New Area and New Mission President

Ghana is sweet as usual!!! yesterday at chuch I met the new mission president, he came out to do some interviews for us!  he is really cool.  his wife too is really nice and i can tell that the mission is going to have some changes!!!  He has a degree in counselling Psychology and Ancient Scripture!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_K_Judd pretty neat, he seems like a cool guy who will do great things for the mission.  We have zone conference with pres judd this thursday so no doubt we will learn some great things and hear about some changes!

The ward is doing well... however ghanians are scared of rain!!!  and yesterday it rained from 7-8-15 (on sunday) and as a result we have only 56 people at sacrament meeting!!!! pretty poor effort!!  they are just scared it will come back... that is down alot from last weeks 120!! the ward its self has 400 members just 120 active and 9 full tithe paying priesthood holders!!!

We are suriving this rainy season... i put mud flaps on my bike... best invention ever!! and they water we have here turns yours shirts yellow!!! no matter how much soap or bleach i use they still retain a yellow tinge.... i think it is because the water we use comes from a lake.... the lakes and oceans here are just not the nicest in the world..... at all..  but we manage!

this morning we (all 4 of us) spring cleaned our apartment (it was raining out so we couldnt do anything else and had already washed) so that was exciting and it is now clean and ready for the inspection which is sure to come!!!   we made a roster to keep it clean so hopefully that works!

i don't know what type of okra you had but the way they have it here is not the nicest... its not bad but it just makes the stew like gooey and sticky and stringy!!!!  and you eat it with your hands to it is just awkward!!!! and not fun at all!!!

its cooling down here as well mostly due to the rain which has come upon us but its nice at night... i hardly use my fan and its great...  

There are so many wonderful experiences that i have had and so many amazing stories.

We were recently teaching a husband and wife who because they was not married correctly were kept from their baptism.  However for more than 3 months they continued to come to church while they saved money to do their marriage.   Traditional marriage in Ghana is very costly in excess of often more than $400 (that is for the bride price) then the actually ceremony where 100's of people come for the free food!

At this point in time the church was not able to perform the civil marriage and although it was possible to get a civil marriage through the government in included numerous trip to their office in accra, a small fee (less than $50) and a waiting period before you have the ceremony and celebration.

This faithful couple and their young child of 6 years worked all day 6 days a week to save for the marriage.  They didn't miss a sunday, they paid their tithes and fast offering's weekly and they fasted. They continued to bring their friends to the church, many of whom were baptized shortly after thru their example and fellowship.  After continuing for more than 3 months, the Sister was distraught, she desperately wanted to be baptized, she blamed God and the church for not allowing her to be baptized and on several occasions told us to "just baptize us, you know we have a testimony."  She was about to give up, she was discouraged and didn't what to do.  In a FHE we taught about God's time and the need for paitence, and i believe it really helped her. They knew they had righteous desires and that God would make it possible for them to be married.

Just 2 weeks after this, a mini-miracle occurred and the stake, the ward was in was granted permission by the government to perform civil marriages. (In Ghana, a building in which a civil marriage is performed must be registered by the government)

This meaning that they could now be married for free in the chapel not to far from their meetinghouse.

They were the first couple to be married after the permission was granted and on that same day they were baptized.  It was a marvelous day.  I had been transfered the week before and was not able to attend the baptism, but i hear that the spirit was in attendance and the joy they shared with the ward was wonderful.

They are both strong and active in the church, and when i saw them last week, he told me that it is never to early to start preparing Davie, their son for a mission. 

I know the church is true, and that we are on the Lord's errand, he will bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.  I am so grateful for the opportunity and privilege i have to be his servant here in the Ghana Accra Mission.

Runny Tummies, Light Out and being eaten by Mosquitos once again

I gave some sausages to the new missionary in our district.  He liked them but got a runny tummy the next day!!!  I think my stomach has become an iron cage since I've been here!!! lol

We had light off again today... 3 times... it comes... i log on, start to write... and then off again.......  on/off/on/off/on but no bother its a part of life!  i didnt even remember it was the 4th of july!!!! no party herebut the 1st of july is ghana independance day so big holiday here!!!!

Apples did write me a letter.and the MTC president told me about how he got sick in the mtc.... a record for non Africans actually!!!  and i met that other aussie that went home... he was my companion for a day before his plane left for melbourne! In his mtc 6 people got malaria, 4 got swine flu, 3 had some other disease and 10 got some other African influenza.  And yes there are now 2 more aussies here in accra!!! that one from melbourne and now one from perth.... (actually philipeeno) elder nicomedes.

Kasoa is great.. i'm loving it back to knowing what it feels like to get eaten by mosiquiitoes (still sickness free)  not that i would tell you even if i did get sick but anyway... lol it is the rainy season so the weather is actually somehow nice at the moment... the mail is very slow (maybe every 3 weeks if were lucky)

i actually think that the bishop likes me... he was sick on saturday so we went to visit him and see if there was anything we could do, and he invited us to stay for dinner (we had banku and okra stew with tiny little fish... it was pretty nice!  but my companion said they have been plenty times before around dinner time and they never invited them to stay!!! so its a start!

First week in Kasoa

This week we have been very very busy proclaiming the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ..

Last week i found nutella at the supermarket before i was transfered... and it cost me an arm and a leg but i could not resist!!!

I am mission (missing) the washing machine and oven very much but suprisnly not the A/c and the car.... i like the bike and it has been pretty cool from the plenty rain lately!

We had some very bad flash flooding this morning!!  It almost entered our apartment.
At about 5am till 7am the loudest most heavy rain i have ever heard and we stay down stairs of a 2 story building!!!   When we came out in the morning the rain had finished but how it was flowing down towards the ocean!. and it ghana the drainage is all open, and all over flowing!

