Dear Family,

So this week Ghana did beat the U.S. We didn't watch it of course but
we could hear everything. Cheers when they scored and complete silence
when the US scored. I told some kid that the Us would beat Ghana 2-1
but we failed. It was a blessing though because everyone was happy
instead of crushed. There was another funeral this Saturday (they were
wailing and moaning at 4 in the morning!) and they had huge speakers
right outside our window. When Ghana won everybody in the village came
running to the speakers and started dancing (I can't describe some of
it;). This time I couldn't contain myself and I ran out in my England
jersey and started dancing for a few seconds. They absolutely love it!

On Sunday we had a lot more people at church. When it rains IT RAINS
and nobody comes to church at but we had enough last week to function
properly. This branch seriously needs a lot of work. Everyone depends
on the missionaries to do everything: Clean, teach, bless. It is kind
of ridiculous. Elder Asiedu is getting fed up. I still love it here
compared to Asokwa. Yesterday, the branch president called me up to
bear my testimony at random. I got up and told everyone that last
night was very exciting but its ok because I am now a Ghanian. I'm
just like dad sometimes;)

This week we had a baptism with 5 candidates. Nana Kojo was so happy I
couldn't keep from laughing. He is now the second person I have helped
come into the fold on my entire mission. Nothing compares with the
happiness I felt as he joined his wife in the church. One day they
will go to the temple together and be sealed for all time and
eternity! It doesn't get more exciting then that. We are also
preparing to baptize a man named Amos and his son who is a Football
Contact. Our goal should be complete by the 17th of July if I don't
get transferred this week. I don't think I will. Elder Buah might
though cause he's been here for 7 and a half months!

Yes the rain kills our proselyting and often times we are forced to
stay in the house all day long:( Same with funerals because everybody
goes. People care more about the dead then the living! It's only
annoying because they make SOOO much noise! Same with that freaking
bell!!!!! Lol

So Jeremy is going to the musician's institute huh? That will be good
for him. He's going to have a lot of fun. Toy story was pretty sweet?
I haven't seen it yet;) I don't know if 4 extra dollars is worth it.
Do you keep the glasses?

This week I had a dream where all the missionaries in our zone were at
a Zone Conference. I was supposed to instruct but Elder Lewis, the AP
kept interrupting me. He had dark purplish skin, red eyes, and horns
on his head. Just he was interupting me again Sister Sabey goes into
labor and starts breathing in and out really fast. President Sabey was
so confused all he could do was stand up and say, "My wife is in
labor." Nobody was doing anything about it. Then I woke up!

Thanks for the package! I don't think President looks through packages
but something weird happened. It was pretty funny though! I did get
all the stuff I can use like the guitar tuner which is pretty sweet.
As for shaving, you can send me some razors. Sometimes I get lazy and
nobody seems to care here. I've been trying harder though. I look like
a bum today cause I haven't cut my hair in two transfers and I didn't
shave. P-days are my lazy day;) I just don't know where to get my hair
cut either! It's not too long yet:)

Well I'm out of time! Tell me if you want to know anything more about
my area. Its hard for me to remember sometimes when I get to the
computer!

I love you!
Elder Harris

Dear Family,

This week has been the slowest week ever. The rain has been non-stop every single day and with a huge funeral going on right outside our apartment we really didn't do much. It was raining so hard yesterday nobody came to church. It felt a little bit weird with only 6 people in the congregation during the sacrament. Later on more people came but they were all from the funeral so they weren't members and they were only their because of tradition. Elder Agama taught the quorum class and I was sitting in the back while helping him answer stupid question after stupid question about our 'teachings.' Questions are great when they are asked for a good reason but these people were trying to prove why our religion is wrong. In our own chapel! I wasn't in a good mood that day.

The funeral started at 8 on Friday night and went until 8 on Saturday non-stop. The speakers were like 12 feet tall and the bass shook our house. Alcohol was everywhere and every once and a while a hysteric woman would come screaming her head off in our little courtyard. I really wanted to kill her. Now, I'm going to teach you how to do a basic Ghanaian dance:
Step 1: Lean forward and stick your butt out as far as it will go (note: you must have a 'bootay' to do this one)
Step 2: Lift your elbows up with your hands in a fist shape pointing at each other.
Step 3: Now shake your butt as hard as you can while moving your elbows back and forth in a rhythmic fashion.

Now picture a couple hundred people in a big circle dancing like this. It was fun to watch! I felt tempted to go out and be the only white guy dancing in the middle of all these Africans. It would have been a hilarious once in a life time opportunity where nobody would try to kill me. They would have loved it actually. Too bad I'm still a missionary and I have act like one. WHAT A DRAG.

So like I said we didn't do much this week. This is one heck of a boring area when you get down to it. Everything is exactly the same every singe day. It's gonna drive me insane eventually. Oh well that's life. We did have interviews in Fosu this week. I wrote a big long boring letter about it. It was one of the best personal experiences I've had here on mission though.

The best part of this week was my crazy dreams. In my first dream I was on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. I was in a small dance hall, dancing with a little retarded girl so I could get the attention of this really pretty girl. While I was thus engaged, there was a small evil man running around the ship doing devilish things. He was normal looking except for his eyes which were blood red. Just as I was finally dancing with the pretty girl, something makes the ship stop abruptly and we all fly forward. The devil man comes running out of a room and the whole ship lurches side ways. Blood started to poor from the room where I guess the devil man killed somebody. It was kind of like the scene from the Shining where blood pours out of the elevator. That's when I woke up!

The next dream was a lot better. I was a missionary on Disney Island where all the Disney characters (cartoon and real life) live after they retire from show biz. I was sitting at a computer emailing my mom at the Disney Internet Cafe, when two arms wrap around me from behind. I turn around and its some girl who I'm absolutely on love with. She's with two sisters and her parents. I look around at my companion who hasn't notice that I'm hugging girls and then at the computer. If my mom doesn't get an email she will be PISSED! So I turned around to finish the email and all of a sudden I'm at a table in the cafeteria of the Disney Hotel! The girl and her family are sitting near me with a bunch of Disney characters and my own parents. I was still concerned about the email so I got up to tell my mom that she wasn't going to get an Email that week but I was all of a sudden in the elevator of the hotel with the girl. The elevator kept shooting up and down at an amazing speed and I was getting pissed off so we got out at walked out of the hotel. Everybody had gathered at the west end of the Island near the sea shore (the Castle was in the middle of the island of course). Everybody started dancing and talking to each other but I was staring out at sea. Dark storm clouds were massing in the west and as I watched they were getting closer and closer. All of a sudden they were right on top of me and T-REX jumped from the clouds and started chasing people. It was definitely the same t-rex from Jurassic Park. I went running into a nearby shop and hid under a pile of stuff to escape the beast. Then the t-rex transformed into a big green dragon and flew off into the distance. I got up and sprinted out to a pile of rubble to see if Tiger was ok. Luckily he was still his bouncy old self.

Pretty random I know but I love dreams like this. They put me in a good mood when I wake up. lol

We haven't been farming for a couple weeks which has been a drag. Hopefully we will go tomorrow for our ward clerk, but the guy is kind of flaky. Nana Kojo's baptismal date is next Saturday but we still have to teach him some things. He is definitley ready so I'm confident he will show up. We still need the Lord's help though so we have been really praying hard for Him to help us accomplish the goal. If one person in the mission does not baptize a family, then we are all sunk. The funny thing is that I thought I was transfered here to accomplish the goal but if the four people who left Kumasi stayed there the goal would be complete. The Lord has a funny way of working sometimes. I hope one day I'll understand it.

It sounds like your trip was fun. One day I'd like to go hiking in Zion National Park. The place looks pretty sweet. Heat will never be a probablem for me again but the dry air will be. When I come home my face is going to crack in half. It's weird that your home already because It feels like no time has passed at all. First you were leaving, then you were on your way back, now your home.

Well that's all for now! I love you all very much. Hopefully things start to pick up this week. We have contacted a few people for the Football Finging goal but I don't know if they are serious yet. Keep on praying for me!

Love Elder Harris

Dear Family,

Today was probably one of the better days of my mission. We had an activity at Cape Coast where three zones played football and ultimate Frisbee on the beach. A bunch of my MTs were there including Elders Pinnell, Hadderlie, Thompson, and Holmes. Elder Akoki and Elder Adjeifio were also there and a bunch of others. Its weird because in Kumasi when somebody left it felt as if you would never see them again. Down here you get to see other zones all the time which is sweet. After the beach we went to the Cape Coast Castle. It was pretty sweet but I was with too many sarcastic missionaries who kind of ruined the whole feel of the place. I won't lie, I was one of them. At one point in the tour, we stepped into a room called the Condemned Chamber or something like that. It was stifling hot and completely dark and was only about 15ft by 20 ft big, if that! I don't think I've ever stepped in a place where so many people were chained up in the dark until they died with no food or water. The whole place felt cold and empty to me.

I'm finding that life in Achiese never changes. Nothing crazy ever happens! It's kind of boring.

The World Cup began this week in South Africa! Whenever it is on, I can hear the fly buzzing sound of the match throughout the village. You can't go anywhere without hearing about it. So far everyone in the mission has kept his or her commitment of not watching any football but it is not easy. The first time I heard that buzzing sound it seemed to pull at me saying, "Come and watch! It's only a few minutes and nobody would ever find out. And besides if they do, maybe you can go home." The last thought snapped me out of it. Why would I wan't to go home? Even if I did there are a lot easier ways to do it then to bring the shame of the entire mission on me! Satan is working hard against us because he knows that completing this goal will lift us up to a new plane and will help us become more powerfull in our fight against him.

This Sunday, our investigator Brother Amos came to church with his son. This was exciting for me because that didn't happen in Asokwa ever. Brother Nana Kojo, our candidate for the family goal also came with his daughter and we taught him about the restoration. He believes firmly that this is the true church of Christ and will be baptized, joining his wife in the church. I can't begin to tell you how sweet that is! This man will soon join his wife in the holy temple and together they will be sealed for all time and eternity, never to be parted, ever. What a wonderful blessing that will be in their lives! I know that their children will also begin to become interested in the church and some, if not all, will join and also be sealed with their family. That makes me happy! Frick that makes me happy. Mission is not about success, but it is freaking awesome when it does come.

The football finding goal has started pretty slow for us. A bad case of runny tummy has pretty much knocked me out for a few days. I had a headache yesterday which scared me but it went away so I didn't call Sister Sabey. I'm feeling better today so I think it will be fine. The people that we did manage to contact weren't very serious so thats a drag. Its all right though cause we still have most of the month to contact. Oh how I hate contacting. Every missionary that has every lived knows how sucky it really is to contact random people on the streets or in their homes all day. It just doesn't work that well! Oh well, the Lord will provide. At least its a lot better then Kumasi! Sorry Harrison! Don't worry though I called him this week and he told me not to worry cause he's gonna BAPTIZE people there. I just said oh yeah sure! lol

World Cup Update:

I think Mexico Tied South Africa, I'm not sure if France or Uruaguy won their match

Argentina 1-0 over Nigeria, South Korea 2-0 over Greece, England 1-1 with the US (Oh yeah)

I'm not sure about Algeria and Serbia, Ghana 1-0 over Serbia, Germany crushed Australia 4-0

Screams filled the village as Ghana became the first African Team to win a World Cup match on African soil! That's pretty sweet but I still want to see the US go farther then Ghana. Then I can give it to everybody!

I have every match written into my planner so we can know when to contact. President also sends us the scores every evening (most of the time) and those who scored. That makes it a little bit easier and it also lets us know how to talk with members and investigators.

I hope St George is sweet!

Well that's it for now. I'm going to try putting pics on a Dvd today. I've got a good pic of Elder Adjefio and I having fun on a canon! You'll see it soon:)

Love Elder Harris

FARMER HARRIS

Dear Family, Be patient when it comes to pictures. I'm having them put on a DVD next Monday and then I have to figure out how to send them to you. I think they have a post office here in Fosu or maybe I can send it In Cape Coast. It's going to be a couple weeks before I can even send them. Don't worry though you are getting almost 1,000 pictures and videos from my first transfer going. Your party sounded fun. Bass players are more legit then Keyboard players. Radiohead's keyboardist is also the lead guitarist so that would have been way cool. Sorry. It would have been even cooler if it was the piano player because that's Thom York himself! TOO BAD The Internet is way slow today and I'm short on time so this might be a little be shorter than normal. Things in Achiese are pretty much the same every single day. We get up doing something in the morning (meetings or service projects) then we go out around two and teach lessons straight till about 6 or 6:30 when it gets too dark to teach. This place is way dark at night. It's nice cause I can actually see the stars again when it's not raining. We are now into the actual rainy season. It rains every single day and we are always wet. Thats ok because I was always wet before. This time its not sweat though. I got to experience what farming in Ghana is really like. On Wednesday we grabbed our machetes and hiked down into the jungle for about a half hour. We were really in the bush before we found the farm. There is not real order to how they plant cassava, its just spread all over the place. Our job for the day was weeding which is pretty much like cutting down the forest surrounding the cassava trees. We spent the next 2 hours bent over swiping at the weeds with our machetes. Luckily there are so many trees that we are never in the sun but my hand was dead by the end. I've got some cool vids of us doing this. After wards I was dead tired for two days. I can't believe they do this every day for their living. So you guys are in Texas now? How long does it take to drive there? I know you told me already but what exactly are you going to be doing? What is it like there? Flat? So it's been nice living with nothing but Africans for the past few weeks. They are all really cool guys. Elder Buah is pretty quite but when he gets going he talks super fast. I have a hard time understanding him sometimes. He says he lived in Accra but his accent is different for some reason. All right I'm out time for now! Everything is way more routine here than at Kumasi but that's what makes it sweet. I love the quite. I hope everything is nice In Texas! The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas! Love Elder Harris