This is a letter sent to Elder Kitchen's Grandma from a senior couple that live by her and are serving in his mission.

Dear Pat—

What a fun surprise it was to hear that the new elder assigned to Sunyani was Elder Kitchen!  Most of the transfers take place on Wednesday but because it is so far to get here we pick new elders up on Thursday.  Elder Kitchen came with another experienced elder who was transferred from Cape Coast to sunyani with him.  We so miss the elders that leave Sunyani because we are somehow like a family here, but it sweetened the loss to have Elder Kitchen come. 

We picked him up this morning at the bus station after his bus trip to Sunyani from Kumasi.  He seemed to be handling things well.  At least he wasn’t crying and seemed to able to go with the flow.  It is quite a cultural shock for a little while.  That’s a lie it is a monumental cultural shock, but it doesn’t seem to take long for the elders to feel right at home.  We took him and his companion shopping to buy a few things to eat.  He had no idea what he should get but we all helped him out.  In a few days he will know more what he really wants to eat and buy.   

We then bought them some lunch and took them to their apartment.  Which you will remember is part church. 

We like to think, and we are quite sure that it is only the elders that are the cream of the crop that are assigned to Sunyani because of the things that they are asked to do, and how far away they are from the mission home.  In three days he will be in church and will probably lead the singing, do the sacrament, speak in church or teach the Sunday school lesson if not more.  Plus, since the church is so new there are really no referrals from members which the missionaries in the others areas have so many of, so here the elders just walk the area and contact or talk to the people they meet and see if they can find people interested in hearing the gospel message.  It is truly a missions mission. 

We are grateful that he is here.  We need him in the Fiapre area of Sunyani. 

He made it safely.  The sunyani family will take good care of him. 

Love, Marlene