Weeks 60 and 61
Well, we didn't get the blog finished last week, so this will cover two weeks.
There is a family with four children in our branch that was baptized 3 or 4 months ago. They come every Sunday and are a very close family. On Monday (March 17) a week ago, we went to their shop where they sell cell phone accessories to visit with them about the temple. Only Esther was there, but we had a wonderful visit with her talking about the temple and sharing with her some information that they can read to start preparing to go to the temple, including doing baptisms and confirmations for deceased parents and grandparents.
Tuesday (March 18) involved traveling to Kwabeng (3 1/2 hours each way) for district council and then doing an apartment inspection at the Kwabeng apartment.
Elders Erickson, Fainga'anuku, James, Andrianampoina, Chiwaye,
and Johnbull after Abomosu district council.
Elders Erickson, Fainga'anuku, Andrianampoina, and James at Kwabeng apartment.
As we were doing the apartment inspection in Papase, we heard the neighbor singing beautifully in Twi as she went about her daily chores of sweeping and taking out the trash. This sweet lady named Christie was going about her daily life with joy and enjoyment. Sister Judd was so touched that she asked Christie if she would join her in having her picture taken.
As Elder Judd was loading things into the truck at the end of the apartment inspection, a man walked by and Elder Judd greeted him and engaged in a brief conversation. When the missionaries came out, Elder Judd introduced them to George and suggested they get his contact information so they could set up an appointment to teach him. George wanted to have his picture taken with us.
Elders Otieno and Razafimbelo at Papase
The next stop was at the Adom Estate apartment with Sisters Fandresentsoa and Kpahn
Elder McLean is from Rockland, Idaho, and knows Steve, Austin, and Makayla Udy. It has been fun talking with him about the Udy's. His companion is Elder Vave in the Kasoa 2 apartment.
The last stop of the day was in the Domeabra apartment with Elders Bey, Shook, and Vitale.
Water for our tank was to be delivered on Thursday morning. Of course, it did not come, and we waited all day. Thursday evening was a HUGE thunderstorm with lightning and thunder unlike anything we have seen here in Ghana or anywhere else. The heavy rain was badly needed. We have a good sized palm tree in the compound that had actually leaned over with the palms touching the ground because it had lost so much internal water from the drought. After the rain, it straightened back up again! The other interesting thing was that the lightning and thunder somehow caused the security alarm on the truck to be activated. Our controller had "spoiled" a few weeks ago so the alarm system had not been turned on since then. However, with the thunder and lightning, every time the door was opened or anything was done with the truck the alarm would go off. I called Patrick who is over the trucks in our mission. He called the area office fleet coordinator. The answer was to find the speaker for the alarm and cut the wire. A typical Ghanaian fix, and it worked beautifully. The alarm would then go off continuously while driving and make a clicking sound but no more annoying alarm!
Friday (March 14) morning the trash man came to get the accumulated trash from apartment inspections. About 10 minutes later, the water truck showed up to refill the water tank. Since we could not go with Sisters Tavita and Nipepe on Saturday afternoon, we went with them on Friday afternoon. One of the visits was with Mercy who owns a sewing shop. She has six seamstresses sewing for her all in a shop about 10'x15'. We helped teach a lesson on the Book of Mormon and the Restoration. Mercy and two of the others were more engaged and seemed interested. The others all listened politely but weren't really interested.
We went to the temple on Saturday morning to be with Charity who we taught the temple preparation to. She was supposed to go with the group on the previous Saturday, but her one year date since her baptism was on Monday. So, she had to wait until this Saturday to receive her endowments. Sister Judd was able to be her escort and help her through the endowment session.
Here is a picture of the group that went to the temple the previous Saturday for eight of them to receive their own endowments. We mentioned these in the last blog post but did not have a picture at that time.
