West Africa is a Land of Dreams

Dear family and friends, 

          Happy late anniversary mom and dad!!! You guys are superb and I am glad you decided to get married.

          It has been another wonderful week in the vineyard of the Lord! Elder Grissignon and I continue to see so many great things each day as we travel around our area. We had a lot of great lessons where I could definitely feel the spirit. I'm not always sure if our investigators' testimonies are being strengthened, but I can tell you that mine is. Truly one of the greatest ways to become more deeply converted to the Gospel, is to share it! I don't want to deceive you and say that it's all just rainbows and butterflies for me. It's not. There have definitely been struggles for me. One of the worst so far came on Friday. Our zone leader went to Huhunya in my place so that he could interview brother Joshua for baptism, which made me a little sad. Instead I went with the zone leader's companion and we biked nearly the entire day up and down hills, leaving me pretty exhausted. When my companion got back we had an appointment up on the mountainside, so we pretty much had to carry our bikes up. Afterwards we had to ride our bikes about twenty minutes to get home where I had a pile of laundry waiting to be washed by hand. I was physically, mentally, and emotionally spent. I was feeling very impatient and grumpy, wondering what I was doing in crazy Africa. It was in this low state that my thoughts turned to the Savior. I pondered over the hardships that He endured, and He did it all for us. I realized that my pains and sufferings were nothing compared to the ultimate sacrifice Christ gave in atoning for us. He knows all of our hurts, sorrows, and weaknesses. Turn to Him at all times and you will be strengthened to carry on.

          Now for some more randomness about life in Africa. First I will talk a little about food. Pineapple. Oh. My. Goodness. Back home I didn't like pineapple one bit. Fresh pineapple here is so good that it makes me want to cry. I love it! This week I cooked stew to have with our rice every night, and it's delicious. I had my first Banku and Kinke (pronounced kink-kay) both of which I actually really liked. God has been helping me with the food here so much. I can even eat nasty fish and not gag! We had Zone Training which was great. The Browns (our senior couple from Australia with sweet accents) even provided us with chocolate ice cream which is the best thing I've eaten in the last six weeks. Washing clothes has become one of my least favorite parts of life. Washing by hand is a pain! But it's not all that bad. I had a cool experience this week. I had a dream where I was traveling with President Monson and just talking to him. I don't remember all of the details, but I woke up with such a strong feeling inside that he is a prophet called of God. West Africa is a land of dreams!

          This week I am grateful for washing machines. Oh, what a blessing they are! I have never realized just how blessed we are to have them. Washing by hand is a pain and it takes forever. If you have a washing machine, give thanks.

          Well I'm running out of time for the week. I did a poor job of taking pictures this week. I will repent and do better. I hope that all of you are doing super well and that my mother isn't still mowing the lawn. I continue to pray for all of you, and I feel your prayers and support constantly. Thanks for being such great people and examples! Have a fantastic week and good luck to everyone starting school! Love you guys.

          -Elder Radmall

Questions from mom.

Q.    How are your shoes holding up?

A.   Haha my monster shoes are doing quite well! My other shoes are struggling a bit even though I only really wear them on Sundays. And my really expensive bag is ripping and my expensive pants are frayed at the bottom. Ghana is crazy!

Q.   What are you reading during scripture study?

A.   I rotate between The Book of Mormon, The New Testament, Isaiah, and Jesus the Christ. I want to read them all, all the time, but I'm trying to pace myself.

Q.    What was your greatest joy this week?

A.   My greatest joy was just meeting wonderful people and getting to talk with them. The people of Ghana are really so wonderful.

Q.   What was your greatest challenge this week?

A.   My greatest challenge continues to be homesickness, but I continue to see God pour out blessings on me so that I can keep going.