Cockroaches, Mosquitoes and a Rhinocerous Beetle

Okay, so quick explanation of the pics I'm sending: First is Elder Lancaster and Elder Svongwa (from Zimbabwe. He's younger than me! He came the transfer after I did) enjoying some scruptious Tuna Helper with mashed potatoes and gravy. Best fast sunday ever? Possibly. It was WAY good. Can't wait to use the rest! That'll have to wait until Elder Lancaster is well enough to keep it down... Next is sakitombo on rice. Mmmm. Sakitombo is pounded casava leaf, cooked really watery with extra pepe. It really looks like green diarrhea, but tastes way good. Well, I suppose you'd have to be used to it to think so... ;) The next two are of this rhinoceros beetle that was on our veranda one morning. It was so cool! You only see these things on the Discovery Channel! I picked it up, but then it hissed at me. So, I put it down. Good story, huh? The last pic is of my desk how it is now. I like it lots better. ;)





My companion is completely floored by the weather right now. March is usually post-marked with sun, and sun only. However, the past two Mondays, we've had lovely thunderstorms! It's way nice. It drops the temperature about 10 degrees, and helps our well fill up.

It's funny you mentioned the piano. I was missing it too, so I brought the Branch's keyboard home (see the picture). Recently, Ramy (the only person who knows how to play keyboard in all of Njaie Town Branch) hasn't been able to come to church to play, so I kinda have to stumble through it. It's HARD. I'm no organist, but I'm much more of an organist that anyone else here. It's kinda anxiety-inducing, but because the people don't expect much, there's plenty of room for error. So, since I now will be having a keyboard in my room, would you mind sending me some sheet music and blank staff paper? I'd REALLY appreciate that. :)

If you wouldn't mind telling Josh Kelley for me, you can send him this: "Mozambique?? You'll be closer to me than anyone I else I know from home! XD Welcome to Africa my friend!! I'm so happy for you!" That's pretty much how I feel about it.

Oh, postal strike ended like three weeks ago.

Conference with Elder Dickson was really nice. I don't really know what to share about it... We had a lot of fun, that's for sure! We got to Freetown, had some Bo Zone training, watched "How to Train Your Dragon" (SWEET movie!), and stayed in the Freetown apartment with Elders Allred, Ewudzie, Norton, Visser, Tippets, and Adjei. We were eaten alive by mosquitoes, since we didn't have our nets with us, but I'd say that's the only down side to the trip. We woke up to French toast, courtesy of Elder Allred and Elder Ewudzie, and then we went to the conference.

The conference was really great. We listened to a number of talks on a number of topics, Elder Kenner and I sang a duet of "This is the Christ," and then we ate food. Could it be any better? I really liked Elder Dickson's talk on how the Atonement of Christ merges the benefits of mortal life (i.e. after the Fall of Adam) with the benefits of living in the Garden of Eden. I'll have to bring my notes with me next time I e-mail so I can send more details. It was just really awesome to see how the Atonement really makes everything worthwhile in life, and brings meaning to everything we do.

So, teaching experiences are a little on the dry side this week. Elder Lancaster has been really sick, so we've had to take a lot of breaks and head in early to help him. So, this compromises the majority of our experiences this week. I get to serve my companion as he suffers. It's been a great experience for me, actually.

In light of that, teaching this week has been really rough. Missing a day of work makes it so much harder to get back in the game, because you have to reconstruct your whole teaching schedule after missing a day of appointments. So, unfortunately, not so much to report with teaching. Oh, and that Sylvia lady is out of town at a burial, so we weren't able to see her this week either. Double bummer, huh? Our recent converts are doing really well though. Festus and Abraham totally rock! They come to every correlation meeting that we have with the branch missionaries. Abraham found (on his own!) and memorized the sacrament prayers, and Festus is almost done with 3 Nephi. These two are so great! Ah! They make the work so much easier!

I could tell you about cockroaches! Oh heavens, that's part of the culture here. Well, not really culture, but they're EVERYWHERE. Those, and spiders. BIG ones. Every morning, before I step into the shower for my bath, I check for dead (or even HALF dead, which are worse) roaches, hornets (these African hornets are particularly nasty. I'll send a pic home someday), and tarantulas. Gotta love it here! We use this awesome insecticide spray to fumigate our rooms every so often, which helps a little. I also have a gecko that lives behind my closet, so he helps keep things cleaned out.

