A Serious Investigator from a GC "For the first time in forever!"

Interviews

We did our morning usuals. Washing and gyming and cleaning. When we went to email we had to wait for Narnia and a half since Ghanaians don't know how a line works. Eish. But when we got to email, it was good. After We went and walked around town, I bought some fabric for my future wife. ;) shopped for our food and then in the evening we went to President Adjaes house (1st counselor to President Stevenson) for FHE. He invited a lot of the missionaries and we had a great time.

District meeting was good. Elder Rugundana gave a nice instruction regarding less actives and how we can better involve members and how to strengthen our converts. We saw Gloria and Charity and had good lessons with both of them. We're preparing both of them for baptism, but mainly Charity. In the evening we went to mid week and there the ward had a discussion on Optimism which came from the teachings of President Gordon B. Hinckley. I love talking about Optimism. :)

Engagement

Wednesday we had interviews with President at 1:30. We watched a training that was delivered for the Mission Presidents and Elder Oaks wanted the missionaries to also watch it. During, President pulled us out one by one. I renewed my temple recommend and got some questions answered. I love interviews. :) After we went with Elder Swartbooi to go teach a man named Bro. Mensah, that guy is messed up up top. The way he twists scriptures to get what he wants and turns you on yourself. So stubborn and hardheaded. He'll need the missionaries in the next life....

Man, spiders are everywhere. It seems like I kill one or two a day. As I was removing the barracade from the door in the morning, the fetching thing starts gapping it up my arm! Shook it off and gooshed it real good as it was trying to evade through the shoes. Sleep. Hate spiders.

Sister Christiana after church

We saw Dina today. I love her children, especially her little boy. He's kind of an adrenaline junkie though. He loves thrills. We saw Charity and Gloria, but Gloria and her daughter were a little sick.

We honestly have no one to teach. Our first appointment as at 5 and we leave the house at 11..... What are we supposed to do for 6 hours?!?!?! So we went and did some GCing in Twabewu. Found some people but we'll see if they're serious. One was named Elikem (Alfred) and the other was Abigail. Missionary work is so much more sweet when you have people to see. We saw Mary Fynn but that was a bum lesson, she wasn't focused. In the evening the whole apartment gymed. All 6. That was a first. Only 2 of us are regulars, so the other 4 were a surprise.

Bread Oven (and goats).
[photo by Mission President]

Saturday was actually good. We went to an Engagement in the morning for a member and investigator who will soon be a member. We saw Alfred when we got back and he seems like a sweet guy, he calls himself a Roaming Ambassador since he has no church. :) Then we saw Dina and she gave us some Geoloff. We saw Gloria but she was a little frustrating. We don't know why she doesn't want to come to church. She's stopped her church and has said our church is true, but then she doesn't come. I just don't know.

Mpintsin District

Sunday was great! We had 3 investigators come to church. Charity, Christiana, and Abigail! I was shocked to see Abigail! She was the GC and we invited her to church and she came! She fit in very well and the young women pulled her in immediately. The youth of the church are good. :) Christiana will get baptized next transfer. We went home for lunch and then went and visited with Gloria and Dina to see why they didn't come, and both said that they had no reason...... Garbage. I'm just confused because we've tried everything and they're giving us mixed signals. Sister Teressa fed us all Fufu with Light Soup. I love light soup from members, they make it soooooo nice. We went to an activity at the church in the evening and Abigail came to that too! I have wonderfully high hopes for her. :)

Greeted by a Naked Man

Chopped my mane ;)
(It wasn't that long
but it sure felt like it)

Diamond Anniversary for Ghana! They celebrated their 60th year of independence. We went to play football with the ward, but no one showed so we ended up playing pool instead. (It was 1 cedi a game.) We went to Tadi and played Volleyball and Rugby with a bunch of other missionaries. The sun roasted me bad. Went home and prepared curry, but I made a massive batch.... Sister Terresa invited us over for FHE and we watched the Testaments video.

There was no District meeting. So we went to Takoradi to email, since Monday was crazy. After emailing it rained hecka hard. So hard that some of the roads flooded, but that's also because they throw trash in their gutters which fills the drains... Cockroaches were swimming due to their submerged living quarters. Literally swimming. They were like mini jet skies. We gooshed all the ones that wanted to share our dry spot.

Wednesday we met a woman named Rita, and we had her tailor some of our clothes. White shirts and trousers. All but Gloria bounced us. She just needs time. We went to Jennifer and Ophelias and gave a woman that lives just below them a blessing. She has a serious infection on the left leg. Things like that rarely resolve here.... :(

Thursday was the Mission Tour. We had to be in Takoradi by 9. Elder Stanfill and his wife came and instructed on wonderful things. I love being able to sit and listen to old men of the church that have a massive store of experience and wisdom. It lasted nearly all day. On the way to the station though, a naked man (we encountered him earlier in the morning with clothes on) came rushing over to us very much desiring that we all shake hands with him. Some things you'll never forget. In the evening Elder Iumalo gave me a hair cut. I had more hair than I thought.

Half the apartment went to their finish strong meeting, so Elder Etim came with us for the day. We got bounced by all of our and his investigators. The only one that worked out was Gloria. We spent some time with Judith and sent her to get some Polo (coconut mixed with flour and fried) turns out she got a lot more that we thought the money would purchase. Plenty! On the way home in the evening we gave Rita's daughter a blessing, but she was squirming and pushing the hands because she's afraid of Obruni Hands.

I  woke up to another spider in my bed, this time it was chilling on my net... I don't understand because I even tuck my net....

We picked Ophelia and she spent the whole day with us. We first saw Dina, but she was distracted. :/ And then Gloria which was good. Doris gave us rice when we went to visit her. And then in the evening when we popped into Sister Terresa's for a visit, she gave us rice with Kontombre stew. It's nice knowing that members like you. :)

It's so disappointing when reliable investigators promise to come to church and then fail. Church was Fante. After we went home and ate lunch, just after eating though it started to rain and it rained hard. Turning our area into mud. So while it rained we took a nap. When we went out, we visited several members, and the Owus gave us Fufu with mystery meat.... Sister Owu loves me so much and I love that whole family. Every time we sit down at their place they try to feed us. I love them. :)

Dr. Park (my forever mission nickname)

Elder Peterson
(He had just barely split his leg open...)

Monday was good. We did our necessities and then went to the Chapel to play games with the Zone. However, while we were playing American Football, Elder Peterson was cruising a little too fast. He slipped and bashed his leg against a cement pillar.... Life became slow motion for a bit. As it turns out he hit just below the knee on his Tibia. He was holding his knee and when he moved his hands, some of the wound moved and the middle didn't..... He had gone clear to the bone. So I got some pure water, cleaned out the dirt, and wrapped him nice and tight. One of the Elders was sketching so bad about taking him to the Hospital, but another said to him, "Man, I trust Elder Park a lot more than the hospitals here." They took him to the hospital later and only gave him 3 stitches on a wound that should have taken 12+ in the U.S. .... Eish.

My American Samoan father
Elder Talamoni :)

Tuesday's Zone meeting was good. We discussed about being content with being Imperfect. Some of us get a little too focused on being perfect and allow the comparison to become depressing. It was a nice Instruction.

After, we ate Fufu. But the peppe in the soup was too much! I was suffering so much!

Chillin with my best Obrunis!
Elders Bay and Green

We saw Prince and got a new investigator named Mary Baidoo. She seems like a sweet gal. Maybe she'll actually be serious.

In the evening I called Christian Ativor (my first convert in Cape) and had a wonderful reunion. It was so nice to be able to catch up with him and learn that he is endowed! I love that man. :)

Dorthy and Ophelia

On another note, something died in our room and we can't find it.... We think it died in the ceiling but we can't access that..... So our room smells great as you can imagine.

Wednesday was a day of bouncing. Everyone bounced us. We spent time with several different members and all of them dashed us something. It was nice. We got hard coconuts, a sweet apple, and a bundle of bananas. Members make life sweet. :) Lights out....

Service Project!

Thursday we did our normal stuff and weekly planning. We saw Mary Baidoo. Doris surprised us with Fufu and light soup. The fufu was stacked with plantain, so it was almost too dense to cut with my fingers.

Samuel Asare came with us to teach Gloria, which was a great idea. The lesson was way nice. Jennifer and Ophelia also surprised us with the same thing! It's my favorite food!

