Elder Benjamin Archer

Elder Benjamin Xavier Archer
Benin Cotonou Mission
Quartier Cadjehoun #1158
Block F
01 BP 3323 Cotonou
Benin
Email: benjamin.archer@myldsmail.net

Monday, November 9, 2015

Halloween in Africa!

Hello everyone, I've got some more exciting things for you.
So we decided to celebrate us some halloween and we carved watermelons
because there are no pumpkins here in Togo. They turned out great and
we took a lot of photos. We also took a special trip to a voodoo
market nearby that sells "medicinal ingredients". I don't know what
kind of medicine you make out of dog heads, monkey hands or dead
chameleons but it can't taste good. The place smelled pretty terrible.
We had a tour guide who showed us around and explained some
interesting things to us. Near the end Elder Atherton managed to
barter a python spine necklace down to 1000 francs (about 2$) when the
initial price was 8000. He refused to pay 8000 and started walking
away when all the vendors came over to sell him one cheaper. I was
standing off to the side but decided to take advantage of the
situation and had him buy me one too.

Before I left home, yolo became a popular saying in our culture.
What's funny is that yolo is said here in the local language. Yo is
said after dialogue to indicate agreement and lo is added at the end
of phrases as a kind of endearing touch. People often put the two
together and say yolo. It surprised me when I heard it for the first
time. People get so happy when they hear foreigners speak their
language. Elder Jackson and I decided to go find dictionaries in Ewe
today so we can learn their language better.

I am getting transferred to Benin at the end of this week. It is sad
to be leaving everyone here in Togo especially since there are going
to be around six baptisms this Saturday, but I know that more good
things are to come. I will be working in the mission office, there's
A/C there :). It is very possible that I will start driving also. That
will be interesting. Ill write about it next week!

Au revoir,
Elder Archer