Transfers!

 A Christmas package just arrived from Ghana.  Bryan had Kente cloth woven for his parents and each sibling.

 The package - with many stamps.  I don't know how much this cost, but it costs me $33 to send a package this size to Ghana.

Close-up of the stamps.  Soccer, or football, is the national passion!!

Hello family and friends!

I am sorry this is coming a day late. Yesterday we couldn't make it to the internet cafe due to transfers. I will have to keep this email short. We had a great week! We met with Brother Ofori again and learned that he had read another five chapters of the Book of Mormon. Not only had he read, but he said that he feels like the book is true! So we invited him to be baptized which kinda seemed to throw him off. He said he will continue reading and praying. I have great hope for him. Now we just need to get him to come to church! 

On Saturday we had a baptism! Collins entered the waters. He is a great 20 year old who has been learning from missionaries for about 9 months now. He was sooo happy to finally be baptized. We had a lovely service for him and then on Sunday he was confirmed in church. I am excited for him. 

Sunday was Elder Howard's last day in the area. My companion is leaving me. Sunday night we had about 8 missionaries in our apartment preparing for the transfer. I made them all fried rice and brownies as Elder Howard's last supper in Kpong. I will miss Elder Howard with all of his jokes and his big smile. On Monday I got my new companion. His name is Elder Winborg. He is from Alaska. He is an awesome missionary and we are going to rock it together here in Kpong! 

That is all I have time for. I love you all so much. Thanks for all you do! And a shout out to Logan and his bride and to Kirsten and her husband to be. I hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Elder Radmall

Weaving kente cloth in Ghana.  Photos from the internet.

Questions from Mom:

Q. Do you see crocodiles in Kpong?  Did you see them in Juapong?

Nope and nope. I haven't seen any in Ghana sadly. 

Q. What wildlife do you find interesting besides baboons?

There are big old lizards climbing over everything. Every once in a while I see a thick line of giant army ants marching along. Those things scare me. 

Q. Funniest moment of the week?

While teaching a lesson I tried to use an analogy that involved someone sick needing medicine at a pharmacy. I asked "If the person doesn't know where the pharmacy is, can they get their medicine?" Well, our investigator started on a long tangent about how the person should go to church and pray and then have there pastor command the sickness to leave them. Not quite the desired effect, but at least she has faith in prayer! 

Questions from TeriAnn:

Q. Now that you have been in Ghana 1.5 years, how often do you still eat new/interesting things?

I feel like I have eaten almost everything you can find in Ghana. Although I still need to try cat and dog. I hear they are good. 

Q. What was your favorite thing you did last week?

My favorite thing I did was actually finding people to teach. It is pretty fun to go around meeting the people of Ghana. Often they will be cooking or cleaning and you can just start up a conversation with them. Ghanaians are so easy to talk to. I love getting to mingle with them. 

Q. What did you do for P-Day today?

I waited around the apartment for about 6 hours waiting for missionaries to show up. Not the funnest P-day, but now the transfer is over with! 

Our bishop has all of the missionaries in our ward send a letter home to be read during the Christmas season. Here is Elder Radmall's letter to the Stonewood 4th ward:

Dear Bishop Smithee,

Thank you for the kind and thoughtful letter. It is always refreshing to hear from my beloved Stonewood 4th Ward. A couple of days ago, I received an envelope full of kind and thoughtful messages from the ward. It made my day. 

I am grateful for the opportunity to share just a few thoughts on the Savior. Christmas in Ghana is very different from Christmas back home. There is no snow and very few decorations. And yet the joy of the Christmas season can be felt just as strongly as anywhere else. Although many of the material things I have always associated with the holidays are not to be found, the true Spirit of Christmas is alive and well. The people of Ghana seem to realize that there is much more to Christmas than the exchanging of boxes and toys. For them it is all about that babe born in a manger.

The people of Ghana face many challenges in their lives. Many suffer from severe poverty or from diseases they are not able to properly treat. Some have little food to eat and others even go without a roof over their heads. And yet, despite their meager circumstances, these people give with all of their hearts. They share what little they have. They smile and they laugh together. They praise God and give Him thanks. They remember that it is all about the Savior. He Himself was born in humble circumstances, and yet He has given us more than anyone. 

I am so grateful for the chance to be in His service at this time of the year. I have seen Him turn hearts and change lives. I have seen Him heal wounds and lift the weary. I have seen Him bring hope and joy to all who are willing to receive Him. There is no sin, no sorrow, no pain or heartache that He cannot fix. He is God's greatest gift to each of us. My only hope this Christmas is to give back to Him in any way that I can. To each of us who has received the gift of the Savior, it is our opportunity to share that gift with all around us. 

I love my Savior and I know that He lives. He is the light of my life. A light that shines through any darkness. I love and miss everyone in the ward. I am so grateful to all of them for their love and support. I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas filled with the light of Christ. You are always in my prayers. 

Love,

Elder Radmall