BSGC Be Strong and of a Good Courage

Hello Family Friends,

Another week has flown by. It feels like every missionary day is half the time of a normal day. I guess that is what happens when you find joy in the work. I am absolutely loving my mission right now. Elder Mubenga and I are working super hard (averaging 50 hour weeks) and having a lot of success. We are getting to the point where we have so many investigators that we can barely teach them all in a single week. We have been leaving the apartment early every morning and returning late at night and we still don't have time to teach them all. We had one baptism yesterday and this next Saturday we are planning on baptizing six people!

Two Sundays ago three Nigerian sisters, Gifty, Goodness and Success,  that we have never met with, came to church. They said that they heard about the church from a friend and wanted to see for themselves how the church is. They have now come for three Sundays and are preparing to be baptized this Saturday. This past week we had a super powerful lesson with them. We met them and asked if they had any questions. Each one asked a very inspiring question. But the two questions that really struck me were WHY DOESN'T THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS USE DRUMS AND CLAP WHILE PRAYING? AND HOW DO WE KNOW THE CHURCH IS TRUE? Here in Ghana there are churches on every corner. It is the most Christian country in the world. All most everyone attends church and believes in God. Many of the churches believe in the gift of tongues where they have a pastor that just yells a bunch of random sounds into a microphone. There is one church that does this right next to our apartment and I can barely fall asleep because of the guy. There are also many churches here where people clap, and yell and drum and play all sorts of instruments. 

After Gifty asked this question Goodness said that these things aren't necessary at church. We go to church to be uplifted and to feel the Holy Ghost. And when there are these loud things at church you can't feel the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost can only be with us when we are doing things that invite and help us to feel the spirit. My companion and I were amazed. That was the exact right answer.

For the second question we asked sister Gifty how we could know that this was the true church. She talked about Joseph Smith and the priesthood power and why Jesus Christ only went to John the Baptist because he had the authority. To hear her answer the question so well made us very happy. These Nigerian girls are really progressing and listening to what my companion and I are sharing with them. 

The joy that you feel from seeing an investigator progress and accept and actually follow the commitments that we extend to them is powerful. It is awesome to see people change their lives for the better because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints really is Jesus Christ's church restored again back to the Earth. The gospel of Jesus Christ helps us to have joy and happiness and to become better people.

I love you all and hope you have a great week.

Love,

Elder Ordyna

we had a powerful lesson with three of our investigators sisters (gifty, goodness and success) we met gifty and goodness  weeks three ago but for sister success just two weeks, so while we were teaching them about lesson 3 when we invited sister success to be baptize  be baptize then she asked a question " why should i be baptize while i have already baptized?"  i had something to say but i felt like i wasn't the right person to answer that question then i looked my companion may be he was the right person to answer but he was still quiet saying nothing we stay quiet for almost two minutes, then a feeling came and to my companion that the right person was sister gifty was also an investigator, then i said it rapidly sister your are the right person to help your sister to understand why she have to be baptize again, well then she said i am going to try  she said:"my sister jesus while he was on the earth he did call twelve people and gave them the priesthood so that they can baptize, and teach people but because people were wicked the killed some and later on they were all gone even the priesthood was gone, then many years later joseph smith who wanted to know which church to join because he was confuse , so he red james 1:5, AND DID WHAT JAMES TAUGHT AS HE PRAYED GOD , the father and the son both appeared to him, and jesus told him to join none of them, and if he keep have faith in christ he will be the instrument to bring the true church on the earth, then 9 years later peter, james and john appeared to him and gave him the priesthood and that power to baptize was given to joseph smith so the only church who have that power is the church of jesus christ of later day saints that is the reason why you have to be baptize again" after she ended her words her sister was totally convince through the power of the holy ghost, i was felled with the spirit while she was explaining the all point i wept and my soul rejoiced to see the result of following the spirit, she was our real Amulek.

much love elder mubenga

Grand Master OP Recording Studio

The Apartment Having Fun on a P-Day

Mid-Day Break at Bishop's (Anytime We Were Tired Proselyting We Knew We Could Get Drinks and Snacks from His Family)

Success

Companionships in our Aprtment-  Elder Vaitulala & Elder Woplah - Elder Ordyna & Elder Mubenga

Hello Family and Friends!!

