Transferred to Ashaiman (Lebanon), Bitter sweet, Missing all my people of Dansoman

Akwabba obronis!

So I got transferred. It is kinda bitter sweet, but more bitter. They do this thing in the West Africa Missions where they tell you if/where you are being transferred the night before you go. So they told me Tuesday night that I was leaving Wednesday morning to another place. It is hard because all the people you know in your area don't have a chance to say goodbye. I'm not much of a 'goodbye' person, but I know that a lot of my investigators and my Ghanaian mothers (the ones that feed me and make sure i'm healthy) will be sad because they don't get to say goodbye or nothing. I would call them and let them know I'm okay and stuff but we can't call outside our zone. Oh well, I guess we are only sent here really to baptize and make sure people get both of their feet on that straight/strait & narrow path then move on to help more people. We will meet again someday (probably after we are all dead, pronounced DEED! (monty python) but i'll see them again) No worries.

So my people I'm am now in this place called Lebanon in the Ashaiman area kinda closer to Tema. The little unofficial name of the place we stay is called "official town." It is a lot poorer of a place than Mataheko. Man we were getting harassed like crazy for existing. Like there are these normal looking ladies who come up and yell "ching chong" in my face and all this other stuff that 2 year olds do. At first I felt like breaking some skulls with some face pounding insults that nobody would even comprehend but me, but Elder Chamberlain (my new companion) is pretty ethereal and is a really good person. Somebody could insult his mother and he is like "oh you don't mean that; but speaking of families, I have this message about Jesus Christ that will bless you and your family." So right now I'm just being an actor and playing the part putting on a smile when people act dumb. I think with time, I won't have to act anymore but hopefully change into someone better. Pray for me.

Ashaiman is a less educated area. Kinda looks like a shanty town mixed with some houses here or there. Most of the people we contact can't read. This is pretty tricky you see because most of the commitments we give have to do with reading. For instance if we teach them about the Holy Ghost and praying about the message, they will need to read some sort of book we leave with them (Book of Mormon or a pamphlet etc) to understand what to pray about. You can't really pray about the Book of Mormon if you haven't read it. A lot of people are very stuck in the whole traditional type of church thing having a pastor on stage who does miracles followed by a gift of tongues thing (for an example, see the below paragraph). They can’t understand the gospel or move away from this stuff because they can't receive their gospel from the actual source which is the scriptures. The place where they are receiving their water is downstream after the cows have trotted through it so to speak.

Hmm…the only way I know how to explain the 'gift of tongues' thing they do here is by having you do it aloud. So gather round and everyone take a part. I'll entitle this gift of tongues as

'The sounds of Malaria'. (Okay do all these parts at the same time.)

part 1. Go "bzzzzz" so it makes an ambient hum type of thing.
part 2. Go "itchy itchy itchy" over and over kinda in high voice.
part 3. Go "wada wada wada wada" like you are saying "water" like we do in Africa.
part 4. Go "Whoogggllh" like a throwing up sound. This is the part that happens less than the others but is more vigorous and loud than the rest.

Okay. It should sound like free jazz and chaos. You should feel pretty disgusting. You feel that icky feeling just now that happened after you did that? Or that kinda you are goofing off playing feeling? That is the feeling that is at the churches. People confuse that feeling with the Holy Ghost confirming truth. Most can't understand what the Holy Ghost really feels like because they can't read about it in the scriptures for themselves. When we share our message with people and explain that the palpable good comforting feeling they are feeling inside their hearts and in their mind is the Holy Ghost, they don't believe so because they believe that the Holy Ghost sends those other icky feelings instead. The traditions are deep and are hard to penetrate. We somehow manage to do it though.

When we are out proselyting or in the apartment we can constantly hear this going on. To me it is kinda like a call for help saying, "help me! I'm confused. Elder Bills come help me!"

I have been seeing the children play "church" outside instead of house where the kids do this 'gift of tongues' or one will yell and then all the rest of the kids fall over and shake on the ground. There are people that are confused because they 'know not where to find' the truth. It is probably better they are playing 'church' rather than 'house' because that would involve beating the small 1-year-old with their hand or with a thin stick. Man this place really needs the gospel. I have been praying a lot more earnestly since I have been here.
Also a lot of people don't speak the English which of course causes problems. The problem we have been facing is that a lot of the people who fit under the category of "can read and speak english" are underage kids which we can't of course baptize without their parents unless they come to church for 6 months and it is a case by case thing.

We hopefully will baptize this smart kid here with his mom. The boys name is Samuel and his mom's name is Victoria (good name eh? haha). The mom doesn't speak english but the boy is there and is helping her understand the doctrine. We are going to go see if they prayed about Joseph Smith yet. I'm trying this new thing where if they haven't kept their commitment then we will fulfill it right then and there eg. If they haven't prayed about Joseph Smith yet then I'll drop to my knees right there and then ask them to say a prayer right then. If they haven't read then I'll read with them right there. They then will fulfill their commitment and then realize that this is a covenant keeping church with responsibility etc... hopefully haha.

We are going to baptize this sweet lady named Alice. She is watching her orphan niece who I will baptize hopefully soon. After teaching Alice I am always comforted. She brings me hope.
Our ward is sweet. Our Bishop ran up to me and gave me a great big hug and then asked me my name. He is excellent. I wish one day I will be able to genuinely care a great deal for everyone I meet. After sharing my testimony and introducing myself to the ward he chased me down at the pulpit and gave me a big hug again.

Elder Chamberlain is a great dude. He is from South Africa. He looks like the dude that Rocky fights in Rocky IV. He is big like that guy too haha. He is our district leader. He is white and also speaks Afrikaans or something kinda like dutch meets trashcan. I wrote down some of the stuff he says like "idear" instead of idea. I left my planner at home so next week i'll give you a list of stuff he says that entertains me.

Well dudes sorry this email is a downer. I'm actually really happy because I know I will be able to help out a lot here. No worries (said like elder Chamberlain).

Hey thanks for the pictures and letters and stuff. I like the pictures of dad with the set-bulding tools attached to him at the hip it seems. Glad your play is going well Britt butt (does snoopy dance). Hey mom i'm so proud of you and your sound wire adapter mess. I musta learned it from you. HEY! You have a secret stash of 1/4 inch adapters!!! MAN!

Hey antons home? Tell him WHAT UP! Cool. Talk to yall soon. I'm still completely lost in this area, I don't know which way is what but i'll figure it out. I'll send you some more stories about the people we are teaching and stuff once I meet them all.

Oh, Peter and Amma, Neizer and Mark got baptized on Saturday by Elder Holt and his new companion. He called my zone leaders and told me. SWEETNESS!!!
Well family I gotta go and help these people. I'll talk to you soon. I love you all.

p.s. it rained like a mother the other day and our apartment flooded a little. None of my stuff got damaged so don't worry. I went and dug a big ol' trench in front of our house and surrounded it with a brick lining thing. I'm already mormonin' up the place.

Love you. Talk to you soon.