"We should hang out...BUT HANGING OUT WOULD HAVE TO WAIT" -Kung Fu Panda

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.

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

"Someday I'll be 18 going on 45, 18 til I die" - Bryan Adams WITH PICTURES!!!

Dear Friends and Family,

This week was full of unexpected and really cool events. First off right after I finished emailing last week, Elder Onen and I were walking back to our apartment and we ran into a guy who was a huge Barcelona fan. We had both just got our jerseys so we were both wearing them. He started to freak out, he was so happy. He was convinced that I was from Spain for some reason I don't know why. As we talked to him we ended up telling him why a Ugandan and American were walking around the streets of Ghana in Barcelona jerseys, to preach the gospel of course! So we contacted this guy, I don't remember his name because he is in Onen's area so I haven't seen him since but it was cool to share a gospel message with him. I think Onen will continue to try to teach him. Sometimes the ways the Lord prepares people may seem kind of ridiculous to us, but He does prepare them.

I have been trying to exercises every morning. I mostly just do XC abs and push ups. Sometimes I will talk someone in my apartment in to going for a run but its rare more than its common. Most of the time they will ride the bike next to me while I run. My goal is to do 300 push ups a day right now. Its going well but as usual my arms aren't really changing in size, in fact they might be getting smaller because protein is so hard to come by. It feels good to start the day that way though. I am also taking up the Josh Ward challenge to memorize a scripture everyday and so far I've done it, but its getting harder. I am up to 39 scriptures now I think, (that was quick math so its probably wrong)

We did this crazy service project this past week. I wrote about it in my journal:

MORE PHOTOS FROM ELDER PETERS

BAPTISMS!!!  Not sure who everyone is in the photo, but I am certain that the Sister Missionaries are on the left and Elder Liera is on the right. 



Elder Onen? (I think) Elder Liera and Elder Peters...sporting his new African Haircut.



Pounding Fufu



"Obruni Cocoa Machi" teaching some local kids about Jesus Christ.

"Thought I'd try out my sea legs!" "But Lt. Dan.. you don't got no legs." "Yes, I know that" -Forrest Gump

In addition to the letter below, Elder Peters sent a few extra notes to some friends and family.  These notes reveal some interesting tidbits of information that are absent from his main letter. Things like:

·      The missionaries in his apartment say that he is starting to slip up and say stuff with an African accent.
·       His Twi is coming along nicely

·      He had 17 investigators at church last week!!! 17!!! WOW!!!

·       He tried to play “All Of Me” (John Schmidt) on one of those electric keyboards that had enough keys (most of them are short all the keys) but it had a really bad delay on the notes so he couldn't play it very quickly.
·       Ghana isn't too hot right now, but we are still in the rainy season. Though it hasn't rained yet while he's been there.
·       The kids all call him “obruni cocoa machi” Twi for “white man red good morning”. They have also nicknamed him “Peta Croch”. I guess he’s a really tall redheaded futball player in England. Kids in Ghana will do that to the white elders, name them after a famous footballer who they think the missionary looks like. (the real player is actually Peter Crouch, he’s 6’8” and plays for Stoke City FC)

Any Guesses as to why the kids in Ghana have named Elder Peters after Peter Crouch?

·         He sees a LOT of lizards in his area that they call “Push-up” lizards because they climb up high on the walls and then do “Push-ups” with their front legs.  Some are over 3 ft. long.

"Is this water sanitary? It looks questionable to me." "Tantor...mummy's losing her patience.."

Again...no photos this week.  We had some trouble with Google locking Brandon's account because "Someone" in Africa keeps trying to access it.  I think we have it fixed...so maybe next week???? WE HOPE!!!

Dear Family and Friends,

WE DID IT!!! 5 Baptisms!!! KACHOW!! Man it was cool. I baptized Emmanuel Bondzie, Robert Amissah, and one of the sisters’ investigators named Gabriel Nii. Richard Bondsie baptized Dorothy and Isaac Opoku. The spirit was really really strong. I don't know if I will get to send pictures because google drive is being dumb but the baptismal font is outside in front of the church next to 2 really big palm trees. It is made out of rubber kind of like the swimming pool at home and the water only went up to about my mid-thigh. The font is about 5 and a half feet long and maybe 3 feet wide. Robert is as tall as me so I was a little worried that he would hit his head but all went well and he only had to go in once. Emmanuel was my first one and I messed up because I said, "for and in behalf of...” because I am so used to baptizing at the temple. Gabriel has a bad knee and he is afraid of water so I thought that he would be a little more of a struggle but it turns out he was the easiest one. I explained to all three of them that I will hold their hands like this and to sit down like you’re sitting in an invisible chair and then lean back and I will pull you up. They all did really really good. When we went back inside and were changing our clothes I ran into Emmanuel in the hall and said, "Hey! your baptized now!" he said" Ya ya I’m baptized and he started to kind of lightly pat his chest and said, it feels...very good ya very good, thank you Elda Petas." it’s so cool when you can tell when people are feeling the power of the Holy Ghost! It was such an awesome moment. 

No Pictures This Week :(

This week, Elder Peters wasn't able to upload any of his photos, but we did get this cool drawing that he did of himself carrying his luggage on his head like a real African!

When he left the MTC he was allowed some time to write a quick note to us that someone there scanned and emailed.  We just barely got it.  This doodle was on that note.

When I can convert the .pdf file into a legible .jpg, I'll post it here.

To quote Elder Peters "Ghana is the best!"

"Don't need reason, don't need rhyme, ain't nothin I'd rather do." - AC/DC

So I was able to have a couple of email exchanges with Brandon this morning and got a couple of questions answered about food, health and such…here are a couple of his replies that I wanted to send along:

Fist of all HE’S HEALTHY: “ I am doing pretty good with the food, I haven’t gotten sick yet, but I have heard about guys in my MTC group that have so I consider myself lucky. Ghana is da best”

I asked him if he needs anything specific sent to him and I got this: “I would like the rest of my contacts. I have a year’s worth but the sooner you can get them too me the better I think. I have been using them everyday pretty much. Also could you send some beef jerky? And those juice flavoring packets we take backpacking. Most food consists simply of cassava, beans, plantain and a lot of pepper. Sometimes I wonder if Ghanaians use anything to flavor their food other than pepper. We went to the mall to me it’s the equivalent of Albertsons but everyone here thinks it’s the nicest place on earth. And we bought a pizza for the African sisters and they were complaining about how it didn't have any pepper, and I said, ya but it has FLAVOR, isn't it nice? No wes da peppa? Uhg”

He could not get his Camera to connect to the computers in the café where we was this morning so I don't think we'll get any photos this week :(  Hopefully next week!

So he sounds great and he’s loving the work as evidenced in the attached letter for this week: