New Companion /Trainee

Dear Family,

This week was really crazy. We went down to Accra on Tuesday to pick up my trainee. His name is Elder Robertson from Memphis Tennessee. He is a big guy but really cool. He reminds me a lot of Josh in the way he speaks and carries himself. He is a ready to go and do work. It was a really exhausting week. I am still trying to find out how to run everything and manage being senior companion and still think about how I can help Elder Robertson.

We are working to get this family called the Sarpongs baptized as well as a girl named Constance and a small boy named Gabriel. They are all really cool and I think that all of their baptisms will go through.

Today we bought a rabbit and killed it and cooked it up to go into some Fufu. It was really good and a fun little adventure.

Anyways, not much to report on today. I want to start a project where I make a list and write about some of my heroes here. I hope to write to you about some people that have made a big impact on me.

I hope all is well back home. You are always in my prayers.

Love,

Elder Shelton

Hectic Baptism

Dear Family,

This week was one of my best weeks on my mission. It was also a very humbling week. We spent much of our week preparing Loretta and Pomaah for baptism. Loretta has had some really difficult things happen in her life lately and it reminded me of how much the gospel blesses our life especially in difficult times.  In church we talked about how being a member of this church provides protection and security. It is true, this church has protected me and my family from so many worldly things that can be devastating.

The baptism on Sunday was hectic.  After sacrament meeting Elder Okorie and I went out to check the font. It wasn't filled and there were spiders and lizards and all kinds of gross things living in it. We were able to recruit some primary children to come and help us clean it. It seemed as if almost everything with the baptism went wrong. The water that came out of the tap was brown so they were baptized in gross water, the rain came just as they were being baptized, they had to both be baptized multiple times because they didn't get all the way under. Eventually everything worked out and they were baptized. After we sang "I Need Thee Every Hour" . It was really beautiful and I almost started to cry. I was so happy to see them baptized. Sometimes in this mission you just expect the baptisms so when they come they are just routine. I was able to just sit and sing and enjoy the moment of what had happened. It was a really great day.

On Saturday I was able to go on exchanges with Elder Buys. It was really great and it was nice to work with someone so skilled and my good friend. In the evening President Heid called us and asked us to help him set apart our new Branch President. It was one of the coolest most spiritual experience I have had. The blessing was so powerful and unique. It was really great to be a part of.

I also received transfer news. Elder Okorie will be going and I have been called to train someone up here in Oyoko. I will go down to Accra tomorrow to pick up my new trainee. I am really excited but also nervous for the opportunity. My trainer, who went home today, was such a good influence on me and I hope that I can be a good influence on my trainee as well.

At the Mission Office Picking Up His New Companion

Anyways, it was a really great week. I love you all.

Elder Shelton

Sorry my letters are getting shorter. President Heid knocked the time allowed at cafe down.

The Lord Decided to Bless Us

Dear Family,

This week was a really great week for me all around. Elder Okorie and I were able to put together a mission standard week which is really hard to do in this mission. At church on Sunday we had members and investigators show up in numbers. We had about 90 members there which is up from our usual 60, and we had 8 investigators. I would like to say that we tried something different and this magic happened but we just worked and the Lord decided to bless us. We have several investigators progressing to baptism. One of them is Loretta. She was the one that was gone to Accra for a month. She is super serious about her learning and she is allowing it to change her life. It was really awesome to see someone take the Gospel very seriously.

I was able to go to the Temple twice this week. President called us for a trip down so we went on Thursday evening and did a session and then another Friday morning. We slept at the mission home. It was a really great trip.

The other piece of news was that we got a new branch presidency in Oyoko and I am really excited about it. The branch presidents name is President Moris Amate. He is 28 years old and is actually one of Elder Okorie and my good friend. It will be wonderful to work with him and he is really energized to get Oyoko moving.

Questions:
How have the rains affected your area? Mud.
How is your investigator Loretta coming? She will be baptized next Sunday.
Does she have children? Two, they are adorable. I will try to get pictures.
Is she married? Could be soon.
How about the man who was baptized who wanted to learn English so he could understand the Book of Mormon? He is doing ok. He was working really hard and saved up a bunch of money and then it all got stolen so that rattled him a bit. He played soccer with all the men in the branch and has been attending activities so he is doing well.
What did you do for P-day last week or today? Wash, Clean, wash, eat, clean

It was also a great week because I finally got my Easter package and the replacement Easter package as well. Thank you mom, there are some great things in there.

I love you all! Send my love to the baby as well.

Elder Shelton

I Am Loving It Here

Dear Family,

On the way back from zone activity in Accra

Rainy season struck this week. It has rained every single day this last week and it is tiring fighting the mud and wetness. I just got back from a multi zone activity in Accra. President came and gave some great instruction in the conference we had afterwards. 

This week we had a solid week. We found a family to teach. We have taught them twice and they have been to church twice. Unfortunately they don't speak English very well but it is nice to be able to teach a family. I called all of the numbers in our Branch Directory to people about the Open House we had for the new chapel. There was this less active named Naomi that doesn't speak English. I tried to explain to her in Twi about the Open House. I thought she didn't understand anything but she showed up. It was pretty cool. It was a disappointing turnout but it was ok. I felt like I was able to do some good work with the members.

