FM stands for Free Meals

Dear America,

Although the request was made for longer letters, I only have an hour. Trust me, I'm typing as fast as I can.

I'm glad to hear all the fun things! I've made it through week 3, which is one of the 'humps', according to dad.

The power was finally on for long enough for me to cut my hair on Saturday night. I've been waiting for WEEKS. Another thing I've been doing is gathering ingredients to make kind of an apple cobbler...thing.... for Elder Opio's farewell and late Thanksgiving hurrah at Elder Opio's request. In fact, I totally forgot that Thanksgiving was a thing until Elder Gibson reminded me. We were on a companionship exchange. Yes, I'm in the same zone as Elder Gibson. He's one of the zone leaders. He's from Sugar-Salem, Idaho. We have quite a bit in common. He says that he played football with Zack Bennett a lot in high school. So I guess he's cool. Haha it was neat to be with another white companion. Pretty much everyone assumed that we had no idea what we were doing, even though Elder Gibson has been here for a long time.

Here in Kronum, people love to feed the obroni and see what he thinks of the dishes. I've really enjoyed everything that they've given me. Except for some of the drinks, I've had to muscle through a few of those with a smile. Some of the foods I've had so far: fufu, a rice ball version of fufu, banku, some fish bones, some chicken bones, rice with soup, ga beans (gari+beans), plantains, moldy bread (my fault, and I got pretty sick), and last but not least, sobolo. Sobolo is a very special drink. I've had it twice so far, and depending on who makes it it can be wonderful or it takes some getting used to. Sobolo is made from several different fruit juices, mostly pineapple and orange. But. It has ginger in it as well. So much ginger. So much ginger that it burns your throat and your eyes on the way down. This is probably the closest thing I've ever had to fire whiskey. But it's really good if you can get some with a little less kick. The ginger kind of acts like carbonation, making your mouth tingle a bit. It's definitely something I'm making in America.

Here's my astute realization for the week: A lot of people wouldn't be happy in the Celestial Kingdom. They don't want to work that hard. Especially around here; people assure us that they have faith and they know that everything we say is true, but they can't muster the effort to keep any commitments. It reminds me that the same spirit that possesses you in this life will have power over you in the next as well. And here's what gets me: They'll be perfectly content in the Telestial Kingdom or whatever. They will get exactly what they wanted. A place to chill and relax forever, never really understanding what joy and happiness they could have. Because that joy comes with responsibility, and they don't want to have to deal with it. Whatever. They have agency. 

And they'll be totally content not to have to worry about being perfect.

The weirdest moment this week happened as we were having a discussion with a woman about the Restoration. Her five-year-old son kept interrupting and complaining, so she started breastfeeding him. So........eye contact.

I'm still learning more about my companion.
Elder Antwi: Cape Coast

Elder Opio: Uganda

Elder Ilunga: DR Congo

Love,

Elder Nelson

Like Noah and the Ark Kind of Hard

Dear America,

I WANNA KNOOOW.........HAVE YOU EVER. SEEN. THE RAIN?

Rain comes down hard here. Like Noah and the Ark kind of hard.

I really enjoy teaching our progressing investigators. But my favorite to teach are the young men ages 18-25. These guys are almost always the most humble, accepting, inquisitive investigators. They have questions about life, they are friendly, they are maturing, they speak English (!!), and they're so much fun to teach. I love being able to share truth with people and see it make sense to them as the Spirit connects the dots.

It turns out that Elder Antwi's favorite type of music is country music. I'm still learning Twi from him and he is learning music theory from me. I'm teaching him how to read music and play simplified hymns. So we're both learning a new language.

One thing I've realized is that I'm in Africa to prepare the future leaders of the church here, not just anyone. I'm seeing how true this is. And it would suck to be in America right now. I'm sympathetic to you. My information is probably outdated, but I heard the news of the church policy change two days before I left the MTC. And our first real investigator here walked up to us on the street and asked about the church's stance on gay marriage. I was able to give him The Family: A Proclamation to the World and explain the change that he had heard about. None of the other missionaries even knew about it. The communication chain out here isn't super fantastic. But I knew it and the man invited us to teach him more. He's turned out to be very powerful (powerful means good or high-quality). I'm just so glad that everyone here believes in God and wants to hear more. 

