January 9th, 2017
Another great week in the service of the Lord!
First off, this week has been a strange week food health-wise. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we went to town to buy KeleWele (fried plantain with some seasonings) and it definitely made me sick. Day one was good, the next day I felt iffy about it, and day 3 I had ZERO desire to eat it. Then I have not felt that great, been running a little fever and some stomach pains up until yesterday, and it almost came to the point of me going to get a malaria test, but today I felt great!! The Lord truly knows that I do not want to have my blood taken while in Ghana!:)
On a better note, I ate a lot of fufu this week! We went to the Chop bar (where you get food) to go and buy fufu, which was weird because this is the first time I have really craved Ghana food. I will miss my fufu when I go home for sure. Ghana food is really heavy sitting food so you stay full for a long time, and if it has been a along day, it helps you have a good nights sleep! :)
I bought some "Sumo" bleach which has a funny cartoon sumo wrestler guy on the front! Hahahaaa! And it is pine scented, so I couldn't help but make a 'shout-out' to the Pine Man, Brother Mike Turner! :) That was my first thought when I saw it, and I needed bleach for my shirts, so I figured it was a win win! :)
I had my first FM (missionary lingo for free meal) with our investigator Sister Joyce. She has been dodging us a little these past 2 weeks, but likes us when we see her with her friends and this time she offered us food. And what kind of missionary would I be to turn down free food! :) Hahahaa!
The Assistants came on exchanges with us this week, most likely to check up on our area to see how it has been progressing, and we really learned a lot from them! It is always sweet to have the big dogs come and help you with your work so you can learn a new style or try a new trick! :) Grateful for the learning for sure!
I got my shoes fixed this week. I didn't take a picture of them when they were broken... That was foolish.... But maybe there will be a screenshot from my family somewhere in the future. They sewed them back together, so they work good as new! :)
As always, let us close with something spiritual.
In my studies this week, I studied about Charity and Love. And who better to look to than the Savior. In 1 Nephi 19:9 it reads:
9And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long -suffering towards the children...
If you have doubts about the Book of Mormon, I hope this scripture will spark some interest.
Anyways, when I read this, I feel something different inside. Something good. Something warm. Something bigger than myself.
There was only one who could had such love to be smitten and suffer it, to be scourged and suffer it, to be spit on and suffer it, all because he truly loves us. He suffered for all of our pains and afflictions and temptations and sufferings and sadness just so that we could have someone to lean on in our time of need (Alma 7:11-13). If you are sick, He knows. If you are hurt emotionally, He knows. If you are being mocked for what you believe, He knows. Let us all lean on the Savior because he has suffered for us, if we just seek him diligently and choose to follow him. He is calling us home with open arms, and we just have to listen. We can all learn and apply this attribute of Charity as we look to the Savior for help. We can pray, and as we study and apply, you will see the change in your own life. I testify that it happens, because I have used it this week especially. It is real. I testify of this pure love of Christ (Moroni 7:45-48) in the sacred name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Elder Wawro
Monday, January 30, 2017
Re: Happy New Years! "Afinko beto ye" (A finko beh too yeh), 01-02-17
January 2nd, 2017
Happy New Years from Ghana!
Life is great, hot, but great! :)
Christmas was awesome, and I have been using the new camera a BUNCH! I love it and soon, maybe you will get to see some pictures if they send :)
Well. I lasted a good 5 days... But the 3 Snickers bars I got are completely finished... I really have a sweet tooth problem! :) Hahahaa!
I caught a tree frog this week at our branch party, and they are really cool and also really weird. Their legs are like 9 feet long compared to a normal toad back home! And when they walk on your hand, they are really sticky, and even hang on when they are upside down! I never have held a tree frog, but what better place to find one than in Ghana! :)
On the topic of Branch parties, our branch had a party on the 31st. It was great, but here, they run on GMT or Ghana mans time because GMT is +1 hour. The party was scheduled to go from 3-5. Me and my companion got there at 2:30...and not a soul was there. The first person to show up came at 4 and the rest came at 6! :) OH MY GOODNESS I WAS GOING CRAZY. But, when they came, we had a bunch of fun, had some great food and played some games and talked. A pretty low key activity, and at the end, around 8:30, they had some roman candle fireworks they shot off which was a good end to the night! Me and my companion helped clean up while most everyone else went home except for 5 or 6, and we had some great memories made there!! :)
The other elders in our apartment baptized their referral from the Holy Ghost this week. (That's what President Cosgrave calls them when they just walk into the church and know it is true right away and stay)
We are going to talk to Joyce's husband tomorrow to see if he will let her be baptized after we have some discussion. We are praying hard that the Spirit will soften his heart to the message and maybe even come to learn for himself that what we share is true and correct.
