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

Alive in Ghana!

Hello everyone!  First off, sorry for not emailing last week, but first my companion was sick and then we got online and and the power went off before I had the chance to email everyone... SORRY!

But these last two weeks have been pretty good.  Last two weeks ago we had Elder Curtis of the seventy come and speak to us.  He is the President of the West Africa Area so he had a lot to tell us... for like the first 40 minutes he just talked about ebola and the Sierra Lieonian and Liberian missionaries that joined us a little bit back.  He just wanted to warn us and reassure us that we are safe here in Ghana.  Then we discussed Alma 5, which is a very powerful chapter.  He had everyone share their favorite verses and we talked about the chapter in whole.  For me I like verse 26 very much because it reminds me of the Hill Cumorah and what we did.  But it is true that we can experience that change in our hearts due to our Savior.  But I also like verse 33 a lot because it says that his arms of mercy are extended to all.  Christ loves each and everyone of us.  He is there for us and his arms are open to each of us.  It was a very cool meeting.  Then last weekend my companion was sick all of Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.... so those days were very boring but I was blessed to be able to get a lot of Studying done.  This week I had to go to Takoradi on Thursday to get my non-citizen card renewed here.  They made a law a year ago that we must have them as we are here in Ghana.  Then on Friday I was able to go on splits with Elder Shinasi and I was blessed to get to do two baptismal interviews as well.  It is a cool experience to get to see the desires of people wanting to be baptized.  Then this Sunday our mission president asked us to have a special fast because on of the missionaries in our mission lost family due to the ebola in Liberia.  But yeah... yesterday we had a combined Zone activity in Sofokrom where we roasted three pigs and ate it with cassava and while that was going on we played some football (soccer).  My body is beat... sun burnt and my feet hurt because I played barefoot, which wasn't the smartest idea.  But it was a lot of fun.  And as I have been actually excersizing every morning it was so much easier to actually play football and not get completely exhausted.  But yeah... sorry I didn't email yesterday or last week... power here in Ghana has been really rather below standards this last month or so and that is below Ghanaian standards... which isn't very high to begin with.  I think half of the days this week we haven't had power when we come back for proselyting until the next morning.  But it is all fun.  Today we had a very nice District Meeting and then we went and had some very good fufu.  But yeah... all is well in Ghana.

Well, this morning as I was studying, I was studying about Patience.  It is such an important heavenly virtue that I know we all can improve upon.  If we can develop patience we will be so more effective in every aspect of our lives.  There is a talk that I read that is really good by President Uchtdorf, Continuing in Patience.  Patience is such an important Christlike attribute that we can all develop and that we should all develop.  In Chapter 6 it talks about Christ-like attributes.  These are what we should work on improving so that we will simply be better individuals throughout all of our lives.

Well I love you all and I hope that you all have a wonderful week!!

Elder Walston

With Love and Care!

Hello everyone!! This week has been good.  It has been interesting. Monday and Tuesday I spent with the Zone Leaders, then Wednesday I spent with Elder Kanongata'a until I received my new companion in the evening.  I have been with Elder Mafundityala since then.  He is a pretty cool elder from South Africa.  He is very tall and I feel sorry for him because everyone butchers his name, including me half of the time.  He has been out for seven months now.  It is cool.  This week was a little crazy working with the different elders, but these last few days have gone well.  We are working a lot with new people, trying to refresh our teaching pool.  I feel that this last week I have been trying to talk to everyone about the gospel... talking a lot.  But that is what is necessary.  Sometimes all we have to do is open our mouths and that is all that is needed for that certain individual or person.  The gospel can help everyone's life and I must do the most I can with the time that I have been given.

I am excited for Kojokrom and the things that are to come in this area.  I have been blessed to be able to work with those that I have worked with and to be able see come to the gospel. 

 

Sorry that this email is short but I didn't realize how little time I had... Dad kept me busy as he kept emailing me. :)  I love you all.  Know that as we look to the gospel as a source of help and support that it will always be there for that.  It can be that constant source of help and support.

I love you all and have the best week ever!

Elder Walston

Another week has come and gone

Hey everyone!  How has the week gone for you?  It was been pretty good.  It was a little bit hard since we were in the Zone Leaders area lot of the time, but everything went well.  On Wednesday I was blessed by having a member, Emmanuel, to come and help me all day.  What a blessing that was and we were able to accomplish so much.  By far the most productive day of the week.  One cool person that we have been able to see is a member, Sister Abvatara, that stays on the other side of Kojokrom.  For her she has not been able to come to church for about the last year because her foot has been infected very badly.  Even they have cut off all of her toes, and you can see the bones in her foot and on her heal.  It isn't the prettiest of sights but what is quite marvelous is her faith.  We have been able to take the sacrament these last two weeks.  It is amazing to see the faith that she still has in Christ even though she has been confined to her room for the past year because of her foot.  I feel that we should all strive to have such faith, such devotion, and such courage.  It is really cool to see.

 

Well, this week our threesome will come to an end.  I will be getting a new companion on Wednesday.  Elder Mafunityla (I believe this is how you spell it) will be coming to join me here in Kojokrom.  He is from South Africa I believe.  I am excited to have a companion again and I think that I will enjoy being with him.  He has been out for around seven months now.  But yeah... I guess that I will find out more about him this week.

Sarah, who was baptized last Sunday, was confirmed yesterday and that was very cool.  I think that she was very much touched by the Spirit and she was tearing up at the end of it.  I am very excited for her.  She will be a wonderful member.

 

Well, one thing that I feel that I have learned this last little bit is that the hard way is the easy way and the easy way is the hard way.  Just with little simple things such as excersizing every morning, buying fruits and more vegetables, just simply going the extra mile.  The past little bit as I have been putting in more effort, doing more, I feel better and more energized than ever.  I know that when we do all that we can, putting in our entire effort, leaving nothing on the table, that the Lord will help us.  I feel better than ever and I know that is because I am doing all I can.  I am putting in the effort and the Lord is blessing me because of my efforts.

 

Well, I love you all!  Thanks for all the love and support!

Elder Walston