Happy Sabbath = )

I’ve been waking up before my alarm recently (so out of character for me)…but today it was only about ten minutes…so I just got up a little bit earlier, got ready for church, and was ready by like 8:30 (church is at 9).  I was so bummed, though, when 8:50 passed, 9:00 passed, 9:20 passed…and I knew I was gonna be missing taking the sacrament again (two weeks ago I was sick…and last week was Chi-Chi and Mandy’s first week, so we got to church just too late).  Well…we didn’t leave until like 9:40ish - so I was shocked when we walked into sacrament meeting and it was pretty dang empty (last week it was full).  Mandy said it was because most people go late.  Later than us?!  Ohhhhhh…church starts at 10!  Yay!  I was so excited!…and so grateful = )  Again…the things I take for granted.

Today I loved the talk by a deacon, Helaman.  He was speaking on the Priesthood, and his sweet testimony and thorough knowledge was so heartwarming.  It was amazing sitting there listening to a black boy speak on the Priesthood that he holds and cherishes.  These members are the pioneers of Africa - it’s so neat!  I also loved a thought in Sunday School that was shared.  The teacher was talking about how, in 2nd Nephi, Lehi tells his sons to “awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell.”  She asked what he means when he refers to hell as a deep sleep.  We talked about how sins of commission are often what we think of when we talk about sin, but how sins of omission can be just as harmful.  How we’re lulled into a “deep sleep” of complacency, and before we know it, we’ve actually slipped far from Heavenly Father and the companionship of the Spirit.  The teacher gave a really neat analogy.  She said when you’re sleeping you can have this really great dream that you’re on vacation in a beautiful place, eating delicious food, but when you wake up you’re still in your bed, hungry.  We can’t be sleeping and dreaming about doing what’s right - we have to do it.

After church, I rushed to the school, because last night Aunty Aggie (one of the house mothers) asked me to go watch the boarders today while she was at a training.  I was so worried because I thought church was 9-12, so I told her I could be there at 12:30/1ish.  Well…since church didn’t end until 1, and then a lot of people wanted to talk to Mandy, and then we had to wait while Charles looked for a taxi, even though I walked as fast as I could, I didn’t get to the school until a little after 2.  I was so hot and sweaty because the sun was scorchin’ today, and Aunty Vaida…the other house mother…told me to go home.  She was so mad that Aunty Aggie had asked for me to watch the kids when that was her job, and the kids were fine.  I have no idea what happened…haha…but it felt so good to walk into our air-conditioned apartment when I got home = )

Tonight was the Africa Cup of Nations Final…and it was an AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, NAIL-BITING game!!!!  It’s a good thing Ghana wasn’t in it…my heart couldn’t have taken it.  It went into overtime, shootout, sudden death shootout…omg - if you can, watch the game - I won’t give any more info just in case you watch it = )

(I didn't have time to upload any of the videos I took at the dance - here's one for now of Emmanuel dancing = )