New things

Hey everyone, 

    I am glad that one of the packages made it.  I hope that the other one makes it as well. (His nativity scene.  The package with his flash drive of pictures is in the package we have not received yet.)  I enjoyed talking with you a bit on Monday.  The Cosgraves made us hamburgers and we had a departure devotional.  The next day, we flew to Accra and met with all the others missionaries going with us.  Getting our bags checked was kind of a pain.  I got to the gate and they told me to go back to the front.  They said there was something wrong with my bag I checked.  So I walked all the way back and one of the senior couples helped us.  It wasn't even my bag, so I went back up and the owner came down.  They thought it was a bullet, but it was a hammer.  I had to go through security twice. 

    The flight to Freetown was 2 hours long.  When we landed we took a water taxi across the bay and the mission president took us to the mission home.  We had 2 days of instruction about rebuilding the mission.  Every single one of us is new to this country so we are all learning, even president.  He doesn't want the missionaries to take over the branches, or have the members rely on the missionaries too much.  On Friday, we were assigned companions and areas.  Elder Vincent of the area presidency came and talked with us.  My companion is Elder Samche from Ghana.  He lives in Kumasi so he knows all the places I do. 

    There are 40 missionaries so we all have multiple branches.  We have 3 in ours.  The Grafton, Kosso Town and Allen Town branches.  The area is so big.  We take motor taxis everywhere.  They are called rocatas.  They are fun.  My apartment is probably one of the best in the mission.  You know the generator schedule for Liberia. It is the same here.  (The Liberia mission was able to run their generators from 7 PM to 10 PM) But for us, we have 2 senior couples in our compound and one of the counselors to the mission president there, so we have light almost all day and night.  Right now there are 4 of us there, but when the other apartment is preped, the other 2 will go and it will be only 2 of us there. 

    The people are cool.  They are different than Ghana, but they are humble and ready to learn.  They have a fufu, but it is basically bonku. (I'm sure he is very happy to have something close to fufu as he loves it so much)  Hopefully, in the next few weeks, I can learn my area better.  I have an idea of the junctions and places, but it will take a while to know it well.  My companion has only been here a month so he knows it a bit better.  Most of the people are Muslim, but they are the most converts that are in the country.  I think it will be fun.

    Right now, there is not much more to say, but next week I can tell you more about the area.

I love you all.  Have a great week.

Elder Warner Ashby

Coming into Sierra Leone

Water taxi