This week, we have been focusing on those who still haven't gotten a testimony that what we share is true, and so I studied this scripture a lot this week. 1 Nephi 10:19:
'19For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.'
The course of the Lord is one eternal round. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. THat is why we have a living prophet today who still receives direction and counsel from God for our benefit and for the benefit of our families. We can actually hear the words of the prophets in our day. Amos 8:11-12 says:
'11Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God , that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord :
12And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord , and shall not find it'
There was a time when there was a famine in the land of HEARING the words of the Lord through the Prophets (Amos 3:7), and that time has passed. We are all able to listen to the words of the prophet today and HEAR him. But we have to diligently seek, or in other words, to search under every stone before you make a final choice. So, if you have heard of the missionaries before and know a little about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, do a little bit of seeking for the Lord. Listen to the words of the prophet today, Thomas S. Monson and God will surely show you the right path. I know this is true, or else I would not be here in Ghana. It is true. It just is. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Elder Wawro
Happy New Years from Ghana!
Life is great, hot, but great! :)
Christmas was awesome, and I have been using the new camera a BUNCH! I love it and soon, maybe you will get to see some pictures if they send :)
Well. I lasted a good 5 days... But the 3 Snickers bars I got are completely finished... I really have a sweet tooth problem! :) Hahahaa!
I caught a tree frog this week at our branch party, and they are really cool and also really weird. Their legs are like 9 feet long compared to a normal toad back home! And when they walk on your hand, they are really sticky, and even hang on when they are upside down! I never have held a tree frog, but what better place to find one than in Ghana! :)
On the topic of Branch parties, our branch had a party on the 31st. It was great, but here, they run on GMT or Ghana mans time because GMT is +1 hour. The party was scheduled to go from 3-5. Me and my companion got there at 2:30...and not a soul was there. The first person to show up came at 4 and the rest came at 6! :) OH MY GOODNESS I WAS GOING CRAZY. But, when they came, we had a bunch of fun, had some great food and played some games and talked. A pretty low key activity, and at the end, around 8:30, they had some roman candle fireworks they shot off which was a good end to the night! Me and my companion helped clean up while most everyone else went home except for 5 or 6, and we had some great memories made there!! :)
The other elders in our apartment baptized their referral from the Holy Ghost this week. (That's what President Cosgrave calls them when they just walk into the church and know it is true right away and stay)
We are going to talk to Joyce's husband tomorrow to see if he will let her be baptized after we have some discussion. We are praying hard that the Spirit will soften his heart to the message and maybe even come to learn for himself that what we share is true and correct.
This week, we have been focusing on those who still haven't gotten a testimony that what we share is true, and so I studied this scripture a lot this week. 1 Nephi 10:19:
'19For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.'
The course of the Lord is one eternal round. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. THat is why we have a living prophet today who still receives direction and counsel from God for our benefit and for the benefit of our families. We can actually hear the words of the prophets in our day. Amos 8:11-12 says:
'11Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God , that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord :
12And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord , and shall not find it'
There was a time when there was a famine in the land of HEARING the words of the Lord through the Prophets (Amos 3:7), and that time has passed. We are all able to listen to the words of the prophet today and HEAR him. But we have to diligently seek, or in other words, to search under every stone before you make a final choice. So, if you have heard of the missionaries before and know a little about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, do a little bit of seeking for the Lord. Listen to the words of the prophet today, Thomas S. Monson and God will surely show you the right path. I know this is true, or else I would not be here in Ghana. It is true. It just is. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Elder Wawro
Monday, January 23, 2017
December 25th - Christmas in Mpraeso
Mom: The highlight of Christmas was for us and EVERY mission family, to be able to talk to our missionary. We were expecting to just talk on the phone as we did last time, so that's what we did for a while, but then we were able to get Google Hangouts to work for a bit so we could visit with him. It was WONDERFUL!!! To see his face and hear his voice was just beautiful. It's interesting how he's picked up so much of the lingo and native ways...he speaks a little choppy and his sentence structure was sometimes a little different. It was just really amazing! He was later able to send us video of him opening his Christmas presents, so that was fun too. :) We actually only sent one package for Christmas, but the two we'd sent previously took forever to get there from November, so he got those at Christmas too. Ha ha!
*************
Merry Christmas to all those who are reading this!! :)
Anyways, I don't have a ton of things to write about this week as it was a relatively short and fast week!
First, On Thursday we had Zone Conference in Kumasi combined with UST Zone and Dichemso Zone and it was awesome! It was a really uplifting time as we focused on the true meaning of Christmas and read the accounts of the birth of Christ in the Book of Mormon and the Bible. Then, we had an AMAZING Christmas lunch! Everyone got a sugar cookie shaped as a Christmas tree or as a star. Wow. It has been long since I have had a sugar cookie! Ahhhh!!!! :) It was wonderful. I got a T-Shirt from the mission, a bunch of stuff for hygiene, and a few treats. I finally received my ties which I have been waiting for and more importantly I FINALLY GOT MY PACKAGES from home!! :D They cost an arm and a leg, but that is the name of the game I suppose!
