February 25 2013

Hellooooo

 

Another week's come and gone.

 

I got a call this morning that I have a meeting in Cape Coast as a District Leader. Here goes another step into the dark :). Woot.

 

Soo this week Regina, Joseph, and Shem were baptized and confirmed. They were so excited and they each love the church soo I'm sure they will stay strong.

 

Nich Jr, Misheal, and Nana didn't show up this week :( we'll keep helping them out.

 

Emmanuel and Prince are still strong and Emmanuel continues to be a powerful 2nd missionary.

 

No new people came to church this week. We're just meeting a lot of people who won't keep their commitments soo it's hard to know when to focus on new investigators.

 

Soo info on the people we're teaching

 

Richard believes the church is true but he doesn't really like coming to church, he wants to learn more deep doctrine rather than the basics we're teaching him. So we think we'll just do a study of the book of Revelations with him and see if that helps.

 

A girl named Anita, but she was busy when we were suppose to see her this week. She has potential though because she's friends with Emmanuel and noticed that their should only be one faith (which is rare).

 

A girl named Suzy, She's confusing. She doesn't seem to excited when we teach the message but afterwards she'll walk with us to our next appointments and says she'll come to church, but she hasn't come the past two weeks.

 

We stopped teaching Afful for a time because he's just lost interest. He believes Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is true. He just finds church boring and wants to dance.

 

Ken is a guy we met dirt road contacting, We've taught him the Restoration and Book of Mormon but he doesn't believe it, but says he will pray about it. He says if he gets an answer that he should read the Book of Mormon he'll read it, if not we should stick to the bible. Sooo let's hope he actually prays.

 

Isaac is a guy that is super smart and picks up on things quicker than anyone we've taught. He's read the first 2 chapters of the Book of Mormon and is really loving it, he couldn't come to church this week or next week, but he says the following week he will come.

 

Grace is a lady who's only free on Sunday, she can't read very well so it's super hard to tell if she's read. That gives me the idea to have her right down what she reads.. mm hmm good idea. We've taught her the Restoration and she seems to be slowly gaining a testimony but she keeps saying she won't leave her church.

 

Paul a guy we just met the other day, he's a cool guy but hasn't been reading so we taught him about keeping promises, either we've scared him off now or he'll start keeping commitments.

 

Lot is a guy that knows Shem soo we've taught him small but he hasn't kept any of his commitments either. He said he'd come to church but he didn't come.

 

Soo that's most of our main teaching pool. I don't feel like we're working smart because there aren't any members actively involved with any of these people except for Emmanuel and Nicholas who help us teach everyone.

 

Umm today if we still have time we're going to get pizza to celebrate my year mark. Hopefully we can find a pizza place in Takoradi.

 

The mission is going well, I've learnt a lot and am still growing.

 

The two attributes I've been working on this week is Charity and being Humble. It's cool because as you learn about the principles you can apply it throughout the day and it makes a difference in the teachings. Soo I guess I'd invite you guys to use Preach My Gospel and pick a couple attributes you want to work on and then study it and apply it throughout the week.

 

I know the gospel is true and as we apply it in our lives we'll find greater joy and meaning in our lives.

 

Hey dad I've got a goal for you to set as well. When I get home you're going to go through the temple with me alright? Alright.

 

Love you all

 

Elder Adair

 

February 18 2013

 

How's the family doing?

 

Cherish are you enjoying the work? Do you have much time? How big is Suzy? How's Todd's work?

 

Brandon how's the hospital? I'm still not clear exactly what you do for work. You're saving up to buy me a nice dinner when I get home right? :P Joke joke. I've probably said it a million times now, but I'm looking forward to getting to go to the Rec Center with you when I get back.

 

Emily how's being pregnant and having a kid at the same time? Any fun mood swings yet? Hehe. What's the news about Texas. Are you enjoying it now? How's Tyson liking it?

