The Iron Rod, A Mighty Change, and Elder Rampe completes his mission!

Eh eh get it? We couldn't resist.
The Iron Rod is the word of God.
Variety = Book of Mormon and Bible



Yo my family.

First thing first, last week when you told me that they were making a Texas Roadhouse in the Orem Mall, I raised my hands up so fast in the "Steve Holt!" position that I knocked my keyboard tray and made a big scene haha. YES!!!! BEST ROLLS EVER!!! I was so excited, correction! I AM so excited. HAZAAH!

So we had a baptism on Saturday. We baptized a brother Charles. Charles is the brother of Seth and Selina (the family who feeds us a lot and who looked at me funny for eating yam skin). Well anywho we first went over to brother Seths house, just because, and I met Charles there. I started kinda asking him some church questions like about the Book of Mormon, if he knew other missionaries etc, to see if he was a member. I didn't want to just come out and bluntly say, "have you been baptized yet?" He knew all of the answers about everything so I assumed he was a member, then we asked if we could teach him about the plan of salvation as practice for one of our sisters we were teaching later. We came to a part about the Spirit World, paradise and prison. I asked him what we had to do to go to paradise and he didn't know. We told him that you had to have faith, repent, baptize by someone who holds the priesthood authority, Holy Ghost and endure to the end. I then asked him if he knew about priesthood authority and he said, "no." I then asked him if he was baptized yet and he said no. We then taught him about the priesthood and gave him a date to be baptized. We went and told his family and they were so excited. They said they were going to call us to come over and teach him but we beat them to it.

Brother Charles lives in the Eastern Region with his mom and dad, however he is on vacation from school right now and is living with his brother Brother Seth. Brother Seth joined the church about 20 years ago. He was the only member of his family when he was around 15 years old. His parents were devout catholics and they didn't allow for him to be baptized but they allowed him to go to seminary during the week and to read the Book of Mormon. Later on they allowed him to be baptized and become a member because of the change they noticed how good of a person he had become. Brother Seth later married a return missionary sister and had his family. He is now a high priest and has shared the gospel to his brother and sister who were baptized, now we just baptized his other brother Charles.
We scheduled for Bro Seth to baptize his brother and Bishop Engemann called him to confirm him. It was correct. Tears were shed by everyone in the confirming circle (myself included). It was pretty cool. Every baptism is special and unique, you'd think that you'd get immune to all the baptism and confirmations but they are all different each with a different story. Hopefully we can keep the pictures and stories that go to each baptism so we can remember how much different labor, different circumstances went into each one. Ah sweet is the work, or sweat is the work as my companion would say.

Man next we went to 'A Mighty Change' program at Independence Square in Accra. Man it was pretty cool. I freaking kinda bawled my eyes out, without my investigator noticing hopefully haha. It was a sweet thing.

This program took a lot of planning by the senior couple missionaries, the members families and the youth. When we first pulled up we saw this mega big speaker set up. I was all excited thinking, "is Van Halen here in Ghana! YES!!!" However it was the speaker set up for the 'Mighty Change' program. Ghana likes their speakers, I agree to this. Well each stake and the branches had a different drama from the Book of Mormon to perform. They were all insanely creative and awesome.

For example our McCarthy Hill stake did the tree of life story. My ward the McCarthy Hill ward was the great and spacious building haha, anywho. They had the children narrate it and it included a real iron rod, tree with pluckable fruit, costumes that fit the time period and the river of filthy water. The river was the coolest because they made these kids wear costumes of blue and green and brown fabric connected to their feet and hands, kinda making like a flying lemur looking thing. Then they ran around in a carefully choreographed manner and then started flapping their lemur water wings and it looked like water. Practically everything that involved dancing was awesome. The youth also memorized A LOT of lines with hard old english words but they nailed it. We will try and send you a video, but we might have to wait until we go to the fast cafe next week or so.

