Week 2 - March 29

Greetings From Ghana!!!

 

     OK so I'm here in the Ghana MTC and It is pretty good.  So turns out that I only get to stay here until Tuesday then on Wednesday morning we leave for the mission. The mission is being split and President Judd will remain the Mission President of the Accra Mission until next year when his time as President is spent. However, whether I'm in the Accra Mission or the Accra West Mission come July I know not. Missionaries already in the MTC are saying which they would prefer. Most want to say in Accra because there is more jungle and "adventure" out there, but I personally would desire to serve in the West where I have better access to food and stores for supplies in case of an emergency. But a guy who has lived in Ghana his whole life I met at the temple which I'll talk about shortly said that the whole area of the East side of the river does have stores and stuff of civilization. So that was nice to know in case I get sent to the Accra mission. Either way I know the Lord is sending me where he wants me to go.

     So you are probably wondering how the temple was. Let me tell you...When it comes to size...St. George kicks! It is probably smaller then a football field. Only 40 people max in a session. But when it comes to beauty, holy cow! It is so glamorous that it takes your breath away. The wood designs in the rooms are so pretty. The murals in the rooms are breath taking. You walk into the lobby, and as you pass the counter there is a window as you head to the changing rooms. If you look into the window you look down into the baptistry. The same picture you see online of it is the same view I get when looking. The land around the Temple is just as pretty. There are trees and flowers everywhere. There is a distribution center right next to the temple as well as a church building and another building that I do not know what they use it for.

     Accra is a very busy city. If you ever thought my driving was bad, I'm the best driver in Accra!  The traffic is basically swerving back in forth in the lanes trying to get to where you are going as fast as you can. It's pretty awesome.

     Well that's all the time I have for right now. I really like getting all of your emails but sadly they only give me time to write for 30 minutes and this is all I had time to write. Sorry that there are no pictures yet, the computers in the MTC do not have sd card readers and the guy who has one is sharing it with others and my time is about to run out. Hopefully when I'm in my first area I can send pictures.

     Food is good, they have lots of rice and I have been able to swallow my pill (malaria) thanks to the food. Hopefully I can get some pictures soon.

     Well thats all I got time for right now. 

 

   LOVE

 

Elder Ty M. Bowden

Week 1 - March 26, 2013

Hello Everyone!

There is so much to talk about I do not think I will be able to squeeze it all in. Right now it's about 7:30 in Ghana. I did the math and it's about 1:30 in St. George. Sorry If I awoke anyone in my house. Life in the Ghana MTC is really different then what I had thought it would be like. There is only AC in the Kitchen, Chapel/Meeting room, and all the classrooms. However that being said, they are only working half of the time. The power in  Ghana goes on and off all the time apparently. While the Church has a backup Generator here, it is in poor condition and has failed now the last 3 days. So we have power on and off. I'm sweating you as I write this and I'm sitting at a chair typing, with the AC ON. When the power is not on, the MTC becomes a giant oven. There's a reason they keep this one quiet. LOL. But I was told by the MTC President that the Church is currently building a new MTC over by the Temple. Also when it is complete, the Ghana MTC will host all  French Speaking Missionaries coming to Africa. It will also host all English speaking missionaries coming to the North and Middle parts of Africa as well. Johannesburg will continue to host the missionaries from down yonder. Today we are going to the Ghana Accra Temple. Some of the Missionaries here have not taken out their own endowments so we get to go do that today. I'm super excited to see the Temple again. I'm not used to not seeing it everyday.

Well I have got to go. Talk to you next week.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers.

Love...

Elder Bowden.

 

 

Mom,

I need a care package. I am sweating like crazy. The rooms are so hot at night it's almost impossible to sleep. I need you to send me another fan, preferably a bigger one with more then one speed. Also, more socks. Socks get so wet from the sweat that we have to change them twice a day at some point.  Other then that life is good. Hot and Humid, my clothes stick to me like crazy but it is fun. I am enjoying life here. Talk to you next week.

 

LOVE YOU MOM DAD and HALIE! Say Hi to Hayes for me.

 

LOVE

 

Your Son

 

Elder Bowden. :)

First Email from Ghana

Hi Everyone!!!

     I have successfully made it to Ghana! We have eaten and the food isn't all too bad. The flight was very long. But I was able to sleep from JFK to just about when we reached the shores of Africa. However waiting at the airports and the long plane flights are a killer. Now we are about to go settle into our rooms and then get a tour of the MTC. I just realized that the computers here do not have SD card readers so I will not be able to send pictures of the place just yet. Most likely you will need to send me an SD card reader that plugs into a USB port so I can send some Pictures home. Other then that the traffic is crazy here. There were cars driving off the road and cutting corners, not using turning signals and other crazy things. The street vendors were all over the place and were crawling all over the cars trying to get us to buy their products. When we arrived at the airport Ghanans came up to us and were trying to help us and then would ask for a "tip" of some kind. Sadly most of the elders at the airport were not warned and gave tips to them. Me and a few others made smart comments back, telling the helpers that we had a "card" and no cash, and from that moment on they left me and those few Elders alone. It is also crazy hot and humid here. Like I get off the plane and I break into a sweat. I am so happy I brought a fan. Funny story the MTC dorms have fans, they just don't work.  The schedule for the 12 days we are here is pretty intense. Sadly we only get to go to the temple once and I hear a rumor that is the only time we go. Hopefully those rumors are wrong. Well, that's about it for now. Airplane food is just as bad as they say it is, the people are funny, and I need a shower.

 

Love all of you guys and hope to hear from you soon.

 

LOVE,

 

Elder Bowden 

 

P.S. for mom: