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/
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.
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