Weekly Letter to President Heid

Sunday was Mother's Day and Brigham got to call home and talk with us for about an hour. It was great hearing from him. He has a bit of an accent, speaks like a Ghanain, and is doing really well. He has adjusted to life in Oyoko and is working hard. We are so proud of him and the things he is doing in Africa. 


Dear Family,

It was so great to talk to you again yesterday. I don't have much to say so I will just send you my letter to President this week.

Dear President Heid,

I was very grateful to be able to talk with my family yesterday. It is really incredible how much I miss them and how much I love them. I really don't know where I would be without them. I have often wondered to myself why God decided to put me in that family and to be born into the church. I don't know exactly why but I am beyond grateful for it. As I hung up the call Elder Okorie asked me, "Why is there water in your eyes?" I told him it was because I love my family. I am not ashamed that I miss my family, nor am I ashamed of crying. I have often seen coming on mission much like the Plan of Salvation. We leave our home and our parents for some time, so we can learn to love in a deeper way. There was a time in my life where I missed my Heavenly home, but I found that because of that time my Heavenly home felt closer to me. I think the same has happened with my family. As I have missed my family, I have felt my love for them as well as my testimony of eternal families increase. I don't have to always be worried or missing them, because as deeply as I know that the Plan of Salvation is true, I also know that God has a specific plan for me and my family. That plan is for me to be here.

My mom asked me yesterday how missionary work had blessed me. I have come to find that as I have met people and learned to love people I have been blessed with a greater understanding of God’s plan for me and for all His children. When you care for someone and try to teach them the things you can see will bless them and make them happy, you understand better that God cares for us and has sent us here to try to teach us the things that he can see will bless us and make us happy, even if we can’t understand it now.

Thank you all so much. I love you all. I wan't pictures of Emily's baby when she comes!! Hopefully I will do something fun today. (It was Brigham's birthday when he wrote this.) I think I might splurge and go get pizza.

Love
Elder Shelton

A Day in Accra

Dear family,

So we are teaching this lady named Loretta. She is only a few years older than me but has 2 children. We found her a couple weeks ago and she is really cool. When we have lessons she is really focused and really wants to repent. The other day when we were leaving we were saying thank you and she said, "No thank you for changing my life." I have hopes that she will be baptized although she will be in Accra for the next month visiting the father of the children.

Thursday we were in Accra all day because Elder Okorie has now been out a year and had to renew his non-citizen ID card. The picture was of me and my MTC companion. It was really boring waiting there all day but I got to spend time with one of the newly called AP's Elder Quarshie who is a Ghanaian and is the most humble guy.  He asked me to go get food with him.  I love being able to meet different people and hear their own stories. It started to pour while we were getting the food and it was a fun memory I will have.

Friday we spent the day in Maase because Elder Okorie had to do baptisimal interviews. Maase is clear out in the middle of nowhere but it took us so long to get out there that it took our entire day.

A Day in the Mission Office in Accra

Anyways, it was a good week and I had a lot of insights in my personal study which always makes me want to improve.

Anyways, I hope all is well back home.

Love
Elder Shelton

Baptisms - the Highlight of My Week

Brigham, his companion, and the two new members!

Dear Family,

I was able to baptize 2 of our really good investigators this week. Brother Phillip and Brother Isaac. They had been prepared to receive the gospel and be baptized even before we taught them. Their faith and willingness to act touched me. Although their was a small language difference I couldn't help but smile and almost cry when they tried to explain what they were feeling and the experiences they have had. It was the highlight of my week to baptize them.

I have enjoyed getting to know some of the members up here as well. I have come to know a member of the Branch Presidency named President Baffoe. He was only baptized about 2 years ago. He is so diligent in everything. He shows up with a smile at all the Branch events and activities even though nobody else comes. The gospel has touched his life and he is truly converted. He still has the same joy and zeal for the gospel as the day he was baptized. I think it is one of the biggest privileges of being out here to meet people like this and to hear their stories. He is really a bright spot in the Branch in Oyoko.

I downloaded conference and have been listening to it small small. It seems like Africa was mentioned plenty. It really is a privilege to serve here. I have loved so many of the talks and they have given me some wonderful insights.

