Nkawkaw Living Conditions - Jan-March 2019

Housing pics I have left Kumasi and am all the way out in the Far East of the mission in a small town called Nkawkaw (2-3 hours away from Kumasi). In Twi the translation for Nkwawkaw is Chicken.

Here is my apartment. Compare these pictures to my new dorm room at ASU. I am going to be in some real shock come August. The dorm will feel like complete Paradise!!

KITCHEN

BEDROOM

WASH ROOM

Ending of 'The Town' Chronicles - March 19-25, 2019

Yup, I am finally leaving The Town which means all of the chronicles of Nkawkaw will end now as well. Even after three months in this place, Nkawkaw ceases to surprise me every day with new shenanigans everywhere we go. And this last week was absolutely no different. 

Wednesday was quite a day for us. My companion and I focused on some less-actives that the branch is wanting us to bring back. It was a follow up visit from the Sunday before. Last Sunday we had branch council meeting and we began talking about this family. Basically to keep the story short the family had been insulted by some of the branch members and now they haven't been coming to church for over a year. Everyone elected the member (Brother Joe) that insulted them to go and talk with them and help them to come back to church. I, myself, didn't really think that was such a good idea but the whole meeting was in Twi and I didn't know what was going on until afterwards. Well apparently during the meeting they also asked Brother Joe to choose someone to go with him so he wouldn't be alone. And out of nowhere he chooses me and my companion to go on this special ops mission to this family's house. Let me just say the family was seriously not happy to see Brother Joe at all. They instantly ran inside their house and wouldn't come back. At this point Brother Joe was angry and just frustrated and he just left us there. Before we knew it he was gone and now we were stuck in the middle of this whole situation. Basically a giant civil war ripping the branch apart and now the members are leaving it all up to us the missionaries to get this family back to church. But, we were able to make some progress with them. The oldest daughter actually came to church yesterday which was great. Less-actives is a huge problem out here a lot of people don't care about doing ministering or just even being nice to others. So that is one thing that is really halting the work out here. We will baptize someone and then noone will befriend them and they will feel lonely and over time will decide to leave the church and then start going back to their other churches. We are doing our best to try and find the lost sheep but without the members help it is an ongoing task that will last forever.

The church out here reminds me a lot about the church the Apostle Paul was dealing with during his times. I have studied a lot about his epistles while I have been out here and a lot of them talk about how he is helping all of the members adjust to the gospel culture, to take away all of their old customs and traditions that they would do in their other churches and religions. That is exactly how it is over here. People are bringing in completely crazy things into the church that they were used to in their other churches and the leaders of the branches and districts out here are doing their best to weed out the apostasy and country culture that is tying down a lot of members from truly being converted and living the true and pure gospel culture. It is always a lot of hard work helping recent converts to adjust to the gospel after years and years at other churches that are so different from the Restored Gospel but we also have a lot of laughs about everything as well. Like yesterday at our main session of district conference there was a choir from one of the branches in the district. The branch hired a musician from another church to help them sing and play the piano for them. He completely put in some crazy stuff and the choir was up there in the middle of district conference dancing and singing hallelujah's and Praise the Lord like a Southern Baptist church. And then at the end of it the audience was clapping and shouting small as well. It was definitely a great moment for sure. President Webster (my mission president and presiding officer) didn't look too excited or happy about the whole situation. Everyday I have a lot of fun and share a lot of laughs with my companion. It is a true blessing to serve here in Ghana where the church is at the pioneer level and the foundation is building. I absolutely love everything about this place!

On Wednesday I have the wonderful pleasure to walk in the mission home doors to pick up my new companion which will be coming straight from the MTC in Accra. It will be the best last 12 weeks ever. I will still be in Konongo Zone but headed one hour up the road to a town called Konongo. I have been there many times on exchange and know the place very well. It has some super powerful members backed with a lot of baptisms. I will definitely enjoy and will share more detailed information about my last area next week. I rejoice in the glorious message of the Restored Gospel and thank Heavenly Father everyday for the knowledge that I have of it and this pleasure that I have to share it with others every single day. I love you all and bid you farewell till next week.

Love you all,

Elder Ordyna

The Eminem District (N&M District- Nkawkaw and Mpraeso)

With members from Nkawkaw Branch 2 after Nkawkaw District Conference

Investigators Chico and Reuben's Chicken Farm

Sister Webster with a member with a church dress at the Nkakwaw District Conference

Zone Conference, Exchange and A Pig - March 12-18, 2019

Hello All!!!

Another great week came and gone once again. I am still enjoying The Town for my last couple of weeks and then I am out of here. Headed off to my last area for my last 12 weeks! Exciting times ahead that is for sure!

