Back to the Bush: Baboons and Naked People

 Sister Bernice (a recent convert) and Sister Howard (Bryan's Ghana Grandma)

Hello everybody!

I hope you all had a wonderful week! Mine was insane. On Wednesday I receive a call from our zone leaders informing me that I was being transferred! They have finally kicked me out of Nungua. My former companion, Elder Fuller, is going to be training. Yay for him! He will do great. I'll miss that guy.

We continued working the rest of the week and I started saying goodbyes. Sweet Moses, I am going to miss Nungua! It has been such a great area. I have so grown to love all of the people there, especially the members of our ward. They have been wonderful to me and I can never fully express my thanks to them. Sunday was hard as I bore testimony for the last time in the Nungua second ward. 

From there I picked up my luggage and went to meet my new companion. His name is Elder Palmer. He is from Cache Valley. He is awesome. He came out one transfer after me. He is very tall and very smart. 

And my new area is... Juapong (dwa-pong)! I am in the bush! That means mountains, rivers, lots of green, and naked people. I am actually really excited about it (except the naked people). As we were driving here there were some baboons casually crossing the road. You know, just normal stuff. One was a mother with a baby on her back. Pretty cool. Our apartment is perhaps the nicest I have seen in our mission so far. I will send some pictures of it as soon as I can. The only problem is we currently have no running water... Aw man! 

Well that is all I have time for this week. I will get you more details next week. I love you all. Thanks for all you do. God is in the details. He knows us and our needs. Have a blessed week.

 Final Day in Nungua - Elder Fuller on Bryan's right, Elder Kallon on his left.

Questions from Mom:

Q. What new word in twi would you like to share?

Now I have to learn a new language! Ewe. I will share some next week.

Q. What was your most spiritual experience this week?

Bearing testimony in church was pretty spiritual for me. As I spoke of the Savior's atonement the Spirit confirmed to me that through Him all wounds can be healed.

Q. Tell us something about your bishop…

My last one just welcomed his first child into the world! My new branch president is funny and chubby. 

Q. What is a Ghana tradition you have not told us?

They wear some very long and very expensive cloth whenever there is a funeral. They have a cool way that they wrap it around themselves and drape it over their shoulder.

Q. How are the elections in Ghana coming along?

There are posters everywhere and trucks driving down the road blasting advertisements. Nothing too unusual.

Q. What was your funniest experience this week?

I bought five liters of ice cream before leaving Nungua. We ate until we were drunk off of ice cream. It was hilarious. 

 

Questions from Kurt:

Q. Who cuts your hair? How much does it cost, and how often do you do it?

I just go to any barber I can find. They don't know how to cut my white man hair, but they try! It costs about the equivalent of one dollar. I get it cut maybe once a month.

Q. How do you keep bugs out of your food?

Sometimes you don't. Protein is important though, right? Just kidding mom. We usually try to keep it in an air tight container or I just store it in the fridge. The bugs don't usually go in there.

Q. What's a place you pass every day or a person you see all the time that will represent that area to you when you leave?

Q. In Nungua the chapel came to symbolize the area to me. We did so much there with weekly meetings, cleaning, teaching people, parties, and baptisms. 

Questions from TeriAnn:

Q. If you were here, what would you be for Halloween?

Probably Batman.

Q. What is your favorite Halloween movie? 

The Adams Family! And The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.

Q. Do kids in Ghana ever get dressed up in costumes or something like it? 

Not really. :(

Q. Have you met any new people who are instant favorites in your new area? 

Yes! There is a member named Michael who owns a small chop bar close to us. He is very funny and makes good food. 

Act Like An African, Eat Like a Tongan

 The Pig
 (The pig cost $50.  Everyone helped pay.  Bryan says the pig was really good- but he thinks roasted goat is better.)

Roasted!

Hello dear fam bam and friends!

