First Email from Africa
I love it here it’s so beautiful! I love missionary work! However
everyone here speaks Lugandan and I don’t understand any of it! I'll try to
describe everything.
Our Apartment: imagine the most disgusting
and dirty 3rd world apartment you can, then add bugs to EVERYTHING plus a few
rats, then take away the shower... that’s my apartment. It’s horrible I hate it.
It is really testing my faith to live in such poor conditions. Not what I was
expecting. I am not going to send pictures of it home for fear of what it would
do to mom. Just pray for me.. I've been cleaning like crazy since I arrived.
We have very limited clean water and
the power often goes out. Our shower does not work, so what we have to do is
fill a bucket with warm water then use a cup to dump it on yourself little by
little.. it’s really hard living here..
I love the people, such beautiful
people! There is so many, the population in Kampala is close to 5 million so
here in Mukono it’s a little less but not by much. Most houses are one to two
rooms. Most people are really friendly, except mid-day drunks they yell at us.
The kids are SOOO cute! they all
yell "Mzungu" which means white person and they wave like crazy!
Elder Hall and I are the only white people I have seen so far except a white
couple that’s in our ward.
I love just walking around looking
at everything it’s like nothing you can imagine! Everyone is so busy all the
time! I wish I could send pictures but the internet is WAYY too slow. The
traffic here is nuts there are literally no traffic laws. Everyone drives like
maniacs. I know the Doctrine, very well. Elder Hall still leads, because he knows
bits of Lugandan so they trust and like him a little more than me. In lessons
they often tell me that they can’t understand my accent. HA! I CANT UNDERSTAND
THEM! but I love to teach them they are so open to the gospel, we may have
baptism within the next 2 weeks.
YAY UTAH WON! haha tell Carter to
hang in there, I had a few of those seasons too.
Q.
When you guys landed what did you do for the next 24-48 hours?
A. drove to Kampala to the AP's apartments
that weren’t bad. ran to the grocery store than just stayed there till the next
morning. pres. Chatfield gave us a welcome then we were driven to our areas,
drops off and I was trackting 30 minutes later.
Q. First impressions of
Africa? What did it feel like? What did it smell like?
A. Its absolutely beautiful here.
green and red. all the people are so busy it’s like nothing I can describe!
however it smells like smog and B.O. no one wears deodorant here because it’s
so expensive it will be hard to get used to.
Q. How
is your living space?
A. absolutely horrible. read dads
email I sent him. It’s so bad I won’t be sending pictures of it because I’m
afraid of how you would re-act. it’s really, really hard to live here. I need some
recipes that are easy to do all I have been eating is French toast (no syrup,
too expensive) eggs, ramen noodles, and toast with jam..
Q. Are you
sleeping okay?
A.
yes, I’m so exhausted by the end of our days we come in at about 9:30
every night and I’ve been doing a lot of cleaning in the apartment so I’m
usually so tired I crash.
Q.
Did all of your luggage make it?
A. yes I’ve got everything. but I
really regret leaving all the hand sanitizer I’m an idiot.. I’m in Africa with
no hand sanitizer..
Q.
What was the most amazing thing about this week?
A.
Teaching I Love to teach! it feels so awesome and I’ve gotten 2 people committed
to baptism and both are dads in families which is often hard to find Elder Hall
said.
Q.
In your studies, what is one new thing you have learned, or that touched you?
A.
no, not really just trying to trust in the lord right now I’m pretty
distracted with our living space..
Q. Living conditions sound a little
primitive. You need to try to find the positive.
Mom and I watched a program last
night that showed South Sudan. It was about Gauna worms I guess they are in the
water. I hope you know how to keep from getting sick on the water. Be careful. don't
you have a filter? The senior missionary
couple said you guys are supposed to buy bottled water too, have you found that?
What sort of training did they give you when you arrived there on food and
water?
A.
We have to use the water we have no choice, I just try to bless it intensely yes we do have a filter but it takes about 10
minutes to fill a cup with water. We found bottled water but it is expensive.
Training, none, they told us don’t eat
ANYTHING and don’t drink ANYTHING or we will die. but there are no other
options.
Q. how far away is your internet café,
and can you print letters? I've been sending letters too because I wasn't sure
A. no no printing. it’s about 20 minutes’
walk from the apartment
Q. I hope you are taking lots of
pictures.
A. I am taking lots of pictures, videos too. just sad you can’t
see them yet. it really is amazing here!
ALSO please try to find English -to-
Luganda book. I am in desperate need. I’m going to try to find one in Kampala
on Wednesday but you’ll have better luck in the states.
I am praying really hard for these
hardships to be lightened but I’m still being tested. I love and miss all of
you so so much.
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