December 12, 2011

Hello!

 

How is everything going?  We had a pretty good week over here.  It started off with me giving the instruction at District Meeting.  I did it on Jacob chapter 5, the allegory of the olive tree.  I had a lot of fun with it even though I probably made myself more confused in the end. Haha.  Then the rest of the week was left with mainly teaching lessons.  The things that used to be funny or weird here are now completely normal so it is sometimes hard to think of fun or crazy experiences.  I run around chasing goats and roosters and scaring them.  I also get yelled at by little kids all of the time because I'm white. Haha.  A lot of people say, "White man, how are you?" So I say "Black man, I'm fine."  It's funny because it sounds weird but it's completely normal to them.  Maybe I can think of some other fun things to tell you while we are talking on the phone.  This Saturday I finished the Book of Mormon again.  So that was the second time I have finished it since I have been out here.  I read quite a bit this last week just for fun.  I love the part towards the end of Alma where Moroni send Ammaron an epistle and talks about how if he doesn't stop then he's going to hunt them down and kill them. Ha! He is just such a stud. It's going to be sweet to meet him someday.  Then sunday was pretty good because President and Sister Shulz were able to come to our church for sacrament meeting then we went and had a district meeting where President instructed and it was awesome.  I love being able to see President and Sister Shulz because they hardly ever come up here because they are so far away.  We were so hungry after though because we hadn't been able to eat since morning so we went back to eat but the problem was that we had run out of propane for the stove the night before so we had to cook on a little charcoal African stove thing.  Today has been a good day as well so far.  We ate fufu today for lunch and it was really good.  The chicken was delicious too.  So that was my week. I hope everything is going well.  I love all of you and hope you are having a wonderful Christmas time! :)

 

Love Elder Kitchen

Sam eating pizza!!!  He looks so happy. :)

December 5, 2011

Hey everybody!

What's going on back home?  Africa is just the same as it has been for the last four months.  The beginning of the week was sweet because we watched conference on Tuesday during district meeting.  We watched the sunday morning session of this last conference.  I loved watching it this year.  I don't know why I used to complain while I watched it.  Then the rest of the week was pretty normal.  We just taught some lessons and stuff but we were a little more busy because we were trying to make sure that we had the two people that were getting baptized ready.  Luckily we got them both ready and everything went great.  So we were able to baptize both of those investigators and it was really sweet.  I love being able to see the change that happens in their lives when they learn about the gospel.  I can honestly say that they always just seem so much happier when they accept it and begin to live it.  It is so sweet!  Friday was fun too because Elder Eldredge and I went on splits and that was our first time doing that since I have been to Ghana.  We both came up to Sunyani together so we have been in the same apartment for a while.  We had a lot of fun especially when we decided to get pizza for lunch! It was so good!  I miss having pizza a lot back home.  I just miss good food in general. haha.  But I guess I would say that the highlight of my week was the baptism.  Church was stressful though because there were only about 5 people there when we started and by the end there were 22 people but about 14 of them were kids!  Sometimes it's really difficult to get people to come to church on time...let alone at all.  The work is still going though and we are doing our best and that's all we can do.  The rest is out of our hands.  So my week was good but stressful.  It sounds like everybody got hit pretty hard with a storm!  I hope everybody is okay.  If I was in freezing cold weather with wind right now I think that I would die because I don't think I've been in a temperature below like 80 degrees since like May or June!  I'm going to have a difficult time the first winter that I get back.  I won't miss the sweating though.  Honestly, I smell terrible all of the time.  haha. Well, I hope everybody is doing well! I love you guys a lot!  Have a great week and be safe!

Love Elder Kitchen   

November 28, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

We had a pretty good week this week!  This week, a miracle happened on Wednesday.  Not one of our appointments failed! It was so sweet because we taught so many lessons!  Also, we got two people commited for baptism this coming Saturday.  I'm pretty positive about one of them being baptized but I'm really hoping that the other one will be too.  Then, the hightlight of my week....THANKSGIVING!!!! You all probably were thinking..."Oh poor Sam, he's in Africa and will have bad food for Thanksgiving..."  But you are all wrong!!! It was the best dinner that I have had in Ghana!  We had mashed potatos, homemade chicken gravy, stuffing, chicken, corn, chips, minerals (soda, for you American speakers), chocolate pudding and jell-o!  It was so good!  I can honestly say that it rivaled past Thanksgivings that I have had. Then we just sat around the table and talked about what we are thankful for and stuff.  So thanksgiving was pretty sweet.  Then I woke up at 6:30 the next morning and thought about all of the people back home that were about to be busting into stores and going crazy in about a half hour.  The two people the came to my mind were Jeff and Kyle.  Did you guys go black friday shopping again?   So I had potatos and gravy on Friday for lunch.  Even though there wasn't leftovers...I thought I would make some leftovers.  Those instant mashed potato things are really good!  I got the Christmas package that Dad and Cindy sent.  It got here really fast.  I heard that I got a package and I was really excited but then I figured out that I couldn't see what was in it until christmas so I was like, Dang it! Haha. Sunday was sweet too because we had a few really awesome investigators come to church. Hopefully they will keep coming the next couple of weeks because I know that will really help them.  We watched a film called
The Lord's Errand today for our p-day activity.  It was a really sweet film about President Monson's life.  Then we just wandered around town until we came to email. So  this week was pretty sweet.  I'm glad everybody had a good Thanksgiving! I'm really thankful for all of you and am glad to have such a good support group from my family and friends. I love you all!

