Monday, October 31, 2016

You know....

Elder Goodrich & Herrod
Oct 25-31

Honestly it wasn't a really exciting week. Obviously we had transfers
so that added a little spice. The rest of the week was just bike
repairs and people telling us they would be around then not being
around or telling us to come back later or just whatever. Basically we
didn't get to see too many people because of all of it. It was rough
but there were things that needed to be done that we did. We did have
5 confirmations this week though so that was a lot of fun. I'm glad we
were able to get them done too. I feel a great weight has been lifted
off of me. Even today wasn't very exciting. We didn't get to go to
ball today because my comp, Elder Jackson from Ogden, Utah, needed to
wash and stuff so I cleaned and read and slept a little. It was nice
to relax. Yeah so sorry this is so short but again it just wasn't too special of a week. 
But I still love what I'm doing and I still love
the people and most of all I love my Savior.
I love all of you too.



Home Sweet Home
Kasoa
Say Cheese!



Monday, October 24, 2016

Transfers...

Oct 18-24

Well this week was the last week of the transfer. It was a good time to reflect on what my companion and I have accomplished together. I haven't loved the whole 2 man apartment thing and even though Elder Herrod is a great guy I wouldn't say he's my favorite companion, but we did some good work together. In fact, we added up all the thingsthat we've done together. We kept track of all our numbers and found out that together we taught 297 lessons. I thought that was a large sum for 12 weeks. We also baptized 10 people together. They are Emmanuella, James, Kingsford Asante and Mary Asante, Wisdom and Beauty and Suzzie and Mary Lartey, and Nana Awuah Asare (Nana Red) andLaurencia Awuah Asare. Definitely the most productive 12 weeks I'll have on my mission. I've met so many amazing people and had some incredible experiences. I still have some time in this area though. Herrod is being transferred to Laterbiakoshie and I'm staying here to be with Elder Jackson.




New clothes!



As for enlightenment that I received this week it was from our multi-zone conference/mission tour. Elder Vincent, the area president, and his wife came and spoke to us along with President and Sister Simpson. Elder Vincent gave us some pretty incredible things to think about. I have a challenge for everyone. READ LUKE 10:30-35. Onceyou've read it and studied it I want you to tell me what it teaches us besides just the parable of the Good Samaritan. You're going to have to look super hard at it and study really deep but once you find it your mind will be blown. I feel like a door has been opened up to me and now I see it all clearly. To quote a song from Tangled, 'and at last I see the light and it's like the fog has lifted, and at last I see the light and it's like the sky is new, and it's warm and real and bright and the world has somehow shifted'. Thank you Rapunzel forthose inspired lyrics. Really though it was an eye opening experience.


Elder Herrod, Laurencia, Nana Red & Elder Goodrich
Sunday we also had a baptism for Nana and Laurencia. It was so sweet. It rained super hard all night and early into the morning. In fact we had lightning strike pretty close to our apartment and it shook us so bad. Both Herrod and I woke up in the middle of the night because of it. Anyways, it was a big storm. Usually that means no one is going to come to church yet Nana and Laurencia came early and were all ready to go. After the baptism, Nana gave a really sweet testimony. He talked about his 30 years in Germany and how while there he didn't believe in organized religion. Then he came back to Ghana and decided to be a pastor. First he went to one of the charismatic churches but realized their teachings didn't follow the bible at all so he started going to the Church of Christ. He also wanted to be a pastor for them and even went to bible school for a while, but again he found the teachings to be incorrect. It was then he moved from Kumasi with his wife and 4 children. When he got to Kasoa he couldn't find a church to go to. Then a friend from Germany called and told him about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He couldn't believe that his friend even went to church because he was someone who hadn't ever believed in God before. So with the recommendation of his friend he started looking for us. Eventually he gave his number to a barber we pass by often and so we were able to get in contact with him. That was maybe 5-7 weeks ago and just Sunday he told me he won't ever leave this church as long as he lives. He told me he had a dream where he heard a voice telling him he had found the true church and he and his family were to stay there no matter what. I was pretty touched by that. The crazy thing is his story is not an uncommon one. I see it almost daily where something crazy happens that I know will lead to something bigger in the future. There are no coincidences in missionary work at all.  I've been on my mission too long to say otherwise.


