"It's a good day to be a DART!"

Yesterday we were able to catch Elder Peters online again and both Kaylin and I got to send a few short emails back and forth to him.  I didn't include them in my post yesterday, so here are some of the more interesting/funny things that he shared with us.  There is also a more detailed account of his reaction to the DXC Boys winning state that is really funny if you visualize the "Obruni Cocoa" (red headed white man) jumping up and down and cheering in an internet café full of Ghanaians.

From his notes to Kaylin:

 

She asked about if he got his packages yet? "I got the package from Thomas and then I got the Christmas package later that same day. It was a happy day! Elder Paddon also got 2 packages. The office elders decided to come to Kasoa (something that never happened in Mamponse) so they gave us some apartment supplies and our packages."

She said that he looked sunburned in some photos he sent home: "I am not sunburned. I will wear sunscreen on really sunny days. You know how redhead’s skin turns really, really red when it’s hot, or when they are hot. That’s why I look red. I look red most of the time because its super super hot here."

 

Kaylin injured her knee and here was his advise to her: "Don’t listen to anybody who tells you that it’s because you run. That’s a complete lie. Running only makes you healthy."

 

We sent him a booklet of simple recipes from home and he had this comment: "This is really funny and I am still kinda scratching my head as to why this is but you can buy tomato paste everywhere. Off ladies heads, at markets, in little packets, everywhere. But I have yet to find any tomato sauce. So is there a way to make tomato paste into tomato sauce for those recopies you sent me?" (Answer…just water it down a bit)

 

"Ok that’s what I thought. I will try that. Thank you so much for all those recipes and spices. I am going to love those. They don't have salsa here so I may have to make my own because they have cilantro, onions, tomatoes, green peppers and most vegetables so what’s dads recipe for Pico de Gallo?"

 

Here is the recipe:

 

6-8 Tomatoes (Preferably Roma) diced

2 cloves of garlic diced really small

1 bunch of cilantro (the leafy parts) chopped up

1 medium onion diced

1-2 Jalapeños diced (depending on how hot you want it)

The smaller you dice things the better.  Mix it all together in a bowl add about a teaspoon of salt.  Let it sit for a while and enjoy. 

 

He also added that: "The missionaries in my apartment are also very grateful that my iPod came because it is the first time that any of us have heard any of the October 2015 general conference."

 

To Dad:

 

Tony asked him about his reaction to the DXC Boys (with his little brother) winning state: "I sent a message to Josh congratulating him. To be honest that day, I wished I was there to watch it.  I’m jealous of the jerseys; of course the year I leave they win state and get super cool Nike jerseys! I wish I could see the finish, Josh has such a strong kick. He (Josh) told me that his goal is to beat AFs number 4 at NXR. I like how he’s focused on that and not where he falls on the varsity team. I jumped out of my chair here in the café when I read the news about state!"

 

He added a few more tidbits about his reaction in his letter to Josh:

 

"KACHOW!!!! Man I just jumped out of my chair right here in the café when I learned that it went well for you. I am so pumped for how you are progressing, just keep staying positive and having a love for running. That’s gotta feel so amazing! the whole day I was watching the time and checking the time at home wondering and praying, “please help everybody to do well, please help Josh do well”. Elders Paddon and Varo say congratulations they got to hear a lot about it in the past week. Man I am so happy for you! I knew you would do it, I could feel it!  At the end of the day when they asked me how I think you did I said, "they won, I just know it". Man I am so happy for you!"

 

He also sent out an email to all his former DXC team mates who are on missions simply saying “It’s a good day to be a dart!”

 

He sent a personal letter to Alexa wishing her a happy birthday. He told her that on her birthday he went around telling everyone he could talk too that it was her birthday.


In his note to James he told him about the "Push-Up" lizards around his apartment. They climb up on top of the wall and do 'push-ups'.

 

 

A view of Kasoa storm clouds (photo from Elder Peters)