Anywho it really rocked and the Spirit was really strong. There is something really special about the Book of Mormon. The children have read the stories and have actually studied them. It was like over a thousand youth bearing their testimony about the Book of Mormon is true. It was a great thing. President Thomas S. Monson shared an audio message with everyone at the very end which was pre-recorded. It was great to hear his voice again, it has been awhile. The program even had a set of gold plates that were the size of a television box

We brought our investigator bro Daniel to the program. Bro Daniel has a less active family. His father lives in Britain as a bus driver, he isn't around. His mom told us to take him to the program. I taught him the stories as he watched them being acted out, by his own peers. It couldn't have been any better. Well anywho his mom and his 4 year old sister, Vicki, came to church yesterday!!! It was sweet. My companion and I were jumping around in the hallway.

(Soon to be baptized. He better get used to setting up and taking down chairs. haha)

Brother Collins came with his brother Ernest who is deaf. We met Collins mother a couple of weeks ago and met Collins and Ernest. Collins will be baptized very soon. He introduced us to his brother Ernest who got sick and lost his hearing. He now is learning the Ghana sign language but he can read lips small, except mine haha. We have been teaching him through writing and using the Book of Mormon. He is doing great. He even asked us if he could be baptized during our 2nd lesson. We could baptize Ernest however he is going away to the Volta region to his special deaf school in 3 weeks. He has to come 4 times to church before he can be baptized.Dang! Anywho he came to church with his loving brother Collins and they met with our bishop who wrote his testimony to him in his office. It was cool. The Book of Mormon is great, he noticed how much it taught him about Jesus Christ and His gospel even more than the Bible. He loves it. We brought him into a class and grabbed some members as well to help him teach about tithing. He can talk to them and I write down the discussion on the board. I sat him up in the front so he could see the speakers lips and I brought him some paper so his brother could summarize what each talk was about. We can baptize him when he gets back from boarding school.

Sister Joyce even brought her daughter to church on Sunday. Her daughter is a nurse at a hospital and has been to the church before in Korlebu. I invited her to come to church before but she declined. We went and visited sis Joyce and she bought GLASSES!! So now she can read. She was reading the personal progress book and we helped her do the journal entries. I think that her daughter noticed this 'mighty change' in sis Joyce and it touched her. She only stayed for sacrament but I think that soon she will come to church, small small. The Book of Mormon is great.

Of course all this was done when President Cardon from the quorum 70 was there. He is in the West Africa Area presidency, 1st counselor I think. He was in our PEC meeting with our bishop and stuff. He is a smart dude. He was sitting on the stand during church and was very happy the whole time because we did 2 confirmations and the youth went up and sang their 'a mighty change' anthem. He was happy. He grabbed me privately in the hallway between meetings and talked to me. He said that he was "proud of what [he] saw at church today" and told me I was doing a good job and he appreciates my hard work. I was just kinda like 'uhhh thank you president.' I then just greeted his wife with her 1000 mile smile. They are good people.

Well anywho story for mom.
Last week I didn't have much emailing time because we had to run to the area office for my companion. He is a sickler, as is most of Africa. I noticed that there was something in addition to him being a new missionary that was slowing him down. His sisters and mom, Chocolotina and others, sent me a letter pleading with me to have him 'take his medicine.' I used to grab his malaria meds and put it on his pillow for him with water but he wouldn't take it. I sat him down and questioned him about his sis' letter. He then told me he was a sickler but he didn't like the medicine, or didn't take any, or used to but got better etc. His story kept shifiting so I told president in my letter because I was concerned and president called him up and chewed his butt off. He then told me to take him to the area office so we could meet with the mission doc Dr. Maughn. He then sat him down and explained to him what was wrong with him and then briefed him about Malaria and how it could be wiped out in Africa is people slept with nets. Then he said that he needed to take his anti malaria medication! Then he asked him why he wasn't taking his folic acid. My comp said he didn't like it, etc. Then he chewed him out some more and he agreed to take it. They also prescribed him some more vitamins as he didn't bring them from home. So the truth came out, my comps life is saved and now he can actually ride his bicycle longer and keep focused longer. So we had small time at cafe because we spent the cafe time at the Area office talking with the Dr.

Thought you would be proud of me. I didn't want to corner him, but it was for his own good, to stay alive and healthy, to help him take his prescribed medication that the mission requires you to take, so I will do what I have to. So I think it will help him.

