Solomon and Temi

Hey Everyone!!!

Thanks for your wonderful emails! This week was really cool and it went by super fast! I guess when you’re in the second week of a new area things start to pick up!

The highlight of the course of this week was of course the baptism of our dear brother Solomon! :) It was cool, I didn't even help much in his progress to conversion but I did teach him chastity so hey! (Michael B) So I guess that counts for something! He's an awesome guy and it was so good to welcome him to the branch :) I love baptisms no matter where they are. I'm so grateful that I'm in a place where it's more common. But everywhere will have its time, that's something that I believe!

Chapel in Suhum

Also me and Elder Roberts (the American elder in my apartment) broke out the glow sticks Mom sent me. He even had a couple as well so we made cool pictures, videos and just laughed our heads off. That's something I love about life is that there's always time to squeeze in a laugh or two somewhere. :D Nothing feels better after working hard than laughing, unless you did like ab workouts or something. You get the point. ;]

Other than that it was just a good week of talking to people and teaching them! Sometimes when we are contacting we find guys walking around with wheel barrows full of coconuts to sell so we buy a couple. They have a machete so they cut the top off so you can drink the water inside, then you give it back to them and they cut it in half so you can eat the flesh inside! Man it's so good. Plus it's only 1 cedi (25 cents)! Also one lesson we went to was really interesting. We came to meet this guy in a random church building and he let us inside. Then we came in and saw this big circle of people with bibles out. So we're like "Okay this will be cool" so we went had a bible discussion on the Holy Ghost. It was weird cause everyone had a different view, but it was a cool lesson. At the end we found out that the guy leading was a Jehovah's Witness. So we were surprised. He was a super nice guy though and we're good friends with him. It was just an interesting experience because sometimes when he taught a principle I could feel that it wasn't completely true. But other times I could feel peace of what he was saying. So it's cool how the Spirit can help us know what is truth. I really know what a stupor of thought is like and what a clear mind is like. The Holy Ghost is such a wonderful gift to us. I'm so grateful to have it.

 One guy stopped us while we were on our bikes and asked us where our church was. His name was Temi and he's from Nigeria. He said he read some pamphlets but he doesn't understand how our church is the only true church. So we were able to teach him at the chapel. He even came to church which was great! (picture attached.)

Something cool is that this branch is full of old members who know tons of hymns so I'm learning more hymns that I haven't played before. But something awesome that they like to do here is that right before the last verse the keyboardist played the last two lines before they sing the last verse. It's so cool! It was hard for me at first cause I didn't get it, but I love the effect it has; it's like the last verse is the finale! It's so cool how God is able to prepare you for things. In my first area I didn't have to play. Then my second I played limited hymns, now I'm ready to be better and play whatever songs they assign me. I love how God gives you tasks that you can always handle with his help.

Also some crazy news is that Elder Kamanda will be transferred next month and I'll be training. Again!!! So I'll have another son! It will be exactly one year since I trained Tawodzera so I guess October is training season. I'm sure he'll be African as well so it will be another cool experience!

Anyways that's about all! I love you all so much and I hope you have a good week!

Pics:

Temi at church

and Solomon's baptism!

Twi of the week!

Wyardey Paa "You've done very well"

Love you tons!

-Elder Ballard

Ghanaian pizza (with carrots!)

The Bush!

Hello Everyone!!! Thanks for all of your wonderful emails! They made me smile till it hurt so good job! This week was crazy but awesome! There was Apostles, reunions with high school friends, transfers, and more!   So I'll try to start from the beginning... *Flash back blurs*

It all started on Tuesday when I had to go to the mission home and sleep over. I got there and said good bye to my companion after he got his trainee from Kenya. I'll miss Elder Howland, he was a great guy. While I was at the mission home I kind of just hung out with the AP's and the Office Elders who are really cool guys. So cool in fact that they offered to take me to an all American store called "American Essentials." It was a tiny little store but it's title perfectly describes what it has inside. I went in there and bought A&W root beer, Skippy peanut butter, snickers, skittles, even fetching Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce! That was a great day. The Office Elders wanted to help stock me up for the bush. We even ordered African pizza that evening which made the day even better. The other Elders from Ho came and stayed the night so that the whole mission could go to the Apostle the next day. It was fun to see my friends who I haven't seen in a while.

Then on Wednesday we all went and saw Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the 12 Apostles! It was such a great instruction! He talked about how we need to invite people by committing them to a principle, promise them blessings, then testify of the truth of it. It's something that I was kind of doing passively but now I'll do it all the time! Just like after seeing Elder Rasband, I now have a personal witness that Elder Stevenson is truly an Apostle of Jesus Christ and that the priesthood keys have been restored. Now on my mission I have seen three apostles personally! (Bednar, Rasband, Stevenson.) I'm so grateful that I got that chance and opportunity.