Then, we had our Christmas day. It was really great. It is really REALLY hard to get into the Christmas spirit here as it is 90-100 degrees everyday, and they don't celebrate Christmas as huge and grand as we do in the States, but when the morning came, I was super excited!! :)
I got a bunch of sweet stuff from home, and even managed to pack a little box for my companion! :) Thank you for everything you do, my beloved family :) Our branch President was going to feed us, but his wife wasn't well, so he cancelled late on us, so I had some Idahoan potatoes for Christmas dinner :)
Then, today, we went to Nkawkaw, to their soccer stadium to play the other 2 branches. Last year, Mpraeso branch lost both games in the tournament. 4-0 and 8-0 . We were determined to turn that around this year! The activity started by the branches playing volleyball against each other which was hilarious! :) Three was a lot of competition and it was intense! They love to play here, so we had our work cut out, but we lost by a few points which wasn't that sweet! Then, we got together to play soccer. I suited up to go and play and one guy said, no no, you can play in the second game. Well... I am practicing patience.... So I decided to shrug it off and do a little coaching. Then, 25 minutes into the game, I wanted to sub out some of the tired guys for a few of the fresh ones we had on the sidelines, but the players on the field openly said no, so I was angry and sat down to cool off. Then, our branch clerk said, "well yeah, they won't come off. This isn't just apartment ball that you play". Needless to say, that didn't help my patience... I told him to keep quiet because he had never seen me go and play. Anyways, the Branch President overheard and barked at one of the guys to come off the field to rest. So they put me and 2 others in for the last 5 minutes. It was hilarious. One of the 2 was a small boy of about 13 years and he came to play striker with me. We had just been talking about passing around because our team wasn't doing that well because they weren't passing. So, we decided we would pass a ton in the front. So, a loose ball comes around, it gets passed to Joseph (the small boy) who taps it over to me and Ba-da-bing-ba-da-boom, I sent the ball right into the net. Funny how teamwork really can change the whole situation! Anyways, everybody was really surprised because they didn't think that white people could come and play the rough African ball they play, but it was funny to see the branch clerks face after that! :) The next game we played we tied 1-1 so we definitely improved from last year! :) Anyways, now I am really tired, a little sun burnt and psyched about the fun we had! :)
Well, as we close the year, now is the time to reflect on how our year went. What we did well, what wasn't so great, the things we learned and the things we wished we woulda learned a little earlier, but most importantly, how many blessings God has given us. Maybe that is just being healthy all year and not having serious injuries or not having any sickness. Could be getting out some debts or coulda been getting to change someones life. But I promise as we reflect with an open heart, the Spirit will bear witness to us that God truly is involved in the details of our lives. He knows us personally and loves each one of us, no matter what we have done in the past. He has provided a way for us to be forgiven of those things we have done, and that was through his Son, Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate this time of year. This I know to be true as I have seen countless changes in my life because of my service to the Lord. He loves us and is watching over us always. This I know to be true and real, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Happy New Years everyone :)
Love you!
Elder Wawro
*************
Merry Christmas to all those who are reading this!! :)
Anyways, I don't have a ton of things to write about this week as it was a relatively short and fast week!
First, On Thursday we had Zone Conference in Kumasi combined with UST Zone and Dichemso Zone and it was awesome! It was a really uplifting time as we focused on the true meaning of Christmas and read the accounts of the birth of Christ in the Book of Mormon and the Bible. Then, we had an AMAZING Christmas lunch! Everyone got a sugar cookie shaped as a Christmas tree or as a star. Wow. It has been long since I have had a sugar cookie! Ahhhh!!!! :) It was wonderful. I got a T-Shirt from the mission, a bunch of stuff for hygiene, and a few treats. I finally received my ties which I have been waiting for and more importantly I FINALLY GOT MY PACKAGES from home!! :D They cost an arm and a leg, but that is the name of the game I suppose!
