Extreme Makeover Apartment Edition and Transfer News

Letter from Elder Mubenga (Elie Mbenza)

Elder ordyna is leaving I am going to miss him a lot, i will miss him not just because he was a very good friend to me but rather of who i am ever since he is close to me. I grateful to be the one to train that great man and brother.

i will have an liberian as companion. so i am ready to work

much love 

Elder Mubenga

Hello family and friends,

I will leave my current area Asuoyeboa 2 after only two transfers and head to Kenyasi, a small village just outside Kumasi on Wednesday. My new companion is from Cape Coast Ghana. It should be a very interesting area. It is out in the bush and it will be my very first time serving in a branch. I am really excited for change but very sad to leave my current area. I love the members and all of my investigators I have met here in Asuoyeboa. But, part of missionary work is change!

The Brethren of Asuoyeboah (Elder Woaplah, Elder Vaituulala, Elder Mubenga and Elder Ordyna)

This week we had painters and carpenters in our apartment all week. The mission is redoing the Asuoyeboa apartment and improving it in many ways. Of course it is just my luck that all of the improvements are coming as soon as I am leaving the apartment. But, I did hear that my new apartment is brand new. So, i will be enjoying! Because of this we didn't have much proselyting time. We had to stay in the apartment while they are working. 

On Saturday I went on exchanges to Abuakwa. I went to Abuakwa with Elder Crowley and Elder Yeboah came to Asuoyeboa with my companion. Every time I go to Abuakwa something crazy happens. We got lost again. Walking around the area for an hour trying to find a house. And then we taught a rastaman and a prophetess and got some free herbal medicine that apparently is a cure all. I tried some the other day and it honestly tastes like soap. It is horrible. 

Yesterday on my last Sunday in the area my companion and I had to give a talk. I spoke on the Gospel of Jesus Christ while my companion spoke on the Restoration of the Gospel. We had to split the whole time between the two of us. I actually gave over a twenty minute talk and it seemed very easy. The spirit is real and it really can give us promptings and guide us in life. 

Last Sunday in Asuoyeboah (Me, Elder Vaituulala, Elder Woaplah, and Elder Mubenga)

Last Sunday in Asuoyeboah (Elder Vaituulala)

I love you all so much! Tune in next week for pictures and a description of my new area. Till next week.

Love,

Elder Ordyna

Zone Conference and three months

Hello Family and Friends,

It has been another really quick week out here in the field. I can't believe that I have already been out for three months. It has flown by! 

 Ghanaians are getting crazy here because the Ghana national team (the Black Stars) are one game away from qualifying for the World Cup. Everyone loves soccer over here including little kids. Everywhere you go you will see someone playing soccer. On Saturday night we were eating dinner at a member's home and they turned on the Mali and Ghana game. Mali is supposed to be one of the best teams in Africa. But, Ghana was doing very well against them. My companion and I left at halftime and started to walk back to our apartment because it was getting late. As we were walking I stopped to buy some pineapple and a group of people were watching the game. Literally thirty seconds later Ghana scored. And the place went absolutely crazy. People were screaming and yelling all over the place. Some guys were running up and down the street yelling Ghana Ghana Ghana!!! It was awesome. Ghana won and now if they win their next game against Niger they will qualify for the World Cup. 

My companion has also been really into soccer lately because his team DR Congo are doing very well and look to qualify soon as well. 

Wednesday- We had zone conference all day. We traveled to the Bantama Stake Center and it was my zone (Asuoyeboa) and Bantama zones combined. It was a very great conference. The zone leaders instructed on priesthood ordinances and the Assistants instructed on the Book of Mormon. As missionaries the Book of Mormon is one of our greatest tools. The Book of Mormon helps our investigators along the path of true conversion. Through the Book of Mormon one can come to know for themselves that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, The Church of Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ's church restored again to the Earth and that Jesus Christ lives and is the Savior of the world. Through my time in the field I have seen the power of the Book of Mormon. The promise in Moroni 10:3-5 really works. I have seen it in my life. Through study and prayer I have come to know that the Book of Mormon is true. But, I have also seen it in my investigators. During the first lesson we invite our investigators to read the Book of Mormon and to pray about it. The very next visit, every investigator that kept their commitment and read and prayed, all say that they have received their answer and know that it is true.

Zone conference was the highlight of the week. This week we focused on contacting. We went tracting all day Tuesday and Thursday to find new investigators. Here in Ghana tracting is a lot different than other missions. In all of my three months on mission no one has rejected us. Everyone here is so religious and are always happy to hear a message about Jesus Christ. The hard part is not trying to find people that will listen to you, it is trying to find serious people that will progress and come to church. Because everyone already goes to church and many are happy with their faith. But, this week we found some really solid people that I hope will progress.

Sadly, though I will not be in the area to see how it goes. I just got word today that I will be transferred from Asuoyeboa. It will be a very sad week. :( I have loved Asuoyeboa and all of the members and people that I have come to know here. I am still unsure which area I will be sent to but I will find out on Saturday and next week I will let you all know. 

I hope you all have a great week and I will talk to you all next week!!!

Love,

Elder Ordyna

Service Project for the Ward Relief Society President (Cutting Grass with a Cutlass)

Service Project for the Ward Relief Society President (Trimming Bushes)

Chilling after the Service Project with Ellen (member), Elder Vaituulala, and Elder Mubenga

Raining Missionary Work

On Friday a member said that she had something very special for us and if we didn't come that night than it will spoil. The only problem was that it was pouring rain. So I put on my crocs grabbed my umbrella and we set off. We walked through the pouring rain and had to cross a river to get to her house. We got a free meal at the Bishop's house and a ride back to our apartment.We went all the way to the members home for plaintain chips and some yogurt.

