First Week in the Field

We were able to talk with Conner on the phone today.  He said the first couple of days in the mission field were difficult as he has to walk several hours a day and he thinks he will go through shoes quickly!  He said each day is getting a little easier.  He and his companion are in a nice apartment and feel safe.  He said the only time he doesn't feel safe is on the roads as drivers are not careful.  They have a washing machine but they have to add their own water to it.  He hangs his clothes to dry which he said will dry eventually with the humidity.

He was able to have dinner at the Bishop's home which he enjoyed.  He attended the ward on Sunday and said the sacrament was passed outside in a pavilion.
Conner sounds good!!  He is happy to be serving and teaching the gospel.  A sister they are teaching can't attend church on Sunday as she works.  They explained that she needs to be able to attend church in order to get baptized.  She is going to ask her boss if she can switch her days off.   This sister explained that she has felt different since starting to learn about the gospel.  Conner is happy that she has committed to baptism and is willing to do what it takes to get baptized.

It was wonderful to hear his voice and to know he is working to share the gospel of Jesus Christ as we know this is the way to true peace and happiness.

"Sometimes a single phrase of testimony can set events in motion that affect

 someone's life for eternity."  Elder Uchtdorf

Here is this weeks email from Elder Garrison:

 We left the MTC early Tuesday morning to walk to the mission office. While half of the greenies in my mission were being processed, we went out to practice contacting people with the AP's. Although I have been called to speak English, I quickly discovered that I don't speak the right kind of English. I have learned to understand what they are saying, but I have to try really hard to help them understand me. I have also began to learn the African dialect of Twi. It is coming very slowly. Anyways, we spent the night in the mission home and then we met our companions. Mine is a Tongan, also sometimes difficult to understand, named Matakango, or something like that. He seems like a good guy. I am serving in an area called Afienya. It is part "Bush" part city.  It is a very large area, with a single paved road that runs through it. Many of he people live in what appears to me abandoned concrete houses that where not finished. There is trash everywhere here. The only kind of shoes you ever see anyone wear are flip flops. Despite the poverty, the people here are kind. Even though they try to take advantage of this "Abroni" or white man. The children love me, they are always waving at me and saying hi. They sometimes hang on me and poke me. They all want to look at my blue eyes. 

         The work is hard but awarding. With our area being really big, we will walk an hour or two just to get to one appointment. Most of the time it is too dangerous to be on our bikes with all these crazy Ghanaian drivers. By the end of the day my feet feel as if they are about to fall off. Anyways, we have been teaching about 3-5 lessons a day. One of our investigators is named Sister Tessey? I don't know how to spell it. In order to train me I have taken lead in the teaching of lessons to her. We started teaching her Wednesday night and nearly every night I have been here, so she has progressed incredible fast. She has already committed to baptism. It has been really cool to be able to see our hard work payoff. I was also able to baptize Brother Stan. My companion did all the work before I got here, but he didn't have his white clothing or something like that so I was able to baptize him. It has been really hard adjusting to the humidity and the constant walking, but moments like these are making it all worth it. I'll need a lot of help from Heavenly Father to help me through this though, and I can see His hand in my life every day. I hope everything is going good at home. 

Elder Garrison

Leaving the MTC

Conner left the Accra Ghana MTC today.  We are so fortunate that the Mission President's wife posts so many photos of the missionaries on Facebook.  Today they did some training, proselyting and were able to relax at the mission home before dinner and their devotional.

All the new missionaries serving in the Accra Ghana Mission

Conner with President Keyes and Sister Keyes

At the mission home playing uno.

Week 3

We received a phone call from Conner at 4:30am our time and we were thrilled to speak with him.  It is 7 hours later in Accra.  It is his last day in the MTC and he said it is extremely busy today.  He said they have been having some power outages.  Conner sounds upbeat and of course it is wonderful to hear his voice!

