Hello Everybody!! I am doing amazing.
Well I guess I will just get started with the crazy stories! This
week has been one of intense learning and teaching, as well as the most fun
I've ever had. At first I wasn't sure if I liked the MTC but I have come to
love it. There is a saying here that the first couple days of the MTC is like
trying to drink water from a fire hose. Of course you're going to get some
water in your mouth but mostly it's just going to hurt your face. And I can now
testify of the truth of that. We leave the MTC tomorrow and I feel
like I have learned everything I can here and that I need to start serving the
people of Ghana to learn the rest, so here goes another crazy email from a
white man in Africa.
My dreams finally came true this week, I HAD FU FU!!!! And I
actually liked it! So fu fu is basically exactly like bread doe except it is
even stickier. Thankfully once you dip it in soup it softens up enough so that
it will slide right down your throat. So it is very disrespectful to chew fu fu
because Africans believe that there is an order to eating food. Some food you
chew, some you drink, and some you just swallow whole, fu fu falls under the
last category. Thankfully it just tastes like instant mashed potatoes to me and
I was able to fill myself up on it.
The funniest moment this week was when I accidentally started a
dance party in the Men's dorm. One night I was just in the bathroom doing my
normal nightly routine of washing my face and brushing my teeth, when a group
of Nigerians walk into the bathroom playing some traditional Nigerian music on
a portable speaker and doing this awesome/hilarious dance. It's called the
Shoki, and since they say I am a Nigerian inside and that I showed them I can
dance, they taught me it. I asked them to show me how to do it so we walked out
into the hallway and they started. Basically the move is you squat a little and
step back and forth to the beat and then you move your arms in scooping motions
and do these little hand flips. They were also doing things like eating,
pretending to put on make-up, basically you just act it out and it is very
entertaining. They were laughing so hard at me because I was really awkward at
first but after some practice they said they would let me come to dance parties
with them.
Africans love to dance so there is another dance story! We were
outside during Physical Activity and I had just finished working out and I
looked over to see none other than a DANCE CIRLCE! Kaden Bergeson loves dance
circles so I ran over to see what moves were being thrown down and holy smokes.
I'm pretty sure that all of the Africans gave up professional dance careers
because they were amazing. One after the other they would walk in and do flips
and break dance moves, I'm talking spinning around on their necks/shoulders and
stuff. It was awesome but I noticed that no one from America was going in and I
didn't want them thinking Americans couldn't dance.... so I walked in. And
everyone went really quiet because they weren't sure what I was going to do. So
I used my go to lady killer move: THE MORMON SHUFFLE. And everyone erupted in
laughter. Most of the Africans were rolling on the ground. Now whenever I
walked down the hall people shake their hips at me and just laugh.
Finally, my companion Elder Odili taught me how to wash my clothes.
By Hand. And let's just say I did a little more of washing my hands then
washing my white shirt. So you just grab a bucket, fill it with hot water, add
washing powder, and then put your clothes in and wait 15 minutes. When we came
back the powder had taken out most of the stain so I just had a little bit of
scrubbing to do but Elder Odili said that I wasn't scrubbing hard enough so I
scrubbed harder and after a little bit I noticed some red marks on my shirt...
I had scrubbed the skin right OFF of my knuckles!!! I was so mad because Odili
had to finish it for me so I wouldn't get blood all over it.
So despite all of the fun culture things I learned I also learned
a little bit about the Gospel. :D My favorite quote this week was: If you like
it or not, nothing's going to change. I just know that this mission is going to
be one of the hardest things I will do. There is so much change. You are with a
companion in an area for 6 weeks and right after you get used to him he gets
transferred and it will be like that the whole mission. So I promised myself
and the Lord that no matter who I am with or where I am I will always be
positive. I also loved something Elder Bednar promised to missionaries. I don't
have the exact quote but he said something like this. I promise, in the name of
the Lord, that if you will be exactly obedient, work your hardest, and always
strive to live righteously, your mouth will literally be filled, your steps
will be guided and you will be where you need to be, sometimes not even knowing
why. It was an answer to my prayers. I will give the Lord everything I have but
in the end I am just a man and a man can do nothing. But an 18 year old boy who
is called of God share his Gospel can do anything. I am so thankful for this
opportunity to serve this mission. I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father.
They have done everything for me and the least I can do is serve them for 2
years in Ghana. Thank you all for the prayers, I feel them every moment and I
would love if you could continue to keep me in mind.
I love you all. PREPARE IT
Elder Bergeson
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| Leaving the Ghana MTC and going to meet their mission Presidents! |
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