A Weekend In Benin

WOWZA

I think I've started this email three times and don't even know what to say!

I MADE IT!

This place is amazing! I don't think I've ever felt this many emotions in a day, every day, all day before. Let me recap this week a little.

SO pumped to leave MTC and finally be in the field. That was a whole culture in itself LOL. We woke up at 3:30 to get bags weighed and everyone off to the airport, caught a flight to Lomé (Togo), and then right to Benin. We didn't get to Benin till 4 p.m., so it was a long day. After, we met Presi at the airport and went to the mission home, and Y'ALL, they fed us BBQ PIZZA!! You already know how pumped I was to see normal food, let alone my favorite—some BBQ PIZZA!

Have to throw this in here—so random—but President's wife is Aunt Janice, Cong, Dog, and Kim in one person! She is such a solid woman!

Got my trainer, Sœur Bird, and she's so kind! There are four of us white girls out here in Calavi! Sounds like it's the furthest area white girls can go.

Sœur Bird is STL with the other trainer here, so that makes for a great adventure for me and Sœur Bishoff because we GET to go out once a week together when they are gone for exchanges. Dare I say Francophone?

ALSO, SIDE NOTE! I'm so sorry if I had to remove you from my Google Photos—I'm only allowed close family on there! I will do my best to put some photos in my emails.

I'm gonna be so honest—when I woke up the first day, I was ready to go straight back to the airport and find my way back to America! This has not been easy! I can see how much these people need Jesus because they legit have nothing else TO have.

My first day got me silenced! I started introducing myself in English to someone as if I haven't spent six weeks saying Francophone. Redeemed myself with a few testimonies and prayers later on, though.

The gift of tongues is so real—I'm so surprised how much French I understand out here! Don't get me started on the local language, Fon.

Trying to find a violin off the street somewhere, so please pray I can find one for sacrament meeting!

Everyone here will listen to a message because everyone loves Jesus, even the Muslims, which is super helpful.

Only ran into some slight voodoo, and I'm scared. For those of you who don't know, Benin is the country voodoo originated in. They say it's never been a problem, but still, the energy just walking past one of the voodoo statues is so strange. The other sœurs think the voodoo is funny, but you can't catch me even making jokes about it.

On Saturday, we got to go to the dedication of the FIRST church-owned church building in all of Benin! Isn't that wild? All the other church buildings are just rented out by the church. It was way cool, and I could feel everyone's excitement even through the language barrier! Crazy to think they have been waiting for years, and we have one on every block at home—really eye-opening!

You can find almost any food here for 25 cents. It's not bad food either. You can get three pineapples for a dollar, and Sœur Bird said even that is kinda expensive!

Sorry for the longer email—I still can't fit everything in here from this week. I've already seen so many miracles in only three days!! The Lord is so close to the earth over here—I can feel it! I can't count on my fingers all the miracles I see every day, and not just small things!

There are so many thoughts I've had this week and so many beautiful things I've seen. I wish I could upload a GoPro video so you could all see everything I do! Maybe with the microphone muted in some parts, HAH.

I love it here and can already see exactly why I'm here!!

Have a good week and read The Living Christ if you have five minutes!

Love you all! Hoping to be a shade darker next week so I don't stick out as much!

Sœur Jenson