It's been another superb week in the beautiful land of Ghana! Actually, I haven't had a bad week yet on my mission. I have had some very hard ones, but no bad ones. Anyways, this week Elder Fuller and I were able to make some good progress in our area. It still has a ways to go, but we are moving in the right direction. We have one investigator named Rosemond. She is an older woman who works with her daughters. They grind corn into powder that is used to make banku. The first time we met Sister Rosemond she opened up to us that she has a problem with drinking and she wants to stop. We have been praying and fasting for her and I think she is making good progress. She loves our teachings and she has a wonderful heart. We have another investigator named Joshua who recently moved to Nungua from Kumasi. He is reading the Book of Mormon and really wants to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. Yesterday he came to church! I have high hopes for him. I just love the people of Ghana! I am so blessed to be able to serve among them. 

Almost every night last week our ward had practices for a big stake cultural festival that is held each year. We sang songs in a local dialiect (Ewe) and acted out one of the tribal festivals of Ghana. I got to dress up as an African warrior and shout in a language that I don't understand! it was awesome!! I was one of two whites who performed in the whole stake. Brownie points for me. 

Today I had another awesome cultural experience. Today our zone got together for an activity. We bought a pig which we killed and roasted over a fire. Most of the credit goes to the Polynesians in our mission. It was very cool to watch and delicious to eat! 

That is about all for this week. Being a missionary is awesome. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for all that He has given me. I am grateful for the trials and challenges He allows me to learn from. I am grateful for the family and friends He has given me to support me in all things. I am grateful for the tender mercies He sends each and every day. And above all I am grateful for my Savior whom Heavenly Father sent to give us hope. I love you all. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Radmall

 Elder Fuller and Elder Radmall dressed as warriors for the stake cultural celebration.

On stage at the cultural celebration.

Questions from Kurt:

Q. Do they eat many desserts in Ghana?

Not at all! 

Q. What's been your favorite?

Some of the wealthier people like to serve fruit salad as a kind of dessert after dinner. That's pretty nice. 

Q. What does your companion want to be when he grows up?

Captain America of course!

Questions from Mom:

Q. Besides praying for Sister Augustina, is there any way we can help her family? 

Nothing much. I bought them some foodstuffs the other day. 

Q. What did you learn about Elder Fuller this week?

He LOVES the Avengers. 

Q. Have you spoken in sacrament meeting lately?

Nope. Thank heavens. 

Faith Through the Storm

Making Banku

Hello everybody!

This has been a bit of a long week, but it has been full of opportunities to grow and learn. The last couple of weeks a lot of our investigators have disappeared or been busy meaning we spent a lot of time trying to find new investigators both through our own efforts and through members. It didn't work too well and I started to get a little bit discouraged. Why wasn't Heavenly Father giving us people to teach the Gospel to. Then I had a clear thought come into my mind. "Perhaps this week God wants to teach you something." That hit me pretty hard and I can tell you that I did learn a lot throughout the week. 

Holy cow!! On Saturday night when we went to bed it was lightly raining. At midnight I woke up to a bright flash of light and a deafening crack of thunder. The rain was pounding on our roof. For the next fifteen minutes I experienced the most intense lightning and thunder I have ever witnessed in my life. I have always love lightning and thunder, but for once it actually scared me a bit. My heart was pounding as I lay in my bed. In my head I started singing "These are a few of my favorite things" from The Sound of Music. It didn't calm me down too much. Anyways, it got me thinking about one of my favorite scriptures. In Helaman 5:12 we learn that when we build ourselves upon the rock of our Redeemer we can prevail through any storm. No matter what comes our way we can feel certain that we will not fall if the Savior is our foundation. He is sure and unfailing. I have tested that truth many times in my life and have found it to be totally true. Within a few minutes of remembering that scripture I was sound asleep. 

Yesterday there was more heavy rain and even some flooding in parts of Accra. Last night we invited over all of the missionaries in Nungua and made fried rice and fried chicken for everyone. It was sooo delicious. 

That's all for today folks! I can't wait to talk to you again next Monday. God lives and loves you. So do I!

Love,

Elder Radmall 

Elder Fuller

Questions from Christie:

Q. What made you laugh this week?

Quoting crazy movies with my companion and Elder Fesolai. We especially love Nacho Libre. 