Then, we had our Christmas day. It was really great. It is really REALLY hard to get into the Christmas spirit here as it is 90-100 degrees everyday, and they don't celebrate Christmas as huge and grand as we do in the States, but when the morning came, I was super excited!! :)
I got a bunch of sweet stuff from home, and even managed to pack a little box for my companion! :) Thank you for everything you do, my beloved family :) Our branch President was going to feed us, but his wife wasn't well, so he cancelled late on us, so I had some Idahoan potatoes for Christmas dinner :)
Then, today, we went to Nkawkaw, to their soccer stadium to play the other 2 branches. Last year, Mpraeso branch lost both games in the tournament. 4-0 and 8-0 . We were determined to turn that around this year! The activity started by the branches playing volleyball against each other which was hilarious! :) Three was a lot of competition and it was intense! They love to play here, so we had our work cut out, but we lost by a few points which wasn't that sweet! Then, we got together to play soccer. I suited up to go and play and one guy said, no no, you can play in the second game. Well... I am practicing patience.... So I decided to shrug it off and do a little coaching. Then, 25 minutes into the game, I wanted to sub out some of the tired guys for a few of the fresh ones we had on the sidelines, but the players on the field openly said no, so I was angry and sat down to cool off. Then, our branch clerk said, "well yeah, they won't come off. This isn't just apartment ball that you play". Needless to say, that didn't help my patience... I told him to keep quiet because he had never seen me go and play. Anyways, the Branch President overheard and barked at one of the guys to come off the field to rest. So they put me and 2 others in for the last 5 minutes. It was hilarious. One of the 2 was a small boy of about 13 years and he came to play striker with me. We had just been talking about passing around because our team wasn't doing that well because they weren't passing. So, we decided we would pass a ton in the front. So, a loose ball comes around, it gets passed to Joseph (the small boy) who taps it over to me and Ba-da-bing-ba-da-boom, I sent the ball right into the net. Funny how teamwork really can change the whole situation! Anyways, everybody was really surprised because they didn't think that white people could come and play the rough African ball they play, but it was funny to see the branch clerks face after that! :) The next game we played we tied 1-1 so we definitely improved from last year! :) Anyways, now I am really tired, a little sun burnt and psyched about the fun we had! :)
Well, as we close the year, now is the time to reflect on how our year went. What we did well, what wasn't so great, the things we learned and the things we wished we woulda learned a little earlier, but most importantly, how many blessings God has given us. Maybe that is just being healthy all year and not having serious injuries or not having any sickness. Could be getting out some debts or coulda been getting to change someones life. But I promise as we reflect with an open heart, the Spirit will bear witness to us that God truly is involved in the details of our lives. He knows us personally and loves each one of us, no matter what we have done in the past. He has provided a way for us to be forgiven of those things we have done, and that was through his Son, Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate this time of year. This I know to be true as I have seen countless changes in my life because of my service to the Lord. He loves us and is watching over us always. This I know to be true and real, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Happy New Years everyone :)
Love you!
Elder Wawro
VIDEO
(click the link below; if troubles, open using Chrome as your browser. Excuse the first few seconds of sideways video. Gabe's companion is at 5:18)
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Many, Many Plaques...
To start, always have to start with a funny!
As we were walking home from emailing last week, we passed this house that owns a monkey. No idea what kind, but I have a video for the monkey enthusiasts out there... Anyways, Elder Powell was playing with the monkey for a bit and then wanted to see my pen so the monkey could play with it. I thought no harm of it, and handed it to him. Right as Elder Powell gave the monkey my pen, the monkey jumped away and started to eat the pen!!! Ahhhh! We were kinda freaking out because it is a plastic pen, so the shards would be sharp, and we were more scared of the ink killing the monkey, so we voted Elder Powell to go and grab the pen from the monkey! After a few minutes of debating how to get the pen, he rips it out of the monkey's hand and the monkey got ANGRY and ran after him!!! :) Good thing the monkey had a leash because Elder Powell would have been in trouble!!! :)
Next, for a continuation of last week, our eye infections (called Apollo[ ah-poh-loh]) lasted for a few days and finally spread to Elder Coleman and Elder Powell. We looked like a bunch of zombies with our swollen and dark red eyes, but it provided for a good experience! :)
Ants invaded our house as well this week, and I couldn't help but think we were being cursed with many plagues! The day or two after my eye infection left, HUGE ANTS decided our house was a good place to make their house... We walked past them the first time we came in the door because they had just taken our windows, but when we walked back into the front room, they were EVERYWHERE!!! So we grabbed some cans of "Raid" and destroyed them all! >:)
We celebrated Elder Coleman's birthday on the 12th and made him a cake! It turned out really well using the multi-pot-oven on the propane stove technique! :) It was amazing. Oh how I miss American-made sweets!!!!!
We had a Zone Council in Nkawkaw this week, and I bought a sweet speaker while I was there for cheap! It is red and looks awesome. Has the strange voice (you know this voice if you've ever bought a speaker made in China or bought from "wish.com" LOL)
Our house is horrifying right now. The fire crackers are very common now, and so, both of our companionship's have bought firecrackers and been throwing them at each other in the house. Basically, we live in constant fear that at any moment a little fire cracker (Ghana calls them Knockout) can fly into your room can scare you! Hahahhaaa! One kind they have here sounds like shooting a gun in the apartment! HOLY LOUD.