Dad, thanks for the update on what you learned at your ecommerce conference. If you want a really interesting story on social networking, there was a recent revolution (oh I dunno, a couple months ago?) in Tunisia, in which Facebook and Twitter were the weapons of mass destruction. They completely tore down the government that was established, and ushered in a new order. I believe the Aljazeera news company was doing a spot on it. I think it's called "The Death of Fear." I dunno, maybe you can find it. Never underestimate the power of the social network!

So the Squidoo lenses I wrote are still bringing in money? Good to know that my work was worth the investment! I was pretty skeptical of those lenses, and how well they would help the company.

So, no worries about the whole "trunkiness" thing. My companion is engaged, and he watches videos of his family that they send him all the time. I don't get too bad, but my companion doesn't help with that one! Ha ha ha. Mom keeps saying that I look really good in Sister Roggia's pictures. Should I tell her that if anything, I've GAINED weight here? Seriously, I haven't changed at all. You'd think I would with all the exercise I get, but I guess not...

I think a a lot about the Tokyo House sushi dinner we had before I left home. People will ask what kinds of food that I like that are exclusive to where I live. I usually lean on the pan-Asian aspect of Washington to reply, so people think I eat lots of weird stuff. Well, I guess we do, but... Ha ha ha, those were good times! Unfortunately, it's not safe to eat anything raw here. You know what? We passed our first mango stand today! Well, we saw some in Freetown, but this one is just up the street from our house! Not sure on the price at the moment, but I'm guessing 1,000 Le a pop. We're passing back there on the way home. Who's excited? Me. :) It makes me think of you Dad every time I see ripe mangoes in the trees. I just know how much you'd love to be here for them.

Speaking of you being here, I know that I said before that I didn't want anyone to come pick me up, but now... Well, if anyone wants to come and pick me up from my mission in 1.5+ years, you're more than welcome. I think that'd be an incredible experience for whomever would get to come. I guess I just want you to know that I'm open to the idea now.

Oh, I saw another Phantom of the Opera shirt yesterday. It was one of those ones that costs $50 at home. One of these days, I'll just buy the shirt off of the person's back! Ha ha ha.

Alrighty, time to jet.

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Killing Cobras...Literally and Figuratively

Hello Family!

It's been far too long since I've sent my handwriting home! My deepest apologies. There is much to be done in daily life around here, so time to write is scarce. Well, okay, time is there, but there is a lot of cooking/sleeping that goes on. We work our buns off out here. With 9 hours of proselyting, we usually get about 5 hours of teaching, which means 4 hours of walking. Do the math at "missionary speed" (as Festus calls it), we pull about anywhere between 10 - 16 miles per day.

An astute reader will notice that this is Wednesday that I am writing, not in fact Monday. Well, today was more of a 16 mile day, and Elder Lancaster and I are getting sick. We called it a day a little early, and we've since acquainted ourselves with the toilets. Runny stomach sucks, but it's not the worst thing that can happen. Salone does some pretty brutal things to us. EVERYTHING breaks, spoils or gets sick in a flash. It's completely astounding.

You'll be comforted to know that the Lord takes great care of us. He certainly doesn't remove our burdens, but just as certain he makes them lighter. Things are great here, in spite of all the hardship we face. It's just life for me now, so it's manageable.

It's interesting just how much my opinions and ideas about this place have changed. When I first got here, I wanted to bulldoze everything and rebuild from the ground up. Now, I don't want to move a single stone out of its place. The people here are blissfully happy and unaware of any other way to live. They see America on TV and can't comprehend it, just as you cannot comprehend West Africa.

I was fortunate to witness something pretty awesome yesterday. Here in Salone, we have the dreaded, and highly venomous black cobra. EVERYONE here is absolutely HORRIFIED of snakes. The moment someone sees one, they flee, screaming in terror. Not only do they flee, but they return with friends to destroy the cobra, usually by stoning them or beating them with long poles. After the cobra is sufficiently dead, they burn it. Even a dead cobra can kill.

This is exactly what Elder Lancaster and I were privileged to watch. We were sitting with a recent convert when we heard someone scream out bloody murder. A cobra had managed it's way into the ceiling of the bathhouse where this woman happened to be doing her business. A five foot black cobra. She did exactly as I described before; screamed, ran, and returned with friends. Like, twenty friends. Apparently the cobra had slithered down onto her as she was washing herself. Can you imagine the sheer horror?!

