Hello everyone! It's been another great week. Here's what went on.
First, on Monday, we went to a prayer camp up in the mountains. It was quite a hike to get there, and my legs are still sore from it, but it was worth it. It reminded me of a hike we did last year on high adventure in Wyoming. Although they were two different places, they were both beautiful. The name of the mountain or prayer camp is Mount Olive. When we arrived, we were greeted by someone who told us about the dos and don'ts at the camp. There were certain grounds we were not allowed to set foot on because they were "sacred." I tried to respect their religious beliefs by abiding by their rules. It was a peaceful place, except for some people's version of praying, which is yelling and screaming at the sky. It's kind of crazy. We decided to branch off from the trails of the prayer camp and hike to the top of a big rock that had a nice view. There was a flat rock at the top that was the perfect height for playing uno. So we played a few games. A while after we started playing, we were met by the "prophet" of the camp, who was angry at us and asked us to leave the rock. We didn't know why and packed up the game, but soon we found out it was a sacred altar, and we should not have been playing a game of uno on it. It was funny. To us, it's just a big rock. Good times.
Anyway, a spiritual moment I had this week was when a member's infant had fallen very ill. I was on exchange with Elder Riley, so we went to administer a blessing of the sick. The baby was fussing and squirming around while the mother tried to hold it still. Elder Riley anointed the oil, and as soon as he spoke the words of the anointing, the baby became silent and no longer moved. I sealed the anointing and gave the blessing, and the baby remained silent. When I had ended the blessing, the baby started to squirm and fuss again. I love how the child was able to tell when the spirit was there. The infant made a full recovery in two days!
That's the highlights from this week. I'll talk to y'all next week! -Elder Gilbert
For the photos, I have one of Elder Riley and me with American drinks! Zone conference was this week in Kumasi, and we were able to find Twizzler Nibs! Considering there are no good sweets here, I love finding American things. I also have photos of the prayer camp, playing uno on the sacred altar (although probably not very respectful), and recording someone's prayer (if they didn't want me to hear it or share it, they should not have been yelling it). No one really smokes here, and I found out why. Cigarette companies are required to put a giant warning label on their packs of smokes, and it seems to work! (The USA needs to take some notes.) Elder Bonnet and I also sampled Ghana's version of Red Bull. I believe that's all!