Dear family,
This week has been a really good week again. Since I have been mostly telling about experiences the past few weeks this week I think I will catch everyone up to speed on what is going on currently in Asuom. Two
weeks ago we had a baptism for two of our investigators, Kofi Nti and Doris Ankumah. Kofi is like the best friend to one of our recent converts, Ebenezer. They both are leaving though to go to school in Kwabeng. Luckily there is a strong branch there that they will be able to attend. Doris is the sister to a former investigator that my companion used to teach. The former investigator continues to come to church but is very pregnant and will be giving birth pretty soon so
cannot be baptized. She brought her sister Doris to church and we have been teaching her and she decided to be baptized. This Sunday we baptized 3 more candidates. We baptized Sister Joyce. She is the mother of one lady we baptized in my first month here Adwoa Rose. She doesn’t speak a word of English so I didn’t help a lot with the
teaching. We baptized her son along with her. Very soon we’ll have baptized the whole household there. We’re hoping so. We also baptized one boy named Charles. He has probably been coming to church for over
two years and so no one knew that he wasn’t a member. That is one interesting thing that you will find in Ghana. The branches are very bad at baptizing 8 year olds. So many times us missionaries will go into the primaries and ask if any of them haven’t been baptized. Then we go to their parents in relief society and priesthood and schedule a
time to baptize them. This is a great strategy if we’re going to miss our monthly goal. J Well Charles is about 15 and has been continually coming but hadn’t been baptized. So we helped him to. When you serve a mission any where I’m sure you run into various rumors about the church. Here in Ghana they are rampant. There are some of the most ridiculous and outlandish rumors that haven’t a shred of truth to them. I strongly believe that it is an example of an
important truth that was restored. In the Book of Mormon, Lehi teaches us about opposition, and how there must be opposition in all things. In Ghana missionary work is very fruitful, likewise the opposition is strong. There is cultural opposition, sickness opposition, and at times out right physical and verbal opposition. For instance there is
a radio station in Asuom that just the other day was spewing hatred about the church, most of it due to ignorance and illiteracy. They often confuse Mormon and mammon. Since mammon is worshipping money and riches most take the course of saying that the church worships the devil and riches. It makes it even more difficult when they see how
beautiful the buildings are especially the temple in Accra. Well I’ve dealt with these concerns since day one in Ghana but this week something new has happened. I’ve had to deal not just with rumors about the church but now there is a rumor about me, being the sole abruni in Asuom. A few weeks ago we were at the Young Women’s President’s home. She was preparing banku for us so we went to eat. Here most people just live in a one room home so she cooks outside and we eat outside. So while we’re eating, there are always people passing that can see us. Well at this time my companion wasn’t feeling well so Rose, the YW president was eating Elder Boateng’s portion. Well someone passed and saw us eating together. Then the rumor spread that the Mormon Elders have girlfriends at Rose’s, and all that that entails. Our branch mission leader came and told us that he heard this rumor about us and was quite concerned about it all. At a time when we are doing so well and having such great success the opposition must come.
It is something that must come. Wonderfully we have the knowledge that it is through the Atonement that all can be made right. Even though the opposition is difficult as the Ghanaians say, “Nyame woma albeyeyee,” With God all things are possible. Or as the Prophet Joseph Smith said, “No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing;
persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say
the work is done.”
Love,
Elder Smith
This week has been a really good week again. Since I have been mostly telling about experiences the past few weeks this week I think I will catch everyone up to speed on what is going on currently in Asuom. Two
weeks ago we had a baptism for two of our investigators, Kofi Nti and Doris Ankumah. Kofi is like the best friend to one of our recent converts, Ebenezer. They both are leaving though to go to school in Kwabeng. Luckily there is a strong branch there that they will be able to attend. Doris is the sister to a former investigator that my companion used to teach. The former investigator continues to come to church but is very pregnant and will be giving birth pretty soon so
cannot be baptized. She brought her sister Doris to church and we have been teaching her and she decided to be baptized. This Sunday we baptized 3 more candidates. We baptized Sister Joyce. She is the mother of one lady we baptized in my first month here Adwoa Rose. She doesn’t speak a word of English so I didn’t help a lot with the
teaching. We baptized her son along with her. Very soon we’ll have baptized the whole household there. We’re hoping so. We also baptized one boy named Charles. He has probably been coming to church for over
two years and so no one knew that he wasn’t a member. That is one interesting thing that you will find in Ghana. The branches are very bad at baptizing 8 year olds. So many times us missionaries will go into the primaries and ask if any of them haven’t been baptized. Then we go to their parents in relief society and priesthood and schedule a
time to baptize them. This is a great strategy if we’re going to miss our monthly goal. J Well Charles is about 15 and has been continually coming but hadn’t been baptized. So we helped him to. When you serve a mission any where I’m sure you run into various rumors about the church. Here in Ghana they are rampant. There are some of the most ridiculous and outlandish rumors that haven’t a shred of truth to them. I strongly believe that it is an example of an
important truth that was restored. In the Book of Mormon, Lehi teaches us about opposition, and how there must be opposition in all things. In Ghana missionary work is very fruitful, likewise the opposition is strong. There is cultural opposition, sickness opposition, and at times out right physical and verbal opposition. For instance there is
a radio station in Asuom that just the other day was spewing hatred about the church, most of it due to ignorance and illiteracy. They often confuse Mormon and mammon. Since mammon is worshipping money and riches most take the course of saying that the church worships the devil and riches. It makes it even more difficult when they see how
beautiful the buildings are especially the temple in Accra. Well I’ve dealt with these concerns since day one in Ghana but this week something new has happened. I’ve had to deal not just with rumors about the church but now there is a rumor about me, being the sole abruni in Asuom. A few weeks ago we were at the Young Women’s President’s home. She was preparing banku for us so we went to eat. Here most people just live in a one room home so she cooks outside and we eat outside. So while we’re eating, there are always people passing that can see us. Well at this time my companion wasn’t feeling well so Rose, the YW president was eating Elder Boateng’s portion. Well someone passed and saw us eating together. Then the rumor spread that the Mormon Elders have girlfriends at Rose’s, and all that that entails. Our branch mission leader came and told us that he heard this rumor about us and was quite concerned about it all. At a time when we are doing so well and having such great success the opposition must come.
It is something that must come. Wonderfully we have the knowledge that it is through the Atonement that all can be made right. Even though the opposition is difficult as the Ghanaians say, “Nyame woma albeyeyee,” With God all things are possible. Or as the Prophet Joseph Smith said, “No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing;
persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say
the work is done.”
Love,
Elder Smith
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