Post Office on Strike & Other Small Concerns

It's pretty much the same old song and dance around here, so nothing really too exciting to report. Today marks day one of my third transfer, and I'm still ticking around in Njaie Town. I have a feeling like I'll stay until I've been here six months. That's a pretty common trend around here. Elder Lancaster is staying too, so no changes for us. Our district leader, Elder Chikwendu, is going to Liberia though. Most likely to finish his mission. I'm not familiar with his replacement.

So, the post office is on strike right now, so mail isn't moving as far as packages are concerned. As soon as it lifts, I'm sure Sister Roggia will post it (or you could ask her).

Sounds like it's a pretty crazy change again about to happen at home with Josh preparing for college... Dang, he's pretty much graduated! time passes so fast. Can you believe I've been out for more than three months already?? It's gone so fast. Transfer news came this week, and I'm staying here again with Elder Lancaster. I have a feeling I'll move once I've hit six months here. That's a pretty common trend around here. Elder Chikwendu is leaving the district for Liberia though, so that's a sad loss. I've never met the Elder that will be replacing him... we'll see how it goes.

Oh man, we started teaching a family this week! We NEVER teach whole families! It's so amazing! The mom came to church on Sunday "just to visit" because she had "a high position in [her] church," but now she's absolutely in love with the message. "Honestly, I was searching, and I truly found what I've been waiting for. This church doesn't just preach to people, it teaches them, makes them better, and works together to make everyone better." We're going to her home to have FHE tonight. We're WAY excited! :) It's families like this that make this missionary work so worth it...

So, you asked what I meant about the "I am Legend" lock down being a protection from thieves or from critters. The answer is, both. Thieves have broken into this apartment in the past, so there's that. All of our windows and doors have screens too, so we shut those to help with the pests. They still make their way in somehow.

You asked about the requirements for convert baptisms here. Well, we want people to be converted first. There are no real written requirements like in the U.S., but you can just tell when a person is ready. If they're keeping their commitments, conversion will happen on it's own. This helps us create more powerful converts, rather than the ones we've had in the past who accept baptism and then fall away in a month. We focus mainly on making sure they have that change and desire kindled in themselves.

As far as stumbling blocks to conversion, the Law of Chastity is the number one challenge the people we work with around here. I haven't taught anyone who hasn't had any problems with it, though I don't think that's unique to just Sierra Leone. It doesn't help though that people walk around naked all the time. The Word of Wisdom is a close second, with cigarettes and poyo being readily available. The Law of Tithing is sometimes an issue, but its not one that we the missionaries deal with, since they don't pay til they are members. We teach it, and they accept the invitation to pay when they join. After that, its out of our hands.

Zone conference was really nice. I like it because we get to see the Roggias and the assistants, and they are so great to learn from! They talked a lot about emphasizing the law of tithing to these people to help pull them from poverty, and to focus on finding "the one" (coincidentally the topic of the Liahona this month). We had hamburgers from Sab's, but I can't really eat those anymore. I had one about 4 weeks ago, and got REALLY sick that night (I spent the night projectile vomiting while my companion was sound asleep), so I haven't really been able to eat them since. No worries, that's my only episode with illness. I stick with other foods (see attached pictures). One is of Goat Pepe Soup on yams...SO GOOD!! The other is of "stew" on rice. This is some fine eating here.

Speaking of pictures, I've attached some more. Pictured here is my doxy (anti-malaria pills) bottle after I finished my first small one, demonstrating the progress made. I was pretty excited about that! I also added a picture from our baptism two weeks back, of Sister Agnes, which was WAY awesome! Then the two other pictures are from the top of Simbotown mountain, which looks over the southern part of my area. How's the view? ;)

Love,

Elder Vaughan

A Recipe, Some Krio and a Baptism

We had a baptism this past week, and it was really good. This woman is totally converted (her name is sister Agnes), and she asked me to baptize her. It was really neat. I'll send the pictures next time, because I don't have so many to send at the moment. I must apologize for that. It's hard because we're only allowed to snap when we're not proselyting, which is almost never. I did make up for it today by shooting a video from the back of my Honda on the way to the cafe. You'll get that when Elder Tippets goes home in May. :)

