Be Not Afraid. Ethiopian Food - Injera

Elder Ferrara's report on August 19, 2013:

Everything is very good. We walk through mud everyday, it rains so much that it is a miracle if you don't cover you shoes in mud. My feet stay dry because the mud isn't deep enough to get your feet wet. It's just more messy. The electricity is so unreliable here that sometimes we do get hot water and sometimes we don't. We usually just boil water and take splash baths. I am starting to get used to it though so it doesn't bother me too much. My companion and I are doing great. He is a great guy and is teaching me well. I have been told that he is one of the best trainers. We get along super well and we work together good. Most of the Missionaries that get sent to Ethiopia are the more trusted missionaries because the mission isn't super well regulated over here. The mission president is too far and so they have to be able to trust us. I think there is only 26 Missionaries in Ethiopia and so most of them are pretty close. We all know each other.  I am learning the language but it is very difficult. The Alphabet has over 300 characters and is has really weird sounds.   We have a 2 hour Amharic class 4 times a week with a native to help us. Most things are not really translatable to english so you have to always think Amharic. I am learning slowly but I am learning. Missionaries that have been here for their whole mission leave not speaking fluent because it is so difficult. But it is possible if you put a lot of effort. The branch is small, we get about 60-90 people every Sunday. But half of them leave after sacrament meeting. Most of the people are nice and most speak little english so you can barely hold a conversation. We stay in a 2 story house with another companion. so 4 missionaries. It is pretty nice but the only down side is the electricity reliability. Other than that it is nice. We do have a washer but we have to hang dry. It gets dirty fast because of all the dirty enviornment but we try to keep it as clean as possible. 

There are massive spiders everywhere and creepy looking bugs.  They are impossible to get out of the house so you kind of just have to live with it.

 They have a culture food hear called injera and it's like sour sponge tortilla that you eat with meat or beans and you use your hands. Look it up on google and it will probably show you some pictures and things. It doesn't taste too bad, it just depends what you eat it with. By itself it is pretty nasty.The Other day I was reading over D&C 84:80-88. They are great missionary scriptures. Also in Mark 5:36  it says be not afraid only believe. Our mission president shared that one and a lot others that were really inspiring. He said a Mission is the "University of Life" and I really liked that. 

Here is some info on Injera:

Injera is not only a kind of bread—it’s also an eating utensil. 

In Ethiopia and Eritrea, this spongy, sour flatbread is used to scoop up meat and vegetable stews. Injera also lines the tray on which the stews are served, soaking up their juices as the meal progresses. When this edible tablecloth is eaten, the meal is officially over.

Injera is made with teff, a tiny, round grain that flourishes in the highlands of Ethiopia. While teff is very nutritious, it contains practically no gluten. This makes teff ill-suited for making raised bread, however injera still takes advantage of the special properties of yeast. A short period of fermentation gives it an airy, bubbly texture, and also a slightly sour taste.