On Sunday (March16), we went with Brother Seglah (Winneba Stake Gospel Literacy specialist) to the Winneba 1 Ward and Winneba 2 Ward to encourage them to start Gospel Literacy classes. We ended up talking in each ward Sacrament Meeting. After the respective Sacrament Meeetings, we met with the bishop and ward leaders in that ward to train and educate them on Gospel Literacy. We did the Winneba 2 Ward first. While we were meeting with the Winneba 1 Ward leadership, the Winneba 2 Ward bishop came in and said, "Elder Judd, you should come and see your truck." Elder Judd and Brother Seglah left to look at the truck, and Sister Judd stayed and finished the training. The truck was parked parallel on the narrow street in front of the church building. A man had backed into the front left bumper of the truck and smashed it in pretty badly. We exchanged phone numbers. Luckily, he was honest and willing to pay for the damage.
While we were waiting for the Winneba 1 Ward Sacrament Meeting to start, we were sitting in the back of the Sunday School class of the Winneba 2 Ward and took this picture.
It is the most amazing thing. A baby can be fussing or upset, and all it takes is for the mother to put the baby on her back and the baby will quiet right down and go to sleep!
On Monday (March 17) we went to Accra for staff meeting and to trade our truck for another one so our truck could be repaired from the accident on Sunday. On Tuesday, we drove the 4 hours to Abomosu for the Asuom district council and to do an apartment inspection at Sankubenase.
Asuom District: Back row--Elders Bangura, Monteiro, Taggart, Udy, Beresford, and Hill
Front ros--Elders Hovey, Bethers, Simmons, and Kaufusi
Elders Udy and Taggart at Sankubenase
Apartment inspection day was Wednesday with us going to the Ofankor Zone.
Elders Lukhele and Jorge at Adoagyiri
Elders Osebi, Stewart, Naeata, and Lomate at Nsawam
Sisters Lautaimi, Ntumba, Windous, and Van der Beek
When we got to the Medie apartment, we were very pleasantly surprised to find Sister Van der Beek there. She does not stay at that apartment but was on exchanges that day. It was nice to be able to interact once again with Sisters Lautaimi and Van der Beek who both used to live next to us.
On Thursday afternoon, we went with Sisters Najjuka and Tu'angalu. We taught a man named Albert about the plan of salvation and what happens after we die. He had a lot of questions about what the Bible says. He seemed satisfied with the answers we provided. We then visited a member, Cecelia, at her home. Her home is like most homes of those we associate with. It is comprised of two rooms. The first is where the cooking items, storage, and other miscellaneous items are kept. The second is the living area with an old sofa and chair, a TV on the floor, suitcases with clothes in them as their "closet", and sleeping mats. The first room is about 5'x12' and the second room is about 12'x12'. That is it! All cooking is done outside over a charcoal fire and all dish and clothes washing is done outside by hand in plastic tubs.
Cecilia, her son (Kofi), and Sister Judd
At 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, a lot of the members and the missionaries met at the church to break the fast and have a prayer.
Friday night and Saturday were not good days for Sister Judd. Something she ate Friday evening caused her to have terrible acid reflux during Friday night. Saturday morning and all day Saturday she dealt with a stomach ache and some diarrhea. She rested all day. By Sunday morning the was feeling enough better for us to go to Nyakrom for Gospel Literacy.
Sunday (March 23) was a full day. We left early to go to visit the Nyakrom Branch in the Swedru Stake with Brother Tetteh (stake Gospel Literacy specialist) to see if we could get a Gospel Literacy class started in that branch. They meet in a school for church so they have to stack the school desks and other items in the back of the school room and then set up folding chairs for Sacrament Meeting.
There were three siblings baptismed on Saturday, and these three were confirmed members of the Church and given the gift of the Holy Ghost during the business part of Sacrament Meeting.
