Week 60: Riding a Motorcycle Through West Africa

Jumping right in, I was out in a little village called Twepiase doing interviews for the Zone Leaders. It is a twenty minute motorcycle ride out there and twenty back and on our way back I was like "Wow, I'm riding a motorcycle through the jungle in the middle of West Africa." It was one of those moments that reminds you where you are and how crazy it is.

A chicken was stuck in our apartment compound for a few weeks so me and villa found it killed it and ate it. It didn't have much meat... honestly it wasn't that good...

We paused to rest one day and were waving to people as the passed on the road in front of us. We waved to and greeted this guy and he stopped, put his hands straight up in the air and said, " Yes sir yeja (a twi word meaning respect) good evening!" Hahaha me and villa were cracking up. Villa then said, "Ok new goal is get someone to raise the roof." Haha Ghanaians are so funny sometimes. 

Shout out to Memmott cuz I have better luck in finding jerseys than him.

Shout out to Wunderlich, the most feverish missionary I've ever met and who tried to shake my hand while holding a plucked chicken.

Random news: I will be training a new missionary and taking over a new area in Asuom for the next while. 

Also it’s likely that because of transfers I will be returning home on September 18. So that is exciting!

Week 59: Ayriem and Agradda

You know that scene in the Martian where he has to rebuild a mars rover and do some other crazy science stuff just to communicate with earth? Well that is how I feel right now. We just took an hour long taxi ride through the middle of a huge forest on a nasty dirt road to get to nearby city so that we can email home. That is life, I guess...

This week was pretty sweet. We are teaching a ton of kids from a nearby school. We play basketball there on Saturday mornings and so the entire school knows us. (We are two white guys who dunk on people all day... its not hard to miss us.) They call me Ayriem (lighting) and they call Elder Villa, Agradda (thunder) haha pretty cool I’d say. Then later in the day we go and teach all of them.


Out here in the deep bush there isn't much variety to what we eat. I’ve eaten the same things the whole week. Tuna sandwich, egg sandwich, and indomie (top ramen in the USA). Oh and I made french toast also.... I’m gonna get scurvy from lack of variety. Is that how you get scurvy?


Two of the people we have been teaching were baptized this week. We are so happy for them. One is named P. the other is J. They are great and so happy to be members. I’m so grateful to be in a fruitful area!

Week 58: Awesome Transfer and New Companion

Update from Dad: Elder Janda wasn't able to send a formal letter this week. However, we received some brief correspondence from him. He is loving Asuom and his great new companion Elder Villa from Hawaii. Elder Janda is very happy.

Week 57: Transferred to the Bush, Asuom

Big news of the week is that I am getting transferred to the deep bush of our mission. I am going to a place called Asuom. It is very far from everything, haha, so it will be an adventure. My new companion is Elder Vila from Hawaii. He sounds like I cool guy and he is from the best place in the world so that is cool. I'm expecting we will have a lot to talk about together, haha.

Had calamari at a Chinese restaurant this week. It was nice.

Emailing might be a challenge for the next little while as the internet in the bush is somehow. So if I don't email some weeks, know that I'm probably ok, but might be in some survival situation or something, I don’t know…the bush is crazy so we will see. Hahaha.

Here is a YouTube video about Asuom where Elder Janda will be serving for AT LEAST the next 6 weeks.

Week 56: Reflections on the Beginning

So this week was a [descriptive word that I can’t decide on] week.

It rained a lot and whenever it rains they take away the electricity so that is lame. I took bucket showers in the dark to the light of a flashlight all week so that was lame. I had bought a bunch of frozen chicken right before this huge storm hit so when we got home and found out it was electricity off, I was like dang, now all this frozen chicken is gonna melt... so I stuck it in the freezer. Then the light came back in the middle of the night. So the next morning I looked in the freezer and the chicken had all melted and the blood from the bones had dripped everywhere and then froze so there is a bunch of frozen chicken blood in our freezer now... nice.

We went down to Accra to renew my non-citizenship card! Wow, can’t believe its that time. It was pretty surreal for me sitting in that little office that I had sat in a year earlier. I remember sitting there a year ago and everyone was speaking some language that I couldn't understand (Twi) and I was like "What the heck... I thought this was an English country. Then I got called up to do my fingerprints and stuff and I couldn't understand what the guy was saying to me because of his accent. I felt like a small boy, haha. Then we walked outside and it was boiling hot and the guy driving us pulled over and this shop lady ran out to him with a coke and he gave her a few cedis. I was like woah that is cool that you can buy stuff without getting out of your car! Man, then now when I was sitting there, I could understand what all the people were saying. One girl spoke to me in English and I said "menti brofu" which is “I don't speak English" haha she laughed and then I went and got my card ha. Man, I’ve come a long way. It was an interesting experience for me.

Then we went to circle (the hub of all travel in Ghana) to get a tro tro to go home. As we were walking through this big crowd, a bunch of little beggar kids came running up to us and were all grabbing on to me wanting money. I'm used to that kind of thing so I just bat them off of me and kept walking but Elder Pinnock gave them money! Oh man... now every time we go there they will think that missionaries give money. Nice going Elder Pinnock. Haha. Nice.

We have been teaching this woman, MK, and she got an answer to her prayer! She even read the Book of Mormon and underlined all the words she didn't understand! I was so proud of her! I’m so happy that she read she will be baptized in a few weeks hopefully if she can change her work schedule to be able to come to church.

A quote that blew my mind "Revelation is one of the plainest books of scripture God has ever caused to be written" - Joseph Smith. So when I read that quote I decided to study revelation. I've learned some pretty cool things, haha, but I can’t say like the prophet that it is the plainest book I've ever read, haha. Beasts covered with eyes and wings. Deeply symbolic and powerful, yes, but also creates a weird picture in my head, haha.

Week 55: Living in a Microwave

Sometimes I feel like I’m living in a microwave and that all the heat in Ghana is directed on me. It was a hot week.

I can’t write much today so sorry this will be brief.

We started teaching a guy who has decided to change his life. I don't have time to go into details but there have been a bunch of things that have happened in his life that make it seem like he is totally prepared for the gospel of Jesus Christ. He also has a bunch of ostriches so that is weird. Haha.

It is pretty funny because I can understand what people are saying in Twi and they have no idea that I understand. It’s pretty crazy how many people talk about us. Usually at a point I cut in and tell them in Twi that I understand them. It usually takes them pretty off guard and they don't know how to react to an Obruni speaking to them in Twi haha. So yeah.

Sorry that this is the most boring email ever, haha.

Week 54: Put a Lime in a Coconut

This week I bought a coconut from a street vender and noticed they had some limes. So I bought some limes and I did as the song says, "Put the lime in the coconut and shake em both up". Man, it was delicious!!!!

Sadly, we learned that a girl we were teaching, A., has traveled back to her home town and will no longer be living here in Kwabenya. We pray that she finds the unit near her area and continues to learn with the missionaries there.

The people we are teaching from Togo are doing great.

We also followed up with a person that was in our phone record. This was the miracle from the week. We were just calling some of the numbers in the phone seeing if we could meet any of them and we called H. Henry must have been a someone from when the sisters were here. Well, we went to meet him and turns out that he had learned all the lessons with the missionaries in Western Region and was ready to be baptized but moved here for work before he could. So we plan to baptize him after we review the lessons again with him. I was pretty happy about that.

We taught S. and he bore his testimony to us at the end of the lesson. Some highlights; "I am tired of being deceived. I’m ready to know what things I’m supposed to be doing and I’m ready to do it." "I am prepared to do what God wants me to do." "I am so grateful that you guys come here to teach me about what I am supposed to be doing." Man, the spirit was really strong when he was saying all this. S. is sweet.

So it is hot and dusty. Like I leave with black shoes and come back with brown shoes each day. The harmattan is coming which is when the Saharan winds blow sand into Ghana so everything is really dusty. Like in Interstellar. So that'll be crazy when it hits in a month or two.

At our stake conference my mission president, President Simpson, spoke. He talked about Abinadi before the wicked priests. He pointed out that "In Mosiah 14:10, Isaiah prophecies that when the Savior shall make his soul and offering for sin "HE SHALL SEE HIS SEED". In Mosiah 15:10-13, Abinadi tells us that all those who have heard the words of the prophets and hearkened unto them and have looked unto the Savior for the remission of their sins are HIS SEED. Abinadi tells us that these are they (His seed) for whom he died." I think it's really powerful that when the Savior suffered, he saw those who would benefit from his suffering. Those who would accept him and become his seed. It was pretty powerful. I felt the spirit very strongly when he spoke. I love President Simpson.

Anyway, those are the highlights of the week.

