Last Week

WHAT THE!?  Can you believe this? I just can't believe that my last week email is here. I could write so much but I just don't know what to write. 

Well, let me give an update about the area. This week Susanna was baptized! Everything went so well! The baptism was a huge success. We were able to baptize 3 new members as a ward. Not bad!  I also heard an update on CLIFFORD from Berekum.  He still has not been baptized which is disappointing but his future wife is coming to church now! I also heard that his little brother was baptized!  So Clifford is still on the road to baptism!  I am super happy about that!

Susanna is standing next to me holding her baby, Emanuel, Ama and Elders Mathews, Etukudo and Stephens

The time has finally come! You can learn a lot in 2 years, that's for sure.  I guess I could write about PATIENCE. hahah! That's for sure! haha! I think the best way to develop Christ like attributes is most definitely on a mission. Especially Charity! 

I have loved serving in Ghana. What an experience! The people of Ghana are sooooo amazing. They are the most welcoming and loving people. They are so excepting of others too.  Sure, they do have some culture flaws but overall just amazing individuals.  My call to serve here was no coincidence. It was definitely divine design!

The Appiah Family

Brother Elvis and his boy Kofi

I will seriously miss being a missionary. I'll miss all the sweet experiences. I'll miss Ghanaians. I'll miss so many things. I will dearly miss going around and telling people that "I know that my Redeemer lives!"  That has been the best part of my mission because it's soooo true!  Heavenly Father has created the most perfect plan for each and every one of us!  Christ is at the center of it! If we follow him, by all means, we will never fall off the path! 

Thanks to all those who supported me on my mission!  I truly appreciate it!  I love you all so much!  I'll see you guys in a couple of days! 

Love you all!

Elder Turner

Elder Vaitulala and Elder Brown

Elders Blanchard, Stephens, Turner and Garrett doing our best impersonation of The Best Two Years

Me and Garrett at our final testimony meeting

The New Assistants - Elders Etukudo and Paskett

Some of us leaving this transfer

President and Sister Webster

Week 98 Kumasi

The time is drawing near!! Just 8 days til my mission is over! That's just so unreal to think about. Kinda sad and kinda happy too. Mixed emotions.  I’m just trying to have a good last 8 days you know? 

This week was a little different! The rainy season is coming!  We have some days out here when the rain just never stops!  Today is P-day but the rain just never quit.  It's been going solid for about 15 hours.  The roads are just horrendous now! Although I usually love the rain, it is a major buzz kill in Ghana. Whenever it rains Ghanaians are done!  They just go into hiding!  Just about every shop closes. When you try to teach anyone the classic excuse is, "but it's raining!"  Even if they are inside their house! Just kinda funny. 

It was a good week though.  We had some zone conferences and MLC.  This months MLC was so great.  It really was one of the best ones I've had.  We also got to spend a little time working in our area!  We got a referral from a member who turned out to be blind! He is very intelligent! We just gotta figure something out so that he can also progress while we aren't there.  We are going to try and find a ward member to read for him and someone else to pick him up for church. So yeah... It's sweet teaching him!  Susanna is also doing fine! She is still progressing toward baptism.  She's set for the baptismal service this coming Saturday.   We are praying that she makes it!  It would be great timing right? Hahaha! She wants too so it's in her hands now! 

This is the last week! So wild! Like I said.... Just trying to have a great 8 days! I definitely am going with no regrets! Just trying to keep it that way! 

Sorry for a short email!  Remember that "whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains they shall be" Always be a peacemaker! The spirit of contention is of the Devil! 

Enjoy the US OPEN this week everyone! GO TIGER. 

Elder Turner 

The Sons of Webster... Elders Garrett, Blanchard, Barron and Turner

Sisters Ekanem and Moses

Week 97 Kumasi

Another week down! I say this every time, isn't it wild? I think it is! This week was just another week of missionary work out here in Kumasi.

This week we just had some Zone Conferences and stuff. It was busy but nothing too crazy.  Oh! I forgot!  We moved!  YES!  We moved to a new apartment! It's so nice!  It just didn't come at the right time! I only have 2.5 weeks in this new apartment that has AIR CONDITIONING!  Oh well.  It took a whole day to move all our stuff! 

