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
Monday, January 16, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, January 2, 2012
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.
-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
Monday, December 26, 2011
Dear Fam, It was sooooo great to hear from you all yesterday! It sounded
like everyone is doing very well and it was just fun to talk to
everyone. I wish we had a New Years day phone call as well but I guess
we don't... I think I told you just about everything from the past week
yesterday. The baptism of Bartimious and Tatianna were wonderful, so we
where happy about our "White Christmas" I forgot some of the things to
send pictures, I promise I'll send some next week, but mom don't worry I
made sure Elder Jones sent some home today. Its fun that you are going
to have lunch with his mom tomorrow. Let me know how that goes. Enjoy
the rest of the holiday season and know I love you all! No empty Chairs!
-Elder L.
-Elder L.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Merry Christmas!!
Dear Fam,
I am looking forward to this week and especially to calling you for Christmas! This week is going to be a lot of fun, Christmas conference, Ahagies and Christmas! I'm really looking forward to Christmas Conference and the Ahagies it the only time of the whole year that the whole mission gets to be together! Christmas Conference was so fun last year.. tons of food, talent show and testimony meeting. Elder Ahagie is one of the Area seventies and every year they invite all the missionaries over for dinner and to play games, just to have a good time.
So I have noticed that my letters have started to get a bit boring so I am going to attempt to do better and I think give just a brief play by play or day by day. To start, last P-day was sweet, we played football and I know I am only 5 foot nothing a 100 an nothing and I don't have a speck of athletic ability but I had a lot of fun out there and we played forever! We are taking the week off but will play again next week. I don't want to go off on sports to much but I can't really explain how good it feels to be able to play sports again! (Because it was against mission rules for the first half of my mission) On Tues were taught Tatianna and Bartimious and they are both really excited for their baptism coming up on the 24th. It looks like Elder Jones and I are going to have a white Christmas. One thing I love about this area is they speak Twi and Ewe. Twi is the most common language in Ghana and that is the one all the Elders learn the most but Ewe is what people speak in the Volta region. So about half the people here are from the Volta region so sometimes I feel like I'm in Ho again. On Thursday we went on Splits with the AP's. Elder Jones went with Elder Tui and I went with Elder Afu. I still don't know Adenta so I couldn't take Elder Tui around so I went to go do an interview for the District Leader in Nsawam. Nsawam is like two hours away so I was so happy that we didn't have go on our own and catch a trotro. Elder Afu is my MTC and we got the idea that we should have our whole MTC do something in talent show. I got the idea because I didn't do anything last year and I would have felt bad if I didn't do anything again this year. So i'll let you know how it goes, we are doing a little spoof on Rudolf the Red nosed rain deer. On Friday we had a DLT, were we talked about all the Districts and how they are doing and their strengths and weaknesses. I feel like we are doing very well but their is always room to improve. Like President Hinkley said, "We should work a little hard to be a little better" and I have found that quote has always helped me. On saturday we finished preparing Tatianna and Bartimious for their interviews and then they were interviewed on sunday. Sunday morning we went to go pick up one of our investigators up for church. His name is Richard and he is living with his brothers, we just started teaching him this week, and he is just one of those golden people prepared by the Lord so we'll keep working and praying that everything works out. I think I'll call home around 8 Ghana time = 1pm Pacific time... What number should I call? I know this is the Lords work and that this greatest work on earth. President and Sister Judd sent us an email today talking about how they have tried to put the Savior before each other, and as they have done so it has made there love go for one another. The same is true for me, as I a have served the Lord and have done my best to put him first I have been amazed how much my love is grown for each one of you. I know it is only by putting the Savior first that we can have an eternal family! Kinda fun how that works, that by losing our lives we truly do find it! I love you all and am grateful for your love and prayers. Please share my love with all the family and friends!
-Elder L.
I am looking forward to this week and especially to calling you for Christmas! This week is going to be a lot of fun, Christmas conference, Ahagies and Christmas! I'm really looking forward to Christmas Conference and the Ahagies it the only time of the whole year that the whole mission gets to be together! Christmas Conference was so fun last year.. tons of food, talent show and testimony meeting. Elder Ahagie is one of the Area seventies and every year they invite all the missionaries over for dinner and to play games, just to have a good time.
