Weeks 27 and 28

We missed doing our blog last Sunday because it was filled with baptisms after church, going with the missionaries to teach, and our family Zoom call.  So, we will catch up by covering two weeks this time.

One thing we failed to mention in our last blog is that our son, Stephen, arrived home from his nine month Army deployment in Poland.  We and his family are so glad he is finally home again.

We went to district council in Odoben a week ago Tuesday.  We felt a wonderful spirit of camaraderie and unity among the missionaries.  Elder Kabanda, the district leader, was excellent in leading discussions, encouraging the others, sharing edifying instructions, and focusing on making certain the Spirit was present.

Singing "Called to Serve" with the missionaries.

The Odoben District

When we got home from Odoben, we went with the missionaries to teach Nevis and Alexandria in preparation for their baptism on the Sunday.  The missionaries needed to review the baptism interview questions with Nevis and Alexandria to make certain they were ready for their baptism interviews.  While they did that, Sister Judd gave a Gospel Literacy readiness assessment to Rose (who the missionaries had started teaching) because she wants to learn to read and write English.  Elder Judd visited with Stephen (who we have been teaching with the missionaries) and Daniel who is a member.

After we finished there, we went with the sister missionaries to see Faustina.  Faustina is a recent convert who was going to the temple to do baptisms and confirmations for the first time.  The branch president had asked us to visit with those going to the temple for the first time to help prepare them for the experience.  That was the reason for going to visit Faustina.  She is a nurse at a private hospital in Kasoa and wasn't home yet when we got there.  We had a good visit with Faustina even though it was dark, we were sitting outside as is always the case, and we were starting to feed the mosquitos (good thing we take doxycycline every day to prevent/minimize risk of malaria!).

Apartment inspection day was Wednesday as usual.  We went to three apartments in Swedru.  This was our second time at these apartments, and most of the missionaries had already been through an inspection by us at other apartments in the mission.  So, things went well.

Elders Charles and Newbern (zone leaders) at Swedru 2

 

Elders Creighton and Rockwood at Swedru 3

(Elder Rockwood's cousin was in the Tennessee Nashville Mission with us)

Elders Donahoo and Parsons at Swedru 4

We had tried to meet with Susan a couple of times in the evenings to visit with her about the experience of going to the temple for the first time.  She sells fresh vegetables and homemade soaps at the market every day, all day and gets home around dark.  So, we had not been able to get with her.  We decided to go to her "shop" at the market to visit with her.

Susan taking care of customers in the middle of our visit about the temple

While Susan is selling at the market, her children are home.  Susan had purchased a bag of yams and asked us to take them to her home for her.  When we got there, Stephanie (age 8) and her younger brother were just finishing washing the dishes in typical Ghanaian style (outside in containers for wash water and rinse water and drying).

We have mentioned several times in the last few weeks about helping members with their family history and preparing names of ancestors to take to the temple to have temple ordinances performed for them.  Thursday evening after the Gospel Principles class, Sister Judd helped Dorcas enter her family history information and get some names of ancestors ready to print so Dorcas could be baptized and confirmed for them.

We weren't planning to go with the Relief Society sisters to the temple on Saturday morning.  However, our branch president called us Friday afternoon and asked us to be there to help since he had an unexpected meeting he had to go to.  So, we changed our Saturday plans and joyfully went to the temple!

It was a wonderful surprise to see Sisters Tuman and Nipepe at the temple.

With Rihanna and Dorcas outside the temple.  Part of the group of Relief Society sisters who went to the temple.

There were four baptisms on Sunday after church meetings!  Nevis and her YSA age daughter, Alexandra, who we had been going with the missionaries to teach, were baptized.  Susan's 8 year old daughter, Stephanie, was baptized.  The other one baptized was Christabel, who is 16 years old and walks 3.5 miles each way to church and back each Sunday. 

This is a picture of those attending the baptismal service.  Nearly all of the branch members stay for baptisms which are held after the regular two hour meeting block.

Elder and Sister Judd, Sisters Van der Beek and Tanui, Alexandra, Evans (elders quorum counselor over missionary work), Nevis, Austin (performed baptisms), Christabel, Stephanie, Sisters Kendrick and Marufu, and President Visu (elders quorum president).

Nevis going into the baptismal font.                   Susan and Stephanie. 

Nevis had been sick and still did not feel very well.  But, she would not even entertain the idea of postponing her baptism!!  Such faith and commitment!