 

Brady how's it in Ghana? Enjoying the Fufu? What about the Rice Balls with Abenquan and Okra Soup and Fish?

 

Mom how's having no kids in the house? Umm do you still want a dress? I don't know if my style has become Ghanafied. The style in Ghana is basically everything goes.

 

Dad I can't talk about Politics so I'm not sure what topic we should move on to :). Let's see it's March.. and it was Valentine's day. Uh huh soo what did you guys do for your date? How's the work cut? When do you get to retire?

 

For me, the weeks been good. we've got 3 baptism's tomorrow. Regina(17), Joseph(13) and Shem(12). They're all young but I'm really confident they'll stay active for the rest of their lives.

 

We're still searching for investigators that will stay. For some reason they don't like to keep their commitments lately.

 

On Sunday we didn't have any new investigators come.

 

Brother Misheal got called as Elders Quorum Assistant and helped go out teaching with us during the week which was really cool.

 

Brother Nana got called as Assistant ward clerk.

 

Brother Emmanuel was suppose to be called as a ward missionary but something happened and he had to leave.

 

Brother Prince is doing well but he's been busy so we haven't been able to teach him at all

 

Brother Nicholas Jr had Pink Eye so he didn't come to church. He has the worst luck for getting sick.

 

Soo that's the update on Recent Converts. But any ideas on how we can help them get friends in the church? I think that's my biggest concern for them. Because I could get moved at any time. The ward has been really helpful in helping them out.

 

Umm my tooth finally fell out. I was eating rock hard spring rolls and pop. Soo I'm using the retainer now and it's fun to pop out my tooth to scare people. They think it's Juju at first. The problem is it makes it super hard to talk and now the Ghanains can't understand me at all.. they could hardly understand me in the first place.

 

So yup. We've gotten a few referals from members but the referals only show up the first time. Hopefully they'll turn into something though.

 

Oh I didn't tell you Elder Quinten L. Cook came and visited us. His wife shared about gaining Christlike attributes and she talked about a great way to gain them is to sing hymns. Sing a hymn about patience when you need more patience. Sing a hymn about Obedience when you need to be more Obedient etc.

 

He talked about Extending Commitments and Establishing the church where ever we are. That we are here to be ward and branch builders, not just to get baptisms. He talked a bit about D&C 112 as well which talks about being humble, and as we spread the gospel an effectual door will opened for us, and about this being the last dispensation and how we are responsible for the lives of those we are meant to teach.

 

It was cool to meet him.

 

Umm yup. Sooo I love you guys

 

Elder Brady Adair

 

P.S. Happy Valentines day last week :P

 

February 11 2013

Heyy

Wow Travis Carlile is taking off? Now I do feel old. But Yes that talk from
Elder Holland was sweet.

Which reminds me :). I have an assignment for you. :) Hehe

I want you to prepare someone to meet with the missionaries who work
in our ward/area. I don't know how busy the missionaries are in our
area or how they work, but maybe you could invite someone to a Family
Home Evening with the missionaries ( You could get a hold of the
missionaries and see what would work best for them even, like what
they would want you to do)

Even if it's just a normal lesson they share and you sit in and bear
your testimony that would be cool.

I was just reading a quote in Preach My Gospel from Gordan B Hinkley that said:

"It will be a great day when our people not only pray for the
missionaries, but ask the Lord to help them to assist the missionaries
who are laboring in their own ward."

Maybe you could even teach someone to do genealogy work for their
ancestors and then explain the reason you do genealogy work.

Or whatever creative idea you can come up with.

Soo I'm even giving you a time limit :P. You have until the end of
may. And I hope it makes you nervous. Hehe

Alsoo one of our investigators was asking me specifically how the
church uses the funds of the church, like how much money on chapels,
how much on temples, how much on missionary work.
  Can you find that out for me? I figure their has to be records of it
somewhere. Or is it all private information?

Haha I can't remember what I wrote in the beginning on Tia's letter
but that's funny. Scentsy candles eh?

