A Ghanian Wedding

Hi everyone!

It was another busy busy week this week but it was a good one! It seems we get busier and busier each week, I don't know how that is possible but it is haha. We have really been trying to help our zone members as well as they are struggling a bit in their areas. So we are managing our area, and the other three areas in our zone, plus our zone leader duties, so we are plenty busy. But I love it!

We had a mass contact in one of our sister's areas. A mass contact is were everyone in the zone plus the STL's (Sister Training Leaders) come into their area and go two by two and contact as many people as they can. Each companionship goes to a different area and we come back at the end of the day and give everything we accomplished to the sisters. It was a big success! I went on exchanges with Elder Nsungi that day. We gave the sisters plenty people to follow up on and so now they will be busy with that. We are praying and hoping it will help them in the long run. We have one planned with our other sisters next week so we are getting ready for that.

One little instance I thought was interesting this week was as we were driving in a trotro. We had this old man driving us, again I don't trust totros at all. They are very sketch especially when in Africa there are no rules on the road. Haha but one day we were taking one with this old man. In Ghana you have to force your way into the road because no one will let you in. Well as our driver was doing this he hit another car pretty hard. It shook all of us haha. I don't know what he was thinking but the driver got out and started to yell at him haha. It was one of the many arguments in twi that take place out here. But the part I thought was interesting was that nothing happened after that. In America you would have like taken the insurance, maybe their name and number, maybe something. But literally the guy just got back in his car and drove off like nothing happened and we did the same. I asked my companion why they didn't swap info or anything. Because if I was the guy I would have been ticked. He told me that in Ghana, I guess, first of all they don't have money to repair it. Second they don't have insurance. And third that instead of paying for each others car they just take car of their own, and it doesn't matter who's fault it was. I have seen many crashes in Ghana and it is the same thing every time. They just get back in their cars and act like nothing happened. Haha that does not happen back home at all.

Our Kokoben Elders had someone getting married in their ward and so they invited all of the district to join them for the wedding. That was the first Ghanaian wedding I have been to and it was fun! It was different then how we do ours back home but we had a good time.

Sunday was great as usual, we have 4 people on date to be baptized on the 4th of July which is next Sunday. They were able to join us for church and on top of that I had the opportunity to give a talk in the second ward that we are in. I'm not sure if anyone understood me as I spoke in English but I pray the spirit helped me out on that one. 

Overall it was a good week. This week we get our new mission president, we will have our first MLC (mission leadership council) with him and an MLC activity so we are excited. I hope all y'all are doing great and enjoying the heat. I heard it's getting pretty hot over there. It's the opposite over here. We are in rainy season now and so it has cooled down quite a bit, so that has been nice. 

Thank you all for the love and support, I appreciate it. Enjoy the week to come! I love you all

Love Elder Morgan

A Ghanian Wedding

Pics of Kejetia on a slow day!

Culture

Hey everyone!

Elder Mbuyi and I had another great week this past week! We have been working hard to learn our area and to really push the work forward. We leave early in the morning and don't come back until it's dark so we have some long days. But we are starting to see the fruits of our efforts! We have 4 people on date to be baptized on the 4th of July and are planning to get another 2 as well. The area is finally starting to pick up which is great. It just shows you the power of diligently working. That right there is the secret to missionary work. Like I said we are enjoying our area, we have now been to see all our area so we know which areas are good and which aren't so good. 

We have gotten the chance to meet so many great people. That's the part I love about what I do is that every day I meet so many great people. People with different backgrounds and cultures. We have become really good friends with a lot of people. For instance one of the people we contacted, his name is brother bright. Brother Bright is a stud and has become one of our good friends. He tells us that we are like family now Haha and so we have a good relationship. He isn't a member of the church yet and so last night we were talking about his future a bit. You know like what his plans were, especially with marring his girlfriend. Let me just say first that in west Africa many people do not get married, they will just live with their girlfriend/boyfriend and the reason being is that weddings are very expensive out here. As we were talking with brother bright he told us that he has been trying to marry his girlfriend for the past 6 months but in Ghana or really west Africa. When a man wants to marry a woman. The parents of the woman give the man a long list of things to buy. The man has to buy all of these things in order to marry the woman. If the man can't buy everything then the parents won't give their blessing for the wedding.  Out here culture is everything, and people take it very seriously. Back in America, some people just say screw it and will get married without their parents knowing, haha but that is definitely not the case out here. They don't want to disappoint their parents because their parents would never forgive them if they did that. In fact everyone would look down on them if they just said they were getting married without the typical ceremony. I thought that was Interesting and explains why we as missionaries deal with a lot of unmarried individuals.

We had a mission devotional on Monday with two members of the 70 and it was the first all mission conference since Covid started! Which was exciting because we haven't been able to all be together in a long time. The devotional was great, I learned a lot and the spirit was very strong. Due to the devotional being on Monday we got our preparation day moved to Wednesday. And we found out tomorrow my companion has to go to Accra to get some vaccinations and so I'll be at the mission home until Friday. But we have a busy couple weeks coming up! We will be getting our friends ready for baptism and continue to push forward. I still think it's crazy we are already half way through June. The time is starting to go by really fast. 

I hope all y'all are doing great back home. I hope you guys are having fun now that school is out and summer has officially began. I love you all and hope you guys have a great week this week!

Love Elder Morgan 

Finally Found a Missionary Who Wants To Work!!

Hi everyone!

I had a great week this week, it was busy and productive which I always enjoy. I also got a new comp! I sent Elder john off to Nigeria and I was in a trio from Monday until Wednesday. Tuesday some other elders came to stay at our apartment for transfers and so we had 5 elders at our apartment, it reminded me of the 6 man I lived in back in Utah. We had a good time

Wednesday came around and I had to be at the chapel at 7am to get ready for transfers. I took one of the elders with me and we went and set up. In Bantama as Zone Leaders we are in charge of transfers. That means we have to set up and pay for everyone coming and going. It's a lot of stress for one day haha. Especially when it's your first time and your companion left to Nigeria haha. People started to come and it all worked out. I was running around all day and got very sun burnt but we completed transfers safe and sound! I got my new companion, and his name is Elder Mbuyi. Elder Mbuyi is from the Congo and is an absolute stud. He has been on mission for 18 months and is a very good missionary, we get along very well

I think I finally found a missionary who loves to work as much as I do. Elder Mbuyi loves to work. We leave around 9:30am and don't come back to the apartment until 8pm. We are tired as heck and end up falling asleep around 8:30 after we chop some food. But then we start again the next day! Heavenly Father blessed me with my new companion. I had to stay inside and suffer a bit last transfer but the blessing was well worth it. 

We got a call from Elder Mbuyi's last area and they told us that one of their investigators wouldnt get baptized unless Elder Mbuyi did it. We called our mission president and he said that we could go to Konongo and go for the baptism. On Friday we headed to Konongo which was about 2 hours away. This has been the first time going to the bush since I got here so I loved it! I have been in the city ever since I got here so it was nice to change it up for a weekend. It was so pretty though, and I hope I get to serve outside kumasi at least once by the time I get home haha. We had a good time in Konongo and got back Saturday night. 

Like I said this past week as been a good one! I am happy to have a new companion and to start moving the work forward out here in bantama. 

I hope you all had a wonderful week! I love hearing from all y'all so send me an email! I love you guys and hope you have a good one! 

Love Elder Morgan