Second Email!

July 13 09

Hey Mom and Dad,

I’m great! My stomach has been giving me trouble today though, just getting used to the food, and all the new bacteria’s. I think I am going to cut my hair so that I don't need hair gel. My apartment is great compared to other houses around; the water comes and goes, when it comes, we fill up barrels of water to use for dishes, and drinking, and bathing and washing our clothes. Everything we heard about taking a bath by dumping cold water on your head is true, and washing clothes by hand, which I learned how to do today, it's not too hard. It just takes a while. We do have a pump filter for our water to make it safe to drink. I eat all kinds of stuff that we get on the streets from vendors, just like that picture we saw of a market in Freetown, that's how the best of the streets look. Everything is poorly built and run down. My companions name is Elder Lauti. He's from Salt Lake and from Tonga. He's a former Highland Rugby player. Him and his friend, also a Tongan rugby player, both got called to this mission. My companion is great, he's showing me everything, and introducing me to everything. I'm learning the culture and the accent, and trying to learn Krio, it's a work in progress. Most of the people speak English, so as long as I use their accent, we can usually understand each other well enough.

There are small bugs everywhere here, and even some big ones. There are the spiders and cockroaches in our apartment, and the mosquitoes here are like the houseflies back home. I also picked up a huge, about six inches long, millipede the other day. I’ve been teaching my companion about the wildlife here, it's kind of funny that I know more than him, but I’ve studied it for a long time.

Yes, it's the rainy season here, and yes the rain is frequent. It's often a mist, which I swear is both forming and falling in the same area. Unlike home where a big storm cloud comes over and rains. I swear it just rains here because the humidity reaches 100 percent, so it just turns to water. I don't know when the children attend school. I think it depends on the school that they go to. There is no such thing as public school. I think most of them are out right now though, from what I’ve gathered.

The church here is very young. We are in the beginning stages, the leadership doesn't always know what to do, but they are trying, and we are trying to help. A good percent of our work is done with the members, and reactivating them. Not many baptisms because the branches couldn't handle it, having many new people. But the people are great. Anyone will listen to us, and often people will stop us as we are walking and want to hear our message. I wish they would attend church and keep commitments as well as they listen. That’s kind of a problem. I was able to take everything from the MTC, the church offered to pay for the extra weight since I was not told that it could only be 66 lbs total. The culture here is sooo different. Everyone lives outside pretty much. I mean they have houses, but they are mostly outside. Everyone is very nice, a lot of Muslims in my area, it's called Thunder Hill, it's in the city near Freetown.

The mission really isn't that big. There are only missionaries around Freetown and Bo, and Kenema, and then Monrovia in Liberia. It sounds like I will get to go to Liberia at one point or another. It seems everyone has.

When people work, it's all with their hands, not many machines. But when they don't, they sit around. A lot of sitting around here, so we go up and contact those people! People usually live with some sort of family, but there are a lot on their own too. Families are in every form though; they just all need somewhere to stay, so they share teeny little dwellings. We only teach in English, except for this one lady, and my companion then teaches here in as good of Krio as he can. She can't read either, so I’m not sure how well things are going to go with her. Most people that I’ve seen are at least somewhat literate. Like they at least went to primary (elementary) school. The only technology you really see is cell phones, most people have them. How they charge them I’m not sure. The only electricity we have here is supplied by a generator that we have to start for a few hours in the evening.

The people like me. The kids call me “weat man” or “wit man”. A lot of them want to touch my hands, it's kind of cool. I feel like a celebrity walking though some parts of this place. There is some really good African food. And there is some that it's just better to take your mind completely out of. I really like teaching, especially when people keep their commitments! I’m still struggling to know my way around and to put names with faces.

Everything here is so, so, not organized, things are just everywhere. There are chickens, sad looking chickens running around all over the place. I’m not exactly sure what their purpose is. Even more than that are the lizards. Lizards are everywhere. You almost step on them sometimes, they are all over. Oh, and dogs, the dogs here are pretty much all sad, very sick, mongrels. They just lay around. I feel bad for them.

Are you sending your emails to this address? This is the only one I’ve checked. Maybe I’ll look at the other before I leave. I'm in an internet cafe; it's actually a kind of nice little building. WITH AC! I’m so glad to hear about how well everything is going back home. I’m jealous of the trip to Nauvoo and Wisconsin. But I do teach the restoration a lot! Does that count? (hehe)

Emailing me on Sunday works out well. P-day is Monday. I sleep with a mosquito net, but they like to bite my feet, hmmm. This place is so opposite from what I’m used to. It's a lot to take in and a lot to learn, but I’m getting better. I really have to lean on our Heavenly Father some times, but he never fails, so I have nothing to worry about. This is the most adjusting I have ever had to do in my life for sure. Probably for the rest of my life as well, but, as long as I strive to keep the spirit with me, it'll be alright.

My apartment is all Americans, Pres. Squires say that it's the first time that's ever happened in this mission. But it's great, they teach me a lot. Apartment is district. My district leader's name is Elder Lindey, he was in High School Musical 2 in the dancing on the baseball field scene. He went out with all the main actors in that, they became friends. He says the blonde bratty one, (What's her name again?) is the nicest in real life.

Well, I’m being timed, g2g. I love you all so much and I thank you for remembering me in your prayers.

Elder Lowe