Mangos and Good Fruits

Hello Family and Friends!

I hope your week was great. This week was awesome. Mangoes are in season and I am eating them like they are about to go extinct. So good. This week has flown by. Elder Scott and I have been biking, walking, laughing, and teaching our way through the days. 

This week we were blessed to go on two exchanges. On Thursday the AP's joined us in our area. That meant we got to proselyte with a car! Score! Their names are Elder George and Elder Bailey. Elder George is from Zimbabwe and Elder Bailey is from good ol' Utah. We had a great day teaching and meeting new people. They are amazing missionaries and I learned a lot from working with them. On Friday I went on an exchange with Elder Anderson in our area. Elder Anderson was in the MTC with me. He is kind of from America, kind of from Japan, and kind of from Germany. He is an awesome guy. Very friendly and kind to everyone he meets. 

Right now we are focusing on finding new people to teach. A lot of the people Elder Beck and I were teaching have started to drift off. Hopefully this week will bring some good fruits. 

Yesterday we found scorpion number 4 in the apartment. This one was very tiny. Yesterday Bro. and Sis. Watson (members in our ward who used to live in London) invited us over for lunch after church. Sis. Watson is an amazing cook and made some amazing chicken with rice. Then they gave us ice cream with pineapple and chocolate sauce. They are too kind! We have a wonderful ward full of members that love to feed us. Sweet is the work! 

I love you all and I am praying for you. I hope you all have an outstanding week. Thanks for all of your love and prayers. 

Love,

Elder Radmall

Questions from TeriAnn:

Q. What has been your greatest struggle in Africa that you have overcome?

I think my biggest struggle was adjusting to a culture and lifestyle that is so different from what I had always known. 

Q. What has been your greatest triumph while in Africa?

My greatest triumph has been killing a goat. 

Q. What has been the greatest kindness you have received in Africa?

I could never say. I have received far too many to ever choose one that is the greatest. One memory that I hold very dear is of a time when an elderly member living in a tiny metal shack insisted upon sharing him and his daughter's dinner with us. It was a simple meal, but one I will never forget. 

Questions from Momma:

Q. Are you bike missionaries right now?  How often do you ride trotros?

We sure are! We still ride trotros several times a week to get around the zone. 

Q. What is one surprising thing you have not ever told us about Ghana?

I think I have told you about everything that has surprised me. 

Q. What is your favorite thing about church in Ghana that is different that America?

When someone says good morning everyone else responds. 

Q. Who can we pray for this week?  (Still praying for Sister Doris and Sister Vicential.)

This week you can pray for a little boy who was involved in a serious accident in our area. I don't know his name, but any prayers on his behalf would be appreciated. 

Q. Tell us two things about Elder Scott.

He played football in high school and he was the student body president. He also has two older brothers and an older sister. 

Q. Is there a meeting that will replace zone conference??  Will the districts continue to meet?
Nope. District meetings will continue to be held weekly. 

A note from Bryan's former companion, Elder Kallon from Sierra Leone:

Hello how is life and the Family doing? hope is good, My greeting to the family. 

Saturday & Sunday was our multi- Stake Conference and I was lucky to attended the two days it was so so nice to meet with our Area authority I feel good when I see my Area President going round with the wife an shake the hands of people.and it was so good when our Mission President ask us to come with all our Investigators to have an hand shake with him.

The conference was so nice that I will like to shear want I learn with My beloved Family which is the Radmall Family.

On the first day the Tema Stake President talk about TIME,He show how important time is to our life and even to the plan of Salvation,it help us to know that if we use time wisely it can help us to add value to our life and even the Church. 

He also talk about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, which he say that Jesus came and die for us is not only for the love he have for the Father but for Us.

Also I love what the second speaker spoke about she talk about Family, that our family does not only start on earth, but we belong to God Family before we were born on this earth, and that God Give us family so that we can learn and grow so we can live with him again, she also tlak about Faith that we can incress our faith by three things which are 1 Prayer, 2 studying the Scripture, 3 Temple Worship.

The third speaker who is Elder Egbo the new Area seventy also spoke about faith, which he use the first book in the Book Of Mormon which is 1 Nephi 1&2, help us to know the type of faith Lehi have in God for him to live all his property and go to the wildness. Sunday the talk that I love so so much is the one by Elder Egbo that thet thing that make us difference than other churches is Holy Ghost. 

There were 1600 people at the multi stake conference, where a new stake was created. (Photo taken from the Pace's blog.)

Elder Egbo was called as a new area authority seventy at April conference.  He is from Nungua, one of Bryan's former areas, and Bryan ate at his home several times.  

Elder I. Raymond Egbo, Area Seventy

I. Raymond Egbo, 42, Accra, Ghana; area director, Church Educational System; former stake young single adult adviser, counselor in a district presidency, counselor in a mission presidency, mission president, and counselor in a stake presidency; married Comfort Ikip Ese, two children.

He is Risen!

Hello Family and Friends! 

I hope you all had a great Easter. Most of the internet cafes were closed yesterday for Easter Monday. I only have a few minutes today, so I will try to quickly talk about the highlights of our week. Elder Scott is great. We are already the best of friends. We laugh and joke all day long as we go about our work. It sure makes the time fly by. I will try to send a picture of him next week. 

On Tuesday we had a zone training meeting. It was great to meet with the whole zone and to learn together how we can better serve the Lord. We have a lot of awesome missionaries in our zone. This week we got four brand new missionaries in our zone. One of them is from the Philippines! The next day we received a text from President Heid that missionaries throughout the world will no longer hold zone training meetings. I am actually okay with that. That will be a big burden off of Elder Scott and I's shoulders. 

Easter Sunday happened to be our branch conference. The stake president came and announced that our branch received approval from Salt Lake to become a ward. We are now the Danfa Ward. The members were very excited about that news. The ward choir sang a lot of beautiful pieces, including some Easter music. 

The last and perhaps most important thing I have to share with you is my testimony of the Savior. I know that he lived over two thousand years ago. I know that He lived a life with no sin. He willingly gave all for us. I know that He humbly knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane and took our sins, afflictions, and sorrows upon Himself. He was nailed upon a cross where He willingly poured out His soul unto death for us. And I know that on the third day He did rise. He lives and because He lives we too shall all live again. I love my Redeemer. 

Love you all. Thanks for your support and prayers. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Radmall

Elder Beck - Bryan's last companion, with his mom.   He came home a week ago and we were able to hear him speak in Lehi last Sunday.

President Heid, Bryan's awesome mission president getting food from the kitchen for missionaries.

Traveling in Ghana.

Elder Glen Pace wrote a book about the church in Africa called "Safe Journey".  That is a common phrase that people say to each other before a journey because travel both in Ghana and to other African countries is dangerous.  (By the way - I highly recommend this book - an amazing story of the church in Africa and getting the Ghana temple built.  There is a kindle version available on Amazon.)

Called of God

Hello Fam-bam and Friends!

I hope your week was amazing. The last seven days just flew by! I can't believe I am writing to you again. This was Elder Beck's last week in Ghana. This morning I dropped him off at the mission home and picked up my new companion. Tomorrow he will land back in the US. I will miss having him as my companion. We became very good friends in our six weeks together and I have learned a lot from him. We have a lot of plans in place to play video games together when I get home. My new companion is Elder Scott. He is from Idaho, the land of spuds. He is super funny and kind. He has three older siblings and did wrestling and football in high school. It looks like the Lord has blessed me with yet another great companion. 

This week a lot of our time was spent going around for Elder Beck to say his goodbyes. That meant we saw lots of members and investigators. On Thursday we had a meeting at the mission home. It was great to hear from President and Sister Heid and to learn from their teachings. If those two aren't called of God, then I don't know who is. President Heid taught us about the difference between administering (dealing in more temporal affairs) and ministering (dealing in the spiritual side of things) and how these two are related. Then we got to eat pizza. Lots and lots of pizza. 

We were able to meet with Sister Doris again this week. She has been working with our branch president to try and work out a way that her and her fiance can get married as soon as possible. She is such a wonderful woman. Despite her difficult and unusual circumstances her testimony of the restored Gospel remains strong. She has no doubt in her mind that the church is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. She knows that she will be baptized one day and she looks forward to that day with hope. That is what true conversion is all about. When we are converted our testimony will stand through the trials of mortality. We will not doubt despite Satan's attempts to make us do so. We will be like the people of Ammon who "never did fall away." I am so grateful to be blessed with the Gospel and for the hope and joy it brings me. I hope you all have a great week. Thanks for your prayers and support. 

Love,

Elder Radmall

Questions from Kurt:

Q. What scripture has been most impactful to one of the investigators lately?

I think Alma 7:11. We were teaching a sister that Christ has suffered all of her pains and afflictions and that He can succor her in her times of need. 

Q. When was the last time you upchucked the boogie?

Haha the one and only time I have thrown up on my mission was actually two weeks ago. I must have eaten something bad because I was up all night puking in the toilet. It was not a pretty sight. But with some prayers and a little nap the next day I was better and we were able to go out and see our people. 

Q. What has been the most challenging but rewarding part of your mission of late?

I think the most challenging part has been seeing the suffering and hardships the people of Ghana face. There is so much poverty and sickness. But the most rewarding part has been offering those who are struggling hope through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Questions from Mom:

Q. Have you been given a release date or any travel information?

My flight will leave on June 12 at 10:05 pm. We will be going through Amsterdam again. I am not sure what time I will arrive in SLC. 

Q. Is Sister Doris boyfriend interested in the gospel?  Has he had the discussions?

Yes. He is interested and we are trying to teach him along with Doris. The only problem is finding a time when he is around. He is a busy man. He understands the importance of the Gospel and he is very eager for Sister Doris to be baptized. 

