This week was pretty good. Not all that bad ha ha.
We had a lot of rain this week. We are starting to get to the rainy season which has been nice, things are starting to grow and get green again, the dust isn’t in piles on the side of the road as much, which has been nice. The rain is really nice but then at the same time it makes it difficult to teach....the people of Ghana HATE the rain so when it rains things kinda shut down.
This week we got stuck in the rain again, it was like a hurricane, it was raining so hard! Homes were destroyed, roads were rivers. It was cool, but kinda scary at the same time. We were huddled under a little shack watching sheet metal, signboards, and small homes fly through the air. ha ha. One of those experiences that you don’t have everyday.
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| Taylor with Joshua and Jonathan and Elder Johnson |
We forgot to take a picture on their baptism day so we got one yesterday. Which by the way, they both received the priesthood yesterday, that was cool!
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| Taylor and Elder Johnson with Comfort and her sons Winston and Joseph on their baptism day. |
The one with the Mom and the two smaller boys...that is Comfort and her family. They were all baptized yesterday. Comfort is 47, Winston is 14, and Joseph is 13. They are a really sweet family! I love them like crazy.
When we met them, during one of our first lessons we felt prompted to talk about temples and “forever families”...and Comfort went crazy! She is desperate to go to the temple. She owns a bar for work, but the bar now has a picture of the Accra temple hanging on the door and she has a stack of pamphlets that she hands out to her friends and customers. She is in the process of now converting it from a drinking bar to a restaurant. After we taught her about temples...she took a taxi all the way to Accra on her own just to walk around the temple and be there by it. I have no idea how, but she knows tons about the temple, and just cannot wait to go! Comfort doesn’t speak English all that well so our lessons are simple so that she can understand our American English. But she is so smart, the simplified version of “eternal families” has now been dubbed “forever families” :). Comfort was divorced a few years ago from what sounds like a real jerk, she has an 18 year old son who is attending school in Koforidua but is planning on being baptized when he comes home for summer vacation. Anyway they are just a really awesome family!
Is it a transfer week...any news about that?
-we'll find out tomorrow
Do you take more pictures than you are sending to us? If not...start now!!!
-I don’t really know what to take pictures of....
Fun pday?
-we are having a district activity telling one of the sisters goodbye a bit later today, that should be kinda fun.
Spiritual times:
-When I first came to this area I remember discussing with Elder Honour about the things that we observed the ward was in need of when it came to new membership. The two areas that we observed were struggling the most were the young men and the priesthood brethren that could soon serve in leadership. We noticed those needs, and the four of us started praying to be led and guided to the places where we would be able to find those that could help to strengthen the weak areas in the ward.
I know perfectly that the Lord is at the helm of this work. He leads and guides his servants to those who are prepared, ready, and fit to strengthen his kingdom in the areas in which we serve. Between the two companionship’s in the ward...all of the baptisms have been directly linked to the areas in which we knew needed help. Families with young men, future leaders, missionaries, all those in which we could have never baptized on our own. We don’t do this work, we just invite the spirit and fill out the paper work. I know that so much better than I did a few months ago and I see just how much the Lord loves and cares about each and individual member of his church here on the earth. He wants it to succeed, he wants it to be strong, and he will do all that is in His power to get it there, and I am so happy to be my small part of it. It was a good realization to have again, it was just amazing to see exactly how much the Lord has led us over the last few weeks. Sometimes...actually most of the time I don’t really realize how much we are being led by the spirit. I don't always feel an overwhelming sense of direction in where I walk or hear a little voice that tells me who to talk to, but its times like this where I really realize just how much the Lord directs our paths as missionaries. It’s been kind of a cool thing to realize that its happening.
Funny times...any shoe-poo this week?
-nope, not this week ha ha.
Any fun mission stuff coming up?
transfers this week, then besides that I don’t know of anything.
You ask a lot about getting ready to go home, or “trunky”, yeah its happening definitely, its something that I’m not going to let happen too much, but its so hard lately. Mostly the things I struggle with is that I am just getting really tired of things like no power, no water, and rice rice rice. I do love missionary work though, I really enjoy teaching and working with the people. That’s my extent of trunkiness so far.
You celebrated Easter two weeks early!!
Yeah...my concept of time and holidays has kinda just gone out the window. I have a calendar from Grandma Palmer but it doesn’t have any holidays on it so I kinda just guess to the best of my knowledge ha ha. It was a good experience though, one I really enjoyed, and felt the spirit during my study. I kinda realized I got it wrong yesterday when the streets were full of Catholics and palm leaves....
Well I better get going. I love you all so much. You’re one awesome family. I’m glad that we have a “forever family” and I am so happy to be here to help others have the same.
Love you all,
Elder Bradshaw
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