I know you like hearing about spiritual experiences, so I'll tell you some more about this Festus guy that we baptized two weeks back. So, we started teaching him from a chain sort of thing. We were teaching one person named Daniel, and a neighbor by the name of Ishmael came and joined him. Later, we went to teach Ishmael, and a man named Kenneth (Festus' uncle) was passing by, and stopped to listen, and invited us to his home to teach him (a place we had never proselyted before). We then met with Kenneth to teach him, and Festus joined the lesson. He was baptized three weeks later. Since then, we've started teaching his sister, a friend of his, and two of his neighbors. This whole new place is opening up because of this one EXTREMELY solid convert. It's so awesome!

It's kinda funny how Elder Lancaster and I joke about how we enjoy stopping by his house. His family is really well off, so they have a nice stereo system in their house, and there's TONS of western music playing (think high school dances). It's nice to hear a piece of 'home'. Last time we stopped by, I heard a movie playing inside (shocker! Most people don't have those here), and it sounded somehow familiar. When he came out and greeted us, I asked what he was watching, and he said he was watching Eclipse with his sister (that Twilight movie that was BRAND NEW soon before I left home). I couldn't believe it! It was so funny to me. He also watched 24 a lot, and watches a lot of other popular western shows like Heroes and CSI. It's almost AMERICAN! He recommended this BBC show 'Merlin', in case you're looking for a new television vice. He says it's really good, and from what he described, it sounds awesome. Needless to say, he's my favorite convert. We're going over to his house tonight to watch The Testaments if he has power (he usually does. We haven't had power in 2 months!).

I was thinking today about asking for some recipes. We have just about everything you'd need to do basic baking, save for a mixer. We get to do that by hand. I made those Lehi Roller Mills brownies yesterday, and they're already almost gone. Those instant baking mixes and boxed mac n cheese are probably the best. Still waiting for power to open the cheese to test that stuff out. Maybe we'll make quesadillas with them using Lebanese flat bread (think pita) and some chicken. I dunno. But yeah, any simple recipes you could send would be great. We can substitute milk with powdered, we have eggs, we have butter, in fact, we have just about anything you'd need for a host of very basic food, minus cheese. We don't have too much though. We don't have canned soup, so we can't do those awesome pastas. Pretty much anything we make has to be from scratch. Any ideas you have would be great! Rice is in overabundance, so anything using that would probably be best. Rice pudding recipe? Though we don't have raisins. Or maybe scratch banana pudding, since those never go out of season, and they're EVERYWHERE.

You asked about my cooking skills. Well they aren't bad. There's 100 + 1 ways to cook rice. I only know a few now. If you want to fix a meal of what we typically have for breakfast, here's the recipe (be careful, it's not very good, but it's pretty much all we have):

1 tin can (a measurement) of dry uncooked white rice
1 can of spam cubed
1/2 onion, diced
2 Tbs veggie oil
1/2 Maggi cube (it's a weird type of bouillon cube)
1 tsp Pepi (Chili powder works)
some season salt
1 can of beans in tomato sauce

Directions: Cook rice (however you want it). Saute everything else minus beans in a frying pan until onions go clear, then add beans to heat. Then, eat it on rice. Not super tasty, but it's food.

Here's some fun Krio for you to try: (say them like they look)

"Mi I no able fo do 'em." means "I can't."
"Boku Tankee." means "Many thanks."
"Mi I no sabi wa ting yu da se." means "I don't know what you said."
"Yu sabi wat side wi da go?" means "Do you know where we're going?"
"I da go now-now." means "I'm going now."

I celebrated my 3 month mark last week. That means I'm 1/8 the way done with my mission! ;) Not that anyone's counting. Til next week, sending you all my love!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Sick Companion, No Elephants Here

It's interesting how my mindset has changed so much since I got here. I used to think that it'd be a fine thing to introduce tons of money and bulldoze all the cement homes and build a fine new city on top of it, but it brought me to think: What would this fix? Nothing at all. Really, these people don't need those things. They don't even WANT those things. They just want to eat and live and make it by, living simple and unhindered lives. They have a much better sight on the important things than we do as Americans. I wouldn't want to change anything about this place.

