December 6th, 2010

"Dear Family!

So this week has been really interesting; yes we are all together still and things have been really exciting here but not for a good reason! There has been a curfew set for every one in Cote d'Ivoire that you cannot be out after 1900h or else the police will shoot you, so we have heard gunshots through out the days of the week. Oh hope that the people will start to make good choices, because nothing good is coming of this and i worry for this country. So there was this one time we were able to leave the house to go teach but we were only to stay inside of the gated neighborhood, so we were out for about 20 to 30 minutes when we started to hear gunshots and the people started to run and yell, 'Get inside!' So my companion and I talked and I said lets go back and wait for the others, so we were there and then we saw the zone leaders and we talked and decided that they would go and search for the other missionaries, I would stand outside and be the lookout and my companion would go inside and call the president. So I was outside and then here were 3 missionaries just sprinting to the apartment; there was one missionary who has been out for a year and then there were the two others who have been out for 1 to 3 months in Cote d'Ivoire and one of them was white! So I asked 'why are you all sweaty and why did you sprint here?' Well it turns out they went outside of the gates to go teach someone and there was a gun fight right around the corner and the people were running all over because there is bullets firing and we can still hear the guns fire while we are talking, so they were lucky because someone saw the white missionary and yelled, 'hey white boy what are you doing get inside!!' Thank goodness for that missionary's skin! I can tell you that testified even more to me that obedience is very important!
It might be crazy here but there is no other place I would want to be than here!! I LOVE IT!! Everything happens for a reason! So yea its just the regular now just wait out the fire and if things get real bad get out of the country, but just keep spreading the good word, study a lot, and play a lot of soccer and other games we create!! We are missionaries we survive in any environment, without fear only faith. Oh thank you so much for all paragraphs that you have written to me, i truly am blessed to have all of you! I aim to be as safe as i can and spread the word, HAHA I love IT i was born for things like this!
Oh yea and i learned something they say that i am the first black american missionary to come here!!!

I love you all very much!!

Elder Lewis"

I am so thankful for the protection the missionaries receive from our Heavenly Father and for the blessing of calmness I continue to feel about Jamin in spite of his current situation.
Thank you all for your prayers in his behalf!