Catching Up

Feb 6
Well this week was a bit eventful.  On Wednesday we had a departure devotional for Elder Whiting who had to go home early due to medical issues. He was a really great Elder. I will miss him. It was a sweet devotional and a really emotional goodbye. That meant that Elder Helm was taken out of the office to replace Elder Whiting. So back to just the two of us.

We had MLC on Thursday. It was really good to see everyone again. The meeting was good as well. We talked a lot about the recent missionary broadcast.

On Sunday morning we taught this referral that we received from the MTC presidents wife. He was a way cool guy. His name is Ebeneezer. He had so many good questions and is working really hard to be able to come to church. It felt good to teach someone who was so enthusiastic.

Pot Roast

I also got to teach Elder Anusiem to drive. I now understand why parents are so animated when teaching their children.

Sunday we had to help out with a sister transfer. We were moving sisters that will go home next two weeks and it was awesome to hear about their mission experiences. I came home to a home made roast that we had prepared and cooked all through the day. It was the best thing ever. I have never been so happy in my life!!!

I was reading the Book of Mormon this week and I came across these two scriptures in Moroni chapter 9 that really touched me.  "4 Behold, I am laboring with them continually; and when I speak the word of God with sharpness they tremble and anger against me; and when I use no sharpness they harden their hearts against it; wherefore, I fear lest the Spirit of the Lord hath ceased striving with them. 25 My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever." It spoke to my heart so much and it was just what I needed to hear at the moment. Prophets of old have felt what I am feeling. Jesus Christ understands even more. But I love his summary in verse 25. Despite everything that is wrong we can still be lifted up by Christ. That is what I will let "rest in my mind forever."

I love you all so much.
Elder Shelton

Feb 13
Tuesday we had a zone training and it was one of the best ones I have had since being here in the office. Our zone leaders instructed on finding people to teach and also about companionship unity. Since that time my companionship has really strengthened and I have been looking for more ways to find.

On Friday we went to the DMV. I thought the DMV back home was bad. It was really terrible here. We had to go to a couple different places to finally get Elder Anusiem his licence, but we finally got it. We had kinda a cool contact while we were there. This woman named Debora. She was the receptionist there. I was asking about her work and she said it was boring. I told her that we could keep her company because we had a great message to share. She asked what we did and we said we taught the gospel. She asked what we taught, so we said a prayer right there and started teaching her. She had a lot of really good questions and it was a good lesson. It made the DMV experience a little bit better.

Other than that we mostly were taking people to and from their apartment and the hospital and then taking care of them at the mission home.

I love you all.
Elder Shelton

Feb 20
This week was really hectic. On Monday we had 4 Elders get into a car accident so we brought them in to the mission home to recover. 3 of them recovered pretty quickly and they went back out to their areas. My companion went with one of them to his area and I am here in the mission home with the last one who is still recovering. So I have mostly been inside this week because I can't really take him anywhere. It's really unfortunate because we were just getting things going in the area. Now it has all come to a halt again and I will have to pick up the pieces and start again whenever I get a little bit more time to proselyte.

President Heid went gung ho on transfers this week even though it isn't supposed to be until Monday. We are just having a massive transfer in which like half the mission will be transferred. We will have a big conference on Thursday in which everyone will meet and be instructed and then go find their new companions and travel to their areas. President even mentioned that I might give instruction at the conference. We are creating a new zone. So many new zone leaders were called. Elder Falk is now a Zone leader which makes me happy, along with some other really great guys. I got to help out a little bit with this transfer too because the assistants were gone to Ho. It is really cool to see the process. It seems like everyone was transferred but all of the office stayed the same. I am still with Elder Anusiem. We will see what this next transfer will bring to me.

Brigham & Elder Buys

Although never companions, they lived  in the same apartment
in Tema at the beginning of Brig's mission, and in Oyoko.
 Elder Buys was Brigham's zone leader in the Koforidua Zone.

Elder Buys is going home next week Monday. I will seriously miss the guy. He has been my good friend all throughout my mission. I nearly cry even thinking about it. The other day I spent a good amount of time thinking back on my mission. There have been many people who have played a big part during the time I have spent here.  He has always been such a great friend and example to me. He has made a big impact on my life. His going home made me think about time and how it passes so quickly. Change is imminent. It is always difficult. I have heard some people complain about the transfer. When things don't go the way you expect it is always hard. I think God works that way though. He allows change occur in our lives whether we want it or not, whether we expect it or not. The purpose for that change is not to "ruin our plans", rather to fulfill His plan. I do have a testimony of that. Although my mission might not have gone "according as planned" I am ever grateful that my mission has gone according to the Master's plan.

I love you all so much,
Elder Shelton

Feb 27

This week was pretty crazy. The beginning of the week was pretty normal. I was still with Elder Winborg (injured in car accident). Mostly we planned out for all the transportation and how the transfer would work. Wednesday Elder Anusiem came back from Kpong. Thursday was the conference. It was a really great conference. Really quite short and very spiritual. It was a really stressful day though because we had to take people to get their ID cards renewed and there were a bunch of problems with it and we had to get back in time so that the people being transferred could catch their tro tro back to their area. 

Elder Buys has been down here since the conference on Thursday. Its been good to have time to catch up and say our goodbyes. On Friday I got to proselyte some. It was a nice refresher. I hadn't been feeling good towards the beginning of the week so a little fresh air was nice. 

Saturday we had our P-Day because today we have departures and preparing for the new missionaries to come in tomorrow. It seems like Saturday was pretty legendary. We woke up, went to Makola Market to buy some food stuff and Elder Buys bought some things to go home with. Then we went to the art market again. Elder Buys also bought a lot of stuff. Then we came back to the apartment and played cards. Went to Shoprite to buy roast for Sunday. Then we went Bowling. There is only one bowling alley in Ghana. It looks abandoned and very scary. It was like we were in a horror movie. The thing was so retro. Uneven lanes and dust everywhere. It was a lot of fun. Right when we finished President Heid asked us to bring him some Book of Mormon stories books. He was at a conference at the stake center. We headed over there and happened to meet Sister Jones and Sister McConkie. Sister Jones is the general primary president I think and Sister McConkie a counselor in the YW. It was really cool and they were really nice and personal. It was a cool experience. We shook Elder Vincent and Stanfills hand as well. After that we went to a baptism and then went out to the area and taught a member. It was a really good day.

Sunday we had an investigator come to church. It was really amazing. We also ate pot roast again with all of the departing missionaries. WOW. It was a really busy week.

I love you all so much.

Elder Shelton