Bienvenue!

This week we welcomed two new missionaries from the Ivory Coast to serve in the Ghana Cape Coast Mission.  They have been in the MTC for six weeks learning English.  For the next two years, they will teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in English, with a smattering of Twi and Fante.  Since we share a border with the Ivory Coast, their French may be useful too.

Once we got our new missionaries settled, we hit the road again to continue the personal interviews with each missionary.  This week we were in Praso, Assin Foso (two days) and here at home with the Nkanfoa District.

Part of Sister Stevenson's instruction on Health and Safety includes relaxation techniques.  Sometimes it is hard to get them back up.

I made the Praso District take this picture to repent for the "hands in the pockets" photo from last week.

One afternoon, Sister Stevenson went teaching with the sister missionaries while I was in meetings.  She got a little melted, but they were able to teach three lessons that night. 

They watched the Kente Cloth weavers for a minute as they walked between appointments.

For DATE NIGHT, Sister Stevenson accompanied me while I interviewed a woman for baptism.  Her father is a member and her daughter is a member -- and now, she is also a member of the Church.  It was nice to meet all of them.

The dad was so happy that his daughter was being baptized.

To celebrate, I treated Sister Stevenson to a frozen yogurt.  Then we went home and had the closest thing to a doughnut we have found here -- a ball float with Nutella.

 
A ball float is deep fried bread dough that rises to the size of a baseball.  They are only slightly sweet, so I like to add jam or Nutella, but they are also good plain.  Sister Stevenson's job as co-pilot is to stay on the lookout for the women selling ball floats.  They are not as common as some of the other things the vendors sell, so we buy them as we can.  I think they are called ball floats because they float in the oil as they cook. I don't think they are terribly healthy, but that hasn't stopped me before.









Sunday was a real treat.  A few weeks ago, I was asked by the sister missionaries in Winneba to help teach one of their investigators who was struggling with the concept of being baptized again since he had been baptized in his current church.  We had a nice discussion and encouraged him to prayerfully determine what God wanted him to do.  Once he came to that understanding, all of his other concerns would fall into their proper place.  He called me a few times over the weeks to let me know how he was doing.  In the last call, he said he had decided he should be baptized and asked if I would perform the ordinance.

So, this morning, Sister Stevenson and I drove out to Winneba for church services and the baptism.  I was asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting and then we attended the Gospel Essentials Sunday School Class.  This is the class for new members of the Church and those investigating.  It was awesome to hear my young friend and several of the other investigators teach and testify of the Restored Gospel as they participated in the class.

After the meetings, we gathered for the baptism.  Since I was getting wet anyway, they had me do all four of the baptisms.  It was very special for me.  My friend is an accounting student at the university and he brought four of his classmates to church with him today to see his baptism.  They are sharp young men and we encouraged them to continue to come.

CREATURE OF THE WEEK:

The nasty spider that bit Sister Stevenson on the hand.

 

TREE OF THE WEEK: