Elder Gabe Wawro in GHANA: From October 11th

Update from last week...

I am on the terrible internet again so we will see if any pictures upload.

What a crazy week! First I apologize this is on Tuesday, the story why will follow:

Yesterday, we went to Kintampo Falls, a little north of Techiman! It has 3 waterfalls (2.5 really) and we spent a few hours there. It is about 2.5 hours away, so we traveled as a zone which was super fun! The tro we took only had 15 seats, but there were 16 of us, so I squeezed in at the end and got the "mate" seat right by the sliding door to the van. It was bittersweet, I loved the weather and the cool breeze, but it reminded me of riding Dad's bike with the visor up because my head and upper body were out the window most of the time... I was really envious of all the guys on motorcycles that passed us, but it was a great ride!

We got to the falls and went in order, 1,2,3. At the first one, I took a few pictures, and then as I went to have someone take a picture of me, I slipped and slid like 10 feet down the rock! :) It was hilarious, and provided for a good laugh! We went to 2, but it was lame, probably could have rafted over that one, but 3 was AWESOME. It was 40-50 feet high, and a ton of water, so we enjoyed it. I took a ton of pictures and did a little climbing to get some sweet pictures! It was such a sweet experience.

The way home was where everything started to get interesting. The falls are about 30 minutes away from Techiman, and Techiman is 2 hours from Sunyani, so about 30 minutes from Techiman, our tro broke down. Me and like 5 others jumped out to push start it. 6 started, but 3 got tired after a few steps or distracted, so Elder Dudley, Ellet, and myself were pushing and coming up to a downhill area. We stopped pushing and jumped on the back, and then I turned to see Elder Dadzie chasing sheep and yelling and stuff, so I look back to see what is going on and I see Elder Dadzie chasing his sheep like a madman which was hysterical! BUT OF COURSE, AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, THAT IS WHEN THE DRIVER TRIED TO START THE VAN. The van jolted and I fell off the back! :) It was going like 30ish miles and hour, maybe 25, but my legs could not keep up from when I landed, so I opted to roll out of it... Anyways, I tore up my hand, my shoulder and my hip! :) Mother nature and I were not getting along very well. We continued a little, because the van actually started, but we broke down 5 minutes later. So the driver left us and went to Sunyani to get us another tro so we hung out in the wilderness for like 3 hours! :) It was a really hilarious experience, Elder Moyo started to get us to laugh by blasting some Ghanaian music and dancing, followed by others joining in! Then we prayed because we needed to get home, and then hung out getting to know everyone. It was a really great activity, and it was sweet to see how we definitely had reasons to be angry and grumpy, but chose to make the best out of it, and it became one of my favorite memories so far from my mission! :) Anyways, we landed about 6:30 in Sunyani, and all the shops were closed, so we did our shopping this morning and now are emailing before we go proselyte again.

This week I made a ton of videos, one of them about the monster spiders in my shower!
:) You'll get to see them at like...February at this rate. Ha ha

The President of Ghana came to town this week, and then to our proselyting area! I got to see him, so I can check that off the mission bucket list, and even was able to get a t-shirt! I don't support any political party in Ghana, but I wanted the t-shirt for the memory.

I saw some rice this week, called "Texas Satr rice" and of course had to take a picture of it!

I also saw some Onitsuka tigers for sale this week, and they are my shoe of choice back home for sure! I have 2 pairs waiting in my boxes when I come home. :)

Another funny for Mom because she hates misspellings. I saw a hair shop called "Adom hair Do" or "by grace hair do" :) hahahha!

Nope. So Africans do not know how to play basketball and it is hilarious. :) So we ended up playing some American football and then just goofing around as a group on Pday.

Mom, you asked about making fufu after I got home. Fufu takes a long time to prepare and I am not sure if you can find cassava and plantain in Texas, but if you can, I'll find a way to prepare some. :)
Anyways, this week has been fun with activities and funnies. I learned a great lesson yesterday of making your terrible situations better with a little fun and laughter. After all, that is where some of the best memories come from. Being optimistic and always having a good attitude can really change your life and someone else's too! :)

Love you guys,

Elder Wawro

VIDEO:

PICTURES