Kenyasi Branch Open House

Dear family and friends,
 Another Monday here. Only one more week until transfer four! Which means that my sixth-month mark is soon! It is crazy to think that I have been living in Ghana for almost half a year. Before I know it I will be home. This week the rain pounded us every day. I am always so happy for the rain. One morning during companionship studies I told my companion that it is going to be an extremely good day. He asked me why and I told him because it is raining. He was shocked and said that it is was not going to be a good day because of the rain. All Ghanaians seem to hate the rain because it rains so much here. The moment it begins to rain the whole city shuts down. All shops and stores close, everyone goes home and there are no cars on the streets. Ghana turns into a literal ghost town. The only bad thing about the rain is that every time it rains the power goes out. And because our water is connected to a pump no electricity means no pump which means no water. So for three days this week, we had no water. We had to fetch water from a nearby well and haul it up four flights of stairs. The work here in Kenyasi has been much slower than my last area. The branch members are not involved in missionary work at all so basically we have to find and contact on our own no referrals. This past week we tried to change that. This past Saturday we had an open house at the chapel where we invited people to learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The main focus of the activity was to have the members invite their friends and families to the event. The activity was powerful and a great success. We had a great showing and was able to contact many new people. But sadly not one member brought their friend. Despite that, we now have some more potential investigators to teach and follow up on this week. I have one more week here in Kenyasi until I will be transferred again. The area is considered part of Kumasi but it is way far. It is like Paradise Valley and Phoenix. In order to get to downtown, it takes one hour. Because it is so far we only go every other week when we get our subsistence to buy groceries and things. Plus, we have to walk all the way through the central market. Central Market is the largest open market in all of West Africa. it is absolutely insane. It is 5 times busier than Disneyland! Here in Kenyasi, I am in a two man apartment so I only see other missionaries once a week at district council if we don't go to town. There many areas like this in the mission. Where you are in the middle of the African bush. I have really enjoyed this area. It was a great week! Happy Halloween everyone, hope you all have a great week! 

Love, Elder Ordyna

The Great Bountiful Buokrom District

Kenyasi Branch Members (Harrison, Tetteh and Elder Buabin)

Elder Buabin's Last Sunday (The Mensah Family)

Attack of the Bird and Secret Combinations

 Dear Family and Friends,

It is Monday once again. Time is really going by fast. It is already almost November. In the mission field it seems like each day is like a week and each week is a day. This week I have had plenty of experiences, both spiritual and funny. 

One night as we were climbing the stairs to our apartment (we stay on the third floor) we saw a bird sitting right in front of our security door. We have a huge metal door outside our main door for security reasons. We tried to shoo it away but it kept flying at us. After about thirty minutes of us trying to get it out of the stairwell and it constantly flying at us we gave up and thought that it would just leave on its own so, we hurried and entered our apartment before it could attack us again. But, when we went out the next morning the bird was still there in front of our door waiting for us! I told my companion we are ending this battle today. So I went inside and grabbed a mop and gave my companion a broom. Don't worry we didn't harm the bird. We used them to swing at the bird so it would stop attacking us and would go down the stairs. After another thirty minutes of swinging the broom and mop at the bird we were able to scare it all the way down the stairwell and out into the street. I think my companion is now traumatized from that experience. Because whenever we see a bird while proselyting he gets scared and swings his scripture bag at the bird. 

This week we also did plenty of teaching and finding people. But, most of the lessons were in Twi because my companion is from Ghana so he speaks the local language. I have learned a lot of Twi from him and I am able to say a lot of things,which has been very helpful in the work. This week we went to visit an investigator named Franklin and she told us that she is hesitant about the church because after we left our last lesson some men came to her and told her that she should stop meeting with us because what we were teaching her isn't true. Apparently multiple of my companions investigators in this area have told him this same thing. There is a secret combination in this area. People are going around and telling people not to listen to us. It has been a challenge to reassure Franklin. We told her that if she prays and asks God she will know for herself that the things we teach are true. Before the incident she told us that she would definately be coming to church on Sunday but sadly she didn't come. 

On a brighter note we have one investigator named IK that is doing super well. When my companion and I first met him he was only super drunk. He was really interested in the church but we couldn't teach him because he was drunk and didn't understand anything. So, everyday we would visit with him small and pray for him. This past fast sunday we fasted for him and a miracle has happened this past week. He told us that he has a desire to quit drinking and everytime we see him now he isn't drunk. He still hasn't completely stopped yet but he is doing much much better which is awesome. He even came to church yesterday and loved it. He told us that he wants to know more and will be coming to church every Sunday from here on! He is truly an awesome guy! 

This week was powerful and I hope to have another great week here in Ghana! I feel so blessed to be serving here in Ghana. As I read many of my friends emails that are serving in the states I realized that the work here in Ghana compared to back home is super different. I hope you all have a great week! 

Love,

Elder Ordyna

Kenyasi Apartment

Kenaysi High Street with a Tro-Tro Stuck in the Gutter (that is also the Sewer)

Kejetia Traffic (Downtown Kumasi)

Kejetia Traffic (Downtown Kumasi

Full Strength 100%

Dichemso Zone

Dear family and friends,

I am officially doing much better and am now at 100%. This week has been so much more enjoyable because I am healthy and was able to go out and do the Lord's work! I was blessed with a speedy and full recovery. As a missionary, I have really seen the Lord's hand not only in my life but also in the lives of my investigators. Teaching others about Jesus Christ and seeing them keep their commitments has given me so much joy! During my personal study, I was reading in 3rd Nephi when the Savior visits the Nephites. I got to the part where it reads "Remember where your treasures are your heart is also". That verse stuck out to me. It is absolutely true. If our treasures are worldly possessions we will only care about those things but if we put our treasures in the gospel then our hearts will continually be focused on those things. And we will be able to see the Lord's hand in our lives and receive the blessings from living the gospel. I know that as we do so our lives will be much happier! 