Hello Family and Friends,

This week I am emailing very early. As I am writing this all of you will probably still be asleep. We wanted to email early this week so we could have time to go to the Kumasi Mall. The mall and KFC are the closest things to back home. At the mall they have a store called Shoprite which is exactly like Walmart except smaller. It even has the same slogan "Always low prices, everyday" in the same font and everything. Ghana continues to be sweet! It continues to rain much longer than expected. Usually by this time of year it is the dry season and the dust starts to roll in. But it has rained for the past three days straight and the weather has been really cold. Despite the rain, we continue to proselyte every day. We had another over 50 hour week. Hard work pays off. We are having a lot of success. We are having baptisms and meeting a lot of new people everyday that are interested in the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Rain Rain and more Rain

Tuesday- We had district council. The district continues to do have much success. The zone leaders told us that as a zone we have the highest numbers in the whole mission. (even though numbers don't matter) It shows that this is the Lord's work. And when we try our hardest and continue to work hard even when it seems like it is in vain, it will lead to success and we will find people that are interested. At district council I also gave my first ever instruction. I talked about the Book of Mormon and how we can better use it as missionaries to help our investigators. It is through the Book of Mormon that our investigators can truly be converted to the gospel. Because when we develop a testimony in the Book of Mormon we know that the prophet Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is Christ's true Church restored again to the Earth and that Jesus Christ lives and is the Savior of the world. It went very well and everyone enjoyed it. Giving insturction was the reward for having the District Leader as a companion. He didn't feel like doing it so he pawned it off onto me. He continues to tell me that he is training me to become an assistant one day. Haha

Thursday- We met with one of our progressing investigators named Godfred in Tanoso (one of our farthest areas). We had a great lesson about the law of Tithing, Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity. He understood everything very clearly. He has come to church twice and his baptism date was planned for the last Saturday of this month. But, at the end of the lesson he told us that he has been reading the Book of Mormon and praying and knows that it is true and wants to be baptized as soon as possible. My companion and I were in shock. Because the first time we extended a baptismal date he was a little hesitant and said I will be baptized only if I know it is true. Every time we met with him afterwards he said that he has not received an answer yet. But, then he had a change of heart. I can testify that the Holy Ghost can change people hearts. And if we ask God in prayer He will answer us. It might not be right away or the way we are expecting but it will come. God knows us and knows the best time and way for us to receive our answer. But it will always come. 

Godfred's Baptism (Elder Mubenga, Bishop Owusu, Godfred, Me, Sandra)

Saturday- We headed to the chapel at 7 am for chapel cleaning. After chapel cleaning the ward had a fitness activity where we did exercises and then played board games. After the activity we prepared for Brother Godfred's baptism. It was a very awesome baptism. There were a lot of members present.

This week has gone by very fast. There is only two more weeks in the Transfer and then I will be done with training and onto my third transfer. This week we have Zone Conference on Wednesday that I will update you on next Monday. Hope all of you have a great week! And GO DBACKS!!!

Love,

Elder Ordyna

Music Festival and KFC

Hello family and friends!!

I hope everything is well at home. Life in Ghana continues to be amazing. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to wake up every morning in Ghana and be a missionary. My companion and I are continuing to have a lot of success. The spirit here in Asuoyeboa is so strong. We had three confirmations yesterday. Alfred and two of the Nigerian sisters (Goodness and Gifty). 

Sisters Goodness and Gifty Baptism 

Alfred's Baptism 

Tuesday- We left the apartment at 7:00 am to visit Bridgit who is preparing to be baptized this week. She is 15 and just moved into her Aunt's house who is a member. She has come to church plenty of times and wants to be baptized. All we have to do now is just teach her the lessons. When we left the apartment it was pouring rain and she only told us what junction she lived on and told us that she would meet us there. We took tro to her junction but she wasn't there. We were waiting for thirty minutes camped out under a little shed until she finally showed. Despite this we had a great lesson. She is really progressing and said that she read ten chapters in the Book of Mormon and loved it. It is awesome to see your investigators keep commitments and progress towards baptism. 

Wednesday- Highlight of today was KFC!!! We have a tradition in my apartment that every second Wednesday (last week of Sub) after mid week we would head over to KFC for dinner because it is very close. It is always amazing when we go.

Thursday- Today we had exchanges. My companion went with Elder Woplah while I went with Elder Vaituulala. At first I was a little nervous because I am almost done with training (three weeks!!!) and Elder Vaituulala just started. We are both very new to the mission and didn't know how it would go. It ended up being an awesome day. Elder Vaituulala and I taught 8 lessons in one day! We worked so hard and it was a lot of fun. Elder Vaituulala is a great missionary. 

Exchange with Elder Vaituulala 

Saturday- Today was the music festival at Bantama Stake Center. All of the wards and branches in the stake sing two songs. Improve the Shining Moments and then one of their choice. They are judged on how well they sing, their appearance and other points. Asuoyeboa 2 placed third in the whole stake. After the festival we made another KFC run. It was great. It's nice to have something every once in a while that reminds you of home. 

The weeks keep going by like crazy. We are already in September and soon I will reach my three month mark and will be done with training and onto my third transfer. 

Love you all!!

Love,

Elder Ordyna

Email from Elder Mubenga 

(I do not edit his letters, because I don't want to lose any of his thoughts in translation) 

hey family area is doing great through my study i learned something that i already know about persisting in doing hard things "That which we persist in doing becomes easier for is to do not that the nature of the thing has changed, but that our power to do is increased" being over here with elder ordyna we felt that sometimes things is just very tough than we fot a very great taught and we know of no easy formula to success, we will persist, work, work, work is what counts in the battle of life my companion isn't a perfect missionary, but i am madly in love with the help, service and his diligence, i thank God for trusted me to be his companion. let us enjoy hard time.

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