Greetings from Ghana!

Hello!!! Greetings from Ghana!!! First off thanks so much for everyone's emails! Your support is so valuable to me! If you have any questions you are wondering about Ghana i will try to answer them! Ghana is such an amazing place! I'll start from the beginning. When i first got here, it was kinda really scary! I got here at night and i couldn't understand everyone's accents! I am very grateful i didn't lose my luggage because i was very stressed out! When i walked out of the airport there was a crowd of people outside the doors, one man kept saying "Can i talk to you?" over and over so i said "yes..." then he said "How are you doing?" as he slowly reached to grab my bag. So this kinda freaked me out so i pulled it away and walked faster. It was pretty dark and all the lights they had there were orange. The thing i didn't know was that he wasn't trying to steal my bag. he just wanted to help me bring it to the car so he could ask me for a tip. So i kinda freaked out more than i should have. But still!

Breakfast in Ghana

So the senior missionaries were so very nice to us! Their names are the Sanders (mom you know who they are) :) they spoiled us so bad though! They bought us pizza for our dinner (which was dang good because it was like the bbq pizza at pizza pie) Then in the morning they gave us a huge breakfast! We had eggs, pancakes, white pineapple (i call it celestial pineapple because its sooo good!), mangoes, fruit juice, maple syrup, even potatoes! So i kinda wish they wouldn't have spoiled us cause i had no idea what i was getting into out in the real world of Ghana. I still had a little cough but i think the lack of sleep made my sickness even worse or something but i'll tell you about that later :) So we went to the mission home, and walked by the temple which is so pretty!

Then they gave me my new companion Elder Ajayi! (ah-jah-ee) I think God knew i needed a patient trainer who knows how to help me work. He is so loving, and yes mom his favorite saying he says to me is "When you are teaching be bold!" But he has been such a blessing to me!

So when i first got to the apartment and got settled my companion said "okay let's go." and so he told me to get on a bike that they had there, so i did. I had no idea what i was getting myself into. As we biked we saw some kids who are all so cute! Kids here always call out "Oh Brunie!" when they see me cause it means "white man" in twi. So on the first day they called me that, I didn't know what to say at first so i just smiled and waved. One kid i saw just saw me and started laughing his head off! It was at that moment that i knew i was at the right place. :) So we went and saw a lady whose called sister pots, i was very shy and didn't understand much, but it was still fun. Then we saw our ward missionary leader who lived close by. These people are the humblest people in the world! I'll tell you more about it later in letter if you stay tuned :)

So as we biked it started to turn dark, and my companion said "follow me" as he went on this super busy street. There is something you have to understand about Ghana. There is no traffic rules Whatsoever besides not hitting people. People just go and pass whoever they want by simply honking. So here i am having to go down this road at night, wearing a cheap plastic helmet, on a junkie bike going on this road full of pot holes and jaywalkers (its legal here!), and sewage canals that are a 3 feet drop on either side of the road. I have never prayed harder in my life... So the sewage canal is on my very close right and cars going about 35 miles an hour are passing me by 2 feet away on my left! It was so Crazy!! I can testify that the power of prayer is real! The seconded time i biked, my companion went in between two cars while i was right behind him and one of the cars was going forward so i had to brake! (i hope this makes sense.) As i braked i kinda leaned to the left and right as i was about to hit the side of the moving car it moved forward fast enough to not hit me by a centimeter (it was that close I'm not even joking!). So my first day was crazy. But as they days when on a adapted fast to the biking. But i think the biggest challenge i am still working on is the food. The food here is very very different from what i was used to. (here's the answer to Austin's question of what have i been eating.) The First thing i ate is called banko. It is this fermented dough that is put into soup. You use your first three fingers to grab the dough and dip it in the soup. (this soup had some meat and fish) then you put it in your mouth and.. you swallow it whole. Yep I'm still getting used to it :) I have also had fu fu which i like better than banko because it is made out of different ingredients (plantains and casava.) and isn't fermented so it sticks together better. (banko's consistency is like roll dough and fufu's is like play dough but more smooth.) I had some fu fu yesterday and did very well! I ate most of the dough and drank all the soup! (this soup had ground nut flavor if that means anything.) I even got to pound it! It was really hard during the first days cause i would wake up and smell unions and feel like i was going to throw up. Ghana is full of odors.. but it's okay now! I just felt sick all the time and didn't want to eat the food because it felt like i had to swallow pills to get nutrients. But after three days and through many prayers i feel much better and can eat the food way easier!

The people of Ghana are so ready for the gospel! You just ask if they would like you to come and teach them and they are like "sure" haha. The people here are the most humblest people i have ever seen. I have seen children mixing dirt in a tin can with a stick and totally enjoying themselves! I have seen kids going to the bathroom in buckets so they can easily pour it in the canal. We have so much to be grateful for! I'll keep emailing the things i notice that humble me. These people don't care about possessions, they just care about their bible, and their families! Except something else i noticed is that most people just live in a box but they have a really nice phone..? It's super weird, in the picture where I'm pounding fu fu the girl behind me is on her phone, even though we're in a super small house! It is just so crazy! I don't have much time so i can't say everything i have experienced but i hope i have given you a good overview. I am a pretty fast adapter especially with the lord's help. I have learned about 5 phrases in Twi like "Thankyou, how are you, i'm fine, small small, and well done." It's been fun to speak english but still get to know another language! I have already picked up the accent though so i hope you guys understand me at Christmas! Haha African English has basically the same rules as a British accent but without the tone of voice. But it is still pretty different. Like i don't say my R's and i accent my T's now haha. Lots of members have greeted me with "Elda Ballad! You are welcome!" It is such a great place!

I got to go to church and that was so great! One of the things that testifies to me that the church is true is that it is the same all around the world! There are little differences, but the doctrine and worship are the same! In sacrament meeting the bishop addressed everyone like "Good morning brodas and sistas." Then everyone would repeat "Good morning." it was so cool. It is so weird to be the cream filling in the oreo cookie! (ha ha dad.) I keep forgeting that i am brunie (white)! Anyways thanks for all of your emails and support! I can feel your prayers of love and strength everyday! I know this church is true! I know that god loves his children whether they are poor or rich. I know that God blesses us through our trials! I love all of you so much and i hope you are doing well! Ps. that is so weird the family is that small now Dad! That's a great idea for the ukon! I hope you are feeling better mom! I'm glad we can share those memories of the Provo MTC too Redge! Hurrah For Ghana!

 -Elda Ballad


p.s. This is my awkward self on my bike... when I first got my helmet I felt like toad on Mario Kart. :D But yep, I'm still that awkward kid you know :)