Elder Verdoni Monrovia Liberia Mission

Sept 14, 2015

Transitioning Missions..

Same West Africa, two different, very different places.
I arrived in Liberia Thursday Evening. Let me back track a bit though.

I left Kumasi Wednesday morning to Accra (all by myself) so that I would have time to go to the Temple and spend some time around the grounds. I really needed that and was a huge spiritual boost. I slept over at the Alma House, some bed and breakfast place nearby, started by an old mission president. It was awesome! like a hotel! I even had a hot shower, first in a year, last for a year. I went to the airport Thursday morning to meet the 5 other missionaries I was flying in with. They are all really cool guys. The flight was good.

Okay yeah, I have a lot to say, so I'm just gonna try to cram this in haha. There are 28 missionaries in my entire mission, but it'll be 36 by tomorrow as we get new ones from the MTC, hahah its a small mission. My companion is Elder Treadway from Sacramento, California and we have been assigned to be the Assistants to the President. That is a lot of responsibility, especially when no one in this mission has been one before to train you, and you have to completely re-organize a mission. It's cool but a lot of work.

The language is different here, colloqua (or something) is the Liberian English, basically really fast English where they don't pronounce all of the words, it's cool. I'm trying to learn, haha it's easier to hear than to speak. The US dollar is used here and that's crazy. There's a lot of US influence here so there's a lot of US stuff (LIKE MILK!). We live in the nicer part of town and it's got some really good supermarkets, like I can find ANYTHING I need here, so that's good.

Basically where I live is a more beat down version of the most beat down part of Detroit. A ton of more white people and UN service stuff around, you see there cars all over, its pretty cool. you know what else is cool? the rain. It has rained every day since I've been here and it hasn't stopped raining since Saturday afternoon. It's wet here. It's also wet by the beach which I am staring at right outside the window! We live in the Office and it's beach-side, so yeah, really cool.

Although we are in everyday before 7pm without exception, we still manage to get a lot of stuff done. And so has the members while we were gone. We had 7 investigators at church, and there's like 10 more who have been taught by branch missionaries and have been attending. The Gospel will spread here, but I'm not here just to baptize, but to convert, so I'm really really excited. Honestly I love it here. It's not Ghana, at all, not even close and I really miss it at times, but I know I'm here for a reason. Love it. I am safe, and doing good, I'm happy.
Thanks guys
Elder Verdoni (The trans-African missionary)

Letter to Mom
Packages are great, but I can literally find 99% of what you'll send to me here, I live in the nicer part of town and so I have literally seen the things you have sent me for sale in legit supermarkets. So money you put in my acct. and I pull would be cheaper.. and faster..and safer. lol:) so just however you want! love you!:)