After the meeting I got to chat with Elder Bennett Roberts of the quorum of best friends in high school. It was so cool to see how he's doing and to talk about missionary work and Ghana in general. It so cool that we could both talk to each other while we both have our tags on. I'll always remember that. I even spoke some Twi with him which was fun too! When we're both home I'll be able to say "Remember that time we ate rice together in West Africa?" and hopefully he'll be able to say yes. It was the third time I saw him so I hope another apostle comes before we go so I can see him a fourth time.

After the conference I also met my new companion! Elder Kamanda (Like Commander) :D  from Sierra Leone! Man I am so blessed with the best companions! He's a great cook and a wonderful teacher! He's the only one in his family who is a member and he is 19 years old.

After I met Elder Kamanda we went and packed my luggage on a tro tro to take us to Suhum. It was about a three hour drive but it was a really cool one! We drove over these mountains then down into a valley where there's another city called Koforidua where I'm emailing you right now. Then the Zone Leaders drove us another half hour to Suhum. The cool thing about the Eastern Region is that there are trees everywhere! Plus a couple mountains and rivers. When I got to Suhum it really hit me I was in Africa. Suhum isn't like a village by any means but it was just that it's more quiet and there's trees everywhere! I got transferred from the apartment next to a taxi station and a main speed bump road, to the apartment that's fetching quiet! It's super awesome! The other only difference is that you have to walk a ways to buy anything and they Don't really have a variety of stuff unless you go to the market. But on Sunday I went to church and met lots of the members at the brand new chapel we have. Some of the members have been members over 20 years in this branch! So they know all the hymns and everything unlike my other branch. Anyways it's going to be a really cool area, I'm just still adjusting :D

So that was basically my week! My testimony has been strengthened to know that God needs me to be here and I'm so grateful for all the people here. They are so loving and nice! On Sunday we biked with a member and taught a lesson at a one room house in the middle of these little banana trees! It was then that I realized I was in Africa, after a year and two months I finally realized it :) haha. Anyways I am so grateful for this chance to be in Suhum and I know with time, everything will be okay. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Pics:

Our Chapel,

Me and Elder Roberts

Me and My new comp Elder Kamanda

Twi of the Week:

Asim-Wala "It's up to you" :)

Love you all! Have a great week!

Transfer Time

Hey Everyone!!! Thanks so much for your wonderful emails! I cried a little! (figure of speech) ;) I'm just so grateful for all your loving words and support towards me and every missionary! If you want blessings write a missionary today! This week was cool and really crazy! I'll start from the beginning. (a very good place to start)

So I forgot to tell you last week that me and my comp actually worked out every day. Like we had a legit work out plan! Another elder in the apartment was a body builder before his mission so he prescribed me a work out plan. The biggest reason is to get rid of my "banku belly" but It's been really good. Those of you who know me really well know that I am not one to simply tear my muscles apart at will. But last week went really well except the fact that my body was stiffer than the Lamanite's necks at their time of disbelief. Every day when we came out of the apartment, especially after leg day, me and my companion looked like two old men. You might as well call us senior missionaries. Then on Sunday we had to bike to church and we were both making sounds of wounded gazelles. Our legs were literally not working. It's kind of that feeling of pain that makes you laugh and cry at the same time. So it was a memory for sure! I hope I can continue to work out though, I've seen a difference so I'll keep trying, even if I feel like a sheet of peppermint bark.

The reason I say "I hope" is because there's another announcement... I'm being TRANSFERRED again! So i'll be going out pretty far to a place called Suhum! (Fam, you can look at my mission map.) It's out in the "Bush" kind of! So I'll be able to send pictures of trees and stuff! So I'm excited to show next week! They also speak Twi there which is good, they also love Fufu as well so I think I'll enjoy! I'm also not a district leader anymore so I'll be able to concentrate all my energy on the area! I'm really excited, but I'm going to miss branch so bad! I have gotten close to almost all the members here and they are some of the nicest people ever! I had them write their contact and stuff in my mission "yearbook"/journal so I can stay in contact with them. :) On Sunday I also had a talk, so I planned to tell everyone that I was being transferred at the end of the talk. The funny thing was, write when I was going to tell them the news the power turned off. So the lights switched off and the 20 ceiling fans in the chapel slowly stopped spinning. SO I continued quoting scriptures till a member went out and turned on the generator. Then when the power turned on I was able to tell everyone. The biggest thing the members asked me was "Who's going to play the keyboard for us??" Man it was tough to say goodbye.
The thing that touched me the most was I was called to the primary when church was almost done. When I got there all the kids had written a thank you card for me :') Then they all yelled at once in their cute accents. "DANK YOU ELDA BALLAD!!!" I wish SO bad I got it on video! My heart melted a couple times and I was kind of teary inside. I was so grateful the primary teacher had them do that because I'll keep those letters forever. Some simply just said "Elder Ballard, I love you so much. Thank you." or another one was "Elder Ballard, you are the most best missionary in the world. I hope you will live carefully and I know God will bless you as you are going." Man I'll miss these kids! 

