Hi!!!
I loved the phone call so much!
Yeah, it made me a little very homesick, but that's alright. I'm better
now!
And I loved speaking to you all so much. :) Home still sounds like it's
awesome! Plus the Chargers: GO CHARGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!! They should go to
the Superbowl this year. Just kidding, that would sorta suck, seeing as
I'm out here...
But still. It'd be sweet. It's just sweet that they made it into the
playoffs!
Transfer news! I'm staying in Point 4! And... My companion
is... Elder Manqana! So we're not changing, except I'm out of training. Elder
Pearmain left, and Elder Fairwell is now DL, with Elder Conners as his
companion. Yep! Most of our zone stayed the same.
Baptisms were great! We baptized Clara!
Slightly stressful
at the very beginning because Clara wasn't at the baptism early.. or very on
time, either... But she wasn't late! Because we say we start at 10, but we end
up starting quite a bit later than that. But it's not like Hawaiian time...
It's like, they try to keep the time, except... They don't... It's a weird
mixture. But anyway, we baptized Clara, and she's confirmed and all that jazz.
[He told us about this upcoming baptism when we talked to him on
Christmas Day and he said he also wrote home about it in a handwritten
letter.]
New foods... Hm... Popo. Popo is like cantaloupe. but it's not. I tried that! (hehe, I
didn't need spellcheck for cantaloupe. Sweet. because it's like... "can't
elope" although that shouldn't help me to be able to spell it, it does.) I don't remember anything else new for food...
Still eating bone and cartilage..
Funny stories... I got a haircut! It's REALLY short. Like,
really short. No brushing or anything. It's weird. My head is all round and my
ears are huge.
Oh, on Saturday we had an end of year party for our branch!
We played kickball and football/soccer. It was funny because I was the only
missionary who knew what kickball was (I was the only American). I played
football with the Liberians! It was sweet, although I scraped up my elbow and
knee. They say I play well! I play defender. Apparently all those soccer camps
weren't a waste ;)
Elder Fairwell and I are going to go on a diet this
transfer. Heck yeah. Elder Conners I think is going to too... We're gonna pool
some money to buy foods and stuff! We're going to lose weight.
For Christmas I got this SWEET African bracelet from Elder
Guymon. That was really awesome. And I finally
ate some of the food in that package! I ate the caramel bugles... I loved those so
much.
Speaking of packages, I haven't received either of the two
packages. I have faith though, they'll come!
I'm excited for that mail! You probably shouldn't send
valuable stuff in envelopes (referring to the microsd card) because it seems
like letters don't really get here all that well. I know the packages are
taking a while, but I'm more confident about those getting here than the
letters.
I love the photos! Especially
that plaque side-by-side. It's a cool comparison. [I sent him this photo of his Uncle Ryan's Christmas present. Order a plaque for your loved ones directly from Ryan at GoLDS Plaques]
I still keep the Portugal
Mission suit pin on my desk [a special gift from his dad], and I didn't realize that Dad left in September as
well!
I hope you're all doing well up in freezing Utah. I'm so happy I was able
to call you on the phone this week, and it's wonderful each time I get to hear
from you! Have a wonderful new year (although I know you guys don't really do
anything for that holiday... ;) )! I'm working hard out here, and I'm still
getting better! Keep doing good stuff. I love you all.
Love,
Elder Price
P.S. Mother's day will come soon enough. Birthday AND Mother's day present!
Liberia Monrovia Mission: Sept 2013 to Aug 2014; Ghana Cape Coast Mission: Aug 2014 to Sept 2015
30 December 2013
26 December 2013
Christmas Day
We got a phone call from Elder Price at 11:00 on Christmas Day. We got to talk to him for about an hour. Here's kind of what it looked like on our end:
We were thrilled to receive this photo from Elder and Sister Berrett. This was taken Christmas Day as the Logan Town elders gathered around their Christmas tree:
Stories from the phone call:
There are a lot of lizards there. He's going to try to get pictures on a p-day.
Sometimes when he's walking through the bush area it smells like Hawaii. We talked about smells for a bit. :-)
One time a monkey tried to eat his companion. Usually the monkey is on a chain when they walk by, but one time it was off the chain and attacked his companion. He said this was the second time his companion has been attacked by an animal. The other time was a dog. This dog would bark at them and then it actually started attacking his companion, even though Rain was only a foot away, The investigator (whose dog it was) wasn't there at the time. Later when she heard about the incident, she felt really bad and told them she was going to sell the dog.
The next batch of new missionaries won't be arriving in Liberia until March.
He also described the spiders to us. Easily 20 in the room at any given time. They leave most of them alone to help keep the mosquito population down, but they killed a rather large one (the size of his hand) with spray. It still looked alive after they killed it, so of course they planted it on Elder Zaugg's desk as a fun surprise.
We put the telephone on speaker phone and then put it in a bowl to make the sound fill the room better. It worked!
The electricity came back on for a short time on Christmas Eve. They were able to wash dishes with the water pressure they got. They made a "fancy dinner" for Christmas Eve: "potato and mac salad, full of chicken and stuff."
23 December 2013
Merry Christmas from Liberia
Merry Christmas!
We DO get to talk soon! I sent you an email with more of those details in it, but plan on 11 am your time! I'm glad you're putting together some questions...
Yeah, I played [the piano] for the conference! It was really cool. I didn't play it as great as I used to, but I still didn't suck! It was fun to play again. I'm sorry you only have those photos, I'm doing my best to get you some better ones! [I told him that Dale makes fun of the fact that we only have a couple photos of him outdoors--most are in churches or his apartment.]
Rikki is radioactive! I wrote about that a little in the handwritten letter that's gonna be mailed soon. I love the picture of Rikki as her being glowy! Also, I love that video you attached... That's a REALLY good version of that song. Elder Guymon was like, "CLICK ON IT." It was hilarious. I do miss that song though... [I copied and pasted our blog post about Rikki's cancer treatment into his email. I included a screenshot of the youtube video that was in the post--Lindsay Stirling and Pentatonix playing Radioactive]
Ry's birthday looks sweet! He's into the double digits!
Oooh the weather sounds nice there [four straight days of snow]... Which leads me into some stories from here!
We haven't had electricity for 4 days now... It used to go out and come back on kinda often, but it just went out and... Never came back on... Gravity isn't pulling the water from the tank very well either, so we haven't had water really either. It's definitely different!
I haven't gotten the box from the ward yet, but I'm hoping it comes today or tomorrow! No smoked salmon or letters or anything either...
Teaching stories: We found out Ma Victoria isn't cohabitating! It was a really sweet experience, because we've been trying to help her figure out the marriage plans, but then we finally just taught the Law of Chastity, and we were able to find out that they aren't actually living together. She committed to living the law of Chastity as well, so she has a higher possibility of being baptized! It's cool. I write more about teaching and investigators in the handwritten letters though...
Strange food: Well, now I'm eating chicken feet and wings (the actual wings) better than before! I just put the whole thing in my mouth and CHEW. It works! Bone is still kinda funky to eat, but I'm getting better at it, especially fish bones. I'm eating the food I get! Oh, we had two FMs (free meal/family meal) within five minutes at the end of our day a couple days ago. We were able to carry the food home in bags and in their dishes, and we ate it! One was this AMAZING potato salad and scallop noodle mac salad... tasted just like home. That one also had a big piece of chicken and a full fish on it. It was a great meal. The other was just greens/casava leaf regular rice stuff (but it was really good too...). I was SO full. We even split it among 5 elders. That first fancy FM was from this member who owns a restaurant, and she's given us some good food (and a referral!).
The motorbikes are still banned past a certain point that is in the middle of my area (Bong Mines Bridge), so we can't take them to get back to the apartment, but we can usually find a bike and cab combo to get us places.
Miracles... Hm... Getting Clara interviewed for baptism! I wrote about that in my physical letter. Also, we forgot the phone at the church yesterday ('cause we were charging it there), so we had to go back and get it. We were really worried that no one was gonna be at the church, but as we were on the motorbike on the way to the building, we saw our branch president on a motorbike going the other way. What else? He had the phone and charger in his hand. We both stopped our bikes and we got the phone! That was a miracle...
Oh! I finished my training! Woo hoo! The transfer is extended one week though, so no changes until the end of this week. I'm a real missionary now!
I hope you all have an incredible Christmas, and I'll hear from you in a couple days. :) I love you so much.
Love,
Elder Makani Rain Price
______________________________________________________
At 4:17 AM I received a short email, saying (among other things): "I hope you wake up so maybe we can chat small..." I did happen to wake up early and check my email (he usually emails between 5 and 6am). We exchanged a few emails--here are some excerpts:
Mom: So you know, that youtube video link wouldn’t have worked if you clicked on it. Hahaha! It was a screenshot.
Rain: We know. I told him that. That's why it was funny! ;) Your son isn't THAT blonde.
Rain: Oh, here's what I'm doing today: Chilling at the beach. It's gonna be pretty sweet. I'm excited. Just relaxing... It's pretty calming.
Mwah!
We DO get to talk soon! I sent you an email with more of those details in it, but plan on 11 am your time! I'm glad you're putting together some questions...
Yeah, I played [the piano] for the conference! It was really cool. I didn't play it as great as I used to, but I still didn't suck! It was fun to play again. I'm sorry you only have those photos, I'm doing my best to get you some better ones! [I told him that Dale makes fun of the fact that we only have a couple photos of him outdoors--most are in churches or his apartment.]
Bushrod Island Christmas Zone Conference. |
Rikki is radioactive! I wrote about that a little in the handwritten letter that's gonna be mailed soon. I love the picture of Rikki as her being glowy! Also, I love that video you attached... That's a REALLY good version of that song. Elder Guymon was like, "CLICK ON IT." It was hilarious. I do miss that song though... [I copied and pasted our blog post about Rikki's cancer treatment into his email. I included a screenshot of the youtube video that was in the post--Lindsay Stirling and Pentatonix playing Radioactive]
Ry's birthday looks sweet! He's into the double digits!
Oooh the weather sounds nice there [four straight days of snow]... Which leads me into some stories from here!
We haven't had electricity for 4 days now... It used to go out and come back on kinda often, but it just went out and... Never came back on... Gravity isn't pulling the water from the tank very well either, so we haven't had water really either. It's definitely different!
I haven't gotten the box from the ward yet, but I'm hoping it comes today or tomorrow! No smoked salmon or letters or anything either...
Teaching stories: We found out Ma Victoria isn't cohabitating! It was a really sweet experience, because we've been trying to help her figure out the marriage plans, but then we finally just taught the Law of Chastity, and we were able to find out that they aren't actually living together. She committed to living the law of Chastity as well, so she has a higher possibility of being baptized! It's cool. I write more about teaching and investigators in the handwritten letters though...
Strange food: Well, now I'm eating chicken feet and wings (the actual wings) better than before! I just put the whole thing in my mouth and CHEW. It works! Bone is still kinda funky to eat, but I'm getting better at it, especially fish bones. I'm eating the food I get! Oh, we had two FMs (free meal/family meal) within five minutes at the end of our day a couple days ago. We were able to carry the food home in bags and in their dishes, and we ate it! One was this AMAZING potato salad and scallop noodle mac salad... tasted just like home. That one also had a big piece of chicken and a full fish on it. It was a great meal. The other was just greens/casava leaf regular rice stuff (but it was really good too...). I was SO full. We even split it among 5 elders. That first fancy FM was from this member who owns a restaurant, and she's given us some good food (and a referral!).
The motorbikes are still banned past a certain point that is in the middle of my area (Bong Mines Bridge), so we can't take them to get back to the apartment, but we can usually find a bike and cab combo to get us places.
Miracles... Hm... Getting Clara interviewed for baptism! I wrote about that in my physical letter. Also, we forgot the phone at the church yesterday ('cause we were charging it there), so we had to go back and get it. We were really worried that no one was gonna be at the church, but as we were on the motorbike on the way to the building, we saw our branch president on a motorbike going the other way. What else? He had the phone and charger in his hand. We both stopped our bikes and we got the phone! That was a miracle...
Oh! I finished my training! Woo hoo! The transfer is extended one week though, so no changes until the end of this week. I'm a real missionary now!
Love,
Elder Makani Rain Price
______________________________________________________
At 4:17 AM I received a short email, saying (among other things): "I hope you wake up so maybe we can chat small..." I did happen to wake up early and check my email (he usually emails between 5 and 6am). We exchanged a few emails--here are some excerpts:
Mom: So you know, that youtube video link wouldn’t have worked if you clicked on it. Hahaha! It was a screenshot.
Rain: We know. I told him that. That's why it was funny! ;) Your son isn't THAT blonde.
Rain: Oh, here's what I'm doing today: Chilling at the beach. It's gonna be pretty sweet. I'm excited. Just relaxing... It's pretty calming.
I've become a lot stronger of a missionary. I can hold my own in missionary
work, and my companion even says I can train someone else. I'm so glad.
Rain: I love you too! I'll talk to you in a few days. It will be a
great and memorable experience! Have a funny day!Mwah!
19 December 2013
Christmas Zone Conference
Elder and Sister Berrett wrote a nice report on their blog about the Bushrod Island Christmas Zone Conference. They included photos of each group of missionaries in the Bushrod Island Zone.
An excerpt from the Berrett's post:
New Kru Town and Point 4 Districts: Front - Sisters Iwenofu, Addo, Nyamekye, Okeke; Back - Elders Pearmain, Fairwell, Price, Manqana |
"President and Sister Kirkham gave each Elder a new pair of socks. The Sisters got fans and wash cloths. And they all got a phone card to use to call home on Christmas...
The first day of Conference was a 'fun' day. We played games and enjoyed the talents of the missionaries. For lunch we had great sandwiches from Stop and Shop, real corn chips, and bottles of soda. Sister Hezseltine and I made homemade treats for dessert.
The second day was a more spiritual day. Elder Berrett and I did a presentation on 'Eyes up - Do the Work'. The AP's and President and Sister Kirkham also did presentations. We had African food for lunch. It was good, but I think I still enjoy American better!
I loved being able to look around the room and know the names of everyone of the missionaries. Made me a little teary eyed to realize how far away from home we all are but how happy everyone is to be in Liberia serving their Heavenly Father and sharing the gospel with the good people here. We love these missionaries and are grateful to be serving with them. We know they will have an amazing Christmas."We are so grateful for the love the Berrett's have for our son and those he serves with. Here's an excerpt from an email I got with a couple extra photos from Sister Berrett:
"Sister Price - Your Elder ask me to send you these pictures. He said, "It will make my mom so happy!" So of course we want you to have them!!! ... We spent the last two days with our Bushrod Island Missionaries at a District Zone Conference. One day was a 'fun' day where the missionaries shared their talents. We were glad that Elder Price was able to share his. Besides playing the piano beautifully, he did some great yoyo tricks. A man of many talents!
Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas. I think this will be a special Christmas for you with a missionary in the field who is helping the people of Liberia come unto Christ and know of His love for them. He's doing well and still smiling…."
16 December 2013
Training Week 11 - Taking the Lead
Hello!
The weather here is really hot, rainy season is actually over! Although it still rained once or twice this week. The ground isn't all mud, so it's definitely dry season. The pollution is pretty bad next to the road, where we live... But the further away you get from the main road, the cleaner the air feels. The Christmas devotional was really cool! I learned some sweet stuff more about Zacharias and Elisabeth. Our Rastafarian is doing pretty well, he's reducing slowly how much he smokes. His friend, John, has completely quit smoking though. So that's sweet.
Oooh lots of stuff at home!
Poor Rikki gets to turn into a superhero. Tell her to play Infamous. (it's a
game where basically a guy gets radioactivized and gets superpowers. She owns
it.) :) [Rikki is having cancer treatments
this week and she’s going to be radioactive]
Here's what I have for this
week!
So, in a lesson on the Word of
Wisdom this past week we committed this woman and her sister to living it. We
then proceeded to challenge them to giving us their box of tea so we could
dispose of it. She proceeded to get the box of tea, a rather large box of black
tea, and give it to us. It was a super neat experience.
I went on an exchange with
Elder Fairwell this past week! It was a good exchange, and it was cool to get
to know him better. On that same exchange I came across a stuffed Pikachu...
For only 50 LD. So I got it! Hehe. [that’s about 60
cents]
I got sick this week. I guess
that's what happens when I tell you I haven't been sick at all! So I just had a
pretty bad cough along with stuffy and runny nose, some headache stuff, etc.
Just normal cold/flu symptoms. I took some dayquil and nyquil stuff, and it
turned out to be alright. I still have a small bit of a cough, but it's okay! [Dale asked me where I thought he got the medicine from--I sent it with him, of course!]
You asked how this week went...
It went very well! I led and planned and did all that stuff well, and I felt
the Spirit a ton.
I received some letters! A
couple dearelders from Emma, one from Zach Smith, a handwritten from Ry, and
the wedding invitation! It was sweet.
Now as more of a response to your letter:
Now as more of a response to your letter:
The weather here is really hot, rainy season is actually over! Although it still rained once or twice this week. The ground isn't all mud, so it's definitely dry season. The pollution is pretty bad next to the road, where we live... But the further away you get from the main road, the cleaner the air feels. The Christmas devotional was really cool! I learned some sweet stuff more about Zacharias and Elisabeth. Our Rastafarian is doing pretty well, he's reducing slowly how much he smokes. His friend, John, has completely quit smoking though. So that's sweet.
Last p-day I... I got new
shorts! Yeah, that was really fun. We had planned to do stuff, but it mostly
fell through. This P-day there's a football (soccer) game that we're going to,
so it's gonna be fun! A frisbee could be pretty cool to have. Definitely board
games would be awesome.
Ryatt's learning to program!
Sweet!!!! :D Give him a little bit of html and C++ when he's ready! That's
really cool. I'm super excited for those TED talks. I love TED.!
[Asked him about last week's funeral:] It was the primary president, technically an LDS funeral,
but with other churches from her life representing themselves there as well. We
didn't go to the graveside service, but from what I've seen of burial sites,
they're above ground cement blocks.
We taught a bunch of new people! We teach nearly 20 lessons
a week...
Traveling... I rode on a public bus for the first time! That
was sweet!
[Asked him what he's been eating lately:] I eat food! Yeah, I've had chicken feet a few times... It's
not really meat filled, so I'm not a big fan, but it's definitely edible!
Mostly a bunch of rice. Except... I've found something out here... Cold cereal
is really easy to make out here, too. Ooops. Could you send me some quality
American cereal though? The cereal here is pretty cardboardy, but I still like
it... I've eaten it for dinner the past couple nights! With powdered milk, of
course.
Having sandals would be awesome!
I'm working hard out here, and
I'm almost done with my training! Last week! Life back home seems to be pretty
crazy though, it's cool to hear about it all. Next week we're gonna be talking
on the phone! Still not sure about the time or how it works, I'm sure I'll be
able to explain more to you next week. Sorry... Oh yeah, could you invite Emma
to be involved with the phone call too? Thanks. :) I hope Ryatt has an
absolutely fantastic birthday!
'Till the next week!
Love,
Elder Makani Rain Price
Photos courtesy Sister Berrett:
Elder Pearmain got a package. 12 Dec 2013. Price, Pearmain, Manqana and Fairwell |
Elder Price and Elder Manqana studying |
His trademark-two thumbs up! |
Elder Price is in the back with his two thumbs up. This was at the Christmas Devotional on Saturday, 14 Dec. |
__________________________________
This week's letter to his mission president:
Dear President,
This past week has been the best week of my mission so far. It was week 11, and I was able to lead well. I prayed for support from Heavenly Father every morning, and I felt the Spirit with me more strongly than in weeks past. I know he's helped me in all aspects of the work, leading, planning, etc., and I'm so grateful for this. I feel much more confident as a missionary now, and I feel more prepared for being a missionary for the rest of the time I have to serve the Lord.
My companion and I have been getting along great. At one point in the week, he evaluated how I had planned for the exchange with Elder Fairwell and how that day went. He gave me very positive feedback, and I felt his support very strongly. The exchange went well, and I was able to lead us well throughout the day. I learned more about how to be getting members to the lessons as well as how to better communicate with the people.
The branch is doing better than it has been, and the leaders are working hard to strengthen their own branch. If we are able to have use of the building by Bong Mines Bridge, I know it would strengthen the branch greatly. We have several members and most of our investigators on that side, and the church attendance would be much stronger each week if the building was closer. We have been focusing much more on that side of our area, and it's proving to be fruitful. We've received several strong investigators that I know the Lord has been preparing for us.
Thank you for your counsel for this Christmas season. I feel myself drawing closer to the Savior more than ever in my life, and I know sharing these things will strengthen my loved ones back home as well. Thank you for your support as we serve and especially for the devotional you shared with us this past week; I enjoyed it.
Sincerely,
Elder Price
This past week has been the best week of my mission so far. It was week 11, and I was able to lead well. I prayed for support from Heavenly Father every morning, and I felt the Spirit with me more strongly than in weeks past. I know he's helped me in all aspects of the work, leading, planning, etc., and I'm so grateful for this. I feel much more confident as a missionary now, and I feel more prepared for being a missionary for the rest of the time I have to serve the Lord.
My companion and I have been getting along great. At one point in the week, he evaluated how I had planned for the exchange with Elder Fairwell and how that day went. He gave me very positive feedback, and I felt his support very strongly. The exchange went well, and I was able to lead us well throughout the day. I learned more about how to be getting members to the lessons as well as how to better communicate with the people.
The branch is doing better than it has been, and the leaders are working hard to strengthen their own branch. If we are able to have use of the building by Bong Mines Bridge, I know it would strengthen the branch greatly. We have several members and most of our investigators on that side, and the church attendance would be much stronger each week if the building was closer. We have been focusing much more on that side of our area, and it's proving to be fruitful. We've received several strong investigators that I know the Lord has been preparing for us.
Thank you for your counsel for this Christmas season. I feel myself drawing closer to the Savior more than ever in my life, and I know sharing these things will strengthen my loved ones back home as well. Thank you for your support as we serve and especially for the devotional you shared with us this past week; I enjoyed it.
Sincerely,
Elder Price
09 December 2013
First African Funeral
Hi!
This week went well! I went to my first... AFRICAN FUNERAL. It was crazy. I wrote about it more in the physical letter I wrote, but it was different than back home. Some people start wailing at random times... Also, they wear black and purple. Lots of purple. It's really cool. Any more questions on that? I have a hard time thinking of what exactly you'd want to know from an experience like that.
My health is great! I'm gaining weight, but I'm combating that... It sucks. -_- I still workout every morning, but I just have a bit more of a belly. Barely noticeable (trust me, the investigators and members here would tell me as soon as they notice if I was gaining big) but still more. Bleh. The food is just too good. ;)
I'm learning Pele more! It's going good. I can say hello and goodbye and how are you and let's eat. ;)
I wrote another handwritten letter, and I'm gonna mail it as soon as I can. There's a lot of fun in the evenings. There's still work, but I enjoy the evenings. There's plenty of awesome guys in the apartments!
Other random things:
Elder Guymon made me cry last night. It sucked. I was just playing chess with Elder Pearmain (by candlelight, nonetheless), and Elder Guymon started playing some Hawaiian music. And then he played somewhere over the rainbow. It was unfair!
The Liahona for December talks about Africa... ... They took some pleasant photos of South Africa ;)
Something that is really hard to do here but is definitely needed is making families. Most people aren't married (as in, nearly no one is married), and if they are, the chances are still pretty small that they got a marriage certificate from the gov. We're working with numerous couples to help them figure out getting married, 'cause they need to do so. We're working really hard to build the family in Liberia.
I'm getting better at being a missionary, and this week is a big one in my training: I take the lead in all planning and teaching situations. I'm pretty stressed, and I'm relying on the Lord to help me do this. It's gonna be a big week!
Ah! The phone call is soon! It's crazy. I still remember your phone numbers! ;) I don't think I could forget them. I don't know when I'll be calling or any of those details yet.
I got all the stuff in the package! It arrived safely and not broken into, even though you didn't put any pictures of Christ on the outside. Even the piano arrived safely! I like having it, it's really sweet. [I sent him a list of what was supposed to be in the box so he could see if it was missing anything.]
Oh! Elder x is the one who puked! He's a funny guy. [I heard that someone got sick during their Thanksgiving feast, so I asked if it was him] I haven't gotten sick at all! Admittedly I didn't feel very good after the Halloween ice cream fest and the Thanksgiving feast...
I'm glad you asked about my warts, because I was gonna mention that today! They are completely healed. I have scar tissue small on some of the spots, but they are gone. I'm so glad. [He had plantar warts on his foot that began to reappear in the MTC] My clothes seem to be holding up fine! I hope the shirt and socks keep lasting, and I hope the same for my ties, but they're all doing fine. I noticed a hole in one sock today, but it's not in a problematic spot or anything so it's fine, and I'm wearing it! For shoes I mostly just wear the eccos, 'cause those shoes are sweet and super amazing, or I wear rain boots. The other shoes... I haven't really started alternating... because it's kinda hard to do that. Don't worry though, they aren't causing any problems! The dry season has hit, and it's really hot, especially in the apartment. No real issues with the supplies!
Oooh! I like the sound of that package in the mail! [An entire smoked salmon is on its way]
I love you all, and if I think of anything else, I'll make sure to write it physically ;) Keep asking questions in the emails: they really help me figure out what to write! Liberia is starting to feel more normal, and things don't seem unusual anymore.
I'm working hard, and I pray for you all. I love you. Heavenly Father is watching out for you. Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Elder Price
[If any blog readers have questions, be sure to put them in the comments section and I'll ask away]
This week went well! I went to my first... AFRICAN FUNERAL. It was crazy. I wrote about it more in the physical letter I wrote, but it was different than back home. Some people start wailing at random times... Also, they wear black and purple. Lots of purple. It's really cool. Any more questions on that? I have a hard time thinking of what exactly you'd want to know from an experience like that.
My health is great! I'm gaining weight, but I'm combating that... It sucks. -_- I still workout every morning, but I just have a bit more of a belly. Barely noticeable (trust me, the investigators and members here would tell me as soon as they notice if I was gaining big) but still more. Bleh. The food is just too good. ;)
I'm learning Pele more! It's going good. I can say hello and goodbye and how are you and let's eat. ;)
I wrote another handwritten letter, and I'm gonna mail it as soon as I can. There's a lot of fun in the evenings. There's still work, but I enjoy the evenings. There's plenty of awesome guys in the apartments!
[I sent him a copy of this photo from the Liberia Mission blog:]
That photo was taken by Sister Kirkham [at the Bushrod Island District Conference] . I glanced at her taking some photos. That building is a REALLY nice one. Also, the guy I'm talking to is Papi, someone I baptized. He's really awesome. I am getting more tan, but apparently the Doxy [doxycycline-malaria pills] messes with the pigmentation of your skin and doesn't let you get as tan. It's a real bummer. It's coming along though. :D So, I just asked if I could send photos from this place, and they said no... I'll figure it out sometime though. I have a photo of me holding a puffer fish and stuff! Other random things:
Elder Guymon made me cry last night. It sucked. I was just playing chess with Elder Pearmain (by candlelight, nonetheless), and Elder Guymon started playing some Hawaiian music. And then he played somewhere over the rainbow. It was unfair!
The Liahona for December talks about Africa... ... They took some pleasant photos of South Africa ;)
Something that is really hard to do here but is definitely needed is making families. Most people aren't married (as in, nearly no one is married), and if they are, the chances are still pretty small that they got a marriage certificate from the gov. We're working with numerous couples to help them figure out getting married, 'cause they need to do so. We're working really hard to build the family in Liberia.
I'm getting better at being a missionary, and this week is a big one in my training: I take the lead in all planning and teaching situations. I'm pretty stressed, and I'm relying on the Lord to help me do this. It's gonna be a big week!
Ah! The phone call is soon! It's crazy. I still remember your phone numbers! ;) I don't think I could forget them. I don't know when I'll be calling or any of those details yet.
I got all the stuff in the package! It arrived safely and not broken into, even though you didn't put any pictures of Christ on the outside. Even the piano arrived safely! I like having it, it's really sweet. [I sent him a list of what was supposed to be in the box so he could see if it was missing anything.]
In October he asked for a grand piano. So we sent one. |
Also, with Ryatt, that's super great. [Ryatt asked to listen to a recording of Rain playing the piano for his lullaby music Saturday night.] I have gotten a chance to play a couple times, but it's really really rare...
Oh! Elder x is the one who puked! He's a funny guy. [I heard that someone got sick during their Thanksgiving feast, so I asked if it was him] I haven't gotten sick at all! Admittedly I didn't feel very good after the Halloween ice cream fest and the Thanksgiving feast...
I'm glad you asked about my warts, because I was gonna mention that today! They are completely healed. I have scar tissue small on some of the spots, but they are gone. I'm so glad. [He had plantar warts on his foot that began to reappear in the MTC] My clothes seem to be holding up fine! I hope the shirt and socks keep lasting, and I hope the same for my ties, but they're all doing fine. I noticed a hole in one sock today, but it's not in a problematic spot or anything so it's fine, and I'm wearing it! For shoes I mostly just wear the eccos, 'cause those shoes are sweet and super amazing, or I wear rain boots. The other shoes... I haven't really started alternating... because it's kinda hard to do that. Don't worry though, they aren't causing any problems! The dry season has hit, and it's really hot, especially in the apartment. No real issues with the supplies!
Oooh! I like the sound of that package in the mail! [An entire smoked salmon is on its way]
I love you all, and if I think of anything else, I'll make sure to write it physically ;) Keep asking questions in the emails: they really help me figure out what to write! Liberia is starting to feel more normal, and things don't seem unusual anymore.
I'm working hard, and I pray for you all. I love you. Heavenly Father is watching out for you. Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Elder Price
[If any blog readers have questions, be sure to put them in the comments section and I'll ask away]
03 December 2013
A Rastafarian
[Letter written 17 Nov
2013, received 3 December 2013]
Dear Family,
Hi!
So I've been in Liberia for almost two months! It's weird
trying to write stories now because so many things are beginning to feel
relatively normal. I'm teaching a Rastafarian! Like, a legit one. We taught him
the Word of Wisdom and… Wait for it… He has a problem with marijuana! I thought
it made sense. Also, he has the full dreadlocks with the red, yellow, and green
cap thingy. He's such a great guy though; he's way nice. My investigators are
so amazing. We're working at getting people married—especially a woman named K.
She wants to get married and become a member so much—she even brought her
entire family (besides her "husband") to church today, and it makes
so happy whenever any investigators come to church. [sic]I'm getting better at being a missionary! I'm trying to be more bold in all missionary stuffs. It's really helping me to teach better and talk at all times better.
Right now I am… Eating the giant bag of sour patch watermelons… and playing Go Fish… First of all, I really love American food so much here. I really enjoy the Liberian food here, but it really puts me in shark mode. I'm trying not to gain weight though… Really, the whole losing weight thing here has to do with how often you allow yourself to eat and/or sicknesses.
I'm working on my Coloqua! It's getting better, small small. It's odd to write you physical letters when I'm gonna be writing you all tomorrow. But, this is what's been on my mind: Rikki's wedding! And Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving out here… Is gonna be different. But I try not to think about the differences too much and just enjoy the new! And Rikki's wedding makes me really sentimental… Zakk is my brother-in-law by the time you get this! Woohoo! I'm so happy for them. It's just weird to not be there. So many changes at home… And so many out here! I'm working hard. I'm getting stronger. I'm letting things —criticism—roll right off me. It's a good skill to have! This time has already changed me, and there's more to come! I'm so grateful for all of your support. Each and every one of you; I've thought about each of you. I love you all, and I know the Lord is watching over all of us. God be with you.
Love,
Elder Makani Rain Price
02 December 2013
Thanksgiving by Candlelight
Hi!
So, this week was way fun! We
had things like Thanksgiving and district conference!
Thanksgiving:
Like you had heard, we still
proselyted and everything. They don't exactly have that holiday in Africa ;)
But that night we had a crazy awesome thanksgiving dinner. We ate Chicken,
mashed potatoes, corn, bread, beans, fries, gravy, popcorn balls, and I had a
drink of sparkling apple cider! It was really awesome. We had the entire thing
by candlelight, too, so it made a wonderful thanksgiving.
I received that package on
Saturday! I loved it so much! Thank you :) :) :) Also, the music is wonderful.
I've been listening to it a ton. [We sent him a medium size, flat rate USPS box the end of October. This was the first package we've sent. Looks like it took four and a half weeks to arrive. It included a microSD card with a lot of Christmas music.]. I received a few letters on Thanksgiving
morning as well... The letters seem to come in waves, but that's alright! The
package was so great to open, and I'm saving those pine cones for closer to
Christmas, as well as most of the food. The pictures are great, I'm so glad you
sent those! It was great. :)
All those pictures and stories
are amazing! Thanks for sharing them all! Thanksgiving still looks and sounds
like it was fantastic! [I emailed him photos from our Thanksgiving day. Same ones as posted on my facebook page]
District Conference was great!
Elder Dube spoke, and he had a great talk. It's been a pretty odd week because
of Thanksgiving, then a Liberian public holiday on Friday, then district
conference on the other two days!
I'm getting better out here. As
far as stories go... Hey! I went on exchange with Elder Pearmain in my area on
Wednesday! That was a great experience, and I'm super happy with how it went.
Other stories... Hm... Oh yeah, I washed my clothes on Friday (or Saturday?) by
candlelight! The power was out, so we lit candles, and I finished my washing
that way! It was pretty great. Also, thank you for the camera case! I'm so
happy to have it.
The weeks are going by fast,
and I'm already halfway through this transfer! I'm gonna try to send you a few
photos today, we'll see how that goes [Apparently it didn't go well. Still nothing--it's been a long time since he's been able to send photos]. I'm thinking of you all, thank you so
much for the support. I really felt your support so much when I received that
package, it was just like, "Whoah! They DO love me!" ;) I'm adapting
to the culture and life here, and I'm trying my hardest to learn the Liberian
ways. I'm trying to graft myself into the "Pele" tribe (I don't know
how to spell it, but I chose it because of the Hawaiian Goddess...) and learn
how to speak some of that language, just for fun!
I love you all. I pray for you every day, and I know you're
being watched over. Remember Him, and make the most of life! If I can do
something life-changing in two years, who says you can't improve each of your own
lives in different ways in just two years. :) Stay safe, keep having super
awesome stories, I love you all!
Love,
Elder Makani Rain Price
Love,
Elder Makani Rain Price
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