I saw a very powerful parable in this. Cobra = Satan. From there, it's easy to fill in the blanks. Satan can get us anytime, anywhere (even, or perhaps especially) when our pants are down! What do we choose to do when he comes? Well, some people pet the cobra, hold it close to them. How could somebody do something so spiritually life-threatening?? When Satan comes, flee. Return with friends, and destroy his influence entirely. Burn him to ashes as even a dead cobra (think "overcome addiction perhaps) can kill. I was just so inspired by how the people came together to destroy something venomous. Why then do the allow others (and themselves) to be bitten by that Great Serpent? Alas, 'tis my only grief: The sins of the people.

Jeremiah suddenly speaks to me a lot more. I can now understand what it is to stand by the wayside and watch wickedness and corruption wash over the people in a seemingly unstoppable tide. In spite of death and hell, we are here. Ha ha ha, somehow we are here, and death and hell cannot and will never prevail against us. We are here making a permanent change.

Oh Mom, if only you could see me now. Would you recognize me? If I spoke to you, would you hear my voice? It's only been just over 4 months, and I'll never be the same again. I've learned so much and now can already see life the way it's supposed to be for me. I can see who I can become. It took more than 19 years to see it, but I guess you saw it all along. I'm here because you never gave up on me. Now, I'm out teaching and loving people the same way, without giving up on them. It's an interesting point of view, but look at all the people here in Africa who will be forever changed because you raised your son proper and never gave up on him! I hope I'm doing you proud Mom. You always told me I did.

Dad, I'm using that shield you taught me to use. Sometimes I'd be content with cobras in my life, and just look at them as occupational hazards of life. Anytime a cobra came into my life, you were there to stone it and burn it regardless of if I cried out for help or not. Sometimes I even had to bear the pain of a venomous bite, but you were there to draw out the poison and mend the wound. I don't know who, where, or how I'd be if you hadn't so completely protected me so diligently. Not here, that much is certain.

Well, I'm having the time of my life here. I love every moment. Any discouraging or despairing thought is immediately dispelled when I think of the friends and family I have here. The thought of giving up any time at all, either with these people or the other Elders is so heart-breaking. I'm so grateful I'm here. I can't imagine trying to belong anywhere else. I fit in better here than I have anywhere else in my life. God knew me when he sent me here. I can be myself and what I will become here.

Okay, enough of the mushy stuff. I have to prove it's still Chris Vaughan here. ;) See, a smiley face! In a life not-so-distant, those are called "emoticons." It's hard for me to not get emotional and grateful whenever I write home. I need a lighter subject...

Aha! So, included in this letter is a camera card. It has most of my pics and videos so far (I deleted the one of Elder Allred killing a chicken, but I kept a copy of it on my thumb drive. Not sure if I'll ever send it home... Hopefully you understand!). Again, apologies for so few. Time to shoot pictures is not plentiful. The first video on there is of Elder Norton and I chatting on the sidelines of the Bo v. Freetown Christmas soccer match. Not too interesting, but I thought you'd like it. The next video is of the Assistants Christmas skit with the senior couples. It's seriously one of the funniest things I've seen. Well, it's really only funny for us Salone Elders. Next is a video of Ramy Tommy performing a song that he composed about the First Vision on his keyboard. It's pretty tight, except for the baby crying in the background... The next video is of the bike ride from home to the internet cafe. I really think you'll like that one. The last video is of some strange man dancing on his veranda across from the chapel. I think I told you about this one. There are also numerous pictures I haven't had occasion to send home, which you'll enjoy. Oh! And MTC pictures. Won't that be a shock... ha ha ha.

Alrighty, time to jet. I love you all so much! The work is rolling forth and I'm loving it! Best wishes and best of luck on everything that happens to anyone at home.

Love,

Elder Chris Vaughan

P.S. Some Krio for you... Matyu 7:20 "Una go no den profet we no de tok tru bay wetin den de du."