Well. This week has been tough on the spiritual side. I have done a lot of praying and pondering. The woman we have been planning to baptize was really progressing well, but a few days before, her husband called and said she couldn't be baptized because she already has a church. We are not quite sure if she is just trying to get away from us or if her husband actually said no, but we told her that when her husband comes from Accra for vacation, that we will sit down with him and share our message with him as well. The thought that continues to come tom my mind is from Isaiah 55:8...
8 ¶For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
That is my thought for the week, that no matter what happens, as we turn to God, we can know that we cannot always see the forest behind the tree we are at now, but we can have hope for the future because if we live well now, we will be rewarded accordingly.
Well, everything is looking good for Skyping on Sunday! I will be calling around 10pm my time, around 4pm your time. I hope everyone will be at Grandma's so I can see the family, I will get about 1.5 hours which will be GREAT! :)
Elder Wawro
As we were walking home from emailing last week, we passed this house that owns a monkey. No idea what kind, but I have a video for the monkey enthusiasts out there... Anyways, Elder Powell was playing with the monkey for a bit and then wanted to see my pen so the monkey could play with it. I thought no harm of it, and handed it to him. Right as Elder Powell gave the monkey my pen, the monkey jumped away and started to eat the pen!!! Ahhhh! We were kinda freaking out because it is a plastic pen, so the shards would be sharp, and we were more scared of the ink killing the monkey, so we voted Elder Powell to go and grab the pen from the monkey! After a few minutes of debating how to get the pen, he rips it out of the monkey's hand and the monkey got ANGRY and ran after him!!! :) Good thing the monkey had a leash because Elder Powell would have been in trouble!!! :)
Next, for a continuation of last week, our eye infections (called Apollo[ ah-poh-loh]) lasted for a few days and finally spread to Elder Coleman and Elder Powell. We looked like a bunch of zombies with our swollen and dark red eyes, but it provided for a good experience! :)
Ants invaded our house as well this week, and I couldn't help but think we were being cursed with many plagues! The day or two after my eye infection left, HUGE ANTS decided our house was a good place to make their house... We walked past them the first time we came in the door because they had just taken our windows, but when we walked back into the front room, they were EVERYWHERE!!! So we grabbed some cans of "Raid" and destroyed them all! >:)
We celebrated Elder Coleman's birthday on the 12th and made him a cake! It turned out really well using the multi-pot-oven on the propane stove technique! :) It was amazing. Oh how I miss American-made sweets!!!!!
We had a Zone Council in Nkawkaw this week, and I bought a sweet speaker while I was there for cheap! It is red and looks awesome. Has the strange voice (you know this voice if you've ever bought a speaker made in China or bought from "wish.com" LOL)
Our house is horrifying right now. The fire crackers are very common now, and so, both of our companionship's have bought firecrackers and been throwing them at each other in the house. Basically, we live in constant fear that at any moment a little fire cracker (Ghana calls them Knockout) can fly into your room can scare you! Hahahhaaa! One kind they have here sounds like shooting a gun in the apartment! HOLY LOUD.
Well. This week has been tough on the spiritual side. I have done a lot of praying and pondering. The woman we have been planning to baptize was really progressing well, but a few days before, her husband called and said she couldn't be baptized because she already has a church. We are not quite sure if she is just trying to get away from us or if her husband actually said no, but we told her that when her husband comes from Accra for vacation, that we will sit down with him and share our message with him as well. The thought that continues to come tom my mind is from Isaiah 55:8...
8 ¶For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
That is my thought for the week, that no matter what happens, as we turn to God, we can know that we cannot always see the forest behind the tree we are at now, but we can have hope for the future because if we live well now, we will be rewarded accordingly.
Well, everything is looking good for Skyping on Sunday! I will be calling around 10pm my time, around 4pm your time. I hope everyone will be at Grandma's so I can see the family, I will get about 1.5 hours which will be GREAT! :)
Elder Wawro
Catching Up...12-12-16
Final catch-up blog post...
December 12th, 2016
I've got lots to write about this week! :)
Mom, how was craft fair? Did you get any sleep last week??? :)
Elections were crazy! The President changed from Mahamma to Nana Akufo Addo and there was A TON of celebrations! We didn't proselyte much this week because of all the parties, and in some places, riots. But overall it was peaceful! IT WAS HUGE. EVERYBODY WAS DANCING AND SINGING WHEN THEY ANNOUNCED THE NEW PREISDENT!!! :)
Well, this week has been rewarding. It started with me being angry with my companion over something kinda small, and it was really bothering me! But, as I thought about it and received some helpful words from Dad (last Saturday), I went up to him the next morning and just apologized for being mad at him. Wow, what a difference that made for sure! We now never walk without having a laugh or telling a funny story or 2, and it is amazing!!