Q. Funniest moment of the week?

We have a member in our branch who works at the distribution center by the temple. Last night we were invited to her home for dinner. She told us some funny stories from working there. She said that one time thieves broke into their warehouse and ended up stealing a bunch of women's garments. A few months passed by and they started to forget about the whole thing. Then one day as her boss was driving to work he found a man selling a bunch of interesting looking, colorful dresses.  Upon further inspection he realized that it was the missing garments. The thieves didn't know what to do with them, so they died them and sewed them into dresses! I probably shouldn't find that funny, but I got a good laugh out of it. 

Q. Most spiritual moment of the week?

I think my most spiritual moment of the week was yesterday as we sang our sacrament hymn. We sang "I Stand All Amazed" and I really thought about the words as we sang. "I tremble to think that for me He was crucified, that for me a sinner He suffered, He bled and died." How very humbling to think of all that He gave for a weak and simple sinner like me. 

Q. Who can we pray for this week?
This week I would be grateful for on prayers on behalf of a less active member named Vicential. She is going through some serious challenges with her husband and children and she needs some help finding hope. 

In the Service of Our Fellow Beings

 P-day hike last week.

Making coffee cake at a member's home.

Dear Family and Friends

I hope that you have all had a splendid week! This week the Lord put us to work. It was awesome! 

Over the last few weeks I have been praying for the Lord to help us find opportunities to serve our brothers and sisters.  This week, He answered those prayers.  We have a wonderful sister in our branch who has been a member of the church for just over a year.  She has a great family and she sacrifices so much to take care of them.  One of her children is severely crippled meaning that much of her time has to be spent caring for him.  She asked us if we could help her build a small kiosk by her home so that she could sell foodstuff while looking after her family.  On Wednesday we rallied a group of elders together and went to work.  Building a small kiosk out of scrap proved to be more of a challenge than we had originally anticipated, but with a lot of nails, sweat, and hard work we did it.  The spirit of service was definitely with us and I felt delighted to know that God had made us instruments in His hands to do some good in the world. 

On Saturday we were blessed with yet another opportunity to do some service. Our Relief Society President wants to lay cement around her entire house. We were invited to join the Elder's Quorum in filling the area with dirt before laying the cement. The EQ President and one other person turned up. I guess it was a good thing we went! We spent about 4 hours shoveling dirt into wheelbarrows and moving it to the house. I think I drank over 6 liters of water that day, and I probably sweat even more than that. I also have a really nice tan line. It is so humbling to think that the Savior gave His entire life to serving others including myself. How grateful I am for Him and His example.

General Conference was awesome! We went to our stake center on Sunday to watch a recording of the Saturday afternoon and Priesthood sessions. I loved all of the talks and learned something from each of them. Hearing President Monson was especially powerful for me. As he spoke about charity and loving others I thought of how he has done that his entire life. He is the perfect example of Christlike service and love. The Spirit testified to me that he is indeed God's living prophet. I look forward to reading the rest of the talks as they are made available. Another awesome moment from conference was in the Priesthood session when they announced who was directing the choir! At first I couldn't believe my ears. It was Mr. Taylor, my choir teacher. I felt like I was back in high school watching him lead the music. After conference we were invited to a members house to eat my favorite food. Rice balls and groundnut soup! It was a great Sabbath day. 

I am so grateful to be a full time missionary in the beautiful land of Ghana. My time is quickly running out. I am excited to come home to family and friends, but a part of my heart will always remain with the people here. I am eternally grateful for my family and for the joy and gladness they bring to my life. I am grateful that because of the Savior we can be together forever. I have a testimony that Jesus is the Christ. He lives and loves us all. His love is perfect and without bounds. No matter where we are or what we have done we are not beyond His reach. His arms are always outstretched, ready to receive any who will come unto Him. He offers healing and peace to all mankind. I love Him. Have a great week.

Love,

Elder Radmall

 The service team.

Moving dirt.

Questions from Mom:

Q. Have you seen any new scorpions??  I read about scorpions in Ghana and most of them are not lethal!!

No new scorpions! We only saw a small snake in our compound this week. ;)

Q. How is Elder Beck feeling about leaving?

He is excited to see his family, but sad to leave so many good people behind. I will miss the guy. This is his last week! 

Q. What was your most spiritual moment this week?

I guess just listening to God's servants speak. I felt that their words were meant for me and my needs. 

Q. Who is your favorite member of the branch and why?

I don't think I have a favorite. There are too many good people here to pick a favorite. But Sister Josephine is pretty awesome. She is a sister who is married to a man from England. He served his mission here and then came back and married her in the Ghana temple. He works in the UK so he isn't around all that much. Josephine is just funny and kind. She is also a very good cook! 

Q. How is your back??

My back is great. A little sore from shoveling dirt, but otherwise fine. 

Q. Who can we pray for this week?

This week I would appreciate prayers on behalf of Sister Doris and her fiance. She is one of our investigators who desperately wants to be baptized, but her parents don't want her to marry the man she is living with. This week we sat down with her and her fiance and they are going to approach her parents again with the help of our branch president. 

 The finished kiosk.

Sister Antoinette with Elder Beck and Elder Radmall