As far as filtered water, that's pretty much what I drink. I really enjoy mixing this Foster Clarks drink powder with it. It's way good! Not as good as Kool-aid though... And I'm eating the safest food I can find. We get a lot of free meals, so those are as safe as imaginable, and we typically refrain from street food (except for oranges and bananas, which can be eaten safely). Mosquitoes are kept at bay as best as possible, and I always sleep under my net. I love my little fortress! Keeps those nasty buggers out!

As far as I understand, there are no elephants left in Sierra Leone due to poaching. I think they've been long-driven out. But, we've seen an abundance of monkey. It's way cool! Most people have them as pets or livestock (good eatin' from what I hear). We're planning on buying one this week, and we'll have a man named Bro. Kallon butcher it for us. I can kill a chicken, but I don't have it in me to kill a monkey!

I had never heard about the origin of Bo before (that you shared in your letter, thanks to Wikipedia). There are a LOT of folk tales around here that explain all sorts of things. I'm sure there are many for the name. For example, it's commonly believed here that the name ''Sierra Leone'' (which translates to ''Mountain of the Lions'') comes from when the first people who arrived in Freetown, and heard the tumultuous thunder in the mountains, and thought it was lions roaring up in the heights. After hearing the thunder myself, I don't blame them for thinking that!

As far as packages go, I'm pretty much in love with everything in them. I have yet to try that cheese you sent, because it says I need to refrigerate it after it's opened, and we have no power. So, I'm going to wait on that so I don't have to eat it all at once. ;)

Regarding the hygiene kits that church members sent over here during the war. Jeez, even the ziplock bag that the stuff comes in is valuable! People reuse the crud out of every last plastic bag here, just because it saves 100-200 le. (1.5-3 cents). It's so crazy. Things like that go to good use here. Don't send money, send things like that. They have everything they need, and they have everything figured out. They just live simple lives, living day to day. They don't need, or even WANT an American lifestyle. Sure, they'd like ''nice things,'' but to them, that's not much. It amazes me how much my mind has changed about this place.

It's pretty routine around here right about now. Elder Lancaster has been sick the past two days, so we weren't able to go out. It was cool to have time to just chill, chat, and sleep. But as far as learning experiences go, I've learned that I need to always endure. Two weeks ago was really tough because of how many times we were bounced every day, mostly in part to lousy investigators. But just in this past week, we've found tons of new ones! In the Lord's time, he makes things easy. He says he'll take upon him our burdens and troubles, but he didn't say WHEN. So, in turn, I need to patently bear the burdens I'm called upon to bear, and when he feels I've learned and gained enough from it, he'll lighten them.

Something I love about my mission? Definitely my companion. If we had met at home, I never would have given him a chance, but we have so much in common it's scary! We have a lot of fun out here.

So, regarding the Sword of Laban: It has come to my opinion that the sword strongly represents the gospel of Jesus Christ. Ever since it was acquired by Nephi, it was used in the defense of the people from evil (meaning the Lamanites in most cases). It was handed down from generation to generation, to represent the passing on of the prophets role to defend the people of the church with the Gospel. This is even so all the way down to Joseph Smith. While he didn't literally defend the people with the sword, I find it significant that the sword was selected to accompany the plates in it's place of rest. The ''sword'' that had defended the people for so long was rejected, and the people fell into apostasy, thereby removing the ability to defend by it (the gospel). I see Joseph Smith acquiring the sword as the symbolic departure from apostasy, where a man was once again worthy and ready (and the world was likewise) to again wield the sword of truth and light in defense of evil.

