This could possibly be my last email home from Ghana! Not sure if I will have much time next week.
I am trying to figure out where these last two years have gone. It feels like just yesterday I was at the Phoenix airport with my family getting ready to board a plane to come to the MTC in Accra. And now next week I will board another plane to come back home! I hope everyone is ready to have some serious fun and hear amazing stories!
This week sure was an action-packed one. Way too many things happened this week to fit in this short email but I will do my best to put in the best ones.
On Tuesday I went to my last ever zone conference of my whole mission which was pretty sad. In the mighty GKM (Ghana Kumasi Mission) we have a tradition where all of the going home missionaries for that transfer bear their testimonies at zone conference. So, of course, I got up there and bore my last testimony. It sure will be difficult for me to leave the place I have called home for two years and especially more the people I have met and got to know over the years. At the same zone conference, we watched safety zone videos (new videos the church put out for the safety of missionaries) and one was about electricity wires and electricity. I thought to myself Ghana doesn't really have a lot of crazy wires and things. But, then I stepped outside for two seconds and gave a good look at everything and realized that it has been a miracle that I haven't been electrocuted out here. For the next couple of days Elder Skiba and I as we walked around the area we observed all of the crazy wires going everywhere and all of the terrible and dangerous connections. After watching the videos we are stepping up our game on safety and health that is for sure.
This last week was also a great week for missionary work. We received 6 new referrals from the members. These days we are pushing them a lot to do missionary work and making it a focus in both the ward and the branch. We have had a lot of baptisms and success these last couple of weeks but they have been from our own people that we went found and brought to church. We are working on a huge chapel open house activity on the last Saturday of this month. The members are completely on board and doing all that they can to participate and help us by finding people that they can bring to it. Sadly, I won't be here for it but I am doing all that I can to help it go well while I can. As part of the member-referral initiative, we are also making a huge priority in meeting with and strengthening recent converts in our area. They tend to know a lot of non-members and still have a huge spirit for sharing the gospel with others.
One that we have been really focusing on is Isaac. He went to London a couple of years ago and joined the UK Army and then had an accident and then got sent back to Ghana. He has gone through a lot and isn't completely there in the head but loves the church with all of his heart and has become a seriously powerful member. We have created a set time and day during the week to meet him. Our lessons with him are turning more into counseling sessions then full-on teaching lessons. The guy loves talking to us because he feels like we truly listen to his concerns. So, for most of the time we are with him we just sit there as he tells us the next chapter of the story. We have met with him three times and each time he has told us some seriously interesting stuff. First, he believes that he is a prisoner to the stars and that they are out to get him, second, he believes that his neighbor is a juju witch and is sending evil spirits into his room and lastly he believes that he was born on planet 1 earth and when he came back from England "they" sent him here to planet 2. The guy has a lot of crazy stories and things but I have definitely learned a lot from the situation about ministering as the Savior would. It would be super easy for us to go in there and just judge him and laugh at him but Elder Skiba and I both do our best to see him as the Savior would. We listen to him and help him with anything we can. We have even built a great relationship with him and are now great friends with the guy.
Friday and Saturday were straight days of adventures and having fun. We left the apartment on Friday with a lot of people to meet with and a great day planned. But, then the rain came and all of our plans went right down the drain. We didn't have anything going on and then we got a call from our branch president inviting us to the traditional wedding of our recent convert we baptized last week and her husband. It sure was an all-out party as everything is here in Ghana. But, it was also super cool and interesting to see how a traditional wedding is here in Ghana. The next day we then headed to the chapel for the actual civil wedding. It was a great and fantastic day with great food. We enjoyed with our members and supporting our recent convert. And the best part of all of it was we got two new people to teach from it which is always sweet.
Saturday night on the way back to the apartment for the night I had a distinct and clear impression to go and visit one of the people we were planning to baptize this Saturday. It was about 8:30 pm and we were tired and just wanted to get back. The feeling got stronger the closer and closer we got to his house. I told my companion about it and we stopped the taxi and walked to his house. We hadn't heard from the guy all week because his phone was having problems. We got to the house and he wasn't at home. I was disappointed and thought why would the Spirit bring us here if he wasn't at home. His number didn't work and the people in the compound had no idea where he went. I then had a thought to check the door for any phone numbers. A lot of Ghanaians will write their numbers on their doors or houses so that people can get a hold of them if they aren't in the house. So I looked around the front door and found one painted by the doorknob. I dialed it and our investigator Kojo picked the line. He said that he was at his brother's place and would be 'there shortly. The second I saw Kojo I knew exactly why the Spirit had us come to his place at that time. HE WAS DRUNK!!! We were going to even baptize him this very Saturday and we had no idea about his true concerns and problem he had. Because we listened to the Spirit we are now aware of how to best help him and teach him so that he can come unto Jesus Christ. I am very sad and disappointed that I won't be able to see him baptized my last week on mission but I know that God knows everything and has a plan for everything.
A couple of months ago I was thinking to myself that it would be so great if I could just go home at that very moment. I felt like I had learned enough and was super ready to get back home to my family and friends. But, as those months have passed by I have seen that every second of my mission I have learned something and if I went home before my two years were up I would miss so many things that could boost my testimony and my knowledge of the gospel. I have loved every second of being out here in Ghana. I am so grateful for all of your constant love and support each one of you have shown me during my time out here. I have been able to learn from companions from so many different countries and cultures and know that everyone is truly a son and daughter of God. I love this gospel so much and I love each one of you so much! I can't wait to see you all very soon! Have a great week and may God be with you forever and always!!
Love,
Elder Ordyna
