june 25

Mother Dear!!

So I am doing well. Everything is going good here in Obuasi. Today we hiked up the mountains in Obuasi we got like 5 members to come with us I am pretty sure they’re probably some of the biggest mountains in Ghana. It was really sweet it was pretty scary tho cause there were no trails or anything. So who knows what is by you. By the way back in my old area we were weeding Brother Owusus farm and we found a viper snake. I guess it’s really dangerous and it would kill you if it bit you cause of its venom but brother owusu killed it with a knife it was pretty sweet!!! So Obuausi is like a big town it’s almost like Kumasi. Ok I want to make an example now, this is kinda like how I was feeling those first two weeks. So the church is in Centerville and we have to proselyte in Layton. It costs a lot of money to get there and that is the one thing these people don’t have. To top it all off I swear this is true it’s almost like you are trying to teach a lesson on the strip of Las Vegas in our area, obviously it’s nothing like Vegas but there are just so many people walking around and just music blasting everywhere. It didn’t make too much sense to me why we were proselyting there. So we talked to president cause there is a lot of area that the other missionaries don’t go that you can walk to the church from. So we did and he told us that that is where we’re supposed to be. For some reason the last missionaries liked proselyting in town and having no success but we switched things up so it’s getting better. I don’t mean to complain but it’s more just like the truth. So now we are just trying to find people to teach. I almost have the card filled up. I am pretty sure I am going to send it with Elder Smith I really want the family to go to his homecoming he is such an awesome guy. He is one of my favorites on mission and he is a powerful man you will really enjoy his talk. So let me know if you can cause I want to send some stuff with him. He lives in Morgan and gets home the 15th of August. So obuasi is probably the farthest away from the new mission president. It’s like a two hour drive to Kumasi. So we are just on our own out here. We will only go into town in Kumasi maybe once a month so we don’t get to see really any other missionaries which is hard but it’s somehow nice I guess. Obuasi is probably one of the nicest places in the mission as far as living conditions wise. Cause a lot of foreigners are here so they make everything expensive. The apartment is new cause they just opened this area, I would think it is probably the nicest home in the mission. We even have a water heater which is nice cause the water is freezing cold, I don’t know how cause it’s so hot. But we have a nice place to stay and stuff so I can’t complain about that. I really love my companion me and him get along so well. I think we will have a really good relationship while we serve together. Its funny me and him are the most alike out of any companion I have had. He makes me want to be better and I think I do the same for him at least he says so. So I have a challenge for you mom maybe you can get Laura to join or any of the family! It will be sweet. Okay so I am starting the book of Mormon again and I want you to start it to if you are willing. I really want you to study and understand it. I think if you just take it slow and really try and understand it and pray you will understand it well. That is what I am trying to do at least. One thing that has really helped me is writing down a summary of every chapter or I write down things I really like in the chapter. It helps a lot. So I think you should try it with me. Read 2 chapters a day that is not too much time to give to God a day. So I know you will be willing. So Mom right now we have 3 people that are planning on getting baptized June 8th. They are pretty sweet. We have this one woman her name is Elizabeth she is so humble. So we will pray and hope they will continue to progress so they can make an awesome decision by making a sacred covenant with God.

People don’t recognize the whiteman too much in this town cause there are a lot which is pretty nice. Well mother thank you,  I think we should start writing letters to so I will send you one this week. LLove you!!!!!

June 18

Mother!!!