The Doc and I had a good time chatting about Malaria and stuff, he reminds me of the Docs that dad hangs out with. He is a sweet dude. I went up and thanked him for getting hooks installed in our ceilings for our mosquito nets. Most of the apartments didn't have them so I would shove a butter knife in between the ceiling slats and hang my net from that, forget about finding a nail and hammer here. So he asked president Smith and he was reluctant about putting up nails because he said that the missionaries still wouldn't use the nets, so Dr. Maughn offered himself to drive to each apartment and hang up the hooks. The guy rocks. He reminds me of dad and talking to the football coaches. I like Dr. Maughn. He does what is right even when faced with stupid opposition. High 5!

When I was at the area office I saw all the white couple missionaries. I was kinda weirded out by so many white people, yes I will be a weirdo when I get home sorry-o, but they were all busy cutting out costumes for the mighty change program. It was the brain of the mission. It was like home.
Glad dad is keeping busy doing all the stuff. Oh by the way, my companion asked me "what does fetch mean?" OH NO, I am dad. Also I'm finding myself making the ceramic Donny elf face all the time. My patience grows thin a lot and I make the face. It means 'well I don't know what to do, life sometimes craps on you, oh well' I now understand why dad makes the face. Well slowly but surely I am turning into dad haha.

HOLY SWEET 1 year package! Those shirts are the best thing ever! Those are so cool! I also very much appreciated the oreo's and the protective plastic bottles you sent them in. Who else woulda thought of that? I love you mom. Also my companion freaked out when he tasted the beef jerky. He puts it on his rice. I also had a crappy day one day and ran straight to the Baby Ruth bars. Oh yes! Thanks guys for the packages so much. You guys rock. Thanks for supporting me and being the best family ever. I can’t believe I have you guys as my family. You are so awesome, thoughtful, hard working and hmm loving. I wish people could see how awesome you were here. I hope they can through my example and work but I just wish they could see the whole picture. Thanks for the newspaper clippings, the pictures, the photo tour to st. george, the indian missionary stories of our ancestors, your emails. Thank you or medase pa.

Britt sounds like she is doing great. She fits in with the 7th graders. She knows how to help them because nobody could have had as much drama as her, she will know how to help. She will understand. She will help hundreds and hundreds of students to become better people. She is now being rewarded for her hard work and determination. YAHOO BRITT BUTT! Go huskies AWOOO!
Your plays will rock!
Good work Big Dave! Keep it up.

I hope your guys week orks. Oh and rocks too. (I liked the type-o so I kept it).

So we should continue to baptize and destroy.

Oh Elder Rampe is going home so I bought 2 apple pies and a big big ice cream to celebrate.

We ran over to a members house on Sunday night after 'planning time' and ate it up. I entitle the moment 'apple pie in africa.' It was sweet.

Grandpa Rampe's going away party complete with
Ice cream
Apple Pie (from Shoprite)
Alvaro
Watermelon
Rice and Stew
They forgot to invite Elder Rampe to bear his testimony during his last Sunday at church so we made it up to him during the apple pie party. Nobody had ever had real apple pie before and they all freaked out at the awesomeness. I scheduled it days earlier and invited the dad who is little less active. He was there and we gave him pie and I talked to him about his deceased father and I committed him to get his fathers baptism for the dead done. Also I grabbed his wife and she gave me 5 more names of her uncles who's info she already had. I then committed him to get his temple recommend so he could do the work for these 5 men. He accepted and said that he would come to church but his foot was hurting if he put shoes on. Elder Rampe and I told him to just wear sandals, he didn't think that was allowed. He is going to come back to church now. He started chatting with me about how he worked for the Ghana bank as a driver and talked about his family etc. All he needed was some love and some pie. His daughters, sons and wife were so happy. It was a great day.

I helped put the photos up on my comps facebook and tagged them. Facebook is faster. Hopefully you can download them from the facebook and put them up on the blog. Let me know how it goes.

Well gotta run everyone!
I love you all.

Elder Rampes finishing his last days in Ghana Accra. Celebrating with apple pie and ice cream.

