Eating Cat In a New Area

WOW!

Hello Everyone!!! This was probably the longest week ever because so many things happened! Sorry I didn't email yesterday, all the cafes were down. Thanks for all of your emails too! 

So on Tuesday the zone leaders called and said I would be transferred a day earlier. (So on Wednesday.) So Wednesday morning I headed out for Ashaiman. I took my luggage and my washing machine (ol' bessy.) to the mission home, switched companions, and took a taxi to Ashaiman. My new companion is Elder Burns. He's my first American Companion! He is super awesome and I'm excited to work with him. It seems his other companion was really excited to go home so this area was kinda low. But I'm excited to get things up and running with him. He has been in this area for 7 and a half months so he'll probably be leaving soon ;( but I'm excited to work with him.

 When I got to the new apartment I kinda had a little culture shock again because I didn't know where I was. Then we went to the area with our bikes and I was like "Okay, I know how to do this stuff." Something about Ashaiman is that there are tons of cars and that the streets are narrow , so biking difficulty has increased two notches. But luckily Teshie was intense already so I'll be fine. Plus I know that God protects his missionaries! Ashaiman is pretty poor but there is less sand and the people here are SO nice! Man everyone in the street can just greet and smile at you! Especially members! Like I said in the heading, one member fed us cat meat two nights in a row! It was SO good! The guy seasoned it so well that it tasted like chicken! It just goes between your teeth a little more. The second time I had it I realized that I had the head :O While I was eating I noticed that I was chewing on the jaw bone of a cat! It even had teeth and everything! I'll send a picture in the next email because I was able to save the jaw bones. Anyways. Something about Ashaiman is that there are no people that speak Ga, most people speak Twi or Ewe. I didn't really know Ga much just how to greet and ask people their names and stuff. But it's fun to hear a new local dialect.

The Official Town Branch is very new, it's about 8 months old or so. So when I came they asked if I could play the keyboard for them. I was a little hesitant to play but I knew that it's what I should do. After I played the hymns; the branch president gave some remarks and said that he has been praying that this next transfer would bring someone who can play keyboard so that the branch could know how to sing hymns and so that they could be able to have a choir. When he said that, the spirit witnessed further to me that I really am the right place. There is rarely a sweeter feeling than to know that you were able to help God answer someone's prayer. I am so grateful for the piano lessons I took and for the experience I had in choir so that I can help these wonderful people praise the Lord through music. "For the song of the heart is a prayer unto me." I am so grateful that through these talents God has given me, I am able to more be an instrument in his hands.

As we end this Easter Season I'll just share a small thought. On the way to my new area, there was a windshield sticker that said "the secret to my joy is Jesus." This sticker made me realize a couple things. 1: The people of Ghana are such a christian people 2: That statement is so true. Without the atonement there would be no means to be happy. There would be no means to repent, and most of all there would be no means to have eternal life with our families. I can testify to all of you that Jesus Christ is the only person that could have given us this blessing and that he is the way, the truth and the light. I know this is true, and this is the main reason I am out here. I love you all so much and I am so grateful for your love and support.

PS: Abraham (That drunk old man who we've been teaching for

6 months) finally got baptized on Saturday! I got permission to travel there and preform the baptism! I am so grateful for that experience as well! This week was just full of surprises! I know this gospel is true!

Pics: Abraham's baptism

Me and Elder Burns (Abraham gave me this white African shirt as a gift after his baptism!)

I love you all so much! Have a wonderful week!

-Elder Ballard

Goodbye to Teshie

Toyo teh?! Yejo Bah! Acho bo Teh? Acho Mie Elda Ballad Onu? 

Hello Everyone! I thought I would greet everyone in the very romantic language of Ga. Thank you all for your wonderful heart warming emails :') This week was super short because last week I wrote on Tuesday. But lots of things happened! Our area was doing better! We found more people to teach and everything was doing great. Then on Saturday evening  as our apartment was about to enjoy some rice with stew and plantain, BA BAM! My district leader got a call that I would be going on TRANSFER and that I needed to bear my testimony at church the next day. So that was a big hit to me. I knew I would be transferred one day but when I actually realized it would happen, I was kinda shocked. So I didn't sleep well that night. But at church it was fun to say goodbye to all the members and teach a class. Then Sunday evening I got a call from President who told me I would be going to a place called Official Town in the Ashaiman (Uh-Shaman) Zone. Which is a place that is very well known for it's dust. So it looks like I'll be wearing my glasses for a while. :)