I don't think I have written about the Donkor family yet. They live in Jumapo which is a ways away from Oyoko. The children grew up in a normal family. Their parents joined the church when they were young. Unfortunately when they got older their mother left and they were with their father. Their father fell sick and has been in Accra hospital for the last 6 months. So Foster aged 23 and Docas aged 18 have had to support the family. Their brother Evans aged 21 just returned home from his mission last week. They have 2 younger girls. Victoria aged 12 and Mary aged 10. Mary is crippled. Their family is still as happy as can be. They come to church with a smile on their faces. They are some of the most humble, hardworking people I have met. Mary loves to share the gospel. I have really enjoyed getting to know them and their story has inspired me.

We had 8 new investigators this week and 5 with baptismal dates. We are hoping that our really awesome investigator Loretta comes back from Accra this week. She is the one with 2 children and told us thank you for changing her life. I really am loving it here. Some days it drags on and the tro tro rides are nauseating and the children are annoying. But I have always tried to remember where I am, and how privileged I am to be here. And then the children become a joy and the tro tro rides are an adventure through Africa!

Answers to questions:
What do you like best about your companion? He notices funny things and likes to laugh.

What is the strangest thing you saw or did this week? Talked to this drunk guy who was really enthusiastic and when we talked would keep saying, "Relaaaaaaaaax"

Are you aware of any unique resources in your mission? I know they have plenty of resources here. Some include gold and oil. I am sure they have other gem stones as well but many of those come from East Africa and even a lot in Liberia and Sierra Leone. A lot of the resources here are food. Unfortunately most of the resources are taken and processed by foreign countries.

I love you all.

Elder Shelton

A Normal Week

Dear Family,

Sounds like you had a fun week. I can't wait until that new garage is functioning. That will be lots of fun. I was super excited to see that Brandon got his call. When you get your call you think it is a really big deal where you go, especially while in high school. I have come to learn that their are children of God everywhere. And they all need help in their own way. The blessing is serving and learning to love people not where you go.

We had a normal week this week. On Monday (Brigham's birthday) we went to a nice Restaurant called Lindador and had Pizza. It was really fun and it was also a send off party for Elder Okiyi who was transferred on Tuesday.

Wednesday we had our Zone Training. It was really good and also strange to have Elder Buys back again instructing but he gave a really good instruction that the Zone needed to hear.  He brought the truck up here and it has been really nice getting rides from him.  (Elder Buys was in Brigham's apartment in Tema and was transferred to Oyoko this week.)

Saturday and Sunday was district conference for the Koforidua district. President Heid came up and he gave some really great instruction to us and some really great talks in the Saturday and Sunday sessions. He told this story of a missionary who was in a Temple in Arizona and he felt like one of the ordinances wasn't performed exactly correctly so he went to the Temple President and raised the issue. The President told him, "You would be surprised what the Atonement covers."  I love that thought.  It is comforting to know that the Atonement is more infinite that we know.

It has been weird to have Elder Buys back in the apartment. It is like I am halfway back in Tema now. And halfway in America.  I realize that I had forgotten a lot about how Americans really are. Luckily we still have Elder Krofuah to cook for us although it was hard to say goodbye to Elder Okiyi. I was thinking today that most of the people I know and are friends with are older than me on the mission. Not many people have come in after me. It will be sad to watch all of those Elders leave. Elder Ojaide and Okiyi both leave next transfer and Elder Krofuah the transfer after that. I don't like saying goodbye.

We are teaching this lady named Rachel. She just moved to Oyoko and has no friends here so we have quickly become her good friends. She has a 5 year old daughter and a husband as well. It is rare to find a family like that. I haven't taught a family my entire mission. Hopefully we will be able to teach all of them. I really enjoy teaching her. She is really humble and speaks English which is nice. Her daughter is really cute and will always run up to us. Even when we first contacted her, her daughter took my hand and followed us for a long time while we walked away. They are really enjoyable to teach.

• What is school like for the kids and is it different in the city than out where you are? How long (years) are they in school? Does everyone go or just the privileged? 

You have to pay school fees so it is difficult for some people. In Tema 99% of children went to school and most of the older people had been to school. In Oyoko some don't go to school because they don't want to because educated people are kinda frowned upon, or they can't pay. Most of the older people haven't been to school. Especially the women.  The school system is very different.  They can beat you at any time for anything. There are prefects that have the ability to beat anyone as well. They start children at school here much younger. When you get into middle school you have to pick a subject to "Major" in for lack of a better term. Lots of people don't finish school here because they have adult duties early in life.

• How big is your area?  It sounds like you cover several towns.  About how many miles from one end to the other?

Our area covers 4 towns. New Asakore, Oyoko, Jumapo, and Suhyen. It is maybe 10-15 miles long. We mostly stay in Oyoko and Jumapo, the two middle towns.

• What is the one dish that you will want to make when you get home.  Is there one particular food that you enjoy most? I suspect that you will miss the Elder who does the cooking (when you go seperate ways).  It sounds like he knows what he is doing.

I will make rice and stew all the time. Yam will be another one. Elder Buys and I have been trying to devise ways to make all of our favorite food back home and find out how it will be possible. Emutuo (rice ball) will be possible and most of the soups and stews as well. I definitely want to continue to eat Ghanaian food when I go home. I tell investigators that my favorite food is Tuo-zaafi with Ayoyo. It is more a Northern dish but it is really nice. I also like Kontombury stew.

Tuo-zaafi (TZ), made with corn flour and cassava flour and accompanied by a variety of soups,
 such as ayoyo or bra (dry okra soup or fresh okra soup)

I'll be excited to see how the state tennis tournament goes.  I want a thorough update on the tournament. Especially how Ben does. GO BENGALS!!

I love you all.

Elder Shelton

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