"Whats in the apple?"

Family and Friends!!

Boy oh boy i am excited to write my first email home. well not technically, but i have so much to tell! It is all so much different than what i expected.

Let me begin by thanking everyone who has sent me emails. they are so wonderful to read! i need the support and its so nice to hear how ya'll are doing. so far, it seems email is the best way to communicate here in the mtc. but i will only be here for another 5 days til i head to Liberia! no one has confirmed thats where im going, im just going off the information pres Roggia sent us the day before i left.  

The mtc here in ghana is great. let me try to answer your questions about it. I have been carrying a small notebook in my pocket everywhere i go to write down impressions and thoughts throughout the day, and i have been keeping a couple lists of 'new' things to share with ya'll. Dad, I feel like the boyfriend in that Christmas cd/ book on tape we listen to. haha

First, they hardly speak english here. from an americans stand point, i have no clue whats going on. the elders, the sisters, the teachers, psh its like gibberish at times. I wonder how english can be their first language. it sounds very much like their second to me as an american. haha we love to laugh all about it. :) It is quite a blessing that the one african i can understand quite well is my companion. his name is Elder Gabadewie. or something like that. its pronounced Elder hak-bie-dee-wea... i think. haha hes from south africa (the country) and is a wonderful guy. we are getting along very well. Just as we suspected dad, he is very slow and takes his time. its a good thing i was prepared for this otherwise im sure it would be trying my patience. haha

When i first got to the mtc, all i could think of was i am reenacting Remember the Titans. haha 10 american elders and 43 very dark native africans here in the mtc. we all get here at the same time and leave at the same time. there are also some french elders and sisters here, so all of our meetings have translators in the back of the room. it makes for an interesting group. its like 3 languages in the same room. except the americans have no translators...

About the mtc: there is no air conditioning in the hallways/ rooms. the classrooms have wall mounted units that we turn on when class begins but turn off when we stop sweating. the weather here is much like houston, so not too bad but being inside a building with no ventilation gets hot. its a relief to go to class. its hard sleeping because we sleep on the 3rd floor and there is no ventilation up there. no windows open bc of mosquitos. sheesh its prolly about 91 degrees up there. youre so tired that you make sleep happen, but its tough. finally getting some sleep feels so nice.

They have showers, not quite like Lifetime Fitness, but they're there! haha. we shower daily. you get in and turn the water as cold as it gets (well... its not cold its just room temperature.) and enjoy the coolness. by the time the water gets to your feet, its hot. feels so nice though. unfortunately, by the time you get back to your room and put your clothes on youre sweating again. haha but i dont mind. sweating is fine. except that everything in your pockets is soaking wet...

there is food in abundance here. all carbs. haha picture a large plate and filling it with rice (literally... its heaping) and then putting some disgusting chili on top. its like 2 cups of rice per person. and then maybe a spoonful of coleslaw. im never hungry. but its the first time in my life that i have throw away a plate full of food. we have eaten some pretty strange stuff. good thing im not picky. snoek is some fish that gave me some trouble. look it up haha

We sleep on bunk beds, yes. im on a top bunk. 4 pple in my room. There is an electric fence on top of the 8 ft wall that surrounds the mtc. we have electricity sometimes... the power has gone out lots and then only sometimes does the generator come on. haha interesting. we have flushing toilets. yes, it stinks sometimes. although most people dont stink. haha idk im adjusting.

The africans are quite funny. they speak very softly into microphones. they pray very softly so i never know when to say amen. (nor do i know what they are saying...) and you know that guy who just laughs at everythig you say? well thats the africans. haha they love to just laugh and hoot and cackle! its funny. They love to sing too. heard some high school musical the other day too...

some quick phrases. we sit down at mealtimes and exchange phrases. its hilarious to hear them say 'whats up dude!' hahahaha just cracks me up thinkin about it. haha here are some things they say a lot. 'haffa' = how are you? 'hows it? whats in the apple?'= how are you? response, 'i-did' = good. also, 'ee-bee-showa'= till we meet again. 'ehyeh'= good. 'footstop'= period (like the punctuation one.)

confused words... what i thought i heard but in reality... no idea for some of these: i heard 'batteries', but he said 'sheets'.  i heard 'suicidal' but he said ' so excited'. heard '38' but he said '83'. 'omlet' but really said 'come late?'. i heard 'pizza' he said 'priesthood'. i heard 'chips' but he said 'smith'. i heard 'attitude' but he said 'be in tune'. i heard 'David'  but he said 'gabadiewe'. this is only the things i managed to figure out what they ACTUALLY said. most of the time i just am confused.. haha

ok guess thats all the time i have to talk about the mtc. it has been a rough transition. i really was expecting to walk through the doors of the mtc and just feel empowered, ready to work and serve and prepare and just be enlightened. not the case really... it was hot, i couldnt sleep. i felt like an outsider. we had no general authorities to preach to us. i prolly have more education than our mtc teacher. its like a prision here bc we cant go outside. i cant understand people much. there is no missionary army that sings a beautiful 'called to serve'. its this collaboration of french/ american/ african singing (and the africans alllllll sing verrryyyy loud, and often very much off key. haha i have come to love it). the food is fine but doesnt always sit well. i have lots to learn but i dont feel like im learning it. these are the things that i have been struggling with.

It really came down to me finally understanding that it was up to ME to make this experience good. its up to me to keep a good attitude and just work through it. i needed to step up and be a leader. i had to pull more weight than i expected i guess. and i had to stop worrying about myself. shoot, i wouldnt be here for myself. im doing it for the people i am to teach out in the field. and that was a hard thing for me to do. to realize that this mtc experience wasnt going to be very fun for me, but that i was going to have to work very hard to make it pleasurable. im having difficulty explaining my feelings... but know that i am learning a lot about myself and learning how to look outside myself. its been great.

sorry i dont have time to reply to your email much mom and dad. ran out of time. i promise im typing as fast as i can. but an hour goes by fast by the time you read everything haha. love you all very much. and i love this gospel. i am so happy that i have the opportunity to spread it here to the people of Africa. they truly are beautiful people.

 

lots of love!

-Elder Fairwell

ps the africans all love my name. every single one of them know it. hahaha they have really become quite nice and friendly. we're all buddies now :)

 pps i finally feel tall here!