Long Lost Obruni

Some of Elder Van Wagoner's new best friends

My name is heard every where I go... well one of them. Most people struggle to say 'van wagoner' the wagoner is just too much haha so I usually get called elder van.. and then kinda a silence while they try to make a 'w' sound. but since im obruni im a little bit like a celebrity! everyone calls out to me wherever we go.. that's actually pretty fun haha

Well I'm in the area known as cantoments which means I stay at the mission home compound in a little spot for the Elders. Our 'house' is very funny and we eat really basic stuff because american food is super expensive out here.

everyone please take a moment and just say thanks for America and what you have.. there is a lot of people with nothing out here. I have to apologize for taking all of that forgranted and I hope everyone will forgive me. my biggest regret (landon pay attention) is not spending more time with my family. That time is sacred and blessed. So everyone give mom a big hug and kiss from me and tell each other thanks and you love each other more cause we have so so so much you would never believe it until you actually came out here.

Mom and dad just so you know you are welcome to come and pick me up at the end. There is an elder whose family did that and it was actually way cool so you are welcome to and we could look around for like a week and if not that is okay to! 

So weds day I got into the field and we immediately went over to a church open house. by the way the chapel is on the temple grounds so i bike by the temple just about everyday on our way to other areas we teach in. 

Thursday we met a lot of our investigators and talked to matilda and margus who are people that may get baptized soon! I love those two and margus is such a good guy that if we can help him he could be a bishop or something later on. 

Friday we went to more investigators and in matildas area which is a lot called mobile oil?? or mobile force I can't remember. anyways we met a couple little kids who came to see the 'obruni' or white guy. so i said no i was 'obebeni' which is black guy and they were 'obruni' haha so they laughed and more and more kids came till we had like twenty. We got out chairs and started singing songs with them becuase my comp knows a bunch of pentacostal church songs since he is a convert of like two years. he knows the bible super well so he always uses that but I don't as much i prefer to focus on the pure word of God in the book of mormon. but those kids made my day and then we had such a good lesson with margus that he came to church!!

I love those kids so much, they are all so funny!

saturday was a lot like friday except we found a mall!! so we went to it and got a half sandwhich, we felt really out of place and everyone stared at the random guys in ties haha

sunday was the best. church felt so good, like being with you guys and we had three of our investigators come!! After church we went over to see a couple recent converts and margus and matilda, who were at church. not much rest but my spirit was rejuvinated :) we also do 'American sunday'. We get american food the night before and cook it for sunday dinner so we had mac and cheese and hot dogs! that was like heaven haha

and today is pday so I deep cleaned the bathroom with my comp and now it isn't so dirty. and we got food at the mall so i actually had a slice of a funky cake thing!

we usually eat first ask what is in it later haha

a couple random things. The gutter is outside so it's like 4 feet deep around the roads, gottta be careful to not fall in haha. people walk around selling stuff on the street, be careful what you get some of it is not safe at all. I have a filter bottle so i can get water whenever wherever and I eat good and sleep good.

We have taught about 26 lessons and have two people close to baptism. one should actually be this sunday! I bike almost everywhere and that is like actually everywhere. it is tiring but we would have no other way to get to all of the people. you never knock just say hi because there isn't really doors or a spot big enough where people can't here you say hello.

no one understands my english so if i come home talking really wierd and i don't understand your sarcasm you know why. they don't have knock knock jokes so thats always entertaining haha i never understood why people say 'it's the best thing sinced sliced bread' till i was here cause there is no sliced bread. peanut butter is called ground nut and it is expenisive unless you get it from the ladies on the street who sell rolls with stuff inside like ground nut or chocolate. they don't really like it though haha they all like spicy and not too sweet. but it is kinda growing on me. people drive so bad here but accidents don't happen a lot so it is just funny, at first i was so scared haha but now it is an adventure everyday.

When you send a box package i have to pay for it but if you send a flatrate envelope thing then it is fine!

I pray for everyone at home everyday and can feel your prayers and am so extremely grateful i have such wonderful support at home. The work is hastening and it is changing me everyday. even now I see things that are different in me. popcorn and grandpa are here a lot. they bring me a lot of support and my testimony has grown so much. Especially in regards to the eternal nature of families and how crucial that is. Landon i would work with the missionaries in the area and send me your email cause i have some stuff i want to share with you.

Each day stuff happens out here that I wish you could all see, never a dull moment and it is interesting because i don't miss my phone or girls or whatever else, I just think about my family and the people here. our family is what is important. so hold on to eachother and strengthen each other because in the end it is us. and I am so grateful for that.

I love you all to Africa and Back!

if you miss me just count up the days. not down. Think that I am 7 months ahead of where i would be if I had to wait till i was 19 and that two years is a small price to pay for an eternally blessed family. I have been promised some incredible things as a servant of the Lord and most of them are about my family. so trust me when I say that me being here is absolutely the best thing for our family.

I know this is true and I love you all so much, God is with each of us and he will never leave us alone, on the contrary he is carrying us.

Talk to you all soon and have a great day!! Life is beautiful! love you family.

Love the obruni of africa

Elder Van Wagoner

The homes in Ghana.