Learning a little Fante

hey!
sounds like shauna's concert was sweet! i'm way excited for friday's phone call too! to answer your question, dad, no, elder ekaette doesnt speak fante at all. he's from nigeria, and they dont speak fante at all ...he speaks his tribe's language though. i'm trying to teach him the small fante that i do know.

so in my apartment we have me, and elders ekaette, agama, and balyejusa ...none of which speak fante at all!! i'm just now beginning to spend time in the apartment studying the language. i am to the point that i can understand about maybe 15 percent of what people say ...but i cannot speak at all at all. eberyone always laughs at us like crazy because i am better at fante at this point than anyone in my apt, so when we are outside the others will ask me to understand what the people are saying. so everyone cracks up because the three africans need the white man's help to understand the african language haha. but it's way hard to learn fante, especially speaking. but i've been able to see in other missionaries, and experience small in my mission, how much it helps us to relate to the people and it makes the people so much more receptive if you are trying to learn about their language and culture.

we teach the chief of moree, who is the freaking man. he's been teaching me alot about ghanaian and african culture, and i've been teaching him about america! he's way way way smart.

so this week was zone conference, which was awesome. we had it together with all of the zones in the mission except for the two kumasi zones because theyre way far away. so i was able to see alot of my boys from around the mission which was sweet! president sabey gave a sweet instruction using the nativity scene and talked alot about each character and what they did, what they represent, etc. the food was also awesom :).

president sabey has given us extra money in this subsistance so that we will be able to make a christmas meal for some of our people in our area!! so we'll be combining with the other elders in my apt and we'll invite gladys and princela and bridget to enjoy with us at the chapel! then we'll watch a movie after. after that i'll call you guys.

we'll be having a baptism this saturday. we have nine people to be baptised, but that sounds bigger than it is because six are small children who's familys are members but they were never baptised. so we'll be having that at the beach and right after we're having a ward party at the beach!! so it'll be a cool day.

i have to say that elder ekaette is the PICKIEST eater i have ever seen in my life. it really is ridiculous. he's a really good cook, but he only likes the food that he makes. i have NEVER seen him enjoy any food that he didnt make with his own hands. and if he doesnt like it he'll take two bites and stop eating. but if we dont finish the food, the people will be super offended so i have to eat double portion hahah. i laugh everyday about it, and i tease him like you would not believe. i always tell him that he's not important, and that i'm not important, but only the people we are serving are. we are not here to be comfortable. if we have to suffer a little bit in order to make sure that people arent offended then thats what we should do. he doesnt like that idea haha. i've eaten some crazy things. i think i've eaten more uncooked meat than i have cooked meat. i've had tooo many meals where it is so raw that i feel like i am making eye contact with the animal i am eating haha.

elder ekaette is sweet, though, i love the kid. the only thing i prayed for in my companion once i found out i was training was that he would come with the mindset that he wants to learn - and that is elder ekaette. i've seen too many missionaries that belive that they having nothing to learn from their companion, and it only causes trouble.

things are going really well though, so well that surely i know that it is the Lord who is running things here in moree.

as for the phone call, sorry mom, i cant think of any way that i'll be able to use a landline, it'll be a cell phone :/. hopefully i'll be finished with the dinner and able to call at 7 or so (11 for you) on friday. i think i'll have to borrow a cell phone from a ward member and just buy my own sim card with credit, cause there'll be other people calling at the same time, and we only have one cell phone in the apartment. also, that'd be sweet if any of my bros and sis would be able to call after i talk to you guys, i'd enjoy!! so we'll see how it goes on friday!!

well my time is up again, sorry i'm not able to find a landline, mom. i hope and pray all is well at home, and i'll talk to you on friday!! love you

love, elder mackay