MTC Letter

Dear Mom, Dad and Everyone Else, June 29, 2009

I am doing great! I love the MTC. There are 29 missionaries here, 6 of us are white. My companion’s name is Elder Michael Titus. He’s from Nigeria. I love him. Everyone here seems to have such unshakable faith. We have Elders here from Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Texas, Shana, Nigeria, some elders and sisters from DR Congo, one Elder from Sierra Leone, and a sister from Kenya. All of the missionaries from DR Congo speak French, but so do President and Sister Harmon, so everything is translated into French. Hymns are kind of fun with half of the congregation speaking French and the other half English. The food here is great. It’s almost entirely African. We eat things like fish. They give you the whole thing, just fried up. I have learned how to eat without getting the bones. Elder Titus eats the whole head and some of the bones. We have also had Ban-Ku. I don’t know how to spell it, but it’s just like the Fu-Fu that Dad and I tried, about the same consistency as cold malt-o-meal, which is the hardest part. The flavor’s not bad. I’m learning to like it. The pineapple here is so so good. I could eat until I got sick, but I don’t. They also have a lot of rice, and some noodles, all of which is very good. I am trying hard to be a good missionary, learning as much as I can. We have a lot of classes teaching us different teaching skills. They are also giving us lots of time to study on our own. My teaching skills are improving, but I’m not sure they are good enough yet. We keep learning what a big role both the spirit and the Book of Mormon play in our teaching. I hope to be able to use both effectively, but I am quite confident I will. I am making so many good friends here. It’s amazing. A little while ago I had the opportunity to give someone a blessing. How grateful I was for the experience I have had, having done it before. It was my companion’s twin brother, Elder Gabriel Titus. He’s allergic to meat and had eaten some. His skin was swelling with these bumps. I’m not sure what they were, but the next day he was healed. It was myself and his companion who gave the blessing. I sealed because Elder Larsen had never done a blessing before. The Africans here all love football (soccer) and most are very good at it. I have tried playing with them, but I am so inferior. I think I get in the way. Thank goodness they have a Ping-Pong table here. Some of them are pretty good at that too. But at least I can hold my own. It’s been rainy the past few days, so during our Physical

Activity time I introduced my companion to Ping-Pong, which he picked up so quickly. He’s been playing for two days now, and he’s throwing out things that I can’t always return. By the end of our time here, he may pass me up in skill. He learns very quickly. I taught him how to tie his tie (here it’s to knot his tie) and after once of walking through it he had it. Mariama was right about needing to have patience with my African companions though. I have taught my companion not to say “Lord Jesus” in the middle of a prayer to Heavenly Father. He’s still working on that. I also tell him to watch his language sometimes. I also taught him how to conduct a meeting. It’s amazing the amount of small small things we learn growing up in the church. I had the opportunity of going through the Accra Temple with these missionaries as they received their endowments. There were only a few of us who were previously endowed. Missionaries here are all different ages. The Titus twins are 20 and they range up to about 25, but no one is treated any differently. I have been taking a lot of good pictures that you will eventually see. I may send the first SD card back when I get to Sierra Leone. There is a missionary here from Sierra Leone. He’s actually my District Leader. He has told me a few things, mostly confirming what others have said. Life’s pretty good in Sierra Leone unless you are sent to a village where life is harder. But the people are better there. There is lots of rice. The people there are great. Sister Harmon, the Mission President’s wife told me and Elder Grabeau (gray-bow), who’s also going to Sierra Leone that they choose the best missionaries to go there. She said that West Africa is currently the forefront of missionary work in the church right now, and that Sierra Leone is the forefront of West Africa. Back to the temple; I had to assist several Elders with knowing how to do things. I felt so privileged and so lucky. The Accra temple is the smallest one I have ever seen and it’s located right on one of the busiest streets in Accra. It’s beautiful. It has no chapel and only one endowment room. You switch to another between. I’m going to try to get to the questions in your letter now. Thank you for writing! The schedule here consists of lots of classes, lots of study time and a few meetings in between. Every day we have a Physical Activity time for an hour, where we can do whatever activity we want, soccer, basketball, table tennis, whatever. After that we come in and take a shower. I’m taking two showers a day here, and I never thought a cold shower could feel

soooo good! The humidity here is amazing. It doesn’t really get too scorching hot, but you sweat a lot! But it’s a water sweat; it’s not as smelly as you’re used to. It’s kind of weird. The weather here is bearable though I’m coming to like it. Of course I’m not in it most of the time, I’m indoors. It rains every couple days for a couple hours. Thanks so much for those letters and the great advice. I may really need that if the works gets hard. I’m going to send this letter in the pouch. I don’t know how long it will take to get to you, but it’s being written on June 29, ’09. When I get to the mission I will be able to email. Sorry this letter is so scattered. I’m so glad to hear that things are going so well at home. It’s nice to know that the place isn’t going to shambles without me. Yes, I can usually understand the people in the MTC, with their various accents. Sometimes it’s hard, I have learned to talk slowly, and to ask people to repeat things. Yes, that picture was taken in the cafeteria here. The MTC is much nicer than anything close by. McKenzie, Just work hard to not have the shape of an “L” on your forehead OK? You have always been much more than that to me! The flight was OK. Taxiing the jet was probably the hardest for me. After the first flight I was used to it though. The second plane was much bigger. There really is that sign in the bathroom stalls. Some of them are ripped off though. There are so many things different here than America. I have been very flexible. I can in no way mention all of the little things that are new to me. On Sunday we had a very spiritual day. Lots of great meetings and I got to sing a special musical number in a fireside (myself and two other Elders sang “Child’s Prayer”. I just learned today that my companion didn’t know about the Word of Wisdom until he got here and learned to teach it. He has committed to obey it from now on and I absolutely have no doubt that he will. I’m sorry for not writing sooner. I wasn’t sure what was allowed. We can’t email here. I recently learned that I will have to somehow reduce the weight of my luggage considerably to get to Sierra Leone. I think that it will need to be 60 lbs total or something. Well, end of paper. I’ll send another letter, or try to while here. I love you all sooo much. Your prayers are much felt. Thank you and I hope you had fun in Wisconsin.

Elder Spencer Lowe