Nartey family enjoying some apple pie and ice cream celebrating Elder Rampe's faithful 2 years of service.

Mataheko Ward costumes for 'a mighty change.'
The whole McCarthy Hill stake was the great and spacious building in their drama.

Matahakeo punks.

My companion shaking hands with Elder Chamberlain, my old companion.

Van Halen?
No wait, it is a buncha Mormons doing a Book of Mormon program. ROCK ON!
(Iron Maiden Scream here! YAAAHHHH!)

Enjoying the 'A mighty change' program.

Independence square Ghana Accra. This is where the program was held.

Sit back and enjoy your plantain chips.

2000 stripling warriors.




Standing in front of that freedom celebration thing.


Independence Square thingie. It looks like a buncha tour de France bike racers should ride underneath this thing.


Donkey Kong bridge in our area.

Mormon Helping Hands Service Project, Sis. Joyce Baptism, Companion eats his first FuFu!

Yo.
Today will be a shortie sorry-o. I am at the fast cafe trying to send pics but the darn computer kept freezing up. Bah humbug. I'll just write you guys some stuff and then send you more pics next week or something cool?

Well first off, we BAPTIZED SISTER JOYCE!!! YAHOO! Thus ends the dry spell of no baptisms. We got Joyce all ready and prepped. She showed up at 2:30 for her baptism that was at 4. Take that Africa Standard Time! KAPOW!

She showed up early and had to wait outside for a long while because the presiding authority with the keys to the chapel showed up 30 min late (smacks head!), but luckily she is related to someone in the Odorkor ward and he was there and they talked the whole time. She was just happy to get baptized. The bishop asked me to confirm her and it was nice. They gave her a calling to be a 'personal progress supervisor' so now she will be helping the young women. She will do a good job. It was great.

Sis Joyce is awesome. I was so happy after she was baptized. She was happy too. Ah man it was great.

Well in addition to that we had a Mormon Helping Hands service project and cleaned the Kaneshi market. Our ward, along with Odorkor was assigned to clean the 1st floor, which is really the 2nd floor (culture AHH!). We swept the whole thing and got all the cobwebs down. There is plenty of dirt in that place. The whole stake cleaned the Kaneshi market. There were lots of stake members there. A lot of my former converts were there and it was cool to see them recently baptized and already serving everyone diligently.

After finishing de-cobwebbing and sweeping, we moved down to the ground level floor and they hosed down the whole thing. They have this middle gutter drain area that we had to sweep all the water into. It was cool to see everyone help. A lot of people were happy to see us helping and we got some referalls from our bishop from people asking about the church (all of them were for the Zone Leaders area, dang it haha. It is cool, I don't care who baptizes them as long as they get baptized and are taught well). It was nice.

Well it rained a lot this week. We worked anyways, I hate staying inside. We went and had a great lesson with a girl named Feebe. She knows the church is true but is having a hard time coming to church. We told her that we would do anything to help her and she said that she knew she would. She told us that we had taught her everything, she knows it is right, she has felt the Holy Ghost, she even told us that if she didn't come that she would be disobeying an answer to her prayers. Hopefully she will come one day.

Yo, so Phillip D. got baptized? I remember him, he stayed at Asare Down behind the bible school. Haven't seen him for about 9 months. Good for him! Glad Elder Holt could teach him.

Yo, so the time is almost finished so we gotta run.

I liked all the photos of Grandma's great sidewalk opening. She was the diva and had her own paprazzi. Go grandma. She is awesome and so are you guys.

Um we will baptize another boy named Charles this Saturday. He just moved in with his brother and his wife, who are both members. He has been going to church for over a year, was taught formerly by Elder McGrath, but went away to boarding school. He will be here for 2 months so we are baptizing him this Saturday before the boarding school takes him away again. He is a good guy. 17 years old. At first I thought he was a member. We stumbled across him because for some reason we felt like visiting that family, didn't know why again.

Well gotta run. I'll tell you next week why we didn't have a lot of time this week to write. you will like the story mom. Well gotta run.

Love you all!!!!