First Pair of Shoes Worn Through

I just received your packages! We ate the Tuna Helper last night to break our fast, and had some potatoes and gravy on the side. For dessert, we enjoyed a valentines cake from Grandma. It was wonderful. Thank you SO MUCH. The pasta helpers are genius. You don't need to send anymore gum though. I can't chew it in public, and when I'm not in public, I'm usually eating/sleeping. So, I can't keep pace. Tell Hil thanks for the tie. A definite need. The deodorant was extremely timely, as I had just run out the day earlier. Feel free to send more of that. Oh, and if you need more ideas on stuff to send, you could send new shoes. My first pair of shoes spoiled (the soles are worn through. I can patch it a little, but they're pretty much finished). Thanks for everything you send! You couldn't possibly imagine how wonderful that stuff is out here.

So, Dad you asked about the incident where I intervened when the man was beating his son. Unfortunately this type of thing is far too common. It's about the tenth time I've stopped someone, it was just the first time I had swiped the cane from them. Its a huge part of that dragon we face out here: Tradition. All of their traditions fight the church, and tradition is all that these people have. So, beating kids is a part of life here. We're trying to change it, but it's so ingrained in these people that it's difficult to fight.

Mom, it's funny you mention a long bus ride with chickens... We took a bus to Freetown, and a woman's chicken got loose. It's pretty normal. I enjoyed the ride because I got to chat with Elder Laneri. I really admire him. You can just tell he's absolutely genuine and kind. I want to be more like that. He'll be going to USU this fall (he returns in July), so Josh and Hil will have to hunt him down. He's also looking into business, which means we'll be attending the same college! That'll be way sweet. I love that Elder so much.

Conference was nice, not too much to report. Elder Dickson was awesome. We had fun.

Time's up. So sorry. Net is crap here today (more so than usual). I'll be mailing a camera card with pics/vids home soon. I copied the files to my thumb drive, so no worries if they get lost.

Love you so much!

Elder Vaughan

Family Life in Salone Society

Josh Kelley is going to MOZAMBIQUE?? Wow. That's SWEET. That's the first person I know from home that's going to Africa! WOO HOO!! I'm so happy for him! It's funny that you mention foriegn missions running within siblings. Elder Allred is one example, where he and all his brothers served in Africa, and one in Japan. It's crazy. I hope Josh gets to come here. He'd love it.

Also, regarding all of those guys from Washington that are going to Brazil??? That's INSANE!! I'm so glad I'm here in Africa. You know me, I'm not one to follow the crowd. I still think it would have been amazing to serve in Japan, or somewhere else in Asia or the Pacific, but this is my place. I really like it now, and I really like the peers I'm with here. If I had followed my peers, then I would have missed out on this chance that I have to meet new people that I now love so much.

Not sure about the mail strike. I suppose I'll find out this week when I go to Freetown for our conference with Elder Dickson. Mail rarely comes out here to Bo anyways, so don't stress that I haven't received anything yet. This week I'll get more info.

So, you asked about women in Salone society: A man's property. Literally. When a man wants to marry someone, they have to pay a dowry on them, which establishes a "traditional marriage" (in Krio they call it "tying kola"). Basically, you buy your bride. They are second to men, and are to obey their every command without question. While love CAN exist in marriage here, it often leaves. And when it does, they split, just like that. Traditional marriages are just as easy to end as they are to start. Women (along with the children) are often abused and beaten when they don't submit properly.

The role of a woman here is to cook and clean. That's pretty much it. Every day the man comes home expecting his rice to be ready. Most of the time, the family will have already eaten and have saved some for the man. When a family eats together, they usually eat out of a huge dish together, all using their hands. They offer guests (like us) spoons to eat with. So, my companions and I have always shared bowls and drinking cups. It's just how it's done out here.

The role of the family is highly variable. Often, it's simply to provide a place to stay. Rearing and teaching children is not so common. Children are even below women, and must do everything as their parents instruct, for fear of being beaten.

Elder Lancaster and I had the opportunity to intervene with a beating that was going on yesterday. We were approaching the home of a man who has been investigating the church, only to see him beating the crap out of his kid with a "cane" (stick). I ran up to him and snatched the cane out of his hand, and there was nothing for us to say about it. Rather than the lesson we were going to have, we taught him how he should punish his kids, rather than beat the tar out of them. I made him break the cane. It was a very... ugh, just not a fun lesson. He's been taught by missionaries since this mission opened, but he's never come to church. I don't enjoy teaching him, but we can't drop anyone. Did Christ ever drop any of us?

Anyways, glad all is well (if not real cold) at home. I'm so happy to hear about all these mission calls! I'm going to get home and nobody will be there! I'm pleased with that.

