Mission complete.....

This week was a good week but it sure has been a rainy week.  We were working with the recent converts quite a bit and that was a lot of fun.  But on Saturday we went over to the Zone Leaders and made some fufu for dinner as the zone was receiving transfer news.  Of course we knew mine as I will be finishing my mission on Wednesday but sadly we found out that we are getting whitewashed.  My companion is going to the mission home to be the new financial clerk.  So.... it is fun.  Yesterday was a sad day... it hit me pretty hard that I am going home and will no longer be here in Ghana.  I have come to develop a great love for this place and the people here.  Over the course of my time here there has been many ups and many downs but it sure has been some of the best times of my life.  I am so thankful to have been able to serve my mission here in Ghana.  When I first came I absolutely hated it here... it took awhile but as you take a look around, you can realize all the good that exists around you.  The conditions here in Ghana aren't easy and I started in on of the worst areas in the mission, but it was good for me.  It has helped me learn perseverance, patience, diligence, among others.  I am far from perfect and I have much more room to improve, but I am grateful for how the Lord was able to help mold me here in Ghana.  I know that I have been helped greatly here and that I am probably the most benefited from my mission, but I am so happy to see the change that occurred in the lives of those around me.  Thank you for all the support that I had back home.  I love you all and I am excited to see you all soon.  Have a great week and take care. Yebeshia wai!

Elder Walston

One last Hurrah!

This week has been very good to us.  We have been blessed once again.  The week ended in a bang as we had two baptisms on Saturday for Alexander Kelly and Job Addae.  It was sweet to see both of them enter into the fold even as they were confirmed on Sunday.  Alex is 25 and Job is 32.  Alex I will have to say is probably the smartest investigator that I have taught while I was here in Ghana.  He simply just absorbs what we give him and he was doing personal readings from the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price as well.  He is from Accra but is doing his national service up here in Assin Foso teaching at a Senior High School.  A sweet guy...  He came up to me after the baptism and said "Thank you Elder Walston for everything."  It really touched me.  At first he wasn't a really serious investigator but as we have been seeing him these last four weeks he truly showed genuine interest and he found his answer.  I love that guy.  And Job is someone who we contacted my first Monday here in Assin Foso.  His local name is Kofi which is what I usually refer to him as.  He doesn't speak a lick of English however.  He is a farmer.  He just simply has a genuine desire and wanted to be baptized from the beginning, the only problem was that he traveled away to a farm.  But he is definitely committed. We will be working with these two a bit this week.  But the work is sweet and it continues to go on.  It is sad to think that this will be my last week as a missionary.  The members started to find out yesterday and I already have three people who said that they will be feeding me.  This week will be sweet and one that I am sure to cherish.  I love the people of Assin Foso and the people of Ghana.  Love you all and I hope that you have a great week as well!!!!

Elder Walston

Just keep on tickin'

Hey all!!  This week was a sweet week!  We were blessed by the Lord for sure.  This was our most productive week together here in Assin Foso.  We were blessed to get 18 member present lessons this week.  We have been blessed by the members help and support, especially one, Joyce.  We were working hard this week and the work is finally paying off.  We have been working with three investigators a lot: Kofi, Alex, and Evelyn. This Saturday Evelyn was baptized.  It went very well and she was confirmed on Sunday.  It was really good although she was extremely nervous.  The other two, Kofi and Alex, will be baptized this coming Saturday.  They are doing great.  Alex is a teacher at a senior high school here in Foso and Kofi is a farmer here.  They are great people.  It was cool to see but in investigators class one of the people were saying stuff against our beliefs but Alex was setting him straight.  It is cool to see the conversion some people come to have about the gospel.

Well.... ummm.... this week has been pretty rainny and pretty cold.  I wish that I had brought a jacket or something sometimes but it is okay.  I have been enjoying out here though!  Especially with the fufu!  Well... Love you all!!!!!  Have a great week!

Elder Walston

June has come....scary!

Hey all!!! Hope this last week on May presented you many wonderful surprises.  Our week here in Assin Foso was quite good.  We tried to focus ourselves a little better on the recent converts and less actives this week as we felt that we hadn't been spending enough time with them.  It payed off and was good.  We also have one investigator who is doing great.  Her name is Evelyn and she will be baptized on Saturday.  She is from a part-member family.  I am excited a lot for her.  But other than her, there are a few others that we are working with but they are all having their own issues.  But I think that it will all work out.  Both Kofi and Alex are looking promising as long as Kofi comes back from his travels and Alex becomes less busy.  But we are still doing work.  We were able to proselyte our area for 60 hours this week which is the best I have done since the mission started keeping track. Oh... one other cool thing that I was able to do is that President had all the missionaries who are going home in the next three transfers come to Cape Coast and be instructed on staying strong till we finish.  Which makes me think of a saying that I have hear, "Will I falter, or will I finish?"  But yeah... it was cool to see everyone there.  He had our groups set goals for what we can accomplish in the time before we go home. These next three weeks will end with a bang... I am sure of it.

