Elder Warner Ashby in Africa: rain, rain go away

Monday, October 12, 2015

rain, rain go away

Hey everyone,

I am glad that you got the pictures and got to talk with Schraedel. Any of the pictures where I was with Schraedel and lined up with others was probably a district picture. Those pants that split just made it the one required year and then gave up the ghost. I have since started wearing my other half anyway. (We asked several questions about his pants ripping based on his hand written letter) About the kid we named, I have never seen her and Schraedel didn't like my suggestion of a name. We agreed that it had to be Book of Mormon or church history but the only female names where Sariah or Abish. I suggested Abish, but he didn't like it so he chose Liahona. That is why I never mentioned it. I never even saw the girl. (Elder Schraedel mentioned in our visit with him that he and Elder Ashby were given the opportunity to name a baby of a recent convert)

This week it rained every evening except for Sunday. We ended up taking shelter or making a run for it depending on where we had to be. We ran to the chapel for our meeting and took a tro home sometimes to stay somehow dry. Every road is mud and the humidity is really high.

I conducted my first district meeting. It didn't go quite liked I wanted. I forgot some points and had to go back and do them. My instruction went well I think. Being district leader is nice. I went on exchange with Elder Nortey-annan this week. It was cool. Elder Brandt enjoyed my area. We were never able to find Kwame this week. Elder Lindley found him on Saturday with Elder Brandt. He will need a special interview from President before he can baptize. Hopefully he will come this week for Kwame to interview with him.

One of our members gave our apartment fufu yesterday. She almost killed us. She gave us each a large loaf of fufu. I finished mine first and then helped eat some of Elder Brandt's. That guy is going to die out here. That was his second fufu and he wanted to throw up after each. We have decided that if you were a picky eater back home, you will eat anything here and if you eat anything back home, you will hate the food for a while here. Was I picky back home? Because I will eat anything here. I still couldn't finish his, but I ate a good portion of it. ---This is a little bit he wrote to his dad about some mystery meat they ate a while back---- "So the meat that we ate was the last week before we were transferred. We taught an investigator and they gave us soup and meat. There were 3 pieces of meat. I ate one piece and it crumbled in my mouth and did not taste nice at all. Schraedel ate a smaller piece and said that it spewed rancid juices all over his mouth and just squished. I took one for the team and ate the other piece which was the same as the first. We agreed that if we were both dead the next day, it was the meat."

Sunday was missionary Sunday in the branch. We were in charge of doing almost everything. We blessed and passed the Sacrament and gave talks and taught the classes. When we were planning it, I made sure that I got to teach the youth Sunday School and Young Men. We had fun. I taught about parables and teaching using parables of everyday objects. We likened a phone to some sort of topic and I had each kid give their own parable. In Young Men's, they didn't give me a lesson or manual, so I taught them how to play hang man using church topics and scriptures. We had a fun class. (I chastised him small about playing Hang Man. This is what he wrote:) We planned the service with Ike. I had come home with a headache because of the sun and loud funeral music and didn't get a lesson prepared, so I prepped on Sunday morning. That is my excuse anyway. Need some sort of fun in class.

I hope everyone has a great week. Enjoy the hunt this weekend. I wish you luck. Also looking forward to next year when I can finally go. Enjoy the pictures

Love, Elder Warner Ashby