So the first day of proselyting was really hard for the first half of the day. Everyone speaks Twi (Chee); not everyone speaks English. They shout to me because I’m Obronin (white man). I feel like the center of attention anywhere I go. People stare and the children even have a song for me. My companion is Ghanaian so he speaks Twi fluently and it’s really hard.
The second half of that same day went by incredibly fast and it was really nice. We taught 4 lessons or so to investigators. We have a full schedule of lessons almost everyday, so I don’t actually have much experience finding people to contact.
I find myself in a super new environment, everybody in my apartment is African except for me. Everyone in my first area, a small town about 30 minutes away from Kumasi, Asuoyeboa, is African. I feel like when I lay my head down to sleep, I’m the only white person in a 5 mile radius, at least.
My Second Day:
My second day went like the second half of my first day, really fast. I’m starting to have a hard time actually finding ways to feed myself. Any of the cooking that I learned back home got tossed out the window because they don’t have a lot of the same products here as they do in America. Although it can be hard sometimes, you can find almost anything you need. Sometimes you might need to go to the big city to get it, but it really is here in Ghana. I just need to get used to what I’m dealing with and I will have a “go to” meal in no time.
I ride in Tro-Tros and it’s basically like a van that people just get into by their own free will to travel to places more quickly. You stand on the side of the road in the direction you need to go, and as the Tro Tros pass, you shout where you want to go, and if it’s on their route, they pull over for you to get in. They never stop accepting people to come, so it can be crammed sometimes. Because they are less quality, it’s super cheap to ride in them.
Photo by Georeiser from Virtualtourist.com.
Tro Tros
Tro tros are private owned minivans that hold approximately 16 to 24 people and are designed to hold as much luggage as people. Tro tros are uncomfortable, and somewhat dangerous, but offer a very exciting adventure, therefore they are recommended for short journeys only. You can hail a Tro tro anywhere along the road or from outside the terminal. There is no timetable nor a map with a route. Tro tros wait until they are full and then it’s ready for departure. The Tro tro fares are very low.
From Justlanded.com
My First Sunday (and first baptism):
This past Sunday (yesterday) was really, really great. Because it’s harder to get certain things here, they were watching a video of October General Conference in Sacrament meeting. The Bishop went back and forth between English and Twi and it was hard to follow. I’m trying so hard to learn this language. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to teach in Twi, even if we were allowed to do so.
After the Sunday morning session of conference, we had a baptism. My first Sunday in Ghana, and I baptized 2 people!! A Ten year old named Fredrick and a 14 year old named Kueko (pronounced KWAY-koo).
My First P-Day:
So that brings us to today. I don’t like the fact that I have to hand wash my clothes. I even did it wrong; I wrecked my hand and now have blisters across my knuckles. Also we basically performed a deep cleaning of our apartment because it was dirty, cluttered, and unorganized. The water is run through electricity, but we don’t always have electricity. The power is random sometimes. It’s called Dunso Dunso (Dune so)… “Lights off Lights on” is basically what it means. I have pictures, but I forgot to bring my camera cord into the town and Internet Cafe today. so I can’t share them. Sad day.
I miss you all and I’m so glad I haven’t been forgotten. It was one of my worries, that I’d be forgotten. But alas, if I was needed to be forgotten to more fully fulfill the work, so be it.
I love you all, I keep praying for you. Tell me more and ask more questions! I’d be happy to answer them!
Just Gilbert 