Hello everyone, I hope everything is going well back at home. I hope summer is treating you well and you are enjoying the sun while it lasts. The past two weeks in Ghana have been very busy! There has been so much going on, so let me catch you up.
First of all, I am very jealous of those who got to participate in Rodeo Weekend. But there is no other place I would rather be. A mission is the only cause that could separate me from my favorite weekend. And deep down, I know that the only thing that is better than Rodeo Weekend is Jesus Christ. But needless to say, I am so happy that this will be my last Rodeo Weekend on the mission.
Okay, to start with the Ghana business, I have had 6 exchanges in the past two weeks. I have been with Elder Patterson, Elder Niando, Elder Kabeya, Elder Bangura (who used to be my zone leader), Elder Josiah, and Elder Edwards. Exchanges are nice. Kind of stressful when you have so many, but they are a nice change. Exchanges are 24 hours, so we spend 24 hours with the individual elders. We study with them and try to encourage and uplift in any way that we can. Exchanges offer lots of room for learning and improvement for both elders. To top it all off, we had a zone conference in Dichemso at their stake center, which is one of the most beautiful stake centers in Ghana. I was given the privilege of conducting the zone conference, and thankfully, we did not have to give an instruction this time around. While I was there, I was able to hear Elder Crossley bear his going home testimony. Sad to see him leave, but I also enjoyed the time we were able to spend together on the mission. The great thing about him leaving is I have officially hit the 18-month mark!! Time is flying, but at the same time, not really—mission time is weird.
I was finally able to visit Kejetia Market. That is the biggest market in all of West Africa. And let me tell you, it was awesome! The place is a 3-story building packed to the brim with people and goods. If I need anything in this world, it can be found at Kejetia (everything except for American goods, that is). Kind of like the African version of Smith and Edwards. I have been trying to find time to visit that place for my whole mission, so I'm happy I was able to experience pure chaos.
We were able to have some baptisms this week. A few of the people in the picture my companion and his past companion have been working with them for a long time. So, I'm happy I was able to help teach these wonderful individuals. Just a quick testimony about the Holy Ghost. That dude is definitely real and seriously does so much missionary work. I've had some cool experiences where my companion and I will be teaching people, and they are being very stubborn and not willing to accept what we are saying. When we come back to visit them after some time, they are completely changed and ready and willing to hear what we have to say. Pretty cool.
I WAITED 18 MONTHS TO SEE A GREASY OLD DODGE, AND IT FINALLY HAPPENED. It definitely made me homesick for a few minutes, but it's fine.
The food of the week is called "Attieke," pronounced (A check ay). It is an Ivorian dish from my companion's country. It was super good. It is made with cassava and is eaten with a fully roasted fish.
I was able to receive a package from my uncle Derk and Aunt Sarah. So very thankful for the love and thoughts that are given to me. The Ghana postal service is not serious at all, and it took them 3 months to get a package here, but I finally got it!
For my personal studies, I have been rereading the Book of Mormon. I want to finish the book again before I finish my mission. So, I have been studying the beginning chapters of the Book of Mormon. I have a thousand things to say about these beginning chapters, but some of my favorites are:
1 Nephi 3:7
"I will go and do the things which the Lord has commanded, for I know that the Lord gives no commandments unto the children of men, save He shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which He commands them."
1 Nephi 4:1
"Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold, He is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands?"
1 Nephi 4:34
"And shall we not be diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord?"
There is a wonderful lesson in these three scriptures. God does not command us to do something if there is no way to accomplish the things in which He has commanded us. The Lord is all-powerful and all-knowing. He can control or command anything for our benefit if need be. So when we try to accomplish the things He has commanded us, He can prepare the way for us to accomplish it. And the last and most important is, "Shall we not be diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord?" If we know that God prepares a way for us to accomplish the things that He has commanded and He is all-powerful and willing to help us accomplish the things, then we should always be diligent in keeping His commandments because it will always work out for our benefit.
Alright, that's all I've got for you this week. Thank you all for the feedback that you give me on these emails. I love to hear from you!