Peace out,

Elder Janda

Week 53: Of Mice and Men and Missionaries

I ate a rat head this week, hence the subject line. It’s an animal called Akrantie, which, being interpreted Bush Cutter, which is to say massive rat that lives in the bush. I took a picture of the skull. I’ll send it with my pics this week. So far I've eaten the heads of three animals here, cow, cat, and rat. Pretty good trumps for dinner conversations, haha. I’m on the hunt for a dog head as per James' challenge. So, maybe if I go to the bush I will get one, haha.

We had a tough day on Wednesday. We sat in traffic all morning on the way to district meeting and again on the way back. We finally got back to our area and the sun was blazing hot. We had a couple of challenging teaching appointments and then as we were walking home a bird pooped on my shirt. Like it could've been in a movie, haha, classic. Some days are better than others.

I had a fun day for my one year. We went to the temple, came back and taught this guy from Togo. His name is R. Man, I wish I could speak French. Then went to the mall and got ice cream and pizza. It was a good day.

One night on our way home it started to rain small small, so we hurried home and then it started dumping. Like I thought our house was going to wash away. All of the wood bridges around were washed away from the water and apparently there was a big explosion at a gas station down the street. Whenever it rains they take the power. So it’s like a freaking adventure. No light so we walk around in darkness with a flash light and thunderous rain outside. Pretty crazy.

Teaching R. is sweet. We started teaching his sister too. Her name is O.. They both told us that they prayed and got answers that this was true. Oh man, I was so happy when I heard that. It is like such a tender mercy to me. These people do get answers to their prayers! It’s all real! So many people don't take it serious and therefore don't get answers.

All right I'm tired of typing so I'm out.

Aficia paa afi komo tu yen. (May another good year go and come.)

Week 52: Half Way and 13 Things I've Learned So Far

Wow, one year in. One year to go. It’s a weird thing.

13 Things I’ve Learned on Mission: (Not necessarily in order of importance, except 1 and 2.)

1. God is there. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. The first and foremost important thing is to know this and I therefore list it first.
2. I learned from the spirit that Joseph Smith is a true prophet and that he saw God and Jesus Christ. 
3. I have learned that to be valiant is what really counts. Valiant in you heart. Not just doing what you should do. 
4. I'm proud to be an American. I’ll leave it at that.
5. Feeling the spirit is the best thing in the world. I just want to bask in those moments when I feel it.
6. Jesus Christ is amazing. His character boggles me every time. Oh, I love the Lord.
7. I’ve learned how to swallow food without chewing. 
8. I’ve learned to speak a different language (mostly).
9. I’ve learned it’s better to listen to the Holy Ghost than not to.
10. Family is everything to me. 
11. I've learned to be patient with others.
12. I’ve learned what the Savior meant when he said, "Cast not your pearls before swine."
13. I’ve learned the purpose of suffering: Change.

We had a nice week this week. Conference was awesome as usual. Everyone in the chapel sat up when President Nelson talked about Ghana. Haha. That was pretty funny. I don’t know why people do that but yes, some people pretend not to speak English to us. It’s funny when you catch them understanding you. Haha. Funny.

We taught a French guy from Togo. I said a sentence or two in french as we were teaching. Haha. But mostly just used a translator from the ward to teach him. It was so cool. Man, he is very prepared. The first question he asked was, "How can I teach my family about God’s love?" My ears did a double take because that was the best question I’ve ever heard an investigator ask. Haha. So I thought about it and said that if he shared this message (the restoration) with them, they would come to feel of God's love. It was a super great way to begin a lesson. Then we taught him and at the end of the lesson he told us that he had left his church because he didn’t feel like those prophets were from God and that he didn’t think any other church’s prophets were either. Pretty cool to see how the Lord prepared him. 

A guy in the ward came and said he had a referral for us (best words a missionary can hear). So we went and taught her with him. Well in code they tell us that they are getting married!!! Haha. So funny. They were all codey about it. Man, I've never seen Ghanians like that. They usually are not super romantic and stuff but man, these two. Chi. It was sweet. 

And thus it is. 

Week 51: Ch, ch, ch, ch, ch (the beat of every single song in Ghana)

Questions and answers from my dad...

What is your favorite thing to eat in Ghana? 

Fufu, I’d say, with groundnut soup.

Describe three different things they serve for food.

Fufu is like a soft smooth ball of like Playdough in a bowl of soup that you eat with your hands.

Then there is Banku which is like dry Playdough that you dip in stew and then swallow. Oh yeah you swallow Fufu also.

There is also fried rice, basically the same that is at Panda Express.

Now, almost a year into your mission, what are a few things you think you will miss about being a missionary?