Elder Bills


Pictures:

Sis Joyce. Man we found her after a day of no teaching. We finally knocked on a door and a Muslim family answered, they directed her to us as she was Christian. She then asked where we were from and we said The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The church building is at Sacaman Junction. She then told us that she had been praying to know which church to go because she didn't like her current church because of dancing with her grandson during church, she said that 'it is wrong.' She said that her taxi got stuck in traffic in front of the church and she decided that 'one day' she would visit it. 3 days later we knocked on her door and she accepted to be baptized. She is great.
She used to live in the US, I think that is why she knows that she needs to smile during a picture instead of the usual blank stare, haha.

Zone Leaders, us, and Odorkor elders. It was a baptism party!

I just sent this one so you can see how great Joyce is. Look how she already looks like relief society sister. YAHOO!

Here is a member named Brother Henry. His mother joined the church way way back and he went on a mission in 1987 in Ghana. We were biking around and felt like we should visit this less active family late at night, we didn't know why. Really we just went. When we arrived we saw brother Henry and he said that he was visiting from Obomusu, where he lives with his family, and said that his nephew was not yet baptized and that he was taking him to church tomorrow. His nephew came to church with him, and we gave him a baptismal date. The church is true.

Here is a game the little kids at our favorite rice spot like to play. I just take off my helmet and buckle the chin strap closed. Then I taught them how to open it, then they, one by one, try to open it. At first they all start pulling it trying to use their strength to open it, then I demonstrate how to push the teeth thingies to open it. The curlie haired fair one figured it out first then he showed the rest. They always like to play the bicycle helmet game. Ya see, these are the types of games the kids like. Not flash boom bang lights japanese anime tv crap. Just nice and slow, unbuckle the helmet YAY!!! They can do it for hours too. Ah Mr. Rogers would be proud.

Eating Fufu at the Narteys. My companion does not like fufu, he ONLY eats rice, so we schedule an FM (free meal) at this families house and are teaching him to eat fufu in a loving environment. Actually if he didn't eat it then we would have all beat him up, including the family who made it, haha.

After a rough 30 min or so he finally downs his last bites. We are celebrating his first full fufu by himself. I was so proud.

On splits with Elder Rampe from Botswanna. Look at these hills!

Mormon Helping Hands Service Project at the Kaneshie Market

Meat and spare tire anyone?

Rain!

Garbage!

Dansoman round-about at night.

Click here to view this video

Dansoman round-about at night. From Elder Taylor video. Elder Bills was in this area from October 2009 to March 2010. 

Awkaaba! Malaria is all gone bye bye.

Awkaaba!

So first things first. Malaria is all gone bye bye. The only problem I had was when I spotted a carton of apple juice from the corner of my eye and promptly bought it and devoured it all in one night. I had some similar symptoms to malaria because of that, well maybe just one symptom similar to malaria. Nearly a true missionary experience.

So also my companion got some cool letters from home that made him happy. They are from his 5 sisters. Guess what one of his sisters real name is, not just the name they call her but is actually her real name. Chocolatina. AWESOME! Best name ever. If my Britt ever has a baby girl, that is what I will call her regardless of what she names her. SWEET!

Well anywho this week we gave 8 baptismal dates. It was kinda crazy, we are finding people and my companion and I are giving them a date the very second they recognize the Holy Ghost, even before they have come to church. We have been watching these leadership training videos that have my buddy Mike Marino, lives kinda by Ronnie's house...or used to. His dad used to own that Guru burritos thing on center in Provo, we went to Junior High together. He chose to go to Mountain View I think. Anywho he is in the video with his companion and we watch what they do when teaching. One thing that Elder Marino does well in the video is that he is good and giving them a date. He used a little thing, if we were talking music he used a 'riff' or 'lick' that I totally dig, were he gives them a date by saying "will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding priesthood authority?" They usually say yes. Then we tell them an actual baptism date by saying "we are holding a baptism on BLANK BLANK DAY will you prepare yourself to be baptized on that date?" Then sometimes they don't say yes but this is when you insert the Elder Marino lick where you say something like "I know that if you do the things we invite you to do such as read the Book of Mormon, pray and come to church you will come to know that these things are true. I feel confident you will come to know that these things are true by BLANK BLANK DAY, if you come to know these things are true will you be baptized on that date?" Man it freaking works because it commits people to study and learn by that date. It gets them excited to know for themselves that the church is true in a more focued timeframe. It's good for people to have a real date to work towards. We went out and gave a lot of dates to people. That a boy Elder Marino!