The week started off with a super spiritual and amazing zone conference. Zone conferences in the mission are a highlight of the transfer because for many of us it is the one and only time during a transfer that we will be able to see President Webster. The day before my companion and I hosted the Nkawkaw District at our apartment for lunch (there are ten of us, 6 in Nkawkaw and 4 up in the mountains in Mpraeso). We were celebrating two birthdays and bidding farewell to one missionary that is going home in a couple of weeks. My companion made rice and beans with stew while I added a small American twist with breaded fried chicken and milkshakes. It was absolutely a hit. All of our district members loved it and now all of them are saying that we are their favorite zone leaders of their entire mission. I have definitely learned the ways to get to the hearts of missionaries. After we finished eating we all climbed into a tro-tro for the one hour journey to Konongo where we were having our zone activity in the standard chapel over there. We had a great time as a zone playing sports and enjoying sweet fried rice. I was also able to play American Football. Let me just say my arm was sore for like two days afterward. It will be very interesting adjusting back into basketball and football from playing soccer every single activity. The whole zone slept in Konongo and we continued to party until the close of zone conference the next day when we all boarded the tro once more to our various areas.

Talking about areas, my area is beginning to really come alive. My companion and I are really seeing a lot of miracles and blessings as we have put our shoulder to the wheel and pushed with all of our might. The members are starting to befriending us and giving us a lot of people to teach. We are also seeing a lot of our efforts come to fruition. We now have about 7 people lined up at the branch ready for baptism. Three came from our own findings, three came from some members and then the other is a wife of a less-active that we were able to help bring back to church. Even the branch is starting to transform little by little as well. Things are really going well for us right now. Sadly, I won't be here for the climax for all of it or the baptisms, but I will be just down the road so I can come back for the baptisms which will be seriously sweet.

Thursday we had a super sweet exchange with our district leader companionship up in Mpraeso. Elder Elkington (from Idaho) came down here to be with me while my companion went up to the mountains to be with Elder Neilson (from Las Vegas). It sure was an exchange to remember. We started the night off with no power. The whole country of Ghana was without power. The government had sold the Electricity Company of Ghana to a private company. And apparently, there was a big switchover that led to no power in the country until the morning. So, it wasn't anything abnormal. By this point, I have gotten used to the power going out for hours but the heat was too much and we didn't have a fan so we couldn't go to sleep.  Instead of sleeping we just talked and talked until like 3 am when total exhaustion hit us and we fell asleep despite the heat. It was pretty dope I won't lie. We then had a phenomenal day. Met a lot of new people and even had some sweet spiritual lessons with a lot of our progressing investigators. Step by step we are preparing a lot of our people for baptism but opposition is hitting us at every corner. 

The milestone of the sweet week was on Saturday. For most of the transfer my companionship and the two companionships up in Mpraeso talked about roasting a pig at the end of the transfer. But, it slowly went away until all of us forgot about it or at least I thought everyone forgot about it. That was until about last Friday. I got a call from our district leader up there right after companionship study telling us that they had found a pig and planning to kill it and cook it the next day. I was shocked but my companion and I was not about to pass up such a sweet experience. We brought up some supplies and some travel reimbursement for them but for the most part we just enjoyed and chilled with them and roasted a pig and just chopped!!

Every week spiritual and amazing things happen out here in Ghana. Even though I have been out here now for 21 months each and every day is unpredictable and something new happens. I love this gospel so much. I have seen the joy and happiness that comes from living it and know it to be true. I invite everything single one of you to pray and ask God if it is true. Just like I tell every single person that I teach, I will tell you as well, I know if you do so you will receive an anwser for yourself and experience the joy and happiness that the gospel can bring into your life. Love you all so much!!! Hope you all have another great week as well.

Yabeishia ochina chie,

Elder Ordyna

The picture titles get all scrambled up anyways so I will let your imaginations just figure out what each picture is.

Roasting a pig the Polynesian Way with the Mpraeso Elders (Elder Elkington, me, Etukudo, Tonga and Robbins)

Brother Ayim and kids (member in Nkawkaw Branch 2)

Elder Robbins and Oraboto at Zone Conference

Exchange with Elder Elkington visiting recent convert Nancy

Elder Etukudo and me at the chapel

Captain Jesus Church

Nkakwaw Sunset

Spring Break - March 5-11, 2019

Hope you are all doing super well,

I don't have much time today so it will be super short today but I will attach some pics at the end.

Good Morning!! Looks like you really enjoyed an amazing week out there in Mexico!!! looks like a lot of fun. But, don't worry i have been having my own fun out here as well. Ghana is a lot cooler than Mexico, I can promise you that one.  It is like a fun park every day out here. I am dodging cars, throwing rocks at goats and chickens and even balancing my self on gutters. Alongside all of the fun things I am also having the most joy and happiness I can possibly have while sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone here in THE TOWN. I have put my hard work and sweat into this area literally. Ghana is the hottest place I have ever been to, even more than AZ. My shirt is soaked even when I am sitting down teaching a lesson. We  have a mission saying out here: How Hot is the Sun? As Fun as the Work!! 

