Monday, January 5, 2015

Week 68-Sacrifice brings forth Blessings.

Well I haven’t emailed in a long time so there is a lot to share but I will summarize it short so my companion can email.  Well we had our Christmas conference and it was done so well this year the spirit was so strong.  The best thing was we were able to go through a session and for me remember the Savior.  During the session I sat in Elder Curtis and Elder Dube were both sitting in the front, the spirit was so strong those men are wonderful men and have a spirit that dwells with them.  Well we also went on a long hike with our Zone out here in the good ole Abamasu Zone. We hiked into the mountains and hiked to a big waterfall it was beautiful. There wasn’t much water but it was sweet.  The whole time walking through the rainforest I was ready to see a freakin T-Rex or something it was sick.  Here in Asuom the living conditions are just what we need.  We have a cold shower every night and pillow to lay our heads on.  The apartment is the nicest in the mission and we have a generator, we are the only apartment that has one.  In our district we have elder Itedjere from NIgeria, Elder Grave from California and Elder Appiah from Ghana Cape Coast and to say the least we are always laughing and enjoying.  At first we had our rooms divided into separate rooms but we wanted to be closer so we moved our rooms into a common room so we could chat whenever and that has really brought us closer together.  Dad this place is safe don’t worry boss, we have all the food we need and a good clinic just in case we get sick but we are staying healthy and all is well don’t worry.  Also Dad Elder Dalton is a great guy he has served here as a senior couple for 4 years almost and wants to buy an XR400 I don’t know if you are selling mine or what your plan is but he said he was interested.  He will be home January 13 and I know you would love to hear is homecoming talk.  What’s scary is that goes our senior couple out here and we are alone so there is no fast transportation so we really have to take care, but again DAD don’t worry boss all is well.

Well some cool stories while I still have some time, the other day Elder Graves and I were proselyting in this village where a majority speaks Twi and we met a member speaking Twi to us and we sat down and tried conversing the best we could with her.  Well as I was sitting there, here in Ghana by the way the livestock just roams however on the streets, well there was a goat there (goats are the funniest creatures)  Well the dang thing started sprinting at me while I was sitting down and jumped up on my bike and started to turn me into a little school boy haha it was so funny Elder Graves and I were laughing pretty hard. We have also killed a big cobra out here and have some cool encounters with other insects it’s been wild but fun.  You see children getting beat almost every day and that breaks your heart but here in Ghana you can voice your opinion however you want so I always tell them to stop and here in Ghana it’s not the parents that raise their children it’s the whole country so they usually are just quiet you just say please please stop in Twi and they stop because it’s a pure beating, Dad before you get riled up that’s what we do here so it’s okay.

Well we have been doing the work out here as best as we can.  The pilot program the Church was trying was a huge success and I will report to President Hill on Thursday about it, Heavenly Father has truly helped us out here.  We have done a lot out here but I think all we did was bring a new spirit, that motivated and encouraged members to do missionary work so we are getting it done out here.  I imagine I will finish my mission here and I sure hope so.  We have some very good investigators out here as well.  We have a young man named I. He had never gone to church and one day he called our member and said I want to go to your church so he came and we are teaching and he is progressing so dang fast.  Also we have a young man named C.  A very smart educated man who knows Catholics is very wrong (they allow Gays) (which is forbidden in Africa) so he is striving to find the truth and thinks he has found it.  Also we got a sweet referral from a member and as we went to contact them we went into their home and it felt like a member’s home and Graves said how aren’t these people members.  Well they are a new married couple and have just left the Jehovah witness church and so they are very receptive to the gospel. There is so much to tell you but so little time.  WE had a branch party and we had around 120 people there and that is a very good turnout, boy oh boy it was sweet.  Elder Graves and I were dancing during musical chairs and they loved it. I took a bunch of videos so you will get them soon for Dads Bday!!!!:)

Well you know I was reading in 2 Nephi and I think that is my most favorite book in the Book of Mormon now.  I can’t remember the exact chapter but it was talking about how the Saviors arm is always outstretched for us and never shortened.  If you think about that and visualize the Savior always reaching his arm out towards us. Regardless of what we have done or what we are doing Christ is always there to grab us and pull us up.  I love the Savior so much; I am reading the book mom sent me and it has really made me realize how important the Savior is.  If there is anything that I have learned or gained while serving my Heavenly Father is that I know the Savior lives, he died for us and because of him we too can return to live with our Heavenly Father again and eventually become as him.

I love you guys so much! This email I feel so blessed. Coach Brabant wrote me and was a huge answer to my prayers, I know Heavenly Father Blessed me so much and I am so grateful for him.


Thank you so much for the gifts I love you all very much!!!

Elder Carson