First transfer (after 10 1/2 months!)

hey, oh, listen what i say, oh (someone try to guess the band and song)

well, i just now realized it was the fourth of july yesterday. i had a SUPER long week, though so you'll understand.

on monday was transfer news, and i finally left moree!! president called and told us that i was going to sekondi and elder adams was staying in moree to train a new missionary. my new companion is elder halling, from bakersfield, california! i was hoping for one more transfer with elder adams but its cool. (i never told him) but i KNEW that he'd train whenever we were split, because president is fully aware of how obedient and hard working he is, and i know president wants the new missionaries to be like that too. i've heard from the assistants and lambs that his new companion is elder brown from texas. people say good things about him.

so on tuesday i went to moree and said goodbye to all of my people. it wasnt easy. i think the worst to say goodbye to was kobe and georgina and their kids and also brother pratt, and the ward missionaries. but i stayed strong like a true african and never shed a tear (africans NEVER cry). that day we went around and taught a few people and said goodbye. i love that village.

wednesday was transfers. i went on a tro-tro to takoradi, the main city over here. there were three other african missionaries with me who were being transfered to the same zone. i randomly took like 150 pictures on the way over. everyone in the tro-tro was basically staring at me but whatev. i'll probably just keep the good ones though.

elder halling is really cool. he's like six four and likes to talk. he's smart and he loves sports so we talk about that all the time. he was called as a zone leader like 8 or 9 months ago now so he's got alot of stuff to teach me. (Apparently Jesse's a Zone Leader now) he's sweet we just laugh all day long. the only problem is that he finishes his mission THIS transfer. plus, his parents are coming to pick him up to finish his mission. he wants to still start school in the fall, so they are coming early. so on the 30th they'll come and get him and i'll get a new companion. he's gunna go around with them for a couple of weeks and then go home. so i only have like four weeks to learn everything basically ahah.

sekondi is really cool. as soon as i got news that i was coming here, i heard all about how close i would get to be with the lambs, the senior couple over here, and how cool they are. (sister lamb is a way good cook!! : )) they live in our prosolyting area but are kinda far from our apartment. it sounds like me and my companion get to see them alot more than any other missionaries from the zone do so i'm stoked!! they really are cool.

i'm in the apartment with one other companionship, elder darrow (from sandy - mom i think you know his mother) and elder sintim (a ghanaian from asin mankessim - the eastern side of ghana). we both prosolyte in the same ward, sekondi ward, but we divide the ward boundaries between us. they take sekondi town and some of the other villages around it (i don't know theirs very well yet) and we take three little areas. they're called essikado, mempeasem, and injesea. (those arent the correct spellings at all, but that might be the easiest way for you to sound them out. good luck you americans.) essikado is relatively upper class and mempeasem is kinda in between. injesea is a little fishing village. it reminds me alot of moree. i still dont know the areas very well cause we've had a crazy busy week.

on thursday, i didnt even get to go to my own area haha. we went on splits on my first day here. i went with elder dadegnon (daddy-nyon) from ivory coast who is the sweetest guy, to his area.

this husband and wife goal ended yesterday! at the beginning of the transfer 6 weeks ago there was still FIFTY FIVE missionaries who needed to baptise a husband and wife fam and only six weeks left!! well, to make a long story short, this is Ghana, and on top of that, God is God.

so at the beginning of this week, there were 7 missionaries left who needed the baptism. sekondi zone was helping two of the missionaries in abura zone to teach someone in our zone (way on the outskirts of the zone, in a branch where no missionaries really go). so we had to coordinate that whole deal. the baptism was on saturday and it was kinda stressful and we had to wait and search for the husband. we were supposed to pick them up at 1 and the baptism shouldve began at 3, but its just never that easy is it?? we found him at about 3:30 and managed to start by about 5 or so. but they were baptised!!!

two missionaries baptised (towards the goal) on thursday, and one on early saturday morning, and then the two i already talked about at our baptism. then there were two remaining on sunday and they're baptism went through!

it's just nuts that this goal was accomplished. how many missions in the world can set a goal for every missionary to baptise a husband and wife together in just 4 1/2 months??!

we'll i bet you have some new questions about my area and stuff so ask me them and i'll talk to you again next week!!

shauna tell me bout the cht! love you.

love, elder mackay