Easter in the City

 Elder Kambwiri and Elder Radmall

(kam-bweer-ee   He is 21 and has been a member for two years.)

Nungua Apartment

Dear Family and Friends,

          Wow!!! This was like the best week ever! I hope you all had a great Easter. I am so blessed. I don't know where to begin. I guess I will start with our zone conference on Tuesday. It was for all of the missionaries serving in the bush, since we missed seeing Elder Rasband when he came to Accra a couple of weeks ago. The conference was awesome! We learned all about learning who the Savior is. As we come to know our Savior it will be almost impossible not to love Him. We will have a greater desire to serve Him and follow His example. 

          After the conference I was thrown in a car with my giant suitcases and we headed to my new area in Accra. Nungua is the weirdest and best place ever. I love it here. We are along the coast which means it is very humid here. Our area is divided into two parts. One of them, where we stay, is very poor. The other part of our area, called Sakumono, is filthy stinking rich. Like the richest people in Ghana. They have huge houses and the nicest cars around. Our ward is made up of a combination of both. We have members who live in metal sheds and members who live in mansions. All of them are wonderful people with a love for the Savior. I have already gotten to know a lot of them. 

 Easter goodies from home.

 Easter Egg pirates.

Easter Brownies for the district.

          Now lets talk about my new companion. His name is Elder Kambwiri. He is from Malawi and he is the greatest! I absolutely love this guy. He is so humble and so happy all of the time. We are going to rock it together here in Nungua. We have four other elders in our district who all seem great. And then there is our apartment. It is a four man apartment, but only the two of us are staying there. We have tile floors! It looks a thousand times better than my apartment in Koforidua and I love it. It makes me feel like I am staying in a beach house in California. No joke. Plus it is just a few minutes ride to the mall where I can get KFC, pizza, ice cream, and much more from the giant grocery store. Am I still in Ghana?? Mom, you might need to throw an extra few hundred dollars in my account...

          Finally, there was Easter Sunday. It was the perfect day. Our ward meets at 8 in the morning. Too early. I got to bear my testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and what it means to me. After church we were invited to one of the very wealthy members homes where we were served a huge buffet of rice, chicken, and some sweet salads. Then they talked all about politics and a lot of other weird stuff. We returned home with full bellies and I started cooking brownies (thanks mom) for all of the elders in our district. They turned out pretty well and they were a huge hit. I finished off my Sunday with studying about the Savior in the scriptures. I am so grateful for Easter.  What a special time to remember the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that because of His perfect and ultimate sacrifice we can overcome both physical and spiritual death. I know that He lived, died, and lives again. How I love my Savior and desire to be like Him.

          Sorry this has been such a long email. Thanks for all of the support and love. You are all awesome. I hope you have a blessed week. I love you all!

Love,

Elder Radmall

Questions from Mom:

Q.  What is your companion’s name?  Is he a convert?  How many in his family?

Elder Kambwiri. He is a convert of about two years. Sadly, his parents both died when he was very young and he has no siblings. And yet he has chosen to devote two years to helping others! He is awesome.

Q. What is your companion’s native language?

I won't even try to spell it. Look up Malawi.  (The official language is English. Major languages include Chichewa, a language spoken by over 57% of the population, Chinyanja (12.8%), Chiyao (10.1%), and Chitumbuka (9.5%).

Q.  Are you in a ward or branch?

A ward. It will be a very different experience.

Q. How was your Easter Sunday today?

It was amazing! I love Easter and I love the Savior.

Q. What new experience did you have this week?

This week I shopped at an actual grocery store in Ghana. Life changing.

Q. Are you a junior companion or are you co-companions?

I am senior companion, but we are really co-companions.

Q. What angels have watched over you this week?

This week my angels are my family back home who send me letters, packages, support, and prayers. Thanks!

Questions from TeriAnn:

Q. How is your new area?

It is great! I love it here.

Q. How is it different from Koforidua?

People here are filthy rich. Too rich. And there's a stinking mall.

Have you met a lot of the members yet?

Q. Yes. We have visited quite a few of the members at their homes and they seem wonderful. Supposedly they love to feed the missionaries. Sweet!

Q. Is the weather any different being closer to the ocean?

Yes. It is hotter and more humid. I didn't think that was possible.

Q. Did you get my Easter package?

Yes! Thank you so much. I loved dying and decorating eggs. 

Q. What was your favorite scripture this week?

Isaiah 53:4-6. This scripture really helps me to better understand the Atonement and its purpose.

Q. What was the best thing that happened this week?

Everything really. It was a perfect week.

Q. What was the best lesson you taught?

We had a sweet lesson with a man named Eric. We taught him out of the Book of Mormon and showed him how he can receive answers from Heavenly Father.

Question from Dad:

Q. How many missionaries in you district? Sisters? Elders?  Where are they from?

We have six elders in the district. One from Australia, Alaska, Nigeria, Utah, and Malawi. We are currently short one elder.