Friday was pbbt... No lessons, all bounced us. We helped Jen and Ophelia wash. We only helped for an hour and a half but there's this weird thing that happens when you're wet and in the sun. You get roasted.

combined zone conference

We had a service project in the morning. We cleared some vegetation from Bishop's to Bro. Kainyah's. After, they gave us some nice Geoloff. We went and saw Dina and helped her fetch water by force. Ghanaians don't like to be helped because we're wearing white shirts..... That's why we wash, silly. ;) When we finished she was smiling so wide she could have eaten a banana side ways. :)

In the evening we swung by the Owus and they gave me "small" fufu. Small my butt! It was freakin huge!

I always love Fast Sunday. A day to grow spiritually. Gloria came again! And she stayed for 2 hours! :) Slowly but surely we're getting her. :) After church we taught Christiana. The sun was BLAZING. It always seems to be the hottest on Sundays. In the evening we picked the other Elders because sister Terresa had invited us over for Fufu, soooo nice. :)

Doomso Doomso (no power)

Proselyting with Doris! :)

Monday was the first normal P-day in a long time. Elder Rugundana and I washed and cleaned everything and then chilled forever and a half. Finally left at 12:30. Found a new cafe that does 10 hours for 6 cedi and it's fast. Shopped and wandered small. We walked in the house and power went out...... Which lead to a long and super hot evening. Sleep was shot because power came back like 4-5 times during the night but then it left right away.

Love Joy sporting
my comp's glasses.
I love children. :)

Tuesday, Elder Etim (my grandson) gave his first instruction at district meeting, and it went a lot better than I thought it would. Chopped Fufu as usual and then Doris gave us a partially spoiled 'sweet apple' and we helped her transplant some plantain trees. At midweek I talked to Michael and he dashed me a pack of 50 rolls of t-roll! Some blessings that are small and simple, are big and phenomenal to missionaries. :)

Proselyting with Linda

Power went out at 6, and came back by 6.... So all morning was straight suffering. The whole house was a blast furnace. We did manage to get a new investigator named Prince. He's a pretty chill guy and seems to be loving what we teach and has genuine questions and a desire to have his mother taught too. Gifty is straight not serious. Doris came with us to teach both. We used Judith to teach Mercy, but she still isn't keeping commitments so we're thinking about giving her some time. We stopped by the Owus for a bit. At the house Bro Jesse brought me a letter from the stake and from the Lights! Such pleasant surprises. :)

Mission President photo:
Mpintsin Zone / The zone conference
training topic is: "Helping people
make and keep commitments that
will lead them to come unto Christ."

We did our weekly planning and then lights went out again. Life isn't always easy. When we went out though we felt a wonderful breeze all day. God cares. :)  We had a great lesson with Prince. I like him already. :) WCM and PEC was an experience. These leaders are nothing like any of my other leaders I've had. Got home and guess what.... Still no power! Eish.

Mission President photo:
We met with four zones this week
for interviews -- mostly in the
Western Region.

Ended up being one of the worst nights of my mission. I got a total of an hour of sleep. We need to sleep under a net to keep us from getting malaria, but the only places with nets are our beds, and our beds are fetching hot. I wanted to sleep on the floor but couldn't..... I ended up taking a nap before going out on the hard cold wonderful tile floor. :) Power didn't come till 7. Which resulted in no lessons. No one will be in the mood to see you if it's Doomso.

Mission President photo:
We had to stop the conference for a few
minutes because of a heavy rain that
passed through.  The pounding on the
metal roof made it impossible to
hear anything that was being said.
This is the strangest
"dry season" we have seen.

Saturday was sweet. We went for Chapel cleaning in the morning, came back and prepped. Then picked up Linda to go see Dina and Dina. It was a wonderful lesson. They had and will continue to have good questions because they actually read what we give them. We went to Anoe to find some members and then gapped it to Eshiem to support those Elders' baptism. Transfer news came! And I'm staying for one more! Which I'm stoked about.

Mission President photo:
We reminded them to take their
Doxycycline every day,
wash eggs, fruit and vegetables
in soap, bleach and water,
sleep under a mosquito net
and wash your hands.

Sunday we woke up early to be able to go and pick Phillomina since we have 8 o'clock church. That's the only downer for the first session. Is that you don't have time to pick investigators. Charity and Christiana also came to church. :) We picked Ophelia to go see Dina and Dina which, as I said, was another great lesson. She also showed us some more members on the other side of the area and some past investigators that others had dropped. The rains came but only for a bit, just to make enough mud to soil your shoes. Came home and the house had NO water, not one drop. If it's not one problem, it's another.... But we take what we take and make it work. :)