Whatever You're Missing, Make it Worthwhile You're Missing It

(Written September 23, 2013)

Family! I got the package! haha gum and the pictures! it is so sweet to have the pictures and mom thank you for the letter I loved getting that package so much! The clouds move so fast here in Ghana, guess they got somewhere to Go, but its raining small today and I love the rain.

Well this week was the beginning of my second transfer as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 

On tuesday I found out that my companion was getting sent to west adenta and that I would have a new companion join me here in cantonments, Elder Caleb is now serving with our friend Elder Aleman! so that day we went and saw a few people and he said good bye to them and we extended baptismal dates for Linda and Latisha (the bishops referrals) for sept 29th the same day that Sav will get her blessing! I'm so excited for you sav :)

Wednesday was the day of transfers so I biked our area to say good bye with my companion, we went all over! I was so tired but my day had just started. we made it back to the apartment and said good bye and then I went over and met my new companion... drum roll please.... Elder Udofia! he is this sweet guy from nigeria! he has been on mission for one more transfer than me, so in other words an elder who has just finished his training is finishing mine. So I am basically in charge since he doesn't know the area, so we went and taught some good lessons to people, including Linda and Latisha.

Thursday morning elder nelson shared with me the title of this email. he said that feeling came to him at the beginning of his mission, and it has made such a big difference for me. We taught a man we met named kweku, which means he is wednesday born, like me! i am kweku asomogyn. I always get people to laugh at that one because he is a famous footballer down here, so i say "me frema kweku." they say ah hu (in this way funny way that I will show you when I call home because it is the best sound, i laugh because it is just how you say you understand or agree, like saying "ya") "ya kweku asomogyn" and they all go "asomogyn?? hahahah" it is a great way to meet people then I ask "mami pakye, yo fro a din?" (sister please, what is your name?) and they answer and I use my small small twi to introduce our selves and then we talk about the gospel. man I love the greetings here, I wish you could all experience it somehow. but anways we went and taught marcus and he is reading the Book of Mormon small and it is making a big difference, man I pray everyday for that guy, i don't love everyone yet, but i do love him and if it isn't me that gets to baptize him that is okay, as long as someone does. But later that day we went to the manu family home and after we went with the assistants to a dinner at bro. robinson's house. he is an american living here with his family as a government finance officer. pretty sweet job and his house had carpet! and we had tacos and talked about the work in the ward and it was such a sweet night, i got sooo full! man that was a little slice of america right there.

So on friday we went to see emmanuel and daniel one last time. they were going to be baptized but they had to leave to there home village a week early. i was so sad to see them go and i pray the missionaries up there can get a hold of them. we sent all the info to them so hopefully they do. but we taught them and had a way sweet lesson about the book of mormon and likening the scriptures, there is such a power in teaching from the book of mormon. use it everyday you guys, that is such a blessing we have. that night we had an open house with native dance and music, it was so cool! I got some video but my camera died! so i didn't get all i wanted but i still enjoyed it. we walked out to linda and latisha that night, which took forever but it was good.

saturday morning sister Judd (the mission president's wife) came and joined in our companionship study. she taught me some great lessons and it was so nice to have here there. so we talked about being poor in spirit, which means that you arent feeling the spirit in your life, and coming to Christ regardless (3 nephi 12) in the sermon on the mount in matt 5 the term "come unto me" is not found which is a pretty big plain and precious truth the devil has removed. and for me this was a big lesson because for some reason, this week was hard that way for me. we went and taught some great lessons though and met with a man who was having problems with giving into women. so it was really great to be able to promise him that the book of mormon could help him overcome this and we are working with him now, it is just great to really help improve something you can so visibly see. i talked about controlling your thoughts and changing the 'channel' in your mind. it was a great lesson.

Sunday morning Desmond was confirmed! and i was the voice for the confirmation which was such a tender mercy. 'the power of Godliness is manifested in the ordinances thereof'. i felt it running through me, and speaking forth a blessing for him, i love being a priesthood holder, the service you perform is incredible. 

I spoke with bro. robinson about home teaching in the ward and he said he I had the feeling too so i typed up a list and this afternoon we are going to get that started. so i'm pumped for that! after church we got some food and the song I hope they call me on a mission came on my ipod. it was the version from the rm so i did a funny video that you will all see one day and just enjoyed that moment. I had some of the peanut butter mom sent. thanks so much mom!! 

we then went out and contacted and met some great people, including  a lady named Doris. so i joked with her about being my mom's favorite actress haha she was so sweet, just sitting there 'driving' the fufu while her daughter was pounding it. we always offer to help but not everyone wants an obruni to pound because they think i don't know how.. (evil laugh) but i do! haha so we came back that night and had interviews with our d.l. Elder Nelson. me and him are great friends and i love this guy (elder Rob nelson from arizona) anyways we talked about the week and I told him that i had been struggling to feel the spirit and he talked about how he had felt the same at the beginning but he gave a man a blessing and it brought it back in a huge way because he felt it in his whole body. he said he didn't even speak, when he heard his voice it was powerful and eloquent and the man he blessed never drank alcohol again. so that is the short version but I asked him, because i felt prompted to, to give me a blessing. he agreed and when he did he spoke of how God would never leave me alone, how he was pushing me not past my limits but to where I would be molded into the man he knew i could be. that I would be an example and rock for my family, he metioned specifically Landon, who would have the light and courage he needed to serve faithfully his mission. That I would lose my self in the work and love the people.