I bought some sweet firecrackers this week that we played with for a long time! We have some hilarious videos with them, and hopefully soon, I will get to send them! :)
I made some interesting "donut holes" from the internet this week. They were alright, but since we don't have a thermometer, I just tried to fry them at the lowest setting possible... They weren't awful, but I won't make them again for sure! They took about 1.5 hours to make all of them, and they came out more like cinnamon sticks, but it was an interesting experience! :)
Elder Coleman found a Christmas tree this week which was awesome, as Elder Antwi (who just left) took his with him when he was transferred. We don't have lights, but we have some ornaments and a tree topper, but soon we will find some lights!
I saw a huge Gas truck this week which read "Highly Inflammable"! :) It is really common around here, but this is the first week I could get a solid picture of it! :)
I had fried snail the day before Elder Antwi left which was not half bad! It was definitely different, but I enjoyed eating them! I t was a little scary seeing them be hacked open and then thrown in the fryer, but it was really nice! :)
Ugh. For me and my companion, we have had eye infections in one of his eyes, and both of mine. And let me tell you, it is rough! Elder Coleman has some eye drops that really help, but it is taking a while to go away, but thankfully, the Lord has let me get some rest at night! Also at the moment, I have a terrible headache. I don't know what happened, I didn't feel great so I took a nap, and then I was finished! Yikes! But when we get home, I will be taking some Advil, Nyquil, and going back to sleep! :)
Anyways, for this week, we are preparing this lady Joyce to be baptized. I am really excited to finally have a baptism! We have been working really hard, and I am glad to see some success in the near future! :) Honestly, this is one of the hardest areas I have been to. But I know that the Lord is watching out for us and he truly is preparing souls to hear the message we have to share. We have been praying a lot for some success in our area, as our branch hasn't had any baptisms in like 6 months, but Saturday, we will have the first in a while! :) God truly will help us as we turn to him for help and guidance in our lives. He is always just a prayer and a little bit of work away! :)
So for Christmas Day...proably what will happen is that we won't go out on Christmas, unless to members, and then we will find some members and use their phone to Skype! We will just buy a bunch of credit and hope for the best!! There is absolutely zero wifi here. I have never seen wifi, but some missionaries have a little hotspot so they can send pictures from their cameras.
Love you!
Elder Wawro
December 12th, 2016
I've got lots to write about this week! :)
Mom, how was craft fair? Did you get any sleep last week??? :)
Elections were crazy! The President changed from Mahamma to Nana Akufo Addo and there was A TON of celebrations! We didn't proselyte much this week because of all the parties, and in some places, riots. But overall it was peaceful! IT WAS HUGE. EVERYBODY WAS DANCING AND SINGING WHEN THEY ANNOUNCED THE NEW PREISDENT!!! :)
Well, this week has been rewarding. It started with me being angry with my companion over something kinda small, and it was really bothering me! But, as I thought about it and received some helpful words from Dad (last Saturday), I went up to him the next morning and just apologized for being mad at him. Wow, what a difference that made for sure! We now never walk without having a laugh or telling a funny story or 2, and it is amazing!!
I bought some sweet firecrackers this week that we played with for a long time! We have some hilarious videos with them, and hopefully soon, I will get to send them! :)
I made some interesting "donut holes" from the internet this week. They were alright, but since we don't have a thermometer, I just tried to fry them at the lowest setting possible... They weren't awful, but I won't make them again for sure! They took about 1.5 hours to make all of them, and they came out more like cinnamon sticks, but it was an interesting experience! :)
Elder Coleman found a Christmas tree this week which was awesome, as Elder Antwi (who just left) took his with him when he was transferred. We don't have lights, but we have some ornaments and a tree topper, but soon we will find some lights!
I saw a huge Gas truck this week which read "Highly Inflammable"! :) It is really common around here, but this is the first week I could get a solid picture of it! :)
I had fried snail the day before Elder Antwi left which was not half bad! It was definitely different, but I enjoyed eating them! I t was a little scary seeing them be hacked open and then thrown in the fryer, but it was really nice! :)
Ugh. For me and my companion, we have had eye infections in one of his eyes, and both of mine. And let me tell you, it is rough! Elder Coleman has some eye drops that really help, but it is taking a while to go away, but thankfully, the Lord has let me get some rest at night! Also at the moment, I have a terrible headache. I don't know what happened, I didn't feel great so I took a nap, and then I was finished! Yikes! But when we get home, I will be taking some Advil, Nyquil, and going back to sleep! :)
Anyways, for this week, we are preparing this lady Joyce to be baptized. I am really excited to finally have a baptism! We have been working really hard, and I am glad to see some success in the near future! :) Honestly, this is one of the hardest areas I have been to. But I know that the Lord is watching out for us and he truly is preparing souls to hear the message we have to share. We have been praying a lot for some success in our area, as our branch hasn't had any baptisms in like 6 months, but Saturday, we will have the first in a while! :) God truly will help us as we turn to him for help and guidance in our lives. He is always just a prayer and a little bit of work away! :)
So for Christmas Day...proably what will happen is that we won't go out on Christmas, unless to members, and then we will find some members and use their phone to Skype! We will just buy a bunch of credit and hope for the best!! There is absolutely zero wifi here. I have never seen wifi, but some missionaries have a little hotspot so they can send pictures from their cameras.
