Christmas week.

(Merry Christmas ~ snow-in-a-can on our Apt. door)

Just Alex...

Well hello family. What a crazy week it has been. It was so good to hear all of you. Sounds like everything is going just smoothly, which is always good. Well all is wonderful and I’m so happy I got to talk to everyone. It was just a really cool pick-me-up. I’m glad you got to ask all your questions. I just like chatting with you all.

Let me start with Sunday. Church was packed with all the holiday churchgoers (C&E Christians). Well we had a missionary Sunday. All the elders did everything. We taught all the different classes and our ward missionary leader spoke as did I. For a few weeks I had planned out what I was going to talk about, but as I was waiting to speak I was 'told' to change everything, so I rewrote in my mind a talk. That was fun. I got up and spoke on the Book of Mormon. I just tried to make it as simple as possible and still keep it powerful. It all went just great.

It's always fun to stand up and say... "Mema mo ache' agema ya hinuah" (good morning then declare my tribe and say I’m from a royal family) and then getting the whole room to praise me with "YA HINUAH!!" that’s always fun. hahah. You know I would enjoy that. hahahhah. Oh man.

But all went well on Sun. We went over to meet with Marsha and Rex who have been sooo busy with their work and she’s like 5 months prego. We were planning on meeting with them and setting a date for Marsha to be baptized but it was Rex's b-day and it turned into a huge party with a full 3-course meal that was quite delicious. (She is a caterer so she has GREAT food) as we were walking out her husband told me he wants her to be baptized. She has been coming to church the past 3 months but they are just so busy all the time. So he is planning on making time now that the holiday season is passing. So I think it will be sometime in January. She’s awesome and they will be a powerful family in the church. So I’m excited about that.

So as for this past week, pres. gave us each an extra 5 cedis ($3.50). He wanted us to all take someone out to get food. 5 cedis can serve about 1 person each IF you go to a good chop bar. If I just gave the 5 cedis to a family it could feed them all. So on Christmas Eve we went to BU and took Joseph, Patrick, BabyDoe and Peter (his older brother) out to a chop bar and enjoyed. It was really cool. They were very thankful which is always nice. Saw and met some members in BU and had a great night out and about.

(Joseph, Patrick, Elder Darrow, Peter, Baby Doe - Christmas Eve)

Christmas day was a day I will never forget. I figured missionary or not Christmas day is all about fun. Well I found that you could still have fun out and about and not just sitting in the apt. eating loads of food. After waking up and opening the small Christmas gifts, I had pancakes for breakfast. It was the last mix I had and so glorious. Then we went out and contacted for a bit. We haven’t done a lot of that on mission yet. So we went around and talked to random people. Nothing crazy sweet came out of it but I’m sure if Christ were around he wouldn’t just sit around on his birthday, he would be out and about. Of course he would come back and have cake cuz who doesn’t love cake?? But he would work.

Then after we took Meshaq to a nice chop bar and we got jollof and chicken (jollof is like fried rice mixed with some type of tomato stew, almost like the classical Mexican rice) and popped down 2 minerals. It was really cool to be out and having fun with a person I love so much. We were originally planning on going with Joseph and King David but they had some meeting at the stake center and said they wouldn’t know when they would be back but they would call. Well right as we were walking out King David called and said they were home and that we could meet. Sigh... we just put down a huge meal and if we go there I was going to have to do that again. But let's be honest. It’s not like Alex to turn down food (if its good food).

So we went to Joseph's compound. What’s always sweet about that is I get to hang and wrestle around with Pah Pah. Always a joy. I taught him how to play with a yo-yo and then taught Joseph how to play with one. We met up with e. Thompson and e Yapo and the people they were taking out and we ate again, and enjoyed ourselves, again. But it was really cool to go out and actually be a missionary on Christmas day and spend time with people I have got so close with over the past 9 months. I know that I’m ready to leave this area but I will truly miss them so much and will hate to say goodbye.

Then it was back home for the Christmas call. (And after the 2 lunches and contacting it was like 3ish) so that was basically Christmas here in Ghana.

Thanks again for all that you do. Thanks for being so awesome and so uplifting and so supportive. Thanks for being all that I could ask for and more. Thanks for all the prayers and for just being so extremely helpful. Love you guys big time.

xoxo
elder darrow

p.s. I did miss the snow.

Ivory Coast Missionaries transferred

by dad

Last month Ivory Coast had presidential elections, in which two candidates declared themselves the winner (which has made things there a little exciting). Political instability, clashes and the threat of military intervention following the disputed elections, have prompted the Church to move its non-African missionaries serving in the Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Abidjan Mission, to the french speaking countries of Togo and Benin. These countries are both to the east of Ghana (see map in the right column).

No missionaries from Ghana have been relocated. Alex says Ghana continues to be a very safe place for the missionaries.

On a lighter note, Alex recently spent time in Takoradi at the market. He says it can get pretty exciting there.

I still have a Washer.

just Alex...

I will start with the fact that for the next 6 weeks I still have a washer. Yup, 6 more weeks in Sekondi. The area got a bit dry, so we will have to do work to get it back to where it should be. Lucky for me Ghanians are incredible and it won’t be too hard. We are going to just do crazy work and I still may be transferred and not get to see the fruits of anything. So at the end of this transfer I will be here 10 1/2 months. How crazy is that? (I’m getting old). I guess we will see how things go. sooo. Don’t worry about me. All is going well.

On Thur night the Lambs were so kind as to bring our apt over for my b-day feast. The Lambs are just the sweetest people you can ever find. I love them so much. As always we enjoyed big time.

We had apartment checks from the Sabey’s on Sat morn. I was able to have a small interview meeting, just pres. and me. Man was that a sweet experience. The interview ended with a powerful blessing and a hug. I honestly felt like I was hugging P-Doe (dad) and it’s really all that I needed. He could have just showed up and gave me a hug and left and all would have been well.

Thanks so much for all that you do. Love you guys so so very much.

So crazy that Christmas is coming. Gonna be weird to hear you all again.

Wow... just got excited.

xoxo

elder darrow

Happy 20th!

by dad

There is something universal about little boys and muscles. For a boy, there isn’t just one event or sign that you’re getting older, but the ‘muscle flex’ seems to be the best indicator that you are growing up. Alex celebrated his 20th birthday last week. I have missed watching him get older this year, but I have enjoyed watching him grow.

Alex writes…

My birthday; THANK YOU a million times. The Zone Leaders had a meeting on Weds. in Cape Coast and came back with 2 packages for me. That was so sweet. The packages were amazing. Thank you so so much.

The pants fit perfect. The length is a tiny bit long. It’s sweet to wear pants that fit again. As for the shirts, the neck is right but they are a titch baggy.

Here is how my birthday went. Woke up and had pancakes with syrup. Yes... it was glorious. I made a plate and as an apt we downed them in 30 sec. Later I had a bowl of the (Capt. Crunch) cereal you sent me. I used some crappy milk but it was perfect (cuz you need small just to make is wet). It was awesome.

Later we went to restaurant and I got myself a cheeseburger. Costs $12 cedes ($8us) but it was so flippin awesome. I thank you! At night we did have the Hostess Ding-Dongs and ice cream. And yes I used the candles. Thank you so much for sending all that stuff. My birthday was as sweet as I could ever have with my current condition, so I thank you so much. You guys rock.

As for updates with Mike Allen, e MacKay got a hold of him. He stays far away so they are going to try and see him some time. He did tell us that he is planning on coming back after the holidays so lets hope. He’s so sweet.

All week I have been jumping rope. e Thompson has done it the past 6 months and e Matheson has never jumped rope. I spent 3-4 hours teaching him how to jump over a rope. He still doesn’t have it down exactly, but if you could have seen where he started and what he can do now. He can do like 7-10 jumps without hitting. It’s like a fresh cut lawn. I just look and stare... (tear...) so proud. e Matheson really is a nice guy. Very loving. He has a friend in me. We have gotten a lot closer this week.

Missionary life: It’s not easy. .... "but if it was easy everyone would do it”. (shout out to mom!)

Next p-day Aubra (zone) comes to play and then its transfer news. I’m kinda up in the air. I would like to go, but staying wouldn’t be so bad. e Thompson is a sweet guy so it’s cool to have him here. It’s crazy how fast this transfer has gone by. It would be hard to change right before Christmas and not know anyone, but it’s not like I have a problem making friends! Haha.

I saw in e. Proctors mission pics (Korea) that he was wearing a Ghana - Kente tie. BALLER. Man did that make me happy. Haha.

Mom no there isn’t a lot of anything put up for Christmas here. You would love it.

Sorry I don’t have more time. Love you guys big time!

Thanks again for everything and thanks for all the b-day wishes.

LOVES

Elder Darrow