February 27, 2012

 Hey everybody!

We had a good week this week. I'll start with last Tuesday. So on Tuesday we were able to get a microphone and speaker for our unit! The Nkwabeng branch had an extra microphone so they gave one to us. We were all pretty excited to get that for sacrament meeting. Then we went to district meeting and that went really well. On Wednesday we met the new Couple. It is Elder and Sister Thayne. It was really fun to meet them and they are great. They seem a little culture shocked, but who isn't when you come here. The AP's took us back to our area and we went and saw one of the people that Elder Hair used to teach because he was in Fiapre. Then on Thursday we were started our institute class that we have on Thursdays and right as it started there was a big rain storm. It hasn't really rained since November but this was a huge storm. The wind was going crazy and then there was awesome lighting everywhere. The lights started to spaz out and then we were running on about 1/4 current for a while before it went out for the night. It felt good though because we just opened up the windows and let the breeze in. The next morning the lights were still out but they fixed them pretty quick. During the storm, we walked Vivian home because we wanted to make sure she got home alright so we got really wet but it was fun. Then on Friday we had a lesson with an investigator named Nancy. She is really smart and she is a lot of fun to teach because she understands so much. She wasn't able to come to church though because she is in Kumasi for school for the weekend. Then on Saturday the Zoll's came up with Elder Willyerd to help the Thayne's with all of their computer stuff. Elder Belnap went into town with Elder Willyerd and his companion to go around with him and get supplies that they needed. It was fun to be with Elder Willyerd for a little while because I haven't really seen him very much since the MTC. Then at night we were going to havea baptism for one of Elder Obasi and Elder Mensah's investigators buthe wasn't quite ready. Then on sunday we just had a normal day at church and then after that we went to Bertha's house and they fed us some Banku and it was pretty good. They just love to feed us. Then we went to go and watch Mountain of the Lord at Sister Affiah's house but the power went out so we couldn't do anything. Then this morning I just did my wash and everything. Nothing too special today but the past week wasn't too bad. So until next week! Everyone be safe and I love you all!

Love Elder Kitchen

P.s.  I ate this really thick nasty rubbery cow skin this week. It was gross and I had to eat so much of it. I just thought I would tell you.

Elder Kitchen eating sugar kenkey.

February 20, 2012

Hey everybody!

 It's been a pretty good week this week. Starting with last Tuesday I guess that was Valentines Day. We had a good lesson with Frank and he told us that he believes it's all true but he is just having a difficult time leaving his church.  The next day was kind of rough because everybody was failing their appointments and so we just went and ate rice at Lizzy's. She always gives us a lot of rice and only for two cedis. Then we went to have a lesson with Vivian and it turns out that she was making us food! She made both Elder Belnap and I a huge plate of rice each. I was already extremely full and looking at that mountain of rice made me want to cry but I had to eat it. So we both finished it and I felt like I couldn't move. We had to just waddle out of there and head to our next appointment. I felt sick but everything turned out okay. Haha. Then one Thursday I got some mail and two packages! Thank you for all of the stuff! It has been really great. We had our first night of institute that night too. We decided to have a class every Thursday night so people can come and have an activity during the week. After that I headed over to Penkwase to be on splits with another Elder. So Friday I was over in Penkwase all day and it was pretty fun. I think that I do like my area better but that is okay. While I was there I had another experience of eating so much that I wanted to throw up. I had a huge lunch that Elder Nwatu made for me and then a few hours later a member fed us so much food! I'm probably going to get fat if I keep eating like this. So on Sunday we had church and quite a few people came and most of them were on time so it was pretty awesome. I think we had about 34 people counting the missionaries. Then after church we just passed by some people saying hello to them and then had a lesson with Charlotte. Today we woke up to having no water but luckily it has come back since so hopefully it stays on. We did our wash and everything and now we are just getting all of our p-day stuff done. So there's my week. I hope everyone is doing well. I love you guys and will hear from you next week!

Love Elder Kitchen

February 13, 2012

Dear Family and Everybody else!

