Full of the Spirit. . . . and Food

It has been a big blessing to have been the first missionaries in a town that has been waiting to have the church in their town for many years. How else do members show appreciation to missionaries? Food. Lots and lots of Food. And it is not like in the VA, where they have a website scheduling months in advance. No, this is a, sit down, shut up, and chop or I won't talk to you again. Best thing to do is... just that. Endure. So, with that being said,  We have been fed forcibly everyday for the past 2 weeks with a record breaking 5 in one day. It is not really easy, brothers and sisters. With that being said.... I am on a fruit-only diet. 

This week had two very large events. The first, and American Thanksgiving and Second, the monumental first Baptism done by the correct authority in Dunkwa-on-Offin, Ghana. Life is good.

So for the first. There are some white mans I think I have mentioned who live near to us who are members from Utah. They are the big bosses of their Gold company and were not going to stay for the Thanksgiving. Something came up and they all had to stay. Lucky for them, their cook is a member who was trained to be a cook by americans. WOW. See real Thanksgiving. Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, string beans, dinner roles, gravey, and heavens, everything that is Thanksgiving. To add to the lot, I went early and made the classic apple pie for the feast. In our pleasent conversations over the table, which I have never ever had before, First time. (Ghana culture is to never eat with a guest) we discussed that we were probably the only missionaries in West Africa to have feasted as such. Blessings. See Blessings. 

Other notable firsts. First time eating with my left hand and first time using a fork and knife combo. 

Baptism. First one. It was defintely a celebration. We had 7 lovely sons and daughters enter into the waters of salvation. MAny were spouses of long time members and some were ones God has prepared. President Stevenson made the 5 hour terrible road trip for the event and it all went very well. These are the first of many for this area. In our talk to President, he said as soon as we have become a branch, they will work on us being a district on our own as soon as possible.

We will be having another baptism  on 20 Dec and another in begining of January. More on that later.

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

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

Being in one of the biggest Gold towns in Ghana, Gold is all around. I went outside one morning to shine my shoes (as well as I can. Not much is left of these shoes nowadays) And our landlord who lives upstairs was just coming home from sleeping in the bush for 2 days. He says he has something to show me and tosses it from the stairs. It was only a giant piece of Gold about the size of an iphone and weighed about like 1000000 business cards. With the gold price being about 1260$ per ounce, I was holding about 25000$ of gold in my hand. Yes. Selfies were taken.

With said Gold miners in the town, a certain member who is a Gold company manager had Frankincense and Myrrh shipped straight from Israel because he wanted to see what it was like. It was not cheap. So now I have a true perspective, on Christ's birth. Joseph and Mary were happy campers for those gifts.

Also, the same Landlord invited us to come to his Gold mining spot to see how they do it. So lets just say, now I know how to drive a giant excavator and where to find gold nuggets. Useful skills for the future... And we got to cross barley into Ashante region. And no President. We did not cross mission boundaries.

This week has been so odd because not all of it was spent proselyting. I was on the phone so much that they called me, "Bishop." The house we are meeting in for church is a Gold company (owned by Bishop at BYU) and they have been letting us meet in it. Because of some disagreement between landlord and the company, we were told on Wednesday that we would not be able to meet at that house again. So the second half of this week was spent running around town looking for a place that the group could meet this Sunday. We went everywhere and everywhere and the Lord Provided so much. Miracles happened and windows of heaven were opened. We got the landlord to calm down and let us meet one last time and we also found a place that we can meet temporarily for the next few weeks and we found a potential place that the church could rent for a chapel. And... best of all, our pleading for a baptismal font payed of and this week we got shipped up a colapsable baptism font. Made specially by a past misson President in Nigeria, President Karikari (which I totally know people with that name at home.) I works like a metal box with a canvas to hold the water. It will do its job well.

Brethren and Sisters. Be Prepared. You never know when you might give a talk in Sacrament meeting.

This place being a gold town has attracted some few foreigners. By a few foreigners, I mean TONNES of Chinese people. WOW. We have a member who works with them and has learned how to cook Chinese food and made us some. Seemed pretty legit. Got to eat with chopsticks. 

