Ghana MTC

Dad got a ticket dad got a ticket!! Sorry to laugh but that’s really funny!  Nothin’ like kicking a man when he is down.

So last night was the hardest night in the MTC.  I cried for a good hour when I was falling asleep.  It was horrible, not because I missed you any more or because of anything like that I just realized how ungrateful I am.  Talking to people from around here makes me so so sad every time.  Oh I got a new companion the president thought that it would be best for us to learn how to teach and plan (which was impossible in french) than it was to learn the language right now.  My new companion is Elder Kamara from Liberia.  He is a way cool guy and even though Elder Flan was awesome its nice to be able to talk to someone.  So talking to him he told me he really wanted to go to college but he would have to save enough money to go to his 4 years.  I asked how much it was and he responded, really really expensive, like 250 USD.  I about started to cry right then, I spent more on shoes for my mission than it would cost him to go to college...twice!  I thought about all the money we spend on stupid things in America like expensive cars, houses, boats, climbing gear anything!  Its hard being here with all I have, I hate it!  I just want to give all my stuff away to the members and then buy new stuff so I can fit in with the locals.  I have probably 10 people a day that ask me to get a visa for them so they can get out of Africa.  They have never seen highlighters or watches or anything like that.  They are all so jealous that i have 2 pens, none the less the 14 shirts i have in my closet.  I’m embarrassed with what I have.  Needless to say I was so humbled last night i can’t even describe it.

K sorry on a lighter note things are getting better.  I’m getting used to the life style, the food, being the only white guy, all that sort of stuff.  Today we got to attend the Accra temple, since I had already been through me and the other 2 guys that have been through before got to do 2 back to back sessions.  It was awesome!  the temple here is beautiful!  Its very African and very different than the temples back home but everything is done the exact same way which i think is so cool.  I can be 8 thousand miles from you but still hear the same things in the temple and during sacrament.  I was an escort for Elder Kamara as well as the other 10 guys sitting around me ha ha.  Needless to say we took a little longer to put on our temple clothes here than when I went through in Draper.

Jet lag is finally starting to wear off.  That was a horrible couple of days, especially since my companion likes to wake me up at 5 every morning.  Every morning I hear “Elder Bradshaw, Elder Bradshaw, get up” what time is it? “i don’t know?”  “Elder Kamara, its 4:30 I’ll be up in 2 hours!”  Its starting to wear on me but I have got it under control now.

Every night when I come back to my room I have a line of guys waiting outside to try the new candy for the night.  Most have never ever heard of candy so its been fun to share what I have and see their faces when they try it.

Each morning we wake up, then personal study, breakfast (a piece of toast and a boiled egg), companion study, and then classes classes classes until we go to bed.  All in the same class room so needless to say it gets very hard to stay awake dealing with jet lag.

A mission is such a good opportunity...especially for the locals.  They get all their shots, they get to go to the temple, they get to do things they never have ever done before.  Watching them get shots is kinda funny.  They had never had them before in their life so they come out of the room crying or just too astonished at what just happened to say anything.

They are all horrible at singing and are terrible at it ha ha.  But they belt it out...which is great... because then I can and I don’t feel stupid.  So, when I get home none of you are going to want to sit by me at church because I will be singing away.

The food is weird!  Super spicy always!  I’m pretty sure the meat I’m eating is goat but I’m not really sure?  They gave us fish heads and other various parts the other night i guess you just chew it all up and then spit out what ever is left.  I passed on that one.  Lots of rice and beans with about a golf ball sized piece of meat.  We had little worms in our rice the other day as well.  Lots of water.  Just swallow them quick...and you cant even taste them ;).

The temple was about an hour away today which I loved because I got my first taste of Ghana.  It's super poor here like I said.  And all you people who said, “Oh you’re lucky you get to get away from the construction in Utah for two years... You lied ;)  Everything here is under construction, the only difference is they dig everything by hand and there are no tractors so it takes a whole lot longer.


K my time is up.   I've got to go.  I love you all so much and I will try and send some hand written letters in my free time.

Love you,

Taylor