Survived a Motorcycle Crash

Well, I wasn't going to tell you this, but I got in a motorcycle crash last night on the way home from transfer news at the Sewa Road apartment. One bike coming in the opposite direction tried to pass in the middle at the same time as my bike tried to pass, and we got in a head-on side-swipe. My bike slid sideways, and I slid about ten feet on the dirt/gravel road. I pulled myself out from under the bike and limped to the side of the road where I sat down on the ground again. My companion was there in a flash, making sure I was okay.

I couldn't tell if I was hurt, because my left leg from the calf down was completely numb. After some gentle probing, and coming around to my senses, I found that nothing was broken. The driver of the car that was behind us gave us a lift home, and the people who were there at the scene were so generous and concerned for my welfare. I was so impressed with them. The driver offered to come today and take my anywhere I needed if any complications arose from the crash. Luckily, or perhaps if not definitely, "blessedly" for me, I'm okay. My arm is scraped up real bad, and my left leg is pretty swollen and painful, but there's no lasting damage (see attached pictures). It's just a really bad bruise from hitting a stone in the road. Pictures attached. Please don't worry now, okay? ;) I really do feel fine, and I'm using all of those wonderful things that I mocked you for packing in my suitcase, like the Ace cold packs and bandage wraps. THANKS MOM! :)

So, with the mangoes you asked about, we have about 5 or 6 different varieties of mango. The most common one is a more oblong mango that is best eaten when about half-green. The variety that taste like the Costco ones are the infamous "Guinea Mangoes," which are humongous. "Big as your head", as Mom might say. Though really, they get about 5-6 inches in diameter, and are really nice. Jack Fruit does grow here, though I've never had it. I've seen them before though, and they get HUGE. They have to be cooked before they are eaten, or they aren't very good, so I'm told. I'm looking for the opportunity to try it someday soon. "Soursop" and "Breadfruit" are two other fruits that look similar to Jack Fruit, and are also monstrously huge. I've had Soursop flavored juice before, and it's really hard to describe the flavor.

Oh I miss Chinese food. It's funny you mention your recent visit to China Town and the duck with it's head and all, because that's how EVERYTHING comes here. Duck, chicken, fish, etc. It all comes with the head, and not just for show. It's food here. I've even gotten to the point where I can eat the chicken bones. You don't really "eat" them per se, you just chew the marrow out of the ends of them. I was really proud of myself. :)

Have I been able to use the Spirit while teaching? That's a funny question to me. They tell us that if we don't have the Spirit, DON'T TEACH. We're using the Fundamentals of "Preach My Gospel", as this new teaching program is called, and it's entirely focused on providing the opportunity for investigators to receive revelation. If the Spirit isn't there, you absolutely cannot teach. It just doesn't work. And since the Spirit is all I teach by, "my teaching ability" is really good at this point, though I'd never call it my own ability.

I went on exchanges with Elder Hilton (a Zone Leader) last transfer, and he said he was really impressed with my teaching, and couldn't find any ways to help me improve. I guess I'm just that good? Ha ha ha. My Krio is also better than his (not that I'm competing, but it feels good to stack up well against missionaries who have been here for 1.5+ years). From the sounds of it, I'm doing well, though that's hard for me to say. I guess you'll have to tell me when I call in a few weeks. ;)

Oh, speaking of transfer news, I'm staying with Elder Lancaster again. I'm happy about that, since being transferred would have meant missing Sister Sylvia's baptism with her two kids. I would have been sad about that. Elder Svongwa is staying in our district, and his companion, Elder Boye-Doe, is replacing Elder Hilton as Zone Leader. They're bringing Elder Kenner from Njagboima branch to replace him. It'll be an interesting change. The apartment is back to being an almost all-American apartment again. Should be sweet.

I can't believe both how long I have and have not been here. I'm almost to five months on mission, and that's just a speck of time that's passed. Yet, there's so much left to go. It's a weird feeling.

So, for an explanation of the pictures, Elder Lancaster and I enjoying some delicious potato leaf at Festus' house, prepared by his sister Florence. I also added a picture of her eating out of the pot. :) Also included are pictures of my wounds, and my slacks after sliding down the road. They're completely in tact! GO STAFFORD! There are also pictures of my companion and I at the top of Candy Mountain (CHARLIE!!) with Festus and Abraham. It was a lot of fun, and the view was stunning. The last is a picture of the Ten Commandments movie, which was for sale at the local video/CD store.

Alright, the Time is Far Spent. I hope all stays well with you! I miss you!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Seventeen Mangoes

We heard about the earthquake in Japan. We hear about all of the major world-wide headlines. That's pretty amazing to hear that all of the members and missionaries were kept safe. As far as an earthquake hitting home? I guess I don't really have any reaction to that... There's no reason to fear anything. To me, it'll just be a big headache. I think the precautions you'd want to be most particular about is with keeping the business safe. Considering that if we lose that, well, we lose just about everything. Well, that's life I guess. We're always one loose stone away from death, so, I guess it's really nothing to worry about. I'll pray that it doesn't happen though. ;)

So, lucky for Elder Lancaster, he broke his fever Monday night, so we didn't have to go to the hospital. There was much rejoicing. He's pretty much back to normal, save for his stomach, which still feels off. He can keep stuff down now though, and that's great.


And wouldn't you know it, it's my turn to be sick this week. I felt it coming on through the week, but it really struck last night. Some kind of 'fresh cold.' I'm certainly enjoying the DayQuil I brought with me, and look forward to a wonderful night of NyQuil. I definitely don't have it as bad as my companion did, but I'm still not enjoying it.

Regardless, this week was pretty interesting. I got the letter from Mom with the $20 and stamps she hid in the Staples catalog. It was pretty funny, because it was the Assistants and the Roggias that brought mail. I opened it, and I couldn't find anything inside. I thought Mom had maybe forgot to put the stuff in it. Sister Roggia took it and said that maybe it just needed a mothers' touch, and indeed that was all that it needed! I gotta admit, those things were very well concealed! The other Elders got a kick out of that.

So, about two months back, I bought a side bag to use for proselyting (my backpack is HUMONGOUS, and rather cumbersome). It was a really sweet Puma bag that I bought on the street for 25,000 le. Unbeknownst to me, it was a ready-made Chinese piece-of-trash. Turns out that here in Salone, you want to go to the "junks" if you want to buy something nice. The Puma bag spoiled last week, so I had to go in search of a new one. The junks have all sorts of wonderful imported stuff from everywhere in the world. Mostly from the UK and US. Think street market Value Village. I scored a really sweet "2004 Republican National Convention" side bag at one of the junks for only 20,000 le. I was pretty excited.

Oh, and guess how many mangoes I ate this week? Seventeen. Remember that mango stand I told you about last week? I hit it up a couple times this week. Oh baby, I enjoyed. Those 17 mangoes cost me about 12,000 le ($3). It was marvelous. I'm sending a picture of me with my little babies (there's only 7 in that picture).

Other than that, not much to report this week. The stone is rolling forth. Til next week!

Love,

Elder Vaughan

Oh, and if you need any more ideas on stuff to send, you could always send a couple pairs of socks. Kids have "teefed" about four of mine, so... Thanks! :)

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