Delivery from home!!

Tuesday. I spent the entire morning just studying by myself.  After study we went to take a recent convert with us to teach one of our investigators. What was supposed to be a lesson with just the one investigator turned into a lesson with two investigators and a recent convert. It was a killer lesson and the spirit was definitely there. After teaching them we went and taught another investigator before breaking for lunch. After lunch we went to teach another investigator of ours but after the lesson we just sat around talking to him until dark. He is ready to be baptized and will be baptized here really soon so we like to just visit and talk with him. Once it started getting dark, Taylor wanted to go visit a member who is on the way home. They weren't there and so we ended up back at the apartment very early. 

Meetings in the dark!!

Wednesday. The day started out with District Council Meeting. It was Elder Baguley's last time giving instruction as a district leader because he goes home in a week. He did an awesome job and it was really cool to learn from him and his experiences that he's had over the last two years. After District Council Meeting we went out to see one of our best investigators and sort out a few things with him so that he can be baptized next week. We had a great time talking with him and we had a wonderful thought from the Book of Mormon. Then we biked out to a really far part of our area to see a couple less active members out there. We met a crazy lady on the way and had a hard time slipping away from here but we finally did and made it to see the people we were trying to see. We taught the father of the less active family and found out that he actually isn't a member at all. Once the lesson was over we sat and chatted with the family just to make sure everything was going alright with them. It was at that time that we got a phone call to meet at the church early for coordination. We were way far away and it took us a while to get back but eventually we made it. We then sat with the other missionaries and waited for the ward mission leader so that we could have the meeting. He showed up and we were able to start the meeting before it got dark. About halfway through the meeting, the light at the chapel went off and since it was dark outside, we were plunged into a stifling darkness. The meeting was finished with flashlights and then it was back to the apartment for the night. 

Package from home!!

Thursday. It was MLC or Missionary Leadership Conference and so that put Elder Perry and I together again for the day. Then the Nsawam zone leader called wanting to join with our companions for the trip to MLC. That put his companion, who has been out for less time than us, with us for the day as well. His name is Elder Boakye and he is from Kumasi. We had an absolute blast going out teaching together, especially since there were three of us. We taught some really great lessons and had fun trying to contact together until our companions called and told us to head back to the apartment. We got there just as it was getting dark so we ended up staying in for the night. We hung out with Taylor and Uzoho and just listened to them tell stories about the mission.  Afterwards Perry and I went inside and just talked. It's been great to have someone around to talk to that is from my own MTC group and from a place that I know back home. I also received my package that I had been waiting over a month for. It was so nice to finally get it and to see all the things from home that my family had sent for me. The candy was especially nice since that is something I can't get here in Ghana. 

Friday. We received a surprise phone call from the APs saying that they would be at our apartment for the Book of Mormon devotional in 15 minutes. At that point none of us were ready for them so we had to scramble to try and get everything in order. They came and we had an awesome discussion about 3 Nephi 15, 16, and 17. The devotional lasted longer than usual because we were all so into it. Once it finished and the APs had gone, we rushed out to meet a few of our investigators. We saw a good amount of people in the morning and had some great lessons with our better investigators. We then went to take lunch back at the apartment, at which point my companion gave me around 45 minutes of extra study time after our alloted time for lunch. By the time we got back out it was almost dark and we were only able to teach one lesson before going to visit a member that lives near the apartment. 

Saturday. Taylor and Uzoho decided that they needed to plan for the Zone Training Meeting taking place in just a few days, so they put Perry and I together to do some companionship study for the day. We had an awesome time together as we read an article in the October Liahona about the Plan of Salvation. It was a really spiritual experience and it got even better as we decided to dive in fairly deep with some of the doctrine surrounding the Plan and the role that Christ played in it. I had never looked at any of it in the way that I did during that time and it definitely made an impact on my testimony of that subject. Taylor and Uzoho then wanted to get haircuts so I was able to sit and talk with Perry for a little while longer at the barber shop. Taylor and I then went to see a less active family that lives in a really far part of our area. After seeing them, Taylor decided we should bike out and see some other parts of our area that he had never been to before. We biked down a highway for close to 30 minutes before we decided we should be turning back. It was at that point that we stopped to talk to a man who turned out to be a less active of seven years. We were able to sit down and teach him a lesson before biking as hard as we could back to the chapel for the Preach My Gospel class that the missionaries are supposed to teach. We made it just in time to hear the closing prayer and see everyone off for the night. We then went to visit a member family before dark. 

Notice the headlamp on the elder to the right!!

Stew and Rice

Sunday. We got to church and were surprised a few minutes later when President Hill came walking in with his wife. We weren't able to watch conference so it was just a normal fast and testimony meeting. After all three hours, President Hill said he wanted to meet with us for a minute. We met for almost two hours as he told us more about the marriage policy of the Church in Africa and the requirements for someone to be baptized. It was really great to see him and to hear the counsel that he had to give us. After we met with him, Elders Baguley and Asumanai wanted us to go with them to visit a less active in their area. We all biked out there and had a great time with the less active and his family. We even brought them a cake that Baguley made in our microwave. We then all went back to the apartment together to get some food in us before continuing the day. It was just after we finished eating that we received a call from a member saying she wanted to feed us dinner. We didn't want to be rude so we accepted and all six of us went over together so that we could finish whatever food it was she gave us. It turned out to be just rice and stew with some fish in it so we thought we would be fine if all of us attacked it together. It was still almost more than we could handle but we got through it and had a spiritual thought with the family before heading back home. It was starting to get late at that point so Perry and I had to hurry and gather up the laundry to take to our wash lady. We got there in time so we will actually have clean clothing this next week. After that it was a warm shower and then off to bed. 

Monday. I slept in and caught up on some much needed sleep. Perry and I then went out and got some local food for breakfast. We then just lounged around the apartment together while waiting for everyone else to get ready to go for the day. Once everyone was ready, we took off to go play sports with the other elders in our zone. We got in a few hours of basketball and soccer before everyone was too tired or too injured to continue. At that point we all made our way back to our respective areas to email. Now I am currently sitting in the internet cafe emailing my family.