Q. What was your favorite scripture this week?

The beginning of Mark 2 where four people bring their friend, sick with palsy, to the Savior. When they can't get inside the building they decide to lower their friend through the roof. The part that stands out the most to me is when it tells us that Jesus, seeing THEIR faith, told the man his sins were forgiven and then proceeded to heal Him physically as well. Our faith has the power to change the lives of others.

Q. What type of meat do you eat most in Ghana?

Chicken!! In my current area they eat a lot of fish though. 

Q. Who can we pray for this week?

You can pray for Sister Augustina and her family. They were baptized at the beginning of this year. She just gave birth to a new child and her family has very little to live on. 

New Apartment

Questions from Mom:

Q. Did Kurt’s package arrive?

What?! It did not, but I will sure look forward to that. 

Q. Do you know the Pace’s?  (Dad found a blog of their mission to Ghana.)

http://stan-nancy.blogspot.com/

Yes. They are the office couple in the mission home right now. They are some very good people.

Q. How many senior couples are in your mission?

Right now it is just two couples. We had 4 couples when I first came. 

Q. Craziest thing you ate this week?

RED VELVET CAKE!!! One of the very wealthy members in Sakumono Ward invited us over for a birthday party and we ate some very good food. I was so surprised to see red velvet cake. It was sooo good.

Q. Best thing about your new ward?

It has some great energy. Most of the members are pretty young. I'm not sure if anyone in our bishopric has even reached 30 yet. 

Q. Favorite lesson this week?

This week Elder Fuller and I taught about the Atonement from Alma 7. It is a powerful chapter and I would encourage you to read it and reread it. We taught Bro. Joshua about all that Christ has done for us, and what he asks in return. He pleads with us to have faith, repent, and follow His example. That's pretty small compared to what He was willing to do for us.

Q. Funniest moment of the week?

When I kept falling asleep on a trotro and hitting my face on the seat in front of me. Some people were giving me funny looks, especially Elder Fuller. Haha

Q. What spiritual prompting did you receive this week?

This week I felt a strong impression of the need I have to be more humble. I have started letting pride creep into my mind and I need to kick it out. 

Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice

Bryan's new companion, Elder Fuller, on the left, getting a package from home.

Hello Family and Friends!

          Wow! I hope you all had a wonderful week and a great time listening to conference. I did! That's right, by God's sweet mercy I got to watch part of conference! My first time in a year and a half to listen to the prophet... in English at least. Sunday morning we went to the stake center to watch a recording of the priesthood session. After that at four we were blessed to be able to watch the Sunday morning session of conference live. I can't express just how much I loved it. As a kid I usually looked forward to conference because of the brunch we would have on Sunday morning. While that is still a very necessary part of conference (I made us all pancakes to eat on Sunday), I have started to better appreciate the spiritual feast that is available as we listen to the Lord's appointed servants. All of the talks I heard were wonderful and I heard exactly what I needed to. Among my favorites were President Monson's talk on the Plan of Salvation followed by President Nelson's talk on joy. The two work perfectly hand in hand. The whole purpose of God's plan for us is that we might have joy. Sometimes I think we lose sight of that. I know I do. I forget that behind all of the commandments, the callings and assignments, the ordinances we perform, and the trials and challenges we face there is one overarching purpose; that we might have joy. It is a beautiful concept to think about. 

          Missionary work is moving on, though a bit slowly for now. But this is the Lord's work and His will shall be done. We got some new investigators this week, including some more barbers. For some reason we teach a lot of barbers. One of them had looked up everything he could about Mormons on the internet and had a giant list of questions to ask us. Most of what he read was very much untrue and random. One of the funniest questions he asked us was if we have super powers in the church. Apparently he read that we can jump really high. It was hard for me not to laugh after hearing that one. 

          Well, that's all for now folks! I hope that all of you have a wonderful week full of the joy of Christ. Thanks for being amazing and inspiring me to be better. I love and miss you all!

Love,

Elder Radmall

Questions from TeriAnn

Since you have been in Ghana:

Q. What has been the most challenging thing or experience?

Just adjusting to a new culture and way of life. There is no way to really understand life here without living it for yourself. 