A group of church members came past our apartment chanting, playing drums and just being super loud during...of course... STUDY time. It seems like every apartment has something like this. My last apartment in Asuoyeboa had a preacher woman that would play music and scream into a microphone every morning beginning at 5 am. My Kenyasi apartment also has Islamic mosque right outside the window and at 5 am on super loud speakers they call everyone to prayer. 

Elder Buabin, Me, and members Harrison and Tetteh

This week I was able to attend my third zone conference. Man, the time is absolutely flying! I am almost to six months! At the zone conference, we reviewed many of the things that we learned from the previous zone conferences. The main thing that I got out of it is that we need to continue to review our goals and the things that we have learned so that we can check our progress and see how we are doing on living those things. It is one thing to learn something but it is a completely better thing to live and apply what we have learned. This is especially true in the gospel. We can learn principles of the gospel but it is not until we fully apply and do the things that we have learned our faith grow and we will experience blessings.

I had an interview with President Cosgrave this past Friday and learned that because of some changes in the mission I will be staying in Kenyasi until the end of the transfer! Which I am really excited about. I will have the opportunity to get to know the members even more. Plus, we have some really powerful progressing investigators that are super close to baptism! Kenyasi is awesome and I am really enjoying my time here!

Hope you all have another wonderful week!

Love,

Elder Ordyna

Eating Ampesie (Boiled Yam and Stew) with members Harrison and Tetteh

Dichemso Zone Conference

At the Kenyasi Chapel with the Ward Members for Mid-Week

Dreadful Malaria

Dear Family and Friends,

Well... it has finally happened. I got struck with the dreadful plague of West Africa... Malaria

I was feeling completely fine at the beginning of this week but then Wednesday morning I woke up and was feeling absolutely terrible. Like I got ran over by a semi-truck and then as I was standing up I got ran over again. I called Sister Dearing (the mission nurse) and she told me that I needed to go to a clinic and get tested right away because Malaria is serious.

Malaria is a parasite that lives in female mosquitoes and when they bite you it enters into your blood. It tries to shut down your body so it can live inside of you. If left untreated a person could die in a matter of days. The mission gives a drug called Doxycycline to take that prevents us from getting Malaria but there is still a chance that a person taking the pill can still get it. 

Wednesday morning my companion and I headed over to the medical clinic in Kenyasi to get a blood test. The clinic was one of the scariest health places I have ever been to. There was dust everywhere, spiders in the windows and when we got there, there was a chicken running in the place! If you are sick in Ghana it is probably better for you to just stay home instead of going to the clinic. I had to go to the lab and get my blood drawn. Afterwards, I had to wait two hours for them to finish running the test and to know whether or not I had malaria. And sadly, after all of that time, I was positive for malaria. We finally left the clinic around noon and I slept for the rest of the day and pretty much for the rest of the week. Malaria is the most painful sickness that I have ever had. I had t take seven pills twice a day for three days. 

But gratefully as I am typing this letter I feeling completely better and have all of my strength back. I am cured of Malaria!

I look forward to this week and I continue to find joy in the work knowing that my sickness is behind me.

Hope all of you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Ordyna

Malaria Medication

Kenyasi Wellness Center

Kids at the Chapel that Always Made Us Feel Better

Short Stop in Kenyasi

Sept. 26-Oct. 1, 2017

MTC Group Elders 

Hello Family and Friends!

It has been another sweet week in the mission field with a lot of change! I am now in a new area called Kenyasi. It is on the complete other side of Kumasi than Asouyaboa . Kenyasi is a very small town, but one of the newer areas of Kumasi, so it is very nice. I am currently with a new companion as well. His name is Elder Buabin and he is form Cape Coast, Ghana. He has been in the area for almost 6 months. All of the members call him "the landlord of Kenyasi". He knows everything about this area because he has been here for so long.  Sadly, there will be change again for me in 2 weeks. Elder Buabin was called to train this transfer, but his trainee entered the MTC late. His new companion will be entering the mission field in the middle of transfers. When he comes, (2 weeks from Wednesday) I will be kicked out of the area and will go into my 3rd area and 4th companion on the mission. It will be an interesting next couple of weeks.

So far, the area has been awesome. It reminds me a lot of my last area. The past couple of days my companion took me around Kenyasi so I could meet the members and investigators. The branch seems really powerful. They struggle with a lot of things, but the foundation and organization is there. The Branch President is an awesome guy.  The branch attendance is very seasonal because the majority of the members are students that attend the nearby university. When school is in session the branch is very large, but when the students go on vacation the branch attendance really suffers. It is a tough problem they deal with.

Kenyasi Branch Chapel 

On Sunday morning, we headed to the stake center in Dichemso for General Conference.  We were able to watch the  Saturday morning, afternoon and priesthood sessions via satellite.  Due to the time difference, we could not watch Sunday's sessions. Ghana is 8 hours ahead of Salt Lake City, Utah. The sessions I did watch were amazing. I really loved Pres. Nelson's talk on the Book of Mormon and how he spoke about GHANA! ;-) I like the part when he was talking about the king that said, "You could have given me rubies or diamonds but nothing is more precious than the additional knowledge of Jesus Christ found in the Book of Mormon." We all need to have that same thought. The Book of Mormon is worth so much, we need to value it in our lives.  We need to cherish and love the Book of Mormon. We need to study and ponder it daily!

Ghana won the African West Cup of National Futbol. Everyone here went crazy! It was pretty great. Everything is going very well. I love being a missionary!

I love you all and hope everyone has a great week!

Love,
Elder Ordyna