Week 15

This week was so great!  It was so great to hear your voices and to be
a part of the family this Christmas, its true dad that is the most
important thing and you all sounded great and happy!:)  Mom don't
worry about crying I was just wondering how you were doing i
understand trust me I was pretty homesick after but like you said you
know I am where I am supposed to be and soon enough I will be home;)
Dad its true we could have talked for about 5 or 6 more hours haha but
we will have a lot to talk about when I get home!:)  Dang no coyote
this week ha I can just picture mom out there with you guys haha I’m
glad you all enjoyed though. I was able to see the pictures on dropbox
and I loved them, that coyote looked good Colby.

Well it doesn't really feel like Christmas here dang it.  Its super
hot which reminds me mom if you would I just want extra face cream
just in case that stuff is saving me out here so like maybe in
February you could send more please.  I really appreciate it!  Anyways
it’s really hot and Africans they don't really celebrate Christmas it’s
just another day to them.  At least they don't focus on the
materialistic things we do back home like presents and other things
they really understand the real meaning of Christmas.  It’s hard though
because i ask how their Christmas’s are and its like it was good and
you can't ask about presents or anything else but it makes you truly
grateful for what we have back home!!  It’s weird to think I talk with
an accent haha mom you mentioned that you were going to share my
testimony with the Matheny's were you able to I am really striving to
do missionary work everywhere!  By the way tanner and i talk
small he doesn't write a whole lot but i can truly see the difference
in him, I’m so proud of him and he sounds like he is doing great!  My
companion and i are still getting along great he is truly like my
brother!

However after we talked and enjoyed Christmas the next day we had a
huge football match between six churches haha it was so much fun and
guess what...i was the only obruny playing haha imagine that the only
cracker in Africa haha it’s so weird when i really think about it.  I
played 2 which is defense and played all three matches haha it was so
much fun and it was a great opportunity to proselyte too the other
obruny missionaries didn't want to play so they came and handed out
book of Mormons and pamphlets and i had a lot of people ask me
question so it was great. It’s cool though now i have friends in so
many other faiths and now everywhere i go i see my soccer buddies!!
After the games we had dinner at our branch presidents house and that
was great we had so much rice and chicken and salad!!:)  Friday though
my companion got sick but he is better now but i went out with
elder dike (from Nigeria)  and we went to our
investigators house who was getting baptized on Saturday and prepared
her for the baptismal questions and then met the zone leaders and
they performed the interview and it went really great but took up most
of our day!  I saw elder Wylie again and is getting ready to go home
he is a great guy i really like him!  Well then on Saturday we had our
baptism ha it was so great it brings a smile to my face as I’m typing
it!!:)  I love to see the spirit glow in our investigators after they
are baptized!  She was 28 years old and her husband is a strong
convert and they have a baby girl who is like 2 months and a small boy
who you will see in the memory card i sent home!  Anyway it was so
great to unite this family and get them in the right steps to get
sealed forever.  You can see it in her husband’s face that he is so
happy that they are on that path for eternal families dang i love it,
i love to see the lord bless and prepare the people we teach!  Well at
the baptisms i performed the baptism's in knee deep water so that was
fun to baptize in haha but i was able to get her fully immersed on the
first time ha so it was great!   So it was a great Saturday to be
a part of the baptism and help start the progression to unite a family!
 Then Sunday we had a normal Sabbath day and dang i love the members
they are so dang cool they are so full of love and you can really feel
their love!  They love to sing hyms so we always sing 4 hyms in
sacrament and the choir always sings one as well haha!!:)  Anyway
after church we went to B house and i know i mention her a
lot she is around 48 years old and she is like my second mom here haha
(she wanted me to send her greetings to you all and say she is taking
care of me)  but we have spending a lot of time there we baptized her
daughters and we couldn't figure out what was holding her back but she
committed to January 11th i think YES!!!!  I was so happy i wanted to
just jump from the couch and yell yeah baby haha but it truly bore
testimony that you just need to trust in the lord and his timing and
he will prepare them!!  Dang so that’s basically what happened this
week and something i really enjoyed from the branch was for the new
years they set goals with the Relief Society and the elders quorum 

