Week 14 Techiman

Hey everyone! I hope everything back home and where ever you are is good. Everything in Ghana is nice! This week was a good week! We proselyted some loooong hours this week. Even on Saturday we were gonna have a normal day of proselyting, but we got asked by the Relief Society to come help them cook. We were thinking it was gonna be like maybe 3 hours, even that seems kinda long. But no…we were there all day! 8 hours!!!  I was at the chapel helping them cook meat pies and cakes. HAHA it was long and hot! But it was fun I guess, just making memories.  Am I right?!

Cooking with the Relief Society

Anyway our branch is doing ok. Just trying to get members to come back to church, and to get those guys baptized, Kwame, Daniel and Asonte.  Asonte was gonna travel to his family to talk to them about baptism, but his car broke down! PERFECT TIMING!! hahah seriously I hope and pray everyday that those guys will one day call and say “I can get baptized now!”  This week was ok. I guess! Just out here living the life in Ghana!

Something I was reading in the Book of Mosiah this week was about Abinadi, my favorite person in the Book of Mormon.  I love that guy cause he grills King Noah and his people.  King Noah even says that he won't kill him if he "recalls" everything that he said. Abinadi says he won't recall cause what he says and knows is true!  He then got killed by fire, but he did it living by his testimony. This is Powerful! Let us all remember to be like Abinadi, and live and die our testimony, even when giving it up is an easy way out!  Always live your standards and what you know to be true! I love Abinadi. 

I hope everything is well back home or where ever home is! I love you all and wish you the very best! 

Elder Turner

Freida

Nana, the most stubborn boy I know

Week 13 Techiman

WOWZA! The fact that I just wrote week 13 blows my mind! I'm also almost done with my training! This transfer(in 2 weeks) will be crazy!! My companion and I came and white washed an area, so we came together to Dwumoh. So we don't know who will go or what! I always joke with him and tell him he'll stay in Techiman for the rest of his mission. He gets bugged cause its the hard area in the mission. Anyway! This week was good! We had some long hours! 

Our progressing investigators have been struggling to get baptized. We have 3 that are ready to be baptized Brother Asante, Daniel, and Kwame. They are all ready and prepared to be baptized, but they all have family issues. In Ghana, religion is a huge part of their life. So their family and girlfriends all want them to come to their church, when they know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true. It’s very hard because as a missionary your main goal is baptism. With these guys, we've done everything we can to prepare these guys for baptism. Now its up to them to find a way to let their families let them be baptized. It's cool to think that we've at least converted these three guys to the Church. It's sad to think that one thing is preventing them from being baptized. So we hope that we can get them baptized within the next two or three weeks. 

Dwumoh Chapel

The food is good here. Somewhat... Lets just say we can get it down. I don't exactly crave it haahahha! But it’s ok. Something that's gross here is Cow skin. I tried to eat it but I immediately spit it out and luckily the investigator wasn't there, cause I threw it in the bush! ahhaha!  The food is ok! 

We got into it with a Jehovah Witness pastor twice this week. The first time I was on exchange with our Zone leaders.  We went and sat down on his porch and he got right into telling us how our gospel isn't true and what we teach isn't true. No matter what you say this guy will try to say its wrong.  Everything that he said we confounded him as well and still wouldn't believe hahaha.  So the second time my companion wanted to meet him. I told him I wasn't gonna say a word cause no matter what you say you won't convince him.  We went in again and the exact same thing happened. It got to a point where I just stood up and left!  I wont be going there again!

Something that stood out to me this week was 2 Nephi 32:3-5. Man those scriptures are sweet! Basically what it tells you is to feast upon the words of Christ and have the Holy Ghost and they'll tell you all things what you should do!

Everyone please go read them! I know that if you apply what it says you'll see the blessings! 

I hope everyone is doing well! I love all of you! 

Elder Turner

Some of my favorite kids, Brighter and Savior

Week 12 Techiman

Man!  Everything this week was good!  I mean I had a tiny head cold, but everything about the work and missionary life was good!  What makes this week so good is Elder Mbithi and I have been getting a lot of new good solid investigators!  What makes it even better is they've been referrals.... from other investigators!  hahaha! Seriously!! We have this investigator named Frank Owusu.  He's given us 3 referrals that are all powerful referrals!  Some of them even came to church! This week we also put on an open house on Saturday. It was sweet!  We got all of our investigators in the Techiman Zone and went to our chapel.  We played The Restoration and showed them around our chapel and had refreshments after.  It was a solid time!

