Hey! how's it going!!
i've been trying to think of ways that my emails can be more orginized and have alot of info for you guys, while making it quicker (it took 40 minutes for me to write last weeks email home haha). so today i'm just gunna open up a new window and respond to your email while i read it, then i wrote down some things that i want to make sure and tell you throughout the week, so i'll throw all that on in the end. hopefully this is a little faster . . .
Here's a photo of baby Braden; are you able to open up photo attachments? I can open the pictures . . . Braden's a pimp!! sharie and lisa have sent me some pics too their sweet. I haven't tried to do anything on the computer with the pictures i've taken or the voice recorder thing . . . i'll get around to that sometime . . .
Grandkids are so fun. Who knows? Maybe I'll have another one by the time you get home. you'll for sure have another grandkid by the time i'm in america again . . . i'm gunna be bold and predict two. remember that. : )
How are you and Elder Kalinja doing on your Elias goal so far? as far as the elias goal is concerned . . . we only need to do one more service project, and visit three more members homes. the names are what is freaking hard for me. these african names and faces are very hard to remember. we need to know 80 percent in the next two weeks . . . i've been trying way hard and i'd say i hit like thirty percent yesterday. that one worries me. i won't be able to do that one alone. elder kalinja's doing better than me with the names.
Are you concerned that the "No FM's" goal will offend people? . . . for us, we've had really no problem with the fm's. the thing that elder kalinja always says is ''that moree food is not sanitary.'' haha. we wouldnt be eating very many fms anyways because i think i would get typhoid every week. some people will be offended by it, no doubt. people are almost always offended at first. but if the missionary gives the member the reasons as to why we are not eating, they usually understand, and are often very supportive. we need to let them know that people feed the elders because they believe thats what we want. we are changing that perception. we are here to serve them. what we want is referrals, help in making our investigators and new converts feel comforable and welcome, and we want oppurtunities to serve them. it all depends on if the missionary does a good job of presenting it, and makes sure the people still know you are grateful. i love this part of the goal cause we will get more referrals out of it because the people want to feed us. they, even nonmembers, have a strong belief that if they feed us, people of God, that they will be blessed. sometimes people view no fms as us taking away their blessings.
i love getting regular mail! it's my favorite . . . Have you figured out how to send letters through the mail yet? yes i know how to send letters now. packages and letters get picked up in the mission home and the zone leaders give them to me when they see me. it's usually about once a week or so. i got your questionarre letter. all i could do was laugh!! your such a mom! haha. i loved it though. i'm always cramped for time on the emails so any correspondance i can get done during the week is awesome. it was a really good idea. feel free to do it again. i sent it out on wednesday this week (the 7th) and it costed 2 cidis (1 dollar is about 1.44 cidis) so we'll see how long it takes . . .
That's so cool you could go to the temple recently! Were the ordinances in English? the temple was amazing. they have sessions in seven languages there. i got to go to the temple twice while in the mtc. one time i did two sessions in french, with english headphones on.
the temple was amazing though . . . the importance of being sealed in the temple really hit me. it helped me to appreciate our family alot. alot. it's unbelievable that i have parents and all four brothers and sisters who are all sealed with their spouses forever. (plus a little sister who's testimony is stronger than mine, even though I'M the missionary . . .)
Are you able to understand any of the Fante language yet? fante is freaking hard. i'm focusing most of my study time on learning the lessons in English very very well and finding and remembering scriptures to back up the things that i know. right now i just know little things in Fante like how are you?? i'm good, and what's your name? the people always get a kick when obruni can speak fante. i'll start working on the language more in a week or two probably . . .
How is Kabina Fynn doing? Will he and any of his friends be baptized a week from today? kobina is a rock star. none of his friends will be baptised this week, but they are progressing. we have five others committed for this sunday. gertrude (a 18 year old girl), gladys (17 year old girl), darlin (a 12 year old kid who lives with members), alice and edward (two other kids who live with members). theres also a couple of eight year olds that'll be baptised too. there's alot of kids who are of age and have families in the church, but havent been baptised for some reason. i really don't get it. but we have a list of names that we're going through . . .