This week has been amazing! I have received a new companion and there is a brand new missionary in my apartment from Texas. I have been helping him out a lot. I know exactly what he is experiencing!! After almost three months here, I can say that I am pretty accustomed to life in Ghana. 

On Wednesday I went to Metro Mass to pick up my new companion. On transfer day all of the missionaries in Kumasi meet at Metro Mass for transfers. So, it was awesome to see the other missionaries. All of the Elders and Sisters in this mission are amazing. My new companion is Elder Mubenga from DR Congo. He is a really powerful guy and a hardworking missionary. We are having a lot of fun together. 

Thursday I showed my companion around the area. The hard part about Kumasi is that there are no addresses or street names. All of the streets are dirt and are arranged like a maze. With Elder Speakman we would get lost all of the time and I was stressing out because I knew that I would have to show my next companion around. But, luckily after being in the area for a month and a half I have come to know the area very well. I have been able to show Elder Mubenga around with no problem. Even though I am still in training it is pretty sweet to show my trainer around and be the one that knows the area the best. We continue to have much success here in Asuoyeboa. Every day we have received referrals from the ward members which have turned out to be super serious.

 On Friday we went out to our farthest area called Tanoso. As we were walking down the street we saw a man washing his car. My companion asked him if he needed any help. He declined but asked us who we are and what we do. We told him and he instantly had interest and wanted us to tech him. His name is Gilbert. We taught him lesson one and when we got to Joseph Smith we found out that he has done a lot of research on Joseph Smith and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He told us that he studied religions in college. While he was studying about Joseph Smith he found out about the Book of Mormon and has wanted to read it ever since. We gave him one and invited him to church. After the lesson my companion and I talked about that experience. During the lesson the spirit was the strongest I have felt on my mission so far. I knew that the words that I said were directly from the Holy Ghost and were exactly what Gilbert needed to hear at that given moment. We talked about how if we never asked him if we could help him we would have never found him. The power of the Holy Ghost is real. It truly testifies of the truthfulness of the gospel. 

This week we have worked very, very hard. (over 50 proselyting hours) And on Sunday we saw the fruits of our labors. We had 12 investigators on Sunday! The most I have had so far. And after church we had three of our investigators come up to us and ask us if they could be baptized that day. Two of them Alfred and Ernest have come to church three times and are preparing to be baptized next Sunday. The third was Gilbert. We will have baptisms every week this transfer which will be awesome!

I have had a great week and hope that all of you have a great week!!

Love,

Elder Ordyna

Elder Woplah and I Popping Elder Mubenga's Back

The Apartment Chilling at Bishop Owusu's House

Asuoyeboah and Dichemso Zone Conference

2nd Trainer Elder Mubenga

The Squad (Elder Woplah, Me, Elder Vaituulala)

The Posterity (Elder Mubenga trained Me and Elder Crossley, Elder Crossley trained Elder Okogbua)

Change, Change and more Change

Last picture with Elder Speakman

Aug. 7-13 2017 

Hello Family and Friends,

Hope your week has been great!! This week has been crazy. There have been changes around the whole mission. They have opened two new zones and have had to close areas because there has been a decrease in missionaries. Plus, one of the elders in my apartment has been called as the new assistant and he left very early so we were in a three person companionship for a couple days. 

It has also been a very sad week. It was Elder Speakman's last week in Ghana. We made a countdown for him to countdown the days until he is gone. I can't believe I have already spent six weeks with him. I have learned so much from him and have enjoyed my time with him. He goes to the mission home in a little bit and I will be with Elder Woplah until Wednesday. Elder Woplah is training a new missionary this next transfer which will be sweet. We will have a brand new missionary in the apartment and finally I won't be one of the youngest missionaries in the mission. 

Asuoyeboah and Abuakwa District (Elder Johnson, Elder Okon, Elder Kayitare, Elder Yeboah, Elder Woplah, Elder Nygren, Elder Speakman, and Me)

My new companion will be Elder Mubenga. He has been out for over a year and is from the Democratic Republic of Congo. I haven't met him yet but I have heard he is a really hard worker and loves to joke and have fun. It will be a lot different but a great experience at the same time. He will be my trainer but will be new to the area so I will have to show him around. We will see how well I know my area. We might get lost a couple times. Haha He will also be the new district leader. Which will be cool because I will travel to different areas for exchanges and baptismal interviews. 

Mary's Baptism 

On Elder Speakman's last Sunday we had a baptism. Which was way cool for him. We were supposed to have one more but Sister Christiana has had a very difficult pregnancy and wasn't well enough to meet with President Cosgrave. We hope that this week she will be able to have her interview and be baptized. The first couple weeks of the transfer we were having a very difficult time. We didn't know our area at all. We had no idea where any of the members lived or all of the parts of the area. We had to work super hard and at times I was getting very discouraged because all of our hard work seemed like it was in vain. But, Elder Speakman told me that during the hardest moments is when you work the hardest. So, we didn't give up but continue to go out and be the best missionaries that we could. And because we have continued to persevere and work hard we have found so much success. On Sunday we had 8 investigators at church. Six of which are preparing to be baptized in the coming weeks. I know without a doubt that this is truly the Lord's work. Everyday I am grateful for the wonderful opportunity I have to serve a mission and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ here in Ghana. It has been hard, but I have loved every minute of it. 

I love you all and hope you have a great week!!! 

Love,

Elder Ordyna

Elder Speakman's Last Sunday (Sandra Owusu, Bishop's Daughter)

Elder Speakman's Last Sunday (Freddie Owesu, Bishop's Son)

What's for Lunch?

Lunch Anyone? You can order the Fresh Bushmeat Special

August 1-6 2017

Hello Friends and Family,

Time continues to zoom by! I can't believe it is already August. The work continues to go very well. Elder Speakman has 8 days left in Ghana!!

Tuesday - We met with two of our investigators Mary and Dorthy, they are very close to baptism. We just need to teach Mary the rest of the lessons and Dorthy needs to attend church. We are planning on baptizing Christina and Mary on Elder Speakmans last Sunday, which would be SWEET. We taught institute today.  It was very last minute and we had no idea what we were going to teach. I came up with the idea to teach the Plan of Salvation. Elder Speakman taught how the story of the Good Samaritan teaches the Plan of Salvation. To sum it up, the man that went down to Jericho symbolizes all of us coming to earth. While the man was traveling he was beat up by thieves, this symbolizes the temptations and trials we will have during our life here on Earth. The good Samaritan represents Jesus Christ. The injured man could not save himself just like we cannot cleanse ourselves of sin. The man needed to rely upon the Samaritan, similar to how we need to rely on Jesus Christ and His atonement to completely receive remission of sins and be forgiven.

Language - After we taught institute we went to a member's shop to buy eggs. I asked Janet (14 year old girl/shop owners daughter) for a full crate of eggs. Because of the accent and dialect differences she thought I said four eggs not a full crate. I asked again for a full crate of eggs and this time she brought back four full crates of eggs. My companion and I had a good laugh afterwards. It felt like I was in the movie The Best Two Years.

Wednesday Water Wars - We started our day out by stopping by a members drink shop. Sandra, another member, was there. It was Sandra's birthday so we had a massive water fight! Apparently it is a tradition in Ghana to soak people with water on their birthday. I guess Smingus Dingus is somewhat real here also.
We taught Christiana the last lesson. She continues to progress towards baptism. She is one of our baptisms scheduled for August 13th. It is amazing we are having so much success in an area that hasn't had a baptism since February. Apparently, Asuayeboa has been an extremely difficult area in the past. Elder Speakman and I continue to work hard and try our best and are grateful we have people to teach.

 Asuoyeboah Apartment interviews with President Cosgrave

Thursday -   Today Elder Johnson came to Asuayeboa and I went with Elder Oken to Abuakwa. It was nice to visit a different area for a day. Elder Okon is from Nigeria and is a really kind guy. All of our appointments were at different parts of his area so we had to walk a lot! I think it is the most I have walked in one day on my mission so far. While we were walking it began to pour rain. We had to take shelter for about 30 minutes or we would have been soaking wet. I had a great day in Abuakwa but I know that I am suppose to be in Asuayeboa right now. I need to work hard, love the people and help all in my area come unto Christ.
Side Note: I saw a girl with a pet monkey

Exchange with Elder Okon (Nigeria) in Abuakwa

The Outhouse We Would Pee in While Proselyting

Saturday- Today we explored a new part of our area called Tamasa. We found some members and they gave us referrals! Hopefully our investigators will come to church tomorrow. If everyone of our investigators came to church we would have 18, a record for us. We are hoping for at least 8. It is very hard for people to come to church, especially here.  Everyone already belongs to their own church and has callings they need to do on Sundays.

Transfer Interview- I had my first transfer interview with Presidednt Cosgrave. We discussed how everything is going, I said "it is going GREAT!". He told me my next companion will most likely be someone with one transfer left, like Elder Speakman. He said by the end of my second transfer I will be an expert at sending missionaries home (hahah).  If this happens I will have three companions in my first three transfers. I am sure I will be blessed to learn from so many great missionaries.


Sunday- Today was a fantastic day. Our recent convert was confirmed and given the gift of the Holy Ghost. We had 6 of our investigators show up! Heavenly Father's work is moving forward, how grateful I am to be a part of it.  We stayed for ward choir, which still makes me laugh.  We went to visit an investigator that didn't make it to church. We ended up teaching her 19 year old sister. She asked us to stay and teach her before we had a chance to even say anything to her. When you are praying for missionaries to find those that are prepared to receive the gospel know that those prayers are answered everyday!  It really happens!

This week has been amazing. Thank you for the love and support you have shown me my first couple months in the mission. Time really does fly by when you are serving. I will miss my time with Elder Speakman, he has been a great first trainer.



Have a great week.
Love,
Elder Ordyna

Eating Banku at a members home for dinner

Pounding FuFu at a members home

First Baptism

Hello Family and Friends!!!

Etinsane (how are you),

 I have had an amazing week here in Ghana. I went to KFC in Ghana for the first time this week as well as had my first baptism yesterday. I hope all is well back home.

Tuesday- I had zone conference in Dichemso. My zone Asuoyeboa and the Dichemso zone were combined. It was great to meet other missionaries and to be instructed by President and Sister Cosgrave. We learned about how to teach the doctrines using simple but powerful words. As well as the importance of inviting and following up. We can't force people to join the church we can only guide, support and help them. They have to make the choice and the Holy Ghost will testify to them that it is true. 

Wednesday- I had Mid-Transfer Training at the Dabine Chapel next to the mission home. Halfway through the first transfer all of the new missionaries and their trainers meet with President and Sister Cosgrave to discuss how everything is doing and how everyone is adjusting to mission life. They told us to continue to be great missionaries, be obedient and work hard every day. A mission saying is Start Right Stay Right. It is absolutely true. The way we start our mission will definitely impact us later on. We need to build good habits now that will go on to later in the mission as well as in the future. It was great to see all of my MTC friends again. Because our mission is so big it is very hard to see everyone all of the time. We are spread all over the mission. Afterwards, we went to KFC for dinner. It was my first time going here in Ghana. Man, it is absolutely crazy. It is by far the biggest KFC I have ever seen. It doesn't have three levels like I thought but it was still massive. The food is super expensive. It is 15 cedis for two pieces of chicken, fries and a drink. We had extra money from our sub this week so we decided to go out and splurge a little bit. It was great. 

Because of Mid-Transfer Training and Zone conference, we didn't have much proselyting time this week so I am sorry I don't have many stories about teaching our investigators. This next week will be much better 

Thursday- Today we went to Apatrappa to visit Sister Christiana. She is scheduled to be baptized on August 13th Elder Speakman's last Sunday. Time has flown by. We only have two more weeks in the transfer and then Elder Speakman will be going home and I will be getting a new companion. After we taught her a man came up to us and said that he was almost baptized and then traveled for a long time and now that he is back he wants to be baptized. We met with him and he is very serious and close to baptism. We had no idea that the other missionaries were teaching him and knew nothing about him. It was amazing to meet him. 

Friday- Today we had another amazing experience. We were in one of our super far away areas and it was getting super late (about 9) and we were going to be late for curfew. We were both super tired and wanted to take a tro but we had already used a lot of money for transport and we were inspired to walk all the way to the apartment. As we were walking we talked about how that if we really wanted to we could hand out over one hundred books of Mormon in one day very easily. Everyone we passed on the street would take one. Everyone is very religious and believes in Christ. So it can be very easy to set up appointments and teach people but a lot of the time it can very difficult for people to progress and come to church because everyone already goes to church every Sunday and have callings in their church.  We had one more Book of Mormon and we wanted to place it before we went to the apartment. We kept walking and waiting for the right person. Then a man named Ike called us over and said that he is interested in the church and wants to join. We gave him the Book of Mormon and met with him on Saturday. If we continue to work hard and are obedient and doing the things that we should be Heavenly Father will place people in our path that are ready to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. Ghana is the coolest place ever. 

Sunday- Today I had my first baptism!!! It was one of the craziest first baptisms someone probably could have. Early in the morning our Ward Mission Leader went to the church and turned on the pump to begin to fill the font. The baptism was scheduled to start at 12:30 pm but at noon only two feet of water was in the font. We were really stressed out and had to find a solution really quickly. The ward mission leader said that he had it all under control and would go and fetch water to fill the font. Thirty minutes later he said that he had solved the problem and that the font was ready. We went to go look at the font and the font was filled much higher but the water wasn't clear anymore it was a dark murky dirty color. IT WAS DISGUSTING. He told us that he fetched water from a nearby stream. We couldn't cancel the baptism so we went on with it despite the water. To make matters worse the front doors were locked and they lost the key. So, basically, everyone that came to watch couldn't see anything. I was the one baptizing so I had to go into the dirty water. But, I felt even worse for the people being baptized, they had to go completely under the water. Despite all of those problems, the baptism was a success and the service itself was very nice. The Spirit was there and people felt true joy. 

I hope all of you have a great week! I love you all so much and will talk to you soon.

Love, 

Elder Ordyna

It's a Jungle Out There 

A river we have to cross to get to one of our investigators. When it is raining it is flooded!

A 'Bow Tie' an Investigator Made for Me

Asuoyeboah Apartment

Ghana Funeral

Wilderness Survival

Hello family and friends, 

Life is still sweet here in Ghana. It rains all of the time, we have been caught in the rain numerous times while proselyting. The rainy season means lots of fruit, everywhere you walk you can see mangoes, bananas, oranges, plantains and papayas growing in the trees. The fruit is so fresh and taste amazing! Thank you for the package and all of the cards . It really made my day reading them and I hope the family reunion went well. I miss and love all of you!!

Tuesday. - District council was planned for today, but because the zone leaders wanted to meet with all of the district leaders we are having it Wednesday.  We did not have time for laundry on p-day so we washed all our laundry today.  We have to wash by hand. At first my hands were rubbed raw but now I am used to it. It takes about 15 minutes to completely wash one shirt. Enjoy your washing machines while you have them!

Today we talked to golden investigators Kojo and Ernest, Kojo is the man that we found at church. We met with him at the chapel, he read the entire restoration pamphlet that we gave him and three chapters from the book of mormon. He also asked really good questions and continues to progress very quickly. After the meeting he asked if he could be baptized this week. Sadly, he hasn't been to church 3 times yet and he is traveling for the next 3 months. We gave him all of the pamphlets to read and encouraged him to continue to read the book of mormon and pray everyday . We plan to baptize him when he returns. Ernest another serious investigator is also progressing very quickly. We found him while teaching two other investigators, Winston and Mary. The second we gave him the book of mormon he instantly began to read. The first time we met with him he said that in his heart he knew he was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Earlier in the week we were frustrated because only two of our investigators attended church. I have realize that if we are obedient, diligent and keep working hard that the Lord will put people in our path that are ready to receive His message.

Wednesday -  We had district council, our district continues to be one of the most successful districts.  After council we had lunch at BANKU chop bar. It is a restaurant that makes big balls of mashed rice and fermented corn. You eat the BANKU with soup, the texture is the same as fufu but the taste is different. It was actually pretty nice and the soup was great. We taught Kojo his last lesson before he leaves town for 3 months. We taught him the last part of the plan of salvation. He says that he wants to marry and have kids in the church and name his firstborn son Alma. ;-)

BANKU Chop Bar after District Council 

Our area is massive it has one semi-large town and four smaller villages that are spread out and separated by the bush; super thick trees and vines. Because it is so large and spread out we have to take a Tro-Tro to each area. A Tro-Tro is a super old run down van that people pile into. The entire ride it sounds like the whole thing could fall apart at any moment. We headed up to one of our far away areas in APATRAPPA  to teach Christiana who is super close to baptism. She remembers everything that we teach and is reading the Book of Mormon every night. She was suppose to be baptized this week but had to postpone. We taught her Tithing and Fast Offerings and helped her through some problems that keep her from being baptized. Keep her in your prayers.
My companion and I are two of the very few Americans walking through Ghana. We get a lot of unserious investigators. There are a lot of people increasing their faith in Christ and gaining a testimony that Christ lives, Joseph Smith really is a prophet of God, he translated the Book of Mormon and through Jesus Christ restored His church back to the earth.
Friday - Today was a great day. We visited with three of our most progressing investigators, One has her baptism scheduled for this Saturday, July 29, 2017. The other two are scheduled to be baptized early in August. Because both my companion and I are new to the area we went with a member, Eugene, to visit ward members. In order to get to one of the member's house we had to chop our way through super tall thick bush and cross multiple rivers. It was like I was hiking not proselyting. It was super cool! Afterwards we had to hike back all the way back to our apartment in the dark because it was DUMSO.

DUMSO means On Off in TWI- There is not enough electricity in Ghana to power the whole country so the government has to shut off power in certain areas for long periods of time. It happens at the worst possible moments,  it always happens when I am ironing my shirt or about to brush my teeth.  There is no underground piping in Ghana yet so outside our apartment we have a large poly-tank that stores city water. A water pump pumps water from the tank into our apartment. The pump is run on electricity so during DUMSO we have no water. One morning there was no electricity and no one in our flat could take showers. We had to fetch water from a well.

Saturday - We started off the day deep cleaning our apartment, partly because it seems like it hasn't been cleaned for months but mainly because we have a major insect problem. There are ants everywhere in the bathroom and cockroaches in the kitchen. The other two elders in my apartment have bed bugs. I helped them to bag up all of their clothes and boil them. We also moved their beds out of the flat and now they are sleeping on new mattresses on the ground. Everything here gets super dusty and dirty so you have to clean constantly. We had dinner at brother sam's house (the first counselor). It was my first time eating fufu in the field, every time I have it it tastes a little bit better. I asked my companion how long it took him to get used to the food and he said 6 to 8 months. I still have a long way to go but I am doing well. 

Sunday - We had three investigators at church and we have one baptism next weekend. My companion and I joined the ward choir.  Choir and music in general is very serious here. Everyone loves to sing especially loud!  We taught  a woman that only spoke TWI  so we had a member translate the whole lesson. It was very interesting and hard to follow but she seemed serious and accepted a baptismal date.

Elder Woplah's Birthday

Sometimes life in Ghana is like wilderness survival but it is always amazing. I know out of all the many missions this is the one for me. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be in Ghana for 2 years. I absolutely love it here. Love, Elder Ordyna  

The Elder Speakman Smile... Like Father Like Son

Three Hour Chapel Cleaning

Elder Woplah, Me, and Elder Speakman in the Apartment

Stirring Banku with Elder Nygren

Senior Missionaries of the GKM

There are wonderful Senior Missionaries that served with us in the Ghana Kumasi Mission. They helped in the office as well as giving us supplies and equipment for our apartments. 

Elder and Sister Templeton (Apartments, New Zealand), Elder and Sister Schow (Office, Utah), President and Sister Cosgrave (Mission President, Utah), Elder and Sister Wardle (Apartments, Utah), Elder and Sister Dearing (Apartments, Utah)

The following is from Brother and Sister Dearing:
Here are some pictures of your sweet sons. They are the most awesome missionaries ever. I am Sister Dearing and my husband and I are a senior couple here in the best mission ever in Ghana Kumasi. I am the mission nurse and my husband takes care of the temporal needs like apartments and anything else the missionaries need. We love these missionaries so much. They are such fine and wonderful young men. They serve the Lord with all their hearts. What great examples they are. I feel blessed to associate with them. I believe I can sneak a hug in.  May the Lord bless you all

Apartment Supplies 

I HIT MY ONE MONTH MARK

Hello Family and Friends!!!

