Powerful Week

This was a supremely powerful week. I realize that I have said that this Sunday was the best I have ever had. I can't say this one was the best, but it had a few awesome qualities.

Missionaries

This coming Saturday will be the first baptism for the Dunkwa group! It will only be 7 this time but 7 powerful and ready people. Before we came up, we heard that there were people lining up to be baptized and that we would have a baptism the first week. Well.... not exactly like that. But we have found success nonetheless. This week, Rita, the wife of the 7 year member who we found one day proselyting. Inchiwa and two kids. One of her kids was baptized already and the mom is following along. Joel, a brother of a member who I got to interview. So So powerful. He will go on a mission next year for sure. Foster and Caleb, two more mission age young men. Caleb we found by his grandmother coming to us and telling us to make him be like us. He will go on mission next year as well. 

Pine trees don't grow in Ghana.
But, we found this tree someone
had cut down and thrown away!
Early Christmas!

We have kept up our goal of weeding every week. Friday, we told Inchiwa jokingly that we would come and weed for them.... They didn't think we were serious. We came early Saturday morning, weeded and left. Didn't even greet them or anything. Later in the day they asked if we came and weeded, we pretended like we didn't know anything. AKA the Secret Service.

I love when the spirit is in teaching. When people truly understand what we are teaching. When we invited Rita that if the Spirit witnesses to you that this is true be baptized a few weeks ago she said "YES! Finally! Been waiting for you to ask" We are teaching a guy named Simon, who has been looking for the true church. "YES!" A SWEET family, Ben and Lydia and children. "YES! of course" and then Another awesome guy, Solomon, who quit his job so that he would be nearer to family, "YES!" Needless to say. Between the two companionships there was 20 investigators at church on Sunday.

A MASSIVE fufu that made me full for days.

Like I said, this Sunday was very interesting. It is always an interesting thing when there are more investigators than members at church. Not small small kids either. Big time adults. Friday night we got the call that this Sunday was District Conference. AND NO ONE THOUGHT TO TELL THE 50 MEMBERS UP IN DUNKWA EARLIER. It was really disappointing that there was such poor planing. This would have been the last time I could ever see my past companion, Elder Larsen again and I would have gotten to see everyone in the whole Nyinase branch. Can't be too mad about bad communication since I am in a country that still cuts grass with a knife and pounds their food with a stick and some live in mud huts. But still... Don't forget us :(

Because of this, our group leader had to go down on short notice to Praso leaving no one but... me to preside for church. 

Then I taught Primary.

We explored a bamboo forest and built a bridge

The Bamboo Bridge

iPad Missionaries

We have heard some rumors that in some places in the world, missionaries are using iPads. And guess what!!... Nope.. we are not getting iPads in Africa. People already see us thinking we are walking money bags. Holding 1000 cedi machines in our hands would not be good. But this week, we were teaching our sweet part member family, Eric and Rita. A few weeks ago, were walking round and Rita shouts out, "is the church here?" And if you are opening an area, and someone says that. Happy day. We talk to her and find out here husband is a long time church member and she has wanted to join but it hasn't been there. And well,  her baptism is next week. We wanted to teach some Book of Mormon stories, and the best way I like to is by pictures. But that day mine dey for house. We start teaching and Eric was on his iPhone 5 and his iPad mini (which I have never seen in Ghana before, Eric is a Gold company owner) and we asked to use it. Using a certain "LDS Art" app. We taught the full story of the Book of Mormon in full digital simplicity. To any of you on mission with iPads... shut up. It was a big deal to me.

This week, the Spirit led us to a man named Obeng who schooled in England, worked in Zimbabwe and South Africa, visited America and all of Europe. He spoke perfect English and was very intelligent. We were having a great gospel conversation with him and he turned up not very interested. I tried to do as they said in General Conference and imagine the potential. We looked like a Stake President to me. Didn't know if we would really meet him again.

We are teaching a guy named Prince. We have taught him quite alot and the Spirit has witnessed to him the truthfulness of the Gospel. The problem is in the trial the Lord has given him, he has a disease that has swollen up the right side of his neck and his left eye. It is not a nice sight. He said as soon as he is healed he will be baptized.  We will teach him the truths and let him have a testimony of the Restored Priesthood and I have the faith that he can be healed.

We also felt guided to meet a woman named Martha in the Internet cafe last week. She seemed quite interested and we set a time to meet her. Friday we called her and found her house, went in, sat down and proceeded to have one of the worst lessons I have ever had. She was not interested in any gospel principal we brought forward. Restoration, no. Plan of Salvation, no. Gospel, no. Forever families, no. Prayer, no. Now seriously, Heavenly Father, what led you to tell us to come here and waste our time. This is what I was thinking as we were closing the lesson and gave her the 'you call us, we won't call you.' And then there he was, Obeng. The future Stake President. In the house, his house. Was it by chance that we would meet the husband AND the wife separately this week. I don't believe in coincidences.

Today marks 18 months on mission. Time flys.

Elder Riehle

One Poll!!!

In Ghana, they measure land by 'Poll" They stick a poll in the ground and make a 16 foot radius. So they measure their farms by Polls. Usually they are only 2 or 3 polls big. In Nyenasi, we would would weed aloooot. So my name is One Poll. Meaning I can weed one Poll. This week we found a member with a farm and we weeded allllllll of it. About 1 and a half polls.The whole time they yell out "One Poll!" I say "yeahh!!!" "One Poll!" "Yeah!" You get the idea.

We have found so more sweet people this week and we are working hard to get them ready by the end of this month. So many people have been prepared for the longest time but did not know where to find the truth. 

Who ever said yo could not celebrate Halloween in a country where people have no idea what it is. We bought a little bit of toffee each and went to a member who worked in the US embassy in Nigeria and celebrated! Jack-O-Watermelons really work well.

This Sunday was a crazy ride. Saturday night we find out that our Group leader would not be at church, and after asking our President about the line of authority in a group, I was told that... I ... would be presiding. We were watching general conference the next day but still i had to call anyone and everyone. It was stressfull and a lot of work. They called me President Riehle again but I am hoping that call doesnt come for a looong time. 

I did get to see two talks in English though. The most General conference I have seen in my language all mission. Perks of Presiding I guess.

We are doing work here. Teaching teaching and finding. 

We have gotten our first set of restrictions for the Ebolla break out. We can not give blessings to people other than missionaries, we can greet and eat for now. It will just depend how everything goes.Ghana is great! Right in the middle of the mess and no problem! 

Love you all

Elder Riehle