on what they wanted to accomplish for the new years and they decided these 8 things
1.attendance at meetings
2.tithe paying
3.punctuality
4.cleaning and sanitation
5. Missionary Work
6. Temple Work
8. Home and Visiting teaching
I really like how they set goals and we had a big lesson and it really
reminded me of a scripture in Colossians about putting off the old man
and putting on the new!  I have made goals for the new years and i
think it could be something we could all do, and strive to be better
in the year of 2014.  One of mine for example is to be more like our
savior Jesus Christ and to never complain again about anything!!  So
maybe that could be something we could all do!!:)  I am so happy for
this New Year and i am doing so well!  I truly have a testimony that
this is the true church Jesus Christ established while he was
performing his earthly ministry!  I know that the church itself is not
perfect but the teachings are!!!  I know that the savior truly lives
and he walked this earth and atoned for our sins, I am so grateful for
him!  I know one thing that Joseph smith did restore this church and i
know that he isn't perfect but neither am i but understand that the
gospel was lost they had no direction for what was truly expected out
of them they had no idea about the true word of wisdom or law of
chastity just because they hadn't been taught, but i know that as
joseph smith learned and translated the book of Mormon and received
revelations for this church he followed with exactness!  I love you
all so much it was so great to hear all of your voices!  Words can't
describe how much i truly miss you and love you!  I am grateful for
the three of you Mom, Dad, and Colby and pray for you all specifically
every day!!

Me-Dowo-Paaaaaaaaaaaaaaa            
I love you all tons!!          

Elder Carson at the Mission Christmas party.  They got to eat pizza and french fries.  He said that he loved the fries. It looks like there was other food besides that as well.

Christmas Day!

Week 14

So I apologize that I couldn't get on earlier we had no power in Oda
and then the servers took forever to load so I am barely able to get
on!  On Wednesday though I will call when it’s around 1 my time which
is around 6 your time and we can talk for a while and work out time
better on the phone haha!!:)  It doesn't even seem real that I am
calling you in two days I am actually kind of nervous haha I know I
will cry of happiness haha!!:)

This week for me was kind of lame to say the least!  We had transfers
on Wednesday, which means Tuesday we spent the day with Elder Ridenour
who was leaving to Tentra hills, Accra that luck sack haha he is going
to enjoy.  Anyway we spent the day with him and then Wednesday my
companion had to travel with him because he is the only one who knows
how to get everywhere so that means I lost about two days proselyting.
On Thursday and Friday though we went on exchanges with the zone
leaders which was something new, it kind of mixed things up for me a
little.  So I traveled to Asamankase and was with Elder Wylie who will
go home in February. He gave me some really good compliments and said
that I already know scriptures that he learned like 4 months ago and
said I teach really well!

Our investigator though that we are going to baptize next week had to
come to church this week and she came aww I’m so happy!  We should
baptize two but for sure one this Saturday I’m so happy!  It’s crazy the
love I have for the people and for my investigators, it’s crazy as soon
as you commit to just learn this gospel and focus on the people the
negatives seem to go away dang I love this work!  Well this email
doesn't have a lot because everyone is waiting to email and so I will
be able to talk to you in just a couple of days!!:)  I love you all
very much and think of you all the time!  I love the 12 days of
Christmas and the treats ha dang I can't wait to call I love you
guys!!

Love you all so much!!:)

Elder Carson
Duke

Week 13

Hey mom, dad, and Colby!  I loved your emails thank you again for taking the time to email me!  I can't believe we still don't have moisture I have been praying and fasting so we can fill the reservoirs so I hope it will come soon.  I am so sad about Uncle LaVerre I love that man but I know he is in a happier place and he is with the rest of our family in the spirit world! I am so glad that I was able to spend those couple of days with him and Mary I knew that I was supposed to so I’m glad I did!  I will miss him!
I am so glad things went smooth this week and you are all healthy and doing well, thank you for letting me know how you are doing!  Mom you sound like you are busy haha with shopping and presents but I’m glad you and grandma were able to go to the temple and spend time together!   I love the 12 days of Christmas too my companion can hardly wait to open his presents he just wants to open them all at once haha but we are enjoying them!  It really has been helping me because it’s not easy being away from your family on Christmas and sometimes I get feeling a little homesick and I read the story and I realize the blessings I have and heavenly father comforts me!  Thank you for the gifts family I love the food that I have opened I am so glad to open the other presents and eat my m and m's I am saving them for Christmas haha!  Dad and Colby it sounds like you had a lot of fun hunting coyotes I can just imagine the two of you laying down and dad giving Colby a hard time for one breathing behind the both of you haha but I’m glad you dropped one and had a fun time!  You will have to let me know how uncle laveres funeral is and how this next week will go! 

