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!