So the Taylor's are leaving? Are they going home or to another area? I thought for sure they must be a new missionary couple because she has been posting a bunch of pictures on the Facebook page lately and I've never seen a post from her before. The Taylor's are going home because of medical issues. They are fairly new in the mission. We won't have any other couple missionaries for a while.

 Elder Okorie, Sister Taylor, & Brigham

How do you get to Koforidua without bikes? Taxi or tro-tro
How far away is it from where you are? 15 minute taxi
How do you grocery shop for the whole week?I don't, even on monday.
Is there not any food to buy where you live, like off the streets? Rice and stew, banku, red red, rice ball.

What is your apartment like? Tiled, 2 bedrooms, 1 wash room, 1 kitchen.
Do you have warm showers? Nope, bucket showers mostly.
What is the electricity situation like there? It is usually on.
Do you have a refrigerator? Yep.

Is there a language barrier with you and the people? For sure. Contacting is a nightmare. Even visiting members and less actives is hard because they don't speak English. It is hard to know if they are teaching the what they should be teaching because I can only pick about 25% of what they say.

Anyways, I love you all

Love
Elder Shelton

Oyoko

Koforidua Zone

Dear family,

These last two weeks have been a big adjustment. I have really felt the effects of culture difference I guess; both with my companion and the members and with people here in Oyoko. I am actually excited for all the opportunities here though. It is a small branch up here that is really struggling. They don't speak English.  They don't pay much tithing which is keeping this area from becoming a stake. I know that there is a lot of work here for me to do and it excites me as I see all of the opportunities to help.

I really love the scenery here. It is like I am in a dream. We are jumping across streams with naked children bathing. We are trekking on little trails through the bush. I have small children gathering in groups around me chanting. It is pretty crazy.

I remembered Uncle John's council to find the chief. I found his palace and will hopefully contact him this next week.

Nothing much exciting happened last week. I got to watch half of the Sunday morning session on conference. They showed all 4 main sessions live at the district center. We didn't know that they were showing them until Saturday night. Sunday I finally got Elder Okorie to agree to watch the Sunday morning session. The sound didn't work until about halfway through so I missed a lot of it. It was sad, there were maybe 10 members from our entire district there. People didn't have an interest and they might not show it again next time. The small part I heard though really changed the spirit of the entire week. It is amazing the spirit those guys have when they speak. The sound came on just as Elder Christopherson was talking about handing out fliers for his fathers campaign and how much he loved and respected his dad when people said that they would vote for him because he was a good guy. I started to cry even though I had no background on the story. I could relate so strongly to what he said about his father. It really was a testimony to me that God knows me very well and knew I needed to hear that at that time. The rest of the conference was great as well. I loved Elder Uchtdorfs talk.

We are preparing 2 men for their baptism next Saturday. It has been a pleasure teaching them and seeing their testimonies grow. They seem to be really committed to the gospel and they love everything we say to them. Their names are P___ and I____. Neither of them speak English really well so we have to teach them with members. It is really cool to teach them the simple aspects of the gospel and see how happy it makes them. P____ keeps having amazing dreams about the church and things that lay ahead for him. He gets so excited and tries to articulate it to us in English and it makes me so happy to hear it. They have been a bright spot in my week.

Multi Branch Easter Activity

I have found that there are almost no complete families that attend the church here in Oyoko. It has been discouraging me because our entire church and the Plan of Salvation is based on families. I have a strong desire to try to help some of these part member families unite so they can benefit from all of the blessings and ordinances the Gospel has to offer. I know for me there is nothing more important than my family and not being with them after this life would be devastating for me. My testimony of eternal families has grown since I have been away. I hope that I can help people see the importance and blessings of eternal families.

Mom's Questions:

Multi Branch Easter Activity

How is the weather in Oyoko, is it the same as in the big city? It seems to rain more an be more cloudy. That might just be that we are going into rainy season.

Does the church have a building there? Just got one 2 months ago

What is your companion like, how long has he been out, what's his story? He has been out a year. His parents joined  the church when he was three so all he has known is the church.

