500+ and Grumpy Kidneys

Playing Ludo with Emmanuela

Monday was nice but tiring. We went for sports at the Takoradi Stake Center. It started to rain though and so we gapped it to the internet cafe. But all the cafes we checked were either powerless or super packed! So we went home and ate at the Zongo chopbar.

Hard Coconuts :)

The roads were way muddy, and when we got home there was no water!!!!! So I couldn't shower!..... I already smelled bad so I just did my work-out, and guess what? My new push-up max is...... 85 Baby! 85 straight! Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to breach 100. Water came back small small so I took a bucket shower.

Mpintsin Zone

I washed in the morning since there was no water Monday. We had the normal District meeting and chopbar. After we went to Takoradi to do our emailing. We came back and saw Phillomina, and also Abigail and Mercy. And none of them are willing to pray or come to church.... So how can you know the truth?! They claim to love our message but then never act on it!!!! Frustration....

Photo by Pres. Stevenson:
"The Scouts served as ushers again.
Here is President Dzikpe
inspecting the troops.
They are pretty passionate.
One of the boys came up to me,
raised his knee up then smartly
put it down while saluting me,
followed by a warm handshake."

Before we went out, power and water finished.....Life..... We've been catching some of our investigators dodging us. Gloria is the only serious one really. It seems that the friends and families are working against us. Satan is so diligent in ruining lives!

Mpintsin Stake Conference

Thursday was poop. It was not nice krah oh. While I was cooking, my insides got way upset. All of them. We still went out but my kidneys were screaming at me all day -- which made for a long and tiring day. I did, however, play Ludo with Emmanuella. It's essentially Trouble/Sorry with a dice.

Friday was a lot better. And I did Level 5 in the morning. 10 sets of 50 push-ups! Every morning I try to do push-ups and lately I've been breaching 500. See progression! ;)

We had interviews with President Stevenson. I love interviews. All my gospel questions get answered. :) In the evening lights went out, which made for a long night of restlessness.

Photo by Pres. Stevenson:
"We are still in Harmattan season,
but the rains seem to be coming."

Saturday was good. We had stake conference at 11:30. President Stevenson and Elder Tawiah of the Seventy gave wonderful talks. We ate fufu afterward and all our appointments bounced us. Doris did give us a coconut though, so we chopped them after chilling them in the fridge in the evening.

Sunday we picked Gloria for church. She came and was listening very intently to the Conference. She seemed to be enjoying it, and so I hope that she'll continue to come.

Smashing spiders in bed

The spider I crushed in my bed
with my calf....

Monday always goes way too fast. I did my washing in the morning. In between my pushup sets I cleaned our portion of the house. Productivity. :) We emailed, shopped, and ate. Gymed in the evening with the other Elders, I love working out. :)

Tuesday was good. I woke up by smashing a spider into my bed with my calf.... That'll wake you up. We went to MLC, they talked about being more aware of our water and energy consumption. A good reminder on helping us become self-reliant when we go home. After, we chopped fufu and then had tons of GCs on the rail while we waited for Samuel Sagoe. Doris had us all over for Banku and Shitto. It was way nice.

FM! :)

Our work is getting steady! We've been finding people to teach that are more serious and so our lessons have been increasing in number. It's nice. :)

We had a new investigator named Christabell. Judith came with us to help teach Abigail, Gloria, and Mary. Abigail dashed us a ton of sugar cane. We chopped ahhhh, and still had extra. Got home and found a letter from the Woolleys! What a pleasant surprise. :)

Now we know where
they got the thorns....

Thursday, all our morning plans fell through, so we decided to go and explore Anoe since we haven't been there together yet. Our area is huge.... Judith came with us again to teach. Phillo, Mary, and Fausty. But Fausty was distracted paah, so it wasn't really beneficial.

Friday we had Noooooo lessons. No one picked their phones, no one answered their door. No one was around. We spent the day trying to find and see investigators. We spent some time at a few member's houses. Lights went out..... Which means sleep didn't happen.

Farming in Eshiem

Saturday I was just beat. We left at 8 to go help the Eshiem Elders farm. The work was us picking up sticks and chopping wood, that was half burnt, with our cutlaces..... Did not enjoy that, but the service was still good. They fed us a ton of Cassava. We got back by 1:30, I took a shower, which was the best thing ever since the sun had roasted my neck since it never sees the sun. Because of time, we were rushing from lesson to lesson, leave it to the day that we're short on time to have everyone free..... Life :)

The Sacrament is always the best part of Sunday. They spoke mostly Fante during the 2nd and 3rd hours, so I tried not to doze off. After church we finally got to meet with a gal named Christiana who is dating a member. She's a sweet thing and is truly interested about the church, so refreshing. :) We had lunch and then saw Gloria. After we went and met a woman named Dina. She attends Holy Jesus Prayer Ministry Chapel. (They sing and drum and dance) But she seemed to enjoy the time we spent together and wants us to return, so we'll see how it goes. :)

Epi Pen number 2

Rugby!

