From February 14, 2011: Rain, Baptism by Flashlight, Bus Full of Girls

From February 14, 2011:  -On Tuesday Elder Jones took a tro tro to a more distant part of our area. We taught a few lessons and extended a few dates for baptism too. After one lesson we were given a large bag of yams which I proceeded to carry on my head for a few hours until we went back to the more familiar parts of our area. We see all sorts of things carried on peoples' heads here and while it does seem interesting it is much easier to carry a heavy object on the head than with my arms. People go around selling things off their heads all day. It has become a skill I have worked on because it is is so useful yet so ridiculous.
-On Thursday it started raining around midday and continued for several hours. Elder Jones and I saw the clouds coming so we started heading for the apartment. We ended up standing under a covering for a few minuets rapping our things in bags and running through the rain. A small truck drove by and we got in the bed with a few other people. The rain was hitting us hard being on the truck, but it was a fun experience. We eventually made it home to have the power out for a while. We took a nap, finding the rain had died down and Elder Cobbinah and Elder Nielsen returned. We had nothing to do so Elder Jones and I went back out to teach a few lessons walking through some flooded roads and falling in some gutters. After the rain the gutters were flushed and the roads smelled like poop.
-Friday was really humid from the rain the day before. The most notable lessons taught were with some ~22 year old twins named Oko and Tai. We watched some church movies and have been fellowshiped by a barber around the same age named Nii who brought them to church on Sunday too.
-Saturday: Well we baptized Jonathan Addo a 24 year old. At the service the power was out at the church so we were using flashlight. It was really cool feeling of joy. Elder Nielsen and Elder Cobbinah Also had a man baptized as well. Earlier in the day we met with our recent convert Philomena to answer any of her questions. Philomena is a funny woman that likes to weasel us into buying some of her snacks that she sells. Elder Jones and I always encourage her humorous nagging to the other. On this occation she was keeping us entertained by wanting to pop our pimples. She was finishing up with my face when she kissed me twice. Now this in itself is not note worthy, but I thought I would take this opportunity to share the list so far. One kiss by a fellow missionary when we parted ways (hand holding and greeting kisses are more acceptable with the same gender in public, it's the display of affection towards a date or wife which is grounded upon). One kiss on the wrist by a drunk man trying to prove that he will come to church, and two from Philomena.
-By far my favorite day of this week was Sunday. It started by having an investigators father drive us to church at 85mpg. At church we had Samuel Obagye with his daughter at church as well as Nii Quaie bringing Oko and Tai. We had a few other investigators as well, one of them giving me an "African" bracelet so I was happy about that. At church the Executive secretary for the ward took us to his house for dinner. It's a good thing he has a car because he lives 20 minuets away and taking a tro tro wouldn't be fun. Before we ate the rice and stew he cut up some coconuts from some of his trees and served them to us. We proceeded to eat them and feed some of them to his pet monkey. The monkey is around 3 feet tall and has been kept in its cage for a few years because the owner, Brother Entwi doesn't want him to run away or get stolen. Mr. Entwi lived 25 years in Italy, joined the church there as well, and still speaks fluent Italian. On the way home in the car, stuck in traffic, we ended up next to a bus of white people, mostly girls, around our age. We figured that they were on a tour of Ghana of some sort. Like any white missionary here we decided to take some pictures of them haha. They found it interesting to see other white people, but we were much more excited because none of us have seen so many non missionaries in one spot our entire time here. Life is good.

From February 7, 2011: Four Months in Ghana!

From February 7, 2011:  Monday was a normal day in Africa. It was also the day I hit four months here.
  On Tuesday Elder Jones and I went to a farther place in our area to see a man named Jonathon. There were many African like places here so I was able to take some good pictures. On our way back Elder Jones signaled what he thought was a trotro, but as the car pulled over we realized it was a school bus for kindergarten age children. The driver said he would give us a ride to wherever we needed to go to because he was going to the same area. We proceeded to get in the van and take some pictures of the kids in the car. The driver picking us up was a good example of the goodness in the world. People say that there is so much evil in the world. The reason it grabs attention is that it's out of the ordinary. There are more people in the world doing random acts of kindness for each other, we just have to notice them. The Sacksteder family sent me a copy of This I Believe and some of the personal philosophies talk about the goodness in the world passed around by unrecognized persons keeping charity alive.
 Wednesday was a fantastical day because the member who was sewing some traditional Muslim robes finished the work today. I have no idea where I will wear a long sleeve dress with a hood, but I will make sure I find a place.
  Thursday was even more of a mind blowing day. So I was talking to a man with Elder Jones when another man walked by wearing a familiar shirt. We went to talk to the man after and took a picture of him. The shirt the man was wearing was a staff shirt of the gym I used to go to in Illinois (Courts Plus in Elmhurst). I figure that it was donated to a place that ships clothes to Africa and he bought it off the street. I found it a wonderful coincidence.
  Friday was when our zone (collection of districts which is a collection of areas) had our every three month interviews with the mission president. Things went well and the desire to work continues. After the interview Elder Jones and I met with the Obagye family where they accepted a baptism date. The father is an educated farmer with six children and a wife. It has been great teaching them because they understand the importance of families.
  For Saturday Elder Jones and I went over to visit an investigator named Margret. She is a retired teacher who has children in London so they have sent her an oven, toaster, and a washing machine. She is in her mid 70s so she said she needed help around the house dusting and sweeping. While we were there some Jehovah's Witnesses started talking to Margret's grandchild. Her house is on the third floor so we smiled and waved to them in a festive manner. After the cleaning was done she said she would feed us so we made ourselves some fried rice giving her some for dinner. We have no idea how the rice turned out so well, but she said it was good and it was.
  For Sunday we went to church and after I read Teachings of the Prophets: Joseph Smith. It was a long book, over 500 pages, but it was a quick read and I loved it. It was nice learning more about him and his life through the eyes of his words and other people. It satisfies me to say that at the end of the book I had my testimony of the truthfulness of his life and the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I was also thinking about how to the world I used to live in, I don't exist. I stay alive through the thoughts of others and my words such as this, but because I am just a single aspect of peoples lives, being gone has wiped me off the face of the Earth and when I do return people will remember me to some degree or another depending on the person, but for the most part I will be a new face. I have loved to see the growth I have made in all areas because of my time here in Ghana. I am so used to my current way of life it will be interesting to see how I am and where I will be in life compared to others around me when I return.

From January 24, 2011: Kenishie Market, Marriage, Illness

From January 24, 2011:  On Monday Elder Jones went to the Kenishie market to buy fabric for some Muslim robes that will be sewn for us by a church member. You ask why? Well they are basically dresses with long sleeves and a hood. If this doesn't compel you then perhaps you should hear that I will wear it to such events that require a change of clothes underneath like the gym. The market itself is a huge three story building. The first floor is the food that is shipped in from farms. Once Elder Jones and I made it through the smell of exposed meat that had been there for at least a full day and asended the stairs where we were located in the part of the market where there were other kinds of food aside from the stuff below. We bought a few things and continued to the third floor. The third floor is where everything in the world imaginable can be found. We bought our fabric and left. The fun fact about this market is that this is one of the places filmed on the Amazing Race. I can not imagine how those people handled that market not adapting to the culture.
  We later met up with Elder Cobbinah, Nielsen, and other missionaries from a place called Mateheko, one of them being Elder Beck. We met for a hamburger at a restaurant where we encountered a white man. I talked to him with Elder Beck and we figured out that he is a gold trader from Greece and he welcomed us to teach our message. Elder Beck (Elder Beck and his companion is over the area where the man, Emanuel lives) has called informing me that he will be getting baptized so that is good to hear.
    Well Tuesday was another fantastical day. Josephine, a recent convert in Teshie is moving to Chicago in August to get married. It will be a plan of mine to see her when I return to the states. The only way to top this is that a mother in the ward was talking to her daughters if they would want to marry a white man. They like every African said yes. The mother gave her consent on the daughters (in their twenties) - consent for Porsche to marry me and Natasha to marry Elder Nielsen. In Ghana the tribal marraige is complete when the parents of the daughter recognize the couple and married. Long story short I am now married traditionally in Ghana.
   On Wednesday the President Satati,  a regional authority for the church in West Africa, came to talk to the missionaries. It was fun and inspirational. On the way to the event our taxi died in the freeway so avoiding traffic we were able to move to the side of the road and get another car.
    We came home on Thursday to hear a lot of arguing in the compound. Elder Cobbinah being Ghanaian tried to listen to what was going on as multiple people were arguing in Twi. He concluded that there was someone in the compound being accused of rape. Thursday was also when I developed a fever, chills and a headache.
    When Friday came I called the mission and somehow I developed a variation of urinary tract infection. I'm just going to let your mind do the rest. The rest of the story is that I had to drink 10L of water, a mango and pineapple every day for several days and take some medicine that worked. I'm fine now, but I did stay in the apartment for the day on Friday. Midday Elder Jones and I ran into the landlord who told us about a thief that stole a bedspread the previous night and how he had been reported to the police. It was this sheet that was held up the night before and when Elder Cobbinah was listening in his native language what was going on,  he came to the conclusion that the sheet was representing a rape and not that it was stolen and then found. So no rape after all.
    I couldn't recall anything from Saturday aside from being tired from being sick the previous day and doing a full day of missionary work. On Sunday it was a normal lazy Sunday that we would of woken up in the late afternoon, but because church is at 8 am we woke up early. Before church started I was talking to a man named George who plays the hymns for the sacrament meeting.  I proceeded to pretend to play a duet with him as he warmed up with the hymns. It has been fun to let go of my dignity and have fun with the people.

