Belated post from Jan 19 2009

So this week was pretty interesting. I decided since I have the
only apartment in the mission with an oven I decided I wanted
cake. So I bought the stuff and showed off my skills because
everyone else freaked out when they smelled it and I told them
I was making a cake. It sort of was rough though since they ate
most of it. I was pretty angry but I just went outside and did
more pushups and came back into the kitchen later and made myself
another cake. With transfers this week I had no change. Surprise
surprise I'll be here again with the same missionary. Though
he is now the District Leader which is kind of nice it seems
like that has inspired him to work harder. That is great
Michelle had her baby, tell her congratulations for me!
Yeah I heard about the lock down at the school! I guess things
have already started changing since I've left. Glad to hear that
everything turned out okay and no one got hurt. Yeah the planner
thing was cool but I didn't think about it too long. Yeah that
is exactly why I'll stay in the city because the outlying areas
aren't populated enough to concentrate the efforts there. I saw
all the missionaries at christmas conference so it was good to
see my zone at zone conference and actually know people. We had
it in the area office which is in the Temple compound, about a
10 min walk from the mission home. Sounds like between work,
colts, and the truck you have all sorts of things on your
hands. I hope you will be able to work it all out and have some
rest. Sounds super busy. Sounds like everyone has a garden but
you mom. When are you going to get started? Haha. Yeah Austin
told me about how you guys came down. He seemed really thankful
for the help he got but I bet you already knew that. The bugs a
re always around but I hear they do get a little worse during
the wet times because of the more water being present just around.
Yeah I guess I will wait and tell you what happens when the actual
wet season begins. Hope everything is going fine! I love you guys. 

Update From Travis

A sweet bowl of fufu with some crabs. You eat the crabs whole and they
aren't that tasty. the other thing in the background is intestine
and it isn't super tasty, but whatchagonnado? Plus they serve it
with warm fanta!

I eat with my hands A LOT!!! They laugh since I'm so fair and their food is
so spicy that I get red in the face because I'm not use to it still.

This week has been pretty good besides I have been sick. And no it isn't anything serious. They finally decided who the president would be and everyone went crazy! It is like a giant street party. Everyone was out wearing NDC ( the party that won ) shirts and stuff. Dancing. Stacks of speakers blaring music. Needless to say for like two days we didn't get too much done. Everything is going pretty good. Last night I went through my old planner and switched some names and numbers to my new one. Crazy to think my I have already gone through my first one. We have zone conference this week. I'm pretty excited to see what all of that will mean. It is crazy to think I've almost made it through my first transfer. After just one more I won't show up as a greenie, or as they say now MTC on the mission map. That is pretty strange to think about. I think it will be a lot longer before I start feeling like I'm not the new kid on the block. It was really good this week with this one guy. We contacted his house and he ended up teaching us the first lesson. He received a pamphlet and the missionaries never followed up but he already has a testimony started and we'll see where that all goes. I had my first experience of a girl, probably 3 or 4, start screaming when I walked into a housing compound. Since I am so white and fair she got scared and pretty much had an emotional break down. I felt so bad for her but it isn't like I can do that much, though I do need to cut my hair. It must be the humidity here but my hair is growing even faster then it seemed to back home. I have started to cook oatmeal for meals and snacks to get a break from rice and yam. We'll see what happens since lately I have been gaining some weight. Everyone talks about the "rice belly" it is like a beer belly but with rice. Supposedly everyone gets it but I guess I'm going to have to break the mold because yeah I just refuse not to come home with a gut. Even though lately for p-days we just lay around like lazys since my companion isn't that active. Today I pretty much told him I wanted to go to the market to buy these african ties, jatala, and see the whole atmosphere and culture. I'm pretty excited

I hope the Cardnials win. I think they have the heart from all of it sounds like the time to be an Arizona fan!

Opening my first package!!!!! it was even on Christmas! LUCKY!

This is the lady we baptized. The other white elder is elder iverson from hurricane, ut and he is so funny. It is great to hang out with him when I get the chance. He is in our district so I see him once or twice or a week usually.