Where are the zone leaders from - they are your other roomies, right? Nigeria and Ghana. It is very different. The Nigerians speak Ebo to each other so I don't know what is going on. The Ghanaian can cook. He owned a restaurant back home so we are getting some really good Ghanaian food.  I eat 3 Ghanaian or African dishes a day whereas in Tema I was still eating a variety of food.

Where will you buy your food? Koforidua. There isn't any food here.

I was wondering the other day if you have refrigeration? We have refrigeration when we have light.  Although it is hard to find anything that has to be transported in refrigeration so dairy products are non-existent. There are a lot of things different in this area.

Will you go into Koforidua much? Yeah. Every week.

Are you on bikes? We should be but we are walking.

Where do you email from? Koforidua internet cafe. There isn't one in Oyoko. We have to come down here for most everything.

I love you all so much.

Elder Shelton

Transfer to Oyoko!

Dear Family,

Get ready for a long letter. This week was really crazy. It has been really long.

On Monday we had our Elders in the Kitchen activity. It was really a lot of fun. It really opened my eyes though to how food here is prepared. Really not safe at all and with a lot of oil. We probably used 1.5 litres of oil for a stew that would feed 16. The food was really good though.

Tuesday was strange as well because transfers came early. Our small apartment had to host 2 other Elders for the night and I ended up sleeping on the floor in the main room. It wasn't good because Elder Buys had to sleep out there as well so we talked for a long time.

The rest of the week was pretty normal until Friday. Our investigators were progressing and I really felt like they would come to church. We have 4 people with baptismal dates in April and I believe that at least one or two will go through.

On Friday we were out proselyting and at about 12:00 we get a call from Elder Buys. I am in the middle of talking to this woman but I can hear Elder Johnson talking on the phone. We it was finished he told me that I was going on emergency transfer to Oyoko and I was leaving on Saturday morning. It really surprised me because I thought that all of the transfers were over. I was a little stressed about how fast I was leaving and sad that I would have to say goodbye to so many people. Elder Buys called us back after an hour and told us that the office Elders were coming right then to pick me up. So we went home immediately and started to pack. It was crazy and it all hit me so fast.

The office Elders were soon there and took me to one of the missionary apartments downtown because the mission home and bunkhouse are being renovated. It was really hard for me to sleep because I had no fan and I was still trying to process what happened. I should let you know that what also added to the craziness is that Oyoko is in the Bush. Like really in the Bush. It is a small village in Eastern region and there are only a few areas that are more bushy than Oyoko.

The next morning the office Elders took me to the temple. Unfortunately I didn't get to do a session. I just helped with confirmations. The Koforidua branch was there though and so the Senior couple from Koforidua district (my district now) was down to help with them there.  Afterwards the Senior couple (the Taylors) drove me to the mission home and president Heid informed me that the Elder I was exchanging spots with wanted to go home so he moved him to the city. Then the Taylors drove me up to my area. The drive was beautiful.

We headed straight north from Accra and reached these mountains. As you are going up you can look out onto the city. It was really cool. It took us some time to get through the mountains. There are little villages there. The descent off the mountain reminded me of going through Logan Canyon except it was a lot more bushy and green and there were small structures with naked kids running around. There were people selling snails the size of softballs. The Taylors were super nice. I was with 2 other Elders that had come down and they both fell asleep so I talked with the Taylors as we were coming up and they were telling me about all of the things we were passing. When we finally got into Koforidua we dropped off the other Elders but my companion wouldn't pick up his phone so we went to the Taylors apartment. Koforidua reminded me a lot of a farm town. There are just a bunch of small towns as you are driving up the road.

Eventually we got a hold of my companion and they took me to an appointment that he was in with the Zone Leaders at their branch presidents house. Right when we got there it rained cats and dogs and I got soaked. We eventually made it home that night. We stay in a 2 man apartment that is huge and pretty nice.

My new companions name is Elder Okorie from Nigeria. It will be interesting to be his junior companion. He works with the members a lot and I think it will be good. The area is just one main road that goes through it and then just trails and forest the rest of the area. I am excited to be in the bush.

