Lost in the Mountains, 01-16-17

January 16th, 2017

Well, let's get to it!

The start of the week was great! We had a Zone Council which is always good because I get to see some of my friends that are in the zone and also, I just get to see more than the same 3 faces I see every day which is also a bonus!!  :) We had a great council about achieving goals, and now the mission standard is to have each companionship baptize one person a week. Well...this area has a ways to go.

We went to Obo this week, which is where "AirJays is located". Basically has a canopy walk in the mountains after you climb 877 steps to the top and a zipline halfway up the mountain. The canopy walk was super cool, but SUPER sketchy. Every time you walked, the trees would sway back and forth and the support didn't look that great. I took some videos, but they will come if I ever get to spend some time in Kumasi...  :) hahahah! Fun time with the apartment though and it was gorgeous up there!

I saw our old van from home...'Betsy', just in red this week. It was a funny experience because I recalled some good memories of the van dying in multiple locations, the final resting place being the garage, not mentioning the countless hours of work, cursing, sweat, and blood that kept her running all those years. Rest in Peace Betsy, I finally saw your cousin 'Bernice'.  ha ha

We had Fufu at a recent convert's house this week and it  was great!!!! No idea I would ever like fufu as much as I do. The progress really is amazing. The first time I ate fufu, I had 2 bites and called it a night, but over time, I now have fufu cravings throughout the week, one of those days being today!

Also this week, I bought one whole loaf of bread, the normal size, about a foot or so. I took it to the the egg and bread lady to see if she could cut it in half and I pay her to use the bread I brought. Somewhere along the line, I  missed the fact that she didn't speak any English except the 5 words that pertain to her work... SO she ended up making me egg and bread (called chi-boom) here with my whole loaf of bread and 3 eggs.... And I managed to eat the whole thing. I was honestly surprised as it looked huge, but you will have to see someday when the picture comes through. Just like Roosters and the Double grilled cheese burger back home.  Yikes!  Gotta cool it down here, I am drooling... :")

Lastly, we got transfer calls this week, and President Cosgrave threw a curve-ball just like a few transfers ago. First off, I have been called to be the district leader here in the mountains of just the 4 of us in the apartment, so that will be challenging and rewarding! :)  Secondly, I am staying with Elder Oshilaja who just finished his training with me which is also a little weird because normally he would have gone after his training. Also, President lost my number that I had, so I got the call 2 days late, and when he called he just apologized because my number was not in the mission paperwork. guess I got lost here in the mountains! :)  But, more news in the future!

My thought for this week is about the family name we have. Last night, I felt like I should read in Helaman 5 in the Book of Mormon, I didn't know why, but I just felt that way. So I started to read, and right off the bat, my eyes were opened to a lot of new perspectives and new ideas I hadn't thought of before, so I will share some with you.

 5 For they remembered the words which their father Helaman spake unto them. And these are the words which he spake:

 6 Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.

 7 Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them.

 8 And now my sons, behold I have somewhat more to desire of you, which desire is, that ye may not do these things that ye may boast, but that ye may do these things to lay up for yourselves a treasure in heaven, yea, which is eternal, and which fadeth not away; yea, that ye may have that precious gift of eternal life, which we have reason to suppose hath been given to our fathers.

This really stuck out to me, talking about our family name that we bear, and also, for those who have been baptized, carrying the name of Jesus Christ. There was a conference we went to where someone shared a quote from a coach whose team had just lost, and he said something like, "the reason we lost is because they played for the name on the back and not the name on the front." This same counsel was given to the sons of Helaman, to remember the family name you carry, but not to boast in that name, but to do the work and give the glory to God. The longer I am here serving as a missionary, the more important the family name I carry for my earthly family and my spiritual family becomes. To think I carry the name of the Savior of the world and the name of my father and his father before him and going on my tag every single day. An eye opening experience for me for sure to take a step back and see that I am just a link in the chain, not the one who created the chain, or the one who started a new chain for himself. I reflect on my earthly father and the father of our spirits every single day, as does everyone on the earth. I don't know if this made sense to you, but it was a great thought I had last night as I studied. We carry a lot more upon our shoulders than we may think we do, so let us all be true to who we are and the family name we bear, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Elder Wawro