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

Elder Walsto

Heya Guys!

Hey everyone!  This week has been good.  It has started raining a lot more this week.  We also had a zone conference which was pretty good.  We were able to receive a few good instructions there.  It was good.  We were also blessed this week to be able to have one of our investigators, Kofi, who had traveled for the last three weeks return.  It is so nice to be able to see him again.  He is a sweet guy and he is already prepared.  

But the week has been good.  I love you all!  Sorry the email is short.  Love you all though!

Elder Walston

Wait.... It's May?

Hey all!  Hope that all has been well for you all!  This week was rather good for us here in the great Assin Foso.  We have been dealing with no water now for the last few weeks so they were trying to get a poly tank raised for us.  So... we got it up lifted the tank onto the stand and realized that it was too small!!!  That thing was heavy as well... so we took another two days trying to get everything fixed so that hopefully we will get some water soon and we won't have to continue fetching it bucket by bucket from the well.  But that was all good.  The work is going sweet here though.  We have everything picked right back up.  One sad part though is that our most progressing investigator, Kofi, has traveled for work for the last two weeks and we haven't been able to meet him.  But we have been blessed with a handful of others who are doing quite well.  One of them, Alexander, when we were discussing about the Book of Mormon more said that he had gone online and got the Gospel Library app and was reading everything... Pearl of Great Price, Book of Mormon and all!  That was cool.  He told us that he know that this is the truth.  He is just a little hesitant about making a commitment.  He is sweet.  He has been coming to church for the last three weeks now.  

So also on Friday we went on exchanges.  Elder Gyansah came to be with me in our area.  That was a lot of fun.  He is a great elder and a powerful teacher.  He is from Accra so he can speak the Twi and that was so nice to be able to meet the people and use it in the teaching.  I really wish that I could speak the Twi fluently enough to teach and get my point across.  Sadly I can only manage to understand what people are saying most of the time.  But we did get this wonderful fufu from our Bishop's family as we were on the exchange.  It was really good.  You know, this last transfer or so I have only been eating Ghanaian foods as I want to eat it as much as I can while I have the chance.  Fufu is a very heavy food and it can get you fat if you eat it too much.  But sadly... I have eaten it that last six days... and not small portions as well and I am still loosing weight!  Oh well... I guess I will come home very skinny then.  But boy do I love a good fufu... it has been rather enjoyable.

Elder Ripplinger and I are enjoying it up here.  One of our recent converts, Ernest, is in the hospital this week because of Malaria.  Sad to see him ill like that.  One member, Joyce has been helping us teach a ton.  Almost every day she has been helping us teach.  It is always greatly appreciated to have people who are willing to help with the work.

Well... I love you all and I hope that you have all enjoyed this email!  Love you guys!!!!!

Elder Walston

We had an adventure tyring to put up a poly tank.  We haven't had running water in like 4 weeks so they put in a stand to help with things but when we lifted it we realized it was too big for the stand and that thing is very heavy.  We had some welders come and fix the stand and now it is up.... not easy

Happy Mother's Day!

Hey everyone!!!  Hope that you all had an amazing mother's day!  I enjoyed talking to you guys on Mother's Day. :)  It was nice!  But this week has been a very good week.  It was a big improvement from the previous week... it was actually probably our best week since I have been here in Assin Foso.  But yeah... that took up quite a bit of our week... lots of teaching!  But yeah... we have been working with members and bringing them every lesson as well which pays off in many ways.  They usually feed us and it helps our investigators a lot as well!  Win, win situation!  But yeah... yesterday was sweet as we had a ward family home evening at our chapel.  That was a lot of fun and we had a small number of people show up.  We were supposed to watch a film about how the church came to Ghana but the DVD player didn't work.  It was all good though... Bishop Adu-Gyamphi ended up just instructing us instead.  

So.... I am a man of few words right now since I can't really think of anything else to say.  but I love you all and I hope that you have an amazing week!!!  Take care!

Elder Walston