I ate fish bones just after I emailed last week. They aren't terrible if they're cooked really thoroughly. And served with fufu. Also, water sachets are really convenient. I'll try not to get parasites. All fruit here is heavenly. Mango season is just around the corner, which I can't wait for. They sell everything you could have a craving for on the side of the street. I like the oranges. They peel off the zest, the outermost layer of the peel, and then cut off a small circle off the top. You squeeze the orange and suck the juice from the top. Also, I learned that banana chips are made from plantains. At least I'm 95% sure that they are. They taste just like banana chips.

I've already had a marriage proposal and three girls request for me to take them to America, which is basically the same thing as a marriage proposal. Nope. I tell people how to get to heaven, not America. Also people keep thinking that I am 13-16 years old. Which is annoying. But I don't mind too much. I need a haircut.

I love being here. Elder Opio, a missionary in my apartment that is leaving for home this transfer, said: "Time really flies if you use it wisely." That meant a lot to me. I'm learning and growing every day. It's so much fun to be in this district, especially with Elder Opio about to die (go home). I'm getting a lot of advice and wisdom and missionary humor thrown at me.

Elder Bradley wants me to say hi to my family from his family. He said some of you will know his younger siblings.(This is the Grant 1st Ward's Bro. Bradley's brother)

I love serving!

Love,

Elder Nelson

P.S. We haven't had light (electricity) for the entire. week. straight. So I'm pretty used to it by now. But the cell phones we have are running out of battery. Whatever. It's part of life here.

Dear America,

It's been a great week in the life of Elder Nelson. I'm having such a great time here in Kronum 2 Area. 

I have close to no time to email. Limit it to just a couple emails that I have to read, then I would have infinitely more time to write.

The children here love me. I have not seen any other white people here except for the other missionaries at zone conference. The children call me "obroni", which means white man in Fante. On Sunday I had a group of them run up around me, hugging me and grabbing my arms and asking me if I was dead. I laughed and laughed and told them that I was not dead. The older people love it when the obroni plays with their children. And the obroni loves playing with the children while his African companion teaches their parents in Twi. So it all works out great. Shouts of "obroni!" follow me constantly.

I'm getting better at speaking without a terrible American accent. I'm also trying to learn some Twi from Elder Antwi. It's slow going, but it'll happen.

I'm having such a great time here in the field. I love being able to answer questions for people and show them truth. The hard part is when they don't keep commitments or when they are so stuck in their own ways that they refuse to change. They don't think they need anything more. I just tell myself that we need to find the people that the Lord has prepared for us. They are the ones who are humble and seek earnestly for the truth. A lot of people here don't even know very much about Christianity even though they are Christians. So they will believe pretty much anything we tell them. But they feel no need to change or become better. On the other hand, they're always willing to listen to a message about Jesus Christ, no matter which church you're from. Always. So that's good, I guess. They just don't know what the phrase "long-term commitment" means. Oh well. That's why we have the Spirit to guide us.

I'll tell you a little more about my companion, Elder Antwi. He is a lot like me, and doctrinally sound, friendly but not crazily outgoing, and fluent in Twi. So he's like me but a much better missionary. He's great at contacting, but would always rather work through the ward. He's smart and fun and obedient. I'm so glad I have him. Our area is interesting. We are both new here and we're basically re-opening the area. There are no records, no contacts, and no white men. Elder Antwi has only ever been in brand-new areas, and he is almost 8 months old on the mission. He says that the mission president has a lot of trust in us, which is interesting because I've only talked to the mission president for like a minute and a half maximum. Whatever. I'm Elder Antwi's first son and he is my father. There are four missionaries in our apartment, and they all know what they're doing. Except me. It's a great apartment to be in, so I'm learning lots. Our apartment is pretty nice. Not by US standards, of course, but I wasn't expecting US standards anyway so I'm fine. Sometimes we even have power. Occasionally. Whenever we're out contacting. Haha not really, but that's the way it seems. We've had power one night this week. The rest are in the dark. We proselyte until 7:30 every day because it gets dark at 6:00 and we don't want to waste daylight eating. I like it this way. I'm more focused. Elder Antwi is a great Ghanaian cook. He made soup with rice this week. I've eaten rice every day here, and it's really good.

