Week 61 Tiger Woods (Tamale)

This week was fun but it just got better with the news that Tiger Woods just had a nice “W” this week at the Tour Championship!  Talk about a COME BACK!  If you ever want to compare a sports topic to the Gospel, talk about Tiger Woods! Repentance and coming back! REDEMPTION!!  

Like I said this week was cool! My companion and I went to Bolgatanga this week. Right when we got out of the car in Bolga, some guy yelled Elders and ran up to us.  This guy said his name is "Elder Billy" and "Apostle Billy." He asked us for “the PEARL." He kept asking if we sell “the pearl” but we had no idea what he was talking about. Then he made mention of the Pearl of Great Price hahaha!  We said that we didn’t have one with us.  Then he asked if we sell the Book of Mormon and we didn't have any at the time. We came to find out that this guy, Billy, has been baptized a member of the Church for quite some time.  He had a powerful testimony but has since gone down hill.  Also, we had a guy ask me a funny question.  He said, "Do you worship Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus of Latter-Day Saints?!" I told him the answer! 

We were able to still have some time in our area this week.   We only found a few people but we did find a Muslim lady named Ayarna.  She is very very cool and very open.  She married a Christian and use to be a Christian herself.  We taught her the Plan of Salvation and focused more on what she needs to do in this life to receive a place in the highest degree of glory.  We read Helaman 14 when Samuel is prophesying about Christ.  She was hit.  She knows what she needs to do now! It was cool for her to read the Book of Mormon and understand it clearly and think about what she actually needs to do! 

I was thinking a lot about the Holy Ghost this week. Also just having the Spirit with us. I was reading in Ether about how when the Spirit ceased to strive with the Jaredites. What happened within 10 verses after that? GONE.  No more Jaredites. It is perfectly explained in the Book of Mormon.  In 2 Nephi 26:11, we get a perfect explanation when the Spirit ceases to strive with men, then comes a speedy destruction.  My advice this week is to read President Nelsons recent talk about Revelation.  Apply it!  Do all you can to have the Holy Ghost. 

Congrats to Tiger Again. Truly inspired me.......... Love you all! 

Elder Turner

Mommy Gakpo

A Girl in Our Branch Named Favor

A Guy Named Hajj We Taught

Week 60 Tamale

Wow! Week 60!! Kinda crazy right? Just gotta let the time fly I guess. I don't have a problem with that! Hahaha!  

ANYWAY, this week was a seriously good week! Elder Mbithi and I got some nice work in! We had a full week in our area, no exchanges, no conferences, so we got to do a lot of things. 

We were able to find 8 new investigators this week! hahah! That’s a small miracle in Tamale!  All of them are cool, so far.  The challenge now is following up and getting them to church!

This week during most of our lessons with the new people we found we obviously taught lesson 1, the Restoration.  One thing that we had to seriously emphasize is the Apostasy. I loved it!! I honestly love Ghana.  You can learn soooooo much about the Apostasy here. Pretty much all the churches here started because they think that the other churches are apostate.  Hahaha!!  So the message of the Restoration is perfect. We just tell people that the apostasy was real and now we have like a thousand churches.  That’s one thing you don't see in Utah.  Hahahah! 

Well, we have two young guys coming to church right now progressing towards baptism.  Their names are Claytus and Eugene and they are 12 and 10.  We teach them at the church building because the people they live with are small, small sketchy.... haha.  They also ask us questions as if they are pastors.  It’s awesome! We just need to figure out when the grandma wants them to be baptized. 

I got to read the Book of Mormon a lot this week. It was very inspiring. I honestly could write about 100 things from it.  I was just flipping through one night and I remembered a scripture that I read not too long ago.  Also my companion quotes it all the time when I make food! Hahaha!!! Jacob 2:17

"Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you."

Does it remind you of anything???? Ministering!!!  Ha!  Usually when Elder Mbithi says that to me I just tell him that the church teaches self-reliance! haha!  That is what was going threw my mind a little bit this week.

Congrats to Tony Finau..... Ryder Cup!!!  Gotta love it. 