This week was so great for me haha it started out just crazy though!  Tuesday was a normal day of proselyting we gave a man a blessing and he was a nonmember and now he wants us to have the lessons with him so that really is a neat way to gain an investigator! 

Thursday we traveled to Accra and weren't able to go to shop-rite.  The conference was great though we had French fries, holy cow they were so good, and we ate rice, chicken, and they gave us a snicker, and mars little candy bar haha it was so dang good!  It was nice to see some of my mtc buddies though I hadn't seen any of them besides elder bianucci in asmankase so I was able to see my boy elder van de graff and my boy elder jones!  Elder van de said his mom found my blog and loves it so that was nice to hear but it was great to see everyone!  As well they gave us are chips to call home so I can call whenever it’s been tempting me but NEXT WEEEK BABYY!!  

Friday was a great day I went on an exchange with elder dike and we went to their area!  Literally I am so grateful for my area because I live in my area basically and they have to ride about 5 miles to get there I was sweating so bad haha but it was fun I was able to see one of their investigators that knows me pretty well and get her to church so I felt successful on Sunday!!:)  

Saturday was normal we went out on time and were able to teach a lot of people!  The woman who had her baby blessing is a nonmember but her husband is so she came to church this week and committed to baptism at the end of the month it really gave me a testimony on praying for our goals of baptism each month!  Ours is two and we had no idea who but we both felt like it needed to be two and the lord has prepared this woman E to be baptized so I feel so blessed to baptize her!  We taught a lot of people on Saturday and it was so funny we went to this one house and asked for this woman well she wasn't there so we started to leave and the mother called us back and said isn't your message for everyone why don't you want to see me!  So we sat down with her and taught her.  Well transfers was on Saturday or we found out at least and I’m staying in Oda with my companion which is unheard of for a trainer and his trainee stick together I guess it rarely happens but president said he has confident in us so I’m so glad that I will be able to spend Christmas in Oda I love it here, it’s just not crowded and it’s like the country I love it! The only bad thing is things here are a little more expensive but it seems everyone knows me here wherever I ride I see someone I know and the kids are always yelling elder Carson, elder Carson so I love it here!!  As well it will be nice to share Christmas with elder dranii we are both grateful for that!  Elder Ridenour though is going to the city haha that lucky guy gets fast internet, nice restaurants so I will miss him but I’m happy for him!!

Sunday was a great Sabbath day I loved it!  My recent converts were all there and as well the B family (The three little girls) the ones I baptized gave me a letter that had written on it we love you elder Carson and inside had written merry Christmas we love you!  It really made me feel like a successful missionary to just see the gospel bring this Idaho, country boy to this crazy country of Ghana and develop this love we have with the family!  Dang I love seeing them shine with the holy ghost and their family being blessed!  For Christmas I am giving them those ctr rings, the bubble gum, pass along cards, glow sticks and they have never had a wrapped Christmas present so I am going to wrap it for them and take it to them Christmas eve!!  I love serving and I love giving literally when I get something I am just like I need to give this away haha I feel so blessed!  As well the father is a stubborn man and when we would teach he would just put his head down and never talk to us and especially me!  Well he was really sick this week so B asked us to give him a blessing!  Well I gave him the blessing and as I was giving it I just felt so prompted to say we bless you that you will soften your heart and feel the truthfulness of this gospel and after we gave him the blessing he was full of gratitude and he was talking to us and asking questions it was great!!  This church is true haha!!:)  This week we are going to focus on E and B the mother of the three girls and we are going to drop a lot of our investigators and do a lot of finding!!:)  We are struggling with them keeping commitments it’s just hard everyone goes to church here I mean everyone!  So they have been raised in a certain church and they will know that this church is true but won’t go!!  I love them and have gained a lot of patience with them, but they just live day by day and expect miracles to happen haha "faith without works is dead," is what we always tell them haha!!!:)

Well family I Love you all so much I love the dear elders and the letters I received a lot of letters from the ward and bob and Jackie I loved them make sure they know how grateful I am for them!  I love you Mom, Dad, and Colby so much I think of you all every day!!:) 

I love you all!!

