July 17th, 2011

My First Big Mistake

Hey everyone, long time haha. Sorry I have been a slacker the last few weeks when it comes to emailing. One week I typed up my email and then I deleted it and was mad because I had to type it again, and I ended up actually not typing it again. And then last week I read my emails and just forgot to respond back. Sorry. We are on our way to Accra right now actually to take for missionaries back to Ivory Coast who came to our mission during the war. It’s funny that you mentioned Mom in your letter about Miles getting called on the last second to give a talk in church. We showed up to church yesterday about 10 min before it started, and about 5 min before sacrament meeting the Branch President asked me to be the first speaker and give a 15 min talk. So Paul Young wasn't lying when he said you need to be ready at any moments notice. Sometimes 5 min is all the notice you get haha.

Well when I get back from Accra I will send another email to make up for the last 3 weeks of not emailing. I am doing great and healthy as can be. So don't be trippin alright.

Love You,

Elder Adams

Well we just got back from Accra. It's about 7 pm our time. We dropped 4 missionaries at the Area office/temple, and their flight leaves tomorrow to take them back to Ivory Coast. Me and Elder Mackay took them in so that Pres. Shulz could take care of other things back here. They've been running around a 100 miles an hour the last few weeks and the last thing I am sure they wanted to do was go back to Accra for a 3rd time where it's just crazy traffic all the time and stressful. So we offered to take them in for them, just me and Elder Mackay. After we dropped them off we drove around for a little bit so that I can learn Accra a little bit better. After the Saunders and Elder Mackay go home I will be the only one who knows Accra other than the Shulz. So today me and Elder Mackay mapped out a short cut in and out of town that we didn't know before. It took us a little while and a few wrong turns, but eventually we found the road we were looking for and hopefully in the future it pays off and saves us a little bit of time on transfer days getting missionaries back a little bit earlier to the mission home from the MTC. I have been to Accra 3 times in the last 6 days. We went in last week Tuesday for transfers and came back on Wednesday with 16 new Elders, then we took 3 Elders in on Thursday who are leaving our mission and going to Ivory coast, and then 4 more leaving back to Ivory coast again today. We have been doing a lot of driving the last few days. I drove Presidents car the other day (automatic) and it felt so weird. I just kept on trying to use my left leg to push in the clutch when there obviously was none. I am pretty used to the stick now a days. But when you get to drive an automatic (presidents car) it's so glorious. Just lay back, relax, and enjoy. Driving a stick in Ghana is less comfortable because there is so much stop and go mixed with traffic (my left shoe is starting to wear out). But it is a lot of fun.

When me and Elder Mackay first started together as assistants we asked ourselves "How many big mistakes do you think we will make?". When I say big mistakes I mean crash a car, get chewed out by President, destroy an irreplaceable file, things like that. We figured that we would make a few a long the way. Well last week I made my first big mistake. In the mission we have 3 large safes. One of which contains all of the missionaries iPods they brought, some money, and other expensive personal items. The other day I was looking in that safe for a GPS system used to map out the boundaries of new groups and branches. To open the safe you unlock two bolts and then there is a combination you have to do also before it will open. So I was locking it back up and I moved the combination around in the process, which was always left untouched in the same position (I never knew). They have always left the combination and one of the locks untouched and in the correct opening position so that all you have to do is unlock one bolt and the safe opens. So anyway I moved the combination around (if you asked me why I couldn't tell you) and come to find out it hasn't been touched in over 3 years, it’s just been sitting in the correct position forever, and nobody knows the combination!!!!! So the safe was now locked and nobody knew the combination. Inside were all of the missionary’s iPods, cameras, and the Saunders money!!! BAD SITUATION! But I didn't know what I had done. I just went on with my day like normal thinking nothing of it. Until the next day when Sister Saunders went in to open the safe and realized what had happened as she couldn't open it. She wasn't too excited about it. So I heard from President Shulz that Sister Saunders was a little little angry because somebody had moved the combination and she couldn't open it. The second President Shulz told me that I just had one of those bad feelings you get when you know you did something really stupid and you are in for it! So I went over to the office and told Sister Saunders it was me (totally expecting the worst). She didn't really lay into me to much, just kinda made me realize I was an idiot for not asking how to open the safe haha, which was true. Sister Saunders is just a sweetheart! Nothing really seems to get her too upset, and we all know having me and Elder Mackay in the office she has all the right to be upset, annoyed, ect. haha. So she emailed President Sabey and asked him if he knew the combination. He didn't!!!! But he did think that maybe there was a piece of paper somewhere in his office that might have the combination on it. I found it and with my fingers crossed went and tried the combination listed on the safe. Turned out that we got the safe open, thank goodness!! So that was my first real big mistake I think that I've made so far, moving the combination to the safe that hasn't been touched in more than 3 years. At least the first big mistake to my knowledge, I’m sure there are many more. But on the plus side now we know the combination thanks to my stupidity. Anyway I thought you might get a kick out of that.

Things are a little bit different now. We don't get to do much proselyting these days because we have a bigger responsibility in teaching President and Sister Shulz everything that we know and helping them the best we can. They are doing great and really they don't need much of our help. We have been spending a lot of time with them and they are really great people. They are so faithful. This is their third mission and you can just see how they will do anything for the Lord. It is different and I really miss teaching investigators a lot. I think we have only had 2 half days in our area the last 3 or 4 weeks, but I can really see where we are needed right now and I am so glad to be able to help in whatever way they need us to. I forgot to say that we went to the temple again and it was so sweet. There were so many things that I understood that I never before noticed or thought about. It was a real spiritual boost being able to go to the temple. When I leave I feel so much more driven to be the best I can. The last few months have been full of really great experiences and I really have been learning a lot, not just about church, but about life. There is just so much you learn as a young kid serving around great couples like the Saunders, the Shulz, the Zolls, the Sabeys, the Lambs, the Bennets, etc. A mission is a great thing. Well mom and dad, I don’t know what else to tell you. Things are going really good. I can feel the pressure a little bit as the Saunders are going home and Elder Mackay too, but I am not too worried cuz the Lord will make it all work out. I am healthy and doing really well. I love you guys and I am so grateful for all that you do for me. I pray for you daily. This email is the beginning of a repentance process, so you can expect an email weekly unless something crazy ridiculous happens, it is Ghana so there’s a chance. I love and miss you.

Love Elder Adams