Other news: They are trying to make Koforidua into a Stake so yesterday Elder Okorie got a call about more transfers. Sisters will be moving up here into a branch called Effiduase. That is where the Zone Leaders used to stay so they will move in with us which I was actually happy about. I will be with 3 Africans so I will get acclimated quickly. Someone I was actually really excited to serve around, Elder Whiting, is being transferred away and that was a disappointment. But some really good sisters I came to know are moving into Effiduase so that will be good. Most of the Zone are Africans and they have been here for some time so it might be hard to easily and quickly fit in here.

Anyways, It was a good week full of changes and surprises. I think I will be here for a long time and I am excited to put some work in here.

I love you so much.
Elder Shelton

Elder Rasband Visits Ghana

Dear Family,

I am really short on time today, we just got home from Tema New Town where we had a district activity. It was Elders in the kitchen where the Elders cooked rice, yam, and stew for the sisters in our district. It was really fun.

This week was a good week. I am emailing on Tuesday because we had the opportunity of going to Accra yesterday and listening to Elder Rasband speak to us. It was a really great experience. He talked about how our service should be motivated by our love for Jesus Christ. If we want to love him more, learn more about him. Overall it was a really great experience.

This week we found some cool investigators that I am optimistic about. We found this one guy who sells tea bread. He was at his home preparing the dough and everything and we knocked on his gate and he immediately said come in. We sat down at his little wooded table outside and he showed us how to roll the dough into all different shapes and sizes. It was really cool. The other women there were a little frustrated because we couldn't do it very well but they were kind enough to allow us to continue. We were able to teach the man a little and he seems really excited.

Other news this week. I spent a day in New town on an exchange. The area is really close to the Ocean and it is hot and humble. It was fun and interesting to get a change of scenery.

Sunday we had no investigators at church again which makes a lot of weeks in a row. We did visit one of my favorite families in the ward this week. The moms name is Sister Naam. She is Korean and has lived in Ghana for longer than I have been alive. She is the cutest, coolest woman ever. She doesn't speak English very well and it is somewhat "Ghanafied". Every time she sees me she says, "I like you Shelton!!!" It is super funny. I invited her to invite somebody to church. She told me of the 2 families that she has brought to the church and they have now been sealed. She was so dedicated to start up her missionary efforts again. Low and behold at church on Sunday was this man from Benin that she brought that she met in her English class that she has recently started. It was a real blessing to us.

Craziest thing that Elder Johnson did this week: He jumped into our 55 gallon trash bucket that if full of reserve water and hit his head on the bottom.

Questions:
Tell us a little about the new elder in your apartment. He is Nigerian, an Ebo. He is somehow (somewhat) fair. Very humble guy. Born into the church. Has 3 brothers. One a return missionary, another serving in Ivory Coast, the other at home.

What have you learned to cook while in Ghana? All kinds of rice and stew. It is hard to really cook Ghanaian. We don't have time to pound fufu.

Do you usually cook for yourself or do you and your companion cook together? By myself. Elder Johnson only cooks french toast and top ramen.

 Do you know how many missionaries from your mission were re-assigned to Sierra Leone and will any more be re-assigned in the future?Two sisters and four elders. I don't know, probably as those missions expand there will be more reassigned.

What is your favorite thing about the Ghanaian people? Their humility and faith. Even if they don't have faith in the right things they are willing to believe in miracles.

What service did you do this week? On two different occasions we pushed cars for miles. It was the most I have ever sweat in my life.

I love you all. Have a good week and Easter.

Love,

Elder Shelton

The First Storm

Dear Family,

This week was an interesting week. Last Monday was kind of a downer because I lost everything on my MP3 player. Then we had a FHE scheduled with a Member and an investigator but we weren't able to go because Elder Johnson got really sick and threw up everywhere. I felt really bad about everything.

