Heros

Elder and Sister Hanlon are currently our lone senior couple.  They are such a blessing to us in the mission.  They provide leadership support in the Praso District and have been so cheerfully willing to help anywhere else they are needed.  We could use a dozen just like them.  

This week, we were saddened to learn of the passing of Sister Raelene Hill, the wife of the mission president in the Accra West Mission.  She was always so positive and friendly.  She was a great example to us.  We will miss her very much.  We had been with her just the week before at the Mission President Seminar.

Sister Stevenson, Sister Ziqubu, Sister Thompson and the Hanlons represented our mission at a memorial service for Sister Hill in Accra.

On Tuesday, we welcomed a new missionary from the MTC.  His name is Elder Woyesa and he comes from Ethiopia.

His Trainer is Elder Raphael (left).

On Wednesday, we had interviews with the missionaries from the Yamoransa, Abakrampa and Mankessim Districts.

Yamoransa

Abakrampa

Mankessim

Friday, we brought all of the new missionaries who are in their first transfer and their trainers for some follow-up instruction.  I'm not always sure if the meeting makes much of a difference, but I had several of the missionaries thank me and tell me that it helped them resolve to make some changes.

Elder Boamah, one of our former missionaries, was in town visiting family and dropped by after the meeting.  He looks good!

In another example of Hanlon handiness, Elder Hanlon discovered that our water dispensers need cleaning from time to time.  So, he pulled ours apart and cleaned it ship shape and Bristol fashion.

Luckily, what I didn't know doesn't seem to have hurt us.  But I feel better now.

The Ntranoa Missionaries

Might Be Time To Fumigate...

Sister Stevenson has been saying that it is time to fumigate the house again.  I think she may be right.

We continued our missionary interviews / district meetings this week.  We met with the Winneba District and the Swedru District on Tuesday in Winneba.

Sister Stevenson's team won the Jeopardy review game. 

Winneba District

Swedru District

After the interviews, I was invited to meet with an investigator that two of the sisters were teaching. He is a student at the university and had walked into the Church on his own and began meeting with the missionaries.  He is very sharp and soon agreed to be baptized.  However, just before his scheduled baptism, he told the sisters that he needed to postpone.  He didn't give a reason, so they rescheduled it for this week.  During the week, he again said he needed to wait.  The sisters didn't know what was troubling him, so they asked if I would meet with him.  He was a little nervous about that, but agreed to come.

As we visited, he told me that his mother had passed away a few months ago.  Because of his loss, his roommates encouraged him to go to church and asked him which church he would attend.  He said the first thing that came to his mind was "Latter-day Saints."  He said things don't happen by accident, so he went to the Church and met the missionaries.  He soon developed a testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Restored Gospel and wanted to be baptized.  However, when his father learned of his plans, he told him that if he joined the Church, he would no longer support him in school. That was what caused the doubt that prompted him to delay his baptism.  

I agreed that he had a difficult decision to make.  I told him that I have known people facing that same issue that have said to their family, "I love you and respect you, but I have to follow what I believe God wants me to do.  I hope you will understand how I feel."  I said that for some, the family eventually came to respect that decision, but for others, the family never did speak to them again.  

I also told him that others have waited to be baptized in hopes that the family would eventually soften and support the baptism.  I could not tell him what to do, but I encouraged him to spend some time fasting and praying to know what God would have him do.  I offered that the sisters and I would join him in his fast.  He smiled and said, "I have already decided what to do.  I will be baptized on Sunday." 

I love it when faith that I see in others, helps my faith to grow. 

On Thursday, we hosted Shama, Akrofuom, Asikuma and Odoben Districts at the Mission Home.  Sister Stevenson makes cake and ice cream for them when they travel to us.

Akrofuom District (plus Elder Kenyah on the right, who joined us from the Botswana/Namibia Mission last week.  He is serving in Telecom.)

Shama District

Odoben District

Asikuma District

On Wednesday, we held our monthly Mission Leadership Council meeting.

We are implementing a number of administrative changes that will allow more time for the zone leaders to minister.  Hopefully, this will be the last time we see them pouring over a ton of travel and utility receipts from their petty cash fund.

And, the last time they have to carry supplies for the apartments on their laps as they travel home from the council meeting in a trotro.

I was able to conduct a few baptismal interviews this week.  On Friday, I drove out to Kissi and interviewed a nice young mother.  Her husband's family are members of the Church.  She is ready to be baptized and we hope that the husband will follow shortly.

   

The Kissi Elders with the branch president and one of his counselors.

Then, on Saturday, I made the 7 hour round trip to Tarkwa to meet with five people preparing for baptism.  I met with the parents in two young families and a wonderful sister in her early twenties. All very sharp and excited about the Gospel.  I'm very grateful for the growth we are seeing in Tarkwa.  It was certainly worth the drive.

Six of the eight missionaries in Tarkwa.

On Sunday, we attended Church services in Moree.  In Ghana, most members of the Church don't have access to watch General Conference on the internet, so about a month later, we get dvd's with a couple of sessions and we watch that during church.  That's what we did today.

  

Waiting for the technology in Moree.

ANOTHER BUG:

Mission President Seminar 2015

Sister Stevenson and I spent the week in Accra for the semi-annual Area Mission President Seminar. We joined 14 other mission presidents for instruction from our Area Presidency.  We stayed at a very nice hotel a few blocks from the temple.  One of the highlights of the week was when we were joined on Thursday by Elder Bednar, a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and Elder Halstrom, a member of the Presidency of the Seventy.  

In addition to our mission president meeting, we also got to join them for a member fireside on Thursday and a Priesthood Leadership Training meeting on Saturday.  On Thursday, Elder Bednar was taking questions and this sharp 9 year old boy asked him how he could best prepare for his mission.  Elder Bednar invited him to come up (he was accompanied by his younger brother) and then invited a few of the mission presidents to give him a sentence of advice each.  I said "Learn all you can about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ so that you will love them and want to serve them with all your heart."  The boys are living in Accra for a few years while their dad is on an ex-pat assignment.  

We also saw Elders Bannerman, Gynsah and Longjohn (GCCM returned missionaries) at the fireside. They all looked great. 

And we saw Elder Jamison from the Lake Oswego Stake.  He is serving in the Ghana Accra Mission.  

This is Elder Jamison's first transfer.  He looks good!

We finally got to meet President and Sister Carlson, who are re-opening the Liberia Mission. President Carlson grew up with my dear friend, Terry Clark, and so we had heard wonderful things about them.  They are really having an adventure in Liberia.  I was so happy to hear them gush about the missionaries from Cape Coast who are serving with them now.

We also managed to find time to eat during the week...

and eat...

 and eat...

and eat...

and eat...

You get it.

On Sunday, we were back on the job.  We attended worship services in Agona, which is a little past Takoradi.  

I had my monthly meeting with President Adjei, who is my counselor in the Mission Presidency.  He takes care of the five western mission branches.

Sister Stevenson and Sister Adjei taught the Primary children.

The Agona Elders

It was a great week.  We are pumped up to be better.  The missionaries took good care of each other while we were gone.

(Dead) CREATURES OF THE WEEK:

We don't have lions and tigers and giraffes and hippos in Ghana, but we do have cute little antelope. I have never seen one alive, but the hunters stand by the side of the road and dangle them for passing motorists to buy for food.  I'm told they are very tasty.