I am glad that you had an awesome time in Washington. That is sweet that you got to go up there hopefully you will get to see the baby a lot. It is hard not being home, but I have kinda forgot about home I don’t really ever think about home. I am glad that the baby and Annemarie are healthy! That is good news. Well Obuasi is sweet. So this last week has maybe been the hardest couple days I have had on mission so far. I was having a hard time with the change. Where we stay is hard, so our apartment and church is like 30 minutes away from our area so it’s hard in always. Just to get to our area we have to pay 1 cedi.  Mostly every day we pay up to five cedis on travel just to go out and teach the people. We still get the same amount of money and don’t get reimbursed for it. So it’s just a tough area but the good news is that they are going to open up a branch in our area. So I think that will happen maybe in August. Once we go out of our apartment. We can’t come back till around 8 at night. So we just have to eat at the places every day. The change was really tough leaving people you love and a sweet area. I had one of the most powerful experiences, this week. I was really just uncomfortable and all of that, so I was praying so much relying upon God like I never have before. Well the next day was awesome it was like God was right with me helping me through all of my trials helping them become better. That day we had 5 lessons, they were some of the best lessons I have had on mission. The spirit was so strong it touched everyone’s heart we taught that day. It went from having the worst week of my mission to probably having the best day of my mission. God lives and is with us as we are obedient and invite him into our lives. We can pray for anything as long as it is god’s will and we have the faith he will answer, God will answer our prayers I have experienced it strongly this week. So my companion is awesome. We are working reallllly hard. We are both determined to get this area going. Cause in the last 6 months I think they have had maybe 1 or 2 baptisms. Right now we have some investigators that our really progressing. It’s not like my old area where you can have 8 investigators to church. Most of our investigators live about 70 peswas down. So unless they really have the faith they won’t come. But we got 4 to church. We contacted this sweet family on Friday and the older sister and all of the kids came to church it was awesome. The kids here are so funny. Always asking if I will take them home with me. If only I could!!!!!!!!!! But anyway, so far I just love my companion we  are already way good friends. It’s crazy we are a  lot alike we both like to have a lot of fun. You would probably get annoyed of him cause he does a lot of dumb things like I do just makes ridiculous jokes with people but I love it. I really am going to enjoy being with this guy. He has already taught me a lot. The one thing I see in him is he really knows how to get to these African people cause he is African so I am learning that. The members are really helping us too, so right now the area is just awesome besides the first days. Obuasi is the second biggest mining town in Africa. So everyone that lives here works for the mines. Which means that there is a lot of foreigners and everything here is a lot more expensive? WE are way far away from everyone. The closest person that lives to us is about 2 hours away. But that’s okay I like the people in the apartment. So we have to travel to Kumasi tonight so I am rushed on time its 5 here now and we have to go soon. So I think I am only going to write you and Laura and Anna so make sure and send this out to the family and tell them sorry. Sorry if I didn’t answer all your questions but I will next week when I have more time!!! Love you Mom have a good week!!!

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June 4th

Mother,

I am doing really well. It has been a sweet week. It is true about the three goals. I was on fire, I am turning into a soccer player. We are trying to play every Saturday now, we do it with our ward and then the next ward by us. Today we got to meet up with the missionaries and we played soccer again. I scored 2 goals today it was pretty sweet. I just get lucky cause these guys are really good and i am not good but i some how just score i guess. This week our branch became a ward. That was pretty sweet to see. The ward is really excited so hopefully they will start helping a little bit more in the work. I love the branch here. I have been becoming really good friends with a lot of them. It’s sweet to get to know people and really understand them, some of these people are just friends like I have back at home. That is what makes a mission really fun. So with transfers we find out on this Saturday. That is really funny about all of the bats. I am glad they are taking control of the whole thing. Brother owusu got up again and bore his testimony again the man is just awesome. It will be so hard to leave some of these people that I love so much. He has such a powerful testimony and has already been spreading the gospel to others he has a pastor comitted to coming to church. He is a big man in the region cause he is a chief. There is a head chief in the ashanti region and he is just below him. So he knows a lot of people and people respect him and listen to him. This week it rained almost everyday I got some sweet pictures of it. It just send rivers the rain here is crazy. Anyway on Wednesday owusu was the only person that came to midweek besides us out of all the members. He was so excited to come I really was mad. They don’t come cause of the rain. They think the rain will take them away no lie. He will be the next bishop when his area opens cause he lives the farthest away out of any of the members he lives like 45 to hour away. This week I got food poisoning again. I still am kinda sick but not to much. I didn’t stay home or anything it wasn’t to bad. The wall is what kinda guards our house. They use gates and walls to guard the houses here. I baptized the last person so it was his turn to baptize him. We are having a baptism this week. WE will have either one or maybe 3 we are still seeing if they are ready or not. I got one package from Shelly but that is all. It was an awesome package. I will tell her thanks. President is coming up on friday so they should bring mail then I am thinking so hopefully this week. I hope everything is good and hopefully Snnemarie is delivering this week is the baby’s name really sonya?  Anyway well I love you mom and appreciate you so much. I really thought about how good of a mother and example you have been to me this week.  I love you so much and thank you for everything. I am sorry for anything that i did that was wrong in the past. Have a good week!!