Cleaning Ditches, First Transfer!

(September 12th Email)

This week has been crazy sweet!

First, we had a zone activity on Monday after I emailed at one of our chapels and played lots of soccer, and then went inside and played the game "mafia" with like 20 people! It reminded me of our family get-togethers and playing with all the cousins! Anyway, I was doing really well as the "serial killer" role of the game, but I guess I got what was coming to me...

We pumped water from the well this week for some random people, we just had the opportunity to do some service, so we jumped in..... AND MAN IT IS HARD. The well pump was a little broken so it wasn't easy at all! But the Ghanians thought it as really sweet of us and hopefully that left a good example for them for future missionaries! :)  I have so much more respect for the people of Ghana who literally pump every other day.

We had our transfer calls this week and I have been called to Nkwabeng, Sunyani! It is a little crazy because they are *whitewashing (see below) my current area, Nkoransa, but it will be another great adventure to see a whole other part of Ghana. I will be with Elder Naaou? (I don't know how to spell his name), but I leave on Wednesday to Sunyani with Elder Dudley and Elder Fotu, so it will be fun, but different for sure.  I haven't met Elder Naaou, but he was Elder V's companion in the MTC, so what a small world!

*Whitewashing:  Missionaries serve in pairs as 'companions'.  When one is transferred to a new area, a new companion comes in to replace him, so that there is at least one missionary familiar with the area who can teach/train the new one.  "Whitewashing" happens when both missionaries are transferred and two new ones come in at the same time, both unfamiliar with the new area.  This is called 'whitewashing' a new area, like starting from scratch. 

I will be in a brand new branch, so there will be plenty of work to do. I will get right to work.  I am going there because President Cosgrave thought my experience in the church would be helpful to the branch that has just been formed, so we will see how much use I am.  I will be with Elder Issako and Elder Moyo in my apartment, so I will enjoy that for sure!  Elder Issako is from Samoa and Elder Moyo is from Zimbabwe I think.  Some apartments have two missionaries, some have six per, but most have four.  It will be a learning experience for sure. I can't wait to go and help others and hopefully begin to build a little foundation of a branch.

Can you ask where in Sunyani Griffin Brown served?  It would be crazy if he served close to the area I am in!  :)  It will be another good adventure.  :) 

Then we had zone conference with the Obuasi zone, and it was super fun! I got to see a lot of new guys and made some more friends! We talked a lot about receiving revelation and the importance of the Spirit. It was powerful, and I love to hear from President Cosgrave too! He could tell I was kinda bummed about my area being whitewashed, so he called me into a room and we talked about it after zone conference and that really helped. He just wanted to make sure I knew that I wasn't being whitewashed because of anything I did, and that I was needed elsewhere.  It was really sweet of him to take a little time just to make sure I was doing okay.  :)

We had 2 baptized this week, Bro. Augustine(50+ years old) and Sis. Evelyn. (9 years). The water in the tank was barely enough to reach up to the mid calf, and it was really brown water, but Elder Simpson wanted to go out with a bang, so he found a way to get them both into the water successfully which quite frankly was a miracle if I do say so myself.  When you see the pictures coming later, it will make more sense.

We caught this massive beetle outside our house the other day. YIKES. It was so sweet, but it ended up being killed... Oops...

I bore my final testimony yesterday at church, and it was tough to see all those faces. It was really sad because it was a complete shock to everyone, because they weren't expecting me to leave so soon.  I got up and told them I was going to Sunyani and everybody was so confused and sad.  :( My ward mission leader, Bro Godfred got up and walked to the bathroom because he started crying. Ugh, leaving is gonna be tough, because they are basically my family of Ghana and they have helped me so much. Anyway, I got to say goodbye to a lot of the members, and it was really tough not to just break down, but I kept  it together. Before I leave Ghana though, I will come back and visit, so I had that comfort for sure.  :)

We had a nice dinner at bishop's house last night!!! WOOHOO! :)  Getting called for dinner here is kinda rare, so remember to feed your local missionaries! :)

Yesterday it rained a ton, and we got stuck in one of our recent convert's house and they weren't home, so we filled up their water bucket, almost like a 50 gallon type deal.  As we started to do some service, I stopped focusing on me and how I felt, and tried to help someone else with their needs, and I totally felt the difference. Truly the scriptures are true that if we serve our fellow man, we are only serving God (Mosiah 2:17). And if we are serving God, we are entitled to the blessings of His love. We should all strive to serve others, even those we are not happy with, I promise, and so does our Heavenly Father, that you will feel the pure love of Christ flow into your lives.

Love you Mom, and thank you for everything :)  Miss you Dad, Love you!

Elder Wawro

PICTURES:

Cleaning the big ditch outside the church building