Hello England

First off to answer you question about fufu (I asked a member how to spell it! You should   google it and see what comes up!) BUT fufu is of the devil! LITERALLY the worst thing. After this week rice is up there with satanic things as well but I'll get to that later....

Fufu is this traditional African dish that I am convinced Africans don't even like but they think it is "fun" for the missionaries to try it! And don't get me wrong, it was! The first time. Not after everyone has that idea! You should google it and see if it shows a picture but the best way I can explain it is it's like super super dense mashed potatoes - almost like dough- you eat it by putting a massive plop of it on a plate and then they pick it up with their hands (good thing I got over that whole germ freak stage) and then dip it in soup! They have all kinds of soup - pepper, casava, peanut - basically fire hot soup (pepper and temp wise) that burns your lips going in, hurts your stomach, and then bum!:) the worst is it is so dense when you eat it you feel like you just have this ROCK sitting in your stomach! I found out the other day that it feels like that becuase that is what happens! I guess the reason Africans eat it so much is that it takes 3 days for your tummy to digest it - which in Africa is great when food is scarce and you don't really know when you'll eat next- but for little sister missionaries who get fed it in back to back DAs it's not the greatest. We had back to back fufu DAs this week. When the 2nd one told us it was fufu I wanted to cry. Sister BARNES and I have decided it is of Satan because 1. It sits in your stomach making you feel so heavy that you are tempted to slow down a little bit - not pick up our pace like we should. And 2. At times it takes away 20 minutes of study time away in the morning becuase it is spent sitting in the "Lou" as they call it here. 20 minutes of valuable, revelation guided, study time gone! See. It's of satan. 

Rice is up there with fufu too! On Wednesday we had an appointment with grandma. (Idk her real name... Everyone here calls her grandma!) but she is an older African woman who just moved here and is living with her daughter. We went over to teach her right after lunch. We had had a lot of lunch that day too so I was not hungry at all! We get there and start teaching and she stops us us and says in her Broken English, " first eat then teach". She goes to her kitchen while we are munching on snacks and comes out with this HUGE plate of rice. I'm pretty sure it was the amount of rice we make for our entire family piled on this plate. And then we had to sit there and finish it before she would let us teach her! OH it was the worst. I have never experienced eating as being painful. I've always loved it!! Until serving here. And then the next day we had a lunch and dinner appointment and both were rice again. OH MY HEAVENS. I don't think I'll ever eat rice willingly or even be hungry for that matter ever again. And to make it even better sweet sister Barnes is a constipated mess. Haha! The foods just causing a little bit of a struggle here over in good old London! 

This week has been so great! I've struggled with missing you all and such and with sister Barnes leaving it was a little hard but this week it hasn't been at all! I've really worked and prayed to stay focused and it has been great! Even when she talks about going home it hasn't phased me and getting emails from Hannah and Mace isn't a problem either - I feel like they are the ones missing out now and would be so sad to leave In a couple weeks! I just am so grateful to be here! So don't worry! I'm figuring things out slowly but surely!:) Thank you for all of your prayers as well! I know they are helping so much!! 

I'm so sorry you have been sick! Oh it really is the worst and then makes everything else harder too! I'm so sorry! I hope you are feeling better! I actually came down with something this week too! We're just still so connected even though we are far away!:) it doesn't sound like mine was as bad and I feel almost completely better so life is great! 

And OH MY GOODNESS!! Other birthday package was the greatest thing and the FLOWERS!!! Oh my heavens. It was the greatest surprise! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Oh it was so fun!! Thank you thank you thank you!  And we had a little party with all of the fun surprises in the box and then the CD is perfect! Oh I just love it! It was a great day all thanks to you guys and then sister Barnes and the cute sisters in our flat! I'll send an email with pictures! Can you believe I'm 20?? I can't. 

Thank you for the cutest video of tyse too! I just keep watching it over and over! Oh it just makes me smile! Thank you! I miss him!  I know he can be a handful and it is stressful but he really is the cutest thing! Oh I love him! I know I've only been gone for a little but I've actually thought of majoring in special ed. or something to do with working with sweet kids like tyse. I just love them! Even here in London whenever I see one my heart just melts! So idk, it would be a completely different field than I originally was planning but I've just thought about it lately! We'll see in a year!;) 

And how was women’s conference! We don't get to watch it here until next week but I was thinking yesterday of 6 months ago when we went to the spaghetti factory and then I came home for the weekend! I cherish those memories and being able to be with you and Linds! Just a girls night which is so fun! :) 6months ago I had just opened my call! Isn't it crazy how time flies! 

And I got a letter from the workmans this week!! Wit the sweetest letter and $$ in it! Whoa!! I don't have an email for them but tell them THANK YOU! It was such a fun surprise and I am so grateful for it!! 

I LOVE YOU ALL! 

Sister Gwill