Hello everyone,

Happy one MONTH! 23 left that is crazy to think. Well my first week in Ghana. So Monday we went to the temple site and around it they have a bunch of other buildings and in one of them they have a full basketball court so I got to play basketball my first p day in the field which was awesome.

Tuesday we went to teach some investigators which was awesome, finally teaching REAL people. I got to bear my testimony, which felt really good! I got my full Ghana name, which is Kofia Abussia-penny which means in Twi, "head of house". Also here you hear the word "o'bruni" a lot if your white because it means white man ha! ha! and the word Obollo which means big person ha! ha! It was cute, now its just kind of annoying.

Wednesday - another long day of contacting and meeting investigators, which is fun learning how to teach more, I tried my FIRST Ghana dish which is abeenqwine and amotuo which is stew with rice ball and its VERY fishy, I have also tried Fufu which is nice. 

Thursday was mostly the same and if your wondering we do small talk or Twi to people, it's really fun to learn! Madassa means thank you and there are others like etesan which is like how are you. Very cool to learn and also if I write like small small or its nice in my emails it is because it is how they talk. When they describe if you are learning something small or a short amount of time they will say small small ha! ha!, 

Friday I saw my first.................................................MONKEY! It was a baboon in the city where I am and some man caught it and has it tied to a tree outside his house and it was pretty cool ha! ha!

Saturday we went on a temple trip with our ward and I rode in my first Tro tro which are just big vans that they cram like 23 people in.  I hated it, being honest!  I think I'm now clastraphobic or however your spell it ha! ha!  I got to go through the temple and see the baptismal font! Awesome expirence! 

Sundays are always good, it feels more normal to go and take the sacrament and hear people speak ( even though it is hard to understand some people's english) But it was nice! Oh I forgot the place where my area is is called Kasoa. Its about an hour outside or Accra! I'm like a big magnet for little kids because I'm white and large ha! ha!, but it's fun and I love them. The Area I'm in is kind of at a low point with getting people baptized and finding new people to teach. 

Stuff out here is so cheap, like I can buy a Basketball Jersey for like 50 cedis which is like 15 dollars in america, I am also having a guy make me a scripture case that is done in a way called kenta, it's really cool. I'll send a picture of it when it's done. 

Well that's my week, it's not the most exciting but it's awesome here, Oh and Ghana smells AWFUL........ like because to Ghanians everywhere is their toilet. Worst smelling thing ever!! Mission is fun but it has challenges like we haven't had water this whole week, and we get our water from like filtered bags of water, I'll send a picture of that too! Many crazy things in Africa, the elections are going on here and it's about to be hit with election campaigns ha! ha!. Ok love all your peoples back home. Just be thankful to be living in THE USA because honestly it's the best!  If anyone knows some good country music with a good meaning to it, let my mother know.  I miss country music so bad.  Ha! Ha!   Love ya guys!  Elder Paulson

 Elder Vandehei and Elder Paulson

This is Amanda, she wants to play with Elder Paulson all the time.  Her family are members.

Anyone want Vegemite?

First P day in Ghana!

Hello Peeps,


Well its real, I am in Ghana! Its weird to think I am in Africa sometimes but it is a really awesome place! The people are so loving and kind.


Okay so to start off I am going to start from the beginning! So if you would like any advice on how to bore yourself take a ride on a airplane for 10 hours while being a missionary. Not saying being a missionary is a bad thing, it's awesome, but you can't watch movies or anything. The worst thing ever! I made it through though so that is good!


Next, the driving here is NUTS! Everyone basically drives and does whatever they want it seems like ha, pretty awesome! There are these van looking cars called "Tro Tros" they are like big taxis and they fit 23 people inside of them and they are only suppose to hold like 10, it's crazy! I have not rode in one yet but I plan too! Also everything is super cheap here like you can get a really nice pair of shoes for like 50 cedis which comes to like 5 dollars in American money! Pretty cool! The apartments are alright they are kind of what I expected them to be!


For those of you who know him I saw Preston Olschewski and I know that is not how you spell it but I don't know how. It was great to see him! My first area is called Kasoa and it's a great area! The people are awesome and the members are awesome as well. The language is tough but cool! The little kids all call me "obruni" which means white person and it is pretty funny! They have the best fruit here that I have every had and I have eaten so many. The food is pretty spicy but it's good but it will take some getting use to. You can basically buy anything you want in the local mall which is like the malls back in America, its like my little slice of America right in Ghana. The best thing I have had so far is fried plantains! They are amazing and are very delicious, they kind of taste like potato chips but sweeter! I also rode a ram my first week, like a goat with horns which was awesome! I am really beginning to love it here. I will write more next week, I promise.


On a spiritual note, I taught many people who are awesome and I saw two people get baptized! It was a great first couple of days!  I started getting to talk to people and show them my love and light and it makes it so much better! When people see what they are missing and you just can see the spirit working on them its amazing! I Love the gospel and everything it has shown me! I had nothing to worry about here, the people are so amazing but it is like 10 million degrees here and its the most humid place on the face of the earth but the people and the culture are awesome!

Love all you guys! Hope America is good!


Elder Paulson

Elder Paulson and his new trainer/companion Elder Evans!

This is the group of Elders that Elder Paulson was with at the MTC and traveled to Ghana together. 

All the trainer missionaries in Ghana!  

So Happy to see a smile on Elder Paulson's face.  The day of travel and being in a far away country was an adjustment but his smile is back and all is well!  Go get them Elder Paulson!  His P day is Monday so we will look forward to his first letter then.  

Elder Elette

Elder Coleman

Zone Leaders

He says he needs a smaller belt, WHAT?....no one loses weight in the MTC!  What will Ghana bring?

Elder Paulson and his companion Elder Hall

Elder Atkin and Elder Paulson

Wow! 2 weeks in the MTC. It's crazy how time flies! This time next week I will be in Ghana!

Koch family just know that Scotty is in the right place and is in the right hands! Read D&C 100. It is the best scripture and it helped me get through the MTC.

I finished with my investigator this week. She was awesome and told us she wanted to get baptized and I was so excited to hear that, I almost hugged her, Ha! Ha!. We started with our new one this week and she is doing awesome too! She has so many questions which I love to answer and love even more when they understand and get that huge smile on there face! It is the best thing EVER! Elder D. Todd Christopherson came and spoke to us this week and it was an awesome devotional. The spirit was so strong and it helps me so much to hear these men and their testimonies.

The other Elders in my group are great, I love them all, they are like my family here.  They all have very strong and amazing testimonies, which only strengthens mine.  We are all going to Ghana but some of them are going to be serving in different missions, which makes me sad but they will be awesome.

I leave the MTC next Tuesday morning at 3:50 AM and fly to New York and then straight to Ghana for 13 HOURS which is cool/not cool because I hate being in one place for a long time. When we get to Ghana we will be taken to a devotional where Elder Stevenson of the 12 Apostles will be speaking to us, he is there visiting West Africa. I am very excited to hear him speak. After that they will take us back to the mission home for some food and we will sleep there that night. It is going to be a LONG FREAKING DAY!

The MTC is much better! Spencer I went and found the Skittle tree in the middle and I did smell it, it smells nothing like skittles and I just looked like an idiot, Ha! Ha! My companion said it was weird I sniffed a tree!

Harley Hurd I saw your sister and she is doing awesome she looks so happy and she loves it! It's fun having new kids come in and saying "welcome to the MTC" 6 billion times, I think it makes them quite mad, Ha! Ha!

Well sorry this letter isn't so long I will write a long one when I get to Ghana! Love you peeps!


Elder Paulson.

First P Day letter!

Hey Everyone,


So this first week in the MTC was rough/awesome, so many amazing experiences and feelings! The first day you get here you feel very welcomed because the first thing you do is get your name tag and there is a little orange dot on your tag and everyone knows your a greenie and you get 30,000 "welcome to the MTC's" the very first day you are here. My companion is Elder Hall and he is great and he knows so much about the doctrine, which helps a lot!! We have already taught 4 investigators. One of them, her name is Jen and she is awesome! We have taught her twice and I can already tell that the discussions we are having with her are really making her feel the spirit.


The MTC, I'll be honest with you all, kinda sorta feels like prison and makes me feel fat because of how much you eat and you can eat as much as you want in the cafeteria. I have just had a salad and ate some fruit on some of the days so that's good and I haven't gained weight so that's also good! But kind sorta not my favorite place. But the spirit is so strong here and they really are angels all around it watching every missionary.


Sorry kind of a short one this week but love all you guys and some one needs to keep me updated on Bingham scores and college football scores and NFL scores, which would be much appreciated.


Elder Paulson