Weeks 37 and 38

 The last two weeks have been crazy busy and it continues into this next week.  Hence, we have not been able to do our blog post.  It is now 9:00 p.m. on Sunday night and we are just starting the blog.  We leave for Accra at 8:00 a.m. in the morning for two days and then apartment inspections on Wednesday.  Not certain what this post will be like.

In week 37 (October 7 to 13), we had multi-zone conferences on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  

Pictures from multi-zone conference in Winneba:

Our neighbors--Sisters Kendrick, Lautaimi, Van der Beek, and Appia

Pictures from multi-zone conference in Ofankor:

Pictures from multi-zone conference in Odokor:

Elder Osborn was to conduct this zone conference.  The traffic was absolutely terrible getting from Kasoa where he and his companion live to Odokor.  Because the traffic was not moving, they finally had to jump out of the Tro-tro and run the last mile and came into the building totally covered in sweat.  Sister Judd fanned Elder Osborn to help him cool down! 

Huge, beautiful tree outside the Odokor chapel

We did apartment inspections on Friday that week.

Elders Cichos and Mutombo at Adoagyiri

Elders Tivane, Bey, Tingey, and Dymock at Nsawam

Sisters Masango, Nipepe, Najjuka, and Matondo at Medie

On Saturday, we went with Sisters Van der Beek and Appia to teach lessons.  

Teaching Matthew with Sisters Van der Beek and Appia

Visiting with Alexandra and Nevis

On Sunday, October 13, we left at 5:45 a.m. and drove 2 3/4 hours to Brakwa, picking up the Swedru Stake Gospel Literacy Specialist on the way.  

Stopping in Swedru to pick up the stake Gospel Literacy Specialist

In Brakwa, we met with the branch president about starting a Gospel Literacy class.  They called a teacher and sustained him in Sacrament Meeting.  The second hour, we (mostly Sister Judd) did training on Gospel Literacy for the new teacher, the counselor in the branch presidency, and the entire Relief Society comprised of 8 sisters.  The entire training had to be translated into Twi by the Stake Gospel Literacy Specialist as we went along.

Only 2 of the 8 sisters knew any English, and those 2 knew very little English.  The decision was made by the Relief Society President with the support of the branch president to teach Gospel Literacy as the Relief Society lesson and Sunday School lesson each week to these 8 sisters.  Without knowing English, they could not read the General Conference talks for Relief Society or Come Follow Me lessons for Sunday School.  We got home in the late afternoon, had a mission Zoom call that evening, and then our family Zoom call at 10:00 p.m. that night.  

Week 38 (October 14 to 20), started the Monday with trying to get caught up from being gone so much the previous week.  Tuesday was district council meeting in Buduburam and a Gospel Literacy Zoom call for all the Gospel Literacy missionaries in Africa.

Sisters Van der Beek and Appia, Elders Fainga'anuku, Tuinakauvadra, Kamara, Goffi, and Osebi 

at Buduburam District council.

Wednesday was a VERY long and tiring day.  We got up at 3:30 a.m. and left at 5:00 a.m. to drive to the  apartments the farthest away in the Abomosu Zone.  Besides the 3 1/2 hour drive to the first apartment, the terrible traffic and a construction delay added another hour.  

Elders Yobana and Flomo at Sankubenase

Elders Charles (with one of Sister Judd's chocolate chip cookies) and Mbala at Asuom

Elders Watkins and Rondon at New Abirem

There are three ways to get from Asuom to New Abirem--drive 2 1/4 hours going southwest and back north, drive 2 1/4 hours backtracking to the east and making a wide circle to the north and around to the west, and take a shortcut through the bush and a large plantation.  We decided to take a chance and take the shortcut through the bush and the plantation.  The plantation had lots of palm oil trees and cocoa trees.   Then, we came upon some rubber trees.

It is not harvest season, so the trees were not producing rubber at this time.

We finished with the New Abirem apartment and left for home in a rain downpour.   It took 4 1/2 hours to get home, arriving at 8:00 p.m.  We were pretty tired and glad to be home!

On Thursday, we went with Sisters Kendrick and Lautaimi to teach.  

Teaching David (who is a convert of just 2 1/2 weeks) with Sisters Lautaimi and Kendrick.  David understands and speaks little English, but he is so humble and so happy to be a member of the Church.