I’ll miss the privilege to wear the tag. It is an honor to have the Lord’s name and his church on my shirt each day.

What are some things you will miss about Ghana?

Things are cheap here! So I’ll miss buying cheap snacks off of people’s heads. Haha. (They sell stuff on their heads.)

Who are your closest friends from your mission? Missionaries? Members?

Elder Bawden, one of my former companions, is a great friend. Also Elder Nabrotzky and Elder Memmott. He is new and we are in the same district. But we've hit it off really well. He is sweet. From Nevada.

What are some of the best qualities in your companion?

He is down for anything. Doesn’t really have much preference on stuff. 
So that is good in that he doesn’t boss me around or make it his way or the highway.

Tell a funny experience you have had lately?

Elder Pinnock always quotes "The Testaments" movie when we are buying something at a shop. He will pick up some oil or something and say, "Is this your work?” to the seller. Haha. It’s funny to him and me cuz the seller just looks at him all confused. Haha. Pretty funny.

Week 50: "Hit" by a Car

I'm too tired to write a long and clever email so here you go:

I heard something hilarious this week form one of our investigators. She said, "Please, is it true that in USA there is just money on the ground and that you can just pick it up and buy stuff?" I laughed and said that it wasn't true and that we have to work for money. Haha. So funny.

We went to teach this girl named A. and we had already eaten a ton that day and when we got to her house she said she was going to feed us. Oh boy. So she brought like a 3 course meal to us. Oh man. I was so stuffed to the brim. Like I couldn't sit up straight cuz my stomach was so full. It was funny haha and then we had to teach her. So funny. But we taught her and then invited her to pray and ask God if this message was true. So two days later we went to follow up and I asked if she prayed she said she did so I asked her if she got an answer (every missionary braces his or herself at this moment). She said, “Yes.” Oh man, I was so happy! So she is totally excited about it. We invited her to baptism and she said, “Yes, and that I wouldn't say yes or be inviting you back unless I knew this was true.” Wow. What a great response. I was so happy.

This transfer is almost over. I'm starting to total up things and I counted that I've talked with over 90 people this transfer. Wow. we’ve offered the gospel to 90 people in the past 5 weeks. We've had about 45 new people to teach from that effort. Of those 45, 2 have baptismal dates, both of whom are referrals, one from a member and one from another companionship of Elders. Wow. A lot of work to receive 2 referrals. But I take my success in knowing that I warned 90 people and offered them the truth and that the Lord works in mysterious ways. Maybe he was trying us to see if we would work hard and then rewarded us with 2 referrals. That’s how it is.

Also I got hit by a car the other day. That was crazy. Head on it dove off the road right for me so I totally parkoured off of the hood and swung myself to the side. It drove off not even stopping. Ha it was crazy. I walked away checking myself seeing if I got hurt but I was actually ok. So that was crazy. Missionaries are protected! It is the truth. Anyway, that is life. I'm okay mom, don't worry :-)

All right. I'm out. Love you all.

Week 49: Flied Fish

So something really sweet is that people here cant say their R's right. For example when they say fried fish, they say, "flied fish". Like they say it like an L. Yesterday an a investigator said, "I don't know how to play (pray).” So we helped her learn how to 'play'. So sweet.

One crazy rejection experience: So we have been trying this new place to be finding new investigators and me and Elder Bangura (we were on exchange) went to this one house and knocked the gate to see if we could teach someone there. So we knocked and ran into some hardcore baptists from Liberia. Man, they were really smart and even called us “Mormons” (which never happens here). They just call us Latter-day Saints. So these people were educated and kinda freaked about the Book of Mormon the whole time. So after a lesson where they completely did not accept what we taught, the husband drove up as we were leaving. He is a white man from England and an avid atheist. So he gets out and starts yelling at us from his car. Saying there is no god and science blah blah blah. So i just testified to which he reviled my testimony and then I said, all right and I tried to give him a Book of Mormon saying that he could know that there was a god. He did not accept it and so we walked away. Ss we were walking away, he yelled, "I curse your god every day and I’m still alive, and I’ll live longer than you!" Yeah, it was quite the experience. Your emotions after that are pretty everywhere. Sadness for him. Frustration that he reviled your testimony. But also grateful that we suffered for the cause of Christ like Peter and John. So it was interesting.

To conclude I've never seen scripture more fulfilled than I have out here on mission. It’s all so real. The apostasy, the hatred toward the truth, etc. it’s all so real.