This week has been pretty good. We did a lot of contacting since we dropped a bunch of investigators since they haven't even attempted to come to church and just like our visits or something I guess. Umm . . . it is really cool that since we have been going to some of the same neighborhoods people and kids are getting over the fact that I'm white and will talk to me and stuff. Everyone still stares a lot. My favorite was this lady I started talking to and she acted surprised and said Wow! You're obruni (white man). I told her yes I am white, but I have this lovely message of the restoration of Christ's church in our time and I'd love to take some of your time and share it. She didn't really listen but oh well. It was pretty cool still. We are having a super p-day today. We are eating fish, disgusting nasty fish, and playing board games like scrabble. I'm not that excited but hopefully they were just joking. I met and talked to a family from Draper, UT that were in Sacrament Meeting. They are here adopting two children from an orphanage in Koforideua ( like a hour drive from Accra ) It was interesting to talk to one of the guys. He served his mission in Accra back in like 1992. He says not that much has really changed since then. Yes mom and dad we took care of our baptism and she even still comes to church. It is great. Everything else has been going pretty good. I bought a pineapple from a street vendor and mmmm was it good. My companion thinks it is weird that like twice this last week I would make my own little bit of rice and eat it plain with some cinnamon sugar and that is about it. He says you can't eat rice like that. I told him I was american and would do what I wanted. That is about it from this side of the ocean. Crazy to think we are in a new year and what not. Crazy to think that six months ago I opened my call. Time certainly is moving. I hope everyone is doing well!

On New Year's people here were lighting off some big fireworks and it was cool since it was right behind the mission home so I got to see them when they started but I went to bed after that. Mattie and Addison are just growing up crazy fast. By the time I get home I'll probably barley recognize them! That is cool the cardinals are in the playoffs, it'll mean more to me if they win. We'll see how it goes. Love you guys! Good luck this week!

Christmas Greetings from Ghana

So I am going to start writing a basic email that covers everything and
then will add little bits and pieces on the ends for the person it specifically
is getting sent to. Crazy to think that this is my last email of 2008. It was
great talking to everyone that I got to during my christmas call. Too bad
I wasn't able to talk to everyone. Maybe next time I'll catch the ones I
missed or something. I know you heard a lot of the bad things but really
it isn't too bad . . . I guess. I really do love it. Even though yeah the food is
horrible. Meat is expensive and not worth buying, milk comes as a powder,
cheese doesn't exist, but I'm starting to feel fat since I do live at the mission
home and get better food usually. My companion is a punk but he goes home
in like a transfer and a half so I don't really care. You gotta learn something
from everyone. OH and the people are normal. Some are fat and short, others
tall, some skinny. Just depends on the person. It sounded like I missed out on
a fun Christmas. Yes it definately is not that cold in my location. We are hitting
in the mid nineties during the day so yeah just a little different. I doubt I'll be
seeing any snow anytime soon, but good to hear you guys got to play in the snow.
Hey just think in 22 fast sundays, 16 more transfers, and after New Year's I can
say I'm going home next year, okay I don't remember the rest of the list the aps
told me but then I'll be the one reporting my mission instead of the two who you
said did in our ward. Hopefully I just get some crazy good experiences by then.
It was great to hear all of your voices too. It is crazy to think I've been gone a
month. It depends on the day but it usually doesn't really seem like it has been that
long. I guess time just flies by when you are surrounded by so much new stuff.

Yeah I am definately taking all of this as a learning experience so that I can know
exactly what NOT to do. Oh well it isn't all that terrible. Christmas sounds like it
as awesome for everyone. Mattie will love that bug collector once it warms up and
the big bugs start coming out. Oh I bet it was super nice to be able to just chill and
not worry about everything. I miss Heath and Cedar. The rich and poor is about
50-50 of our area. The poor mostly live in brick houses or houses made out of wood.
A lot of the houses around are nicer then the mission home since they are the rich.
The one major difference I have noticed so far is the quality of the food. The poor
make the same stuff but the quality makes it so that I can barely stomach it. Good
luck with everything. Love you guys.
Elder Gibson