What's up!? How is everything back home? It was fun to just read the emails from everybody. So this week was sweet even though I don't really know what to write about. Good thing I take notes throughout the week I guess. So last Tuesday we had district meeting and I instructed with Elder Obasi. It went pretty good. I'm not a huge fan of doing that but it was okay. Then later that day we didn't really have anybody to see so we just passed by Bertha and her family to see if they needed any help with anything. Elder Belnap helped them pull up water from the well and everything but I may have just played football with the kids! It was a lot of fun. So on Wednesday we had a lesson with one of our investigators named Kingsley and he said that he would be baptized! We just need to talk about it a little more with him before it happens so hopefully he gets baptized. So nothing really happened on Thursday so I will skip to Friday. We were having a lesson with Bertha and she told us that she would probably want to be baptized so we are pretty excited. We just need to make sure if she is serious about it now. On Saturday, Gladis surprised us with fufu and banku when we went to her house! It was really nice of her. We are planning on her being baptized on March 3rd so hopefully everything goes well. So on Sunday we just had church. I conducted this week so I also gave a talk. After church we went to Bertha's because she wanted Elder Belnap and I to come and eat fufu with them. We got there and they made us so much food! We had so much fufu and so much chicken! They also gave us a sparkling cidar drink that was way good. People here are just too nice to me. I never feel like I deserve what they always do for us. Then we went to have a lesson with Charlotte who is a member and she surprised us with some food too. Don't worry everybody...I'll probably come back fat if every week was like this. So Sunday was pretty good. Then this morning we went and played football and it was lots of fun. We won 3-1 so I was pretty happy! ;) So that was my wonderfully great week! I hope you all are doing well! I love you guys! Peace until next week!

Love Elder Kitchen

February 6, 2012

Hello!

Well, this is the second time that I am writing this. I was about halfway through and of course all of the computers just turn off right as I am typing. Oh well, I guess I will just write this again. So my week was pretty  good but not a whole lot happened. Earlier this week we went to Gladis' and she was cooking her food that she was going to sell the next day so we helped her with it. We have been stopping by Gladis' a lot lately because we are trying to make sure that she is ready for her baptism at the end of this month. Gladis is funny...for some reason she just randomly does her funny laugh and then says, "Elder Kitchen, you are lazyyy!" Haha I don't know why she says it but it makes me laugh. Then later in the week we were just passing by the shop where we always get stuff from and the girl who sells the stuff started talking to us and we somehow got on the subject that she didn't think that I could catch a little goat that was outside of the shop. So I just went out and caught the thing! Haha it was so awesome. She gave me a little chocolate from the store for doing it too. Then that night we had a lesson with Nancy who has been away on vacation since December from school and it went well. She promised to read the Book of  Mormon so hopefully she does it. Then on Saturday we had a fireside for all of Sunyani. We went to it with Gladis and then Bertha and her family showed up so it was pretty sweet. A member from each area spoke at the fireside and then there was a baptism after that and it went great. After that we had to say goodbye to Elder Speechly because he is going home this week. I'm going to miss that guy. Oh yeah, I also found out that I am going to be staying  here in Fiapre for at least one more transfer so at least until about March 20 or so, but maybe longer then that...we will see. Sunday was a little crazy. Of course the kids were the main part of the craziness! I love them but sometimes they just make me want to die! Then last night we watched On the Lord's Errand with Sister Affiah an her family. Then this morning  has been pretty boring because it was our cleaning P-day so all we did this morning was clean. So, that was my  week...

Well have a great week and you'll hear from me next Monday!

 Love Elder Kitchen

January 30, 2012

Hello!

So my week was good. It feels like it was so fast this week so I almost feel like I don't have much to talk about...but I will try. So last Tuesday some interesting things that happened were that we showed up to see Gladis and she didn't want to learn because she was too tired and she had to get some things from the market, so we asked if she needed help and she just..."Okay, come" and she started walking to the market. We just walked around with her following her around like we were her kids at the grocery store and we carried her bags for her back to her house. It was really funny. Then we went and saw Bertha and her family and we couldn't teach them but they were pounding fufu so we pounded for them. Then on Wednesday went to see Vivian and she was really busy and we ending up helping her get water from the well and then we mopped her floor for her. After that we went to Sister Affiah's because she invited us all over to have fufu. Then I ended up getting my haircut...well just shaved off. haha. I can't wait to just get a normal haircut because I look so weird with my head shaved. We just used a number four and shaved the head. On Thursday president came up and we had a district meeting and interviews. They told us what our mission slogan or motto was too. I think the one before was Remember who you are, but ours now is Forever Strong so it's pretty sweet. Friday was pretty slow so we just walked around contacting people for a while and then we met up with the zone leaders because we went on splits with them from friday night to saturday night. Saturday was a good day though. I went with Elder Brown and he is a great missionary. We taught some pretty good lessons and I learned a lot from him. Then we met back up with everybody at our building because the other Elders in Fiapre were having a baptism. Then Sunday was a good day but very tiring. I of course had to take care of the dang primary again and they made me exhausted. They are so wild all of the time. I never want to be a primary teacher after I get home. We went and saw a few people and then we went over to Sister Affiah's because they have been asking about American food and the topic of pancakes came up so they told us to come and make them some so we did and they loved them. haha. They don't really eat anything sugary so it was a little different for them but they liked it. Then we watched Legacy with them and Sister Affiah loved it. During the whole thing she was just getting all upset when bad things were happening. It was a lot of fun. Then this morning we went and had a football match and it great. I have a headache now though because it was so hot. Oh yeah, Gladis has a baptismal date now, we just need to get her to come to church regularly until then. Hopefully by the end of February or so it will happen. So that was my week. Pretty awesome. Just pushing right along! Well everybody, have a wonderful week and be safe! Love ya'll!