From January 17, 2011: LDS Missionaries and Jehovah Witness Missionaries

From January 17, 2011:  Well on Monday I bought some soccer jerseys so I must say that is was a productive day to say the least.
  Tuesday was also much fun. I can't recall anything really aside that Elder Jones and I worked hard and we continue to have a lot of laughs through the day.
  Wednesday was noteworthy in the sense that we encountered an undercover Jehovah Witness. I say undercover because they normally wear straw hats as an unofficial way to identify them. Elder Jones and I were talking to an investigator when this woman came up to talk to us asking questions. She started to argue with us and when she used the word Jehova God we realized who she was. We exchanged pamphlets and parted ways.
  The next day (Thursday) we encountered the same woman at the place we met her the day before teaching our investigator. I in my chipper like demeanor talked to her and made some humorous comments about the weather which caused her to laugh and we parted ways. Though we don't agree on the same doctrine I had no issue expressing to her that I respected her willingness to share a message (like myself) that she believes to be true. Though we are not the best of friends by the nature of both of our purposes, I'm sure that we will encounter her again where we will continue being friendly towards each other which is something that I think is very important to do.
  On Friday the missionaries that are the mission president's assistants (the assistants to the president/ APs) came to spend a few hours with Elder Jones and I. One of them served with Elder Orchard so that was something in common that I found amusing. The day was good learning from him and picking up some new ideas for teaching. 
 On Saturday a woman named Philomina Mensah was baptized. She may not know as much as other people about the gospel, but she has a testimony of the truthfulness of it.
  Sunday was noteworthy because our ward had two graduates from BYU that came to visit Ghana for a business idea involving fish farms in third world countries. It was fun talking to them and I found it interesting how I have blended into the culture so far as I compare them to myself. After church the McCarthy Hills elders, Elder Nielsen, Cobbinah, Jones and myself, dressed up in some football jerseys and played finger football. We made a field from cardboard and put a little rubber cleat on our finger to kick the ball with.

From January 10, 2011: First Transfer from Teshie to McCarthy Hills

From January 10, 2011:  On Monday after emailing home I studied the scriptures along the subjects of God, who he is, the Godhead, and the plan of salvation. It's nice to increase my understanding of these subjects and be able to discuss them with others if needs be.
 On Tuesday I was told that I would be transferred from Teshie and be serving in a place called McCarthy Hills. Compared to Teshie, McCarthy Hills is more of a wealthy community though once we make our way into the valley from the hill which we live on, it tends to becomes more rundown. My new area is much larger so we tend to travel a lot in it. One of the places that is really cool in McCarthy Hills is looking out from the balcony from out apartment which is on the second level and quite nice for a mission apartment. When the sun sets I can see thousands of lights from the view. It's an interesting feeling because it seems like it could be a city in the states. For the area itself I live with three other missionaries Elder Jones my companion who is from Utah and has been out for 6 months, Elder Nielsen from Utah 20 months, and his Ghanaian companion Elder Cobbinah ho has been out for 6 months. For Elder Cobbinah he is from a wealthy family in Ghana whose uncle is our wards bishop. Anyway, he has a washer and dryer, and mostly eats American food at home. He doesn't speak any tribal language, and doesn't like to eat the traditional food either.
 Hearing that I was leaving Teshie was sad at first because I had fun with Elder Orchard, but I knew that it was just another step forward and I'm now closer to the final destination. I have solidified a good work ethic from Elder Orchard so it has been fun working with elder Jones being really laid back and willing to work. Leaving Teshie and saying goodbye to some of the people there gave me a taste for what it will feel like to leave Ghana after two years.
 Going back to McCarthy Hills it is much more quiet and there is more foliage which gives the place more of an "African" feel. There isn't a place to buy any "African" items so that will help me save money though there is a nice soccer jersey stand here and I figure while some of the stuff I buy here will be nice, but I won't have a use for them while I would put them to use so I think I will buy a few. Oh another thing about elder Jones is that we lived at the same place at BYU-I and worked one shift difference at the same job there. I think I saw him, I know some of his friends,  but he has dropped 50lbs or so here so he looks really different now. He is a funny guy and while we have different backgrounds and type of friends our personalities mesh really well.
 One of my first days here I saw some boys playing football (soccer) and when I took a closer look I saw that one boy only had one leg and was using a crutch. I filmed him playing so I will send it in an email home, but he was running, passing, shooting, and defending being one of the more talented kids playing. Watching the boy play was evident of the human persona to overcome. There are many people here with disabilities or handicaps that have to overcome to survive here and excel in overcoming while I get the feeling that if people had the same trials in the states many of the people wouldn't have the desire to overcome and seek pity from others. I know that it's a general statement, but I feel they overcome inpart because one can't really give them the aid they would receive in the states. I'm going to email some pictures and a video later in the day when we come back to cafe.
 On Friday Elder Cobinah crashed on his bike so Elder Nielsen and I helped bandage him up and he is doing fine now. Eder Jones and I came to the conclusion that we have bed bugs so we sprayed our room and beds so we are able to get a full night sleep now without waking up and itching all over.