Early evening on Sunday, we went with the missionaries to teach a man at his shop where he sells cell phone accessories.  The street where his shop is was noisy and busy.  It was challenging to teach him with all the distractions and especially with customers coming to make purchases every once in a while.  A member, Brother Acolatse, was there with us as well.  While the missionaries were teaching him, we noticed Brother Acolatse talking to a woman who just came up to him.  When we finished with the man, Brother Acolatse said that the woman wanted to talk to the missionaries.  So we went around the corner to this woman's shop.  She had told Brother Acolatse that she had seen the missionaries, us, and him talking to the man with the cell phone accessories shop and had the feeling come to her that this was the church her children needed to go to.  

The missionaries tried to teach her a little, but her English is very poor.  Brother Acolatse had to translate everything into Twi.  Many Ghanaians are close to the Spirit.  It is not uncommon for them to receive communications through dreams and other such things like this woman.  

The missionaries had taught the wife of the man at the cell phone accessories shop almost all the lessons, but she will not come to church until she has the permission of her husband.  The missionaries are trying to teach him so he will come with her or allow her to come.  When the missionaries were teaching his wife, they talked about the Book of Mormon.  When they showed a Book of Mormon to her, she got all excited and said that she had seen that book in a dream the night before!

This last week was transfers and departing and arriving missionaries.  We were in Accra for two full days to help however we were needed.  There were 13 new missionaries from 10 different countries that came this week into the Ghana Accra West Mission.  Eight of these are learning English as a second language.  There were eleven departing missionaries--eight sisters and three elders.

We are more involved with the departing missionaries than the arriving missionaries.  One of our assignments is to be a resource for the departing missionaries from any country except those in Africa in helping them with their MyPlan.  MyPlan is where the missionary records the spiritual truths the Lord has taught them and the Christlike attributes the Lord has helped them develop, their one year vision and goals, how they will continue their discipleship of Christ, what they will do to become self-reliant, plans for dating and a temple marriage, and their vision for their life.

One of the rewarding experiences is the departing missionaries' devotional where President and Sister Jacobsen teach, bear testimony, and express their love and appreciation one last time to these amazing sisters and elders.   President Jacobsen then gives each one his/her release letter to take to their stake president and a banner.  The missionary then bears his/her testimony.  Then there are plenty of pictures taken!

Sister Judd leading the music.      President and Sister Jacobsen's last testimony and expression of love.

Elder Rottweiler (USA) with the senior couples.        One last hug from Sister Fatai (Tonga).

Senior couples with Sister Chabetatela (Angola) and Sister Evaga (Australia).  Sister Jacobsen fixing Sister Chabetatela's banner.

Elder and Sister Bertha arrived in the Ghana Accra West Mission the end of June as the Topham's finished their mission and returned to Richfield, Utah.  Elder Bertha is the financial secretary and Sister Bertha is the mission secretary.  Elder Bertha was getting his MBA at BYU at the same time President Jacobsen was getting his MBA at BYU.  President Jacobsen was not a member of the church.  Elder and Sister Bertha were very instrumental in President Jacobsen's conversion and baptism.  The Jacobsen's and Bertha's have been good friends ever since.  

The Bertha's and the Judd's

Yesterday (Saturday) afternoon we went with the missionaries to teach Martha about the Plan of Salvation.  We then went to teach Nevis and Alexandra new convert lessons and teach Nevis' son, James, and a neighbor, Stephen, about the apostasy.  While we were waiting for everyone to gather under the Mango tree, a neighbor with her small daughter came walking by.  The mother had her usual container full of water on her head.  The daughter had a small container about half full of water on her head as her mother was teaching her how it is done.  Amazing!!  

We then went back to the man with the cell phone accessories shop to try and teach him again.  While the missionaries and Elder Judd were teaching him, Sister Judd was busy entertaining a small girl and small boy who wanted to feel her skin since it didn't look like theirs and were enthralled with her Apple Watch and how it worked!

We went to church in Apam today in order to sit in on the Gospel Literacy class there.

When the chorister got up to lead the music in Sacrament Meeting, her son was not happy and wanted the complete attention of his mother, which she could not give him.  You could tell her mother's heart was torn wanting to comfort her son and not being able to.  However, she had a solution for the next hymn.  She tied her son on her back!!  We have seen so many times a fussy baby just settling down and even going to sleep as soon as they are on the mother's back!

These Ghanaian saints love to sing and do it with such feeling as though they are expressing their testimony through the hymns of the gospel.  The volume and feeling from the saints in the small Apam Branch was more than we have witnessed in many large wards in the United States we have been in!

The Gospel Literacy class in Apam

Our days are busy, and we sometimes feel very tired when we arrive home to our little piece of paradise.  However, we are continually grateful for the blessing and opportunity of serving the Lord here in Ghana and associating with these faithful Ghanaian saints.  A scripture that touched our hearts this week is from Alma 37:34 where it says, "Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest (relief and peace) to their souls."

Thank you for your love and prayers.

Love, 

Elder and Sister Judd