Me-Dowoo- Paaaaaaa

Elder Carson

As well twi is going great I can hear a lot of twi but it’s hard for me to speak but I can hear it and communicate small!! As well I remembered something hard this week was just wanting to call home with my chip haha it’s so dang tempting lol but I was reminded of something dad said while we were in featherville and the tree had fallen over by the road!  He said the tree closest to the river didn't have to grow that strong of roots so the tree wasn't strong but the tree's farther away had to grow long, strong roots so they were strong.  Well the one closest to the creek didn't have to work that hard and the one farther did!  We he used this parable like life and when things are given easy to you you’re not that strong haha but when you have to work for it, life is more rewarding and you are a stronger person!:)  I love that so much haha! So I decided that I need to just wait and realize the easier way isn't the best way haha!!:)  

week12

So another week has come and gone they are going by so dang fast haha but I’m not complaining I am just immersed in the work and trying to be obedient and work as hard as I can!  I loved your emails again you all sound happy and seem like you are doing well so that makes me happy and feel at peace here on the mission!  I appreciate you telling me everything literally the more the merrier and don’t be afraid to tell me opinions and if someone gets sick or hurt I want to know!  Dad you sound great and normal as ever haha I love you pops and am so grateful for you don’t worry about me these holidays I sometimes have my days where I get homesick but overall I have learned to stay busy and focus on the task at hand and serving my heavenly father.  Colby thanks for the email bro I love hearing how you’re doing man I’m glad to hear the sleds are running great and pulling hard haha I can't believe mom was more prepared than you and dad though haha usually you guys are on top of that but mom is always worried about being cold so it makes sense.  I am glad to hear though that everything is good and you have the tree, mine is up as well I love it...thank you mom!!:) I love you little brother I am so proud of you and proud to be your older brother:) I hope you really enjoy these holidays and enjoy the cold weather haha it’s so hot here dad haha it’s hard to put into words its weird because I will take a cold shower and still be hot haha its just humid and consistently around 30 to 37 degrees Celsius but I will get used to it!!
  

This week was great though my companion and I are still getting along great and I feel a lot more confident with my teaching ability and the way I speak and everything it really is just a mental battle here on the mission but thank goodness I’m used to mental things because of baseball so I am just overcoming the mental part of everything!  For Christmas I think it’s a good idea as well for you guys to get a calling card and I will buy more credit here as well so we can talk as long as we want!!:)  Thank you for doing that for me though with cami I just feel I need to talk to her if I can!!:)  Yeah mom they talk that way here it’s like broken English is what they call it but it’s a little different to get used to haha but you do I am glad you enjoyed it, I will be able to email him while I’m away and call him too!  We found out transfers on the 18th so I’m sad about that I think I will leave but I’m praying I will stay we will see I guess only the lord knows haha!  I got some letters though from the ward so express to them in my behalf how grateful I am for them and I love them dearly!   As well the Matheny's sent me a package and I opened it I will be honest!  It’s crazy because I wanted to start studying the old testament and they sent me a book about the old testament so I justified it that way haha plus I have some recent converts who will love the soccer balls, soccer is huge here and you will never guess who Ghana plays first game in the fifa world cup this year haha USA  I hope we win but I will never voice that just in case they get mad haha but I thought that was funny!!  The Matheny's sent me nerds and as I ate them with my companion...their his favorite candy by the way, I started to have tears run down my face,  I was so grateful for the candy haha then I felt dumb but truly I was so grateful and happy for them!  I thought about how we go to the movies and buy whatever we want and how selfish I was haha and took so many things for granted but I was indeed so grateful for it haha!!:) 