So I have noticed that my letters have started to get a bit boring so I am going to attempt to do better and I think give just a brief play by play or day by day. To start, last P-day was sweet, we played football and I know I am only 5 foot nothing a 100 an nothing and I don't have a speck of athletic ability but I had a lot of fun out there and we played forever! We are taking the week off but will play again next week. I don't want to go off on sports to much but I can't really explain how good it feels to be able to play sports again! (Because it was against mission rules for the first half of my mission) On Tues were taught Tatianna and Bartimious and they are both really excited for their baptism coming up on the 24th. It looks like Elder Jones and I are going to have a white Christmas. One thing I love about this area is they speak Twi and Ewe. Twi is the most common language in Ghana and that is the one all the Elders learn the most but Ewe is what people speak in the Volta region. So about half the people here are from the Volta region so sometimes I feel like I'm in Ho again. On Thursday we went on Splits with the AP's. Elder Jones went with Elder Tui and I went with Elder Afu. I still don't know Adenta so I couldn't take Elder Tui around so I went to go do an interview for the District Leader in Nsawam. Nsawam is like two hours away so I was so happy that we didn't have go on our own and catch a trotro. Elder Afu is my MTC and we got the idea that we should have our whole MTC do something in talent show. I got the idea because I didn't do anything last year and I would have felt bad if I didn't do anything again this year. So i'll let you know how it goes, we are doing a little spoof on Rudolf the Red nosed rain deer. On Friday we had a DLT, were we talked about all the Districts and how they are doing and their strengths and weaknesses. I feel like we are doing very well but their is always room to improve. Like President Hinkley said, "We should work a little hard to be a little better" and I have found that quote has always helped me. On saturday we finished preparing Tatianna and Bartimious for their interviews and then they were interviewed on sunday. Sunday morning we went to go pick up one of our investigators up for church. His name is Richard and he is living with his brothers, we just started teaching him this week, and he is just one of those golden people prepared by the Lord so we'll keep working and praying that everything works out. I think I'll call home around 8 Ghana time = 1pm Pacific time... What number should I call? I know this is the Lords work and that this greatest work on earth. President and Sister Judd sent us an email today talking about how they have tried to put the Savior before each other, and as they have done so it has made there love go for one another. The same is true for me, as I a have served the Lord and have done my best to put him first I have been amazed how much my love is grown for each one of you. I know it is only by putting the Savior first that we can have an eternal family! Kinda fun how that works, that by losing our lives we truly do find it! I love you all and am grateful for your love and prayers. Please share my love with all the family and friends!
-Elder L.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Adenta
Dear Fam,
I hope all is well in your part of the world, I am now writing you from Adenta. Adenta is just a little north from Accra but it is basically accra. I am serving with Elder Jones who just happens to be from Orem, Ut. We had some good talks about the great city of Orem so we have each others backs for Christmas. Adenta seems like a really nice area, the investigators, apartment and ward. I'll send you a picture next week but our apartment is on the second level of a really nice building. It is really really nice and the best part is there are 6 elders. From the time I got trained until now it has always just been me and my companion. So it feels really nice to go and talk with other people for a change. I just replaced Elder Orchard here, he just went home.. he is the one who is the friend of James. He is a great guy and we are really going to miss him in the Ghana Accra mission. On thurs we had a meeting where we disscussed some of the challenges the mission is facing and also the things the mission is really doing well. I really enjoyed it and I love to here President Judd speak, the spirit always seems to touch my heart every time he addresses us. I am really happy to be here and I think I will be here for a while but we will see what will happen. We have a few investigators that a progressing well and we are hoping and praying to hace what President Judd calls a "White Christmas". Today we are going to go play football with a bunch of missionaries. There is a big grassy field in our area so I am looking forward to that later today. In weeks to come I'll let you know more about my area and investigators and those things. I love you all and i'm looking forward to call home for Christmas! You are all in my thoughts and prayers
-Elder Andrew K. L.
I hope all is well in your part of the world, I am now writing you from Adenta. Adenta is just a little north from Accra but it is basically accra. I am serving with Elder Jones who just happens to be from Orem, Ut. We had some good talks about the great city of Orem so we have each others backs for Christmas. Adenta seems like a really nice area, the investigators, apartment and ward. I'll send you a picture next week but our apartment is on the second level of a really nice building. It is really really nice and the best part is there are 6 elders. From the time I got trained until now it has always just been me and my companion. So it feels really nice to go and talk with other people for a change. I just replaced Elder Orchard here, he just went home.. he is the one who is the friend of James. He is a great guy and we are really going to miss him in the Ghana Accra mission. On thurs we had a meeting where we disscussed some of the challenges the mission is facing and also the things the mission is really doing well. I really enjoyed it and I love to here President Judd speak, the spirit always seems to touch my heart every time he addresses us. I am really happy to be here and I think I will be here for a while but we will see what will happen. We have a few investigators that a progressing well and we are hoping and praying to hace what President Judd calls a "White Christmas". Today we are going to go play football with a bunch of missionaries. There is a big grassy field in our area so I am looking forward to that later today. In weeks to come I'll let you know more about my area and investigators and those things. I love you all and i'm looking forward to call home for Christmas! You are all in my thoughts and prayers
-Elder Andrew K. L.
Monday, December 5, 2011
The Camp Report
Dear Fam,
I'm glad to hear all is well, I enjoy reading your letters every week. This week was very rewarding, we found some wonderful investigators and we are excited about a few baptisms coming up in the next few weeks. Yesterday, we had five members give their testimony and tell everyone that will be going back to Liberia on Friday. In fact those five are recent converts of Elder Mauga and I. I'm grateful for an inspired mission president who told me that I should go and get everyone's information so that when they go I will always be able to find them after my mission. I have received almost everyone's information, and I'm glad I did because President Judd called me on Thursday he asked me a few questions about the camp and when I asked him a question he told me not to worry about that because i'm moving on to other things and my days in Buduburam are numbered. So he told me what i'll be doing but he didn't tell me where i'm going yet. Transfer calls are tonight so i'll finally find out where I'm going. Its been a long few days wondering where I'm going, it makes me really said to leave. This place has been my favorite, I could go on and on about it and the people. I have learned the most from the scriptures in my time here but I would say second has just come from watching these people and interacting with them. They keep the two great commandments just about as good as I have seen any people in my life, they put God first and they love and serve their fellowman. I'll let you know where i'm going next week so stay tuned... This past week I had the privilege of performing a baby blessing, it was a wonderful experience and I'm humbled that Sis Whleh would ask me to help with that. This week we played football again, it was really fun, we had some members and investigators their, I played all time QB. I was no Peyton Manning out there, but there is a large hill (Ghana mountain) behind the camp and all I could think of was "how much do you want to bet I could throw this ball over them mountains." One of the best football quotes in what critics would say is not one of the best football movies. Thanks for all the love and prayers, and mom thanks for the Cd's and Lights. I'll look forward to that
Love, Elder L.
I'm glad to hear all is well, I enjoy reading your letters every week. This week was very rewarding, we found some wonderful investigators and we are excited about a few baptisms coming up in the next few weeks. Yesterday, we had five members give their testimony and tell everyone that will be going back to Liberia on Friday. In fact those five are recent converts of Elder Mauga and I. I'm grateful for an inspired mission president who told me that I should go and get everyone's information so that when they go I will always be able to find them after my mission. I have received almost everyone's information, and I'm glad I did because President Judd called me on Thursday he asked me a few questions about the camp and when I asked him a question he told me not to worry about that because i'm moving on to other things and my days in Buduburam are numbered. So he told me what i'll be doing but he didn't tell me where i'm going yet. Transfer calls are tonight so i'll finally find out where I'm going. Its been a long few days wondering where I'm going, it makes me really said to leave. This place has been my favorite, I could go on and on about it and the people. I have learned the most from the scriptures in my time here but I would say second has just come from watching these people and interacting with them. They keep the two great commandments just about as good as I have seen any people in my life, they put God first and they love and serve their fellowman. I'll let you know where i'm going next week so stay tuned... This past week I had the privilege of performing a baby blessing, it was a wonderful experience and I'm humbled that Sis Whleh would ask me to help with that. This week we played football again, it was really fun, we had some members and investigators their, I played all time QB. I was no Peyton Manning out there, but there is a large hill (Ghana mountain) behind the camp and all I could think of was "how much do you want to bet I could throw this ball over them mountains." One of the best football quotes in what critics would say is not one of the best football movies. Thanks for all the love and prayers, and mom thanks for the Cd's and Lights. I'll look forward to that
Love, Elder L.
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