I see it as a symbol of the gospel. You can observe the wielders of the sword after it came into the possession of Nephi; they were all prophets. The prophets were charged with one primary duty: To lead the church in the name of the Lord, and to defend it. So, in times prior, the defense was more literal, but it represents the significant spiritual defense that is necessary. The sword was designated to ''fight evil,'' and the Lord continually blessed the wielder. It also represents the gospel, signifying how the prophets used the word of God to defend the people. As it was handed down, it went through the hands of only righteous prophets (hence how Moroni was in possession of it. We can assume it was handed down with the plates), who continued to use the plates and the sword to defend the people.

Mom and Dad, I liked your thoughts on the sword of Laban also. They're very interesting. I've kind of formed a fascination with religious artifacts. So, I'll ask: Where are the Urim and Thummim? I think I have my own answer to that one. :)

Well, I must move on.

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Let there be Light!

Dearest Family,

It’s so hard to hand write letters to you now! I tell you practically everything I can via e-mail, so when I get home to write, I’m all out of stuff to say! I’ll do my best here.

I'm glad you like the hand-written letters. They're A LOT of work, and I try to get them out every few weeks. The Neves (older married missionary couple) only come for mail once every three weeks or so anyways.

I got the FloraLyte package last week! Ah, I was so excited! The cake boxes were a score, and I ate the Toy Story mac n cheese straight. I've got enough gummi bears to last the next transfer! Thank you so much! :) Additionally, Josh's letter cracked me up, and I really appreciated hearing from Heather. Thanks a ton! Oh, and the FloraLytes showed up right as our generator went out, so we had no lights. I was so glad they came! Our whole district uses them now, and the Sub-9 should last me forever since AAA batteries are readily available here. That's the second one I've received from the family (I've also received one from Grandma Suzi, and one from Kalei, totaling 4). It's seriously the best thing ever to get packages and mail around here. The cakes were genius, the Mac n cheese just might be the best, and I'm loving all the gummis! Oh, I found some Nutella this week! It's pretty expensive though. So, I still wouldn't mind getting some. ;) Thank you thank you thank you!

You would totally dig the theaters here. They are literally huts made from woven palm fronds with a corrugated tin roof. They run off generators, and play movies from projectors onto the walls. It's cheaper than dirt to get into a movie, but from the looks of it, you get what you pay for. Sierra Leone movies are total garbage. I've made better movies myself.

Oh, speaking of the Sierra Leone movie industry, you need to look someone up there in the States. Her name is Mariama Kallon. She's from Sierra Leone, and works for the church as a motivational speaker. If you want a spectacular story about the war, look for the movie that they made of her life story. It's POWERFUL, and highly representative of the sort of things that happened in the war here. The war is a big part of who these people are now. They are a very sobered people, full of love and genuine respect (generally). We don't see TOO many people from the war (as most of them were killed off), but we do have some that we run into, and their stories about what happened. They're WAY intense. I wouldn't say that the war directly attributed to the religious "revival" here, it's just that everyone here believes in God, whether Christian or Muslim, and everyone is one or the other. I've never met an atheist here.

Dad, no worries about not putting in a spiritual message in your letter this time. You think I don't get enough out here? Ha ha ha, not the case! So, this time I'LL send a thought (or a challenge, really). Look for the Sword of Laban, and tell me what you think it represents. I'm curious if you'd think the same thing I do. Why then was it important to provide to Joseph Smith? I think I have my own answer. I'm curious what you think!

I used to think that I’d never want you to visit this place. Now, after living amongst the people as a prince among paupers (and believe you me, we’re living in poor conditions), I wish you could all see what I see, hear what I hear and know what I now know. I wish you could understand this place.

The thing that I’ve learned most here is how completely just God is. You may think that in such a poor country the wiles of the devil would be too expensive. It’s simply not so. You can buy alcohol for 500 le (12 cents) cigarettes for pennies, and other unspeakable items at a seditiously low cost. But that’s not how God is fair. Satan levels his playing field by making things cheap, accessible, and worthless. God levels His playing field by making His gospel absolutely cost and interest free. It doesn’t matter where you go on this Earth, between Africa and America, it’s the same challenges for everyone: Obedience to the Lord’s commandments. It’s amazing to me how truly the same all of God’s children are.

