March 26th Continuation Email

I haven't used the CD player yet. I usually just sing the hymns to
myself without the music.

So wait is Brandon in his own apartment then?

And thanks dad, I'll be sure to remember. Thanks for the great example
you've always been to me. And hopefully I'll pick up on your wise
spending habits over here!

Love you all!

-Elder Adair

I just found out I have an extra twenty minutes that they give you
because of the lag time on the computers. I haven't really noticed how
they are slower, but it's probably just because I'm only emailing. And
I'm not sending the pictures on here.

Umm. Ya I think i've gotten most of your letters now. They were
waiting for me when I got to my mission. The address you put on them
was to the cape coast mission so ya. Just keep doin whatever you were
doin!

I'll just give you some more random info.

I buy water pouches for 10 peswes each.

the top ramen (Indomene) is 50 to 60 peswes. The bigger ones are 60 so
I try to get those.

Eggs are 40 peswes.

A loaf of bread is 1 cedi.
Umm my shoes are never clean. As soon as I step out of my apartment
they get dirty.

People hunt these little badger things with a long knife named a
"Kutless". They have 3 people that scare it into the center of them
(from what I can tell) and then they'll just kill it and eat it.

I've had there ice cream here which I was surprised cuz I thought it
tasted really good. We just got a strawberry yogurt bar. And you eat
it the same way you drink the pouches of water. Just bite off a corner
and eat out of the corner.

I ride a taxi into my area which is 50 peswes per person. So my
companion split the cost. He pays 1 cedi one way and I pay 1 cedi the
other.

Or you can take a tro tro for 40 peswes per person, but you have to
wait til the whole thing fills before you can leave.

I have a fan by my bed which actually keeps me quite cool at night if
the power is on. Last night I actually woke up freezing.

It isn't as hot here as I thought it was going to be, but I think that
is because I'm by the sea.

The missionaries are way cool. There's 6 of them in my apartment.

Yup. Better go now. Hope you liked the random info. I don't know if
you want me to tell you about the work, or the area? Love you.

March 26th Email

No, send me lots of emails. Umm don't send me any potatoes yet. The
thing is that it costs you so much money to send me stuff over here.
The 17 dollars that you spent would convert into about 25 ghana cedis.
(which there money is used basically the same way as ours. Cedis are
like dollars. Peswes are like pennies. They have the peswes in quarter
form, dime form, fifty cent form. But they just call them like 50
peswes, 20 peswes, 10 peswes, etc.)

So ya stuff here is pretty cheap. I'm still tryin to figure out how to
live on 5 cedis a day though. (which is basically like 3.50 at home),
and that's for all my needs not just food. Soo the 25 cedis that you
spent on the oatmeal and kool aid mix, I could've just used for a
weeks worth of food.

The american stuff is pretty expensive. But I don't really know the
Ghanain food prices yet. My companion, Elder Barnett, just buys
American food and he uses personal money from home alot. but ya like a
soda would be 2.50 ghana cedis from what I'm understanding so far.

I've basically eaten egg sandwiches, oatmeal, and top ramen the past 4
days. Haha I'm losing weight. I'm on the next slot on my belt loop
already. I don't know how that happened. I swear I was eating more
than i've ever eaten in the MTC. From what i'm understanding it's
because I mostly only eat carbs and no fats or fruits or vegetables. I
got a pineapple the other day which was delicious. It only cost 1
cedi, but I'm still figuring out how prices work over here, and how
much I need to save up.

Sorry if my messages are all scrambled. I'm just typing whatever comes to mind.

I get 1 hour every Monday to send messages. Soo ya I love reading your
letters. I'm sorry if I'm terrible at responding to them though. I
read them and then I forget by the next day.

I love it here in Ghana. The only hard thing is the sanitation. There
isn't hot water in the apartments soo ya. I just remembered I have
hand sanitizer though so I'll try to use that.

But ya the people are awesome. I've only been in a couple houses so
far. You just teach people on the street. Pretty much everyone is
willing to listen to the message. I would consider this place almost a
heaven on Earth if you were considering how the people are.

I have an awesome companion. He's from England and he's tall. I'm this
short little guy. He seems to be really engaged in the work. He shares
food with me all the time. He sticks to the rules.

Everybody is Christian here. The shops are basically all named after
something religious like "God First" or "Zion". Haha and the shops are
awesome! They're just out in the street and you can buy basically
anything you need. I was surprised at how much stuff there is to buy.

Sometimes reality hits of how poor these people are though. I saw a
guy the other day drinking out of the sewer water. (which is where
they throw there crap and all that) The sewers are just on the sides
of the roads and they're like a couple feet deep.

You see sheep, lizards, dogs, cats, chickens, roosters, and they're
just walking on the side of the road.