Sincerely, Elder Janda

Week 48: To Homilies and Hymns

So I’ll write a few cool things from this week for you.

#1- We are teaching a pastor from a different church. His name is Daniel. He is so so awesome to teach cuz man, I can go talk deep with scriptures. The guy can read like a pro! So it’s super fun. Also he knows the Bible really well so it allows me to quote scripture left and right and he knows the quotations I'm saying. So it’s super fun.

#2 I am almost at the end of the book, Jesus the Christ. I been cranking on it the past few weeks. Reading like 10-15 pages a day. Haha. I don’t know where I get that time, mostly before bed. Anyways, I love that book. so I was reading about the apostasy and he was talking about the homilies. which to my understanding are the articles of faith for the church of England, which broke off because King Henry wanted to divorce his wife to marry his maid (lol apsotasy). But there is a homily that declares that the apostasy is real haha. That the truth was lost and the doctrines were changed long before the church was created. Haha so that was funny but then I remembered a lyric from Hamilton. In the song Wait For It, Burr sings this line "but there are things that the homilies and hymns wont teach ya." As I was reading Jesus the Christ that came to my head and was like no way.... So I looked on my lyric sheet (thanks to the fam for sending me the lyrics haha) and it is the line! Man, Hamilton is legit because indirectly Lin Manuel Miranda referred to the apostasy. Haha pretty cool.

#3 We taught this guy S. who was a referral form the Elders in Adeisu and he had come to church the week before. So we go out to teach him and we sit down and teach him lesson one. After finishing Joseph Smith he goes, "Ok I want to know more about the Book of Mormon (we hadn’t even taught him about that yet)" and so we did and he was like 'sweet'. So I then bear my testimony of the things we taught and the church and ask him how he could know if its true, to which he responds and tells us how he has been going to the church for the last 5 or 6 weeks and that he loves the church. And that he already knows that it is true. I was like woah. This is sweet. Man, he is so prepared. I love meeting those people, the ones who are so prepared that you want to say, "Will you be baptized right now?" Hahaha so yeah, but we invited him for the 23 of September and he gave a very strong "YES." to our invitation.

#4 There is a family in our ward form Ivory Coast so I get to continue my half hearted attempts to learn French! Ha I’m learning small small. But he wanted me to teach him some Spanish so I was like sweet! I can speak decent Spanish! But I go to start writing down words and only Twi comes to mind. Espanol asa (Spanish is finished). So shoutout to Eric because he speaks that language and because he shouted out to me so I'm shouting out to him. Is that proper terminology?

Arevoir mon amis (idk how to spell it, only know how to say it)

WTTM (Dad, youll get that)

Week 47: Second Week in Kwabenya

We found 10 new people to teach this week.

I cooked a delicious soup that I ate all week. Rice and soup... yeah thats my life. I bought chicken breast form the mall too and so that was some nice enjoyment in the soup as well. It’s called ncatenkuine by the way. I don’t know if thats how to spell it our not but that is what its called.

My District Leader and I have a friendly competition in finding people to teach. Whoever can find the most wins. So far. I'm winning but this past week we tied so we will see. Haha he is known in our mission as the 'master finder' but I'm planning to dethrone him haha. He is funny. He calls every night and we talk trash to each other and then laugh and say see you tomorrow. He is funny haha. His name is Elder Bangura, by the way, from Nigeria.

One of the people we are teaching came to church this week. He is named J. We met him two weeks ago and have been teaching him and his family. He came to church so we were excited.

Like the work is coming small small. I don’t know man. Just working hard. Kinda feel like a little lost and that I'm also trying to learn this new area. Hopefully we will find someone who the Lord has prepared to receive the gospel soon.

Week 46: First Week in Kwabenya

So to start off, we had a crazy week. We found 14 new people to teach and had 2 come to church.

The following are questions from my mom that I will answer. 

1) How did the traveling go from one area to the new area? What was that like? Sights, sounds, etc.

I had zero desire to ride tro tros from Winneba to Kwabenya so I just paid a taxi to take me all the way there. It started in Winneba and we drove to Kasoa to pick up my new companion Elder Pinnock form Nigeria. As we were driving to Kasoa, I thought to myself, ‘I should probably share the gospel with this taxi driver.' Whether it was a prompting or not, every missionary knows that when a thought like that comes into your head, you feel super guilty if you don't act on it. So I did. I basically taught the guy the whole restoration and invited him to pray. But it was like a discussion haha. Really weird, wasn't like I was teaching him but it was more like I was having a conversation with him haha. It was interesting but cool cuz when I talked about the apostasy I just pointed to all the churches we were passing haha. Pretty funny, there is no shortage of evidence of the apostasy here haha.