Q. What has been the most rewarding thing or experience?

Being an instrument in the Lord's hands to help others become converted to the Gospel. It is such a sweet feeling to know that the Lord has used you to help one of His children.

Q. What has been your favorite lesson or experience?

My favorite lesson is one that I have learned from the people of Ghana. Despite great trials and challenges, despite adversity, poverty, difficult circumstances, the people of Ghana never let go of their faith in God. Rather they hold on to their faith even tighter. 

Q. What have you been changed by the most or how have you changed the most?

I think I have changed the most in the love I have for the people around me. I have gained a much deeper love for all of God's children.

Q. Who has been the person that has influenced you the most?

The Savior, without a doubt. From the moment I arrived here He has stood by me and shaped me to become what He wants me to be. I am still not there yet, but thankfully the Savior seems to have a lot of patience. 

Questions from Momma:

Q. What service have you given this week?

I haven't given enough service this week. I guess I helped Elder Fuller with some laundry and I made everyone pancakes to eat for general conference. 

Q. Who inspired you this week?

Elder Curtis inspired me in his talk about the Book of Mormon. I need to use the BoM more both in my own studies as well as in teaching. It has great power.

Q. Who can we pray for this week?

You can pray for the wonderful members of Nungua 2nd Ward.

Q. Were there any baptisms this week?

Sadly not. 

Q. Have you had a hot shower?  Do you even want one in Ghana?

No! It turns out our water heater is in fact not working. :(

Best Apartment Ever - Or So We Thought!

Bryan with his 8 roommates.  His new companion Elder Fuller is in front of President Heid.

Dear Family and Friends,

          How is it going?? We had yet another blessed week in the lovely country of Ghana. On Tuesday President and Sister Heid joined us for our district council and brought my new companion along with them. After district council We took my new companion, Elder Fuller, to the apartment to start getting settled in. While he was there President took myself and Elder Fesolai (Elder Kallon's new companion) to go and see our new apartment in Sakumono. It is so stinking big!! It is easily one of the biggest apartments in the mission. It also has a water heater!! We were so excited to move in. On Friday we did just that. We packed everything we needed and departed from the overcrowded 8 man apartment. We got ourselves all settled in and at first we were enjoying the new place. Then Sunday came. Our prepaid electricity ran out and they haven't gotten us a card yet to pay for more power. And when the power went out it also meant that our water stopped running. So we have been living off of water sachets purchased on the street! So much for the huge apartment with water heaters! It's not all that bad. Hopefully today we will have power again. 

          Elder Fuller is the best! I love him. He is one of the most humble, patient, kind, and loving people I have ever been blessed to meet. He comes from a family of four children and he is the second. He spent about a year living in Wyoming before coming out on his mission. He has been out for about seen months now. He was serving in the mission office before coming to join me in Nungua. I am way excited to work with him and to learn from him. 

          My time is up for today. I know that the church is true. God loves us. That is why He calls prophets in our days to lead us and to guide us. Joseph Smith was one of those prophets and through him the Gospel in its fullness was restored to the earth. Today we are blessed to have President Monson to lead us. If you have any doubts about these things I invite you to humble yourself before God and ask in prayer. Then listen for God to answer. Above all I know that Jesus is the Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. He lives and loves us all. Have a blessed week. Thanks for all that you do!

Love,

Elder Radmall

Questions from Mom:

Q. Is your new companion the only member in his immediate family?

For the time being yes. It was his grandfather that introduced him to the church.

Q. How does an African American feel about being in Ghana?

He loves it. He says he will stay here when his mission is over.

Q. How do the Ghanian people feel about an African American?

Haha they like to call him black American! They think he is very cool.

Q. Have you purchased a new camera?

...Nope. We have been a bit distracted this week, so I will keep looking.

Q.  Funniest moment of the week?

Driving around Sakumono with President and Sister Heid. They are a pretty funny couple to be around. Not nearly as funny as mom and dad though. 

Q. Most spiritual lesson this week?

We had a great FHE with a part-member family. We talked all about baptism and I think all of us were touched by the Spirit to know the importance of being born again.