You mentioned that Elder Whitney Clayton (President of the Seventy) said in his talk in Everett that he will be visiting Africa in April. He will likely never set foot in Sierra Leone. EVERYONE goes to either Ghana, Nigeria, or South Africa. Pretty much no exceptions (his exception is that he won't go to Nigeria because he's white (well, at least there are no white missionaries there)).

Josh going to USU? Who would have guessed! ;) We'll enjoy. Are you still looking into a family house/apartment there in Logan? I think that'd be SWEET. Jesse would be the most spirited. He'll LOVE high school.

Nate thinks he'll beat me at Warhammer when I get back? It's gonna take more than just a two year break to give him THAT much of an advantage! I just got a letter from him with tons of pictures of new stuff. It made me happy. Like, WAY happy. If he keeps this up, well, I'll think of some way to pay him back. In a BIG way. I have a letter I wrote him in response chilling on my desk waiting to go out. It takes so long to get ANYTHING out.

Dad, I remember those stories about John Layton hypnotizing chickens! Ha ha ha... You've told me at some point in my life. Unfortunately, I haven't had an opportunity to try hypnotizing a chicken again. People are pretty sensitive about their chickens, so I don't touch them. And no, Butch was a "local chicken," so she wasn't so huge. The big ones are the English Hens. HUGE. Someday though, I'll have another chance to try.

Okay, I got some pictures. The first one is of this kid I saw wearing nothing but a fanny pack (I made him put shorts on for the picture). Then a picture of Festus, who we baptized Saturday. He's so great! And the last 2 are of the funeral procession that came through town.

Well, until next time; Mom and Dad I love you both so much. Thank you for helping me get out here. It’s the best time of my life. Hilary, welcome home! I miss you like crazy, and regret having to miss your wedding (you’re not going to wait longer than two years to get married, right?). Josh, we’re going to raise English hens when I get back. They are are chickens that are 2.5 feet tall. HUGE. Can you send me some potential names? Jesse, keep that bear spray on ya to keep the babes away. Sending my love your way.

Elder Chris Vaughan

Lots of Hiking, Bush Rats for Dinner & Small Miracles

Thank you for sending the stories of my missionary ancestors. I love hearing about the people who came before me. I've started reading a book on the history of the restored church, and it's got a lot of really in-depth detail on the people that took roles in the work. It's so fascinating to read all the trials they faced and how they overcame them!

Wow, Jake is going to Brazil on his mission?? That's way awesome! I bet he's flippin' excited. If I remember right, Brazil was his favorite soccer team, and Ronaldo was his favorite player (also from Brazil). That's so cool! Send him my congratulations! I'm so excited for him!

You’re welcome for the pictures. I have a few more, but this computer’s USB port was torn out. The internet is decently fast though. Only about 2 minutes to load a page, and not 15. It's pretty hard for me to take pictures, since we can't snap while we proselyte (which is pretty much ALL we do), and when we're not proselyting, we're brooking (washing) our clothes.

My shoes are holding up alright. They're gonna be WAY trashed by the time I'm done with them though! We walk probably 10 miles a day. Sorry, not walk, HIKE. It's in the rocks and hills of the bush, so the shoes are taking a beating, but at least they're taking it fine.

The food here is fine (if not disgusting). Most of the time I enjoy it, but every once in a while... For instance, we had eel yesterday. I like it. The time before, we had crab. They were tiny little crabs with hard shells. So, not the East Coast delicacy back home. You eat the (did I say it was hard?) shell and everything. Yum? We've also had beef skin, which is pretty dang nasty. I'm pretty certain I had some bush rat three days ago... Wasn't too bad, I just wish I knew what I was eating. I've been well though! Diarrhea once, but that came to a halt when I fed it a heavy dose of Immodium and prescription meds! I've been well.

