Malaria Club...

Hello everyone!!!

Wow thanks for all of your awesome emails and virtual hugs, they mean a lot (just kidding I'm not allowed to hug). ;) This week was really busy and productive! We even had a baptism!

At the beginning of the week we were teaching and doing great things! It just feels dang good to work your tail off and go home and write in your journal about it! I am loving this area and my companion a ton we get along so well and the people here are my favorite on this side of the Nile! I just love how you can literally become someone's best friend in about 10 seconds here, I am just so blessed! 

Anyways, I can't really remember the week because it was so busy but I did remember the end of the week. Ya know why? I joined the malaria club! (WOOO!) On Friday night I woke up because the power was off and I felt like I was cooking! So I got up like four times and after that I was able to fall asleep. In the morning I took my temperature and it was pretty dang high so I went to the hospital all day and I felt way better in the evening. I'm lucky that I caught it early so it didn't get worse. I'm still recovering but I know I'll be fine. I've been taking my medicine everyday as well so there must have just been a lucky mosquito. Anyways, I can now tell people that I've had malaria. I'm just glad it wasn't that bad. :) 

On Saturday I was super scared because I had to be at church the next day to play the piano and to organize the baptism and everything. So I received a priesthood blessing from my comp and another elder in my apartment. On Sunday I still felt weak but I made it to church. Church went well, the power went off during the sacrament hymn which was a little awkward since the keyboard stopped, but everyone just kept singing like they do. After the sacrament the light turned on again and everything was fine. We checked the font and it wasn't filling fast enough so we had the other elders fill up buckets and fill it up that way. We have to buy them each a frosty splash which is like a frozen mango slushy inside a plastic bag that you rip off a corner and drink it. plus it's only 1 cedi which is like a quarter... The perks of Ghana. Anyways they saved our baptism for us and we were able to go on with it. As it was filling we saw a gecko that fell inside and then died, and sank to the bottom. So that was kinda sad, but I guess there are worse places to drown than a baptismal font.

Anyways my companion baptized Hanna who we have been teaching for a while, she is so funny and will be a great member. There were also three child of records that they wanted him to do. Baptisms are such a cool thing to attend, it was so cute to see all these little black kids coming out of the water gasping and smiling :) It's truly a privilege to know that that ordinance is bound on earth and in heaven by being done by priesthood authority. It's such a blessing to be here. Also something that touched me was during sacrament I heard from the window the kids in the other ward singing "I love to see the temple." and their accents are just so cute, I couldn't help but smile! They sang "I love to see da temple I'm going dea some dey, to feel da holy spirit, to list-en and to prey." I am just so grateful once again to be here and to experience all these things! I can already tell that I will miss the people here more than anything. I know that this church is so true and that the priesthood is only in this church. I know that only the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thing that can bring families together, peace on the earth, and love to mankind. Thanks again for your amazing emails! I appreciate them so much!

Twi of the Week!

Minim (Min-eem) "I don't know"

If there is any words you guys want to know you can tell me so I can find them out :)

Culture Corner:

People just buy random clothes here sent from places, and once I saw a guy wearing a cub scout shirt with no badges on it. It had the American flag on it and stuff but it was pretty funny. :)

Our chapel at sunset! 

Love you all so much! Thanks for everything and have a great week!

-Elder Keaton Ballard  

Birthday Soaking

Hello Everyone!!!

Thank you all for the wonderful emails and love that you send me! It makes my heart glow :D This week went by way fast! Lots of sweet things happened and everything is doing great in our area in this little part of Africa.

First off I want to give a shout out to Dad and wish him a Happy Father’s Day! You have been such an example to me and have helped so much in my life, I couldn't be here without you and I am so grateful also for your sense of humor and love towards our family.

So at the beginning of the week things went pretty well, it didn't rain much but it was just really cloudy which is always nice :) Then on Wednesday evening I get a call from our mission president who asked "Could you and your apartment come to the temple tomorrow at 8 am?" After I said an enthusiastic "Well, Yeah!" and hung up, I did several fist pumps with my companion and maybe even did the cotton eyed joe. just kidding. ;)  Man I was so excited! I haven't been to the temple since November! So we were able to wake up early the next day and get there and go. Man the Ghana Temple is so beautiful! Everything inside is just themed with Africa and it's so amazing. I am so grateful for the temple and the blessings we can receive there! Going to the temple was such a great experience and it gave me the power and the zeal to go throughout the week with enthusiasm! I'm so grateful that I got to go!

Also another fun event is that it was one of our recent convert's birthday on Friday. So like I said before, the tradition for birthdays is that you'll get water poured on you if it's your birthday. We were determined to soak her. :) They have those little water bags that you tear off the corners that have pretty good pressure, but I had a better idea. I took those balloons that Mom sent me on my birthday (the big ones) and I filled them with water and tied them. Then we were able to sneak around the shop and have someone say that someone is calling her. As she was walking towards her house we nailed her with water balloons. It was pretty fun because Ghanaians have never seen water balloons before. Also one of the other workers soaked her with like three more buckets. So she was pretty dang soaked. (picture attached.)

We also were able to teach good lessons and have great experiences. I also finished my first journal this week! So I started my new one which is exciting. We didn't have that many investigators this week but we got some new people which will be great for this week. :) Also our recent convert David is such an amazing convert! People were asking to open Doctrine and Covenants and he yelled out "Which section?!" which was just way funny to me. Also this week was his first week to wear a tie, so he looks like a full-fledged member now! Except his tie is super short. But we'll work on that. Conversion is such a miracle. It is such a privilege to be a part of this great work.

I love this place so much and I am so grateful for this opportunity! I know this church is true and that God loves us more than we know. I also know that God loves us all equally. I know the Book of Mormon is true and that we can keep praying to receive our own witness.

Twi of the Week!

Ahden? (Aw-Den?) Why?

Pics:

The Temple!

Sister Evelyn after her birthday "soaking"

Love you all! Have a great week!

 

Rain and Richard

Hello Everyone! Thanks for the emails and the love that your sending me all the time! Dad, how dare you send me a picture of Aunt Elsie's macaroni salad?!? When I saw it I literally looked at the ceiling just sighing and wanting it so bad. But it's okay I know I'll have it someday :D

This week was a little challenging but we still laughed about it which is always good :)

Like I said, rainy season is here! Every day it rains at least once so it's been pretty fun stuff! Sometimes it rains so hard that we have to find shelter otherwise we'll be toast! Or more like damp bread. :) It's really fun though! Once after a lesson it rained way hard and we couldn't even see out of their window. Luckily after the lesson it was still just drizzling. It was the one day I forgot my umbrella but it was still really fun! we were on these back roads that are just dirt so lots of them were flooded with huge puddles!  We also had to balance on one side of a little gutter that had water rushing through it. I just wish we had pirates of the Caribbean music playing or something! My companion has these really cool shoes with holes in the sides of it so that his feet will get air which is a really cool idea. But in rainy season it doesn't really do anything. :) Sometimes I'd just be walking in front of him because I have Brother Scotts Tanks that can go through anything, then I'd just hear my companion scream and then yell "Fetch!" After which we'd just laugh and keep going :) by the time we got home my hair was all soaked and it was just an adventure! I just love being in a place that is so different than home! It's just so crazy how much water can fall out of the sky!

This week we didn't have as many lessons but we still did pretty well. I had a really cool experience taking the sacrament this week. I just love how we have the opportunity to repent and become better every week! It's such a blessing to remember Christ and his sacrifice because then we can become better and follow his example! Also when I was playing keyboard for the closing hymn in church, one of the member's semi autistic kids came up and was going to pound on the lower keys of the keyboard... So I was at war with this 6 year old, but I was playing "Dearest Children" at the same time which is really Ironic at the same time :) Such an adventure!