I sleep spread-eagle on the mattress with no covers. It gets to be a rather pleasant temperature at night when the sun goes down. But we're going into the hot, dry season, so that might change.

Welllllll that's all for now. Hopefully we'll get to know the ward better and get some referrals. Until then, it's contacting, contacting, contacting.

Have fun in Idaho!

Love,

Elder Nelson

Note on Packages and Letters

Dear Parents,

 We have had challenges with the retrieval of large packages from the post office.  It has been both time-consuming and expensive.   Generally, all of the contents are removed and recorded. A large customs duty may be assessed on the contents at the discretion of customs officials, which ultimately comes from your missionary’s personal funds.  We kindly request that you do not send any large packages or boxes.

Just send padded envelopes or USP flat rate envelopes and make sure they are secured with PLENTY of clear packing tape.  We are unable to pick up boxes from the Kumasi Post Office so please send only the padded envelopes so your missionary will receive the goods you send.  Anything can be sent in these envelopes.

Please note the following additional points:

1.       Do not send any electronic equipment in parcels.  They can generally be purchased here at reasonable cost. 

2.       Sending packages as registered parcels is unnecessary.

3.       Sending temple garments is unnecessary as the Mission supplies these at a subsidized cost to missionaries. Sending them in packages often results in inappropriate handling by officials.

4.       Do not send an excessive number of parcels to your missionary, whether at Christmas or any time during the year.

The Ghana Kumasi Mission is part of the church pouch mail system. (But several of the missionary mothers say that normal mail takes 3 weeks, but pouch mail take 4-5 months!!! I am not including the pouch information for this reason.- Karie) 

                                                                                                                                                             

Regular Mail

Letters and packages can be sent to the missionary through the Postal Service using the following address:                                                                                                                                                                                

 GHANA KUMASI MISSION

               Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Elder/Sister (Missionary’s Name)

P.O. Box PMB KS 16333

Kumasi, GHANA

We thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Sister Cynthia Cosgrave

Wife of the Mission President

 He is in Kumasi for real! He is in the Bantama area with Elder Antwi.

In Kumasi

I'm alive and well in Kumasi. They were about an hour late picking us up from the airport, but other than that, nothing super exciting or dangerous happened. Besides driving. Driving is always a near-death experience. But I'm so excited and the mission home is really nice. We get to meet our trainers and move out tomorrow. And then I'll be able to email again next Monday.

Finally! Here it goes!

Love, 

Elder Nelson

Interact to edify

Prepare to Learn

Interact to Edify

Invite to Act

Temple Day at Ghana MTC Wednesday, Nov. 4

Where do the missionaries come from?

According to the Ghana MTC Blog-

Missionaries in the Ghana MTC come from various countries in Africa and a few countries out of Africa.    The top five origin countries for our 1441 missionaries this year are:

Nigeria        312 
Congo         298
Ghana         222
USA            205
Ivory Coast   112


Here are the 44 countries they came from:

AUSTRALIA

BELGIUM

BENIN

BOTSWANA

BURUNDI

COTEd'IVOIRE

CAMEROON

CANADA

CHINA

CONGO (DR)

CONGO (REP)