I'll be leaving on Thursday so I'll still be able to see some of the people I know. At first I was kinda reluctant and I just didn't know what to expect. But as I sang "I'll go where you want me to go." It helped me a lot to know that I am needed there and that just like I said last time: all missionaries are directed by divine priesthood keys. So I'm excited and anxious at the same time. I know I'll love the people no matter what. :D I'll also be having my first American companion who's name is Elder Burns. So that's really exciting! Next week I'll send you pictures of my area and companion and everything else. I'm going to miss Teshie, I've spent a third of my mission here, but I know that I need to go to Official Town. I know that God loves us so much and that he wants us all to follow him. I am so grateful to be a missionary at this time and place! 

I want to wish everyone a happy Easter! Let's make it a day not all about marshmallow bunnies and chocolate eggs. But let's try to remember Christ's ultimate sacrifice towards us. He was sacrificed for every bad feeling, guilt, heart break, sorrow, sickness, annoyance, offense, pain, grief, and sin! (See Alma 7:11-12) Most importantly he broke the bands of death so that we can be resurrected and return back to our loving Heavenly Father. Without Jesus Christ's Atonement. Repentance would be impossible, therefore we could not progress, we could not become clean again. That's why Jesus Christ is often called by the titles "Savior, Redeemer," or "Messiah." Of all the things I testify as a missionary or as a member of Christ's church, this is the most important: That Jesus Christ is the Savior. Let us remember that without him, there is absolutely no way. For he said "I am the way, the truth, and the light." I know this is true. I hope you all have a wonderful Easter and a great week! I love you so much! 

-Elder Ballard

PS Happy Birthday Shandee!!! I can't believe you'll be sixteen this week! O_O Also To my nephew Tristan!!! He's gonna be one! (He'll be two when I'll come back?!) 

Pictures: 

This is Na. One of the cutest African girls I have ever seen :) 

Love ya most! 

Some of Mama Mercy's grand kids!

Na and Blessing

I said goodbye to Rama and Shiva. (I helped teach and baptize Rama.) 

Meeting Elder Rasband!

Hello Everyone!!! 

Thank you all so much for your wonderful emails! I appreciate it so much! 

It's a Tuesday which means that this week will go even faster than normal! This week was one of the most enlightening weeks of my life! I was able to shake the hand and listen to Elder Ronald A. Rasband! It was an experience I will never forget. Everything he said felt as though it was directed strait to me! What joy I felt to be able to sit a couple of feet away from an apostle and listen to his counsel! 

He talked about many things but I'll mention somethings that he said that really hit me. At one point he talked about how as missionaries we are all called and assigned directly through priesthood keys. He compared it to a funnel. At the top of the funnel is the prophet, who holds the keys to call someone as a missionary, then it goes to an apostle who has the keys to assign the missionary to a mission, then it goes to the mission president who holds the keys to assign you to your area and companion. Then he said "All of you are absolutely and unequivocally called to serve in this mission by revelation." So I took comfort to know that my area and my companion are exactly where I need to be and who I need to be with. Then he talked about how every Thursday the prophet and the apostles pray in the temple together and how President Monson is the one who assigns someone to pray. After the prayer he asked all of them "Brethren, where have you come from, and where you are going this week?" Then when it got to Elder Rasband he said "I'm headed to Nigeria and Ghana." then the first thing President Monson said was "Tell them I love them." Something I learned on that day is that the leaders of the church, especially the Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency love not only members, but all people with perfect love. Another thing Elder Rasband said is that the more we learn about our Master, the more we will be able to love him. So as we keep learning about Christ we will be able to love him more. The last thing I'll mention was really interesting. When we were about to end with the closing hymn, Elder Rasband stopped the intro and asked "Is it okay if we sing 'More Holiness Give Me?'" After he said that I was determined to look at the words of the hymn. As we sang, I saw so many things that related exactly to what I need to do better. It was a testimony to me that we truly have living prophets and apostles on the earth. I know so much that this is true. 

When Elder Rasband was called, I knew that he would be a great apostle. But it was when I listened to him and pondered on his words that I received my own witness that he is indeed an apostle of the Lord. I know these things are so true! I can't deny them. I know this is Christ's church upon the earth again. I know that the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven have been restored and that they are only in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for it his church. 