This week we taught a girl named G haha and we started discussing the holy ghost and she told us how she goes to 7 day Adventist and how she has a prophetess and how the holy ghost enters certain people and they fall to the ground and can't control themselves haha and they start praying for someone and how it can be dangerous haha I thought it was funny! I explained to her that the holy ghost is a comforter and used the example of how a mother comforts her new born baby does she throw it on the ground and is it dangerous or does she hold it haha and comfort it so I used that to describe the holy ghost and it went well the people here though are so confused about so many things we battle so many different beliefs, I literally feel like joseph smith and all the churches in that time literally there are so many so that’s are biggest challenge here!!  

haha I actually love fufu now it’s so good it’s amazing how your body adjust I love it haha heavenly father is really blessing me!  This week we taught around 15 lessons and contacted around 30 people but we could do a lot better than that for Christmas we are going to have activities at our church and go caroling as missionaries and just spread the Christmas joy and try to stay busy so we don’t focus on ourselves to much!    haha I have recorded so much for you to see haha I can't wait until you get it haha I recorded this drunk guy this week haha it was safe don’t worry but it was so funny he was counting these bags and he would be like 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6, 16, haha it was so dang funny!  I feel great!  This week will be hard for us with going to Accra on Thursday and we will go to asmankase on Wednesday as well so we will see how we will do!!:)

This week though I was amazed on the youth in our branch they have such strong testimonies I love it because the members are never afraid to bear their testimonies I love it there is never an awkward silence in fast and testimony meeting the youth though had institute and we joined them and they shared a small lesson but then made a goal to bring as many of their friends as they can the next time, here these 19yr old youth don’t care about what the world thinks and strives to share the gospel with everyone it really strengthened my testimony!  As well this week I was amazed how conference talks are geared for us I read every one this week and I loved president monsons talk I will not fail the nor forsake thee it really was meant for me at that point in the mission I love our prophet dearly!  Well family I love you all so much I think of you daily I love the letters and the dear elders I love you all so much continue to email me as much as possible!!:)  I love you all very much, stay grateful and pray always!!:)

Elder Carson

Duke

Week 11

Well family this week was great it went by so dang fast I can't believe it! I am on this old computer haha so it’s hard to email on haha so I'm African styling it right now!  Well I'm so glad your week was good,  I loved your emails it sounds like everyone was happy and doing good!  Thanksgiving sounded like it was a blast haha I bet you were enjoying with all that food I'm so glad you got the whole family together!!:)  Mom thank you for the email I really do enjoy your emails and how in depth you go it helps me while I'm here on the
mission to know how everything is going!  I can't believe the Tongans are trying to talk haha I wish I could hear them ha by the time i get home they will be talking for sure haha!  Dang you went paintballing
too and bowling ha that’s awesome I'm so glad that you were all happy and everything went smooth!  I opened the packages not the presents but I loved the saying that that plaque said the gift of Christmas never ends because we always have family and friends!! That is so true the most important thing about the holidays is to celebrate them with your family and to feel of our love for one another!  I would literally give everything I had to just be able to spend time with you all again and just feel of that love I miss it

dearly but I will feel it soon enough! Mom with your class just help them know how important it is to be prepared before you leave haha I was so unprepared lol but it’s so important to just be prepared and to
know this gospel!  As well help them know that the mission isn't easy but it’s worth it when you go through the mission with a positive attitude the negatives disappear!  Dad everything is safe and okay don't worry I’m doing good and adjusting well its way safe the only thing that is different is it is getting hotter haha a lot hotter
but other than that everything is safe and normal I promise you!  I am so sorry family about pictures the internet is sooo slow and I can't send them but in my next letter I will send them!  As well something
bad happened this week my companion accidently deleted all but 20 of my pictures on accident I literally started crying but the ones I wanted to send thank goodness he got them printed the week before so I
will send some in my Christmas letters to you !!:)  Thank you so much for the presents and the gifts I can't wait to open them haha I'm so excited!  As well the m and ms will be a great treat for Christmas ha I put the tree up and my companion and I love it ha we are so excited for the holidays and to call you all!! Mom that is what I have to do though is write things down in my planner that I want to send because I would never remember when I sit down it all just goes blank haha so I write it down on my planner so that’s not a bad idea but just simple emails mean so much to me!!:)