Q. Favorite thing about your new companion?

He is just so humble and patient with his very imperfect companion.

Questions from Christie:

Q. What made you laugh this week?

We have a brother in our ward named Wisdom who loves to jokingly challenge everything. We have some pretty hilarious doctrinal arguments that leave us laughing pretty hard. 

Q. Who inspired you this week? 

In our district council President Heid talked to us all about being happy wherever the Lord asks us to be. He knows where we can grow and where we can touch others and help them to come unto Christ. That inspired me to always be happy with the opportunities God gives me to serve Him.

Q. Who made your week better and how?

Elder Fuller. He cooked fried chicken and ironed my shirt! 

Q. What was the best lesson you taught this week?

We contacted a woman named Carol along with her two daughters this week. At first as we entered their home she was pretty reluctant to hear our message. She is an evangelist for her own church, but the Spirit persuaded her to listen to us for a few minutes. We taught her about Christ's church and about Joseph Smith. Through the course of the lesson she softened and in the end she even asked us where our church is and when we worship. It was definitely a spirit driven lesson. 

Q. What was your favorite scripture this week?

Matthew 6. The Savior teaches so many beautiful lessons to help us become more like Him.

Q. Who can we pray for this week?

Prayers for Sister Selina would be great. She has had a few challenges pop up since she was baptized. 

Q. What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you this week?

It was pretty embarrassing when I dropped a big chunk of margarine on our kitchen floor. Whoops. 

Questions from Kurt and Felicity:

Q. How many ties do you have?

I think 11 or 12. 8 or 9 that are still usable.

Q. Are there hedgehogs where you live? Felicity read a book about some living in Africa.

Not that I have ever seen. I will keep my eyes open.

Q. Have you read any great talks lately?

I love Elder Holland's talk from last conference. It is a great reminder that we just need to keep doing our best and in His own time, the Lord will open the way for us to accomplish all things.

Questions From TeriAnn:

Q. How is the weather there right now?

Right now it is hot and sunny. We got a little bit of rain last week.

Q. What should I be for Halloween?

Definitely Edward Scissorhands.

Q. The Utes beat USC last weekend. How do you feel about that???

Super duper! My boys are making me proud.

Q. BYU lost last weekend. How do you feel about that???
I better not comment on that one. I think it's a sensitive subject. (But I'm not crying about it.)

New Companion, New Apostle and New Apartment

A rare dinner out with Elder Jones after moving.

Hello Family and Friends!

          I hope that all is going swell! This week was a pretty exciting one for us. On Tuesday we spent most of the day helping the other elders move everything from their apartment over to ours. Their old apartment has been through a lot including an attempted robbery and getting lit on fire. Elder and Sister Jones came with their truck to help us get everything from one building to the other. After we had finished the move they took us all out to lunch! We got to enjoy pizza, chicken, and ice cream!! It's not all too often that we get food like that. Our apartment is now a big mess of furniture, pots and pans, suitcases, bed mattresses, and much more. We are all enjoying ourselves too much. We all sit around telling stories and jokes pretty much every night. I am getting a feel for what college life will be like. 

          On Wednesday we all headed down to Accra for our devotional with Elder Gary E. Stevenson (Apostle!), Elder Soares (in the presidency of the Seventy), Elder Nash (in the Area Presidency), and Elder Vinson (Area President). That's right, we got not one, not two, not three, but four general authorities! It was a combined devotional with both the Accra and the Accra West Missions. It was awesome!!! There were some fantastic talks about repentance and obedience, but my favorite speakers were Elder Stevenson and his wife. His wife is one of the kindest and most sincere people I have ever met. She cried as she spoke about her love for missionaries and our devotion to the Lord. Elder Stevenson is very energetic! He was waving his arms all over as he talked and several times he walked down from the pulpit to get closer to the missionaries. He bore witness to us that we are exactly where the Lord wants us to be. After the meeting we got to shake all of their hands. Wow, those men are called of God!

