Hi everyone!
That's awesome to hear about the tourney! The boat thing...serves you guys right! haha. The mission is awesome, people are really receptive in this area...we have 5 or so people that we are teaching twice a week who are committed to baptism they just need dates and a little push. I think I have figured out why I have been sent here........I COULDN'T HANDLE REJECTION!!! The people here are incredible. Just an example....we had an extra hour to go contacting (means that we are meeting random people and giving them our introduction and stuff and trying to get a day we can go teach them). So we happen to be on splits with the Zone leaders so it's me and Elder Adjeifio and Elder Lewis from AZ (Zone leader). We decide to pick a nice looking house and go up and see if there is anyone home and it happens to me MY turn to introduce us. I was a little scared but I manned up. The lady we me (Alice) was in her mid 20's and was kinda happy to see us. She invited us in and we taught the first lesson and she started crying after our testimonies were bore. She said she will come to church and read the pamphlet we gave her. There is something you need to know about Ghanians...They feed their guest no matter what! So her mom pulls out food and tells us we are invited! It's crazy...we just met them, they listened to the lesson, fed us, and left us with commitments...sounds like some easy missionary work...NOT!! Ghanians have a problem with keeping commitments. They will tell you what you want to hear just to make you happy. so we have to try and tell if the person we are teaching is serious or just pullin our leg. haha. Most people we teach are serious though, they keep commitments.

My companion is pretty awesome...he is teaching me so much and we are good friends already...the other elders can see that we are bonding really well and it seems as if they are jealous of how much fun and work we are getting done. 2 other roommates are pretty funny guys. Elder Akoki is from Ivory Coast and oh man do they know EVERYTHING!! They think they do...it's frustrating because he loves to bring up things about America (yes including Obama) and sometimes I just want to go off on him and tell him he know nothing about America. The people here have this twisted thought that America is paved in gold and that every Obrunee (white man) is rich.

I have been eating fried egg sandwiches, PB&J (yes I found some!!! nobody else has it but my area :D, rice balls with grandnut soup (Ghanian dish that kinda tastes like peanut butter, looks sick nasty), and tuna fish sandwiches. The rest is just stuff off the street that gooks good and I have no clue what it is (yes mom I make sure it's cooked and healthy looking).

The plumbing kinda sucks but hey, TIA ( this is Africa)/ There is only cold water and there isn't much water pressure so we fill buckets and stand in the bath tub pouring cups of cold water over us haha. It's interesting but it's a good way to wake up in the morning at 6:00 am!! NOT 6:30! Mission rule. We had Zone Conference this last week which went good and we found out a whole lot of information. We had a mission fast yesterday to show gratitude for the Lord helping the missionaries here to complete the last 3 goals which were crazy difficult. We get to go to the temple in 2 wks. which almost never happens!! We have been given a new goal...It's to bring inactive members back to church to become active again and to get a referral from the inactive and baptize that person. Pres. Sabey has been following a common goal...It's in John 15:16!! I think that's right, I forgot. It talks about "Fruits that remain." After giving us that goal he said there is going to be a smaller goal to come before that one which is a preparatory goal. it includes 1) Know the names of 80% of active ward members. 2) Visit 15 members homes that you haven't been to. 3) Do 5 service projects for the members. 4) Do all of this without receiving a FM (free meal). We will have til Oct 25 to complete these things. Nobody was happy with the FM thing.. and to be honest it's not because us elders want free meals. It's because the people in Ghana have customs that they MUST fee you whenever you visit. Members have already gotten soooo upset with us because they think we don't want their food or that we don't like it or something. It's really offending them. We had a member last night who started crying when the Kiffers (an elderly couple who live next to our apartment, also on a mission) told her that we couldn't eat her food. I'm not so sure about that part of the goal....We are supposed to be building relationships with members by serving them and no them serving us but it's doing the opposite...I sure hope Pres. Sabey knows what he is doing cuz it seems as if it's not going to help.