How do you get your hair cut in Ghana? Are you using the clippers you brought? i cut my hair today with the clippers. one of my apartment mates, elder agama, was a barber so he did a good job.
How is your health? my health is fine, i'm back to normal. don't worry about me there. i didnt let myself stop us from working, even when i got tired. i didnt want to waist time, and it's helped me get stonger again faster.
And . . . are we taking our Doxy pills and garlic pills and using our bug repellent? Hmmmm? Tell the truth. i'll be honest with you because i love you. i take the doxy every day (i'm the only one in my apt who does) and i sleep in my mosquito net (which is by far the most important thing to do because they only come out at night). honestly though, i have not seen one mosq in our apt. i use the bug repellant on about 2 thirds of the days. and to be honest i probably wouldnt if there wasnt sunscreen in it. typhoid helped motivate me. i dont' want anthing to do with that junk again.
What are the bathroom conditions like in your apartment? Do you have showers? And what about during the day, when you “HAVE TO GO," do you just go outside or what? cold showers suck. yep, you just go to the bathroom wherever you want when you need to. the africans have bladders the size of consecrated oil cannisters i swear. both elders darko and kalinja go every 20 minutes i think.
How about sleeping at night - do you sleep well or toss and turn? mom did you really just ask me if i sleep well?? do you remember me at all?? have i ever had a hard time sleeping anytime, anywhere?? hahah. yea i'm sleeping fine.
i forgot to give a happy birthday shoutout to brynn last week!!! i miss you girl . . .
this week was a cool week. we've been preparing all our committed investigators for baptism and making sure they really understand the commandments they are coventnting to follow. it's been cool. we found another group of young men that are all listiining to us together. it's sooo sweet. there are two groups of like four or five friends that all came to church together. we had seventeen investigators at church on sunday. : )
a thought just came to my head that i'm gunna say now or else i'll forget to do it later. washing clothes by hand sucks so bad. it takes forever. i'm terrible at it the africans all laugh at me while i wash.
on tuesday i went on splits with my zone leader, elder dunford in cape coast. it was sweet! i'm just gunna be blunt and say it, the people are so much smarter in cape coast! most of the people in moree dont ask questions much when they don't understand. and you have to repeat things alot before they remember them. its kinda frustrating sometimes you feel like your talking to a wall . . . everyone tells me i'm lucky that i started out in a village before going to a city because i'll appreciate it there more. haha. but cape coast was sweet. my apartment that night was me, dunford, and the two zone leaders. one is a polynesian from L.A. and the other is elder strong, who also went to byu. strong is a VERY smart kid. i love talking to him. he's way into sports . . . we stayed up till like one in the morning talking about sports and the mission . . . i was able to update him on what went on in the world of sports lately. : ) when i got back to moree on wednesday, it was cool. it just felt comfortable to be back there. those are my people!! it really felt like home and i was sincerely happy to be back.
my voice has changed i think. i have to talk VERY slowly or else the people of moree won't understand me. it was weird to get used to doing, because if i talked the same way i sometimes talk here to someone on america, they would think that i thought they were retarded.
we had interviews with pres. sabey on thursday, which was cool he's such a stud. this week is the baptisms which i'm way excited for. and elder cardon, the area president is coming on wednesday to speak to all of the missionaries except the kumasi ones. i'm gunna be able to see alot of my boys. i'm way excited! plus elder cardon is a very cool guy. he spoke to us in the mtc. the temple president is also coming to our ward on sunday so thats sweet.we taught a reverend this week. it went pretty well actually. we spend the whole time talking about God, trying to let him know what He was like, especially that He has a body. that' s something that everyone struggles with. in the schools here they teach that God is a spirit.
i got something funny for you . . . i looked at a newspaper i saw on a stand, and the whole first page used the word ''s*** and urine'' evrywhere. hahaha. i laughed so hard. and elder kalinja couldnt understand why. shhh isnt a bad word over here. they use it all the time.
well, i'm about out of time. if you have any more questions make sure and ask!! i always forget what i've told you in previous emails, so sorry if i repeat stuff. i love you all and miss you all like crazy . . . especially you this week, birthday boy jason. : )
thanks for being amazing!
love, elder mackay
