Life in the U.S.A.

These are some of Conner's favorite pictures from his time in Ghana.

Conner's Weekly Email:

Well, this last week was crazy in the beginning and slowed towards the end. On Wednesday, I boarded a plane chartered by the U.S. Embassy with 200 other missionaries and probably a hundred more people. Being able to be on that plane meant a lot, as Ghana had shut the borders the Sunday before. If that plane had not gotten us out, I might not have returned home. Something interesting about this flight to the U.S. was that we were not allowed to dress in our missionary clothing. None of us were able to wear a name tag or a white shirt. The reason we were not allowed to wear our regular clothes was to not draw attention to the overwhelming majority of the flight being missionaries. We landed in Washington, D.C., and spent a few hours sleeping there. To make things slightly more stressful, I had two different alarm clocks that did not go off. The Spirit woke me up in just enough time to watch the last of the shuttle buses leave. Luckily, I had enough U.S. money to hire a Uber and get to the airport in just enough time to be the last one to board the plane.  Everything was normal until I got to the Sacramento Airport. I was surprised not to see anyone there. I borrowed a phone, and much to my mom's horror, there had been confusion on when I would be arriving. No one informed her that my entire flight itinerary had changed.  She was in Orland! She got there within the hour😂. These last few days, I have been enjoying the comfort of my home and the company of my family. While this is all great, I find myself bored. I went from leaving the apartment at 10 in the morning and coming back at nine at night to being in the house all day. I am used to walking 10-15 miles a day or biking even farther. There would be days I would teach eight different lessons. Sitting here has been quite the adjustment. I am still a missionary and will be reassigned after this 14-day quarantine. This means that my purpose is still to invite all people to come unto Christ. If you are interested in learning more about Jesus Christ or have questions about anything concerning religion, please contact me. I hope this email finds you all in good health and that you are all safe.

-Elder Garrison

Blessings Among the Trials

Conner's Facebook post on 3/22/2020:  

This is a crazy time and place to live in. The last 8 months have been full of a lot of highs and lows, especially these last few days. As many of you are aware, my mission has been evacuated and I am supposed to be in the U.S. right now. Due to the mass exodus of all the missionaries in Africa, they are having complications getting us home. As you can imagine this is very stressful. Tonight Ghana shuts its borders adding a lot more stress to that. I am really glad that tonight a lot of hard work paid off. I really needed that spiritual uplift. I don't know when I will get home but I will "...be still and know that (He) is God..." (D&C 101:16) I know that everything, in the end, will be alright regardless of the outcome right now. I know that Jesus is the Christ, and he has a plan for all of us. God bless us all.

A perfect night for a baptism

Conner's email home today:

Late last night we got the news that we are heading home sometime. So I am not stuck in Ghana! If you are not aware, Africa missionaries from foreign countries got told to evacuate last Wednesday. Due to this mass exodus of missionaries, my mission is having complications getting us home before Ghana shut down its borders last night. The church apparently worked things out with the government last night to send us home. This last week was absolutely crazy. Things really got out of hand incredibly fast, and it was a little nerve-racking for a second. Thank you to those who have been sending prayers. I am really glad to have been able to serve here in Ghana for as long as I have and hope to return after things with the Coronavirus calm down. I have really seen the hand of the Lord in my life and know that we have been blessed greatly. Once I get home, I will be quarantined for 14 days in my home in California and be given a temporary assignment to serve somewhere in the states. I wish you all the best and hope you all are safe and happy during these trying times. 

Love, Elder Garrison

Corona Free Week

Conner with his companion Elder Mauga

Conner, Elder Matakaiongo, Elder Crippen & Elder Mauga

Conner was able to call today.  Ghana has shut down the boarders not allowing anyone in to help stop the spread of the Coronavirus.  The missionaries have been instructed to not shake hands and to be prepared by having some food on hand etc.,  Ghana has canceled all public gatherings such as church and funerals.  It is easy to let one's mind start to worry. However, I know Conner is where he needs to be at this time.  I know our Church and his leaders are taking good care of the missionaries. 

Lately, the words of a hymn have come to my mind.  "Fear not, I am with thee: oh, be not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still give thee aid.  I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand."

As a sign in my hallway states,  "I will trust and not be afraid."

Conner's email this week:

This last week we had my mission father Elder Matakaiongo go home, Coronavirus cancel church, and had a trio work 2 areas. Things have been a little crazy. As far as my safety goes with the Coronavirus, I am fine. We do have to pack e-bags and get food storage, but I am not worried yet. There are only 6 cases in Ghana so far, and most people that I have talked to either don't believe that it is a real thing or that it will make it into Ghana. So there is more than enough toilet paper here. I will be buying a lot today though.

Not having church yesterday stunk, but we are figuring things out. The saints here in Ghana don't have to look back too far to remember a time that was similar. From 1989 to 1990 they had the government shut down churches that had ties to America. They felt like the CIA was using them as a front to begin to stage a cue. This included the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They were not allowed to go to church buildings or worship in large gatherings. They had no idea when the government would lift the restrictions. They had the sacrament in their homes in small groups. Everyone I have talked to from that time has said what a blessing it was for them in the end. May we look at their example of faith and try to make this time meaningful in our lives each and every Sunday. It is no coincidence that the church put out a brand new home study program last year. I feel confident that these challenges can have a positive impact on the future. I hope you all have a great Corona free week. God bless us.