2) Details on how and where you met your new companion?

Yeah, basically just picked him in Kasoa and the taxi guy drove us from there to Kwabenya.

3) Details about your new companion? His family, has he always been a member... etc

He is from Nigeria, Oyo state. He has an older sister who is a return missionary. His whole family joined the church like 13 years ago. He is 26 right now. So he was like 13 or so when he joined the church.

4) Your apartment. Describe it.

Man, it was the sister’s apartment so it’s nice haha. Dude, we have tile floors... woah... like I walked around without shoes for the first time in my whole mission. It was pretty weird but the one really annoying thing is that the kitchen is in a different room. So you have to go outside and walk down small then unlock the door to a separate room if you want to cook anything... annoying... but whatever.

5) Your new area...busy city!!! How is it going.

It's so dusty here man. Like my shoes are just covered in orange dust every day... man... its really dusty. Feels like I'm in the middle of the desert. 

6) Ward? Branch? Tell us about the members

Yeah the building is a rented building. It’s like a house basically. But it's ok. Its green haha. Like a greenish blue. The people are way cool. Our ward mission leader seems to be really sweet. His name is Alex. He always calls us and says, 'brethren!'. He is cool haha. also they are planning a missionary work day activity. So that’s a total tender mercy. Miracle, man. Miracle.

7) Where are you emailing from? The church...?

No. A cafe close to our apartment. It’s nice cuz there are not a bunch of college boys looking at stuff they should not be. So it feels cleaner here haha.

8) How is your health, skin, etc...

Good. No problems, ha.

Week 45: Getting Transferred to Kwabenya and Meeting Elder Renlund

So this week was pretty crazy. On Tuesday we got to meet Elder Renlund. It was awesome. I felt the spirit several times and even got to shake his hand. It was really cool. He is a very smart man. He shared about how he went on a safari and that it was blistering hot and that he hated it. But then they saw a whole stampede of elephants and just were in awe for a little. Then after the elephants moved on, his wife said, you forgot about the heat didn't you. He talked about how it’s hot and that we may have times where its easy to focus on the heat but if we focus on the Savior, we forget about the heat. He also shared a hilarious joke about camping which dad will get a kick our of. He said, “I don’t understand why we work 52 weeks in the year only to spend our 2 week vacation pretending like we are homeless." Oh man, it was so funny. It was hilarious cause he was like super serious when he said it hahaha oh man so funny.

So yeah. During the week we went to teach this girl who was friends with JK a youth member here and he was like all super nervous to go so and didn't want to haha. He obviously was in love with her. So we decided to go see a couple other people, but when those fell through, I knew where we should go ha. So I walked to her house and JK just followed not knowing where we were going haha. Oh man, when we went there he was outta there! Haha he stood like a mile down the road and waited for us to finish contacting her haha oh man, it was so funny. but the next day we had a really good lesson with her so it was ok haha.

Not much happened this week just because we were out for the Elder Renlund thing for like 2 days but, it was ok.

Elder Campbells training is finished. Pretty crazy. For me these past few transfers have absolutely flown by. I am really shocked. In 6 weeks I turn one year. Man, I cant believe that. It’s good. I'm getting close to the downhill as they say.

I'm getting transferred to a place called Kwabenya. It is pretty city. It's really close to Accra. So it'll be interesting. We are white washing the area with means like we are taking over from the Sisters. So that'll be interesting. It’s also going to be my first African companion. He is from Nigeria. His name is Elder Pinnock. Haha, yeah man this will be a very different experience for me.

Ok. I’ll finish with a little spiritual. This week, I’ve come to realize that the Lord is grateful for his missionaries. Elder Renlund talked a little about that and I've been pondering on his words throughout the week. I've come to know for myself that the Lord has an enormous amount of compassion and love for people. He loves us because he has felt what we feel. That is an amazing thought to me. He felt it when he suffered in the garden of Gethsemane. Every piece of what you feel. Sometimes I think the hard thing is having the faith that He is there and that He felt it. In john 3 the Lord talks about how we can feel the wind but we can’t see it or tell where it comes from. I think that is similar to how this is. We can feel and trust that the Savior is there and that he knows and understands, but we can’t see him. Although we are not physically with him, we can still be "encircled about eternally in the arms of his love" as Lehi says.