March 26, 2012

Ayeeeeekoooooooo. Meye biibiara boko paaaaaaaa.

Well, it was another week in Sunyani. Somehow a little bit of a slow week, we had been focusing so much on our recent baptism, that we let our finding go down a little bit, so now our pool is a little bit small. But we still had four investigators come to church yesterday, so all seems to be going well. Right now our most solid, and most interesting investigator is a guy named Samuel. He knows the bible super super well, like almost-memorized status, but he barely speaks any English. Its really weird that he knows the Bible so well without being able to speak much English. But he seriously knows it super well - he calls us out on every little thing that is not perfectly in line with the Bible. We met him a while ago while teaching Appiah, he joined us for the lesson that day, and we have been meeting with him off and on ever since. Our first few meetings, he said he was searching for the true church. So we told him we would teach him how he could know the true church! He has come to church about 5 times now - he was even the first person there on Sunday. So he really wants to know the truth, and is willing to test what we teach. It’s been difficult - we try to work with the little Twi that we have, but we are really trying to help him learn in English, because it will help him so much in the future. So anyway, last Sunday after church, he told us he wanted to be baptized, so this week we have been working more with him. He is a pretty cool guy…willing to see how this can bless his life.

What else from Sunyani... sorry my emails aren't as jampacked with information any more... everything that would have seemed to cool to put in emails really is just normal now! Haha. Elder McFarland taught us how to play Rugby today for our P-Day activity. It was pretty fun, and the Elders seemed to enjoy it, even if they really didn't understand it haha. Wish I could've played Rugby growing up, I think I would have fit in better at it than American football! But all is good.

We are helping out the Thaynes (new missionary couple) get more and more settled into to Ghana day by day. They seem to be hit with something new every day that makes it tough for them. They were without air conditioning all week, and still don't have it today. But they are actually going to be moving to a new place this week so hopefully things work better there. They are so awesome, and are going to help out so much up here. Right now they live inside of the Nkwabeng chapel.

The branch is moving along well too. We really want the branch to grow and get organized. DO NOT take for granted how great the church is in the US. Seriously..... it’s pretty amazing. That’s one of the biggest appreciations I have gained on my mission – everyone’s dedication to helping the church - even by small and simple things - back home. Denton 2nd ward is the best!!!!  My appreciation for every bishop I have had and every leader I have had has gone so high since I have been here! They are trying small small -  hopefully Elder and Sister Thayne can help get the leaders and teachers trained up well so they can help the church to grow even faster here.

Well, that’s really all I got from the week. We had to do a lot of contacting and  alot of walking around this week. Trying to revamp the teaching pool and get things going again. We had a sweet experience on Saturday - Around 6PM we didn't have any appointments, and Elder McFarland suggested we go up to a place that was a pretty far walk from where we were. We got up there, talked to some people, and then as we were walking down the road, a young man eating sugar cane called out to us. His name was Enoch, and he is a 23-year-old college student. He said he had been hearing about the Latter-day Saints, and he wanted to ask us some questions. We ended up teaching all of The Restoration to him, and he really loved it. So, if he reads the Book of Mormon, thinks about it, and prays, he is going to receive an answer. We will see him later this week, so hopefully he does his part!!!! I love you guys, thanks for everything. Thanks for helping me stay strong every day, and say hi to everybody back in Denton and anywhere else for me!!!! Love you!!!

-Elder Brown

March 19, 2012

Man oh man it’s hot. The fans just turned off and it’s an oven in here. But no worries.

Alright well as for Ghana biibiara boko paa!!!!!!!!! The baptism for Barnabas and Felicia...... went off perfectly!!!!! Could not have asked for it to go better. They were so excited, there was good support from the branch, and things just all around went great. So it was pretty awesome, so happy to have had the opportunity to teach and baptize a husband and wife at the same time. I wish I could give a big huge run down of the whole process leading up to Saturday, but to be honest, everything went so well there is nothing big and amazing to talk about. So as for that one... it was a very memorable baptism - one of the reasons I am in Sunyani, I know it!