Had a sweet conversation with a very educated Muslim man who had many valid questions about Christianity. Questions like, "Why do Christians preach one thing at church and then do something else?" "Why do Christians have so many contradicting doctrines?" Valid questions. By the end of our conversation, after testifying the truths found in our church, He asked, "Why is your church so different than the other Christian churches? I like your church." Who knows what God has in store for this man, but I am satisfied that he will definitely accept the restored gospel when he has the chance in the spirit world.

love it

Return Home Better Men. RHBM

Settlers of Dunkwa

From being bored in the Nyenasi as few months ago and straining to remember the rules, I made a Settlers of Catan game. Now as a four man appartment, Settlers of Dunkwa was whipped out today for a epic settling battle. That is... if we remembered the rules right.

But we have been working hard too! This week we got to take the exciting 2 and a half hour ride with road like unto a roller coaster, without protective head rests. Each bump brought a new and improved angle of which to be bounced. The bumps on our heads did not affect the unbumpable testimony in our hearts. We only have to go down once a month, so my head will have time to heal.

My new duties as a District leader also brings its fair share of bumps and bruises, but again-the testimony: unbumpable.

We have been working and contacting and working and serving and working and sweating and working this week, with which we were payed off by the Lord by having 60 members at church 17 of which were investigators. The small living room of which we currently worship had the missionaries and one or two members worshiping... outside. The chairs and benches and stools and couches were finished putting us in the nosebleeds. Probably on the best church services I have ever attended.

After hearing this, the mission president is, in his words, "turning the heat", for a chapel and a baptismal font. But even with out them, it will not change the church being true and the actuality of the restoration of the Priesthood. 

Elder Riehle

Dunkwa Paradise

Dunkwa (pronounced Dunk-WOW) is probably.... THE GREATEST place in this mission. Maybe the world. Not sure. I have only been here for about 4 days but I have seen life. I have seen the work. 

I broke my mission record. 120 gospel conversation in 4 days. Pretty hard to beat. But still on it. IT IS SO EASY. 

Everywhere we go- 

people want to know-

who these guys with white shirts on

who have the gospel glow.

Seriously, we have had so many people walk up to us and ask us, "Who are you and what are you doing here?" Well, hello best question ever. And that has been happening about 20 times a day. People are so shocked to see us (especially that I am speaking their language) and want to know more!

Our area is 4 hours away from the mission home and 2.5 hours from any church congregation. The road in between which is BY FAR the worst road I have ever been on. It is a dirt road that you have to go like 5 miles an hour on for 2.5 hours. So we are very stranded out here. 2 of the other guys with me, Elder Halterman (who was evacuated from Sierra Leone) and my MT Elder Moffit, were just the office elders, so we got the hook ups on the boxes of pamphlets and Book of Mormons. Two boxes of each. AKA enjoyinggggg. I have given out more Restoration pamphlets in my life. 

There are about 35ish members here who some have been waiting for the church to come to this place for 2-3 years. To see the excitement for the gospel they have, is so humbling. All of them have 10 referalls each, so we have our work cut out for us. The most amazing thing has been while we have been walking and a lady yelled, "Elders of Zion!!!" and ran to us SO HAPPY to see us. She said she had been waiting for us for 3 years and was almost to tears knowing that the restored gospel is in here reach again. 

Already there are about 10 people ready to be baptized and it should be some more soon. Right now we don't have a baptismal font.  The surrounding areas are some of the best gold mining areas in the country so the river is not clean at alll. So no using a river like earlier in my mission. We have been looking for a pool, pit, pond, anything that holds water. We might be digging our own font pretty soon. 

I am with my past Ghanaian companion, Elder Bannerman and I have learned ALOT more Twi since we were together. So right now we can pretty much talk to any person with out speaking English. 

Our house is right next to our currant meeting house which is a large sized room in a MASSIVE gold company house which a number of members live in. It is the first time I have ever seen Big washing machines, personal indoor ovens, AC for every room and massive couches in a persons house in Ghana. And all they said we can use. What makes this awesome place a heaven on earth is that the house is owned by an American... from Utah... who is a member... and was a BYU Bishop. What?? He will be coming soon. And the company cook, a powerful return missionary has already told him to bring plenty American food for Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts. This guy is also a professional pizza maker. Umm What? This place is awesome. We are blessed. 

It has been so great to see the light of the restored gospel in peoples eyes, even those not yet members. The Spirit has helped me so much to be BOLD to anyone and everyone who will listen to my voice. I have seen the Lord's hands in the work. Every child is loved by Our Father in Heaven. 

It is all true. 

Elder Riehle