 

Morgan and Rose and their granddaughter, Princess.  Morgan and Rose have been members 

of the Church for many years but their son, Patmos, is not a member.

Teaching Patmos with Sisters Kendrick and Lautaimi.  Patmos has a baptism date of November 17 so he can be baptized before he goes to Germany, Netherlands, or Greece to play professional soccer.

After teaching with the Sisters, we went to the Gospel Principles class the branch has every Thursday evening. 

When we were at Brakwa on Sunday the 13th, we had scheduled to return to Brakwa on Friday to do more detailed training with the teacher.  In the meantime, the missionaries in the Odoben 2 Ward texted us to say that that ward wanted to start a Gospel Literacy class.  So, we made arrangements to stop at Odoben on the way to Brakwa to train the Odoben 2 teacher and bishop.  We again picked up the stake Gospel Literacy Specialist in Swedru on the way.  When we got to Odoben, it was not just the teacher and bishop but also 12 learners, none of whom speaks any English.  We (mostly Sister Judd) did the training for the teacher and bishop while at the same time teaching the learners with the Gospel Literacy Specialist again translating everything as we went along.

No matter which Gospel Literacy class it is, all but a very few of the learners are older women.  It is amazing to think that these older women want to learn English at their age and situation in life.  But why not, our observation is that the Ghanaian women are the backbone of the economy and society in Ghana.

When we were driving the 2 3/4 hours back from Brakwa, we got a call from Jennifer in the Awutu Breku Branch asking if we could help her create a Church account.  So, Friday evening we met Jennifer at her home and helped her create a Church account.

Jennifer and her son, Jerry.

Saturday, we again went with Sisters Van der Beek and Appia to teach lessons and do visits.  

Kobi and his friend coming back from getting crackers to eat.

On Sunday (October 20), we went to church in the Dabanyin Branch so we could sit in on their Gospel Literacy class.  When we got there, the teacher told us that his only learner had moved.  So, after Sacrament Meeting, we went back to the rest of our Awutu Breku Branch meetings.  

After meetings, we helped a member get some information in her membership records corrected and helped three others create Church accounts.  While doing that, Sister Judd received a phone call from Martha who was extremely upset.  We went home and ate a quick lunch and then went to visit Martha whose two daughters were baptized a short time ago and who also wants to be baptized but is not legally married to her "husband."  

Sister Judd empathetically listening to and consoling Martha.

By then it was a little after 3:00 p.m., and we went and picked up the branch president to take him and go with him to visit members of the branch.  After several visits, we finally got home around 7:00 p.m.  It was another long day!!

Because we were in the Dabanyin Branch for Gospel Literacy on Sunday morning, we missed the children's Primary program in the Awutu Breku Branch Sacrament Meeting.  Here is a short video of one of the songs being led by Joseph (age 5).  The Ghanaians very much enjoy music and singing.

The focus and teaching of the multi-zone conferences was on the Book of Mormon because as Preach My Gospel says, "The Book of Mormon, combined with the Spirit, is your most powerful resource in conversion."

The following comments from Elder Bednar’s recent talk in General Conference are most insightful.

“A particular teaching by President Benson greatly impacted me and continues to influence my study of the Book of Mormon. He said:

“The Book of Mormon … was written for our day. The Nephites never had the book; neither did the Lamanites of ancient times. It was meant for us. Mormon wrote near the end of the Nephite civilization. Under the inspiration of God, who sees all things from the beginning, [Mormon] abridged centuries of records, choosing the stories, speeches, and events that would be most helpful to us.”

President Benson continued: “Each of the major writers of the Book of Mormon testified that he wrote for future generations. … If they saw our day, and chose those things which would be of greatest worth to us, is not that how we should study the Book of Mormon? We should constantly ask ourselves, ‘Why did the Lord inspire Mormon … to include [this account] in his record? What lesson can I learn from [this admonition] to help me live in this day and age?’”

"President Benson’s statements help us to understand that the Book of Mormon is not primarily a historical record that looks to the past. Rather, this volume of scripture looks to the future and contains important principles, warnings, and lessons intended for the circumstances and challenges of our day. Hence, the Book of Mormon is a book about our future and the times in which we do now and will yet live.”

It would be helpful as we each study the Book of Mormon to ask ourself, "Why did the Lord inspire Mormon to put this in the record?  What am I supposed to learn from it?" 

Thanks for your prayers!

Love, 

Sister and Elder Judd