Oh, I just finished filling up a 2GB camera card (I know, not very much, but it's hard to snap pics here! It attracts TONS of attention!). I'm going to transfer everything to one of my thumb drives, and send the card home in the next few weeks via pouch. Elder Lancaster told me that Elder Moss in Liberia has successfully done so, so I shall try likewise. There are a few videos on there I'm sure you'll enjoy. I took one ninja-esque video of a man dancing on his veranda to some tribal music across the street from the church. It's priceless.

Thanks for the recipes you've sent! If you want to eat a butterpear (avacado) Salone style, mash it and pour sugar on it. I have yet to try it, but they say it's tasty. They also say papaya is tasty, but I think most of the time it's just nasty. It purely depends on the tree it came from.

Honestly, my budgeting these past two transfers has been crappy. My first transfer I had loads of money to spare because I was extremely careful about it, but not so much this time around... Budgeting is my goal for this week. We just got subsistence, and so now it's time to put it to the test.

The best way to send money (don't worry about it yet. I still have more than 150 bucks) is through Western Union Bank. Although, this Rokel Commercial Bank that we use has started with Visa Debit. However, I do not have any cards in my posession. I had Elder Patterson put them in the mission safe when I arrived so that they would be kept safe. You don't need to send much anyways, because 10 bucks can go a LONG way (like, transportation for 2-3 weeks, or
breakfast for 3 weeks, etc...).

Elder Lancaster and I met a couple Americans and an English woman who were here to help with some humanitarian aide regarding these "fistulas" (can't remember the first name of the ailment) that women out in the villages get. I remember Mr. Stallons taught us about that in high school, so I was really surprised when it actually came in handy to know! It was neat talking to them about it.

So, zone conference is in Freetown is this week with Elder Dickson. I'm sure I'll have lots to say about that next week. :)

Oh, and this week Elder Lancaster and I saw the legendary "Guana." It's a lightning-fast lizard that's about the size of a crocodile. It was sweet. I started chasing it so that I could get a better look at it, and Elder Lancaster thoroughly chastised me for being dumb. He thinks it could have eaten me (such would be said by a person that's about as small as that guana). It was sweet though. People here eat them, and apparently they're delicious.

There's this one rebel from the war that we visited this week (he's messed up in the head HARD CORE). He told us that there was this report on the radio about a white man that went up in the sky and cut a rope holding a giant stone (think asteroid) suspended above the earth. Now, this stone is falling slowly towards the earth. We asked when it would hit, and he said sometime in 2012. We asked where it would it, and he said that the report said "white man country." We asked if that meant America, and he said he wasn't sure, but that if it did that it would destroy at least 57 states! (oh brother) I turned to my companion, "Oh no! That's almost all of them!" This man continued to explain that the worst was yet to come, and that all of the earth would suffer from 5 years of continual darkness afterwards. He was mad, because "if something is fearful, you shouldn't tamper with it!" (referring to the white man that cut the rope...loosely translated). Oh it was funny!

I think it's interesting that everyone writes me "pick you up and get you going" letters. I'm just dandy here! Nothing to truly trouble me, and I'm having fun. Sure, I miss home, but that's a tiny emotion here. Encouragement is good, but I'm not down on myself at all. I love this mission to death. :)

Alright, time to split. Love you! and miss you lots!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Bathrooms, Butter Pears & Baptisms

Okay, so first I'll explain the pictures. The first picture is of a Salone shower house/toilet. Yeah, that's where people poop around here (except us, we have toilets at the apartment). This is one of the nicer ones. Then, a picture of my desk (before I cleaned it. I swear, it looks great now). Then, a picture of the "butter pear" tree on our front lawn (avacados). There you go, we could make guacamole here if we had sour cream). The last one is from our baptism last Saturday. The man in the middle is Abraham, the one who was baptized (Elder Lancaster performed it), the man on the right is Festus (our most powerful convert EVER), and the lady on the left is Sylvia, the mom of that family we started teaching.






I have yet to try any recipes that you sent, because Elder Boye-Doe is a cooking MACHINE. He loves to cook, and he's great at it. At first, I wanted to play my part and cook every once in a while like a good Elder should, but his food is great, and the things I cook are typically crap (except for those awesome cake mixes and mac n cheese...keep those coming!). I feel like I'd be rude by detracting from his entertainment and by making something so sub-par to his own skill!