Requests for a package you ask? Ha ha ha... Well, boxed mac n cheese sounds REALLY good. Elder Allred got lots of instant foods, like mashed potatoes + gravy or instant Alfredo, things like that. Peanut butter and honey is pretty common to see, and that's really good on the Lebanese bread we can get here. Oh, and send Nutella. That's the only one that I'll actually ask for. ;) Other than that, surprise me! :)

Sister Roggia told us about the Arizona congresswoman (and we saw it on Aljazeera when we were eating at Sab's). It's truly sad. When you look at the rest of the world though, it's way worse off (look at the Lebanese government. It collapsed this week). The Millennium is on its way!

So, you mentioned the article in the magazine about humanitarian service missionaries digging wells. Did it mention Elder and Sister Gredding? They're the ones who head that project here, and Elder Priddis and I got to meet them because they had a package for Elder Priddis. We see those wells all over the place, and it's such a blessing for those who take care of them. There are others though, who choose not to take care of them, and they fall into disrepair. Parable of the talents comes to mind.

So, miracles. They're REALLY subtle here. We work with so many people that it's often difficult to see the miracle in the midst of the work. We have one investigator, named Festus that we have been working with this week. He sort of just joined in a lesson with his uncle two weeks back, and ever since has just been on fire! We asked him to read 1 Nephi 1 as a start of an assignment, and we came back the next day to find out he had read all the way past 1 Nephi 10! Getting ANYONE to read around here has been a HUGE challenge because of the dismal literacy level. He's now almost to the book of Jacob, and we are looking to baptize him this week. He gave up a LOT of sin to do so, and that's the miracle to me. He calls every day, asking how we are, telling us how he's been doing, and asking how to better improve things. It's amazing! The change that we see in people is truly the miracle here.

My testimony... Well, it's the same. I know the church is true. How much can that change? What has changed is that I have a deeper understanding of the things I know to be true. I can see more prominently how the gospel can change lives. It's amazing. If I bore my testimony in church now, it would be in Krio (only kidding…that's such an irreverent language), and I'd share my knowledge on how the gospel can change people's lives. It really can. I've seen some amazing turn arounds (in both directions). It only serves to bolster what I know.

Well, that's all I have time for today. Have a wonderful day! :)

Elder Vaughan

New Comp, Cold Nights & Bo Zone Conference

Mi new compi morta man? Elder Lancaster is great! We're doing really well. He's usually really quiet during the day when we are working,but when we get home and unwind we talk a lot. He's really awesome! Our teaching clicked from the very first lesson. He knows Njaie Town a little from his days in Bo Branch, which is the other area in our apartment. Apparently he went on a lot of exchanges. His Krio is a lot better than mine, since he came straight out of Freetown, but my own Krio is getting really good! I'm almost fluent now, I just have to get the accent down.

I've really enjoyed leading the area. It gave me a chance to rise up to a challenge. I found that a lot of the time with Elder Priddis, I was just along for the ride. I mean, I did my part, but Elder Priddis was who everyone was interested in hearing, both because they liked him better, and because he could talk Krio better. But now that neither of those things are there, it makes room for me to work a lot harder, and become a lot better. It puts Elder Lancaster and I on equal terms, so we both have a lot to learn from each other, rather than me just being trained.

You continually ask about challenges I have here, and I hate having to answer that... Really, I don't know. Nothing seems hard to me here. It's just life as I know it! The Lord guides my footsteps, and makes my burdens light. It makes it easier to focus on the people and to be a more effective teacher.

It's a good thing Elder Priddis is going to Liberia. He was "born" here in the bush, and will have a lot to learn in Monrovia. It'll be a very positive experience for him. My own companion, Elder Lancaster, is from St. George Utah. He's into cars and his fiance Ciera (technically, he's not engaged, but his wedding date is already planned). He is great! He's very different from my trainer (who I now miss very much), but we're enjoying our time together. I guess it's different in that Elder Priddis and I bonded VERY quickly, and Elder Lancaster and I are a little slower at it. But, it's not a problem.

I really enjoy him. Right off the bat we taught with very good unity, and his Krio skills are excellent from living in Freetown (I'm almost fluent now. He has the accent down though). We get along really well, because we both have a genuine interest in serving each other. I guess that's what it takes to make a companionship work.