On Tuesday we sat down to start teaching a lesson to these ladies that sell watermelon. We look over and there is this huge black cloud that was moving fast. Of course they get into action trying to cover their stuff and we helped them then got going home for lunch. As we are riding this insane wind comes out of nowhere and blows sand and dust everywhere. I couldn't even see where we were riding and my eyes had so much sand in them. We stopped and helped this lady pack away all the bags and fabric she was selling. I was pretty nervous that some tin roofs would fly off. Then as we finished helping her the rain started to pour and we got home just in time. I made a nice minestrone soup and hot chocolate as we enjoyed the cooler weather. It was the first time I have really seen a storm here. It was pretty cool.

This week we committed 7 investigators to come to church. We helped them and set everything up so that they would all come. We called them in the morning and they said they were coming. I was expecting at least 2-3. Then not even one came. That is an average week here. Ghanaians don't want to offend you so they will always say they are coming but it is a big struggle here to get them to come. I guess there is always next week though.

Saturday we found out that Elder Ojaide is being transferred to Kpone today and Elder Buys will get Elder Okeke. It is sad to see him go. He was really good to me and taught me a lot. Change is always hard but I hope I can get used to it.

The Bathroom Pictures!

Mom's Questions
Do you have a picture of your bathroom? (Just curious about it!)
 I took one today.

Not as bad as mom imagined it!

I assume "futball" is soccer, how are you liking that? Do the Africans just run circles around the Americans? 
My shoes are no good. We got wide toe remember so every time I play I get ingrown toenails. But it is fun. Africans usually run circles around us. Actually it is just the Americans that aren't good.

What did you do to serve someone this week?
 Help people during the storm. It is hard to serve Ghanaians. They like to do things themselves.

 Someone asked me last night, have you ever been in danger - I said not that he's told us. Have you?
I am not in danger. Ghana is very safe.

Are you still feeling healthy? 
 I am feeling somewhat healthy. I probably don't get enough vegetables. It is hard to find time to go to market and then find time to prepare them as well.  I have put on some weight here though. It is about 15 pounds. Mostly in muscle but a little in my gut. So I guess I am doing ok.

I love you all so much.

Elder Shelton

Developing Charity

Dear Family,

It sounds like a normal week at home. It was normal here as well. After our rough week last week we had a really good turn around this week. We found several new investigators and we had plenty of our other ones progress as well.

The work for Elder Johnson and I can sometimes be hard because people see us as either their American friends that can get them to the U.S., the two young white guys, or people who just want to discuss the Bible. It can be frustrating at times but I still have to say I am blessed to be in Ghana. I am running out of ideas what to tell you in my letters because the weeks are kinda the same.  Elder Johnson still has stupid things he does, which I laugh at, but I have been blessed to see him really become a better missionary. Dumb thing  he did this week was dive headfirst into Elder Buys washing bucket.

This last week Elder Johnson and I were discussing charity. As we were talking, and as it was on my mind, I realized something that I have a deep need to improve on charity. When I first came to Ghana, and even still now, I have seen things that I wish were different. I would say, "If only Ghana would change this..." or "If only the people would just change this about what they are doing and how they are living." I guess I thought that I could "help" them out or just change their culture into something "better". I have now come to realize that my frustration and my desire to change some things about Ghana have not allowed me to have charity for these people. They are happy with the way they live. I should love them for who they are and what they do instead of wanting to change them into what I think would be better for them. I have always tried to love the people and love Ghana, but part of loving them is loving their culture and the people they are. I can't say it is easy for me to love choking down 3 balls of banku, but I will pray to have that type of Christ-like love for them.

Interesting events this week included a traditional naming ceremony, futbol on Saturday morning and today .You asked me a couple weeks ago what are my favorite things to buy off the street. I thought of some more. Mango, sugarcane, and popcorn with groundnut. You can also get your shoe or bag fixed by guys who walk around with sewing stuff which is pretty sweet.

I love you all so much. I cant believe you are already almost done with winter. I love hearing about everything going on.

Love,
Elder Shelton

It Is Home Here

Dear Family,

This week was a really good week. On Tuesday we were able to go to our mission conference with Elder Vinson. It was really incredible. He has such an insight to everything. He talked about a lot of things that have made me think about my own missionary work. President and Sister Heid and Sister Vinson also spoke. The theme seemed to be obedience which I loved. I rode home that night with Elder Buys and had a really great conversation about it all. I have come to love all of the people in my apartment and it will be a sad day when somebody has to go. It was a really good day. We were able to do some service this week as well. Elder Johnson and I helped one of our investigators wash clothes and fetch water as well. It was super fun but incredibly hard. I have a ton of respect for African women.



