God Bless Oatmeal!

This week we were fortunate enough to get 5 more baptisms! We have been working hard with visiting members and it has paid off. Three of the people baptized were the nieces and nephews of one of our members. The other two were the grandkids of another one of our members. They were all kids from the ages of 11 to 15. We aren't just teaching kids I promise. It is always fun though to be able to teach kids gospel principles for the first time. They are always naturally curious and they learn very quickly.

There were also some small victories this week when it comes to food. First of all, I tried a food called Akpeley. It is very similar to Banku where you have a dough that you dip in some sort of soup or stew. The only difference is that they add corn into the dough and I think it tastes better. Another food that has changed my life is Oatmeal. It is amazing how boiled water, oats, and brown sugar can make something so delicious. I now have up to 3 foods to eat in my apartment! 

The last thing I wanted to talk about is the weather here in Ghana. Most mornings you will wake up with almost no clouds in the sky. By the time we go out to proselyte it is 80 to 90 degrees plus the humidity and the sun. The sun is my worst enemy and water is my best friend. The weirdest part about the weather though is how fast it changes. It could be super hot and sunny with no clouds in the sky and then 3 or 4 hours later it is raining like you're in the middle of a hurricane. The roads literally become rivers out here. 

I'm gonna end on that note but I'll see you all next week!

Elder Holyoak

 Hi, from Eden

Baptism Day

Missionary Attire

The Bois

All Alone

Hi everyone, this week was pretty fun. At the beginning of the week Brother Sacky, our ward mission leader, helped us make our own soy milk. It was a long process of blending, heading, and straining soybeans. We ended up with a lot of milk and even made some chocolate and strawberry flavors.

This week Elder Segura and I had the opportunity to spend a day without our trainers. It was a small glimpse into what life after training will be like. We were able to teach two lessons and contact a few people. One man named Paul even came to us! We were walking down the road and he rode up to us on his bike. He told us that he had seen missionaries before and wanted to learn more about the church. He also said that he isn't currently going to any church and he wanted to have a way to receive the word of God. We hope that he actually meant what he said because a lot of people here are all talk.

The nightlife in Ghana is awesome. In Kasoa, the city next to me, there is always loud music playing and people yelling bible verses into microphones. For some reason, the Tro Tros (bus) at night are always way nicer than the daytime ones.  They'll always have high ceilings and bright neon lights. I've even been in a few of them with TVs. The people at night are even more friendly than they are during the day.

Well, that was a little bit from my week. We have been setting up some baptisms so there might be good news next week. Until then I'll see you all next week. 

Elder Holyoak

Remember the Name

Proselyting in the Rain

Homemade Soy Milk

Tro Tros (bus) at Night

Look close at the sticker on the back of the Tro Tro 

Coconut Head 🥥

This week started off well with a devotional. We had the opportunity to hear from Elder Kacher from the 70. He talked all about using the Book of Mormon in missionary work. He also spoke about forgetting your personal concerns and focusing on what the Lord wants. The whole meeting was like a mini multi-zone. We got to see two other zones and I saw some MTC friends.

We also had the chance this week to do some service for our ward mission leader Brother Sacky. We helped weed all around his house and we were rewarded with some chicken and rice. Brother Sacky has two kids, Mormon and Eden, and they are both full of energy. They love the missionaries and I think I've had some pictures in past emails with them.

The last thing of the week was a 24 hour fast. We decided to fast for the people in our area because we have been struggling with sacrament attendance. The fast wasn't easy but it has already started to work with 5 new people coming to church on Sunday. Breaking that fast was amazing. Water and biscuits have never been so good before. 

Everything here feels normal to me now. Even all of the naked children and breastfeeding women. This week I had a new record of 4 women breastfeeding during lessons. The food isn't the best but I like some of it now. Water and sunscreen are my new best friends, as long as I don't get Malaria.

I'll see you all next week!

Elder Holyoak 

Devotional Day

Coconut Men

Coconut Head

Service Day

Crab and Fufu

Rain

This week wasn't very eventful. It rained during a couple of the days so we weren't able to proselyte for most of the day. It has been nice to have some extra study time, but it might be a little too much.

One thing that's always an adventure here is the food. Our ward mission leader Brother Sacky is a cook and he made some spring rolls and Fufu for us this week. The spring rolls had some sort of meat in them and they were fried. They were super good. The Fufu we had wasn't half bad either. They put it in a bowl of soup and you eat it with your hands. We also celebrated the birthday of one of our members this week. Her name is Sister Comfort and she is one of the more active members in the ward so we brought champagne (non-alcoholic of course). Brother Sacky baked a carrot cake and that was a gift from God.

One thing about Ghana is that nothing is ever good. Everything here is always "fine". When someone asks "How are you?" You say "I'm Fine." If you are in a taxi and you want to tell them where to stop you say, "Here's fine." If someone is giving you food and you want to tell them it's enough you say, "That's fine." You get the point, the word fine is used a lot here.

It was just a normal week in Ghana. Not a lot to say about it, but I did get a haircut. 

See you next week!

Elder Holyoak

Sister Comforts Birthday

New Ghanian Haircut

This week's new food experiences.

Jollof Rice

Adame

Fufu

Spring Rolls