Well anywho now the only problem we are having is getting those people with a date to come to church because of things that get in the way. They are now reading and doing the things such as reading, praying etc. The hardest thing is getting them to come on Sunday. Out of the 8 of them 4 of them had some tradition thing get in the way such as a baby naming ceremony all day shindig, traveling to another region for a birthday church whatev. Hopefully we will continue to gain more 'licks' or 'riffs' from these new leadership training meetings (6 hours long! We all get a little squiggly and need to sneak a treat everyonceinawhile in order to not be fussy haha). I like the meetings because it is like transcribing but only with missionary work. I kinda want to steal the leadership training videos, entitled 'The District II" (haha kinda like a One Tree Hill type of font as well. Not to be confused with the great 'The District I') and kinda transcribe the stuff he is saying so I can take it, mess with it, and use variations of it. Yes I am a nerd, oh well.

Next leadership training will be on how to help people to come to church. Crazy on how that works out. The brethren really are inspired and work with revelation on how to do this stuff. The Church is true.

Well anywho one of our baptismal dates, sis Becky (referall from sis Selina), traveled to her home region for her birthday. During PEC meeting with our bishop our stake president came in. His name is president xagiabe (ah-hog-bee, don't ask me how that works). Our bishop looked at our progress report and dialed up her number right there during the meeting and had all of us, including the stake president, sing happy birthday to her. She liked it and i don't know, it just felt good. These small and simple things really help people. Our bishop, bishop Engemann, really cares for the members. He is a pioneer of the church here, was one of the first missionaries in Ghana about 30 years ago and is a great man. Hopefully Becky will come next week and continue to keep her date. Becky is cool, she has a ponytail coming out the back right side of her head. She is kinda a hmm punk rocker as far as ghana goes.

This brings me to my next point. If you have hair on your head in Ghana, it is not good. It means that you are a 'whipper snapper.' For boys, you can't have hair like a footballer, which is short hair with a mohawk (see kevin prince boateng the football player) or like fresh prince of belair hair. This is bad i guess. Also they shave the girls heads like a boys short hair when they go to high school. Remember everyone has a school uniform type of attitude. So I guess the girls having hair is suggestive, so they shave it off like a dudes. This is highly confusing on who is who, boy or girl, especially when you first get here and you can't tell who is who. I can now tell but it took awhile haha. Usually girls have the shorter dude hair and they get that fake hair extension stuff so they can have straight hair and whatev but at high school you can't use those. BOGUS! I keep having to remind myself that I am here to do missionary work and not get up on a soapbox about equal rights and not demeaning women so as far as I go on my soapbox will be these emails. Hopefully my companions will learn by my example and change Ghana for the better small small. The gospel usually fixes these small demeaning things. AHH CULTURE! Don't get me wrong, culture is great. FUFU is awesome, day names are cool, traditions are cool, kinda like halloween etc, but sometimes with culture and traditions comes some tag along buddies that are no good. It happens in all cultures. Ramble Ramble okay i'm finished.
Nice shelves. Seeing pictures of how nice you guys have cleaned up our house I feel kinda bad. We have soooooo much. I feel like a snobby obroni. We definately need to do some humanitarian stuff more. I think instead of just sending food and stuff, try to support the education systems! The problem is the education that is good is all private so only those with money can go to school. The people who go to public education system, people in Ashaiman etc, don't learn too much because the schools are not strong. Focus on making the public education system stronger, that way ALL everyone will be able to learn and the PUBLIC will do well. Dig? Maybe you could research something on that mom. Anywho keep on making your schoolkits. I'll keep trying to baptize my people and you keep on doing what you do.

