Happy Week!

Dear Loved Ones :D

I hope your week was a great one! I know mine was! My new companion is so awesome! He's like Animal off of the Muppets! He has so much energy it amazes me! Even though it's tiring, I'm so happy in the work! I think Elder Cook is the best thing for me and Suhum! He has so much courage to just go up and talk to people! We also have set so many goals and are trying to find less actives finally! So in short, I'm so happy :) I finally feel like a real District Leader and that people listen to me! It's just so cool that God's work can never be frustrated.

Another miracle that happened is that on Tuesday my package with my camera and journal came!!! I couldn't believe it! It came in three weeks! That's so crazy! It was so fun to see my old camera again and remember all of its cool effects. I'll send you pictures next week since the cafe I'm at doesn't let me. It's so nice to have a camera again!

We are also teaching temple preparation in our branch! So that's been a blast! It was also Elder Cook's birthday on Sunday so we bought pizza today for him :) I can't believe March is almost done. Our baptism for sister Joyce will be on April 1st which is so exciting! I'm also excited to see where I'll get transferred. But even if I finish my mission here I'd be happy now that the work is going so well.

I'm getting to the point of just sitting back and enjoying Ghana and savoring the cool scenery while I can. I love these people so much. I'll miss them. But I know God will need me to go home as well. It's just fun to think over my whole mission and see how much I've changed. I've had so many life changing experiences that have really helped me. I just can't believe that I have a home in America! It feels like my experiences back home were like from a dream or something!

Anyways I'm just so happy to be here and not be stressed at all! The only stress is to preach the gospel which I’m totally fine with :)

In church we learned a lot about the creation. I shared with everyone that my Mom taught me that God could have gave us a cruddy world but he didn't. He gave us a beautiful world to live in, a world with trees, mountains, rivers, sunsets and more! It's amazing how a mission always brings things that your parents taught you back to your remembrance! God really took time in this world. He didn't take 6 days but 6 periods of time. It's such a blessing to look around and know that God loves us. There are so many examples of God's love everywhere. Whoever says the world isn't a happy place has never gone to our church before. It's so funny that the Jehovah Witnesses go around and preach that Satan is ruling the world and that everything is getting worse and worse. But thank goodness that we know that as the world gets worse, the church grows bigger and the gospel is spread further. Not only that but more Temples will be built.

Well loved ones, I love you! Just know I'm doing fine, I'm safe, I'm teaching the gospel as hard as I can, and I pray for all of you every day and night. Have a great week!

-Elder Ballard IV