          This week I got to proselyte with my new companion for the first time. His name is Elder Fuller and he is great! He is an African American from Maryland. He joined the church five years ago after his grandfather (who is a member) took him along one Sunday. He was in the office before coming here and he is very excited to be back in the field. He is patient, kind, and has a very sincere heart. I am way excited to be working with him. For the time being he is still living at the mission home. Every day he rides in a taxi to Nungua. This Friday we will get a new apartment in Sakumono and he will be able to move in. That means Friday will be a lot more moving. Yay. 

          That is about all for this week. I am so happy to hear that Baby Winston has arrived safely. He is adorable. After Christie's baby no more until I get home! Happy birthday to dad on Sunday! Thanks for being the best papa daddy in the world! I love you all lots and hope you have a splendiferous week.

Love,

Elder Radmall

Moving Day

Questions from Mom:

Q. Has Godsway been baptized?

Nope. He traveled and he still hasn't returned.

Q. How are lessons going with Hannah?  How was she raised Muslim when her mom is a Mormon?  Where is her dad?

She was living with her father who is Muslim until recently. Now she has moved in with her mother. She is still progressing and on track to be baptized sometime next month!

Q.  Favorite hymn this week?

I love hymn 66 (Rejoice, The Lord Is King).  I am learning it on the piano right now.

Q. Favorite story told by Elder Stevenson?

He shared a great story about a time when he was assigning missionaries to their missions. He was slightly unsure about where to place one missionary in particular, but in the end he felt he knew where to put them. That night after going to sleep Elder Stevenson woke up. As soon as he was awake two things came into his mind. The first was the name of the missionary he had been unsure about. The second was the name of a mission. Realizing that this was the Spirit speaking to him he wrote down the two names. In the morning as soon as he had woken up he called the missionary department and instructed them to change the assigned mission of that missionary. God knows exactly where He wants us to be.

Q. Most spiritual lesson this week?

We had one awesome lesson about the First Vision and the Restoration with Bro. Joshua. Joshua is a referral we received from a member of our bishopric and he is way cool. He already has a testimony about Joseph Smith and the fact that he was a prophet of God. Now he just needs to come to church to witness the fruits of Joseph Smith.

Q. What or who brought you joy this week?

There is an adorable and very chubby baby in our ward. Everyone calls him "obolo" which means fat in Twi. He is soooo chubby and cute. I smile every time I see him. I also made everyone dessert pancakes with mint ice cream and hot fudge. That was some serious happiness. 

Questions from TeriAnn:

Q. Who is your favorite missionary right now?

I love my new companion, Elder Fuller. He is just pure goodness. He is so sweet and eager to do what's right.

Q. Who is your favorite investigator?

We are teaching a woman we call Auntie Esther. Her daughter is a member in our ward. She is a firecracker and loves to challenge what we say. She comes to church, but says it is too boring and makes her fall asleep. She is sooo funny.

Q. What is the most beautiful place you have seen on your mission or in your area? 

Koforidua is definitely the prettiest place I have seen in Ghana. The mountains and forests are just breathtaking.

Sheltering the Homeless

Sorry this is coming a day late. The power went out yesterday while I was writing.

Dear Family and Friends,

          I hope that you are all doing great! My time today is limited, so I will try to keep it relatively short. We once again had a great week in the service of God! We were able to find some great new people to start teaching. One of them is named Hannah. Hannah comes from a part member family and her brother just started his mission (in Nigeria). She has been raised as a Muslim, but several months ago started living with her mom who is a member of the church. In our first lesson she told us that she wants to be baptized and to serve a mission like her brother... cool. I think we might be able to help her out with that.

          On Saturday Sister Selina entered the waters of baptism!! At first she was a little concerned and didn't understand why she needed to have an interview before being baptized, but as we explained the importance of being worthy for baptism her heart was softened and she was willing. Her baptismal service was lovely and well attended by members of the ward. We even made brownies to share afterwards. On Sunday Elder Kallon and I had the privilege of participating in her confirmation. 