We had 2 investigators come to church yesterday.

One was Nana Awuku. He's a way cool guy. He was a politician around
here and everybody seems to know him. But i'm not sure yet if he's
really interested in the message or just wanted us to preach to him.
(Apparently that's what a lot of people like here. They'll listen to
your message but they won't really do anything about it). But ya he
fed us Fufu, which is funny because the other missionaries were
worried that I wouldn't like it, but for some reason I loved it! Best
thing I've had in Ghana so far. I would say it ranks in my top foods
now. But ya apparently all the new missionaries hate it when they
first get here. I think it must have been that they fed me Banku and
granite soup in the MTC, while it sound like they fed the missionaries
here Banku in the MTC.

The other was Grace. She's a really cool lady, but it's an interesting
situation. She's ready to get baptized, but the situation is just
weird so we probably won't be able to baptize her. But i'm sure if it
works out eventually that she'd be a great member.

That's cool though so is Brandon doing both jobs? at the DI, and the hospital?

Tell the Family to Email me as well. I think an hour will be plenty of
time for me to read your emails.

I don't know if you knew that I'm in Cape Coast. I think it's called
Bakaano? So I'm right next to the ocean. We drive along the coastline
when I'm going to church. Haha funny thing about church. They speak
mostly in Fante, so I have no idea what in the world they're saying.
Nana (our investigator) turned to me and said, can you even speak the
local language?.. Haha.

Since I was born on monday, my Fante name is Kodi I think.

Medasi means thank you

O Ten Den means how's your day

Boko means i'm cool

I don't know the spelling of anything. And I'm not even sure if those
are right haha.

Umm I have lots of photos of just people. The Africans in the MTC love
taking pictures. I don't think many of them have one. From what I hear
a lot of them save up there Money to buy a camera and send one back
home haha. Which shows how frugile they are. Cuz I've only met 1
American who says he's kept to the monthly uhh money i'm given?

Oh the power goes out all the time. Haha it was soo funny last night.
The power turned off right before my companion got in the shower, and
I think this was the first night with power so he was excited. (The
pump doesn't work unless there is power). Anyways he was so sad when
the power went out. Then when we were about to go to bed the power
came back on and he got excited, ran and jumped in the shower, turned
it on, was about to get in, and the power went out. The same thing
happened again where the power came on, he got it, and it went out.
Then the 3rd time it came back on he just sat in his chair and said..
I'm not even gonna try. And sure enough the power went back off a
minute later. But the power came back on later and I think he took a
quick shower.. Actually I can't remember. Maybe he didn't even take a
shower. But it was too funny.

I'm usually just drenched in sweat while I'm sleeping.

Anyways, I think my times probably almost up so I'm gonna send this one.

Love you all!

-Elder Adai

Your Missionary has Arrived from the MTC

21 March 2012

I just wanted to let you know that Elder Adair has safely arrived to the Ghana Cape Coast Mission!  We will send you a picture of him with President and Sister Shulz in the very near future!

Sister Asay, Secretary

Ghana Cape Coast Mission

Email from March 18th

3rd time we've heard from Brady-March 18th

It looks like I'll just be able to write letters on prep days? I'm not sure if I can do it at night, but I'm usually too busy getting ready for bed since I have to wash my clothes by hand haha and they all make fun of me cuz I have no idea what I'm doing. I haven't gotten any letters from you yet soo I'm not sure how the letter system works. I figure I'll figure it out more once I get into the mission field.

I can't print out the emails. I don't think they have a printer here? It makes sense since there are so many people on the computers.

Typical day? I wake up at 6:30, I don't have time to exercise so I just skip it. I talked to the MTC presidents wife and she said it would be okay. Because I have to shave, brush my teeth, take a shower, and get ready in 30 minutes. The other missionaries were waking up at 6.. Haha but I think staying awake during classes is much more important. Um at 7 we do personal study. Which is mostly reading the lessons and preparing to teach them to our fake investigators here. We eat Breakfast at 8. Which is usually oatmeal. The food actually hasn't been that bad. I mostly have trouble with the Yam and the weird leaf stuff that comes with it. Banku is nice because you just swallow it.  Then at 8:30 or so we start our lessons, which they just teach you different things about preach my gospel like How the Spirit works, Introducing the Book of Mormon, How to Begin Teaching, How the Book of Mormon can bring inspiration to you and your investigators, Commitments, Bearing Testimony, Giving Promises from keeping the specific commandment, etc. Then we eat at 12:30. Go back and have more lessons. We usually have a few days a week to play sports for a couple hours. We play football (soccer), and basketball. You can also do ping pong or board games. Other days we'll do a service project. But those have been easy. One day I scrubbed the floors in the bathroom, the other time we wiped down the tables in the classrooms. Umm. then we eat dinner at 5, and go back to class again. The teachers have been really good. Haha i'm starting to realize that they know quite a bit over here. I was surprised at how much knowledge of the scriptures they have. They could give you any reference you want, with the exact verse and chapter. We have a snack at 9:15. Which they usually have meat pie haha, I just skip it and drink the soda. They eat a ton over here. But sometimes they have banana bread! Which is deliciousness. Then at 9:30 I get ready for bed by washing clothes, writing in my journal, brushing my teeth, etc. It's hard to find time to iron my shirts haha soo hopefully out in the mission field I'll be able to figure that out better.

