Chickens are the devil's servants

Hey everybody,

    This week was really good.  We got 40 lessons this week which is like an area high.  Zone leaders were astonished.  I will talk more about it in a minute.

   On Tuesday, we had a zone meeting, which the zone leaders wanted us to come up with a mission culture and things we could change and what we wanted changed.  I haven't been here long enough to know what is good and poor so I didn't contribute much, but everyone else talked forever about how they wanted leaders to represent them better and to have better communication with the Mission President.  In short, the meeting went about 2 hours long and we missed a few appointments.  We did meet Peter that day,  a catholic who is willing to convert if he learns that the gospel is true.  He is a cool guy and fed us ampeci, the Ghana version of chips and salsa, with boiled plantain which becomes hard, and a sauce made of onions, carrots, oil and pepper. (If there is more, I don't want to know).  On Wednesday, I went on splits with Elder Orji though our area.  It was cool to be with someone else for a change.  We visited some of our PI's, (progressing investigators). On Thursday, we had some plumbers come to the apartment that should have came Wednesday, but didn't.  Helgesen and I waited all day for them.  They came at 10ish and said they would come back "soon".  They didn't and we wasted the entire day.  To add to that the power was out from 10am the day before to 5pm Thursday.  I wasn't too happy that day.  On Friday and Saturday, we worked extra hard to make up for Thursday. 

Elder Ashby- A selfie

Another selfie....(We really don't know)

   Chickens are the devil's servants because they disrupt lessons and when you get a lot of them making noise, the spirit leaves and is difficult to bring back, so you usually make a return appointment and finish the lesson then.  We have a family of pretty good investigators.  They are semi-serious, but they make us food on every visit. And it is great food.  Sunday, we tried to go out with some of the recent converts that were baptized before I got here but one was busy and the other wouldn't come out when 3 drops of rain hit his head, it didn't even rain hard that day.  Africans don't like rain. So if it is raining, the people won't let you leave until it stops.  It can be good or bad. but you usually get a new investigator out of it.  That is how my week went. 

Elder Ashby and Alex, a recent convert who helps them teach others

   The deer hunt sounded like a lot of fun.

    My selection of food I can make is small.  For breakfast, i have a choice of fried egg, egg in toast, fried egg sandwich, and french toast.  I can also make pancakes.  Lunch is about the same unless I buy something on the street.  If I do that, I can get a ball float for 50 pesoway which is like a doughnut but just a fried ball of dough, or a meat pie which is a pastry with some meat in it.  It is good, flaky pastry and looks like a pop tart with no frosting.  For dinner, if no one feeds us, I get more eggs or spaghetti or rice and Orji's stew.  Stew is basically spaghetti sauce with a lot of peppers.  Depending on who makes it, it can be good.  Orji's is really good.

  It is raining hard right now and has knocked out the internet.  I was hoping to be able to talk with you guys for a bit before mom goes to work but the rain is being dumb, sorry.


   I guess I said I would talk about the 40 lessons more.  As a district we set a goal to get 40 lessons for each companionship.  So our district got 120+ lessons.  The zone leaders were baffled and bought us cookies for our hard work.  It was cool.  We are going to try for the record of 60 lessons next and go for 70 in a week because Wednesday going to Kumasi will kill the day.  We are also buying district vests so when we get them I will send you a picture.

The outside of my apartment

The inside.  The punching bag is good stress relief and a good role playing person.