A new year approaches

Hey Everyone! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas... it sure was great being able to talk to you all! Best Chrsitmas present that I could of had! :) It feels kind of weird because I feel like I told you everything already. But Chrsitmas was good and nice since the Shulz's let me Skype you all. Christmas day was sweet.... service at Cape Coast Castle cleaning windows, sweeping, and moping and what not.... it was sure fun... The windows where nasty though... I don't think that they had been cleaned in many years. I feel that is was worth it more because it showed the people there that we truly care about Ghana and Cape Coast... I didn't feel that the castle seemed a whole lot cleaner, but they now know that we care about this place and that is what really matters. Then we got to watch 17 miracles... sweet movie! Then I got to talk to you all! Sweet Christmas day.... the rest of the week was okay. As I told you last week I have a new companion, Elder Merrill. This are going okay. It is sure different, but I guess that I am used to change right now as I have had pretty much six companions in the last five transfers.... oh well. The people are still the greatest thing and I really can't complain... just have to keep working hard! I have been reading a talk about missionary work and it was talking about how charity is the most important part of the missionary. If you don't learn to love the work and the people then you will go and return in vain. 1 Corinthians (I believe chapter 13 or so) talks about it. You have to have that love to truly make an impact on yourself and on the people. Love and charity are two of the best attributes that one can have, so we better develop them! I love you all and I hope that you all have a happy new year! Elder Walston

Elder Walston in Cape Coast

Jeffrey

Elder Walston and Jeffery

The trio

Eating ampesi,

Service project

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Hey everyone! How are you all doing? I hope that you have a great Christmas Eve and a Wonderful Christmas tomorrow! It is weird to be in a different climate, with different people on this awesome holiday but it is really cool. This week has been really awesome and packed. We have been able to do a lot of service this week and that has been probably the best part of this week. Last Wednesday we went to one of our members home, the Arthur's, and since we had extra supplies at the apartment where we were able to paint their house for them. As it can be common to have writing above the door of a house they said that we could write something on their home... so now it says House of Mormons... It looks way sweet! I will send you a picture soon. But yeah... they feed us some ampesi afterwards and that was way good! :) Then we also had our Christmas part on Saturday... that was a blast and everyone sure enjoyed it! There was a TON of food and we had quite a bit of leftovers so they gave that to older people in the ward.... Way sweet.... lots of people dancing, playing games and just having a good time. So yesterday was transfer day and I have yet another companion.... his name is Elder Merrill and he is from West Jordan, Utah. It was weird to see Elder Cavaness leave and Elder McKeon is now training a Tongan in our apartment. It is cool though... weird but cool. So my little uplifting thought for this week has come as I was finishing the Book of Mormon this week... I was reading the end of Moroni and it continually emphasizes Faith, Hope, and Charity. They all must exist in us to truly do our best and become like Christ. We each have our own opportunities to choose whether or not we want to develop the Christ-like attributes. If we do then we will be able to live happier lives and enter into the Kingdom of God and receive that ultimate happiness of eternal life. I love you all so so much and I am really excited to be able to talk to you guys tomorrow! I love you all and hope that you have a Merry Christmas! Just know that you have an Elder out here in Ghana who loves each and everyone of you! Elder Trevor Walston

Time is Flying By

Hey all!! This week was pretty packed of fun.  We had our Mission Christmas devotional last Friday and that was way fun.  We sung a lot of Christmas songs, had some powerful instruction, and then we got to watch the movie Forever Strong as that is our motto of our mission right now.  That was cool but also way different to see a movie.  The Motto of Forever Strong and Kia Kaha is so awesome as we must always do OUR best... be the strongest missionary that I can be, be the strongest follower of Christ that we can be, and simply do OUR best.  We must focus on being our best selves.  Then we will be Forever Strong and everything else will start to come into place and we will be truly happy!  But yeah... so we also had a huge lunch full of rice! Sooo good!  Then we had a talent show and that was cool!  Fun time being able to see all the missionaries in this mission.... some of them I had never seen before.