Our investigators are coming along as well. We have one we are teaching whose name is A______. He is from upper east region and he has had to leave his family to get work here. He gets up at 3 every morning to ride his bike 2 hours to get to his job, then sometimes doesn't get home until 12 but he still somehow finds time to make it to church and for us to meet him. He really doesn't have much background in religion at all. He comes from a village. When we first met him he said his favorite food was tea. We taught him the word of wisdom and he took all of him tea and gave it to us. He hasn't had a sip since. He have slowly been teaching him about the plan of salvation, he had no concept of life after death at all. It was incredible to see him grab hold of something he never before knew. He really wants to be with his family forever. He asked us when he could be baptized before we asked him. I have never seen someone with so much faith. He is the perfect description of our mission scripture Mosiah 3:19 As a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love.


We have another man named S_______. When we first met him he said he hadn't been to church in a long time because he felt like God had forgotten him. We have been working with him for some time now. He has a lot of faith and really takes what we say to heart. He told us the other day that when we first met we said something that touched his heart and he knew that even though we were two young white guys he had to listen because what we were saying is true. He takes notes during the lessons and is truly on the repentance process and becoming truly converted. It is always a joy meeting with him.

For Valentines day we baked brownies and gave them to one of our investigators. She said it was the first time she has gotten a Valentines day present. It was really touching to me that a small act meant so much to her.

It was a really good week. No transfer so I will be staying in Tema with Elder Johnson for at least 6 more weeks. Elder Buys and Ojaide are staying as well. It is home here.

Sounds like there are so many good things happening back home. I love you all so much. Keep the Valentines day love in your hearts.

Love,
Elder Shelton

Another Baptism

Dear Family,

This last week was a good week. We had a baptism this past week. His name is S___. He is in his 40's. When we first met him on the street he was jamming out to Bob Marley and he was drunk and on drugs. The first time we went to his place I just wanted to leave. He freaked me out a bit. But as we kept going he began to change dramatically. Through it all he was willing to let the Atonement of Jesus Christ shape his life. He used to be a pastor then turned to hard drugs. His transformation has been incredible. We were able to baptize him yesterday. The Elder's Quorum President, Brother Anokye, did the baptism. It was really great.

I told Elder Johnson the other day that my Journal should just be titled, "Dumb things Elder Johnson does." We had a good laugh about it. This week he biffed it on his bike and it was unfortunately really funny. He was ok and just popped on up.

Being with Elder Johnson the last two weeks I have had a lot to learn. I have seen Elder Johnson really grow and I think I have grown too. It has been a cool experience. There may be some changes soon to our Zone because we have some missionaries going to Sierra Leone and some going home. Sister Thatcher, who serves in ward 2 with me, is headed for Sierra Leone so ward 2 will receive a new missionary. She had a birthday party today and that is one of the pictures.

Elder Vinson of the area presidency is speaking to us tomorrow so I am excited about that. Sounds like things are busy as always at home.

Mom's Questions:
What members have you become closest to and why? The Bishops family, the Acheampongs, and Quacks, and the Anokyes. Bishops family because we are over there a lot and Bishop and his wife are cool. The Acheampongs because they are a young family that functions super well and doesn't let cultural things get in their way of following Christ. When we go to their home it is like I am home again. I feel comfortable there. The Quacks are an Korean family and are really fun. The other day we were there and the mom who doesn't speak much english brings out pineapple and sets it down. Then looks at me and says," I like you Shelton." Pretty funny. The Anokyes because they are a really solid family and love missionaries so much. Sister Anokye is a really good cook.

Are your first two converts still coming to church? Yep, One is the first counselor in the YM. The other is in YW and gave a talk the other day.

I hope you all have good weeks. I love you all so much. This week I seemed to be thinking of all of you extra. Keep the Faith.

Love,
Elder Shelton

Birthday Party for Sister Thatcher