Elder Turner

Found this Little Guy

Week 59 Tamale

This week was yet another great week here in the GKM!  Elder Mbithi and I had MLC this week.  Sounds like a solid time, right?  Then you gotta think about the bus rides from one end of the country to the other! Ha!  At least it’s a better drive than the one from Utah County to St George.... My companion and I got stuck in Kumasi because the bus back to our area was to full, so we had to wait an extra day.

  

MLC was cool.  We learned a lot about what “DIRECTION” we face and how it’s the most important factor getting from where you are to your destination. Think about it.... If I'm driving somewhere that I want to get to and even if I’m driving a crappy car and it breaks down I can get it fixed, and eventually, in time, I will get to my destination if I know my direction.  If I don't know how to get there or the direction I am going there is no way I will get to my destination.... So yeah, think about what direction you are going or facing in an eternal perspective. 

Me With Elders Mbithi, Sunday and Hanks

This week we literally got to proselyte a total of 10 hours in our area.  But it was a pretty effective 10 hours to say the least. We contacted some new people so that was cool!  We also met a guy, James.  This guy asks like 3 questions like super, super fast and expects you to answer all of them hahaha!   It felt like he was asking these questions to disprove us, so I had him read 2 Nephi 29:6-9. It starts off saying;

"Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible,"

He immediately paused and reread it like three times.  I invited him to continue reading and he did!  It think he was like in shock at how TRUE it was. He committed to read and have us come back. 

We also had something cool happen on Sunday. We had an older member lady bring 2 young boys to church.  One is 12 and the other 10. I didn’t catch their names ha! I think one is Claytus, but we are going teach them.  I guess they are here for school and it was their G-Ma who brought them.  So hopefully we can teach them, but the problem is that the compound that they stay in is a little whack... We got strict orders from our Branch President not to go there! I think the plan is that we'll teach them at the chapel. 

We had a member in our branch get denounced from her family. We went to her house and she shared with us a scripture that was helping her through this tough time.  It’s from Doctrine and Covenants 101:36.

"Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full."

Pretty cool! Anyway, I hope life is cool wherever you might be!

Elder Turner 

The Tamale Zone!

This is Gabby J from our Branch Who was Leaving to Go Away to School the Next Day

The Boys in Our Branch!

Week 58 Tamale

Another fast week here in Tamale!  It’s week one of transfer number 10 and Elder Mbithi and I had a CRAZY week out in the area.  It's just been POURING rain and all of the roads are just RIVERS! Ahahahah… RED, MUDDY RIVERS Ha! Every night we come home and wash our shoes, pants and shirts.  It’s just wild. People here are suffering from it in this area.  Our area is called Rice City.... It’s perfect conditions to grow rice.  It’s nothing but a waterlogged area.

We also had an exchange this week to a biking area on a rainy day.  All that rain and mud made the back of my shirt BROWN!  It looked like I fell in a puddle of mud. I wish I had a picture but sadly I don't. 

The Roads in Tamale After Rain!

Elder Mbithi and I had a crazy good week of finding people.  We used the Book of Mormon and were rolling with it!  We talked to so many different people this week that just had us laughing! The best was a woman pastor.  She said "I'm already in Christ go talk to a Muslim."   We asked her, “Do you think you know everything about Christ?”  She said, "OF COURSE!"  We showed her the Book of Mormon and she slammed her door.  It was soooo funny!  I wanted to tell her she doesn't know 5 things about Christ.  Also we talked to a “traditional” man. Basically they do traditional things like with their whole outfit and dance to praise God.  That was also pretty wild.  He was telling us how we are pastors because my companion and I both wear CTR rings on our index finger.  He explained how every finger has like some significance if you wear your ring on it. That was interesting.  Anyway, we found a lot of cooooool people though. Now we just need to follow up!

This week I was talking to a missionary, he was telling me about the first couple of months of his mission and how he was super apostate and like wanted to go home soooooo bad. So I just asked him like what made him change. He shared two scriptures that he decided to read everyday when he woke up; Matthew 11:8-30 and Doctrine and Covenants 58:42:43. Some pretty powerful scriptures.. The key is to come unto Christ and take his yoke upon us...... life will be ok. 

Anyway, this week was good.  We are going to MLC this week so we will be out of the area for 3 days.  Bummer.  Life’s chill and Elder Mbithi and I are having fun serving the Lord!

Elder Turner