Post Christmas

Dear Family,

     First, I will answer your question: "OK so if you could have a magic horn that could give you only one food or drink item but it could be unlimited what would it be?" 

     Answer: I would have to choose cold Root Beer, because I am always thirsty here in Ghana and they DO NOT HAVE ROOT BEER ANYWHERE. I can survive without having special foods from home (although I do miss it), but a magic horn with unlimited cold Root Beer would be really nice to have.

     It was really wonderful to talk with all of you back home. I am surprised at how much Adalie and Matthew have grown! I wonder how it will be 5 months from now.. I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and I am glad that you had a fun time at the football game. If you think that San Francisco is crowded and smelly, just fly over here and tell me what you think again. Last Monday (I think I told this to you but I will retell it) I was in Kejetia and was going through the central market place, but there came a point where I was sandwiched between people from the front, back, and sides. I lifted my feet and traveled about 4 feet, just from them shuffling forward. Halfway through the crowd, I felt a large surge from the back and turned my head backwards to see a lot of people pushing. I felt another surge from the front and turned again to see a huge crowd coming at us as well. There were people with crates of live chickens on their heads and lots of pottery, and the next second everything was tumbling to the ground and people were shouting. I heard people behind me blaming the problem on the "Oburoni" (which now I know means foreigner, not just white man), and I couldn't do anything but shake my head. That same day coming home, we saw many trotros and trucks being piled onto by the people from town. One bus was being swarmed by more than 50 people, and one truck was loaded down so far the the back was touching the ground (there were at least 30 people scrunched together in the back alone). Christmastime here is crazy, and it even seems worse than Black Friday. People are just ruthless wherever you go, whether on the streets or in the shops, going to town or going home. I was glad that I made it home in one piece.

     After I called you and Skyped, I went to sleep and was awoken by my companion who was barking like a seal. It sounded like he had caught bronchitis in his sleep, and he also said he had a runny stomach and couldn't proselyte. From Thursday onward he was in bed, coughing and taking medicine and sleeping. To spend my time wisely, I read the scriptures, my PMG, and exercised when I became restless. I tried to take small naps here and there, but I eventually just became bored from all of the sitting around. We didn't proselyte for the whole week after Christmas Day, and I wanted to be doing something but couldn't because my companion was out of commission. During the few days that I spent in the apartment, I had a lot of time to think about my mission and what I expected to come from it. These are some of the thoughts I had.

     1) I want to be a good example to the companions that I have so that I will not be blamed for any negligence on their part if there is any, and for the sole sake of being a good companion

     2) I want to be patient with the people I meet and with the companions I receive so that I can learn tolerance and long-suffering

     3) I want to find people to teach and baptize so that the work of the Lord can progress ever onward

     4) I want to perfect myself everyday so that I will be worthy and ready for a wife when I come back home

     I had more thoughts on my mind than these few thoughts, but I want to share these ones with you. I wish I had more to talk about, but I think I related everything I wanted to over the phone. Thank you Dad for sending all of those pictures through e-mail, and I look forward to e-mailing you all next week after New Year's has passed. 2014 is right around the corner. Afehyapa, and afe nkometo ye. (Basically, Merry Christmas and a happy new year! : Literal translation: This year is over, and the new year is to come)

 

Sincerely,

Elder Twede