4am) and started walking to the Bus Station. That's right, all 14 members of the Bo Zone traveled on the government bus to Freetown. Once we arrived we went straight to the national stadium and met up with the Freetown Zone (which contains 22 missionaries) and we played Basketball and Volleyball. For the occasion we (the Bo zone) had some zone t-shirts made just for these sporting activities. Those green shirts served as our team jerseys. After the basketball and volleyball (not much volleyballing for me) we played football against the freetown zone. It was all good fun. We ended the day by caroling with the apartment we were staying in.

The next day we had a replay of the Christmas conference last year. We went to the Chimpanzee resort again in the morning and had an all day zone conference at the mission home. Each district prepared some skits and performed them to the rest of the mission and we concluded by watching the movie "Cars". That movie has some great lessons for us to learn. Lightning McQueen went through a similar experience that I'm going through. His mission was to "radiator springs" and although he came out with the same physical appearance, inside he was a different person. I

don't know if you have ever read the story of the three trees, but I really enjoyed it as it was read to us and I'm going to do my best to express it from memory. The story starts with three trees being planted and they are asked what do they want to be when they grown up. The first responded that he wanted to be a treasure chest, to hold the greatest treasures of the earth. The second wanted to be a sailing ship to transport the kings of the earth on. The third wanted to be the tallest tree in the forest so when others looked at him he would be so tall that it would force others to look in the sky and remember God. When the trees grew big three lumberjacks came to them and cut them down. The were place in a pile of wood, all but lost and forgotten, their dreams never to be realized. One day a carpenter took the wood from the first tree and made it into an animal feeder, not quite the gold and silver he thought he would be holding. The second was made, not into a big sailing ship, but rather a small fishing boat. Instead of transporting the kings of the earth he was carrying dead fish. The third was left in the shop waiting to be used. The time came that the first tree was needed not for animal feeding but this time a baby was placed in it. The baby Jesus was laying in it. The tree was now holding the greatest treasure of the earth, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The second tree was caught in a big storm while fishing when a man held his hand out and said "Peace be still". The Savior was calming the storm and the second tree realized that he was transporting the King of the Earth. One day the timber from the third tree was needed because the people wanted to nail a man to it. They took the man down and three days later he rose and the third tree realized that every time people looked at him he made people remember God.

Cool little story, of how God sometimes answers our prayers and dreams in ways different than we think. I will let you know the time of the christmas call next week. I know that I have an hour to talk, but this time I'm saying good bye around the 50 minute mark. I don't know how much it will cost me for me to call you, but it will probably be cheaper that you calling me. Let me know what you want in the next email. I received the package but I'm holding alot of self control to wait until Christmas. Thank you very much.

I hope you all have a good week.

Elder Degen
Rice is Life

E-mail dated 12/7/09

This past Saturday we had a zone service project held at the Njagboima chapel. This wasn't an ordinary service project. We organized a little nativity called "journey to Bethlehem". This nativity wasn't like the nativity that occurs every Christmas with the smith family. The difference is that instead of the nativity moving on and off the stage the audience moves from room to room making their "journey to bethlehem". The event started in the hall of the chapel where an announcement was made that all people need to make there way to bethlehem for the taxing. The audience was divided into groups and they were led to bethlehem by captains (a couple of missionaries). The first room had two missionaries dressed up as travelers where small conversation broke out between them and the captian of the group. They proceeded to the next room and found Mary and Joseph also making the journey. (Mary and Joseph were recent converts from our branch). The next room the group found three sheperds and the announcement of the angel that Christ was born. The travelers made haste to the next room, where they met the wisemen. Right before the group reached the chapel door they met the innkeeper. Once inside the chapel my companion was dressed up as Nephi and he read Nephi's testimony of the Savior being born in 1 Nephi 10. I was a Bible character and I read Luke 2:1-19 to the group. A small film clip was played and we sang "away in a manger" and "silent night". The service project was a success as we had about 6 or 7 groups go through. It brings a big reminder as to why we celebrate Christmas and the difficult journey Mary and joseph made to go to Bethlehem. It was nice to feel the spirit as each group came into the chapel.

The answers to your questions. How many members in my branch? I have no idea, I do know that we have about 110 come to church each sunday. Maybe around 500 on the membership record. How many square miles? Once again I have no idea. Some parts of our area don't really have borders because it goes straight into the bush. Is getting to church a problem for some members? Its a problem if your testimony isn't strong. If you really want to go you will, even if you live 30 minutes walking distance and church starts at 8 am.

This upcoming week will be really really short because our whole zone, all 14 of us, are traveling to freetown for the Christmas conference. Wooo!!!!! I'm so excited. I also got news this week that three of the investigators that I was working with in Congo Town have been baptized since I've left. I was so happy for them.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KALLI!!!!!!!

Enjoy the week and RICE IS LIFE(honestly I'm getting a little tired of it)

Elder Degen