We got two pretty good emails from Elder Peters EARLY this morning. (he was online at 3 AM!!!)
The first one is to answer some of Kaylin's questions. The second is the general email that he sends to all of us.
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| We were also lucky to get this photo from his Mission President's Blog. This was taken the day Elder Peters arrived at the Accra West Mission home. He is on the left, Elder Conner Mantz is next to him and on the right next to President Hill is Elder Mitch Perry. |
Enjoy:
Dear Mom,
I really haven’t been to
homesick because I know that this is where I am supposed to be, and you are all
doing very well at home. That is not to say that I don't think about you very
often, I think about you guys all the time, how you’re doing, are you happy,
what you’re doing at this time of day. But it hasn't made me depressed. if
anything when I think about you guys it makes me happy that I have such a
wonderful family, even though I am separated from them, and I miss you, it
doesn't get me down or keep me from working. I hope that makes sense...
I am very healthy. My
six pack is slowly wasting away though. But I’m doing my best to keep it
I got my birthday
package, I won’t be able to receive packages until transfers usually. So every
six weeks I could receive a package from you. A few things about packages
though:
- Thank you for
sending me the Nutella, In Ghana sugar and cocoa are some of the staple food
crops. I can buy Nutella here for much much cheaper than you can send it to me.
I would rather have peanut butter if you can send that.
- The pictures were
awesome. I love having letters and pictures to look at and read all the time.
Could you send me a wallet sized photo of our family? I want to carry it in my
white handbook with my picture of Thomas S Monson and the temple. It’s a good
teaching tool.
- Could you send juice
flavoring packets for water? I learned how to make sobolo and horchata from
elder Liera but I want to store them for use later.
- I love getting American
candy. They don't like sugar here for some reason. One of our sisters from Ghana
was eating a nature valley oats granola bar and she gave it to me to finish
because "it doesn't taste good because it has too much sugar." and we
all know that those are almost like eating cardboard. I’m serious they have hot
chocolate mix that has everything but sugar in it. It’s called milo tea and it’s
disgusting without sugar.
- Chocolate melts but it’s
still really good. Pop tarts are amazing. Any American candy is really good. My
companion got a bag of tootsie rolls in his package and at home I wasn't a huge
fan of tootsie rolls but they tasted awesome here
- Please send me pasta
flavoring packets. I can buy a heaping plate of fried rice with a piece of
chicken for the equivalent of 25 cents.
-I’d like the Book of Mormon
battles card game, or maybe Uno or both. I need a game to play for FHE's. It
would also be nice to have a small book of Mormon and bible with a snap thing. Ya
know the ones I’m talking about? It’s easier to carry around for proselyting. Also
could you send John Bytheways how to be an extra ordinary missionary?
- I think I may be transferred
after the 4 weeks but I am not sure, and I am not sure where. This is a 4 week
transfer so it’s really short. The next one is an 8 week transfer so I feel
like I might move, but really I have no idea. I will call elder graves and ask
him what he thinks.
- I can open your
emailed pictures but his cafe is really nice so I may not be able to in the
future. We will see, keep sending them though because they will open
eventually.
- I can print things
from emails.
- I love you a ton. I
have not been able to do grandmas name at the temple yet. I still have it,
don't worry it will get done someday while I am here in Ghana. I was going to
do it in the MTC but things were so hectic there, that we rushed out the door
to go and I forgot it.
Keep up the good work
being an awesome mom! I love hearing from you, even the little details like our neighbors
got a dog and things like that, and it gives me strength to think of you and
the rest of our family at home. I Love you and think about you
often.
-Love, Elder Peters
We had transfers this past
week and my new companion is elder Ferrin. He is a really cool guy and
apparently his parents are moving to Kaysville so I may see him when I get
home. He is about 1 year on mission and he will complete my training. Elder
Liera was an awesome companion and I learned a ton from him. I will miss him a
ton.
This past week was
really hard. We contacted a lot and have been trying to build up our teaching
pool again. That’s usually how it works I guess you work to find people,
progress the serious ones to baptism, focus on them and help them. Now we are
teaching a lot of recent converts and trying to find new people. We haven't
been having a lot of success in fact we had 0 investigators come to church.
OUCH that one really hurt. Especially when you spent your last appointments on
Saturday reminding them to come the next day.
Elder Ferrin is from
Lindon. He is a really chill guy, but he likes to work hard so we are doing
well. We have been trying to find ward members and contact around the church
building because then our investigators will have people to connect with and
know where the church is. There are no addresses in this area, probably not in
most of Ghana. So I have been trying to remember all the corners and places to
go to so that elder Ferrin will be able to know the area. I get lost a
lot.