Butch (the chicken) was pretty tasty. We put her in a groundnut stew, and it was delicious! I took a video of Elder Allred attempting to behead her, but I'm not sure whether or not I'll send that one home... ;) As far as raising the chickens go, we've opted to put that on hiatus. There has been too much change in the mission recently to permit such a thing at this time.

Speaking of change, every companionship short of the Zone Leader's were moved. EVERYONE has new companions in all of Bo. It's to make way for a massive influx of missionaries in the next year. They're looking at boosting our compliment to 100 Elders. Oh yeah, and sisters will be coming in soon. How soon, I don't know. Elder Grabau (one of the assistants, if you don't remember) was talking about this change to me, and asked how I would feel if I was a trainer next transfer. Tee hee hee... I gave him a cordial laugh and told him I wouldn't mind rising to the challenge. It's the truth. I'd love to train someone out here in Njaie Town. 40 elders in the next year = 40 new trainers. So, yeah. That's my future here! I'm pretty excited.

You asked about my greatest challenge here? I dunno. Probably adjusting to the new district. Both of the Americans left (Priddis and Allred) and Elder Lancaster came (my new compie!) and Elder Svongwa, a greenie. I guess things aren't really that hard out here for me. We just walk a lot, but even that isn't hard anymore. We just go out, come back, and chill at the apartment.

Our greatest success this week was when we started teaching brother Philip. His daughter Hawa is a recent convert, and he attends the Charles Lwanga church right next to our branch. He has refused the lessons so far, but he took the first lesson yesterday! His (many)daughters were present, and all expressed a desire for baptism. It made me quite happy! :) If we can baptize Philip, then the whole family will follow.

Yeah, snow isn't too common around here (ha ha), but there was a little yesterday ask Kari about that one, and tell her "Boku Tankee!" for me!). I sure wish I had some... Actually, the temp dropped to less than 70 degrees in the night, and we about froze to death. It may sound hot, but it's always 85+ degrees, and we have nothing with which to fight the cold. So, we shiver until morning. Elder Lancaster and I are going to get sweatshirts today.

Oh, and in case you didn't know via Sister Roggia, we had Zone Conference yesterday, so P-Day was bumped to today. We like that, because Sab's (the hamburger joint) is closed on Mondays. ;)

Yeah, I heard about the Sudan referendum too. We were at Sab's for lunch today, and Aljazeera news was playing on the TVs. Not sure what I think on the issue. It was kind of a touchy place to discuss anything related to religion (Sab's is a Muslim restaurant). We don't hear TOO much about the war here, but every once in a while we hear some stories. We're teaching one man who's brain is fried from the war, plus combat drugs from the war. He killed a man, and is psychologically scarred from it. It's very interesting working with him...

Okee dokee, it's my time to depart. I luv yu bing!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

PS: Picture explanations: The first picture is of me and Elder Lancaster, here in this cafe where I now sit. Then, a picture of my shoes. The one on the right is newly polished, and the one on the left is from a day of proselyting. District farewells with Elder Priddis and Elder Allred. Then, dinner of fry-fry. Man, that stuff is good. Just fried fish and potatoes. Next is one of Philip's daughters, playing the flour game. Our last zone football game (Elders v. Locals). Half of those Elders are now gone. Our baptism last week (minus one candidate who was an hour late).

Trainer Gets Transfered, Butch Gets Stewed & Missionary Parkour

So, you asked about my favorite lesson... Hmmm... We teach a LOT in a single day, so it's hard to pin it down to a single one. I always love teaching Joseph + Mama and their son Junior (He's 10). Joseph is a Hondaman here, and he gets SO excited whenever he sees me or Elder Priddis. Oftentimes, he'll blast past us on the streets, and as he passes, he'll just yell "MISTER PRIDDIS!!!" as he blazes by! He's so funny. Teaching him is hard because his English is pretty bad, and Mama's Krio is even worse.

