Monday, March 17, 2014

Email #13 (Tamale) Surprise Visitor from the U.S.

Hey once again,
I have been doing personal emails lately and have not enough time do them anymore so I will go back to my old way of sending one email to everyone so that I can fit in more information and detail.
I want to start off by saying "thank you" for all the cool updates that you give me and for keeping me on my toes, so to speak. I cannot believe all the mission calls that are being received, both at BYU-I and at my home ward.  Wow the Lord is hastening his work!


One weird thing that I have noticed while reading emails and as time goes by here on my mission, is that when some sends me some scripture to read or some doctrine to encourage me, it does not seem to touch me as much. I'm not sure if it is because I have a more mature look on the church and its doctrine or if I have learned how to really apply the scriptures to my life.  As I study the scriptures and learn the doctrine, I seem to grow more and more mature because I am starting to notice the responsibility that comes with our lives. Sometimes, we take things too lightly and just think that all will be well in the end, but that is not the case unless that we do our part.
Now as far as news - here goes, it is still nothing much but one cool story that is worth telling.  This last few weeks, some people from the states have been emailing me because they have noticed my blog and want more information. This one guy in particular, Jonathon, emailed me and asked about Tamale and some general information that I was able to give him. Turns out that he came here last week for business and wanted to meet me and take us missionaries out to dinner. He is a member of the church in Boston. So one night when I was closing out our day and planning for the next day, I get a call from some strange number that I did not recognize. It was John. I had not heard from him in 3 weeks and out of the nowhere I get a call from him and the network was so terrible that I could only understand small small of what he was saying. I was able to communicate that we should meet at this nice nice dinner location and talk some more. This call happened on Wednesday mind you. So on Friday, my companion and I go to his lodge and pick him up and we walk to this dinner place. I did not mention but this is the finest dinner place in all of Tamale, so I was super excited to eat some real food! We get talking and he served his mission in Argentina and is currently the ward mission leader in his ward back home. We ended up eating pizza like American pizza! Oh, it was sooo nice and we had some good soda also!  It was crazy to meet this guy and for him to take us to dinner and see that this all happened because my amazing mother loves to talk about me on my blog. Kind of cool that that happened this last week.

As far as food goes, oh man I thought that I would be losing weight by now but I guess that I am just too great of a cook myself. I am kind of tired of cooking every single meal for myself! Usually, I will cook around 7 am for breakfast and then around 1 for lunch and then around 9 for dinner. It is not good to eat that late, but there in no time to come back to the apartment and cook and then go back so we end up proselyting all day with no stopping and we eat around 9-9:30 pm. On the bright side it has taught me not to be lazy.  This may seem weird but I am craving some fufu right now. It is just pounded yams and a nice soup, but I have only had it twice here and oh is it nice.

Seems like the weather back home is nice and that spring time is coming way too soon. It is weird to think about spring time since it is still summer here, but for you ladies and mothers, start planting those nice flowers and watch them grow! I know you women like that kind of thing but for us guys, we will continue in our ways of being men.

So I guess my mother wants details of my mission so I am not too sure what to say. I will first start by saying that in 2 weeks my training is over and I will no longer be considered a greenie (yuppie/beginner). I am predicting that I will be called to be a trainer or I will just get a new companion. That will be a stressful week when it comes around just because of the guessing game of what is going to happen but I am excited. The electricity here in Ghana is just crap! It is unpredictable and can come on or go off at anytime. Showers here are kind of weird because we use a bucket now and put a ton of ice cubes in it just to cool down the tap water. We use soap and then use a cup to pour the water.  haha  Kinda ghetto, but I guess I am in a 3rd world country.
Today I watched this funny movie about Baptists and Mormons (Baptists after the BBQ) and it was so nice to get a laugh out of it. I watched it with some other guys and it was nice to lounge around in normal clothes watching a movie and yes the movie is mission approved.
Well that is about all for now. The sun is still beating me up and making me look more like a tomato everyday but that's cool. Whatever the Lord has in store for me is fine by me. No pics this week but oh well. Oh and I have found a new way to bathe.  haha. It is by getting all soaped up and jumping into the baptismal font plastic tub haha. Im not sure if it is mission legal since they say no swimming, but I don't consider 2 1/2 feet of water swimming.

Well, I love you guys and I miss you over here. Keep in touch and keep up the good work. Remember take it one day at a time and enjoy everyday as it is. All things have been done in wisdom from Him who knows everything. Everything has a reason and purpose and our knowledge is definitely not greater than God's. Learn from the bad and enjoy the good because this life is all about learning and growing.
Love,

Elder Cornelius

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