Wow they actually are changing the postal system. How long until you
get to retire dad? Does that mean they'll lower your pension?

Oo I'm jealous of the plays. Those are always cool. I keep missing the
good ones though.

Mm the rainy season.. I can't remember when it was. It almost seems
like it was in July. But ya it cools down for the rainy season. Right
now it's hot and the power out's are starting up again, they haven't
had very many of them in this area I forgot what it was like.

My companion doesn't dance much, but maybe if you look up Elder
Shinasi on facebook you can find some of his videos, or maybe on
youtube. Haha he probably has long hair in some of the pictures
because he's a convert.

We live with 2 other missionaries. Elder Sandy from Sierre Leon, and
Elder Eruba from Uganda. They are cool, Elder Sandy made me a
wonderful bean stew the first couple of weeks he came. Elder Eruba
makes some powerful Chipati with bean stew as well. It sounds like if
you want to see the wild life you should go to Uganda. We talk
together small, mostly I can just never think of things to talk about
:P.

Mm creative things I've seen.. Mm I don't know if I told you how for
Christmas some of them would dress up in like clown costumes and go
around asking for money.

Mm the other day I met a guy that I liked his shoes and he told me he
had a tailor make them for him. sooo you can customize your shoes I
guess which is cool.

I don't know if I've ever told you that they wear Black and Red for
Funerals which happen every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (They have 3
day funerals). And it's more like a boring party where people just sit
in plastic chairs under a camping cover and they have super loud
speakers you can hear across the whole town playing rowdy music. Also
they'll tie red ribbons to their cars and get like 20 drivers to just
honk around the town.

For Weddings they wear White and blue. And they actually look kind of
high tech. But it's the same for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

But the Funeral wear is what I imagined Africans to wear when I got here.

Africans churches love to sing and dance and speak in tongues so you
can hear the "Habina Habina" all the time.

The little kids love to shout from the top of the hills "Obruni
Chewing Gum (it sounds like they say Ching gum) Fou Wo Toe" which
means White man you have chewing gum on your butt. Most of the time I
don't think they know what it means though. I asked a little kid what
it meant and he told me "it's a story"

I'm still learning the Fante, but I'm terrible at hearing it and
saying it. Because of my American accent they mostly give up on trying
to teach me. Elder Shinasi picks it up really fast though and they
understand him soo I'm learning a bit from him.

I could get you a dress. I don't know if you want me to send it now or
if you want to wait until I come home and I'll bring it in my
suitcase. But Ya I think the dresses are pretty cheap. Like 20-60 Cedi
max. It's mostly just paying for what material you use.

Haha.. Pictures.. Woopsy. I better get on that.

Ya I'm sleeping great. I think I get more sleep on my mission than I
did back home. Except now I drink more water so I wake up like 3 times
a night.

Haha wow that would be interesting to meet a missionary from Ghana. He
must be from the states though. Usually American Ghanaians are
completely different from Ghanains that live here. I've met a couple
from London and Canada, they're a bit rude.

Our investigators well

Emmanuel's brother (13) and sister (17) are going to be baptized next week.

One of his brothers (18) keeps on having mood swings and not coming to
church soo we'll just have to give him time. But he loves the church
and it's teachings

Shem will be baptized next week as well. He's 12. He's a sweet kid.
Once again a bit stubborn about having lessons though :P.

A boy named Daniel (19) came to church this week, he brought his
friend Emmanuel, but they ended up leaving after sacrament meeting. I
think Daniel liked it alot but his friend didn't soo Daniel said he'd
come for sure next week.

Then Emmanuel brought a guy named William. (Seriously Emmanuel is like
a 3rd missionary now) We've taught William a few times but he's been
hard to get a hold of with his work schedule.

Welll I think I'm out of time. But the work is going well and We're
happy with whatever God decides to bless us with :).

The Church is true. Just like the sky is blue. God loves you too.

Your all time favorite

Elder Brady Adair