I hope all is well back in the United States. Life here in Ghana is sweet and going by so fast!! It is crazy to think that last Saturday I hit my one month mark. This week was amazing.

Tuesday- I attended my first district council. There are four companionships in my district (8 elders). Elder Johnson is my district leader and he is from Utah. He is a really awesome guy. Apparently our district has been one of the most successful in the mission so President Cosgrave is coming to our district council tomorrow. In total my district had 26 investigators at church and scheduled to baptize 8 people this week. The work is going very well. After council we went to their apartment for lunch. We had stew and rice. I have probably eaten my body weight in rice so far. At first I couldn't stand it but now I am loving it. The food is super spicy so by the time I get home I will be able to eat anything. 

Wednesday- We taught our investigator Abigail. She is the daughter of the ward's first counselor and sister to a returned missionary. She is super close to being baptized and we finished lesson three with her. Her testimony of the gospel is so strong already. She has been to church more than a dozen of times and loves it. My companion and I hope that she will be baptized by the end of the month. We visited one of our investigators in the hospital because she wasn't feeling well and decided to buy some medicine from the village medicine man. Even though her husband told her not to she poured the medicine into her porridge. It turned out that it was poison. She was taken to the hospital and she asked for a blessing. It was the very first blessing that I have ever given. It was an amazing experience and the spirit was super strong in the room. Christiana (our investigator) has such a strong testimony of the gospel and hopefully should be baptized this month. 

Thursday- We taught Kwame and Hannah today. Kwame has become less and less serious every time we visit. He was talking about creating his own church where he would combing Christianity and Islam together and asked my companion and I if we would be the church preachers. Even though he acts like he is not serious, he told us that he is still praying every night to see if the Book of Mormon is true. Which gives us hope that one day he will receive his answer and become more serious. Hannah on the other hand is very serious and taking in everything that we teach her. But, she isn't progressing at all. She hasn't read the Book of Mormon, prayed, or come to church yet. We can't force her to come we can only encourage her. And that is exactly what we have tried to do. 

Friday- We had 8 new investigators today. We taught the Restoration five times. I now feel like I am a pro at the lesson one. Practicing really does help in all things, especially in teaching. As part of my new missionary training every day my trainer and I role play different situations and lessons. Practicing and studying has really helped me to teach better, feel more comfortable while I teach and to better be in tune with the Holy Ghost.

Saturday- We helped clean the chapel today. In Ghana chapel cleaning isn't just a simple vacuuming and dusting. It is a full on deep clean of everything. Because it is so dusty and dirty we have to sweep the whole church, mop it and wipe down all of the chairs, walls and tables. It took three and half hours to clean the whole the chapel. Afterwards we played futbol with some members for a little bit. 

Sunday- We had 8 investigators planning to come to church with us but after calling them and reminding them about church only two showed up. It was really disappointing but we met a man named Kojo. He said that ten years ago his friend invited him to church but never came. For the past couple of years he has been searching for the right church and hasn't found it. He was praying last week and remembered that his friend had invited him to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and came yesterday. He answered all the questions and was very powerful. We visited with him at his house after church and taught him the Restoration. He was so eager to learn everything and very attentive. At the end of the lesson we invited him to read and pray. Today we got a text from him telling us that he knows that the church is true and wants to be baptized. It has been one of the most spiritual experiences so far. 

I love you all and know that missionary work is lead by God. As we are obedient and work hard we will find people that are ready to hear the gospel like Kojo.

Love, Elder Ordyna

Kejetia (Kumasi Central Market)

APT Road to Apatrappa

Asuoyeboah Road

Amazing Sunset in Asuoyeboah

Elder Speakman and I Enjoying Some Fried Rice

Washing Clothes by Hand

Rain Storm

Soldier Man and His Chickens

Bishop Owusu's Family During Family Home Evening

Asuoyeboah Apartment (Elder Speakman, Elder Woplah, Elder Nygren and Me)