Akwaaba my people!

Yo! You might think that me saying "yo" would be slang that missionaries are supposed to avoid. Wouldn't a missionary rather say "salutations" or "hello" because we are supposed to be all hiddily piddily and drink with our pinkies up and use nice diction (me may mah moh moo, round the rugged rocks the rugged rascal ran, and I can't stand em). Quite contrary really.So you will never guess how much we say "yo" in normal conversation. "Yo" means "I hear you." We use it tons.
Eg. (don't mind the spelling, I have no clue how to spell anything. Like "Dz" makes the "Ja" sound. So i'll spell the stuff in white trash english. Dig?)
"Yabeshia Y?" "Yo!" or "yo mahtay!"
That means "We will meet again okay?" "I hear" or "I hear brotha." (again there is no gender differences usually, so we call everybody brotha.)
Okay class dismissed.

Yeah the family we baptized last week is doing great. Temple trip on Saturday for Mataheko ward (raises roof!). Our family might be attending to do some baptisms and confermations. Daddy Jonnie (I sent you a picture of him last week. He is the daddy in the photo with Evelynn and Benedict) said "I really need to get the temple work done for my parents who have passed away." They are doing so well. They dashed us (gave us) some coconuts yesterday from the coconut trees in their compound. I guess that they had their neighbor climb up the tree and grab them down. Jonnie said that he tried to climb up but he is too old now. I'm so happy for them.

So Elder Riding is going home this week. He has been a good companion. He has taught me well and we get along good. We both are not ninnies. He is really radical. He is friends with Gavin Ryan (guitar player for the prince band, who really is a drummer). We will hang out when we are both around. He is going to bring you guys your Christmas presents. Oh man. Uncle Davey be warned, your present is the coolest thing ever!

So this week I will be companions with elder Botwie and Yao (The elders in the picture holding the Ghana flag). Next week I will get a new companion and I will stay in this area. We got more 3 baptisms lined up so far. A sister Florence who is spunky and really cool. She is the one who always feeds us lye soup and stuff. She likes to read and is fed up with churches who make you 'sew a seed' (pay for prayers) and is very satisified with all the doctrine. Also we are going to baptize Kojos mom, sister Maybelle. She is very excited. Florence and Maybelle are now friends so we organized to baptise them on the same day, Dec. 26. Yesterday too our ward helped us out big time by fellowshipping our investigators at church to the max! I had to teach the investigators class about fasting and we had a lot of members come into that class to befriend our new comers. What really helped was our prospective elders teacher. We had our investigators in Priesthood class but then they started talking about baptisms for the dead, so we promptly yanked them from that class and put them in with the prospective elders. The teacher wrote their names on the board and shook their hands and really made them feel welcome. Everyone there was so kind and they were all leaving with smiles. The Spirit was so strong and everyone was joyful. We then visited this guy after church and he said, "I felt so welcome, I want to be a member. What do I have to do." So we gave him a date for the 9th of January and we should baptize his 2 children (who have been coming for weeks now with the mtc cook who lives in our area and dashes me free pineapple). His wife doesn't speak English but they have a literacy class during church so we will bring her along to that and hopefully baptise her as well.

Umm. Got another butch haircut. I have the greatest urge to drop and give everyone 20 for some reason... President Smith said, "Elder you need a haircut" and I said, "yeah probably" when I shoulda said "oh yes sir (salute)." He said "oh not probably, you do!"
The Africa hair code is more strict than other places. Here nobody has hair that is long at all, so if your hair is not military butch buzz cut short then you look shaggy. Plus there is no shampoo, only bar soap so you gotta keep it short or your scalp will scream for mercy.

Oh wife, of another faith, of a member called us "evil doers" indirectly. We dropped by to pay her husband a visit and she had us read Psalms 119 verse 125 and it says something like "depart from me ye evil doers for I will keep the commandments of my God." I was kinda upset because all we have done is go over and sing hymns or Christmas carols to her and then invite her to see if she wants to join in the lesson with the husband. I then realized that it was probably her pastor who told her to give us that scripture. So we just were like "oh thanks so much for letting us come over." I'm still going to stop by and keep singing to her just to make her feel dumb haha.

Ah "IT HAS BEGUN" (Mortal Combat movie quote)! The great home improvement project of 2009/2010. Just keep the "dang its, fetchs, WHY!, gahls to a minimum. I'm glad you like your room. Oh and please keep that place under your bed open, just in case there is lightening :)

So all the people here are sad that elder Riding is leaving. A lot of our members are crying and calling us all the time. His family misses him though and need him home so it'll all work out. They will all meet again.

Yay Dave for not popping out any more ribs. Brit you sound happy. A little too happy... Maybe I will toss you a little brother insult just to bring your self esteem down. (jiggles arm fat) Stomach raspberry haha. :)

Well thanks mom for the thoughts. I'm learning to love the people, thats why I was bummed when they don't progress or accept the gospel. A lot of people are doing well though now. Nothing makes me more happy than when they accept the gospel and are happy. The main purpose for my mission is to bring people to our Heavenly Father and it is sweet. I'm following up with committments now more effectively so that'll help progress people as well. I'll be a better guitar teacher after this now as well. Man music and the gospel are very very close.

Oh I finished the Book of Mormon again. I started it when I got here and just finished it today. President Smith challenged us to do before Christmas conference and I did it. I learned a lotta stuff, mostly about how merciful the Lord has been to the people in the past and He will continue to be merciful if we turn towards Him and keep his commandments. And if we keep the commandments, we WILL prosper in the land. Oh and also how we need to pray to be joyful. Joy is one of the gifts of the Spirit, so if you wanna be happy you need to keep the commandments, turn towards the Lord and ask Him to help you be happy. The book of Mormon is true. It confounds all false doctrine. Everyone should read it often. It is very true. If the bom is true the Joseph Smith was a prophet and that this church is true. They all are true if one of them are. People try to attack Joseph Smith but if they read the Book of Mormon and feel it is true, then Joseph Smith was a prophet.

Well glad all is well. No pictures today but I will send some next week.
This church is true because it has the Priesthood. The book of Mormon is convincing palpable evidence of the truthfullness of this church. THe Gospel has been restored. If you ain't a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints then come home. Ask God if it is true, read the Book of Mormon and listen to the feelings you will receive, ponder about the teachings you will read. You will come to know that the church has been restored to the earth and that this church is true.

Thanks for your letters and clever stuff. You are helping the work here. Keep up your prayers too.

You will see my companion Elder Riding soon!

Love you.

Talk to you next week.

yabeshia!