So, outside of that, the week was solid. That of course was the focus of the week, but we also had a lot of good teaching experiences outside of that - esp. with recent converts. They are all doing really well - we had over 50 people at church again on Sunday, about 8 investigators and a dozen recent converts - Femi is going to be a force up here in Sunyani. He is so powerful. And Barnabas was participating like a long time member in Sunday School, and he gave the opening prayer to Priesthood.

Transfer news came and went Saturday night - I am still in Sunyani. Elder McFarland is staying too. Elder Brown is going to Sekondi to be a ZL, and Elder Mathemba is going to Swedru. Elder Nwatu is training, and Elder Iziegbeaya will be with Elder Otagba - also from Nigeria. So, the zone should stay sweet in Sunyani! They created two new zones in Kumasi as well - so now there are 5 zones in what will be the new Ghana Kumasi Mission (there are 6 in what will be Cape Coast Mission).

Well, things are going so well here. I wish there was more things to report on, but this week was just so smooth..... I can't believe how well Barnabas and Felicia's baptism went. I don't know if I told you this.... but like 4 or 5 weeks ago, during my prayer before I went to bed one night, I just thought to ask Heavenly Father to bless us with a family to teach, somehow, someway. I had never really thought to ask for that, but it makes so much sense. Those are the kinds of prayers that God is just WAITING to answer. And He did, He seriously did. The next day, honestly the next day, is when we dropped by Barnabas and Felicia's just to say hello after not seeing them for like 3 months..... and here we are. And that lesson where we committed them to be baptized... man oh man was it powerful! The Lord is truly involved in this work... it’s difficult seriously, but with faith, miracles happen. Around that time I said that prayer, I also read Ether 12. Faith WOHO!!! Faith woho paaaa!!!!! Ether 12:15 says something like "and by faith were Ammon and his brethren able to bring so great a miracle amongst the Lamanites". Only by faith. Nothing else really - you could say hard work, or obedience, or preparation, or study, or whatever - but all those things are combined into faith. And faith starts with prayer - I guess I had it mixed up a bit. I thought I could get families and future leaders to teach just by working hard and being obedient. Why not pray for them?? When you pray in faith for it, you will do those things, because now you have the faith that they can really happen. So, my mission is teaching me the simple things of life every day.... it took 2 years and 9,000 miles to learn it, but I am learning it. I love you - Mom, Dad, H, Amanda, Brian, Olivia, G&G Brown, G'ma H, everybody from the Woodlands to Owasso to Orange County to Oregon to Provo and back to Denton and anyone else who might be reading!!!!

-Elder Brown

March 13, 2012

The attached picture is Griffin at Lake Bosomtwe with his “descendants” – the Elder he trained, and the Elder he trained, and the Elder he trained.

Happy Tuesday! Sorry I didn't email yesterday, we were in Kumasi all day for PDay. But now I am here! We had a pretty sweet P-Day yesterday, went out into the bush to Lake Bosomtwe with all of the Elders, it was pretty fun. Played football, frisbee, volleyball, and even had a horseshoe tournament. Elder McFarland and I almost won in an epic match against the Dichemso ZLs... but Elder Briggs got 2 ringers on the last throw to come back from 10-6 and win it. So Lame!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh well....

Alright well as for the week self, it was sweet. We had ZL council down in Cape, good as always. And the the rest of the week was pretty normal. Barnabas and Felicia are getting ready for baptism on Saturday, so we had a few good lessons with them. I heard from Elder Adams…he told me that he got to be at Andrew Aikins' sealing to his wife in the temple the day he left. How tight is that? Ummmmmmmmmmmmm....................... SO TIGHT?!?!?!

