June 25, 2012

Hey Everybody!

This last week has been a pretty good week.  Starting from last Tuesday, we had district meeting and out of the 8 missionaries, there were 4 that were new to the zone.  We just did a get to know you and everything and it was fun. This week was Elder Moore's first full week and it went pretty well.  In the middle of the week, some crazy and drunk guy named Kojo came running up to us and started talking to us.  It was really funny and he makes no sense when he talks.  We just talked to him for a second and left. Then during the week, he kept randomly popping up out of nowhere and just being crazy.  Who knows, maybe he'll show up at church one of these days!  On friday we had a really good lesson about the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Afia.  She was telling us that she knows what we are teaching her is true, but she is just worried about what her family will say if she joins the church. Hopefully we will be able to help her with that one.  After, they pounded fufu for us and it was the first time that Elder Moore had tried it.  He was a little unlucky because it was with fish and snail! Haha.  Let's just say that he didn't like it at all so I had to eat a very large portion.  The snail that I ate was pretty big and it wasn't at all like the one one the cruise that one time.  Elder Moore tried to eat his snail...he ended throwing in up but luckily nobody that made it for us knew that he did.  Friday during study time I finished reading the Book of Luke and it was really good.  I'm trying to read the New Testament, but I'm not doing it in order.  Sunday we had two pretty good lessons with Dora and her family as well as Mercy and her two kids.  Mercy's son Raphael who is twelve gave his talk in church this week and it went really good.  I still think it is so funny how they asked him to talk and he isn't even baptized.  I've really been thinking about the Book of Mormon this week as we've been teaching.  It's amazing how that book really is the do or die point for the church.  If it is true then the church is true and if it isn't true, then the church isn't true.  It's pretty crazy.  I've really grown to love the Book of Mormon since I've gotten here.  It truely is an amazing book.  It's cool being able to be here and teach people about it when they have never heard of it before.  Everything else is going well, I'm happy and just pushin' along.  I hope everybody else is great!  I was surprised to hear that there were no babies this week...we'll see next week! Love all you guys! 

Love Elder Kitchen

June 18, 2012

Hey Everybody!

So this week was a pretty good one.  On Tuesday we had a combined district meeting with everybody in our
zone and then after, some of the guys wanted to try a pizza place that is close to my apartment.  The pizza was really good because they put a lot of cheese on it.  The rest of that day was spent going around and letting Elder Samai say goodbye to everybody.  The next day, we sent both Elder Mathemba and Samai off and Elder Limu and I waited around for our companions to come.  Elder Limu's companion came first and then I got a call and they told me that I was going to be training a missionary named Elder Moore from England.  He got here and seemed a little culture shocked but everything was good.  The next few days were just spent showing him the new area and helping him get used to things.  It's funny how used to everything I am now and how he thinks everything is so weird.  It's really funny.  On Saturday there was a big district youth activity that was happening at our chapel.  They played football and had lots of activities and so we went because lots of people brought their friends.  Also we had a really good time teaching Eric, Mercy and their kids this week.  Eric and Mercy weren't able to come to church this week, but both of their kids came and that was pretty cool.  We had a pretty long lesson with them and we were able to talk about the Book of Mormon and everything with them.  They had lots of good questions and it was just a great lesson.  We are hoping that this week we will able to set a baptismal date with them.  We also taught Dora and fam and it was great.  They are still having a hard time coming to church but they are accepting everything pretty well.  We met some new people this week that we started teaching so hopefully they might start to progress.  Well, I hope that you all have a great week.  I'm doing great and I'm happy! I love you all and talk to you next week!

Love Elder Kitchen

June 11, 2012

Hello everybody!

So last week after I emailed you, I received some news from the mission president. He called me up and asked me, "Elder Kitchen, I need you to train one of the new missionaries that's coming. Can you do that for me?" Well, I wanted to say no but of course I said yes. So I'm going to be training again! The next day we had district meeting and that's all I can remember about that day. Wednesday, we went to a members house who wanted to make me a late birthday dinner. She made us big fufu with light soup and chicken and it was so good! There was so much chicken and it was just delicious. Then on Thursday, I went to Cape Coast with Elder Weaver to the mission home for the meeting for the trainers. It was weird being there because the last time I was there was when I was leaving to go up to Sunyani in August. On Friday we had a good lesson with Eric, Mercy and their kids. They have been coming to church and going to activities with the branch. We were able to teach them about the apostasy but we weren't able to move on though. I'm really excited about that family because I'm pretty sure that they are going to be baptized. They were a referral from a member and it helps so much when it is like that. Saturday we found out transfer news and they told my companion that he is going up to a place called Achiase and I guess we have been hearing that it is a village. He'll do great there though. Church was good on Sunday. The organization here still kills me. I get so stressed with everything but I can't do anything because I'm just a missionary. Things just run so much smoother back home. Elder Samai went and said goodbye to a bunch of members. So my week went pretty good. I'm just tired right now and I don't know why. I don't get enough rest on P-day's. Well everybody, have a great week!