The flight was good. I can't remember what I wrote in my last letter. But I wrote it in my journal I think. I'd been keeping pretty good track of my days in my journal. Except for the last couple days cuz I haven't had time. Umm during the lay over in Georgia I just went and got some panda express while I was waiting. Then I went over to the place where I boarded for Ghana and it was interesting because it was just a bunch of Ghanaians waiting to get on the plane. I sat next to a white guy on the plane though haha. They must have planned it.

My cold I still have, but the humidity down here makes it hardly noticeable. The problem is that they love to sing down here, and I do too.. So my voice might be ruined soon. They have air conditioning in most of the rooms here in the MTC so it's funny to go out of the classrooms because you get hammered with the moist warm air.

The teachers are natives, but they're easy to understand. And they're really cool people.

Mostly I just get out of the building to do sports, and then the 2 times we drove to the temple. Most of what I said was just on my ride to the MTC. Soo you can tell that I saw a lot of stuff in the like 15 minute car ride to the MTC. It'll be interesting to get out in the field.

I just ment we have a chapel in the MTC building, so it was just missionaries. But we actually have a church right across from the MTC, and we'll usually see primary kids outside playing football.

Well my times up. Soo I'll probably only be writing letters out in the field. Haha I'm the only white missionary in the Mtc besides a french dude. But I hear in my mission there's tons of white missionaries. Apparently we get kidnapped in the other parts of Africa. So Ghana is safe.

Love you all

-Elder Adair

March 11, 2012

2nd email from Brady on March 11, 2012

 

Umm I just wrote you a letter and I'm gonna send it. I don't know how long it will take to get to you. But I only have a few minutes left. Umm the food is still a definite change. It's the sauce that they use that is hard to get use to. The rice is the same, the meat is the same, etc. Haha but yes they feed us a ton of food! I can't even eat it all. Umm Yes they had some Elders at the airport to pick me up, but the thing is that they couldn't meet me until I went through all the uhh.. getting into the country stuff? Like they had to check my bags, check my passport and stuff like that.

 

I can't remember what I wrote in my last letter, but what do you want to know? Umm i've eaten Banku, bones, Yam, Tom Brown, Some weird spagetti sauce stuff, Co tum Brey. Luckily they have Oatmeal and white bread and spagetti noodles, white rice. Oh and fruit! Yes! When I get out in the field I'm definately gonna buy a lot of fruit haha. The people over here are awesome, they definately help a lot in getting use to the change. Umm.. We get a lot of time to play football (which is soccer), and basketball. I've loved learning how to share the gospel because it's definately helped organize my thoughts on the gospel, and strengthened my testimony as well. It's hard to see that there are a lot of things I don't know though. It's a good thing they have leaders who can help out. Umm.. The sleep schedule is still hard, today I was dozing off in sacrement meeting. Haha and I was loving the talks! But I could barely stay awake!

 

Lets see.. Oh thanks Cher and Dad for the letters you gave me. Haha I'm not sure if I like the pictures though. It's almost better not to think about home. Sorry if I keep the call home short, but like Todd said 2 years is short and I can't get my mind off track. I've definately had to remind myself of the blessings that will come as I fulfill this call. Haha it's definately a sacrifice. But the way I see it, I'd rather struggle over something I believe than to come home and then feel sorry for the rest of my life haha. Plus over here you can see a lot of sad things, but you have to realize that the gospel will fix all of it in the end. A lot of the Elders don't even know who there parents are. Even the couple times I've driven down the street you see people everywhere who are missing legs, or there legs are bent in weird ways. The people who have surgery have big scar marks that won't heal. The people don't have very many clothes. Most of the people brought a small bag and a backpack. Then there's me. I want to share, but at the same time I don't because I know if I give to one then I'll have to give to another. Plus I have to be careful because when people say they like something, it means that they want it. Luckily Courtney taught me that, or I might have lost a lot of my stuff already.

 

Well love you, I gotta go eat.

 

- Elder Adair

Letter From Elder Adair on March 8th- our FIRST EMAIL from him.