Also a couple of weeks ago I found out that one of my investigators in my other area passed away. His name was Richard, he was an old man who I just felt like we should sit down and talk with. He had a stroke a while back that made his leg all swollen, so he couldn't go to church. But sometimes after church we would bring church to him. :) He was such a nice old man and made us laugh a lot. He would say that I should pray opening and closing, then next time my companion would pray opening and closing, then the member who came with us would say it, then he would pray opening and closing. So that always made him laugh. He prayed in the end and we were able to have him not take any alcohol. He believed everything we taught, it was just impossible for him to come to church. So when I heard he passed on, I was sad for a split second, then I just felt gratitude that we were able to visit him! We knew he wasn't progressing but we just came and visited him when we didn't have people to teach. I really saw know that God helped us introduce the gospel to him on the earth and to have a friend right before he passed on. I am so excited to meet him someday because I know for a fact that he has already accepted the gospel. I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation. I am so grateful for temples and that through them all mankind can come back to our Heavenly Father. There is no way that a man named Joseph Smith or any other mortal man could make up such a plan. I know that this gospel is true and that God loves us so much! I know that it isn't easy sometimes, but I know that the hard times are part of God's plan for us. I know that God lives and that he loves all of his children equally! I am so honored to have all these opportunities to do what Christ would do. I know that Richard is happy and that he was grateful for the visits and the love that was there. :) This gospel is a gospel of happiness and I know that it is true, keep moving forward with good vision, determination, and with faith in God. He is with us, he knows our hearts, and is there to help comfort, protect, and lead us back to him. These things I know and say in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Pics!

I bought corned beef sausage at the American store so I made it with eggs and onions on bread for breakfast and it was so fetching nice! Especially with the steak seasoning I got!

Then here is a picture of a meal a member gave us on Sunday! It's really nice rice with stew, vegetables and chicken. Then there's the two filtered water packages that you just tear off a corner with your mouth and drink from!

Twi of the Week!

I've been learning Twi (Tree) more now so I'll try and send a word or phrase each week so that you can hear more of the language that is here.

The word this week is "Asah" (Ass-ah) which means "Finished"

I love that I get to learn some language on the way but speak English! I love Ghana so much. I also love all of you and hope you have a great week! Love you!

-Elder Ballard

Rainy Season

Hello Everyone!

Thanks for your wonderful beautiful emails! Also thanks for being you! This week was a great one! We worked hard and it went by faster than Ballard Salad on a Sunday!

Now we are in the famous "Rainy Season" in Ghana. Man when it rains here it rains! The fun part is that we all have umbrellas so we go out anyway and go to our appointments! It's pretty funny because people are like "I thought you wouldn't come because of the rain." then we're like "Nope!" So we have a lot of fun here in Official Town. I'm loving my area so much because we are getting to know all the members a ton and becoming there friends. It's just so fun. I can't even describe it. I really like the rainy season because. You guessed it... Because you don't sweat for forehead off!

I also just looked at my watch and realized that I've been a missionary for 11 months which is just messed up. I can't believe It's almost half done... :O But man I've just been enjoying my time here! I love being here so much! Some days I'm tired but that's about it! It's just so fun to know that this church is 100% true and that Jesus Christ leads it today! This gospel just has so much happiness attached to it. I know that all the beliefs that we have in this gospel is true. I know this both from my heart and from scriptural evidence. I know God lives and loves us.

We also had a multi zone conference which was awesome! I was able to see My trainee Elder Tawodzera and lots of Elders who I haven't seen for a while! We played volleyball and ate real sandwiches!!! They had pickles and cheese and everything! Man it was such a treat! President Heid also came and gave us some counsel. It was a great activity. It's also the reason I'm emailing on a Tuesday :)  I know that Jesus is the Christ and that he suffered for our sins. I know that if we cleave to our covenants that we will be blessed. Thanks again for all of your love and support! I love you all! Have a wonderful week!

-Elder Ballard