ETHIOPIA

FIJI

FRANCE

FR POLYNESIA

GHANA

INDIA

LESOTHO

KENYA

LIBERIA

MADAGASCAR

MALAYSIA

MALAWI

MOZAMBIQUE

NAMIBIA

NEWZEALAND

NIGERIA

PHILIPPINES

REUNION

RWANDA

SAMOA

SIERRA LEONE

SINGAPORE

SOUTH AFRICA

SOUTH SUDAN

TOGO

TONGA

UGANDA

UNITEDSTATES

ZAMBIA

ZIMBABWE

THAILAND

UNITEDKINGDOM

VANUATU

Dear America- Nov. 4, 2015

Dear America,

It's so fun to see all of the big changes at home! Sorry that I can't reply to every email that comes, but I had fun reading all of them. I laughed about leaving the mats at the dump. I arrived at the MTC after a day-long flight from SLC to NY and then to Accra. I only slept about two hours on the whole ride, but today was so exciting that I was able to keep going. Ghana is so green and red, with all of the tropical trees that I can't name and the red dirt. It's muggy here. Kind of like taking a hot, steamy shower. Except I don't take hot showers. The heat feels nice at first but you overheat after a while.

The native elders are so friendly and fun. They have it when I give them their snap handshake (it's a real thing). You shake and then slide off their middle fingers and snap as you go. The elders always greet you like an old friend, even when you've never met before. The portion sizes at meals here are huge. Little breakfast, HUGE lunch, and little dinner. Fruit is amazing in the extreme. So sweet and full of flavor.

My companion is Elder Peterson. He's nice and easy to get along with. He's also committed to keeping the rules, which is great. Traffic is crazy here. So crazy. Everyone is like Dad times ten but with no common sense and all in a hurry to get somewhere. If I die, it won't be from malaria. It'll be if I have to drive. The native elders are really good at soccer (football). Pdays are fun. Ghana is way less organized than the US. It'll definitely take some getting used to.

I got Elder Neville's letter in the MTC. I'm still looking for Elder Hepworth's. Dr. Bronner's mint soap is the best, when combined with a cold shower. The MTC here definitely isn't as structured as the one in Provo. It's more... basic. Everything is. The food is very good. They feed us so much food. Lots of rice, chicken, and bread. It's like white bread with some nutmeg in it. It's all very good. The rice is always flavored with a drumstick or something on the side. And there's a lot of it. It isn't too different than some of the flavored rice that mom makes, there's just more. Some of the Americans are having a hard time getting used to it, but I feel like I've been specially prepared to be here.

Elder Peterson and I are in charge of the music for the whole MTC because we're the only two who play the piano. It isn't too bad. But we sing like six times every day. It's actually fun because they sing so enthusiastically. Like yelling. And all down the halls, people will just burst into hymns. English and French are the only two languages taught here, but we also mix Twi, Fante, American slang, and movie references (the last two because the Americans felt left out without our own secret language). Being in charge of the music  also means that we are lead the "doxy song" at dinnertime. Doxycyclin is the pill we all have to take every day to prevent malaria. It goes to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it": "If you've taken your doxycyclin, clap your hands!..." and so on. Just so everyone remembers.

The temple in Accra is the most beautiful building I've ever seen. And I've been to a lot of temples. The inside is by far the most beautiful out of any temple I've ever been in. I'm coming back to Ghana, if only to visit the temple here.

I'm so happy to be here! I really am loving the MTC. A lot. I could stay here for two years. But I only have a week left! I'll tell you about all the crazy things in the outside world when I get there. I feel pretty sheltered here in the MTC. 

Love from Africa,

Elder Nelson

Stuffed to overflowing

Isaac made it to Ghana on Friday morning. He was able to take a full suitcase of p-day clothes and 2 pair of athletic shoes to the Ghana MTC for native missionaries. With additional donations he was able to fill a 2nd suitcase with 42 white shirts, 4 sandals, 5 pair of dress shoes and 7 outfits for native sisters that will be taken to the Kumasi mission for Christmas for the native missionaries.  Thank you to ALL in the ward who donated and thank you to the YW in our ward who helped shop for clothes for the sisters!!  It really made us recognize our many blessings both temporally and the blessing of being surrounded by a great ward and family.