 Love Elder Kitchen

January 23, 2012

Hey!

This has been a pretty good week here.  So on Tuesday I was able to try my cereal that I bought.  I have to use soy milk with it but it honestly isn’t too bad.  We had district meeting and that was sweet
then after that we went and met an investigator that the former missionaries had been teaching.  We didn’t really even know where she lived so we luckily were able to find her.  She was really nice and she gave us a drink and treats when we got there.  After that, we went and saw Gladis and she committed to baptism but she just needs to come to church a few times before we can baptize her.  We saw Bertha and her family after that and helped them get water out of their well again and I played some football with a bunch of kids and it was pretty fun.  Then on Wednesday we bought some Banku from Gladis’ shop for lunch and it was way good.  The liver she gave us was alright but not too bad.  That day we also met a guy from parliament…which was really random.  He is just going around talking to everybody and being nice because it is an election year.  Thursday was pretty quiet.  We had our weekly planning with the zone leaders and then had just a normal day.  A guy yelled at us and called us stupid so I just called him a fool and walked away.  I probably shouldn’t have done that but some people just make me mad sometimes.  Oh well…sorry, that was random.  Haha.   Friday nothing happened, but on Saturday our apartment went and ate pizza for lunch. Then Elder Belnap and I went to see Frank our investigator and watched the Joseph Smith movie with him.  I think he liked it a lot.  Right after that, we went to Gladis’ because she wanted us to and we got there and she fed us! She made us Banku and Tomato and Onion stew.  It was way good and it was cool because she ate with us which doesn’t happen very often.  She also called herself our junior mother so nobody has to worry about me because I’m being taken care of.  Then Sunday was pretty great because a bunch of our investigators showed up at church including Gladis. Then after church Gladis told us to pass by again so we did and she fed us again!  She gave us rice and then told us to start helping her make some light soup.  We did and then she made fufu with fish and beef with it.  It was so good!  She ate with us again too!  She is such a nice lady and she keeps telling us to take her to America so she can teach everybody to eat African food.  Then this morning I had to wash my clothes by hand because the washer is no longer with us….it’s passed on. ;) It wasn’t terrible though.  So that was my week!  I hope everybody is doing great!  I love you guys!

Love Elder Kitchen

January 16, 2012

Hey everyone!

I hope you all had a good week!  Mine was alright...nothing special though.  I'll just start from the beginning of last week I guess. Tuesday was pretty great because we went to district meeting and then the Zoll's surprised us by coming up at the end and bringing pizza and drink for everybody.  They came up to bring supplies so they wanted to do something nice for us.  It was a great district meeting.  Then we taught seven lessons that day so we were busy but having a great time. On Wednesday we decided to go to a different part of our area called Berlin Top to show Elder Belnap around those parts.  Then we went to see one of our investigators to say hello and they were about to start getting water from their well so we just asked if we could help them.
We ended up pulling up water out of this well for about 45 minutes or something.  My hands were blisters all over them and were just worn raw.  We helped them with their dishes too and then we left.  The rest of the night we were just exhausted from doing it.  The well was so deep so it made us very tired.  Nothing really happened after that until Saturday when President came up.  He just had some meetings but he wanted to see all of the missionaries so he just called us all over to Nkwabeng and just talked for a little while and then he gave us some money so we could get a treat.  He is such an awesome guy.  Then we went to teach Gladis but she told us to wait for a little bit and then she fed us dinner.  She is such a nice lady.  It was rice with a bunch of vegetables and stuff in it.  We just went and witnessed a baptism at Estates after that and then our day was done.  Sunday was kind of a long day.  I conducted this week and gave a talk and then I had to go and take care of the primary for two hours!  I love those kids but they are not too fun to try and teach.  All of our appointments after church failed so it felt like we were just walking around with nothing to do, but it was alright.  This next week might be a busy one so we will see.  We are hopefully going to talk to a few people about baptism so we will see where that takes us.  So that was my week.  I love you guys and hope everything is going great!  Have a wonderful week and be safe!  :)

Love Elder Kitchen