May 20--Last Week in the MTC

Hey Everybody!!

This week has gone by so fast! I just have 2 more days in the MTC, and then I'm out of here and in the field!! I honestly can't wait! Wednesday morning, we are taken to the Mission home and the 5 of us serving in Accra will be able to meet the Mission President! I can't explain how excited I am to meet President and Sister Judd. There is a picture of them here in the MTC, and I can truly feel their spirit by just looking at them!

I had an interesting experience with the food this last week..  On tuesday, as my companion and I were getting ready to go to lunch, I said a quick prayer that I would be able to eat the food, and that my mind would allow me not to be so picky about it. I also remembered asking all of you to pray for me.. I felt your prayers.. and I can't explain the feeling, but I was all of a sudden hungry! I wanted to eat! and the food seemed appealing to me. Ever since this last Tuesday, I have not been worrying about the food here in the MTC. I don't think as a big old fish head on my plate as something disgusting. I am so thankful for the answered prayer, and I hope that same blessing will be with me when I go out in the field! But thank you for your prayers, and even though it was something silly like me being able to eat the food, it was a blessing. So thank you all.. :)

I love all the boys here. They are so amazing. I'm slowly getting better at understanding their African-English! Haha I'm trying to learn it too! I now pronounce wonderful "wondafoo".  All of the Africans wash their clothes by hand, even though we have some ladies that do our laundry, and they said that I better get used to doing it as well. I actually enjoy doing it! It makes me feel... cool. They also love to sing! Holy cow! from 6 in the morning to 10:30 at night, any chance they get, they are singing! They love when the white boys sing. Especially when I do my Chevy Chase voice from 3 Amigos. 

I just showed the boys those pictures of my long hair, and they laughed a lot! I am going to miss them all so much. There are quite a few of them that are leaving Tuesday night (My companion being one of them) and I know that will be a very lonely and sad night for all of us. We are so close, cause we're such a small group. I have made an amazing friend from Utah! We met some of his family at the airport, his name is Elder Tribe, and he is so funny! We will be friends after the mission for sure. The Africans don't understand my humor... I will say something that I think is funny.. and I get a bunch of Black people staring at me like.. whaaaaatt? I love it! Makes me laugh at least. 

I can't tell you how much I've learned since I've been out here! I would have been completely lost without the information I have learned here in the MTC, and I feel so blessed to have had such great teachers and such a great facility.

My e-mails should be much more exciting starting next week! But know I love you my dear Family. I pray for you every night and morning. I ask that you pray for me and my companion as well.. Pray for the people we will be coming in contact with, that they will be able to recognize the Spirit. I am so thankful for all of you. For teaching me, and helping me become the kid I am today.  

Love you with my whole heart, and my soul, and my feelings. too.

Elder Bradley-ski

 P.S. Shaunski, your e-mail made me cry. I bet if I had the opportunity to drink some chocolate milk out here, it wouldn't taste the same either! I miss your cute face and sweet hugs. Love you. 

P.S.S. Shelb, Keep studying The Last Airbender. It will bless your life. I know.. cause it has blessed mine. Love you and Jeffery and Jaxxx

MTC Pictures

First Week in Ghana

The schedule at the MTC allows Gerritt to write on both Sunday and Wednesday, so these are his two emails from his first week in the MTC. The first one is from Wednesday, and the second one is from yesterday. He also was able to call yesterday for Mother's Day! He sounds great.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Family!!

President said we could have a few minutes to write our Families really quick, so I don't have much time!

Today has been so crazy! We got up really early so that we could beat the traffic going into Accra, and it still beat us. We drove for about an hour and a half, in the MTC van.

The Accra Temple was absolutely amazing. The prettiest I have ever been to. It was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. Half of the missionaries here from Africa have never had the opportunity to go to a Temple before in their lives. My companion was one of them. He is a 23 year old from Sierra Leone, West Africa heading to Nigeria for his mission. I am taller than him!! He is indeed a spiritual giant. Seeing the passion and excitement he had to enter the Lords Holy Temple taught me a great deal.

We are super busy here in the MTC, studying all day long with a couple breaks. I'm pretty sure my mind is in overload. I am learning so much about how to be an effective missionary, and I am loving it.

It's really hard to understand all the Africans here, they talk very fast, and in a super hard core African accent. I have to ask them to slow down, and say the words slowly! They all laugh at us Americans because we can't understand them, but we share a deep deep love for each other all ready.

Momma, I miss you. I pray for you every night, and I feel your prayers as I'm doing so.

I love you all so so much!! Every missionary has comes into my apartment and looks at the picture of my family. They say we all look the same, and that we are a "mormon family"... It makes me very happy.

I don't have much time left, but know that I love you all, and that I am doing very well. Talk to you on Sunday!

Love,

Elder Bradley

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Famski!!

I absolutely loved hearing from you!! Bout made me cry..

I am doing so so great! I love being here in Ghana! There are 28 missionaries here in the MTC right now. All are African but 6 of us. 5 boys from the states, and one boy from England. The rest are kids from all over Africa including South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo. There are 4 districts. I am in the "Moroni" district, and it is absolutely great. (there are 5 of us)

Our typical day is just like every missionaries in the MTC. We get up at 6:30 (or 5:30 according to my roommates) and we prepare for personal study at 7:00. We study for an hour then go to breakfast. Our breakfasts have been my favorite meals, we eat oatmeal, weird-tasting cream of wheat stuff, bread, and if we're lucky, we will get some african pancake things. After breakfast we go learn. I have learned so so much since i've been out here. I can't believe it! The teachers are extrememly hard to understand, but are super amazing. Lunch is typically rice (white, fried, or mexican-ishly spicy) along with either fish or some other meat, with a side of watermelon. After lunch we go learn some more! We have real (fake) investigators that we teach throughout the day so that we can learn how to teach. This has been my greatest learning tool thus far. Dinner is the same as lunch. rice, or dried yams with either fish, or a chicken leg.

Did I mention that the "fish"... is a big old fish head slapped down on the plate...? yeah. I feel like they are smiling at me with those sharp teeth and questioning my character with their eyes.. mmm.  As you can imagine, I'm having a bit of a hard time with the food here. I am continually praying that my mind and stomach will adapt to the food. Will you pray for me too..?

Exercise time is fun! We play soccer! and... I get completely owned. These africans know how to kick that thing. I was excited to show them how a little white boy can play, but... no.

But overall, this last week has been an amazing experience! I love all the boys. My companion is an absolute stud. He's a little black kid from Sierra Leone, and is shorter than me, but is a rock. Has the most simple yet most powerful testimony of the gospel I have ever heard. I will be very sad to part with him as he's going to Nigeria to preach.  These boys are awesome. They have taught me so much about how to be simple in everything I do! Just last night, I washed all my clothes by hand. They laughed at me. But it was so fun!

I love this Gospel!! Holy cow! I am so excited to go teach it to people! I know it blesses lives, and I can't wait to introduce it to them. I feel all of your prayers, and I miss you all so much. I hope you know how much I love you.

Pops- You are my hero. I can't believe how hard you are working, and I can't express my gratitude for all you do. I am praying for you all the time, and I know through your faithfulness, that God will continue to bless our Family.

Momma.. :( I miss you. and Love you so much. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY! I'm so thankful for you and all you have done for me. I tell all my companions about you and how you are the greatest mom in the whole world.

Beej- Keep up the hard work bro. I'm so glad Mattressezzz is doing well! The MTC here seriously needs some new ones... :/ But I love you, and miss you so much. The American Elders here also watched the first 4 episodes of the Legend of Korrah.. We had a bit of a bawl talking about it. 

Kolb/Brinleyski- Engaged!! Yes! I'm so happy for you two! I wish I could be there for the wedding! So excited. 2 more nephews!

Shelb/Jeff- Loveage so much! How's the new home coming along...?

Chance- Atta baby for singing your heart out! The next David Archuletta for sure. I miss your awkward hugs more than you know.

Gage- Miss you bro. I'm praying that you continue to make right decisions! (including the one to wrestle) no pressure.. Haha, I love you buddy, and i'm excited to see what you will be like in 2 years. Prolly a monster.

Shauni... :( The thought of you and Mom make me want to cry. I miss my two girls. keep up the hard work in softball! Holy cow I wish I could see you play!!

I look at the picture of you all every night, and pray for all of you. Continue to pray and read the scriptures together! The last week has tought me how I can learn more from what I read, and thats through the Spirit. I'm so thankful for all your testimonies! Know I'm working hard, and that I love you.

Love,

Elder Bradley

P.S. Mom.. don't worry about me eating fish heads and junk, once you get past the teeth and eyes, the brain isn't that bad. Loveage. 

P.S.S Tell Kadan, Trish, and the boys that I love them all so much too.

First Email -- He Made It!

Family!!!

I am here in the Ghana MTC all safe and sound! It's so sweet! Super nice facility.

The plane rides were extremely long and boring. We flew for a combined total of about 15 hours!

I love all my companions and friends so far! I just got put in the "Moroni District". There are 5 of us. 3 of the Elders are from Ghana, and my first companion is from Sierra Leone. I get to meet them tonight when they fly in.

It is so hot and humid here!! I'm dripping sweat as I type! The ride from the airport was interesting. 13 of us crammed into a van and drove the 30 minutes to the MTC. The traffic was horrible, and there were people running around the streets and the cars selling stuff. I finally got to see some ladies carrying huge baskets on their heads as well ... Pretty cool stuff...

I can't tell you how lucky I feel to be here. I know it's exactly where I'm supposed to be. I love all my black friends. Their spirits are so so strong, and I am already learning so much from them.

Please continue to pray for me and the other missionaries that we will be safe, and that the spirit will touch the loves of the people we meet.

I love you all more than you can imagine! and I will write you more on Monday.

Love,

Elder Bradley :)

Faring Well

A Monstrous Thank You! to all who came to support Elder Bradley. He sure is loved!

And then he became official. The days leading up to Gerritt flying to Accra, Ghana were bitter sweet. There were so many friends and family that wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. He sure is loved. As I got to spend time with him, it was apparent how ready he was to serve the Lord for two years as a full time missionary.

President Nelson came over on Wednesday night, May 2, to set Elder Gerritt Christian Bradley apart as a full time missionary to serve his two years in the Ghana Accra Mission. The Spirit was very strong, and the love in the room was powerful.

Our family masked our emotions by talking, joking, and playing the guitar.

And then he left us. Early Thursday morning, Gerritt was on his way to the greatest adventure of his life.

Look Out, Africa!!!