Hiking
Well to top off a great week we decided to climb a mountain. It's a mountain in Buduburam so it wasn't hard to get to but it's absolutely covered in jungle. Dad will be the only one thatknows what I'm talking about but it's like the river bottoms on Reuben's property inEnterprise. The one that's all the willows by the corrals. It's like that except twice as thick and tropical. Yeah it was sketchy. We found a trail and we followed it for a while but it just ran around the base of the mountain so we turned and hacked straight up the face with ourmachetes. It was pretty dang sweet. We hacked straight up the face and made the top and the view was so worth it. We could see all the way to the ocean. It was worth it. Then we hacked back down. We almost got lost on the return trip though. But we made it! Yeah that was the end to the week. So tomorrow starts next transfer. The end.


Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Baptisms...

The Lartey Family
Oct 11-17

Well it was a good week. That's it, that's all I have to say. Thank you.

Nah I'm kidding. It was a sweet week though. We were finally able to
baptize the rest of the Lartey family. I don't know if you remember
the small boy we baptized with Kingsford, his name is Wisdom. His
father was the first to join the church and he wouldn't let us baptize
his kids for a long time. Finally he let Wisdom but his two girls that
are 16 and 14 he wouldn't let. We started teaching his wife too and
once she was ready for baptism we asked again if the daughters, Beauty
and Suzzie, could join her and he said yes. So in Sunday I had the
privilege of performing that sacred ordinance for Beauty, Suzzie, and
their mom Mary. Nana Red and his wife were supposed to join them for
the baptism but we had to push it back a week. So next week they'll be
baptized. As for the rest of the week it was a lot of biking back and
forth and staying super busy. On Thursday I had an exchange with Elder
Evans. He's a super cool guy from Chicago. We had a total blast
together. Exchanges are good because they break things up a little bit. I
t's hard staying with just one person 24/7 and not having anyone else in 
the apartment with you. Transfers are next week though. We get news
 this Saturday and I find out if I'm going to stay or go and who I'll be with 
for the next 6 weeks. We played ball today too. I still have a jump shot 
too in case anyone was wondering. I lit it up today. Not sure that I ever missed.
I also had to say goodbye to Prescott today. He goes home next Tuesday
and I won't see him between now and then. Everyone I know is going
home. Soon it's going to be just me. That's basically all. It was a
normal week just busy. Everything is cool with me here in Africa.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Tithing...


Oct 4-10

Oh where to start. It's been a decent week. I have now been sick for 2
straight weeks and it absolutely sucks but the work is going well
right now. Next Sunday we will baptize 5 people. 2 of them are a
husband and wife that have young kids. The other 3 will complete
another family that is a part member family. We are pretty excited
about both of them. The 3 are a recent converts wife and 2 of his
daughters. He has 10 kids but only 3 of them are over 8. We already
baptized his one son, Wisdom, but the rest of the family haven't been
ready yet. This week the entire family, parents and 10 kids, walked an
hour through the rain to get to church. It was one of the most
impressive things I've ever seen. Then after sacrament meeting, the
father, Brother Lartey, came to us wanting to pay his tithing. He paid
10ghc. Then his wife, Mary, paid 10ghc. Then Wisdom came to us wanting
to pay his 2ghc. It was one of the most humbling things I've ever

witnessed. They were all so excited to pay an amount of money that 
though small is a large sum to them. The church is true!  I'm not sure 
if you knew that, but I know that. Nothing anyone could say or do 
could ever convince me otherwise.
I also had a lady think I was Asian this week. She came up to me
asking how much some Chinese money was. I told her I didn't know but
she just started flipping out saying I should know because it's my
money. I started laughing and said I'm not Chinese, I'm American. She
was at a loss for words and ended up not saying anything and walking
away. It was pretty darn hilarious.
Also I just want to say thank heavens for no bride price in America.
One of the recent converts in the ward is coming to get married now
and his bride price is ridiculous. He has to buy expensive gifts for
everyone in the family, enough expensive alcoholic drinks to get the
whole village so drunk they wouldn't remember what country they were
in, a ram (like a sheep ram), and a ton of stuff for his bride. That's
just the engagement part too! He's got a ton more too. It's so sad how
brutal they are to each other with the bride price. I don't know if
I've ever written about it so I just thought I would.
We went to the beach today. Went to a place called Krokrobite. It was
alright but it was too touristy and covered in trash. The beach in
Buduburam was way better. But I got a cool painting there so that was
sweet. Anyways that's basically my week.


Riding to church with the Stake President's family