7/31/17

This week was sweet! We started the week by going to Kasoa on Tuesday for a multi zone conference.  We were taught good things.  I can’t remember everything, but the missionaries were 30 minutes early and so we just started to sing hymns and it sounded really good.   (Sorry Dad, I didn’t conduct with two hands like you always want me to, but you couldn’t see it anyway.) That was a sweet moment.

We went out with 2 members this week and it was sweet.  One of them was the AP in a Nigeria mission so he was just going and going and going and we were getting really tired by the end of the night.  That’s not good, but it’s what happened.  The only bad thing is he wore his tag the whole day.  Not sure if that’s good. :)

We Were able to teach so many new people!  We were able to teach 2 families.  One has 5 children (2 are under 7).   We haven't met the father yet.  The other family is a mom and 2 children (also haven't met the father), but it’s all good.  The mom of 2 is my new “wife” (for the record I said we can be friends but she insisted).

A funny thing is people here expect white people to be so much older than we are.  When I ask everyone how old I am, they say maybe 21 or 25 or 31 and I say I’m 19 and they flip out!  It’s so funny. 

I’ve been so tired! Mainly because I’m a bad missionary and go to bed after 10:30 because either I’m talking or writing in my journal or showering because we get back at 9:30 and have no time.  This week I’m going to bed right on time or earlier! 

I can’t remember any funny things all I know is I lost my pillow case in the wash (that’s a feat in and of itself--loosing something the way we wash?!?) but I started using a shirt as my pillowcase and it is a super comfy shirt so it’s sweet

That’s about it I think

7/24/17

There was a huge dog!  It didn’t do anything but it scared me so bad! It’s on this 2-story thing and it sees us at like 7 at night, which is pitch black here because the sun goes down around 5:45.  It just starts barking and comes to this gate thing from the second story and it looks like it’s about to jump the gate and kill us or try to kill us.   It scared me really badly.  Nothing happened, but there was a dog!

Other than that, it was a pretty normal week. The only other thing that was weird was we were robbed. Someone came during a time when all 6 of the missionaries were out and stole a bunch of things.  Luckily, I’m poor and didn’t have anything he wanted so I didn’t get anything taken.  I had to spend that whole day waiting around for the door lock to be replaced.  I got to read the Liahona, so it wasn't too bad :)

But the best thing that happened was Kwesi Donkoh (the one who was baptized last week) was able to bless the sacrament!! It was so cool! It just reminded me of Brother JamesCourie when he was able to bless the sacrament and just how Brother McCook was so touched by it.  I truly know that is of our God and it’s so special to see and be a part of all of it.   :) 

Read The Book of Mormon!   It’s such a great book!!

love you all

-Elder Ellsworth

 Companions: Elders Ellsworth and Muli.  Elder Muli is from Kenya.

 These are 2 of the 6 in the apartment 

 My desk is not THAT bad

 This thing was Huge!!!

Welcome to Africa

7/17/17

The work is great and my companion is sweet.  We have power problems all the time, but that’s normal for Ghana.  I keep thinking about home and I got to tell you, America is so weird! Like you have personal cars and you can drink water from wherever and you go to a big store to buy eggs and there is no trash on the ground. You're living in the Celestial Kingdom! Some Missionaries spent the night in the mission home and the Elder from Africa was just so taken back by how the mission home was.  He told his companion (who told me what he said) it was the Celestial Kingdom.  Now, I hope it’s better than that! Not saying the home is bad, but--I mean the Celestial Kingdom is with Heavenly Father!  So, yea, I feel okay saying that.   

This week was sweet! We were able to go and work every day.  Our least productive days were Saturday and Sunday.  We were just so tired that we fell asleep for an hour or so when we came back for lunch. But on Saturday Kwesi, Eva Donkoh and Janet Niako were able to come into the waters of Baptism and yesterday they received the Holy Ghost and, truly, a forgiveness of all of their repented sins. The Church is true because it makes sense like every other truth.  The best one I can think of is 2+2.  We all know it equals 4 and this is a truth.  Same with the Gospel.  Now, I used to always say “I” have found this church to be true--somehow meaning that it is only a truth for me, but that's not true.  It’s a truth for everyone and that's what makes a truth a true truth.  If 2 +2 only equaled 4 for people over 53 years old then it wouldn't be a true truth, would it? Now some people won’t accept it as a truth that I’m 6'1" but (I hope I did that right.  I don’t want to be six inches, one foot) my brothers will never say I’m 6'1", for whatever reason.  That doesn't mean I’m not 6'1”, just because some people say I’m not.

I don’t really have a point to telling that, I just thought of it an I needed to fill space.  I feel like people don’t even read these, they just look at the pictures.  (I do that all the time.)

We started teaching 6 new people! One of them is 9 years old but she is smarter than me! It’s crazy the difference in education in some families here.  Hopefully they can accept this truth and act on it well.

Other than that, we kind of just worked and did normal stuff and what not

7/10/17

 IT rained so bad! Elder Muli was just going for it and got stuck about halfway through! I WAS DYING it was so funny!