Well this week was great I really had a great week ha it went by so fast but it was great!!  On Tuesday I gave my first instruction for district council and all the elders were like wow if we didn’t know you
were a new missionary we would have thought you were a dying missionary so that was kind of a nice compliment it brought my confidence up a ton!!!:)  On Wednesday it was just normal we went out
and taught the gospel in this very hotttt weather I sweat sooo much but it’s just part of the work and I love it ha my color is changing though so bad all the Africans were like you know that your color is changing right haha.  Thursday was thanksgiving so I made those potatoes that grandma and grandpa sent me awwww they were so good, and gravy, rice, and chicken!! We as well bought fan ice for my companions one year and burnt his shirt ha we did take some pictures,  Anyway on Thursday we got together with the other oda district who are like my brothers like elder ridenour, essien, edehire, fornaro and we went to a river for fun just to strengthen our district and to celebrate thanksgiving haha well I knew we weren't going to do anything so I was really looking for a way to serve I literally was saying silent prayers like help me serve someone, well we walked into this jungle and there was a woman carrying a ton of plantains on her head so I told her to let me do it haha so I packed a bucket of plantains for almost half a mile haha my neck was so sore but I loved serving her than she asked what we were and we gave her a pamphlet so it worked out in the end!!  Ha anyway we crossed the river with the canoe that was carved out of a tree trunk.  Than Friday and Saturday were the same just teaching and proselyting its cool though my companion has enough trust in me he will just say lead us for the day and I will lead the lessons, questions, and finding so its nice he has that confidence I have to remind myself that I am still in training because my companion just treats me like I’m not haha but its giving me a ton of experience!!:) Sunday was so cool we had a baby naming and the ladies baby we were blessing she invited about 50 people so we had about 50 people visit our church haha we were so happy and in our investigators class the man teaching was nana and he knows the bible from front to back he was literally one of the reasons we have the church here in oda and Ghana, actually the church sent him to south Africa to learn more about the church so anyway this man just answered all the questions and awww it was just great I literally look forward to Sundays I love them so much the Sabbath is such a special day to me now as a missionary!!:)

As well this week we are kind of sad because we found out the Nielsons are going home :( Sister Nielsen has something wrong so they are leaving to America tomorrow we are so sad it was a sad day for us in
oda when we found out they were going home! So now if I stay in oda I may not get mail for months because they were the ones who brought us mail and everything else they were so great to us missionaries I love them so much but it may take months now but I think I will leave at transfer so we will see but dang I will miss them!!

Well that was about my week I am so happy that you guys had a great weekend I loved all of your emails,  save them and send them through dear elder again I know I ask a lot but I think it would be cool if you saved all my emails and I saved yours and when I get home  mom we can make like a scrap book with it and the pictures so I love the dear elders thank you for doing that!  The Christmas packages were great
haha I love our tree it really livens up the room!  ha anyway I have started recording things and I can't wait to send the letter home with the card but now the nielsons are gone so who knows when I will have
the opportunity to send a letter home but I have all the Christmas letters wrote and other letters so it’s just when I can send it but I am recording things for you I thought since I am so far away the only
thing I could do was that and I thought you would enjoy it haha you can see firsthand how eating fufu is and hearing me I know it helps!!:)  I love you all so much and think of you everyday again thank you for the emails I loved them and I can't wait to talk to you next week!!:)  I love you all so much, Dad, Mom And Colby I love you so much I am so happy and I am glad you are all healthy, happy, and safe!  I love you so much and am so proud I am a carson!!:)

I love you all so much!!:)
Me-Dowoo-Paaaa

Duke
Elder Carson

Its so weird being the only white person haha but its kind of cool because sometimes I forget I'm white haha but at church the other day I was the only white person haha of hundreds of people I thought man this would
be a great picture all these black people and here this white obruni is in the middle of them but I forgot, I bore my testimony sunday in fear it was my last sunday well I started to cry I will be honest well
the people are so nice they all started crying as I was bearing my testimony I just really felt impressed I needed to bear my testimony for the visitors and the people so I trusted in the lord to help me
know what to say and the visitors were all crying and then I saw the people I baptized starting to cry so it made it harder for me to hold back the tears you know how I am it wasn't like I was bawling just
tearing up haha but it was a cool experience!!:)