April 24, 2012 (1st regular Email from Africa)

So I wrote this long email and then my computer shut off and it did not save my email in the drafts and now I do not have as much time to write.

My companion is great. He is a convert of about 4 years, and he loves to work hard and help the people here. His name is Elder Rainbolt.

My New Companion...Elder Rainbolt

But it is pretty crazy here, all of the homes in the area I am in are pretty much shacks. Angola has rich parts and then crazy poor parts, but the rich parts are obviously not as nice as the US. Where the people live there are just dirt roads everywhere and no names to any of them you just have to know where you are going. Also there is trash everywhere it is pretty crazy! Also there are a lot of stray dogs and chickens. The few main roads are pretty crazy packed and there are no traffic rules so sometimes it is pretty scary. Also to get to the other side of the road you have to just walk across whenever you can, and so that is pretty scary a lot of times.

So someone went through my bags when they flew from the US to Angola, so I did not see my bags for a couple of days and when I got them in Angola they looked like they had been messed with and my ipod and camera cords to charge my camera were gone, so that was kind of a bummer. My companion said that an elder here might have a charger that I can use, but if not he said we can try and figure something out, but we will see.

It is actually pretty safe here in Angola. I looks really scary and the places we go look really scary and I would not go on these streets if we were in the US, but all the streets are pretty much like that, but people here are pretty nice and alot of them like to help you if they can even if you do not know them. Several people have helped us with getting different places.

We also have to take these blue van taxies pretty much everywhere and we get off a certain place and then walk to someone’s house, but these taxies are pretty crazy. Imagine the frame of an old old old van with in an engine in the front, and that is pretty much what it is, and then they cram as many people as they can in them, so that is fun!

My house is pretty crazy, it actually is pretty big, but it is very dirty and pretty much no way to clean it. We have ants and bugs pretty much running on the counters all of the time and flies and mosquitoes everywhere. It is pretty intense. Also our shower is right outside the front door which is also right outside the front door of the chapel and there are no doors on it, it is just a pipe out of the ground that goes above your head and then a drain at your feet, so we have to wear shorts when we shower, but I was still a little nervous to shower on Sunday because people were coming to church, but luckily I finished before anyone came. Anyways that is pretty much the basics of Angola. I love you guys thanks so much for the emails.

Mission Blog:We had rides for each of the duplas to their areas. Elder Tilley happened to be with President Walton and the official mission camera, so one final picture in front of his temporary home at the Luanda 2 chapel.

So President Walton said friends can email you a letter and then you can just forward them to me, that is if anyone wants to email me... just so you know.

Dad…This past few days have been the hardest days of my life. I cannot really explain it has just been very very difficult for me and it is sometimes really hard to stay focused and really get to work. I always try and work hard, but most of the time it is really hard to find the desire to. I do not know it has just been really hard to really get out and do this. Please pray for me! I just wanted to let you know! Love you so much Pops!!!!!!!!! Elder TIlley