Dear Fam,

It was great to hear all the news back home. [Personal messages to family]. I'm sorry this letter is so late, so I'll keep it short. This week we had some wonderful lessons with our investigators. Richard and Bright had their baptisms and we were very happy for them. Richard over came some WOW problems so it was great to see the happiness in him. This week we had a mission tour with Elder Satati, he is a powerful man, and he is doing a great work. I he talked so much about how he loved is wife, and how he learned to express his love to her. He said he is now trying to teach that to his fellow Africans. I reminded me of our last moments with Grandpa when Elder Satati told us he learned that from Grandpa. After the meeting we had a surprise interview with him and with President Judd. The first thing he asked me was how is your Grandmother doing? It helped break the ice a little. By the way I would love to get grandma's address. Then with President Judd, it was a great interview, we just talked about the zone, the mission about everything. It lasted forever and I loved it. Everything is going well, we are hoping to have four baptisms on the 11th. Today President Judd told us that two more stakes and one more district are being opened in our mission boundaries. I'm not sure about Ghana Cape coast but its growing. I'm happy about the district because it means that Ho is finally in a district, it has always been under the mission which makes it kind of difficult. This work is true, its the lords work and I love it! I'm sorry I didn't have time to answer you questions today but I will make sure I answer them next time! Much Love,

-Elder L.   

The Adenta Weekly

Thanks for all the updates, it sounds like every one is doing well for the most part. I hope that Nate's family gets better, that doesn't sound fun. This week was transfers and our apartment had a lot of changes. Elder Mutuku from Kenya is training Elder Joseph from Nigeria. Elder Akak from Nigeria is training Elder Egerie from Nigeria. Elder Jones and I are staying the same this transfer. He is a great guy and we love working together so it should be another fun transfer. This week we have a mission tour with Elder Satati on weds. Then on Saturday we will have the baptism of Bright and Richard. They were both interviewed yesterday and they are excited for their baptism. We also had our best sacrament attendance since the time I came, so i'm pretty happy about that. On friday we had our monthly meeting with the District Leaders. I can't remember if I told you guys the story that President Judd told us when he sat in a council with the Presidency of the seventy and the Twelve apostles. (Its really fun to learn from a mission President who has had so much interaction with the brethren.) Anyways in the story he told us, we learned about the importance of councils. So this time instead of having the normal old instruction we did our best to make it into a council. There were still some things we needed to get up their and say but for the most part we talked about our strengths and our weaknesses. The best part is their was one Elder that has been worried about his new duties but we were all able to share experiences. We felt the meeting was much more beneficial then our past ones.

We are really looking forward to upcoming month, we are hoping it will be a great one so well keep our fingers crossed. Thanks for all the love and prayers, It has really helped me. This past transfer wasn't the easiest one. I've had to stick up a lot for whats right and for doing what we should because with 6 six elders in one apartment things can get pretty crazy sometimes. I love having fun, but sometimes my fun comes from being that Elder that doesn't want to have fun..(If you know what I mean) Things should improve anyways with two new missionaries in the apartment. As always I'm doing my best to make sure there are no empty chairs at the table! Love you all

-Elder L.

P.S. In the Cafe today someone was listening to the NBA highlights, I guess Jimmer Dropped 22 points. Not too bad for a rookie

Hello From Adenta

Dear Fam,

This week was another great one! Nate I loved what you said about the fire in your bones, I find that almost each morning I feel that and I always think its a great day to be a missionary. Dad let me answer your question before I forget.. I would say about 70 to 60 percent of our investigators are from contacting the other 30 to 40 percent or referrals. Almost a 100 percent of the people we taught were from contacts, I'm not sure but I think only 2 or 3 of the people we baptized there were contacts, the rest were all referrals. I really think that might have been the best area in the world for missionary work. I miss all those people! But I hear that they are doing really well and they had a ward temple trip a few weeks ago so I hope some were able to go!

We had some more crazy news in the mission this week.... so the mission was supposed to get 12 missionaries on weds. Instead the mission will get 29 missionaries!! I don't know if you have heard the news about Nigeria, but from what I've heard that place is getting a little out of hand so they can't send those other 17 missionaries back to Nigeria until it calms down. I bet it will just be for a few weeks, but it will be crazy to see how everything works out. All the missionaries are excited about it and I think it will be good for the mission but we are also praying every thing gets worked out in Nigeria in the next six weeks because in the following transfer 22 more missionaries are coming. If not the mission would have 51 new missionaries... sweet is the work!

This week Elder Jones and I have seen some great progress in some of our investigators. Bro Richard continues to do well and he is keeping all of his commitments, and has put his word of wisdom problems behind him. We are hoping and praying for his baptism to take place on the 28th. We are also working with a Bro named Bright, Bright has consistently been coming to church and been keeping all of his commitments. We weren't able to see Irene this week, she traveled but we are scheduled to see her this week. She has several concerns but we have worked to resolve many of them, she is an honest seeker of the truth and so I feel very good about her. Those are the ones that can be difficult to teach but once they know its true they are solid. We have a few other people that are progressing well and many others we are trying to help progress, but all is well in our neck of the woods.