So the dirty drain water (people do EVERYTHING in the gutters here) was mixing with the water flowing and it was nasty!)  But all our neighbours houses were flooded and water came right up to our door, but then continued to flow. There were cars almost half under (they moved them) and it was really bad.  It started at this lady's shop accross from our apartment, that we went to buy food from and it was flooded, so we helped empty the water, then saw the houses in the compound behind.  I have never seen so much water in one place!
So all afternoon we went and helped our neighbours take the water out of their houses. It was no small job that is for sure!!! we worked about 3 hours over their and managed to get all the water out of about 10, 2 room houses!!! It was fun, you could tell that the people were grateful and kind of amazed that 2 christian whites and a black would come and help them..  They are all muslim, the area we stay in Kasoa is right next to a Mosque so there are alot of muslims around. 

But is was really nice.  And it felt really good to give service!   (it makes me wonder what it would have been like back in Jan/Feb for you guys!

So i am in a different Ward, Different chapel, but the same Mission District as buduburam!
It is the Kasoa 2 Ward, and the members are very strange, they don't really like missionaries... it is very strange, and the Bishop (who you would like to be in your pocket if possible) really is not too cooperative... Talking to my companion apprantly the missionaries that were here in the past completely lost his trust and he has been sour ever since.  and my companion in Elder Makandangwe from Zimbabwe, he is 3 months on missoin and just finished training.  But he is a really cool guy, he was the ward mission leader back home and tries really really hard, it is great! Just what i need coming out of the office!  It feels good to come home tried from working all day rather than driving around all day! and i said before i dont really miss the A/C as it is not too hot at the moment and most nights i want to turn my fan off, but it is keeping the mosquitos off so i just hide under the sheet!  it gets quite cool, espically when the rain is happening!

Well i hope you are all doing great!
Keep smiling and remember that i love you!

Love Elder Anderson

Transferred to KASOA 22/06/2011

im being transfered back to Kasoa.... which is in the same district as Buduburam to be the district leader. which is exciting as i will get to go to buduburam again!!! so how exciting is that!

Mission President getting ready to go home

10 months! WOW HOW TIME FLIES!

But soon i will be back in the field and regular with my comings and goings on pdays once again. so no need to stress.

We are teaching a guy's wife and kids at the moment, ne joined the church in italy where he is working. and he came home to take his family to church so they are all be baptized and eventually sealed together!  It's funny cause he has to come home to his african country of ghana to go to the temple!!

SEE not everything is better in europe!

It was your friend carol that sent me the stamps and also my uncle in provo sent a couple first class ones and she sent me the 98 ones.   which are better cause i have to use 3 first class ones or just one 98 one, so that is good!

As for us the missionary work is still progressing!!   Our investigators are doing well, still having issues coming to church, but for that one i don't know that is can be resolved right now, we have to teach them, express our love and sincerity in care and help them understant the importance of coming to church and partaking of the sacrament!  Teach for understanding, these people are all individuals with different levels of education and understanding, each is very very different.  Nearly all have a religous background, there are alot of areas with very high concentrations of Muslims, it is not always east but the Lords has promised us blessings when we serve him Faithfully.

I have learnt so much from President Smith, and it is very sad to see him leaving.  They send all their things home tomorrow in a shipping container, just leaving behind the bare essentials, nearly everything stays in the mission home for the next president.  I am excited to See president Judd come, and so see the changes he will make, the things that he will keep the same and as we continue to grow and learn from him, what type of mission presient he will be.  Change is scary but exciting at the same time.

There is a white coulple in our branch called Elder and Sister Brown from Utah who are serving a Welfare Mission (they go home the 2nd week of July). Well they feed the missionaries on the 2nd sunday of every month!! So sunday was a good day! we went and sister brown prepared us pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravey and mixed vegies. chocolate cake and milk and jelly!!! it was strange.. but tasted sooo good! It was nice to have a meal from back home again.

But i still like ghana food, which i know i will miss when i come home. But don't worry i am going to prepare fufu and light soup with goat (not really with chicken) when i come home so you can all try some! It will be great! and everyone will probably get runny tummy! and then REALLY know how i felt!!!! lol

Elder Anderson!

Ghana has very cheep? (cheap) ties

Hey, so we just got back from FHE with some ward members, im not sure if i told you this, but remember that ensign that Wayne showed me of ghana that he found just before i left?  well she is in my ward!! and we go to her house every monday night for FHE and a FM (free meal)  which are really good!!!!

pretty crazy actually.

cause that same Ensign (well liahona here but the same covers) was in my new apartment and i was like hey wayne my blah blah showed me this blah blah and they were like well your gonna meet her tonight!!!! i was like NOOOO WAY!!!!

so that was cool!! and crazy that he showed me it right before i left and i met her and ate at her house!!!!

and i just got my hair cut again! and i actually like it.

it has some shape... (as i went to th barber and didnt di it myself)

I am a pretty amazing uke player!

i have a pretty shiny red one. and it is very nice! :D

i have enveloped addressed and stamps on them i just need to fill them with letters and send them!!! the time!!! is just not there!

rainy season is eye... (or air-yeah) meaning fine... or okay.  it still hasnt really gotten into it too much.

today being P.Day we went to the market and got some ties...

you can get some really nice ties (called jatala) for 2.50 very cheep!!! and you can wash them and iron them and every thing!!! they are sweet!! We had to get some for sister smith as she gives one to each missionary on their birthdays! so we went to picked out some nice ones for her! it was pretty fun. we spend some time looking at the wood carvings and paintings and beads!! im going to spend tooooo much money!!! not good at all!!!! but there is really some cool stuff here!

The christmas presents might actually come on time this year!!

Lots of Love

Elder Anderson!!!!!!!!!