"I like to ride my bicycle, I like to ride my bike" - Queen

Elders Peters and Perry one year later, posing at the temple like they did in the MTC.

Dear Family & Friends,

 

This week I went on an exchange with Elder Green. He is a cool guy from Arkansas. He is an inspiration to me because he went home about this time last year from his mission cuz of a sickness that he got and he went home for six months and then came back out into the mission field and is doing awesome! As we got up in the morning and studied and were getting ready to proselyte we locked the front door of the apartment (which was the same apartment I was trained in by Elder Liera) and said our prayer before we go out. As I opened my eyes and looked for my bike I saw this really beat up tattered bike with a ripped up seat, broken brakes, it looked like nobody had ridden it in ages. I asked Elder Green, "Whose bike is that?"
I order stuff for my zone so I was wondering who was riding this dumpster, maybe I could relieve him. Elder Green said, "Oh, that's Elder Perry’s. Rode that sucker every blessed day. Never complained once. Took it to the repairman like every week." This was a huge lesson to me, I have been blessed to go on exchange with Elder Perry once and he is an incredible missionary.  Throughout the day I was thinking about Elder Perry and his hard work and obedience and it led me to read a conference talk by Elder Uchtdorf about a church that got bombed really bad in WW2 but was restored. I looked at some things in my life and my service as a missionary and set goals to be better, looking to Elder Perry as an example. So glad to be serving with you man.

 



Elder Perry's rusty old bike.

On the exchange with Elder Green we got contacted by 3 deaf people, new mission PR for me. Never had that happen in one day before. I think there is a deaf community in that area because I know that Liera and I found a deaf guy once, he was always pushing around a wheelbarrow. If I remember right Liera told me that he and Ntumba tried teaching him, but he told them he was a Jehovah's Witness. And they couldn't sign well enough to teach him. Elder Pohlsander knows a bit of sign language, I found out later after I told him about the exchange.

 

I forgot to tell you guys last week that I got to see Elder Nybo at the temple. He is doing awesome! Weird to think that we were playing soccer in 4th grade together. I have so many awesome examples around me, God blesses us so much!

 

Elder's Nybo, Peters and Perry at the temple for a conference with Elder Stevenson

This week we had a HUGE birthday party for this old guy in our ward. He is actually a really cool old man. I have been visiting him since I came to Lartebiokorshie and he had some surgery on his left eye and it was successful. He is 80 years old. He wanted the missionaries at his birthday party cuz he told us that other than his family, we are really his only friends. We got a picture with him for his album. He was really excited about that. At the birthday party Bro. Archibald came up to me and asked me if I would come up with some sort of performance that the missionaries can do for the crowd. I really had to think on my feet. So I came up with the idea of singing the “You've Had A Birthday” song but we would start out in a huddle and then count to three and sing at the top of our lungs and break out of the huddle, still linked together with our arms and sing him Happy Birthday with the clap and everything. It was kinda rough, but it worked.

 

We had 8 appointments lined up after church and guess what? They ALL fell through. Bummer. I went and did some contacting, which isn't easy on Sundays cuz most people just wanna sleep after church. We started teaching a big Twi mame named Gloria. She is cool. Most of this week we will be focusing on finding new investigators.

 

Oh ya, on Sunday we were biking and Elder Pohlsander tire popped, we couldn't take it to a repairman on Sunday so we just walked along. A little ways down the road this woman called us over and at first I thought, "Great, just what I need somebody to laugh at me, or ask me for money...” but we went over anyway and it turns out that this woman was baptized in Kumasi last year and didn't know that the church was in Accra. She didn't speak much English, but she was so excited to see us! She asked us what time church starts and told us that she would be there next week.

 

I wanted to clarify something from a few emails ago about Elder Pohlsander's Pokémon toys. He got them to give to little kids and now like every kid in the area has one. Its funny to walk by and see them playing with them. Like EVERYBODY'S kid has a Pokémon toy now.

 

I took Lilly, Louisa, and Angel CTR rings that I bought at the temple site. Lilly and Louisa were in the primary class that I substituted in sometimes. They are Leslie’s sisters and missionaries have a close relationship with their family. They were really excited about them; I remember when grandma gave me my CTR ring before I was baptized. That was a cool moment in my life. It was cool to watch these little girls eyes light up when I gave them some.

 

Today I cleaned our kitchen, bathroom, and room and cooked a bunch of chicken that I can eat for the next few days. Pretty boring and normal p-day. We are going to go to the Mensah's for family home evening tonight. Sis Mensah has about 5 kids, I think all of them are under the age of 10. Her husband is a less-active with a word of wisdom problem and she works like crazy to feed her family. Most of the time she struggles to make it to church on Sunday because of work, but she is strong I the faith and always comes whenever she can. I’m really excited to visit them tonight.

 

I’m SO excited for General Conference! Its gonna be cool to watch Bednar, Stevenson, and Rasband talk cuz I will be able to say in my head, "I know this guy! I shook his hand a few weeks/months ago!"

 

I love you guys a ton! Love, Elder Peters