This week in my personal study I was reading in Mosiah. I cant remember the verse but as I was reading I wished I could serve with the Sons of Mosiah. It said they trembled at the thought of someone not receiving the gospel and being damned to an everlasting torment. Thats Powerful! I know if we all worked to be like that we would be amazed at the opportunities we would have to share the gospel. Love you all!

-Elder L.

P.S. I feel really bad about the pictures but the computers at this cafe are full of viruses and earlier on in my mission I lost some of my pictures because of the virus so well look for a new cafe

Hello From Adenta

Dear Fam,

Thanks for all the letters, it sounds like everyone is doing well but busy getting back to the normal schedule. This week we have received many blessings. Are teaching pool has finally picked up and we are really started to make some progress with some investigators. Once again, we are working with part member families, I LOVE to work with part members. Every time I go to a new area I try to find the part member families and to work with them. Many of the families are part member so it makes it easy. We are working with a investigator who lives with our ward mission leader and one that lives with our bishop. So they have wonderful fellow shippers. We are hoping to have a few baptisms on the 28th of January which I am very happy about. When I came the are was a little down, we had a few great people but its taken until now to get the pool to where I like it to be. This week has just been great, most of them are on mission but this one in particular, there are 6 elders in the apartment, which is fun but sometimes things can get a little out of hand. I have been trying to work hard and just go the extra mile and I have just had a sweet out pouring of the spirit this week. Last week we had another council meeting, get this.... when President Judd came to Ghana, he asked the brethren for 12 extra missionaries. He told us that he felt pretty good that they would except it because the mission is doing very well. Well at the meeting he told us that the Brethren not only agreed but instead of adding 12 elders they are going to add 28!! Thats a whole zone. Only a few areas have opened up so far but he told us that in the next transfer or two the new areas are going to explode. Their are going to be almost 160 missionaries which is huge. Anyways, I love this work and it has been and will be so fun to see what continues to happen in Ghana. Thanks for all the love and prayers.

Love, Elder L.

Happy New Year

Dear Fam,

Happy New Year! It sure sounded like everyone had a happy New Year. I'm excited about this year and I have tried hard to set some goals to help make me a better missionary and to ultimately help prepare me to become the person my Heavenly Father wants me to be. Last week we went to a ward party, it was really fun and some of our recent converts were able to come, it was really sweet. In PEC we helped the ward come up with the ward mission plan. This ward is the first ward I have been that does PEC every week which is great. The church is growing really well here but you can tell its new here (which isn't bad) it just takes time to get things refined. Anyways, the bishop here is amazing. He has been a member for only two years; every now and then he still gets a few things mixed up. But his willingness to serve, learn and follow the spirit is why it is so great to serve with Bishop Felix. The same is with all of us. In this New Year I feel recommitted to serve the best I can and to continue to learn the language of the spirit. In my blessing the most common word or counsel is that I should learn!
 

This past week has been a little rough, we haven't been able to spend as much time as I would like and we have really been trying to build our teaching pool. Its just been hard to make return appointments with people, but will keep our chins up and keep pushing along. We are working with one sister named Irene; she is 19 and is the niece to the Bishop that was released about a week before I got here. Irene told us that she has been going to about 5 churches and has been baptized twice. She says the Bible is so confusing and she just doesn't know what to do. So we taught her about the restoration and committed her to read and pray about it. She seems pretty cool and will just work and pray and hope that everything works out. We have a few more people but we have a ways to go with them so I'll keep you posted. Keep Irene, Catharine, Richard and Emmanuel in your prayers.
 

Now here is a fun little story for you guys, last week after Christmas Conference we were putting up chairs before a stake had their Christmas party. I had the pleasant surprise of seeing a few of the members from Osu branch! Then I saw Pedro Williams Patricks from Nigeria! He was one of our recent converts when I was in Osu. The missionaries had started teaching him before I got their but he had a really long way to go to overcome some word of wisdom things. It took us a few months for him to work things out but he finally did it. He is doing so well, he has a calling (I can't remember what it is) he loves institute and he has received the Higher Priesthood. I can wait for when he goes to the temple! Then I talked to one of the Elders serving in Ho. He was telling me that many of the people were still active and doing great. Including the Amagaie Family that Elder Frimpong and I worked with. The first recent convert of my mission was Eugene Sougbe, he is in the young men’s presidency, president of institute and received the Higher Priesthood and is also preparing to go to the temple. I didn't mean to go on like that but it all just hit me and it felt amazing. I hadn't heard from our about these guys in forever so I feel very blessed and I pray they can continue to go in the direction they are going. I know the church is true and that this is the Lords work, I know this is the best work. I can't even explain how happy all that great news made me feel and my prayer is that we can continue to find those looking for the truth. I love you all!

-Elder L.

 P.S. I couldn't find the cord for the camera.. don't worry I know I have it, I just need to find it