Church was so sweet on Sunday. There were almost 60 people there, and 12 investigators. The sweetest thing was that over 30 people were there right at 10 when church started!!!!! Usually there is about a dozen when church starts. It was sweet to see so many people come, and guess who else showed up....... Femi!!!!! Our recent convert who moved back to Nigeria! Randomly he showed up at church on Sunday! I was just playing the prelude music as usual, and I look out the window to see him walking up, just like he had never left. It was so cool. He received the Aaronic Priesthood on Sunday as well, so he is set to help the church start growing right away! I am really excited for him because he has so much potential.

Well, biibiara bookoo siisia. Honestly.... things really couldn't be better right now. It’s so crazy to think I am at where I am though....

Well guys, I love you. Seriously I do!!!! Sorry today's email wasn’t super crazy exciting, I had like 14 emails to go through today!!!! Anyway, you guys are awesome, keep going strong!!!!!!

Yebehyia akyire!

-Elder Brown

March 5, 2012

Maakyiooo!!!!!! Hope everything is going well for you guys back in Tejas, life is eyie paaaaaa in Sunyani. The computer has been super slow, so I don't have too much time left, but I'll try to get as much in as I can, it was a great week!! The week was somehow all over the place, and sometimes we felt like we weren't working very effectively, but at the end of the week we had 8 people come to church and had 6 new investigators with baptismal dates, and Appiah was baptized, so... I guess we did ok! Haha. The baptism for Appiah was pretty sweet. We were busy making sure he was ready all week, and he mos def was. It was funny because looking back at our lessons, none of them were your typical lessons at all. In fact, I can't say any of the discussions we had with him actually resulted in us teaching one of the full complete lessons from Preach My Gospel. He is going to be a great help to the church in Nkwabeng. And his wife is coming back up from Kwamo for a little while, so we will be busy trying to teach her this week as well. Sweetest event of the week involved Barnabas & Felicia, the husband and wife I have been teaching on and off since I first got here. At the beginning of the week we read from Alma 32, about faith being a seed, starting small. Then we gave them the Restoration video to watch. They watched it and really seemed to like it. At a later visit Elder McFarland asked a really good question about what Barnabas's desires are. Barnabas answered by saying he had read a verse in Alma 32 after we left that explained what his desires were. Pretty inspired question Elder McFarland asked!!!! The scripture, I can't remember exactly which one, was about how if we just desire to believe, we will be able to come to know all things. Then while Elder McFarland was continuing the teaching, I felt really strong just to invite Barnabas and Felicia to be baptized on 17 March. It seemed pretty crazy, but the thought just kept coming back. So, when Elder McFarland was finished, I came in with that straight, and Barnabas said..... Aane, me pe!!!!!!!! translation, YES!!!!! It was tight. I am way excited for them because they will be the first husband and wife that I have taught baptized at the same time. It’s gonna be sweet!!!!!! hmm what else.... We had our mission tour with Pres. Dickson (of the 1st Quorum of the Seventy). It was one of the best zone conferences I have ever had, especially because it was just the 10 of us Elders in Sunyani. President Dickson gave us some much needed counsel and direction, and he even interviewed all of us. He's a powerful man!!! He gave us all encouragement and made us all a little more excited about the work, because he said that there needs to be a stake here in Sunyani within the next 10 years. Which would be crazyyyyyyyyyyyy awesome. He taught us 6 things we need to do as missionaries to be able to rise to a new level and accomplish miracles: 1. Have faith in the Savior and in your calling. 2. Exact Obedience 3. Plan everyday 4. Study and Prepare by the Spirit. 5. Teach the doctrines and the lessons by the Spirit. 6. Be constant!!!! He emphasized the 6th one just before he finished, be constant. That one ennye easy korraaaaa!!!! But, it is mos def the most important. I also threw up this week, Haha. It was on a dusty road in Ghana with dozens of Ghanaian kids staring at me!!!!! Haha. Welp, that’s about it I got from the week. There was a ton more, but those are the big things! Kweku came to church again and we set a baptismal date for 7 April with him and his friend Albert. I love you guys, you are absolutely the best! Thanks for everything. Yebehyia! -Elder Brown