The new members with the missionaries, Elders Mutombo and Karenzi
Immediately after Sacrament Meeting ended, the branch president walked up to a brother still sitting in the congregation and said, "You are going to be the new Gospel Literacy teacher." That was how the new teacher was called! Hopefully, he is sustained in next Sunday's Sacrament Meeting and set apart! During the second hour, Brother Tetteh and us met with all the adult members including the branch president and the new teacher to provide instruction and training on Gospel Literacy. After the meeting, we did some more training with just the teacher and branch president. We encouraged them to prayerfully determine who should be in the Gospel Literacy class and then start the class. Brother Tetteh is to give them a few weeks to get the class going and then visit the class and provide further direction and help to the teacher.
Brother Tetteh providing instruction to the adult members on Gospel Literacy
There were four baptisms in the Awutu Breku Branch on Sunday. These baptisms made the two families involved complete in that all members of each family who are eight years old and older are now baptized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Lizzy and her children, Berniece and Benedict, were baptized about three months ago. On Sunday, her husband, John, and their daughter who just turned eight were baptized. The other family moved into the Awutu Breku Branch from Accra a few months ago. Their oldest daughter who was from a previous marriage and had not been living with the family until recently was baptized. And, a son who just turned eight years old was baptized.
When we went to congratulate John on his baptism, we found their daughter, Berniece, cooking their dinner.
One of the disheartening things we have learned while being here is that Ghana produces and exports more gold than any other African county. It is sixth in the world for producing gold. Unfortunately, 35% of the gold that is exported comes from illegal gold mining. The illegal gold mining leaves the land a mess with no reclamation done. Worse than that, illegal mining uses mercury and cadmium to extract the gold from the soil. The use of these heavy metals is not controlled so they end up in rivers and other water sources making the water unusable and contaminated. Too many politicians and others who should be eliminating the illegal mining are "on the take" and are doing way too little to change it.
Berniece grinding up garlic. Every meal is cooked outside over charcoal.
Fish (the whole fish with head and tail) cut up and ready to cook. The fish with garlic, onions, and other spices in a pot starting to cook.
Illegal gold mining activities we saw on the way to Asuom on Tuesday
We would like to share with you two stories about trees that President and Sister Jacobsen recently shared with the missionaries. The first was told by Elder Guei of the Seventy in the Winneba Stake Conference in April 2023. He said there was a tall, beautiful, strong looking tree that surprisingly blew over when a windstorm came. He wondered, "How could the wind have taken down that big, strong, healthy looking tree?" Upon closer examination of the tree, there were tiny, hard to see beetles that had been quietly and steadily eating away at the center of the tree for a long period of time, leaving the tree weak and sick in its core, even though on the outside it appeared strong and healthy.
The second story about trees we learned from the botanical gardens in the northern part of Accra. There is a road with big, tall cedar trees lining both sides of the road. The cedar trees did not look healthy at all. The tour guide began to explain how each one of these trees was infected with a little plant known as a Strangling Ficus that blows in the wind or gets carried by birds and lands in the tree. Immediately, the Strangling Ficus begins to grow a few little vines down the trunk of the tree--it is aiming not for the trunk but for the roots of the tree. The tour guide said it was a rapidly growing organism that will eventually take over the entire host tree one vine at a time. The various vines eventually totally encompass and encase the tree. Because the Strangling Ficus attacks the root system, the tree no longer can get nourishment from its roots in the ground, and it dies and eventually rots away inside of the encompassing vines. What is left is the Strangling Ficus with a hole inside to the height of the original cedar tree.
The start and progression of the growth of the Strangling Ficus vines on a cedar tree
The hollow inside of a Strangling Ficus where a cedar tree once grew
The point of these two stories is that when we allow seemingly innocent and harmless things to enter into our lives that shouldn't be there, they will eventually have a great negative impact on us and who we are. The tiny beetles when they first invest the tree or the Strangling Ficus vines when they first attach to the cedar tree can easily be removed or killed before they cause harm. Immediate repentance and change through the Atonement of the Savior will do the same for us to keep us free of negative impacts in our lives.
May each of you feel and know of the love of our Heavenly Father.
Love,
Elder and Sister Judd
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