From January 3, 2011: Food Poisoning and Hospital Visit; Pictures!

From January 3, 2011:  Well on Monday I woke up at 3am to go vomit so that was enjoyable. I continued to throw up and experience all other side effects of my body giving up and dying on me. A few hours later I called the mission president's wife to give her my condition. She concluded that I had developed  food poisoning from our meal that was fed to us the day before. It wasn't malaria because I didn't have a headache so that was good news. Sister Smith told me to go and buy some medicine to try and get better. As Elder Orchard and I traveled around thirty minuets to pick up our three weeks subsistence and then the medicine I threw up several more times. I wasn't able to keep the medication down either so we were told to go to the hospital. We got there after throwing up a few more times - telling the nurses what was wrong, them talking to me in Twi while I felt like dying. I was eventually connected to an IV drip, and I eventually got better making the total vomit count at 19.
  On Tuesday I was feeling much better, which was a little sad because I invited the nurses to my "call to glory" (funeral). Sister Smith brought some scrambled eggs, toast, jam, and apple juice. The eggs had peppers, onions, and cheese. It was my first time seeing cheese while I have been here because the cost is outrageous and it is only sold in certain places. I was waiting to leave by 10am, but we had to wait for the doctor to tell us we could leave. We were told around 2pm that he was roaming the halls to pass time. We eventually left by 5 and were on our way back to Teshie where we taught one lesson, but I was really drained so we just emailed home to make up for the absence on Monday and went back to the apartment. It's weird now that after I am done being sick, I don't really care as much on getting sick again. I know it wasn't fun and I felt like dying, but the moment just came and went and I know I can survive it so there is no point obsessing over it.
On Wednesday I forgot to write in my journal, but I remember that I was still really drained from being sick, but when we started working and teaching I had energy which I am giving credit to the spirit for while I preached the gospel to the best of my ability.
 On Thursday we baptized a man named Christopher Nartey. He was very happy and was confirmed a member of the church and given the gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday.
On Friday New Years Eve, the Teshie ward had a party. Elder Orchard and I brought our investigators and they were able to have a good time meeting people that are members. The party was full of food, dancing and watching a pirated version on Air Force One. In other churches there was a lot of loud vocal prayers and fun stuff like that. I will try and send an audio clip of what they sound like next week.
  On Sunday we went to church, felt the spirit, and gave a baptismal date to a girl named Helen. We also went over to our bishop's house for dinner because Sister Oduro will be returning home from her mission on Wednesday. It was fun to spend some time with the bishop and his family and after when I helped wash dishes.

From December 28, 2010: First Christmas in Ghana

From December 28, 2010:  This post is vague for time and events that will be explained in the next post.
On Tuesday I went on a split with the zone leader Elder Larson in his area. It was fun getting to talk to him and learning more about him. He has been here for 18 months so it was cool to see how much Twi he knows. After the split we met up at the church in Teshie where Elder Orchard received a package from his family for Christmas. After he opened it up we went to talk to Christopher before his baptism and all was well. On Thursday we were planning on baptizing him, but he didn't want to. After spending time figuring out what was wrong he told us that he unknowingly took a drink of alcohol at a work party and didn't feel worthy for baptism. We talked it over and he will be baptized this week. I spent some time thinking about life and where the people my age group are in life compared to me.  When I recall an unhappy memory or when things aren't super fun, it's a thought that I like to think about - being able to say that I have lived in Africa for two years and grown in so many ways.
 On Wednesday I heard that Elder Lemmeh from Ethiopia was sent home for leaving his companion for three hours and other things. He came to Ghana the same time as me so his departure leaves four other missionaries that arrived in Ghana at the same time. Elder Orchard and I spent our lunch and dinner reading the scriptures.  Reading them seems to re-energize us so we can continue the day working hard. I finished the Book of Mormon and will reread it, in addition to working my way through the Bible. I don't know how long it will take me to read it, but I figure I have plenty of time here.
 On Christmas Eve I called my father for 40 minutes and my family afterward. It was good talking to them and just letting the conversation flow.
 On Christmas all of the missionaries met together at a members home to eat and socialize. It was good talking to the other missionaries at the party and to eat nice food. I spent a lot of time with Elder Orchard, Boyd, Farnes, and Elder Rich. I was also able to pick up some packages and letters that were sent to me. Later I called my family again for a while.
 On Sunday the apartment went to a member's house to eat rice, stew, and chicken.