No too many bugs, but the mosquitoes are crazy!! i pay attention and do what I'm supposed to and so fa it seems to be effective. 4 guys in my MT group (the group who was in the MTC with me) have malaria including Elder McKay! Poor guy! I think he's lost like 10 lbs. and is just suffering. Malaria really does hit you like a bag of bricks, it settles in after a few weeks and then BOOM! You are in your bed or on the toilet for the next couple of days! Crazy!

That would be cool to get a package from you guys....it'll work but don't send anything electronic or the tax is insane. Send just food and a little thing of stamps (I have a good amount left). Lemonade packets are always good :D Oh and with my email address and password go to www.blogger.com and sign in with the info I gave you.

I will pray for you guys, especially Shortney, poor thing. I'm so glad I got emails from grandma and Mark n Rachel! It was good to hear from them :D Send letters and whatever else all to the mission home....You should have that address somewhere...It's like PMG(street number) Cape Coast, Ghana. It's a very short address. Love you!

Ok so myldsmail is really irritating and not working so next time when you send me an email, send it to both elderlehr@myldsmail.com and to mlb2k5player@hotmail.com just in case. I read Tine and Karli's emails but it wouldn't open your or dads or the addresses sooooo idk what to do.

The work is awesome...we teach a lot of people and this next week will only get busier!! There are a few people that are already committed to baptism which is awesome and exciting. We are teaching a lot of investigators and now finally our church building is done being refurbished and people will go to church more cuz it's not so dang far away.

Trotro's are crazy! They are vans that are taxis and they are waaay ghetto and are always stuffed with people but it's the cheapest transportation so we use them. I'll get a picture of one or something. Most important thing is getting to write you guys an email. Sounds like everything is going pretty well from what the girls have been saying. I just got your email to open on myldsmail but still not dad's. Sooooo ya we have a can opener...it's not as 3rd world in my area haha. I will write whoever, that's not a problem, it's getting the addresses from that email that is the problem.

Jesse McKay was probably able to go to a cafe, my companion wanted me to and if Elder McKay didn't have a companion who thought it was ok to go to a cafe then he probably hasn't gone til today (pday). I have not idea where he went. I just know the 9 people including me that got sent to Kumasi and he wasn't one of them, I think he's in Cape Coast.

Soooo yaa, you like the pictures? I lost 5 lbs. in the MTC while everybody else gained weight...who knows? haha. This area is so awesome and I'll most likely be in this ward probably 3 transfers in a row and the first 2 transfers will probably be the same companion and then the 3rd one I'll probably be training someone...there's another huge group coming in Oct. and another huge group in December so they'll probably need me to train, maybe maybe not. We'll see...that would be even more humbling!!! haha.

I am getting way better at teaching especially with the spirit, it's coming along. I can teach and bare testimony without getting so nervous!!! It's a great feeling to be able to be bold!

I said today is pday and right after we are done here at the cafe the 2 and only 2 zones in Kumasi get together at this huge park and play soccer, basketball, tennis, vball, and ping pong...sounds awesome!! There's like 40 missionaries that make up the 2 zones. Zone Conference is this Friday!! Sounds like a huge spiritual feast!! The goals Pres. Sabey has given these Elders are CRAZY!! But everyone has been able to complete all 3 of them! There are some crazy stories that go along with the goals. We will be getting our next goal at Zone Conference. I also have video of my companion speaking English and twi...I want you to see how dang difficult it is to understand people here AND MY COMPANION IS AN EASY ONE TO UNDERSTAND! If you can believe that.......

Well, I love you guys so much and still can't get dad's email open. Since it's not working well we can come back later today and finish emails. I LOVE YOU ALL AND HOPE EVERYTHING CONTINUES TO GO WELL!! READ THE BOOK OF MORMON!!! LOVE EACH OTHER!!!

Elder Lehr
09/14/09

Sept 11, 2009

FAMILY! I have finally gotten out of the prison known as the MTC!
My new companion is Elder Adjeifio! He is from Accra. He's a solid missionary! I am gunna try to send you some pictures if I can. Have you gotten any of my letters? I have sent 2 and the 3rd one is written just hasn't been sent yet. I always send a letter to the girls. I need family and friends' addresses to send them anything, so whether it's email of address-either one fine. Please send that, I would like to write more family and stuff. Africa is crazy, but so amazing. Their "english" is crazy and broken. I am holding up great! I had to switch computers because the other one had a keyboard that you had to pound the space bar for it to work, irritating. It's very different here but it's amazing. I will soon send pictures, you'll love it. The work has already been great and I've only been here for a day and a half now.

I got here Wed night and went straight to a members house to eat. It was comforting when I saw that it was rice and chicken instead of banku. Banku is like fufu but waaaay worse. I'll get used to it though. You would be so amazed if you came here, the people are the MOST FRIENDLY out of anyone in the world. You can talk to just about anyone about the church and they'd listen. Ghana has really been prepared for the church. My companion is an answer to my prayer...and I'm an answer to his prayers (so he says). The guys in the apartment are me, Elder Adjeifio (my comp), Elder Akiko from Ivory Coast, and Elder White from Vernal, Utah. I love these guys already, they are all way way cool. I was kinda scared to get some weird elders or something but they are awesome, they are so glad that I'm a cool guy haha. We are already way good friends, I love these guys. They teach me a lot, especially about the area and missionary work. The MTC is almost worthless in my eyes, ya you study a lot and learn a lot but you learn soooo much faster and more when you are out in the field.

There is a LOT of good food and I'm slowly getting used to Ghanian food. I'm loving it haha, the mission is sweet, busy and hard, but sweet. I can already see (especially in the MTC) the Lord usuing me as an instrument. Lots of guys needed emcouragement and some love cuz they were waaaay homesick or whatever. I'm not saying I'm not a little homesick but it was just a little easier for me cuz I wasn't focusing on my family I was focusing on what I'm supposed to be doing and how I could better myself.

I'm so excited to finally get to hear from you!! Both yours and Kristen's dear elder letters went through!! I got Kristen's in the MTC and yours when the office elders came on our last day. It definitely made me smile and gave me encouragement to keep going :D

OHHH I totally forgot to tell you where I am haha...........I got sent to Kumasi!! Which is more north compared to Cape Coast. It is the 2nd biggest city in Ghana, Accra being first! It's a happenin place! They speak a lot if Twi here which I'm slowly slowly learning. It sounds sooo wierd haha. The city here is ridiculous, sooo many people, 2 million I think, The curch is growing sooo fast, faster than they can build buildings. Pres. and Sis. Sabey are incredible. You have nothing to worry about, I am well taken care of here! Pres. Sabey is a stud, he's the man!

I can't talk much more but I want to say how much I love you guys and miss you guys, it's sad to think that you are spending so much time together and I hate myself for not taking advantage of that sooner. This work will change me a whole lot and if I never baptize one person I will be so happy just with the fact that I have learned and grown so much. There is nothing like serving the Lord everyday and becoming like Him. I can definitely see how I will miss it so mcuch 2 years from now. I want you to know that I am working as hard as I possibly can and following the mission rules. I'm grateful for your prayers, I could feel them helping me! Can't wait to get some pictures to you guys of everybody.

Everything is supposed to be sent to the mission home, so if you have that address use that. Don't send me anything that is electronic through the normal postal service, the duty (tax) on it when it gets here will come out of my monthly money and it's expensive. Food is fine though. I don't really need much so don't waste your money, wait til Christmas and my birthday haha. I'm sure you'll email me before Monday but that is p-day and I can email then too. Today I'm setting up my ldsmail account so I'm sending a lettle something to let you know. My email address is: elderlehr@myldsmail.net Use that please.

Elder McKay is cool, saw him in MTC.....not sure where he is now.
I love you all!! Keep up the food work! Work hard in school and siminary, it will pay off! The mission is the best work I could ever be doing! I'm so glad all of you pushed and helped me along the way to make it to this point. Thanks so much! LOVE YOU!

Elder Lehr
Ghana Cape Coast Mission
Kumasi, Ghana