So, we do our best. I think the most productive lessons have been with these two brothers, Kenneth and Festus. We met them like we meet all of our other contacts: They fall from the sky. Their English is very good, which allows us to teach them much more quickly than with those who we have to really slow down with. They have a baptismal date set for the last half of this month. I'm really excited for them! They're one of the first groups of investigators that I've taught from contact to now. It's really exciting!

We shoot for 40 lessons every week (we usually get between 30-35). We get about 5-6 baptisms a month, but there will be more this week. We're shooting for more family baptisms.

So, transfer news this week. Elder Vaughan: Staying in Njaie Town. That's right, greenie of 6 weeks gets to manage the monster that is Njaie Town. Elder Priddis: Going to Congo Cross, Liberia. He's nervous like crazy. He's spent his whole mission here in the bush, and he hates the city. My prayers are for him. But, he'll do well. I have faith in him. My new companion will be Elder Lancaster, from Utah who is getting married 2 months after he gets home (seriously, he's been planning his wedding out here). He served in Bo some months back, so he knows that area really well. I think he'll be good. I met him while I was in Freetown, but didn't really get to know him. I'm excited to do so! It'll be good to be pushed into a form of leadership. We'll see how it goes... I'm a little antsy about it, but I listened well to my trainer, and am confident that he taught me well. He worked so hard to make sure I could manage out here after he leaves. Aye... He'll be sorely missed among the people. He truly was one of them.

Elder Allred is going to Freetown, and Elder Chikwendu is training a greenie from Zimbabwe. So, I won't be the youngest missionary in the apartment anymore! Woo hoo!! Since Elders Allred and Priddis are leaving, Elder Chikwendu and I are going to raise some English hens in the spare room. So cool... Although, it won't fill the hole that Elder Priddis will leave behind. He'll be sorely missed by all of
Njaie Town.

I won't lie, it's daunting to have to lead things in my area after only 6 weeks here. The bush is tricky to navigate, so I'm going to be praying extra. I have no fear though.

Speaking of, I haven't felt fear my whole mission. I remember specifically that President Wilcox said that "fear will take no place in [my] mission", which I initially construed to mean that I would be courageous in the face of fear. On the contrary, there is literally no fear in my heart. The Spirit has had some miraculous way of removing it entirely. Any time I'm in a situation where I'd otherwise be afraid, I feel nothing but this warm boldness in my heart. No fear. It's pretty amazing.

On a less-spiritual note, we killed Butch, and another rooster we bought to make into ground nut stew. Seriously, a chicken with it's head cut off is the funniest thing I've ever seen in my entire life. I laughed so hard. I shot video of Elder Allred killing his Christmas present, but I'm not sure I want to send that home... He missed the first swing... and the second swing... and finally got the
head ALMOST all the way off on the third, when it started doing it's headless chicken dance. Elder Priddis killed the rooster like a pro though. I couldn't breathe I was laughing so hard!

Another couple things: First, I LOVE the handwritten letters I've been getting! As a public service announcement, letters ought to be written/typed on paper as strong as printer paper or stronger. Lined paper usually needs to be assembled upon arrival... :/

It's so weird to think that Hilary is home! Arrggghhh... I wish I could see her... But I really like how she didn't want to leave her mission. That's building up in me right now. I'm sure she'll attest; it doesn't come all at once. However, I'm learning and growing, and I couldn't ask for more. Someday, I'll bear my testimony in Krio for you. ;) (Unless of course I end my mission in Liberia, where they don't speak it. I'll probably lose it all there).

It's funny that people like to hear the stories of the African bush. It's really not all that exciting out there. We just walk boku (means "a lot") in the hot sun. It's really pretty out there though. Not a lot happens, just teaching and teaching and more teaching. It's pretty amazing. I tell you, my favorite lessons are out in Banja Town at the end of the day, because when the lessons gets done after dark, we get to parkour a bunch of streams and stuff out in the middle of the rice marsh to get to a road to find a Honda. It's pretty amazing.

Well, I'm running out of time. I wish you could see this place for "una sef" (yourself). Happy New Year! You're always in my prayers.

Love,

Elder Vaughan