Baptism, Exchanges, and The Mall

We had a Baptism! This week we baptized an 11-year-old boy named Michael. He is friends with a member family and he decided that he wanted to get baptized. The baptismal font in our ward is outside the church, so we had to clean it out a few hours before the baptism. When the time came, I was the one to put on the white jumpsuit (Even though over here, it's just a white top and shorts). I was able to baptize Michael and it was a great experience. He was able to be confirmed as a member yesterday too.

This week we were also able to do an exchange with a group of missionaries in Kasoa. We did some proselyting in their area and it was a nice change to be able to teach people who spoke good English. The main reason that we stayed the night was to go to the mission office the next morning. We had to fill out some paperwork to get our Ghana non-citizenship cards. The highlight of the trip was eating cold cereal in the mission office. It's also one of the rare places here that have AC.

The last thing that happened this week was my visit to the China Mall with Elder Segura. At the Mall, they had two nice grocery stores and it also had AC! We were able to buy some imported goods from other countries; salt, pepper, and garlic. There was also a KFC next door to the mall and we decided to eat there afterwards. It was a strange experience. It was the only fast food I've been able to eat since Papa John's at the MTC.

I hope this next week will bring more adventures and I wish you all good food and Air Conditioning at home!

Elder Holyoak

Michael's Baptism

Baptismal Font

Fun with kids

The air-conditioned "China Mall" in Africa

KFC Lunch - 10 years in Ghana

"Kofi" - born on a Friday Character Traits

Obrony Coco!

I've started to understand the culture here a lot more. The people here are super laid back, but they are also really friendly and welcoming. I've picked up some things in the language, but not enough for a full conversation. The one word I hear more than any other is "Obrony" which literally means "white person". The little kids love to yell it at you in the streets and wave. They will also sometimes say "Obrony Coco" which means "Fair white person". It fits me very well.

I also tried some new foods this week. The first one is Kenkey. It was made out of corn and something else I didn't know. It was not very good. It reminded me of when I ate playdough as a kid. There was fish on the side with a pretty good sauce though. The second food I tried was Banku. It's a very common dish here made out of Kesava and Plantain. You dip it in soup or stew. Both Kenkey and Banku are called swallow foods. Similar to the consistency of mashed potatoes where you dip it in a sauce or soup and swallow it whole. Another thing to adjust to, but the Banku tasted pretty good.

We had a multi-zone conference this week and I meet up with some of my MTC friends. It was nice to hear how they are doing and see pictures of their areas. I was also able to talk to some of the American missionaries who've been out for a while and I got some advice from them.

The last thing we did this week was a service project. We went to Bawjiase High School and planted a bunch of trees there. It is a very big building and it was nice to get some service done. The rest of the week has been a lot of contacting and teaching. We are on our way to a few baptisms so I'll keep you all updated on that. 

See you next week!

Elder Holyoak

Kenkey (aka-playdough) 

Banku

A Member Families Kids

First Ghanaian Haircut

Service Project Day

Bawjiase High School 

The Boys

Mega Bed

Tender Mercies

A Strange Adjustment

I'm just going to start by saying everything is different here. The food, the people, the transport, the language, and even the church is different.

There weren't any crazy events this week, but we got a lot of teaching done. We teach outside, mostly just sitting on stools or buckets. It's a big problem if it rains because we can't teach or contact people. Everyone is super receptive to the gospel and loves God. The hard part isn't asking people to get baptized but showing them the importance of it.

There are many different ways to travel. If it's a short distance we just walk or bike. When it's far we take what are called Tro Tros. It's pretty much a big van with a different number of seats every time. Then there are the normal taxis and if you are feeling adventurous you can take a moto. A moto is just a dude who lets you ride on the back of his motorcycle if you pay him.

Most people in my area are native Twi speakers, but some know a little English. My companion Elder Asante is fluent in Twi, so that is very useful for teaching. I'm trying to learn as much of the language as I can but it's hard when the only way to learn is from other people. 

Last is the food. It's nothing glamorous but it's not that bad. I haven't eaten anything crazy yet and I don't really plan to. Most of the time it's just chicken and rice. We eat rice for breakfast almost every day with a different kind of sauce. There are native Ghanaian foods like fufu and banku, but I haven't had a chance to try them yet.

I am still adjusting to everything here but it hasn't been bad at all. Everyone is super nice and I know that God is on my side. I hope to have some more crazy stories next week, so I'll talk to you then!

Elder Holyoak

Bawjiase Bridge

Sitting in the back of a Tro Tro (van/bus)

Two different Bawjiase streets

Front of our apartment (one of the nicest buildings on our street)

My "authentic" Chanel bedding

My snacks

I'm in Ghana!

It's been a very chaotic week. The last few days in the MTC were fun because we got to pick our own schedule. We played volleyball and ping pong a lot. We left the MTC Wednesday morning and made our way to the airport. I had Cafe Rio for the last time there. Our first flight was 4 hours to JFK airport. And we arrived there at about 9 pm New York time. We took off at about 11:30 and it was a 10-hour flight to Ghana. It went by faster than I expected.

We landed in Ghana at 2 pm Ghana time. I got to meet my mission president and his wife shortly after we landed. We stayed the night at the mission home with around 10 new missionaries. 

The next morning we met our trainers and learned where our areas were. I am in a 4 person companionship with Elder Segura (From Utah), Elder Okeke (From Nigeria), and Elder Asante (From Ghana). Since we have 4 people, we are over two areas. The areas are called Bawjiase and Papase in the Kasoa zone. It was a long ride into the area so we didn't get to the apartment until 8 pm.

The next day we had a big stake activity for YSA. We had lunch at one of the churches and there was a big cultural dance. People were dressed up as warriors and evil spirits. The activity went on for almost the whole day, so we went straight home afterward.

Sunday we split up and I went to the Bawjiase ward with Elder Asante and the other two went to the Papase ward. It was very fun and I got to bear my testimony. After church, we went to a member's house and he gave us fresh coconut and let us pick oranges from his tree.

It is very hard to understand people in this area because almost everyone here is a native Twi speaker, but some can speak English. I rely on my companions for most communication. I haven't tried any crazy exotic foods yet, but I'm going to avoid eating cats and dogs. I look forward to involving myself more in the culture and teaching people.

See you next week! 

Elder Holyoak

1st Area Bawjiase, Ghana

Elder Okeke, Elder Holyoak, Elder Segura, and Elder Asante

Elder's Holyoak, Okeke, Segura, and Asante