We have an Investigator named Brother Asante. We prepared this guy for baptism and on his baptismal date he postponed on us because his mother won't let him be baptized. It's been almost two weeks since he was supposed to be baptized.  We taught him about agency and the gift to choose, since then he decided to travel to where his mother stays which is 3 hours away and talk to her in person about the baptism.  When we were sitting down with him, he even told us that he KNOWS that the church is true and the Book of Mormon is true!  It breaks my heart cause this man has a desire to be baptized and the only thing holding him back is his mother. OH YA, I forgot to mention he's a grown man with 2 kids and a wife as well.  So I hope that his mother will soften her heart and let Brother Asante be Baptized.

Our branch in Dwumoh is sweet!  Elder Mbithi and I and Elder Gohi and Elder Evans (the other companionship in our branch) have been working a ton with less-active members.  Every week we have more and more less active members come to church!  It makes me so happy to watch them walk into church! 

Our Mission President, President Cosgrave told all of us as missionaries to read Alma 5, and to go through the questions it asks.  The questions are powerful. They make you get personal with yourself about the gospel!  My favorite verses are 37 and 60. In verse 37 it says that the lord has called after those who are wicked, but that the Lord is still calling after them.  He wants them to come back to his fold he doesn't give up on us. Verse 60 talks about how all we have to do is harken unto the Lords voice and we will be his sheep.  Man this chapter is so sweet!  I invite all those who decided to actually read this weekly letter, to read Alma 5 and really evaluate yourself with the questions that are asked. Also to remember that if you find you aren't doing so hot, that the Lord is still calling after you, he hasn't given up on you and won't give up on you! 

I love you all. I hope you read Alma 5! I hope everything is well with everyone! 

Elder Turner

Doing some laundry in Africa, baby!

Andy and Mayfia

Teaching a "Muslim"

Our Apartment in Techiman AKA The Celestial Kingdom!!!

Our Kitchen

Our Bedroom and Study Area

The Bathroom

Week 11

Man, I can believe that week 11 is already here. Seriously! This week was a tough. Just a lot we had to do. Elder Mbithi and I prepared for a baptism the whole week.  We filled the font twice. The man we were planning to baptize is named Brother Asonte.  He traveled this week and couldn't get back for his baptism.  So we had to set it for next week.  That was kinda hard on us.  Also, we only had 33 at our branch this week. Our goal as a companionship is to meet with one less-active member a day.  Because we were so busy we didn't have the time to meet with a lot of them.  We also had Zone Conference this week. It was super cool!  We talked a lot about the Preach My Gospel. That stuff has some good info for the mission! HAHAHAHA!  We talked a lot about going about doing good, or just doing service.  Zone Conference was a big success.

The Techiman Zone baby!

I'll tell you what, I'm getting used to Fufu and Banku. The key is just to dig in, even if you don't like it.  If you start off right you're gonna finish the bowl, but if you start slow you aren't even gonna finish half and your investigator won't feed you again hahah!  But Fufu isn't bad now, We had dinner at a members house last night and it was fufu and Light soup. I actually enjoyed it! HA!

Baby Boy learning to pound fufu

 This week was a long but learning experience. I constantly kept reminding myself of Doctrine and Covenants 6:36 "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." It's a super simple scripture but I absolutely love it!  It’s super motivating.

I've been getting asked how the teaching is going. Literally everyone out here wants to here about God or Jesus Christ. It's super easy to contact a house, but its the ones who you know will progress is the key. Also a lot of people speak Twi out here, so when we have a Twi speaking investigator we try our best to understand, but we usually call our branch mission leader.  He’s a cool guy, he’s preparing for a mission of his own, so our branch president asks us to take him a lot.  Teaching is awesome. This work truly is amazing. You can literally watch to spirit touch and pierce the hearts of the people we sit down with. It really is amazing to watch.

Our Branch Mission Leader, Gyarko

Kwame wearing his CTR ring

 Anyway, I hope everyone is doing ok in the good ol United States. I hope all you look unto the Savior in every thought! 

Love you all!

Elder Turner