 I fell... don't talk and drive 

SO Good Morning! (technically afternoon) This week was Great!  It started on Tuesday with transfers! My companion came around 5 pm, so we didn’t do much that day, just took a taxi out to our area and introduced him to the first counselor in the Branch Presidency.  That was pretty fun.  The other 2 companionships in my apartment called and said we need the keys!!!!! so we had to hurry up and eat hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot food and then run back to a taxi (not really.  It’s too hot to run even at 9 at night) but it’s fun and I’m having a great time!

I taught the Deacons quorum (really all the young men--they are just all deacons).  We were going over the Duty to God booklet and I turned into Brothers McCook, Woolfe, and Silver just pleading with these young men to complete this book!!! We did the first thing right then and there and it was sweet.  I learned a bunch, even going back over the Deacons’ things, I still loved it all.  So please go back and do it all over again! Especially if you haven’t done it before--do it!  I was so happy I could stand there and say I did this and I know it will bring you closer to the Savoir than you've ever been before! 

What else?   OHHHHH!  I fell off my bike yesterday!!! It was a pleasant experience--got some sweet scars and My shirt didn’t even rip!!!!! I was so happy.  It was a brand-new shirt, too!  I would have cried kind of, or at least I can’t let you all know I would have. :)

We had an amazing sacrament meeting on Sunday.  Four of our investigators were able to attend.  Not as many as the past 2 weeks, but I was so happy for those who came! I didn’t understand what they were saying but just that they came and were in that environment will help them so much this week! It is so sweet.

I’ve noticed that as I teach people, our main focus of the restoration is about the priesthood and I was kind of alarmed by that.  Not that that’s a bad focus, but after a while it kind of just gets shoved aside.   Just having these people understand what the Priesthood is and that it’s good and they understand.  It’s not the message of the restoration of the Priesthood, but of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I understand to teach people and not just lessons, but I feel as though I need to still have the lesson be taught to the people how best they understand it.  It is so true.  We have the Priesthood. It has been restored through Joseph Smith! It’s true, it’s true and if it’s true, what else matters right? See teachings of the presidents Gordon B. Hinkley pg 144-145. Truly our faith needs to be like this wonderful example. We teach the restoration like that so I’m just reading PMG again to see what points I really need to make. 

UMMMMM--I’m alive, my hair is getting long and I’m having a sweet time.  In my apartment, yesterday, after proselyting we came back and played a little D&D (dungeons and dragons) It’s pretty fun, I do have to say. :) Now that I think about it, it may be not Sunday appropriate--but any other day would be fine :)

Love you all.  Keep praying and be happy and full of hope (good hope, don’t hope for bad things) as it says in Ether 12:4--hope is the anchor of faith. (correct me if that wrong) :) But it makes sense.  What we hope for will be leading us to what we do and what we do shows our faith. Faith without works is dead, also it can be said, faith without action is just a belief

LOVE ya tons!

7/3/17

I hate typing!

Writing these things are hard! haha 

This week was good!  I really don’t remember much, but the one thing I can remember is we have 5 investigators who all know what we teach is true (The Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, the Church) they all understand it fully, but one thing or another holds them back from accepting baptism into His (the Lord’s) church. It is sweet.  We can teach for understanding about the truth :).

Yesterday we got a call from one of my favorite investigators.  Her name is Sarah and she has 4 year old twin boys who are adorable and hilarious.  She called us and told my companion that we were confusing her!  She was able to come to church last Sunday and yesterday she went back to her church and said that she didn’t feel good at all and so she told us we were confusing her!  So I was happy! We told her we’re here to teach about the truth and the spirit testifies of that truth and not to worry, because we will come and explain it all. But yeah, it’s really fun to be here and to help these people in this way!

Other than that, I saw some horses on the 10-minute bike ride/commute to my area on (I think) Saturday.  That same day saw some pigs.  It’s pretty fun…it’s like I’m in a zoo!   Also, don’t be fooled!  Those are about the wildest animals I see here in Ghana.  It is Africa but it’s a City, too. 

Transfer news came and my companion is leaving me which is scary because he is Ghanaian so he speaks the local languages that all our investigators speak.  Well, some speak English, but a lot more (than ¾) only speak Twi and my new companion is from Kenya so he doesn't speak Twi fluently.  Our branch, as you know, is small and the members are busy so I’ll grow close to the Lord and the Spirit this transfer. But I’m excited.  I was scared and a little annoyed but, I know this is a divine assignment and therefore I can do it, so I will do it! 

Okay so last week my SD card got a virus so I couldn’t send pictures, but this week I fixed it! Okay so the computer fixed it but still! I’m not sad no more!

 All the investigators who came to church, plus my companion and Jonathan-a member we are going to start asking for a lot of help 

fun day at the beach

Always one in an area. Okay I’m stretching for a Pokémon picture, but I needed one!  

Have a sweet 4th of July!

--

-Elder Ellsworth