One time I was trying
to find this members house to see if she could come proselyte with us. I asked
the kids standing outside and few others around "sista nyanko wo ho?"
a lady said "eye" and started banging on the door to the house I
thought was sister nyanko. Then she gave us a chair and we waited. After some
time another man went inside the house and told her to come out cause some
obruni's had come to see her. We waited a little longer. I started to doubt
that this was the right place. "The lady went in again and very
impatiently in gha told her to come out now." I was really starting to
doubt myself because I knew that sis nyanko was a really young lady who is very
quick and bright. Finally an older very very pregnant lady, who was very dazed
came stumbling out of the door. I felt SO bad, I greeted her and said
"don't worry sista, we will go come ok? But you need to rest alright? I’m
very sorry we woke you go back and rest now" and she slowly shuffled back
in her door. I felt so stupid. Elder Ferrin said, "sister nyanko?" I
told him once again I had got very lost, “he said ya I didn't think so, there’s
no way she could proselyte with us. He then commended me for trying so hard. Usually
a trainer will stay with you for all 12 weeks and if someone from the
companionship is transferred it’s usually the trainee. So here I am at 6 weeks
trying to show my companion around. We are doing better and will continue to
improve.
This week was a lot of
walking and getting lost and contacting whoever we can. I have learned to smell
if someone is drunk, something I didn't know how to do before. As soon as you
put on that tag that says you’re from the church of Jesus Christ of latter day
saints all the crazies and drunks in the whole town want to talk to you for
some reason. We have this guy who we will occasionally see but I have no clue
what language he is speaking, and I don't think anybody around us understands
either. He is nice but he sounds like one of those weird aliens in star wars
and we always leave with a: cool man, we da go come ok? Also there is a guy who
is deaf that picks up trash in his wheel borrow that can only speak sign
language but he will come up to us and try to sign. I guess one of the missionaries
here a while back new how to sign but he is always fascinated with us and we
are always kind to him but it’s always a really awkward conversation because I
have no clue what he's saying other than it makes him happy to see us. With
drunks they always want you to teach them the gospel, so I carry around word of
wisdom pamphlets with our phone number on them and give them to them and tell
them, "you see this picture on the front, who is it?" JESUS! Very
good, read it ok? OK. So we will see you ok? OK!!" I have yet to have a
drunk call me or see one ever again. On our way here to cafe a guy stopped his
car on the highway and stuck is head out the window to say OBRUNI!! Ete Sen? He
almost got slammed by the trotro right behind him but luckily traffic in Ghana
is prepared for such events. People are always so fascinated to see us.
Sometimes it feels cool like when there were some people shooting a movie in
our area one time and we walked by and everyone stopped, even the camera man to
watch us pass. At the same time sometimes you feel like an animal in the zoo. Like
you’re the feature exhibit. Then it doesn't feel so nice.
I found a lady that
sells jam so I will have my first peanut butter and jelly sandwich for a long
time today, thank you for the peanut butter mom. Elder Onen, who lives in my apartment
and has since I got here, also got a new companion from the DR Congo. His name
is Elder Kayembe he is really cool and really good at football. I got a haircut
to even out my hair this past week and it looks a lot better, actually I really
like it a lot luckily my hair grows very fast. I found a better barber and he
is a member in our ward so that’s cool.
In my study this week I
read the story of Ammon and King Lamoni. I never realized how good of a
missionary Ammon really was, and how effective of a teacher he is until I read
this with a missionary perspective. He does so many things right that we are
taught to do as missionaries today. He invites the king and all his family to
join. We are supposed to invite everyone in the house to join, usually this is
a struggle because we sit outside. We taught somebody in their house for the
first time the other day. It was nice because we got out of the noise. Ammon
invites the king to read all the writings of his fathers since the time Lehi
left Jerusalem. Basically he invited king Lamoni to read as much of the book of
Mormon that they had at the time. Then at the end he invites him to pray, he
doesn't say the prayer himself, he invites his investigator to pray. Read
through Alma 18 sometime it’s really cool.
Next week the email
will be better and longer, I think I will try to explain Ghana English sayings
and phrases next time, they are different from home but they are cool. When I
get home and people ask me why I talk so cool, I will just say that I got my
spiritual swag on in Ghana bro.
Oh my plan of
salvation wooden thing that I got for my birthday was in Spanish, it’s really
cool and I’m holding on to it, but it’s in Spanish just thought you’d like to
know.
Alexa your dance
sounds really cool. I love hearing about junior high and your friends that you
are making. Have you learned any songs on my guitar yet?
Josh keep working
hard, those varsity run pictures are awesome. Also the t-shirts this year are
way cool looking, maybe they make a cool Christmas gift to a missionary in Ghana
(hint hint)
James make friends
with our neighbor’s dog ok? I love hearing about your Lego creations and I have
been looking for new animals, but so far it’s just goats and chickens. I am
sorry but I didn't get a picture of the octopus, I didn't want to offend the
lady. But don't worry, I will keep looking for cool animals.
I love hearing from
you guys, sorry my cafe time is so early this morning I will talk to you guys
next week. I am trying to find things to send home with Thomas with you.
Love
-Elder Peters
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