 

Hey! I finally got a chance to send an email! Sorry the missionaries here have never really used computers before so they were all excited last time we had the chance to use them so I didn't get a chance to send you an email! Plus I just figured out that you can send letters as well here, but I'm not sure when we get time to write them or who I'm suppose to give them to to send.

But to let you know, it's great down here! The first day was really hard on me, I only got a couple hours of sleep on the plane so I was up for like 36 hours or somethin or other. Haha I got robbed at the airport, but just forty bucks. The guy helped me through the people who check your bags and stuff. I'm not really sure if I did something illegal.. I'm pretty sure I did. But I had no idea what was going on soo.. Ya. I'm pretty sure the dude either paid the guards so they wouldn't check my bags.. Or he just stole my money.. Which is what I think he did cuz I swear I watched him stuff it in his pocket haha.

 

Then driving to the MTC was an interesting experience for me. Wow. Talk about busy streets. There's cars everywhere, and you just force yourself into them. I hope they don't make me drive cuz I'll get in a car crash within the first few seconds. Also there's people just standing in the streets selling stuff as you pass. I don't they survive without getting hit.. Also you see people all over missing legs, sitting on the side of the road. I didn't know so many people could fit into one place.

 

Oh by the way before I even left I met some dude from Austrailia at the airport, he might send you a letter or something. Haha I think he just came to calm me down cuz he said he could tell I was just leaving on a mission from my wide eyes.

 

Mm anyways I got to the MTC and I was way dizzy. It felt extremely humid. And they gave me some water to drink. Then after doing some papers and stuff they sent me off to the lunch room. I took like a tiny bit of the rice (which didn't look bad) but when I tasted it, it was too mmm I'd describe the taste as sweaty haha. Anyways. I threw up all over myself. Yup. Great start yes?.. But they sent me to the Wash Room (bathroom i guess?). Haha they didn't even have me change my clothes. I just wiped myself down and everybody seemed fine with it. Oh by the way the bathrooms here are basically the same. Well.. I'm still in the MTC.. so ya. They're nice here. And the showers as well. Hot water with the normal spout thingy. Soo after my accident one of the leader dudes carried my baggage up the stairs. And I'm sure you remember how heavy those bags were. He just sucked it up and carried them up 3 flights of stairs. Insane.

 

I got to my room to unpack. And my companion Elder Ayang, as soon as he saw me, started helping me unpack. Holy crap these people are humble here. I don't know if it's because I'm white, (cuz they definately love whites over here). Mom you might be adopting 20 children soon, they all want to come to America haha. But anyways everybody was greeting me, and they have a super cool handshake over here where you basically snap your fingers together at the same time that they snap their fingers.. You'll see when I get back. I love it.

 

I only have 6 minutes left to write before this thing times out. But I'm glad I can type fast, cuz I don't know how these other missionaries can stand to only write like a few sentences to their parents. But then again they are amazing people. Haha you should hear them sing hymns. I've never heard someone sing with such force, and they're amazing singers. They don't even need a piano and they can do it all, and they do cool harmonizing too. Umm their English isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, it's mostly if I don't know the words then it's hard to understand. Plus they pronounce a little different, like they call me Aday.

 

My companion is awesome. Haha he goes to sleep on time (which the rest of them go to sleep at like midnight) but he wakes up like an hour early. Which I could never do. I need every hour of sleep. He keeps me in line, and is a great teacher. He works hard, and has a positive attitude. I seriously couldn't have asked for a better companion. Anyways I'm gonna end now before my time runs up. Love you all!

 

-Elder Adair

He's Leaving on a Jet Plane

Well we dropped off Brady Today at the Airport.  He's officially on his way to serve his 2 year mission in Ghana.

He was set apart as a missionary last night by the Stake President.  The bishop of his Single's ward came.  I'm pretty sure there were angels in the room while he was receiving his blessing.  I kept peaking just to see:).  Elder Adair was promised that his tongue would be loosed and that he would be able to help convert people through the spirit.  His Bishop told him that he had all ready been a great example to those in their ward, and he told Brady that he would be a great missionary.

This morning, as we put Brady's suit case into the car, the wheel broke off.  It stressed us all out a little bit, as we had to run into target to buy a new suit case.  Luckily, it broke before he got to the airport or his mission.  We then stopped at Quizno's for Brady's last sandwich on american soil for the next two years.  

 

When we arrived at the  airport, we said our good-bye's and watched him walk through the security line and out of sight.  

 Suzie ran to him one last time to give him a big Hug.  When asked who he'd miss the most, he said, probably, Suzie and Suzie will miss him too.

We didn't shed too many tears as it felt really surreal.   But it hits us harder and harder all the time.