Following is the email he sent today after three attempts:

The technology here has been failing me today. Anyways, today is my last day here at the MTC. I am so excited to finally be able to start sharing the gospel to the people here. From what I have heard, they are very humble and are willing to accept it. These last few days here have been very spiritual. President Allen has been doing a great job of making us leave here on a spiritual high. I also finished the Book of Mormon again. It is truly the word of God, and I hope all of you will read it. It has brought me a lot of joy in my life and I promise you that it will in yours too. My district and companion have been great, and I am sad to leave them behind. I am sorry that I have not had a lot of time to email people individually, we are very busy with all our classes and moving us around. Next Monday should be better. Please email me with what all of you are up to and if you have any questions those too. I really hope everything is going as well over there as it is here. I'll talk to you all later.

Love,

        Elder Garrison

Conner has been able to attend the temple twice while in the MTC

Conner with his MTC roommates

Elder Garrison and Elder Ndukwe

Conner with his MTC companion Elder Tenney 

Week 2

It was wonderful to be able to video chat with Conner today!  He looks great and is so happy!  He has enjoyed his time in the MTC but is looking forward to being out in the mission field next week.  He said that he has most definitely felt the Spirit everyday and that the MTC is a special place. He has enjoyed his companion and feels he has learned a lot.  Today he was able to go to the temple which is right next door to the MTC.  Conner said he will most likely be learning to speak Twi which is widely spoken in Ghana.  

Accra Ghana Temple
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 

Today's email from Conner.  FYI:   P-day is short for preparation day.  This is one day a week missionaries have available to do their laundry, clean, shop, get together with other missionaries and email home.  On this day missionaries get a break from their regular daily schedule of teaching, studying and proselytizing in hopes that they will be prepared to do so the rest of the week. 


Hey everyone, 

Sorry if my last email was short and confusing. We had our P-day cut in half because we had to go to immigration and get some ID badges. All the stress wasn't for nothing though.  We talked to a man named Johnny about the church and the temple near by. It led into a nice discussion about family search.
The MTC has been a lot of fun. President Allen is a spiritual giant, and with the MTC only having about a 160ish we see him frequently. I also got to meet President Keyes (My mission president once I get out of here). I was surprised by his Australian accent, but he seems to be really nice. I forgot to mention my companion last email. His name is Elder Tenney. He is a small guy who played in his high school's jazz band as a drummer. I almost forgot, he is from Taylorsville AKA Salt Lake, Utah. He is a little bit more nerdy than I am, but is very smart and is going to be a great missionary. I really am happy here and hope things are going well back home.


Elder Garrison

First Email!

All is well!  In Salt Lake I met up with about 30 missionaries all going to the Africa West Areas.  So far nothing crazy has happened.  The MTC President said that this is the best place for missionary work in the world.  He also said that 30% of Accra or Ghana, I can't remember, knows about the church and 90% of those are baptized.  I have to go!

God Bless,

Elder Garrison

Safe Arrival!

We received an email on August 1st from the Missionary Training Center and we were thrilled to know all was well!  Here is the email:

Greetings from Accra, Ghana!
We are pleased to report that your missionaries arrived safely tonight at the Ghana MTC.  They look very tired (about 11:30 pm here) but happy (pictures attached).  We're delighted to welcome them.  They join a group of some 150 missionaries from 20+ countries around the world for a 3-week cycle. We have missionaries from homes in Tonga and Tahiti.  Zimbabwe and Zambia, Sierra Leone and Samoa, and many other locations.  We'll ask them to email you tomorrow morning (in about 12 hours) to let you know more about their trip.
This is a remarkable place to serve!  The church is growing rapidly with people who are faithful, strong and committed.  It is a special time and the Lord's hand is over this area.
Thank you for your support and love.  These good young disciples are in the hands of our Living Lord.  This we know.

President and Sister Allen

P.S.  We had more Americans arrive in this group than ever before at this MTC. It was a bit chaotic, so if don't have all their pictures, don't worry.  All is well!!

Picture sent of one of the groups arriving at the MTC.  Good to see Conner smiling!

Saying Goodbye

Conner left for the Ghana Missionary Training Center (MTC) on Tuesday, July 31st.  He will spend 3 weeks in the MTC.  Conner is so excited to be serving in Ghana.  There were tears shed as we left him at the airport but a peace that comes from knowing Conner is serving the Lord and is going exactly where he needs to be!  Our hearts are full of gratitude.

President Meyer set Conner apart as a missionary on Tuesday morning.

Until we meet again!