My companion will be training so I'm excited for him! He's stressed like I was when I was three months out. But I know he'll do great. This area is a great area to train someone.

I'm going to miss Official Town, It's been so fun and there has been so many people ready for the gospel. I was actually really sad when I found out that I'm leaving. But when I played the keyboard in our apartment and sang "I'll go where I want you to go." It really helped me know that God needs me in Suhum and that he has a work for me to do there. I know God qualifies who he calls and that he knows where his missionaries need to be. Some times God's plan for us is different than our own plan. But I know that if we keep the commandments and covenants we've made that he will help us know where we need to go. Then it's our duty to answer "I'll go where you want me to go Dear Lord. I'll say what you want me to say, I'll be what you want me to be."

I am so grateful for this mission and the experiences I receive each day. I know this gospel is so true and that we are on the right path. :) I love you all and I'm so grateful for your support. The Lord is on our side and he is the head of this church.

Farewell Official Town, On to Suhum!

Twi of the Week!

Ochina Why? (Oh Cheen Uh why) "Tomorrow okay?"

PS Elder Stevensen (The Apostle!!!) is coming to talk to us this week! The Accra West Mission is coming too so I'll see Elder Bennett Roberts Again! Woot!

Love you all and talk to you next week! ;D

-Elder Ballard

The Aziatre Family (I baptized Daniel, on the far left, and he lives in Suhumfor school! So I'll be able to continue teaching him when I go there.

Samuel and his twins! (I also taught and baptized them!)

The Joys of Salad!

Hello Everyone!

Thanks so much for your wonderful emails!!! I'm glad that you all had a great time at the Hunt reunion and it's crazy and exciting that I'll be coming next year! Plus I'm so excited to have another niece when I get home!!! Congrats Natalee and Dylan! You'll be such amazing parents!

This week went really well! The sun started coming out a little more but "[Sweat] it the work" right? Our recent convert Samuel gave us some more people he knew for us to teach which was amazing! When we were out teaching with him we passed one of his friends who sells vegetables, her name was Blessing. When he saw her he told her something in Ewe (Another Ghanaian/Togolese Language.) then we went back to his house. When we were back his phone rang, after he answered and hung up he said "Your salad is ready." Man I was so excited! It's been over year since I've had a salad! So then we went and she had this huge container full of chopped lettuce,cabbage,onions, and carrots. On Sunday evening I remembered that I brought ranch dressing powder from home, so I boiled some eggs and mixed my own ranch dressing! Man it's been a while! I enjoyed it so much!

Anyways, enough about my American food attempts.  

This week was so cool since the branch got to go to the temple! We weren't allowed to which was a bummer. But like I said last week, the Aziatre went for their sealing on that day! So on Saturday evening we went and visited them. When we got there, there was a whole new feeling in their home. Everyone was so happy and you could just feel a peace in their home and know that their family, if their righteous, can be together forever. :) When we saw brother Aziatre he said "I've never been to heaven before. But the temple was the closest thing I've ever experienced to heaven." Sister Aziatre said the same thing. You could really see the love of the family just glow through everyone. The spirit really confirmed to me that the temple is the house of God and that families really are meant to be eternal! I am so grateful to be sealed to my family and I'm excited to be sealed to my future wife and children as well! On Sunday the whole testimony meeting was centered on temples. Recent converts went for their first time, some people got their own endowments, and even some little primary kids bore their testimonies which doesn't really happen here. I love playing the keyboard in church too. I just love the gospel and everything inside it. I can tell you that God indeed lives and that Jesus Christ is indeed our Savior. The Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith was a prophet, and this church is the only true church on the earth. I love you all and I'm so grateful for this calling and experience!

Pictures:

Me and my companion having a lunch of Banku :D

We had a zone activity today and I got to see my trainer Elder Ajayi before he returns home next week!

Cleaning the font

       Twi of the week:

When I'm getting a taxi and they give me an outrageous price I say:

Woh yeh sheh sheh neim "You like separation" (You're racist) then they laugh :)

Thanks again, have a great week!

-Elder Ballard