We had a great week filled with travels to Kumasi for Mission Leadership Training and then just roaming around the bush out here trying to talk with as many people as we can. The highlight of the week is that while we were out we found a couple powerful people that have some promise. Out here you never know how someone will be because everyone will sit with you and talk about the gospel. They seem real interested at first but as time goes on you realize that they have no desire to change churches or change their lifestyle just to talk about Jesus Christ. We were hoping for two baptisms this next week but some things came up and it will have to be pushed back a couple of weeks.

Miracle: On Thursday we came back from MLC. The journey was really long and we were sitting in a crappy tro-tro smashed between people and when you add all of those things up it equals two super tired Elders. We dropped at Hotel Junction leading to our apartment and started grabbing our boxes of Books of Mormon and pamphlets and other supplies for the zone from the tro. My companion put down his scripture bag in the tro to help and before we knew it the tro was gone with his scripture bag inside. We hopped in a taxi as fast as we could to see if we could follow it but it was long gone. We thought it was long gone and we would never see them again. But, out of nowhere the next morning the tro driver knocked at our door holding my companion's scriptures. It was a serious miralce. We don't even know how he found our place but it was amazing. 

I hope all of you have a great week! Talk to you more next week!

I love you all so much and will see you in a short three months. Hope you all can be patient and keep enduring like I am and won't be freaking out in the coming weeks. I can't believe I have spent almost two years already out here in Africa and in three months it will all be memories. But, I have plenty of stories and pictures to tell you all. That first night we might be up all night if I won't be too tired getting off the plane. Love you all so much!!!!!

Love,

Elder Ordyna

PPS- In two weeks I will be released as zone leader and will be getting a new missionary to train for my last 12 weeks!!! I am so excited!! just so you all know my transfer news. After this transfer you won't have to worry about my transfer news anymore because it will be my last area and my last companion!!! Hallelujah!!!! I'm coming home!!!!

Waiting for the sister's baptism to start. I was bored and took a picture of the green water. Pretty much normal over here. 

Kofi and his family. the guy we found out in the bush. he has now come to church 4 times. we are just waiting for the marriage and everything to finalize before we can baptize them.

Are Missionaries Scary? - Feb. 26-March 3, 2019

Here's another one!! 

Another email to read about my crazy adventures in Africa!

Things weren't all that crazy this week. There were a bunch of disappointments and a lot of people running from us but all in all, it was a normal week.

We had a lot of rough days where no matter how hard we planned we wouldn't have anyone to teach. There were times where we would call investigators and they would say that they would be around at a certain time. And then when we would get there they wouldn't be around, or they would try to dodge us completely. It has been happening my whole mission but the whole time I have been out here I haven't seen it nearly as bad as it is here in Nkawkaw. A lot of people have heard a lot of negative things about the church and are seriously afraid of us. I always don't think we look scary but to some people we do, I guess. To make things even harder for us we even started to see members dodge us. We would make plans to go proselyte with them or to go with them to meet their friends but every time they wouldn't be around or see us coming and run away from us. Things are basically all on us right now in the branch. The members are expecting us to do everything from chapel cleaning to giving talks in church plus all of the missionary work. It is super frustrating but we are not giving up and the Lord is blessing us with some serious miracles and blessings for our efforts.

We are seeing some serious progress with our investigators. We have four that are progressing right now. Two of which is the family that I have been talking about. The major miracle with them is that the branch president is doing a lot to help them to be married. Hopefully, if everything goes right they will be married by next month and then the baptism can happen! I am so happy and excited for that wonderful family. They are getting more and more converted to the gospel every day. It is so awesome to see that. The major thing that has happened is that we are planning to baptize two guys next week. We will finally break the three-month drought in the branch. They are two guys named Collins and Emmanuel. Both were invited by a member to come to church. Nobody thought they would come and then they both unexpectedly came! Surprised everyone especially my companion and I that one is for sure. Only Collins seemed super serious at first glance. We met with him all of last week and didn't think anything of Emmanuel until he surprised us again by coming to church yesterday! It was fantastic. Both asked when they can be baptized and want to be members so bad. They are really feeling the spirit and are super touched by the church. Both told us that they had experienced countless churches before and never found one that suited them. They even vowed never to go to church again until they found out about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and decided to give it a shot. They are now on their way to baptism. It is absolutely amazing! God always blesses those that obey Him and do all that they can to follow Him!

I love all of you and am so grateful for your constant love and support! Hope you all have a great week and continue to find joy and happiness in living the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Love,

Elder Ordyna

Lunch at the Sisters Apartment after dealing with some zone business

Exchange with Elder Carlson in Domeabra

Riding in Taxi with my companion Elder Etukudo and a member Nancy

Shout out to the Promised Land of Arizona and my mom for sending me this awesome shirt