Another Week in Africa

The internet is SWEET right now because not a lot of people are here, so it is fast! :)  Yikes, I am struggling...the cafe owner is watching 'Lord of the Rings'.... My weakness... :'( But I will not watch!  >:)  It is rough, but more blessings! 😥 😇

This week has been pretty sweet!  Elder Sewell came into the apartment!  He is a Samoan guy, he is a year old on his mission, and he is really gifted musically and athletically.  :) He is also fetching hilarious!

Anyways, to start, since Brittan's birthday is soon, I decked out a page in my planner just for her!  :)  Happy Early Birthday 'Bribben'.  :) <3

Elder Simpson got a haircut by one of our recent converts, Randy, and they have an interesting way of cutting hair here where they use a straight razor blade and a comb to cut the sides!  Pretty interesting, but it will make more sense if the picture rolls through this week!

I had my last District Council with Elder Mutasi this week, which was sad, but he just moved like 20 minutes away to be our zone leader, so I will still get to see him often! :)

We went to KFC last week before Elder Mutasi left which was fun to do as a district for our last activity together and on the way home, we took a  lot of ugly pictures of ourselves, so enjoy.... I guess..... :)  Ahhahahaaa!  :)

Elder Lund just went home last week which was sad too, he and Elder Simpson are really good friends, and Elder Lund was my first Zone Leader, so it was sad to see him go, but it was really sweet that he finished out strong.  :)  I like the heck outta Elder Lund, he is really sweet!

We made a mega-bed in our apartment last week, we had 5 Elders and 4 beds, so we put all our mattresses on the floor and just somehow fit on the beds.  It was a good form of bonding I suppose, but I didn't sleep great then!  But it was cool to get everyone on board! :)

Yesterday, this part-member family in the other Elder's branch had a baby blessing at church, and after church they were having a get-together type deal, so we got invited as well.  It was interesting, his wife isn't baptized, so a preacher came and prayed for the baby and I think her mom did as well, but they played a ton of Ghanaian music, so that was interesting on the Sabbath!  :) Overall, it was a good experience and we got food and drinks, so life is good!  :)

Our ward mission leader brought home 3 puppies from Bekwai this week!  One of our members' dogs had a litter of like 6 or 7, so Godfred (our ward mission leader) came home with 3 of them and they are CUTEEEEE.  :)  Puppy love always make me happy.  :)))

This week, Elder Simpson has been big on exercising, so we woke up at 5:30 every day this week to go run and lift weights near our ward mission leaders house.  It is fun, but man, I am SORE!  :)  hahahaaa :)

That has been my week here in Ghana, it isn't too hot, and we had a little rain, so no complaints! :)

Elder Bednar comes this Saturday and Sunday, so I get to see him 2 days in a row!  :)

Love you guys and thank you "Bibre"!  (lots)  :)

Elder Wawro

PICTURES:

Saw a kid in a cub scout uniform...had to take a picture!

Another dead rat...

 One of many, many roaches...

Red Bull anyone??

 

Shoe repair!

Baking chocolate chip cookies!

 

 

VIDEO:

Elder Mutasi...commentary on trying to kill roaches and killing a rat instead...

Ghana rats and roaches...they're everywhere and must be killed...

Catching a Mouse, Parts 1-4...

The internet is a little better this week, so some pictures and video are flowing!  :)

Congrats to Uncle Randy getting married this week!  Uncle Randy is a friggin' fantastic guy, so he will treat her verrryy well :)   Have fun in Nauvoo while you guys are there.

Yep.  Lots of weird foods.  You know, I was a little more picky eater when I was at home, but I'll eat 98% of the food now.  When I get back, I will literally eat EVERYTHING!  Ha ha!

This week has been sweet! :)  Tuesday, we got stuck in our apartment with insane rain! Yikes, but I have some sweet pictures and videos of the rain and our apartment.  :) What makes it better is that we didn't have any water in the tank, so we had no water in the apartment, so the rain was sweet to fill up literally all our buckets! :)  I even washed our dishes in the rain!  :)

We killed yet another mouse this week.  It was sweet!  I took a video, but I covered the mic with my finger -__- so the audio bites... But oh well... It was big and really fast, but Elder Davis caught it in mid stride for the door and we finished the conflict! :)  That's mouse number 7 in our apartment! Yikes!  Hahahahhaa :)  It's not an option to just throw them outside because we have so many that they would just come back in.  But the cats next door are enjoying.  :)  "Gafra Wae"  ("Sorry")  about the dead mouse picture below.  Ha ha!  Trying to work the new language.  :)

We had transfer calls this week, but I am not leaving, so I am now crowned as the Reverend Slayer.  We have a whiteboard in our apartment, and because Elder Simpson is old, he is dubbed Reverend Simpson!   So I will 'kill' him this transfer (he will finish his mission with me).  So I will be in NKoransa for about 8-9 months total! :)  Elder Abrams is our AP in the mission, and he was in Nkoransa for 9 months, so we will have a laugh about that!  :)

Elder Davis is getting Elder Sewell, so that will be sweet because I don't know him.  :)

Elder Davis and I bought these Ghanian journals but they were pink, so we spent last night making them more manly and less girly... :)

This morning we got a call at like 6ish to run and give a blessing which was a cool experience for sure, to give someone a blessing of healing.  It is cool to think that I hold the same priesthood that the apostles of old have and the same that the current apostles have as well.

This week, I had this thought running through my head.  It is a quote from Dad, I don't remember when I heard it or the situation, but it just helped me out this week.  It is short and simple. "Sometimes, we just do hard things".  This week was pretty tough missionary work wise, and when my spirits were low, that was the thought that came to my mind.  Just for me to see the bigger picture and not to really focus on how tired I was or how bad I felt, was eye-opening to me to know I am part of something greater than I (or any man) for that matter.

Also this week, I spent a lot of time listening to Elder Bednar's recent talks in conference. There is a quote from his talk, "Chosen to Bear Witness of his Name" I think it's called, but there's a part where he talks about a conversation with Elder Robert D. Hales about having limited mobility as he grew older and Elder Hales responded, (and I will butcher this), " when you can't do what you've always done, you only do what matters most".  I really reflected on this a lot these past few days, and just to see how it really applies to people, especially missionaries. As a missionary, I can't do a lot of the stuff I have always done like TV, video games, driving motorcycles, and eating normal food, but all of these things are just appendages to the bigger picture.  Bringing families together in this life, and in the life to come is what I am here for, and what every other person on the earth is here to do.  To be sealed as a family, to be righteous, and to return to live with our Heavenly Father again.  Sometimes I try to wrap my mind around true joy and what life will be like after this one, and every single time, it is with my family.  I can't understand how we can go through life with a family...learn, laugh and love together, and then give it up after we die.  That is just not the way the Plan of Happiness works.  Love your family, spend time with them, do fun stuff with them, and make memories that will last this life, and the next. :)

Love you guys,

Elder Wawro

PICTURES:

VIDEO:

Opening my care package from home

 My Shoes Have Died...(thanks Bro. Stewart!

-Sorry it's sideways-

Catching a mouse, Part 1

Catching a mouse, Part 2

Catching a mouse, Part 3

Catching a mouse, Part 4