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