Holy Cow! You wont believe where I've been!

Dear Family and friends,

Well, im sitting here in an internet café in Asamankese, Ghana. In case you haven’t heard, that’s not exactly in Liberia. Long story short, The Liberia Monrovia Mission got some pretty big transfer news from the Missionary Department in Salt Lake and we were all evacuated (due to the Ebola virus) and permanently re-assigned to new missions all over Africa and America. I’ve been blessed to be reassigned to the wonderful Ghana Accra West mission! My new mission president is President Hill from the great country of Houston, Texas. My new companion was Elder Kindred from Salt Lake City, UT but last night we received some emergency transfer news informing us that my companion would be needed elsewhere, so I will be receiving a new companion today! Elder Kindred now makes my shortest companion for only 10 days. NBD. We’re pretty disappointed to have to be split up so soon, we were really enjoying the work together! My proselyting area is no longer Brewerville, but now Asamankese. Thankfully I’ve had about a week to learn the new area and some of the people we’re teaching and I’ve met some members as well. The native language spoken here is no longer Kolokah, but now “Tree” (twi) which sounds a whole lot like Chinese to me… at least its not Russian! let the list of changes begin! 

The story is too long to describe what exactly happened to get us out of Liberia. It would suffice to say that we were pulled out of the country (by a miracle) without any notice, without any contact to any of our friends, be it members, investigators, less actives, landlords, anyone! So your prayers on behalf of the church in Liberia are needed. I cant begin to express what it feels like to be pulled out in the middle of our work in building the church in Liberia. Its like building a house and stopping halfway through, with no roof or windows to protect the work you’ve done. There are no priesthood keys in Liberia, and we all wonder what will happen to those people we were planning to baptize, even this past weekend! We are all wondering what will come of the branches we were coming to split, the new districts we were going to form and all that’s happening to all of those people we love and care for so much! None the less, we trust that they are in the Lord’s capable hands. I still wonder what happened to my recent converts new born baby as she was 10 days overdue when we left. She was planning to either name it after me or let me name him/ her… I still wonder what ever happened to those investigators who were expecting their baptism to happen last weekend and those that have been preparing diligently for months to get married so that they can get baptized next weekend! We keep them in our prayers.

That being said, Ghana is my new home! And I certainly do love it. To give you a small idea about the country, it is a significant upgrade from Liberia. Im telling you, I was in shock (I still am somehow) seeing all the things that I haven’t seen for so many months… You wont believe the type of luxury we enjoy here!  We are rollin’ with style!! Here is a list of the jaw-dropping vanities that this place has:

1.       We have ELECTRICITY. Yeah, no small thing im telling you! I still leave the lights off in the morning when Im getting ready/ studying because im not used to flipping a switch and something happening!

2.       With electricity means we have fans all the time! Enjoy a nice personal fan during you morning studies, your nightly planning and even ALL night long while you sleep! Options include fanspeed of high, med high and my favorite, low.

3.       Drum roll…… we have a freaking refrigerator…. Can you GET ANY BETTER!!!!!  My goodness I forgot how nice it is to eat LEFTOVERS!!! So this means that we can cook something Monday and keep it all week, eating it small small till its finished. Yeah, you can just imagine the time I save not having to cook every day. The LORDS time im saving.

4.       And if I haven’t said enough, I have even more. And I know that maybe mom, you wont believe this one, but im telling the truth. We. Have. MICROWAVES. Seriously. I haven’t used it yet because I feel like its just too much luxury than I can handle, but I’ve seen my companion use it every day and trust me, IT WORKS. You just put something inside, close the door and then it just like, comes out hot…? Mind is still blown…

5.       Oh and uh, my apartment has running water… yeah… I know. :)

6.       We worship in a REAL CHAPEL!!! Built by the church and fully furnished and its SO DOPE!!!!!

Ok If I keep going ill run out of time. I think ive covered the grandest improvements to living conditions. I live in a nice little cottage, not even enclosed in a barbed wire topped ten foot fence, with some nice kind neighbors who have a cute little puppy that I get to play with every morning when I wake up. Life is good!!!

The missionary work is still very similar to Liberia, seeing that it is still west Africa. People have very similar concerns, worship very similar ways as they did in Liberia and are very religious. They are a very God fearing people. Im struggling the most with the new language. Its an entirely different language than I’ve ever heard. Its not like the pigeon English that im accustomed to. In fact , if people do speak English (only a small portion of people do) then they speak a much more simplified, formal tone. If I start speaking my pigeon English, they’re lost! All of church is in trii. In Accra, the majority of people will be able to understand us well enough, but out here in the bush its kinda rough. I wish I just had some sort of textbook or written way to study the language. We take members with us to translate a lot.

Not trying to compare, but Liberia seemed to be such a special and sacred place for missionary work that is difficult to be matched. It seemed that almost every day/ week we would be led to some wonderful soul who was willing to learn and seek to know if what we taught was true. At times, if we didn’t plan effectively, we struggled to see everyone who wanted to! Asamankese seems to have many people who agree to a return appointment, but are not serious or interested in giving an ear to what we have to say. We spend quite a lot of time wondering around each day contacting, going from backup to backup, talking with everyone we possibly can. We still find success, but not nearly what I felt we experienced in Liberia. That place is somehow just a miracle place. None the less, I still stand firm in my belief that the Lord truly has prepared thousands of souls here in Ghana to receive this His restored gospel! Our legs don’t stop moving even when it seems there is no where else to go. If there is one thing I learned in Liberia,  it is that diligence enables the Lord to work miracles!! We will be diligent . 

Oh! I forgot! Some cool things that have happened in the last two weeks since ive emailed:

1.       I visited London.

2.       I ate a Belgium Waffle from Belgium.

3.       I ate (more like inhaled) a sandwich and ice from Starbucks!

4.       I drank from a glass of water, not from a filter bottle. And it had ICE!!!

5.       God blessed us with pizza TWICE.

6.       I slept in air-conditioning and without a mosquito net! That was such a strange experience…

7.       I had a shower!!!! and could have switched it to HOT WATER!!!! (but I didn’t, it was like against some rule in my mind…idk im kinda regretting that now, wish I would have…)

President Hill let us new missionaries go to the Accra Temple! It was such a wonderful and peaceful experience. Totally what I needed. 

Well, im looking forward to meeting my new companion this afternoon. I will need all the prayers I can get to lead out in this new area, learn the language and be led to those new investigators the Lord would have us teach. I pray that next week we will be able to email, the internet connection is always iffy out here in the bush. There is only one café out here in this small little town. Also, every once in awhile there is a power outage for an hour or two (or 5) so that sometimes hinders emailing. No big deal. Love you all and miss you.

Love, Elder Fairwell

PS my new mailing address. Im like 99% confident its way better than Liberia! Send me some cool letters bros! :)

Elder Fairwell
Ghana Accra West Mission
PMB CT 209
Cantonment
Accra, Ghana, West Africa