Week 34: Training Elder Campbell

FROM DAD: We received an email from one of the Senior Missionaries who serves in the mission office in Accra. She notified us that Max had traveled to Accra that week to pick up Elder Campbell who just arrived to the mission. Max will be his trainer for the next 6 to 18 weeks (likely). Elder Campbell is from Mapleton, Utah. 

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Dear Family,

Training!!! My trainee is Elder Campbell from Mapleton, Utah. I will almost turn one year without having had an African companion... that is crazy... the chances of that are so small hahaha but it’s cool! I am sure I will serve with an African companion soon enough.

We found a member woman named Sister M.. She was born in the church, raised strong in membership, but... she married a non member and now must (out of tradition) go to the husband’s church. When we met her she seemed visibly, saddened as we discussed her issue. You could tell she really missed the church. So we are not really sure what we will do with this situation but... yeah that’s a challenge.

We had another crazy rain storm and had to run through the streets again to the chapel for refuge haha. Yeah. Ghana. 

Love,

Elder Janda

Week 33: Elder Roberts Completes His Mission

Dear Family,

After two years of service, Elder Roberts left for Abroche (America) this morning at 5 AM! Wow... felt a little bit of jealousy... but I was happy for him.

One crazy experience. We were teaching a lesson and we started to see nsuba (rain) small small. So we quickly closed the lesson ad started running to the chapel. As we were running the rain started to hit. Pssshshshshshshshhshs so I yelled as we were running, come on Jones (small boy translator that was with us) run!!! We gotta go we gotta go! I started yelling at the people, "nsuba nsuba! it’s gonna rain (already raining hahahahahhahahahah)"  it was hilarious. So we get to the chapel and it is just coming down and then something crazy happened, the sky turned orange. Like completely... sign of the second coming? Maybe. But it was crazy. I took pics and I’ll send them next week. So, yeah, that was crazy.

Theres is this food called kenke. its way good. Its is like a corn stalk wrap when you buy it and you open it up and its like baanku kinda. Like it’s hard to describe. But you grab like a ball and mold it in your hand like Playdough. Then dip in pepper salsa kinda of stuff (called pepe). Then you swallow whole the ball. It’s so yummy haha. Then you get a big smoked fish wth it. It’s awesome. So good haha probably because I’ve been n Ghana for too long.... cant’ remember normal food.

We went out contacting (looking for people to teach) and we met this woman named R. We told her about Joseph Smith. Then she opened up to us about how here husband struggles with some addictions and that she had stopped praying because she hadn’t seen him change after many prayers. We talked to her about faith and what it can and can’t do (thanks President Uchtdorf) and encouraged her to begin praying again and pressing forward with a hope that one day he would change. She was all of the sudden very happy but before looking very sad. We saw her again and gave her a Book of Mormon and told her if she read this book she would find peace in her life and help with her problems. It was really cool. She is leaving back to Mamobi (in Accra) but she will be back in a month. That is the AP's area so I feel confident in giving them the referral. So yeah that was cool. We are lead to those who need us if we listen and there are always those who need us.

Love,

Elder Janda

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FROM DAD: The son of some of our close friends went to Ghana for a study abroad humanitarian expedition this summer. We were able to send a fairly large package with him to give to Max. He was able to drop the package off at the mission office. This is a picture of our friend Cody with a few of the office missionaries.

Week 32: Mother's Day Skype

FROM DAD: We were able to Skype with Max yesterday for Mother's Day. What an incredible joy!!!! He was happy and confident...doing so well. I had set my computer to record the screen...ran all the proper tests and everything worked great. Then he called and we turned it on to record, but in our excitement to talk with him, I seemed to have forgotten to adjust the setting that recorded the audio. So...we have over an hour of his cute face, but no audio. Such a heartbreak! Oh well, the call was wonderful. We love that boy!

Here is his letter from the day after our Mother's Day call...

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Dear Family,

So I heard that there is a song by Ed Sheeran that is in Twi... is it true??!!!! Cuz that is dope! When I get home I’ll translate it for you all haha.

So Skyping was great yesterday!!! I’m so glad to have been able to do that!

We had a baptism yesterday too that was cool. Her name is N. she had been coming to church for like a year but never got baptized. It was wonderful.

We have a great investigator. She is an old woman named M.A. Like I’m talking old old woman. She only speaks Effutu (local dialect) and Fanti (another local language similar to Twi). She has no Christian background so it’s really weird to be able to teach her like about God and Christ. Pretty cool unique experience you don’t get too often here in Ghana where people are very religious.

Can’t email pics cuz this computer isn’t safe but I hope that I will be able to next week!!!

Love you all,

Elder Janda (pronounced Elda Janda)

bibia be ye ye

Week 31: Another Week, No Full Letter

FROM DAD: No letter this week. Max sent a few messages through while he was online. He only had a few minutes to reach out. It had been a “bad day, but decent week.” They woke up at 5AM to go to take a tro tro to Accra to visit some of the people Elder Roberts had taught and baptized earlier in his mission. Apparently they can get permission from the Mission President to return to their old areas to visit people before they finish their mission. (Elder Roberts finishes his mission in a couple weeks.) We will be speaking with him on Sunday for Mother's Day. We can't wait!!!!!

Week 30: Bad Internet, No Letter

FROM DAD: No letter this week. The Internet cafe he was at had terrible connection. He was able to send us a few short messages letting us know he was alive and doing “ok” – “not great but not terrible.” This change to Winneba has been very challenging for him. He was able to forward and email from another missionary with a picture of his Zone from their last Zone Conference.