Vatican City Round 2

Brother Agyeman and Grandson

Hey everyone!!!

I am officially three months away from my big year mark!!! I am absolutely having a blast and enjoying every single day being a representative of Jesus Christ and sharing the joyous message of the Restored Gospel. There are rumors going around that President Nelson and Elder Holland will be coming to my mission next month for a mission tour. They are making a tour of Africa in April and will also be creating a fourth stake in Kumasi which is super exciting. I hope those rumors are true because it would be amazing to meet the prophet and an apostle of the Lord.

Richmond, Samuel and Raymond (1st and 2nd Counselor in the Branch Presidency and the Clerk) with Elder Westfall (Companion)

Yesterday we confirmed the three people that we baptized last week. All three were so happy and said that baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was the best decision that they could have made. One of them Sarkodie bore testimony during Fast and Testimony meeting yesterday. Some of his words really struck him. He shared a story about how he was seriously apprehensive about joining another religious group because of all of the stuff he has experienced. He was feeling deep anti-religious feelings and felt like the truth was nowhere to be found anywhere on Earth. Until the two missionaries knocked on his door and after their short 30-minute lesson he felt like what they shared with him was good. From that day he met with missionaries for six months before he made the step to be baptized. But, in his testimony, he also said that making the decision to be baptized was the best decision he has ever made in life. He has noticed many changes these past two weeks. He is much happier and things are fitting into place in his life. It makes me so happy to see how the gospel can bless and change lives. One of the apostles has said, "The gospel of Jesus Christ can change behavior faster than a study of behavior can change behavior." That statement is 100% true and I have seen first hand of it on my mission.

This week we also met a couple of crazy people. One day my companion and I were contacting and talking to people outside. When we came across two guys sitting outside their house talking to each other. They had super long dreadlocks and seriously looked like Bob Marley. They aren't really known in the US but out here they are called Rasta Men. After a couple minutes of sharing with them, we found out that they were Fetish Priests. As a summary, they worship idols and are the ones that perform the sacrifices and rituals and stuff out in the bush. Both of them are super serious and want to come to church but it will be seriously hard for them to leave behind their false idols. There was another man named Ernest that we met. He has been coming to church for almost a year now. He started to come to church here in Techiman and then he moved to Accra and began meeting with the missionaries down there. He keeps telling us that he was baptized there and confirmed and everything. But, apparently, when he moved back to Techiman his records got lost. My branch here in Techiman tried to request for them and even called the ward in Accra that Ernest came from and there is no record to be found. So, we are teaching all of the lessons over again with him and he will be baptized at the end of March. I have met a lot of people so far on the mission that tell me that they are members of the church. That they have been baptized and everything. Here in Ghana, many people believe that if they just show up to church for over a month they are now a member of the church so it is very normal for random people to claim that they are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

The work continues to move along very well out here in Techiman. The days are getting cooler and the rain is coming which is an absolute blessing. Ghana Independence Day is tomorrow so it will be another Christmas and New Years experience with bombs going off everywhere I go which will be fun!

Love,

Elder Ordyna