Today we played some soccer with four other zones in this mission way fun!  Nice to get back and play some football.  But yeah... mission life is good!  It was cool to see as our ward mission leader go on his mission to Nigeria... he is in the MTC right now.  Missions are great... they are one of the best ways that you can serve the Lord, but in actuality, I am helping myself become a better person.  I have grown thanks to the Lord, but I have so much more room to improve... that is why we must lean on the Lord!  Put all our trust in him!

Well... I kind of ran out of time, But I love you all!  Take care!

Elder Walston

The Christmas Holidays Begin

Hey everyone!  Hope you all are enjoying this time of the year where it is just getting hotter and hotter.... well I guess for you colder and colder ;)  Hope everything is well and this Holiday season is a great one for all!  So Ghana has been sweet... we have been pretty busy in the office trying to get everything taken care of as missionaries are getting Christmas packages, preparing for the Christmas devotional and the fact that I am the only office elder right now.... can be a little stressful at times but I am figuring things out :)  But it has been fun and interesting being in a threesome again but this time I am 'that' third companion... it is way fun though... Elder Cavaness and Elder McKeon are sweet elders.  This week we took a little adventure and went to Forth Ridge which is like a 45 minute walk... it is in our proselyting area and we had a refferal from the bishop of the Moree Ward.  The man we taught over there was very nice... and it was also the richest person in Ghana that I have ever been at their house and taught.  We actually sat on chairs around a table... he heard about the church about 12 years ago and wanted to join but then he moved to Tamale, which is northern Ghana, and the church hasn't there yet.  Now that he is back down here he wants to join the church and hopefully we can help him be converted unto the Lord! 

So a scripture that I really like that I have read recently read is D&C 11:21... it says that must first know the things that we teach before we teach them.  We must be converted unto the Lord before we can truly convert others... we can't convert others beyond our own conversion.  It is so important to have a testimony for ourselves.  As we help our knowledge grow, then we will be able to help others come closer to God.

So I love you all!  And take care!!

Elder Trevor Walston

An interesting week.

Hey everyone!  How are you all?  I hope everything is going well.  So this week was rather hectic and crazy.  Looks like I am going to be in another threesome for the next three weeks, as Elder Holt went home today.  I will be with Elder McKeon and Elder Cavaness for the next little bit and when I am in the office I will just hang out with the office couple, the Crittendens.  So last Wednesday we went on splits with the Zone Leaders where one went with each companionship so Elder Holt and I were with Elder James.  That was a pretty fun day... enjoyed some hamburgers and whatnot.  It was fun... we have a really sweet Zone right now... and come to think of it, it is also a really white Zone... only three Africans.  But yeah... Saturday and Sunday where the interesting days.  Saturday we where at the mission home most of the day.  The Shulz's actually called us over and we had dinner with them... we had their leftover Thanksgiving dinner and it was sooo good!  Oh yeah... we didn't really do anything for Thanksgiving, just a complete side note.  But while we were at dinner they talked about stuff and talked about how he needed to go home, so they tried to get him out on Sunday but that didn't work so he ended up leaving today.  But then they pretty much asked for us just to spend the day Sunday at their house so we helped Sister Shulz put up her Christmas tree witch was awesome to get in the Christmas spirit!  We also made cupcakes and watched a session of the last General Conference, one that I hadn't seen yet.  It was a pretty sweet day for me at least... not really productive but I have to say that the Shulz are awesome people.... very nice and caring for their missionaries.

So I just want to say that the Lord knows what he is doing to each and everyone of us and he has a plan for us.  He knows our limits and will push them, but when we endure those trials it will make us a stronger and better people.  The Lord is here for us.  Without trials we would not grow.  No pain, no gain.  The Lord only puts the hard times in front of us to make a stronger and better people.  He truly wants the best for us, and I have seen that many different times here in Ghana.  I am so blessed for the trials I suffer even though I may not enjoy them at the time, I know that they are good for me.  Ghana is a wonderful place and I am so happy to be blessed enough to be here! 
Hope everyone enjoys this Christmas season as we are about to celebrate the birth of our Savior and Redeemer.  Love you all and take care!

Elder Trevor Walston