Happy Halloween

Hello everyone! How are you all?  I hope life is going as wonderful as it is here.  This week not too much interesting happened all that much... I think I need to start writing the events of the day in my planner because I can never remember the exciting things of the week to tell you.  But this week we went to an investigator to teach and she was beginning to pound fufu.  So I pounded for her, got like ten blisters on my hands while doing it though.  But she insisted that we eat.  It was way good.  Some of the best palm nut soup that I have had.  I have decided that I will have to get a pistol and mortar so that I will be able to make fufu when I come home for all of you. :)

Today we had a District Activity and we went to the Julanders and watched "The Best Two Years."  It is a lot funnier once you have been on mission and experienced the situations that they go through.  And then she made us cinnamon rolls.  I haven't had anything like those in a long time.  It was really nice.  

Other than that, not too much happened other than just sweet good days proselyting with my companion.  We are pushing forward and hoping that the work will continue to push forward.  I am excited for this coming week as we will finally get to watch general conference.  I have been able to watch a few talks but I am excited to see more although we will only get to see two sessions most likely. 

I have almost finished with the Book of Mormon this week.  I only have two chapters left.  Before hand I had been reading the Doctrine and Covenants and the New Testament.  But I decided I wanted to start reading the Book of Mormon again.  When I read it I just feel a different spirit.  The others are great and they definitely invite the spirit, but I just feel better as I have been reading the Book of Mormon each day, something that we testify about each and every day.  It is something that I encourage everyone to do.  Read the book each and every day.  It holds the fullness of the everlasting gospel and it is the keystone of our religion.  It is so important.

Well, I love you all!  Have a great week!!!

Elder Walston

 

Hello!

Hey everyone!  How are you?  This past week has been pretty good.  We were blessed by many things this week.  Each and every day is a blessing.  We are all truly blessed each and every day.  Sometime we just have to look at the blessings that the Lord provides us with.  The Lord loves each of us and will provide us all with the help that we need.

The most interesting thing that happened this week is that I got to deal with someone who had been involved with polygamy.  It is a practice that takes place here every now and again but mostly by the chiefs.  For them, they have to have special permission to be baptized. That was an interesting experience. 

Today we had a Zone Activity and went to the beach and played some rugby and had some fried rice.  It was pretty good the only downer was that it was raining pretty hard.  But it was fun nonetheless.  We enjoyed.  There are two really really good rugby players in our zone.  One played for the US National team and I believe the other might have played for South Africa's.  It is a very fun sport and I hope that I am not too sore tomorrow.

One thing that I have been studding these last few days is about the Book of Mormon and the importance of it.  It is really, along with the spirit, the most important thing that can build each of our testimonies.  It will truly bring us closer to Christ, I can testify of it.  It is there to help us so we should use it!

Well, I am sorry that it is so short today, but I am short of words.  Love you all!

Elder Walston

From Ghana to You

Hey everyone!!  This week has been good, but not too much really happened.  Just a lot of missionary work.  You know, the amazing work that I have been sent here to Ghana to do.  This week we have been focusing on finding and teaching a lot of new investigators.  I am still not completely sure how things will work out for all of them, but I hope that they will for the best.  We have been helped a lot this week by one of our members, Gloria.  One cool thing about her, is that last April we were talking to her about the Book of Mormon and found out that she has never read it all the way through.  She is 17 and we challenged her to and helped her to start reading it.  she finished it yesterday.  It is cool to see the change in her and it was neat to see her be able to read it in its entirety.  This last week we had a sweet instruction from our senior couple, Elder Julander.  He taught us about finding out our governing values.  Who we truly are and let those things drive us and push us onward.  It was a very sweet instruction but I guess I have been in Kojokrom too long because this is the second time he has given this instruction since I have been here.  I really picked up a lot.  Something that I have realized is that we need to apply the things that we learn.  So many times we hear things and think that this is great, I need to work on it, but so many times we don't actually but in the time to work on it.  When we do, that is when we see the improvement in our lives.  Something that we need to work on each and every day.  Continual progression.

Well,  I love you all so much!  I hope that you all have a wonderful week!

Elder Walston

Greeting from Kojokrom

Hey family!  How are you all doing?  The wonderful town of Kojokrom is doing quite well.  This last week was good.  We had some sad news however,  Belinda who was to baptized had to leave to go to Ivory Coast today so we were not able to hold the baptism.  Her mother is staying there (as her father was an Ivorian) and she wants to have her little boy, Joel, to go to school in Ivory Coast.  So she is taking him there to go to school and to stay with the mother.  She will be gone for a month so we will have to wait until then to continue with her.

But this week was okay.  We had an elder get transfered into Kojokrom this week, Elder Pearmain.  He is a sweet guy.  He is the first American I have been around since I was with Elder McKeon.

We also were able to do a service project with our Zone this week.  We went and weeded for Isaiah's Children school that is owned by a member.  Sadly she had a stroke not too long ago so she still had trouble walking too much.  It was a blessing that we were able to go and weed for her and help the school.

This week I have been reading in the Book of Helaman.  It is sad to see all the wickedness that happens all because of the secret combinations of the Gadianton robbers.  From everything that I have seen, they are the cause of ALL the wickedness, wars, and destruction.  We must make sure that we do not get ourselves caught up in such a wicked way.  We must rather follow the other way, of looking to Christ our Savior.  That is how we will experience true joy and happiness.  That is were we can find peace rather than destruction. 

I love you all very much!  I hope you all enjoyed General Conference very much... we don't get to watch it until the first week of November.  Take care everyone and enjoy life to the fullest!

Elder Walston

September coming to a close

Hey everyone!  Hope that you are all safe and sound!  I have had a very good and blessed week this week, even though the power has been off probably 80% of the week.  We have been able to teach a lot and we just simply had a good week.  We were supposed to have a baptism this week for a sister, Belinda, this week, but sadly the baptismal font did not fill up because the water has not been running the last few days (it is as consistent as the power).  But Belinda is ready and she is as sweet as ever.  She is 22 years old and has a little 5 year old boy, Joel.  It was a blessing that we were able to teach her because she is someone who we contacted and tried to follow up on a few times, but she was never at home when she told us to come. Then about two months later Edna, the member who we were working with when we contacted her, ran into her and she said that she wanted us to come by.  So we did and she was so very happy with the things we taught and the rest is history.  She loves the church.  I am excitted for her.

Let's see... what else happened.  Yesterday was Elder Shinasi's last Sunday as he is going home today, so we go fufutwice yesterday and this morning.  It was really nice.  It was sad to have to say goodbye to Elder Shinasi as we have been together in the same apartment for the last eight months, but I am happy for him.  He is a sweet elder.  I was able to go on splits with him yesterday as his last day out.  It made me realize how much I will truly miss all these people when I finally will have to say goodbye.  Ghanaians are the best and Kojokrom is simply the best as well.

Well...  I love you all!  This work I am blessed to do is a wonderful work!  I hope that you all can be engaged in it as well!  Love you!

Elder Walston