Love Elder Kitchen

Thanksgiving 2011 in Africa.

All the good food.

Excited about all the good food!

Elder Kitchen and Elder Eldrege

November 21, 2011

Hey everybody!

So this week was pretty crazy.  Wednesday was transfer day and as I told you before, I got a new companion.  We went to the bus station early in the morning and dropped off Elder Hernandez because he got transfered down to Kumasi.  Then I just went around all day with the other two missinaries that are in my apartment.  Then at about 6:00 that night, we went to go and pick up my new companion.  He is just getting out from the MTC.  His name is Elder Belnap from Idaho.  He is a great missionary so we should be doing a lot of good soon.  So when we picked him up we went back to the apartment so that he could get all set up with everything. Being the trainer is not as easy as it was to be the new guy.  Now I'm the one who is having to make the decisions. It's helping me grow a lot faster though.  Then, the next morning was just a normal day.  We went out and had a lot of good lessons.  The rest of the weekend just went the same too.  A lot of people commited to come to church, but of course....only one of the investigators came.   I even called one of the people and they said that they were coming, but they never showed up.  The people here are very nice, but they don't really know how to keep their promises.  So we started out church with like 10 people there, but we ended up having about 21 people come to church so it was a pretty slow week.  Then all of our appointments failed that afternoon so it was a real downer. Africans eat a lot of fufu and also some stuff called Banku.  I'm not a huge fan of all their food, but I'm starting to get used to some of it. They don't really like sugar too much but they like it a little bit.  Not as much as I do.  I can't believe it is already almost Thanksgiving.  We are planning to use the mashed potatos and gravy stuff that Mom sent and then buying some chicken and having a good thanksgiving feast.  So, that was my week, crazy, but at the same time, just as it always is.  I hope everybody is doing well.  Have a great week everybody!

Love Elder Kitchen

November 14, 2011 ~ Transfer Week

Hey everybody!

This week felt long because we were waiting for transfer news all week.  We knew that I was going to be training but we didn't know anything else about it.  So this week was just full of teaching and waiting.  I got a haircut this week.  It looks the same as it did in the MTC....so it doesn't look very good. haha.  On Saturday, the Assistants came up and delivered some stuff for us.  I got two packages from Mom and I also got that huge tub full of food!!!!  All of those packages just made my week!  There is so much American food for me I don't think I know what I am going to do with myself.  I'm going to be eating very well for the next little while. That was also the same day that transfer news came.  Elder Hernandez figured out that he is going to go and be the new Bantama zone leader in Kumasi and I am going to stay in Fiapre and train the new missionary that is coming.  I won't figure out who it is until Tuesday or Wednesday and he will get here on Wednesday night. He better be ready to have some fun though because we are going to party! (Like the good missionary kind of partying...)  So Saturday was pretty eventful.  This means that I'm going to be the senior companion know. Africa better look out because they won't know what hit them...because I have no clue what I am going to be doing! haha.  Don't worry though, we will be fine. Sunday was just normal again.  I gave another talk and conducted sacrament meeting.  I can't wait until I can just go to church and not have to worry about anything!  We had some lessons and then that was about it.  So that was my week. I'm going to be training a new missionary very soon so everybody....pray for me.  Well, I love you all and will talk to you again next week!

Love Elder Kitchen

Elder Kitchen and Elder Eldredge with the packages they received.  (Notice the mosquito nets over their beds.)

November 8, 2011

Hello everybody!

So...I have some big news for the week this week!  I got to eat cereal for the first time since I have been in Ghana!....wait a second, that's not the big news.  I'll just tell you the big news in the course of this email.  So started out as just a normal week.  Nothing too special was happening.  We were just teaching some lessons everyday and doing our work, but that was about it.  We watched the Joseph Smith movie with one of our members this week and that was fun. I am still in awe when I see what the members of the church had to go through when the church began.  I honestly don't think I could have done it if I would have been there. Nothing else really happened until the fifth.  This is when the big news came about....I guess I should just tell you.  I got a call from President Shulz and guess what...?  I'm going to be a trainer!  Yes, yes I know....you are probably thinking the exact same thing I was.  I'm guessing your thoughts are going something like this...."Sam, a trainer!? He just barely got there!  What are those people thinking!  Him and the new
guy are going to get themselves killed!"  So, if they aren't your thoughts, they are mine. Haha.  I'm not as nervous as I was before, but I still am pretty nervous.  So that is the reason that I did not email yesterday. I had to go down to Kumasi for a training of the trainers meeting.  The meeting was good.  We got down there and President and Sister Shulz were there and we just talked about training.  Then we had dessert and it was so good!  It was brownies with strawberry ice cream and then chocolate syrup on top.  I slept over at the Asokwa apartment and then just came back to Sunyani.  I really hate that bus ride.  Oh well, so that's how my week went.  Not too bad I guess.  Oh yeah, this morning I had cereal at the Zoll's and it was so good! Well, I hope everybody has a good week!  I love you guys!

Love Elder Kitchen

Uncle Again

Elder Kitchen was excited that he was able to announce that his sister Marianne was expecting again.          Congrats Mar, Nick and Aaron.  We're all excited!

Notice the African tie.