Talk to ya soon!

Love Elder Kitchen

June 4, 2012

Hey everybody!

Thank you all so much for the happy birthday wishes. I had a good day yesterday and it has been a pretty good week. We had a zone conference on Thursday over in Cape Coast. We went over and met up with the Assin Fosu zone and had our meeting. We talked a lot about how we are going to try and use members a lot more in teaching and pretty much everything that we do. I think that it is really going to help the way we do missionary work here if we try to follow the new plan. Then the next day president and sister shulz came to the apartments and did apartment checks and interviews. Don't worry the apartment passed the cleaning test...we are living in very habitable conditions. ;) Sunday I woke up and it was my birthday!...but it didn't feel like anything. Haha. I just woke up and went to church. It turns out Elder Samai told a bunch of the people in the branch that it was my birthday so everybody was telling me happy birthday and stuff. It was really fun. After church, they gave me a coke and some biscuits and everything to eat later. Sister Achempong invited us over to eat dinner for my birthday and we ate spaghetti and stew with chicken. It was really good. It was fun to talk to them because they have lived in Utah for about 6 years and they have been to Lagoon and everything...so we were talking about all different kinds of things. So my birthday went pretty good....no complaints I guess. It didn't really feel like a birthday though. Then today we went to a place called Kakum. It's a place by Cape Coast where they have rope bridge type things over the forest. It was pretty cool. Then we went to a place on the way back where we were able to touch crocodiles. That was pretty cool too. Then we just came back to Swedru. We had to wake up at about 4:30 this morning so I'm really tired now. Thanks again for all of the birthday wishes. It was great to hear from all of you!
Have a great week!

Love Elder Kitchen

P.S.  Sam's mom asked him what he eats everyday and this is what he said.

I eat a lot of egg sandwiches, Indo Mie (top ramen), eggs, French toast,  and rice. 

He mentioned that he now loves many African dishes that he said, “I can’t believe I didn’t like them at first.”

Elder Samai and Elder Kitchen

May 28, 2012

Hey everybody!

So this week went pretty good and it seemed to go really fast as well. Last Tuesday we went to district meeting at Odoben which is the other area in our district. It is in the middle of nowhere and it's a village but they have a nice chapel. After district meeting, we were all craving fufu so we went and found a chop bar and bought some nice fufu. It seems like I don't get it as much here so I am missing it. Then on Wednesday we had a good lesson with Dora, and her kids, Alice and Obed. The second counselor in the branch presidency came with us and we introduced the Book of Mormon to them. The lesson was great  and they were really happy to learn about it. Then on Thursday we walked a lot and only had a couple of appointments. At the end of the day I was tired and hungry so we bought banku and I got a lot of it and it was very good. It's funny to think that I absolutely hated it the first time that I tried it. Friday was also another day that was just full of lessons. I can't really think about which ones that they were so I guess I won't tell you about them. Then on Saturday we started by seeing an investigator named Jennifer. Then we went and saw a kid named Bless and also a girl named Afia. Nothing else really happened after that so that ended our Saturday. Sunday was a good day because lots of people brought their friends who aren't members. One of them was a family and the dad's name is Eric and his wife's name is Mercy. Also, a guy that is from Germany who is teaching school here for a year came with a member as well. Brett, I told him about you and how you served a mission in Germany and he thought that was pretty cool. After church we went around and had a few lessons before going and seeing Dora and her family again. We talked more about the Book of Mormon with them and we talked about how they need to read and pray about it to know if it is true. It was a really great lesson. After that, we went and met with Eric and his family with the members that know them. He was really nice and I'm excited to start teaching them. The last part of the week was really good. I was just happier for some reason and it felt good. I'm getting pretty good about knowing the area as well. I'm not as lost as I walk around now. So everything is going great! I love all of you guys back home! Have a great week!

Love Elder Kitchen