Monday started great! We went and played sports and then went to this place that sells burgers for 12 cedi. The best 12 cedi I ever did spend. Man it was so nice. :)

On the way home we ate at a chop bar that started out nice, but at the close of my meal I put a piece of mystery meat in my mouth and that was all she wrote. We gapped it home and I had to use my 2nd Epi Pen..... The hives and itching were soooo bad. I wanted to die and sleep, but I couldn't because I was so ramped on my Epi Pen..... Rough.

Tuesday was rough. We went to District meeting because Salt Lake changed a few things regarding the daily schedule and our key indicators. But right after we went home and I did my best to recover. My whole body hurt and itched, but it was better if I held still (AKA sleep).

12 cedi burger

Wednesday was good. We essentially saw everyone and we got a new investigator named Gloria. She stays with Fillo and so we'll be able to teach them together. The days move a lot faster when you're actually teaching people.

Thursday just cruised by. With the normal morning routine, weekly planning, and a small nap, I was ready to go. We saw Lucy and helped her fetch water. We saw Fillo and thankfully Gloria was there to help translate. We visited Fausty and then chopped Fufu. We saw some church on TV and the pastor was doing some crazy miracles and the such. So many people were present and viewing. That's what a lot of the people here are looking for. Miracles. But we're not here to do miracles. We're here to teach and bring souls unto Christ. We just need to find those that are ready.

Friday also went fast. We did our morning things and then went to the Asares to help them prepare food for the upcoming funeral. We spent all day there helping them grind corn, fetch meat and containers, cut okra and garden eggs. Busy day. They fed us twice while we were there which was way nice.

Pounding Fufu!

Saturday was way long. We went to the Asares early to help them continue to prepare food. We pounded fufu from 10:00 - 12:30 and then helped with the funeral until it finished, which included cleaning the chapel and taking everything down..... Soooo long. Afterward we took Jennifer to go and see Abigail, Mercy, and Beatrice -- and then Mary. It was a super long day.

Church was way sweet! Mary came to church! I was so excited to see her come in. :) She looked like she was right at home. She has several friends in the church and so she just went from class to class walking like she owned the place. :) It was so nice.

After church the Asares invited us again to come and eat some food to thank us for our help. The gave us rice and a hearty meat pie which tasted so nice. We visited some investigators: the Intifuls and then the Owus. Came home and wound down. Had a good chat with Elders Iumalo and Swartbooi. A pretty decent week.

Pizza Hut in a bowl and Professional break ins. :)

How long people live.....

Monday was a normal day. I showed Elder Rugundana around Takoradi small and did our normal activities. In the evening we went to Sister Andreana's for FHE and then Gymed in the evening. :)

District meeting was short and sweet. Elder Abara gave a 20-minute instruction, so Elder Bay used the rest of the time to continue to teach Elder Abara's lesson. After, we went and chopped fufu and the soup, no joke, tasted like a cheese pizza from Pizza Hut..... it blew my mind.

My first Guava

Elder Rugundana likes walking a lot more than Elder Williams. It's nice. Yes, I'm more tired but we get a lot more done, and he talks to everyone. We'll have several serious investigators in no time. :) Doris gave us some Guavas which were new and nice, and also a mango that was SO nice. Man, it was straight candy.

Wednesday, only a handful bounced us. It was nice. We had a nice discussion with Lucy and then had a discussion with 3 women that live in the same compound. Abigail, Beatrice, and Mercy. Doris fed us 4 missionaries leftover banku with peppe. It was ish.. We finally met a woman named Fillo. She's a sweet lady but needs a translator. Everyone else bounced us, and then in the evening on the way home the AP's drove past and gave us a ride home. I will always take free rides. :)

Mpintsin Zone

Thursday was Zone Conference. And it was waaaaaayyy long.... It started at 10:30 and finished at 5. So long. But apparently they're changing the missionary key indicators and the daily schedule. So we'll see how that goes. :)

Judith came with us to see Mary and the lesson was mostly good. Mary kept getting distracted, though. After was PEC, and they let us go early which was nice, because we're all tired.

Bethesda :)

The work is coming small small. We did our weekly planning and saw Lucy. We gave her small fire. Sometimes the only way people will listen is if you blast them small. At first she was shocked, but at the end she seemed to have understanding. We took Samuel to go see Fillo. We had a nice lesson with her. She asks lots of questions but all of them are good. I like teaching her. :) Everyone else bounced us, but Elizabeth showed us some of her friends, so we'll be teaching them too. :) Elder Iumalo (from Samoa) and I gym each evening. We did 5 sets of 10 benching with the big one.

Our bench :)

Saturday was long.... We started the day with Lucy. I got to hold her baby girl, Bethesda, during the whole lesson. It was nice. :) But then there was a wedding which took all day, and the bad thing is is that all of our members were there, so we couldn't go and teach hardly anyone because all of them need a translator. But thankfully Jennifer and Ophelia came with us towards the end to see a few. After that we went to the Intiful's house and I helped them break into their own house using a crow bar. They somehow locked their keys in the house..... ?

Lots of people came to church because of the newlyweds, so we tried contacting them, but as it turns out, the other Elders somehow managed to contact all of them first! We must have been contacting the ones that they had just contacted. Abigail and Mercy came though! They were late because they went to their church first, but they still came! :) Those ones will probably join one day. :)