*Basketball game sounds*
*The roaring of the crowd*
Giant spotlights start circling the crowd inside the darkened arena.
"Et maintenant mes chers monsieurs et mes chers madames mouiselles s'il vous plaît tenez-vous debut et applaudissez pour nos co-équipeurs!" "And now my dear gentlemen and ladies please stand up and clap for our co-teamers!"
A moundélé and a kinois dressed in shirts and ties walk onto the court to the stunned silence of the crowd. The huge industrial lights flip night into day. Silence. Wonder.
Then the game begins.
The cratered concrete basketball court shakes and rumbles as the players take their positions.
They all snicker and laugh when the two finely dressed young men started getting ready to play.
"Ah moundélé sait en jouer au basket?" "Ah moundélé knows how to play basketball?"
"Voyons ce qu'il peut faire!" "Let's see what he can do!"
"Yacca!"
The game starts.
Crazy congo dribbling. Dodging congo chaos and congo craters that circle the center of the concrete court. After a couple of well-timed passes and shots, the two earn the respect of their fellow players. The playing, heated by the bright congo sun continues. A steal is made. Brother Emmanuel takes it. He runs at lightning speed down the court as if flying through the air. He soars. He swings back his arm as if going to hack at some raw meat with a machete.
Boom! He throws down a righteous tomahawk dunk. The crowd goes crazy cheering wildly. They want to see some more! But wait what's this? The TV screen goes fuzzy and switches to a boring documentary!? What channel is this even? Oh no! Oh no, it's... Elder Habel's weekly email!
The station flickers into action!
Elder Habel turns around in classic newscaster style in his overly used spinny chair.
"Bonjour et Mboté à tous mes amis moundélé et mes amis congolais!" "Hello and Mboté to all my Moundélé friends and my Congolese friends!"
He has spun too much. He keeps spinning and to his surprise spills unto the floor disappearing out of view. He instantly gets back up. Acts like nothing happened. News broadcaster's face grows more cheezy and serious.
But now let's get serious.
I hope you are all doing very good! I pray that you are living happy lives!
This week was wonderfully amazing! I love being with Elder Kat! We have worked really hard this past week! We had some absolutely wonderfully powerful lessons this week with our friends! One that I loved was with Brother Fred! He has a master's degree in law and has an open mind! We taught him the Gospel of Jésus Christ in 3 Néphi 11 by using the Savior's own words. What really touched me during this lesson was that the Lord led me to put an emphasis on how we can repent daily and become better, happier, and more transformed every day. This wonderful gift is available thanks to our Savior Jésus Christ! I have realized some reasons why we need to pray without ceasing.
We will be
1) guided by the Lord in all that we do.
2) grow closer to God in every moment.
3) endowed with the charity of Christ in order to love all mankind and God in every moment.
4) forgiven, refined, and transformed in every moment by the grace of Jésus Christ and the power of the Holy Ghost.
5) HAPPY!
That's right we will be able to choose to be happy in every moment of our existence. I feel that in my life right now. Is life easy? No. Do I feel at peace with myself and God? YES! Do I feel joy even in the toughest moments? Yes, according to the measure that I choose to trust in Jésus Christ.
If you doubt these truths I give you the challenge to live them. Live them with the real and humble intent to know if they are true. I promise that if you do so you will feel and come to know that these things of our Heavenly Father are true!
This week I had my last zone conference. It was very special as the Lord directed and taught all who were there.
I also had the chance to go to a wedding for one of the members of Mfilou 2! It was awesome! The Lord blessed me with the tender mercy to see so many people that I love oh so very dearly!
Soon I will receive the blessing from His scarred hands to see you as well, my beloved friends and family back in the United States of America! I will be leaving Africa on the 12th of August and arriving home on the 13th! I will miss my second family here in the Congo. Our time is not finished together and I have the firm hope that if I stay faithfully loving towards God and my fellow men I will see them once again forever! I know He lives. My heart rejoices in looking forward to the day when I will stand by His pierced side!"
Avec amour (with love), Elder Habel
