(We finally received this last hand written letter via snail mail December 2nd, from Elder Vaughan before he left from the Ghana MTC.)
November 21, 2010
Hello Family!
Time for another condensed letter! I know that I will remember things as I write, so I'm planning accordingly. I finally got letters from home on Friday! Sister Froerer handed me a big stack of DearElder.com letters right before I went into the temple! I had begun to forget about home, and that I would even receive letters. Needless to say, it's been busy around here.
Mom, you asked about the temple here. It's BEAUTIFUL! It is a very small temple, but the celestial room and, well, pretty much every room was a spectacle! It made me miss home a lot. Sure, a temple is a temple, and the ordinances therein are universal, but "there's no place like home." Most of the missionaries had never been before, so they all got to go through for the first time last week, and Friday we did all of the different proxies.
Driving back from the temple I saw one of the most incredible things I've ever witnessed. In the main streets of Accra, there are huge trees in the middle of the streets, FULL of huge fruit bats! There were HUNDREDS of them in each tree, swarming all over the place! It was so beautiful. Apparently they're major pests around here that they can't get rid of. I was sure to take pictures. I guess sewer rats are to NYC as fruit bats are too Accra!
Dad, your letter really cracked me up. Man, I could really go for a giant sandwich right now! You have no idea how badly I miss cheese right now. Priority #1 when I get home will be watching movies I missed while I was here, whilst eating a brick of Tillamook cheese and an entire bucket of strawberry gelato. Oh, Mom's beef stroganoff too. Yeeaaahhh... Everything we eat here is some variation of rice, yams (not like any yams you've had, they have no flavor) beans, or spaghetti (yes, spaghetti) in some sort of red sauce. You should have mailed that sandwich to me!
Well, we went proselyting in a community here in Tema yesterday. I thought I was adjusting well to the culture but boy was I in for a shock. The Malden's were right. You don't' know anything. I can't possibly describe the state in which these people live. Sure, there are many who make decent livings here, but the people in the community slums have NOTHING. Chickens and goats wander the streets amongst the people. The gutters (which are 2 - 3 feet deep into the ground) are constantly trickling a pallid green slurry of garbage and human waste, and the air is permeated with the odor of excrement, rotten fish, and exhaust.
Many of the "houses" are nothing more than sections of old freight train cars. There are shops all along the street, which are little more than lop-sided wooden shacks. Dilapidated cars can frequently be found in alleyways. I stepped out of the van into a bizarre and lucid dream amongst the rubble strewn streets and fetid aroma, that for the people here is an ever-present nightmare. It made my heart tear. In my mind, I thought of all the mortal ways that a place like that could be mended, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this situation is impossible to fix by any mortal means.
In spite of all the affliction, the people are WONDERFUL! They are so kind and gentle-hearted. They love to talk to complete strangers, and are extremely friendly. The children are the most beautiful though. Elder Momodu and I saw a group of them playing with the innards of a dismantled video tape. They were running around with the tape trailing behind them in the wind like streamers. They smiled so big and started giggling as I passed by. I get a lot of attention as a shell-shocked white man here.
Well, I'm leaving for Sierra Leone (or "Salone") Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. First to arrive, first to leave. And I'm going alone. Eh, I guess that fits the bill just fine. I can't wait to get there and start learning from my senior companion. I feel like such a spiritual infant whenever I try to teach someone. It's definitely a lot of work. Well, until next time, this is me signing off from Ghana for the last time.
Jesse, be a good boy and obey mom for me, and give her a foot massage once a week. Josh, thanks for eating my Special K cereal. I would have cried if that had gone to waste. Dad, I miss going to work with you. Like, A LOT. I'm determined to come home and study business so I can return and help the family business, if you'll take me back. Mom, I miss you like a fat kid misses cake. I miss being able to talk to and depend on you. I love you and the entire family so much! Thank you for the story about Jonathan Harriman Hale. I'm so grateful for our family history, because it's rare for anyone here to know anyone past their grandparents.
I love you love you love you! I pray for my family and friends twice a day. I look forward to seeing you all again.
Love
Elder Christopher Vaughan
Remember Alma 17:2-3, 10
Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.
But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.
And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted.
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