Elder Conner Garrison

A New Week

Dzodze Zone 

Conner's email this week:

This last week has been much better. We had a cool rainstorm come which was very nice. I think it was the coldest I have seen it in Ghana so that was nice. We also became the first Elders apartment with A/C (outside of the 6 man apartment at the mission office). So our heat rashes have been disappearing. All these things came exactly when we needed them to. That is typically how I have seen the Lord working in my life. I am so glad to be out here and see the hand of the lord in mine and other's lives. The work is really going to start picking up again. We have several people on date for baptism or are about to be put on date. I am super glad to see so many people get ready to make promises with God for their benefit. This will change their lives for the better. The last few weeks have been a challenge, but it is all going to be worth it. Anyways, I hope that you all had a great week this week. 

-Elder Garrison 

A week not to be forgotten!

Conner and I were able to message back and forth today!  Despite the difficult week, he seems positive and optimistic. We spoke about those being taught the gospel for the wrong motives.  He mentioned that this could happen anywhere in the world.  All we can do is teach and offer.  The rest is up to the other person to decide what to do with the information they receive. He is really enjoying his companion and is happy to have a friend in him!  
Below is a link to a video.  Click to learn more about what Conner is teaching in Ghana and to know that you can receive guidance in your own life.

Conner's email this week:

Everything that was not normal missionary work began on Thursday last week. We went to Accra that night for the zone conference the next day. I think it was the first time I have slept with an A/C since I left the MTC last August. This was especially nice because my back and chest are covered in heat rash. It is not a sunburn, and I guess you get it when you sweat too much. Everyone in the apartment has at least a little, so it was nice to let our skin have a break from the heat. Friday we went to zone conference, and we got our smartphones!!! I am really excited for it because of all the new ways to teach and find. Because we are missionaries, we had to learn how to use certain apps so we didn't leave until 4 in the afternoon. We didn't get back until 9. The drive took extra long because of traffic caused by a funeral(I will talk about this later). Normally this is not really a big deal, but during zone conference, I started to not feel well. I am not 100% sure if I had food poisoning from something I ate a few days ago or if I had the flu. That was an awful journey to make crammed shoulder to shoulder in the back seat of a trotro. Honestly, I am just glad that I didn't test positive for malaria. I did make a very speedy recovery though, only missing Saturday fully and being able to attend church and do a few hours of work on Sunday. That was a miracle. 

While I love being able to serve the Lord full time here in Ghana, it can be hard sometimes. Trying to go out every day with the hot Ghanaian sun beating down on you. Never finding anymore shelter than the shade of a tree from the scorching heat. Sweating so much that your skin begins to become raw. Teaching people that only want to take advantage and get some money.  These things at times make me feel like throwing in the towel. But how could I when our Saviour went through worse much worse for me. He didn't sweat water for me, but great drops of blood. He didn't bare the hot sun, but rather the pains of the world. These include but never limited to those caused by physical suffering, mental illness, and emotional trauma. Regardless of who you are or where you are from, he has felt it. Then He overcame it. This is our message to the world. All can come unto Christ and have their burdens lightened, have peace given unto them, and to become perfected by Him. All he asks is that you learn of Him, listen to His words and walk in the meekness of His Spirit. D&C 19:23. The path is simple in theory and hard in practice. However to get started you simply go online and get your self a free digital copy of the Book of Mormon, or look for the local missionaries. Things for me have gotten better. We just got new standing fans for the apartment, and I have figured out how to better treat the heat rash. I am also almost completely fine from my sickness now and will be able to put in a complete day's work tomorrow. 

Remember that funeral that I said held up the traffic. Well, apparently a tribal king in our area died. Around here there is a lot of what the locals call juju. Which is basically idolatry. They have stone carvings and flowers and think other things they worship. The royalty is all tied up in the juju traditions. When a king dies it is a big deal. We saw some funeral parties around the apartment. Looking at things from the outside the only difference between a party and a funeral is that they wear red and black to the funeral. A lot of light polls in town have red and black streamers on them right now. About half the people are wearing the red. These things are cool but how they choose the next queen mother or king father is crazy. The juju leaders I guess go pray to the gods to know who the next ruler is. They apparently keep the answer secret because, according to the person I talked to, nobody wants to be the one chosen. They have to deal with a lot of stuff apparently, however, I am not exactly sure what. So these juju men go ahead and wait for the funeral events. When they see the person chosen there they grab them and throw powder on him. If they escape at this point they are supposed to go mad. We have encountered a mad man who did do that in the past though. Anyways if they don't escape these juju people grab a lamb and slit its throat on the feet of this person. Once this has happened you have replaced the previous king. This is a simplified version of this and I don't know if I have all the stuff right about this custom, but i thought some of you might be interested. Anyways I had better sign off. 

Elder Garrison