Love you!
Elder Wawro
Catching Up, 12-3-16 (Saturday)
Catching up on blog posts...I missed emailing Gabe today because they changed his date and I was working the Denton High craft fair all day. Grateful he was able to email with Bill though. ~Janene
December 3, 2016
Hey, I know this is strange, but because of elections on Monday, they have moved our P-day to today. I am sorry!!! But I am on for 1.5 hours. :)
Well, I apologize for the weird week this week, in our mission, they moved our transfer schedule which effected our P-day, so, they moved it to today ( Saturday).
Anyways, this week has been great! We took some photos as a district and they turned out great! They got some funny ones and some really nice ones! :)
We have started to email at our chapel which is awesome because I have access to my camera and my USB, but still it is too slow to send pictures, so maybe soon I can send some... but don't get your hopes up. :/
Elder Coleman and I made cinnamon rolls this week and it was AWESOME. It has been a really long time since I have had cinnamon rolls, and it turned out really well! WE "bake" a lot in our apartment, we use the 2 pots system and it doesn't cook perfectly, but it does pretty well for baking without an oven! :)
Our area is growing little by little. After being closed for 5-6 months, we have began to teach some of the same people as our predecessor missionaries which has been fun! We have 2 that have said that they want to be baptized, so I am really excited for that! :)
Well, this week will be weird for sure, we have transfers on Monday (normally Wednesday) and then the country's election on Wednesday, and chances are, we will not proselyte that day, but we are waiting for the final decision on that.
As for our transfer news, Elder Coleman's new companion is Elder Powell the district leader, and his former companion, Elder Antwi is going to Tamale to be a Zone Leader. Probably, he will finish his mission there, but we shall see! :)
As for spiritual matters, I learned a great lesson from the Book of Mormon in its first chapters. The story of a family leaving all their possessions in Jerusalem after God commands them to leave before Jerusalem is destroyed. There are those who are faithful... and those who are less faithful... and those who just complain about everything. There is a scripture to the faithful son which says someting along the lines of "blessed art thou because thou hast not murmured against the Lord." (sorry for the horrible phrasing) but it is a reoccurring theme of the Book of 1 Nephi, being faithful to the Lord's commandments and not complaining about what happens along the way. Easier said than done, but truly the Lord will truly bless us as we faithfully obey his commandments and put our trust in Him.
Thanks for reading! Love ya!
Elder Wawro
December 3, 2016
Hey, I know this is strange, but because of elections on Monday, they have moved our P-day to today. I am sorry!!! But I am on for 1.5 hours. :)
Well, I apologize for the weird week this week, in our mission, they moved our transfer schedule which effected our P-day, so, they moved it to today ( Saturday).
Anyways, this week has been great! We took some photos as a district and they turned out great! They got some funny ones and some really nice ones! :)
We have started to email at our chapel which is awesome because I have access to my camera and my USB, but still it is too slow to send pictures, so maybe soon I can send some... but don't get your hopes up. :/
Elder Coleman and I made cinnamon rolls this week and it was AWESOME. It has been a really long time since I have had cinnamon rolls, and it turned out really well! WE "bake" a lot in our apartment, we use the 2 pots system and it doesn't cook perfectly, but it does pretty well for baking without an oven! :)
Our area is growing little by little. After being closed for 5-6 months, we have began to teach some of the same people as our predecessor missionaries which has been fun! We have 2 that have said that they want to be baptized, so I am really excited for that! :)
Well, this week will be weird for sure, we have transfers on Monday (normally Wednesday) and then the country's election on Wednesday, and chances are, we will not proselyte that day, but we are waiting for the final decision on that.
As for our transfer news, Elder Coleman's new companion is Elder Powell the district leader, and his former companion, Elder Antwi is going to Tamale to be a Zone Leader. Probably, he will finish his mission there, but we shall see! :)
As for spiritual matters, I learned a great lesson from the Book of Mormon in its first chapters. The story of a family leaving all their possessions in Jerusalem after God commands them to leave before Jerusalem is destroyed. There are those who are faithful... and those who are less faithful... and those who just complain about everything. There is a scripture to the faithful son which says someting along the lines of "blessed art thou because thou hast not murmured against the Lord." (sorry for the horrible phrasing) but it is a reoccurring theme of the Book of 1 Nephi, being faithful to the Lord's commandments and not complaining about what happens along the way. Easier said than done, but truly the Lord will truly bless us as we faithfully obey his commandments and put our trust in Him.