          Due to our ward splitting to form Sakumono and Nungua 2nd Wards our proselyting area will also be splitting. Since Elder Kallon and I know both of the areas we are going to split up and each get a new companion. Elder Kallon will work in Sakumono while I take on Nungua 2nd Ward. My new companion is Elder Fuller. He is an African American from Maryland. I think I can still say that all of my companions have been African. He should arrive tomorrow. I will miss Elder Kallon, but not too much. We will still be staying in the same apartment.

          Speaking of apartments, ours is about to be in a serious crisis. Last week there were two of us living in our apartment. On Friday two of the elders from our district moved in. No problem. I can handle four people in an apartment. Tonight the other two elders from our district will be moving in (their previous apartment is being abandoned because the water isn't running, someone tried to burn it down, and it is right by a very loud church). Six people is a little bit too much for me to handle in our apartment. Then tomorrow Elder Kallon and I will be receiving our two new companion bringing us to a grand total of EIGHT hungry, messy, smelly, sweaty, and noisy elders in one apartment! Wow! How long will this last? Until they find us a new apartment in Sakumono. It will be an exciting week with many uncomfortable bonding experiences! Haha I can't wait!

          I love you all so much! I know that the Gospel is true. It has the power to transform anyone who will embrace. The Savior lives and loves us. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Radmall

Questions from Mom:

Q. How were your baptisms?  Did you have 3 yesterday as hoped?

We only ended up having one baptism, but it was a lovely service with a lot of people in attendance. 

Q. Did you get a new camera?

Nope. I still have a little hope for my camera.

Q. Did you make frosting?

Yes! We had banana bread with chocolate frosting. We took it for a FHE last Monday and it was a big hit!

Q. Have you found new investigators this week?

Yes. We have found some solid new investigators this week. I am hopeful for some of them to get baptized in the near future.

Q. Funniest moment of the week?

One of the funniest moments I had this week was looking through the pictures of everyone who has served in the quorum of the twelve apostles. There were some very unfortunate hairstyles and some very sweet beards/staches in the early days of the church.

Q. Most spiritual moment of the week?

In sacrament meeting as we sang hymn 2 (The Spirit of God) I was pretty overwhelmed by the spirit. It has been a while since I really thought about the words of that song. They are powerful. We live in a wonderful and exciting time!

Q. How have angels watched over you this week?

Angels have watched over me as I was weaving through traffic on my bike, trying not to lose my crazy companion! Don't worry mom, I had my helmet on.

Questions from Kurt:

Q. How are your bowel movements?

Not to bad. I haven't had diarrhea all weak! 

Q. What's been the best experience at church recently?

Yesterday we talked about the sacrament in the third hour (in both wards). I learned a lot about the significance the sacrament has to me. Although the bread and water alone cannot grant us salvation, they can grant us access to the atonement of Jesus Christ which can save us. I love getting to partake of the sacrament each week.

Q. What kinds of musical numbers or choir performances do the wards' have?

We are pretty blessed to have a great choir in Sakumono Ward. They take all of their songs from the hymn book and they do a great job and even sing in parts.

Q. When recently were you led by the Spirit to say or do something, or to go somewhere? What was the outcome?

On Friday President Heid asked us to give a blessing to a very concerned sister. She is about 8 months pregnant and having some complications with the pregnancy. The doctors are telling her they will have to induce labor. When I asked her if there were any specific blessings she was looking for, she responded that she just wanted to have a natural delivery. In the blessing I felt prompted not to promise her a natural delivery, but to make her aware that God knows her and loves her and that He has a plan for her and her family. I am not sure of the outcome, and I may never find out what happens, but I can say that God taught me a lesson that day.

Questions from TeriAnn:

Q. Any temple trips lately?

Nope. Sadly not.

How are your feet these days?

Q. They are just swell! One of my toes still looks pretty ugly from the surgery, but they don't hurt.

Q. How was church yesterday? How many people attended?

It was great and long! I was so lucky I got to take the sacrament twice. We had maybe 60-70 people in each ward.

Q. What was your favorite thing you ate this week?

This afternoon we went to prepare food with an investigator. I decided we should make fried rice. It was my first time making fried rice, but it turned out AMAZING!