We did get one full day of proselyting in! Brother Boga, our recent convert, was putting in some work with us!  He was coming around with us in our area to introduce us to some of his buddies.  We got two new people with a little work from Boga.  We are just trying to get him involved in the missionary work and some Family history too! 

The teaching pool is cool.  We still have Susanna progressing! We hope that she will be able to get baptized in the next couple of weeks! 

This week I was sitting in church and a member bore his testimony about a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants. 

3 Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you, and your sins are forgiven you. 

It was a really good testimony and it touched my heart!  He was so happy to go up and say it!  It's true though!  The church is all about everyone opening their mouths and proclaiming the truth!  This scripture is a great promise! 

 I hope everyone is doing fine! SEE YOU SOON!

Elder Turner

My Companion and I with the Office Elders and the Traveling Elders

Week 96 Kumasi

Yo!  What a crazy week.  I can't believe how fast it went by! A lot went on this week for my companion and I.  We were country travelers this week! From one end of the country to the other! 

We started off this week going up to Tamale for a Zone conference!  6 hours up. Nice way to start up the week! Ha! Tamale was great!  I saw some of the members from Tamale when I was up there!  It was crazy to say bye to a lot of those people! Zone conference went well. The next day we set off to Sunyani for another conference then we headed on down to Berekum to say good bye to a bunch of people there as well. This week was just a week of goodbyes! I forgot, I also passed through Techiman and said bye to some people there! Not easy... 

The Gakpo Family from Tamale

 The conferences all went well. We had an amazing opportunity to go to Accra! Accra is just a completely different place than anywhere in the Kumasi Mission! We went down there because we got invited to a Missionary Devotional with Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Bishop Causse, and Elder Vinson.  Also the Area Presidency was there.... 6 General Authorities in one room.  Shaking their hands was funny. I was telling all the Elders walking by to go and Shake their hands "Clean hands, pure heart" haha! The devotional was just absolutely amazing. So much learned. 

Elder Otkopa giving me a lift!

Me and Elder Stapley

We also got to roll over to the Temple.  Spending time in the Temple was a dream come true. It’s been such a long time since I’ve been there. You don't realize how amazing it is till you haven't gone for a while! Once again, so much learned! It's just a peaceful place! No problems inside. 

Well, the big message I got this week was just about the mission of the Apostles. Those men have a pretty big load to take care of. It really isn't just a walk in the park for them! They need people to help! That's why we have everyone else:) it was just amazing. 

This week, we got absolutely zero time in our area which is sad. Our pool is still there and people are still progressing! So that’s sweet!  This week should be a lot better. I have a little amount of time left to work with so I’m trying my best! 

Some one-liners from the Devo...

"A heart full of gratitude invites the spirit" - Elder Christofferson

"The Lord loves a grateful heart" - Elder Christofferson

"When you work with one person, you need to see behind them." ( referring to the veil) - Bishop Causse

There were many more! 

Anyway, Love you all! 

Elder Turner

Week 95 Kumasi

I can't believe I just wrote down week 95! Kinda crazy! 

This week was a little slow. Nothing too crazy happened. We were just working in our area so it was nice to get some time! The problem is that we just had a full week in our area and this next week we are completely out of our area. So, it might throw everything off timing wise with our teaching pool. 

This week we did have some of our recent converts to teach. We helped them understand more about family history and how it is important! We even got our referral machine, Martin, on family history now!  He finished the book "My Family" in like 2 days. Interestingly, a new family history consultant just got called in our ward!  Talk about "perfect timing" Ha!  Our recent converts are doing great though! 

We got a referral last week that has been coming to church. Her name is Susanna! She’s very cool.  She lives right next to a family in our ward and they are helping out a whole lot.  We even have a guy that is good friends with Boga, Ishmael and Martin.  I told him that Boga just got baptized and he told me that he was next! OK, No problem!  Hahaha!  His name is Kobi and he’s such a cool guy! 

This week we are traveling around for zone conferences.  I’m in Tamale right now writing this email. We are also making a trip down to Accra for a missionary devotional!  So this week will be a busy one!  Sorry for the short email!  Time is a little short today! 

Also no pics this week, Sketchy computer you know??? 

Love you all! 

Elder Turner