A Week to Remember

Hey everyone!  This week has been fun and eventful.  I went on companion exchanges twice this week.  On Wednesday I went exchange inside Cape Coast to Cape Coast 2nd ward and served with Elder Tobler.  That was fun he is a sweet elder.  We ended up only teaching one lesson to a Rastafarian from Nigeria named Commonwater.   That was interesting to hear his views and beliefs.  Didn't seem like he was too interested in sticking to one church but we will see what they will be able to do with him.  Then on Friday we had district meeting and interviews with President Stevenson.  I instructed along with the assistants and Sister Stevenson.  That was fun but took so long... it lasted for about five hours.  I instructed about repentance which was a fun topic for me to study and to learn about, especially as that is one of the most important aspects of the gospel that we have to apply in our lives.  Then the assistants instructed on working with members and Sister Stevenson instructed on health and safety.  She stressed on all the things that Dad has been making sure that I am doing... eating healthy, exercising, ect.  It was good.  But then on Saturday we went on exchanges again but this time I stayed in Green Hill and Elder Makoti came and joined me.  He is from Botswana and is a pretty cool guy.  He is the first African elder who I have seen to love play basketball.  I hear that he was really good back home.  But that was fun.  Sunday we were completely blessed.  We have these two members bring 4 new people to church as referrals and we had six other investigators at church.  It was a pretty sweet church service.  We have one of those investigators who should be baptized this coming Saturday and there are few others who are showing plenty of promise.  We taught this one man, Enoch, who after our first lesson invited to be baptized and he said I am ready to be baptized right now.  It was pretty cool.  We were able to have another amazing lesson with one of the referrals who came to church, Priscilla, who is the cousin of a recent convert.  She is powerful and she enjoyed church.  Usually one of the biggest hold ups that Ghanains have with joining the church is that we don't sing, dance, and speak tongues like most Ghanaian churches do but she really like the church.  Green Hill is looking promising.

This week my studies were focused on repentance.  Repentance is such a wonderful thing as it allows us to change.  One quote I liked however us that there is no royal road to repentance.  It is the same for the all of us.  No matter who we are, we all have to go through the same steps of repentance.  But it has been provided as a way to become free from any burden that may plague us.  It is blessing to us that is just waiting to be applied in our lives.

Well I love you all!!! Have a marvelous week!

Elder Walston

Hey Everyone!

Hey everyone!  This week was rather slow.  On Tuesday we had District Meeting but the chapel was locked and the Cape Coast elders were having a hard time getting the keys so that took an extra hour than we had planned.  But that was all cool.  We have some sweet elders who joined us this transfer. This Wednesday we had a meeting at the Aubra stake center where we were instructed a lot.  That took all day Wednesday.  Saturday was fun... the branch has a keep fit program every Saturday morning that we participate in.  It starts at 5:30which is pretty early but it is fun.  We will run for like an hour and then we will go and clean the chapel.  That was fun.

So, one experience that really touched my heart.  On Sundays we pick up some of the members but since he is in a wheelchair and we have to carry him up the 50 or so steps to the chapel I always walk in sweaty.  Well, this week I went and sat down and this six year old kid, the branch president's son, Kelvin, came and took his handkerchief and starting wiping all the sweat off my face.  I love that kid.  He is such a sweet little boy.

Well... I love you all!!   Hope that you have a great week.

Elder Walston

Hey Everyone!

Hey Everyone!  Hope that you have had a great week.  It has been a busy week for us.  Tuesday we were saying goodbyes for Elder Barlow as it was his last day here in Green Hill.  We were fed three times.  Banku with octopus, then fufu, and then some jollof rice.  I was so stinkin' full but it was nice.  Then on Wednesday I sent Elder Barlow away and received my new companion, Elder Brown.  He has been out just over a year by now.  He is from Louisiana.  Sweet guy.  But yeah... life is going well.  We accidentally flooded our apartment though.  The pipe wasn't flowing but I guess someone left the tap on so when the water came back it started to flood the apartment.  Luckily, Sister Davies was there to turn the water off for us.  It completely flooded the kitchen and some of the hallway.  But luckily it didn't get to our bedroom.  Then yeah... the rest was just a good week of proselyting and of missionary work.  We got to go and see the Cape Coast Castle today as a zone activity.  I had already been before but I think that I was the only one in the zone who had.  But it was definitely a cool experience to see again. 

Well... I love you all and have a good week!!!

Elder Walston

Happy New Year!! 2015! :D

Happy New Year everyone!  Hope that you have all had a good holidays and I hope that 2015 will bring to pass many great and important things.  But yeah... it has been a sweet week for us here in Green Hill.  We had a good new year.  It made it a lot harder to see a lot of people though since people were busy doing this and that for the Holidays.  But yeah...  it has been good.  I was able to go on exchanges twice this week.  Once with Elder Loader and the other time with Elder Lagaiti.  That was fun.  I stayed in Green Hill both times.  It was sweet.  Elder Lagaiti is on his first transfer on mission and he is from Samoa... it was cool to be with him even though his English is not the best.  Ghana is definitely not the place to learn English though.  It was sweet though... he is cool and quite funny.  But yeah... we had a ward activity on Saturday at the beach... that was fun.  They all brought rice and we all enjoyed.  We had some investigators who were able to come as well which was sweet.  But yeah... we also learned that Elder Barlow is being transferred to Kwekuma over near Takoradi.  I will be receiving Elder Brown form Louisiana.  So in honor of Elder Barlow leaving, the two of us and Elder Chishinji wore our suits to church.  It is the first time that I have worn my suit since the flight here to Ghana.  But it was cool.  It was a little warn but not really as bad as I thought it would be.  Then today we were fed some nice fufu and cat with a palm nut soup.  It was really nice.  