Thanks for reading! Love ya!
Elder Wawro
Catching Up, 11-28-16
Catching up on the last three weeks of emails from Gabe during the holidays. :)
November 28th, 2016
I apologize for the typos in advance, this keyboard is REALLY STIFF.
Well, I had my first really crazy rain storm this week in the mountains! The power went out and it lasted about 30 minutes, and it was really really raining! I love when it rains here, because it gets nice and cold and the wind blows a lot!
I got to catch some videos of ants moving their colony which was really fascinating to me! They moved houses in about 1 day and 1 night, and the were gone by the next day! It is kinda freaky, but SUPER COOL!
We saw a tro tro that drove both wheels on one side into the gutter this week which was absolutely hilarious. They had 30 or more people trying to push it back out, but whatever happened, it wasn't there in the morning!
Elder Antwi put up his mini Christmas tree this week and oh how I miss the decorations back home! But our tree here brought back some good memories for sure. :)
We visited a wedding this week, and it is nothing like ours back home. Here they play REALLY LOUD MUSIC FOR THE WHOLE TIME, there is lots of hip-hop dancing, drums, and an MC! Little bit different experience, but we were supporting one of our member's daughters that was getting married! :)
Lastly, we had Thanksgiving in Ghana! It was rather an expensive meal, but was totally worth it. I bought some green beans and sweet corn in Kumasi and we got potatoes and chicken in our area! We made mashed potatoes, and fried chicken with vegetables and it was AWESOME. We ate for 2 meals in a row and it was sweet! We had quite a miracle though, if you have ever tried to deep fry things and throw water inside, you might have an idea where I am going with this...
We had been frying the chicken, after we had marinated it in some oil, seasoning and water. We fried the chicken, but it wasn't fully cooked, so we were going to cook it a little longer, but we decided to put a little seasoning in with the oil (which contained water) and well... After a few seconds in the oil, we had 7 foot flames reaching the ceiling, so Elder Coleman pulled it off really fast and Elder Antwi went right for the propane tank. They were the 2 closest, so my companion and I just watched the whole mes happen as we were too far away to be of any serious help. But it provided for a good laugh afterwards and a reassurance that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he has chosen because of their faith. Truly miracles do happen, but we will miss them if we are moving too fast!
-Elder Wawro
November 28th, 2016
I apologize for the typos in advance, this keyboard is REALLY STIFF.
Well, I had my first really crazy rain storm this week in the mountains! The power went out and it lasted about 30 minutes, and it was really really raining! I love when it rains here, because it gets nice and cold and the wind blows a lot!
I got to catch some videos of ants moving their colony which was really fascinating to me! They moved houses in about 1 day and 1 night, and the were gone by the next day! It is kinda freaky, but SUPER COOL!
We saw a tro tro that drove both wheels on one side into the gutter this week which was absolutely hilarious. They had 30 or more people trying to push it back out, but whatever happened, it wasn't there in the morning!
Elder Antwi put up his mini Christmas tree this week and oh how I miss the decorations back home! But our tree here brought back some good memories for sure. :)
We visited a wedding this week, and it is nothing like ours back home. Here they play REALLY LOUD MUSIC FOR THE WHOLE TIME, there is lots of hip-hop dancing, drums, and an MC! Little bit different experience, but we were supporting one of our member's daughters that was getting married! :)
Lastly, we had Thanksgiving in Ghana! It was rather an expensive meal, but was totally worth it. I bought some green beans and sweet corn in Kumasi and we got potatoes and chicken in our area! We made mashed potatoes, and fried chicken with vegetables and it was AWESOME. We ate for 2 meals in a row and it was sweet! We had quite a miracle though, if you have ever tried to deep fry things and throw water inside, you might have an idea where I am going with this...
We had been frying the chicken, after we had marinated it in some oil, seasoning and water. We fried the chicken, but it wasn't fully cooked, so we were going to cook it a little longer, but we decided to put a little seasoning in with the oil (which contained water) and well... After a few seconds in the oil, we had 7 foot flames reaching the ceiling, so Elder Coleman pulled it off really fast and Elder Antwi went right for the propane tank. They were the 2 closest, so my companion and I just watched the whole mes happen as we were too far away to be of any serious help. But it provided for a good laugh afterwards and a reassurance that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he has chosen because of their faith. Truly miracles do happen, but we will miss them if we are moving too fast!
-Elder Wawro
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