Speaking of food, things are changing around here. The mission will no longer be providing some of the things for us that they have been (canned beef/veggies/beans, bleach, dettol, etc), and are going to require us to provide for ourselves of our subsistence. Yikes. Those things are expensive, so most of us will be going without. I guess there's no need to complain, as that is how most of the missions are anyways. *Sigh*... That means we'll REALLY have to cut back on out at Sab's (It wasn't the Sab's that made me sick, Sister Roggia thinks it was bacterial buildup in my system from unwashed bananas. Go figure). Anyways, I've used a decent chunk of personal money since coming here to cushion life a little. This mission is ROUGH, so it's nice to indulge a little. I've used $70 of the money I came with, and I think I have $150 left or so. I should be fine for the next long while. I'm going to start budgeting my money better too. My first transfer I did a really good job of that, but this past transfer I've slacked.

The excitement never really can die here. Well, I shouldn't say that too hastily... sometimes things get hard, and that's when you look forward to things with a positive attitude and pray you get transferred. I've learned a LOT about how to control my attitude, and how to make the hard times into good times. The hard work never ceases to make me tired, and at the same time, it's never ceased to fill me with satisfaction. I'm loving where I am, I love my companion, and I love the people I'm always around. It makes things easy, because the Lord is carrying what burdens we have to bear.

I think now I'll share about this family that we've started teaching. (Family baptisms are pretty dang rare out here, because families always have mixes of both Christians and Muslims). The mom's name is Sylvia, and she has four daughters and two sons (her husband is a Muslim, so we have yet to see him). I was on exchanges with Elder Svongwa from Bo Branch, and we were teaching two of her daughters who had taken a couple lessons before. Sylvia was walking about the house, cooking (outdoor kitchens, remember...think hut w/cooking fires and large aluminum dutch oven-esque pots) and cleaning, but was kind of listening half-half to the lesson. She'd join some reading, and then bustle off to work some more. After the lesson, I just kind of felt the need to invite her to church on Sunday (this is a rare one for me. Because of the number of investigators we teach, we only contact about 15-25 people a week. And even so, we add 3-5 new investigators every week. It's nuts.). I invited her, and she said she'd come (EVERYONE says that here, but few actually do. They like this phrase "by God een powa" ("by God's power"), which basically means that if they didn't show up, it wasn't God's will for them to do so. (I hate that more than anything else.)

She actually came along with Festus, one of our recent converts who lives in the area. She was talking with him, and told him that she has a high position in her church and has no desire to join us, but is happy to visit. Heeheehee... She had no idea what was coming her way.

She came small late to the sacrament meeting, just as they started singing the sacrament hymn. She sat in the back, and kept to herself, which wasn't out of the ordinary. The service came and went, we had a youth speaker, and two adults, as usual. Then was "investigators class" (Gospel Principles with the investigators), and she also sat in the back, and kept to herself. We had a really great lesson on the Holy Ghost, and the Gift of the Holy Ghost. At the end of the lesson, she asked what it meant for a person if they had been baptized and not confirmed, and she learned that the ordinance was therefor incomplete.

We returned to Sylvia's house that evening, and she was SO EXCITED to see us! She explained to us that she had been searching for a church like this one, where it's for the benefit of the people that attend. She was EXTREMELY impressed with the youth speaker. It was so baffling to her that a church would allow someone besides the leader and pastor to preach to the people. And not only preach, but to TEACH the people. She then expressed her desire to join the church, and complete the ordinance of baptism. We're now teaching her and all six of her children, who have a baptismal date on March 19.

Sylvia has really taught me a lot. First, that I should DO, and not THINK about what I feel I should do. I guess that's how the Spirit works through me, with FEELING. Makes sense. I've also really grown to appreciate just how much the church is there to TEACH people, and make us better. I had never really seen it that way, and now I realize just what a privilege it is to be taught and learn so much in the church, rather than just be preached to.

Anyhow, my time is now short. I hope all things are well with you. I'm not losing excitement here. It just grows. The more and more I learn the people, culture, and language, the more I love it, and the more I grow as a teacher. I wish you could see me and hear my voice, to see what kind of change has come over me. It's so hard for me to see, but when I look in my journal, I can see that I've changed just so much.

As far as I'm aware, the postal strike is still going, but I honestly don't know. Nobody tells us anything. It's time to go now, time's not so plentiful. I love you so much and think of you a lot! :)

Love,

Elder Vaughan

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