Yep.... the internet was really bad today so I have kind of ran out of time but I love you all!!!  Have a great 2015.  Love ya all!

Elder Walston

The year has come and gone...

Hey everyone! It was great to get the opportunity to talk to you all this week. That was definitely a plus. But yeah... we enjoyed Christmas this year. On Wednesday, we had a carols night at the stake center that was sweet. I would say I haven't really felt the normal Christmas spirit that I am used to but I definitely felt the Christmas spirit at the carols night. I was lucky enough to be able to be a part of four of the musical numbers. Two with the missionaries, one with the elder's quorum, and one with Green Hill branch. It was sweet. We enjoyed. It was a cool experience to have the entire stake gather together and sing Christmas carols. But yeah. Then on Christmas I tried to make brownies for the Davies (our branch president and his family) but lets just say they didn't quite cook all the way through. They were starting to burn and they looked like they were done so I took them off the stove, but when I tried to put them on the plate the center poured out like liquid. Oops... I guess that they weren't quite done. That is what you get when you try to cook them on the stove. But I still enjoyed the batter. :) But yeah... we had a zone activity on Christmas where we killed and ate six chickens... that was fun... took a long time but it was still cool. Then well the best part of the week.... I got to talk to you!! I love you all and I enjoyed talking to you all. It was very much enjoyable. Then one exciting thing that happened on Saturday is is that the elders quorum came together and we went around and sung carols for the less actives in the ward. That was a very cool activity. This branch is a powerful branch. We probably had around 140 people at church yesterday. And man... the members fed us yesterday... a lot. We were fed fufu twice and rice and stew once. It was sweet! Although... a little too much food... I was dead last night. But yeah... today we were invited by one of the pioneers of the church here in Ghana to talk to us today so we got to hear his story about how the church was brought to Ghana. It was sweet. Well... I love you all!! Hope that you have a wonderful week! Elder Walston

Merry Christmas!!

Hello!! Merry Christmas! Hope you all had a good week and I hope that you all have an amazing Christmas this week. But yeah... this week was pretty sweet. I went on exchanges twice this week but I was able to stay in my area both times. I went with Elder Chishinji from Zambia on Wednesday. Man, he is a powerful elder. He has been out as long as me. He is also in Green Hill but on the other side. We had a sweet day together on Wednesday. Then on Thursday we had a Zone Conference for Christmas with all the missionaries in the Cape Coast area. It was three zones together. It was pretty good. There were some fun activities that we got to participate in. The food was so nice. We enjoyed. Then after that we went to Nkanfoa and I was able to do two baptismal interviews. That was cool because both of them were translated and I was able to work with one of the old ward missionaries from when I was there. That was sweet. Then on Friday I went on exchanges with Elder Hackmeister. That was fun. Well... looks like I have run out of time but no worries! I get to speak to you on Christmas!! Love you all!!! Have a wonderful Christmas!!! Elder Walston

Christmas is coming!

Hey all!! Hope that your Christmas season has been filled with cheer. This week has good for me. I am enjoying Green Hill. One sweet thing that they have done is that have somehow created a roster of all the families and set us up to do FHE with each of them on a specified week. It definitely help us or me to get to know the members a little better. But it is really nice as the leaders of this branch are very well organized. There is around 100 active members of the branch and I would not be surprised if they were able to make it a ward before too long. The missionary work has been booming as we have about 20 recent converts to work with. We have a few sweet investigators who we are working with. The area here is looking a lot more promising than it was looking in Kojokrom. This Sunday the branch decided to have me involved a whole lot. They had me give the opening prayer, I was the first speaker, and I sang a solo as part of a musical number. That singing part was wayy nerve racking, but I enjoyed the rest. Everything flowed quite well. We attend church in a rented hall (I have yet to attend in a church built chapel) but this place is very nice. It is on the top of a hill which makes it a fun little climb. Especially as there is a member in our ward, Brother Mensah, who is crippled and we take him in his wheelchair to the chapel every week. Man, carrying that wheelchair up those stairs can be so very tiring, but it is sweet to see him there. Brother Mensah is a sweet man. I was told that he got a polio vaccination but it backfired and crippled him. Really sad, but it is sweet to see the testimony that he has. I was also able to go on splits this week with Elder Egunza in Cape Coast. He is a sweet elder from Kenya. That was fun. We were able to proselyte with one of their members, Ebeneezer, who is getting ready to serve his mission in Caliba, Nigeria this February. Sweet man. And then I was blessed to do two baptismal interviews for them. It was powerful. But yeah... today we had an activity on the beach where we played capture the flag. That was fun, and now here I am. These past few weeks I have been trying to think of the Savior's life and the importance of this season. Sometimes it really doesn't feel like Christmas here because it is not as commercialized, but it has given me time to think about the true meaning of Christmas. In my studies I have been trying to read things more about Christ. We have a Christmas devotional this week which I am excited for. But I encourage all to look at why we have Christmas. Study the life of the Savior. Why is it important? Because without him, we would be a lot and fallen people. Well, I love you all and I hope that you all have a wonderful week!! Elder Walston