So those were my spiritual thoughts of that day. I was also able to see my good friend Elder Bennett Roberts at the meeting! It was so awesome to be able to talk to him for a half hour or so and see how he's doing and speak some twi with him ;) During the meeting I was also able to sit two people away from Elder Ryan Barr who I met briefly before coming! (He is in the Plano Ward.) So Yesterday was a day never to be forgotten! When I got back to the apartment I had to just start writing in my journal because I had so many things going through my mind! Anyways I'll never forget that day.]

The rest of the week was good! We were able to find some people and just help others to progress. We weren't able to have anyone at church but we are hoping that this week will be the week that they will choose for themselves to come. I always say this but I love Ghanaian people. If you were an out going person, you could walk down a street and gain like twenty friends who would be able to joke with you and maybe even give you food. I just love this place and I know that I have been called here by someone with divine authority. 

It's so nice to hear about how all of you are doing! Keep doing great things and the Lord will bless you! As Preach My Gospel says:"discouragement will weaken your faith. If you lower your expectations, your effectiveness will decrease, your desire will weaken, and you will have greater difficulty following the Spirit...When you have done your very best, you may still experience disappointments, but you will not be disappointed in yourself. You can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when you feel the Spirit working through you." 

I know this is true. I love you all so much and am so grateful for your support! I know that if you will not be discouraged with the present, that you will have a richer more satisfying future. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

-Elder Ballard 

 

Elder Barr from our stake

friend Bennett Roberts

Companion's sunglasses and hat I found in the compound 

It rained a ton, but nothing was going to stop us from seeing Elder Rasband!

Rain Clouds

Hi Ho! Elder Ballard Here!!!

Someone just told me that I'm a third of the way done with my mission so I gave them a really surprised look! I seriously can't believe how time flies! That's a big piece of the pie! It's crazy just because I've still been in the same area so it feels like I just came here! Man, time flies when your biking in 95 degree weather! Thanks so much for all of your emails!

This week was pretty decent, we got the most member present lessons we've ever had so that was great. We just need to be able to find more serious people who will progress, so hopefully we can do that this week! Also this week we we're rained on twice, which is always a fun experience so I'll tell one of them in a story form:

Me and my companion biked down to this "Chop Bar" (that's what they call a place to eat fufu or banku) and after eating a delicious bowl of Fufu with palm nut soup and tuna, we were biking back when we saw these huge black clouds. These clouds aren't like normal ones where you’re like "Oh, it might rain in an hour." But these ones were moving super fast and swirling around each other. It always looks weird though because on the other side of the sky it's clear as a bell. So after a quick utterance of the word "Fetch" (which is commonly used in all English speaking missions), we took refuge in our bishop’s house. I have never seen clouds like this in my life! They were swirling around and swelling just like in a movie! So right when we were in the house it started pouring. After the rain everything was muddy but the weather was cool which is nice. So after it let up, me and Elder Tawodzera merrily went on our way to proselyte.

This week was different than last week, but it was still good. It's just hard sometimes when people aren't around or they traveled etc. But we were able to see Evans again who is super interested! After coming to see he was busy for like 6 times he finally gave us some time to teach him. His friend even wanted to sit and listen. So we had Evans explain to his friend about the restoration and about Joseph Smith. He did really good and we helped him where he needed it. Once they were both caught up, we introduced the Book of Mormon. When I pulled it out Evans said "Wow!" Sometimes it's kinda difficult to explain the Book of Mormon to people but I really felt the spirit in that lesson. Everything we said made total sense and he and his friend understood. When we gave it to him he was super excited and said "I need to be serious with this book and pray!" So we hope that we will be able to see him this week more than just once.

I just love being a missionary so much! Seeing that a third has already passed kinda shows me that I need to put every second I have into the work! I'm just so grateful to be out here and to be with the lovely people of Ghana. I really am so used to it here and feel like, as Dad said, a "Vanilla African" :) I love the food the people, the place, and especially the gospel! I can testify that I know this church is true! I know that God loves us so much and that he knows our weaknesses! My trainer Elder Ajayi gave me a call this week and shared a scripture with me that really helped me. It's Doctrine and Covenants 123:17 it says: "Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

I know these things are true and I love you all so much! Have a wonderful week!

Elder Ballard

Pictorials:

Rain clouds

Me and My Comp. Poor little tike.

a praying mantis

A plate of rice at a restaurant so it was really expensive but it had tons of chicken so it was worth it!