A lot has changed.

Well let's just say that there's too much to say. A lot has changed and I don't have much time to write. I can't remember if I told you, but my new companion is Elder O from Nigeria. He's a good guy and we get along very well. My new area (Efiduasi) is big and spacious. It takes me about 20-30 minutes to walk to my area. Much more walking than Obuasi, but it's going well. District Leader is going fine. My district is only two companionships so numbers are easy. We live together in the chapel, so going to church is literally a foot out the door. I'm in a branch again and this time it's much smaller. There were about 15-20 people at church on Sunday. The branch is powerful, however and that helps bring alot of confidence to me. During my earlier times in Obuasi there was alot of drama going on in the branch. I was actually nervous to bring my investigators to church. Here however, I wish all of them would come to church every Sunday. This branch is really good. One of my roommates is Elder M from Tonga. He was my MTC companion. It's sweet to catch up with him. He had a tough time speaking English in the MTC, but he's come a long way. His companion is Elder K, also from Tonga. They are the first two Tongan missionaries to ever come to this mission. Yeah my district is pretty famous. ha. All in all the area is doing well. I'm in Kumasi right now, (the big city) it's about a half hour drive on p-day. It's nice to be here, since I can buy just about anything I need. Imported goods are still painfully expensive. A small pack of M&Ms were almost 20 cidis. That's 10 loaves of bread. yikes. Efiduasi is hot. My room was gauged at 90 degrees Fa. You can only imagine how hot it is out in the sun. haha. No washing machine. It rained on my clothesline today. oh well. In Obuasi nobody did anything for a living. Most men just sat around doing nothing and drinking alcohol. The women did most of the work, at shops or selling on the streets. In Efiduasi they do more and nobody is really jobless. Just alot of barbershops, general goods, street selling, some photo shops that sort of thing. Alright I gotta go. Catch you all next week!

-Elder Silva

New area, new companion...and DL :O

OM NOM NOM NOM!!! that's the sound of me scarfing down a meat pie, because I didn't eat breakfast...Just thought I would let you know. The work of the Lord is progressing. We have some great investigators that we are now preparing. The branch is growing. I've gotta say that's one of the most rewarding feelings, is seeing a branch grow as much as I've seen it grow and being a part of it. It really makes everything feel worth it.  I won't have the opportunity to teach these new investigators however, because I'm being transferred to "Efijuasi" (that's how it's pronounced, don't ask me how to spell it.) It's an area near Kumasi, so hopefully that means my mail problem will be fixed. My new companion is Elder O from Nigeria. Here's the strange part. He's about 14 months on the mission and I'm going to be the Senior companion... and District Leader. A tad nervous, but that's mostly just the fear of the unknown. I"m leaving to a training tomorrow so that should help a lot. Packing has been hectic, but one Elder in my apartment just got a washing machine so washing was easy. Too bad he got it just as I was leaving. So that's the news for this week. Enjoy life while you can, because once certain things are taken away from you (like pizza) you'll realize how awesome your life was. Well let's put my cleanliness in this perspective. I've improved. I keep things fairly organized, but not sparkly clean. Actually I don't like staying in sparkly clean places. I'd prefer that the room looks lived in at least. However I have noticed how easy doing some simple cleaning chores can be. After I finish cooking I immediately wash the dishes I use. They're easier to wash that way and I never have to come home to dirty dishes. I was literally blown away by this. The Elder replacing me is from Australia. He's my MT (he was in the MTC with me). He's a big guy with a sweet accent. I'm glad my investigators and recent converts are left in his hands. Studying the scriptures really helps make missionary work come alive. Plus you get to read about all the cool stories you never knew about. It seems like all I ever learned in church was from the Book of Mormon or the 4 gospels. Once I go beyond that I run into all kinds of new stories. Wow this is a long e-mail. If you want you could send me a pizza or a car. If that's not withing your abilities then you can just keep sending me news from home and Brooke's awesome pictures. 

Have a great week guys! -Elder Silva

Happy New Year!

Huh, for the first time on my mission, I'm not sure what to say in my e-mail. I hope everyone's New Year went well. Good to hear the weather isn't too freezing. I remember the negative winters. brrrr. Yes the rain has stopped here. We are in the Hamataan (not sure how to spell it) season. So everything is really dry. Infact it was so dry that one of our neighbors' apartments caught on fire. Whole thing burned down. One woman had a lot of money in a couch. Please don't keep tons of money in a couch and don't burn down our house. It really makes you realize just how unexpectedly bad things can happen. It's funny that Brooke mixed up girl and guy. Some people will do that here when they talk. "you know Elder Silva? yeah SHE was teaching me the other day". It makes me chuckle every time. I hope I didn't sound too different on the Skype call. My speech has changed a bit, and sometimes I get conscious of my American accent and it sounds funny. I'll be graduating from my Freshman year on mission soon. That makes 25% completed. A small milestone in comparison to what is left, but considering 6 months it seems like a long time. I've adjusted really well, but I feel that I'm going to be leaving my first transfer soon. That means more adjusting. I find myself really curious about how the other missions in the family were like, especially before available computers. Speaking of other missions, I recently found out that a close friend of mine, Jamen Cannon, just entered the field in the Orlando, Florida mission. He told me he's seen frozen gator heads, and that some members invited him over to skin one last Monday. Also, I'm sorry for the dim lighting on the call. Nothing I could do about that. No-one has been by to drop off mail for quite some time, but We're having a Zone Conference in Kumasi this week, so hopefully they'll bring the mail there. The people here are learning fast, since some of them really know how to study. I know two older men who are always reading scriptures or the Liahona every time I walk by their place. My companion and I are trying to get one of my recent converts to prepare for a mission. He's a very strong member now and he knows alot about the gospel. He's older, but I think he'll still be within the age limit. It would be cool to have him and I on missions at the same time. Well, I think I'll check out the pictures you sent me. Have a great week and a very Happy New Year, and tell everyone in the ward back home Happy New Year as well. 

-Elder Silva

 The Obuasi Zone 

 How my companion sleeps on P-day. 

 A family lost their home recently to a fire :(