Thanks for the letters. Thanks grandma. Your letter you wrote mom really helped me one day when I was frustrated at what I thought was "the people of Ghana" when after I read the letter I realized that it wasn't 'the people' but rather it was Satan's bad influence and that the Ghana people are "my people." I love them so much. Love is something that sometimes needs to be learned but I definitely have learned and grown to love these people even more than I thought was possible. Thanks grandma.

Well anywho I hope that this Saturday will end this little slump of no baptisms.

Well I gotta take off aye. Talk to you next week.

Love Elder Bills

Thanks for your letters too dad.

Pink broom. Man our broom broke at home so we were sweeping just using the straw part of the broom with no handle. So we rode around and haggled for a broom, 3 cedis. So I rode home with it like a jouster on my royal steed (my trusty, i mean rusty, trek bicycle) with confused looks all the way home.

So this is in Djanman, we be jamin', next to one of our investigators house on a hill. This is outlooking towards Kaso and the Budurbram Liberian refugee camp. I'm standing on a pile of garbage.

My companion on top of the world (or slightly above sea level haha)

Hose. This is how we fill up the baptismal font in a jiffy (1 and a half hours...). Ya do whatcha gotta do.

Washing our shirts by hand.

So I couldn't take it anymore and splurged and bought shampoo at shoprite, 7 cedis. This is the actual sweet stuff with lotion in it. I almost died washing my hair, it was awesome! no more dusty stiff hair. My companions kept touching it saying, man your hair is soft. Ah it is nice.

Real chocolate cake! I was pretty happy. YUMM!

Our investigator baked us some REAL CHOCOLATE CAKE!!! Man we enjoyed.

I love this little punk. This is the house where we teach most of our member present lessons. The wife is a return missionary (awesome) and she always gives us referrals and lets us teach them in her house with her. She is Sis Selina, the one who laughs about me eating the skins.

Sis Selina laughs about how I eat the skins on potatoes and yams. They were so weirded out and confused. "What do you mean you eat the skins?" I remember that church history thing about how everybody died who didn't eat the skins so I have always eaten them. My companion thinks that the eating the skins will hurt you....

I like to make salsa! Crappy thing is that there is nothing to eat it with, so I made a cheeseburger and threw it on it. Avocados/pear are back in season. QUESTION! How is something out of season when the weather doesn't change? It only changes like 5 degrees. This time of the year, especially this month, everybody is getting sick because of the 5 degree temperature change. Myself included haha. There must be an essential vitamin or something missing around. I'll start taking those multivitamin thingies more diligently.

After going on splits with Elder Hortin. He is a big dude. He is from one of those salt lake cites out by the prison. He likes triathlons and hiking and stuff. We talked about mountains while we were on splits and he got excited because I know most of the mountains he was talking about. YAY for mountains.

Um our neighbors house kinda burned down... It was due to a power surge and some faulty wiring. Man it was scary and really sucks for him. These are the people we hauled the pure water bags up the hill for. Man I remember when bishop Lotts house burned down and how much that sucked. I feel for these house-burned-down victims. All I have to say is HAVE A BACKUP OF ALL YOUR FAMILY PHOTOS DIGITALLY SOMEWHERE! (ctrl-s twitch over and over)

My companion. He wears glasses cuz he is pretty blind without them.

This is right in front of our bishops house. My comp is related to the bishop and actually lived there for a couple of weeks.

Man it is like the professor and gilligan made the roof in this tro tro. Anywho, look how many stinkin people they shoved in this thing. usually we got abou 18 people per tro tro, 4 rows of 4 plus the driver and the front seat. HOWEVER this tro tro they managed to destroy all leg room and throw an extra row of seats making it 5 rows of 4 plus the driver and front seat. We were in the 5th row (6th if you count the drivers row a row). It felt like a concert where you can feel the peoples vibrating phones in their pockets all around you. It was like a MetallicA concert feeling the phone calls from all around you, unlike a Hoobastank concert where you only feel the person phone adjacent to you. Kapeesh?

Here is Electa, our Liberian sister and her daughter. The Liberians are pretty much americans. My companions get all confused when I talk with liberians because I can talk at full speed!

My chief grandpas. I have the 2 leaders of the Bills and West tribe, western region who speak oohtahn, next to my bed. They make me smile. Thanks for the photos.