Guys that is all I want, to be the missionary, to be the man God knows I can be. and I will be. this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Landon, get ready, and give it all you got.

I know the Church is true, I know my Savior lives as does my Heavenly father, that he is ever aware of our needs, no he never leaves us alone. Ever. Each step you take he is there waiting, no other thing or person can help you in any lasting fashion. This church is true.

I love you all so much and I hope this week is truly incredible. let Audrey and Spencer and the fam know I pray for them each day and wish them the best in all of those situations. my heart is with them. I would love it if someone could send me the song 'concerning hobbits' and maybe some things from those old journals i had. I love to hear testimonies especially from missionaries, so you know if the r.m.s of the family want to send those that would be sweet.

But I love you and God is with us.

Give it all you got

Elder Logan Gerret Van Wagoner

Imagine All The People

(Written Sept.16, 2013)

Logan's Baptism

Living the Mission Life

O mission life, haha I realize that as I describe things to you that unless you come out here and experience it, it'll just fall short of what it really is like. Saw the usual obruni tourist as we went to see the beach this morning. He had his "man i am in africa we don't shave" stubble going on and the new back pack, new stuff, trying to look like he just walked out of a transfer in the bush haha and Elder nelson and I were laughing because Ghana is not what people show it as on tv, or movies or wherever else you hear about africa.

So Ghana is the most 'traditional' of almost any African nation. That means they continue to keep old culture traditions and struggle to really advance to be like south africa but that is part of what makes the adventure so crazy haha :)

But anyways tuesday was zone meeting and we talked about leadership and seeing the bigger picture. As we talked I realized that truth has a sound. you hear it in conference talks, you hear it in the hymns, you hear it in the truth of lessons we teach. and it is the same music where ever you are. As long as it is the truth.

The rest of the day is exchanges with Elder Nelson and we did great! we taught one lesson to a man named Essian and it ended up that we basically had him try to teach Elder nelson the plan of salvation as I helped him through it. It was a great experience and the spirit was solid. the rest of the day was just really good work, I loved it!

Wednesday I wrote Landon and then went out teach. I took the picture of me walking in this new area we went into that day and later that night we taught these girls. Linda and Latisha, they are referrals from the bishop (family if you have people to teach, let the missionaries know, referrals are the best) so we taught them about finding an answer from prayer and scripture study. I prayed that the spirit would come so we could point out to them what the spirit felt like, as I testified of my own witness of the book of mormon the spirit came so strong. what a blessing.

Later that day I had popcorn and banana from a hawker and took a picture :) haha I love popcorn, yes both the food and more so ashley's beautiful daughter.

Thursday my comp started to pack his bags again, poor guy, I wish I was the perfect companion, but we had a slow day and he emailed president to send him home. president called us to the office at 3:30 so we went and talked with him. then he called me in and told me that the Lord had put us together for a reason, that in the future I would be training and leading in the mission and he wanted me to know that so I would prepare for it.. ha.. i'm 18 and wow... this is the fastest way to be humbled, serve a mission. you realize how dependent you are for every step you take out here. thank goodness I am not the man in charge.

My comp is staying and said the president will probably transfer him but that he felt so much love from him. our President is the man. it inspired me to find that pure love, not the convenience love, so i am praying for that. also president wrote me saying that my background of spiritual giants was going to help many non-american companions who would need that. again the inadequacy is a feeling that often i am tempted to give to. yet I know that the Lord will be my guide.

Lead kindly light, amist the encircling gloom

 i have never felt so close to Heaven

friday was a slow day but we had miny exchanges so elder nelson could interview desmond for baptism. so I taught with elder lloyd over in jamestown at there small chapel. the chapel is on a noisy street that has so much crazy stuff going on outside you would not even think it was real but the spirit seems to remove those. pretty surreal.

we got a sweet new water filter too! it is silver and the filtered water comes out of the side of the faucet instead of on a seperate thing! it is awesome! i also got the dear elder letter from ashley and mom that you sent on the 5 that day :)

Saturday we went to mariams and had fish soup with plenty peper (they say it like pep-ey). we helped her prepare some other dishes and then went and taught. my stomach was on fire! haha so she had told us to come back and get jollef rice and we did later that day. again so much peper, like really good food but man my stomach was just like.. hey what is this haha it was a lot of fun, and another good story to tell people. like if you hear weird food ask them if they have tried banku, tilapia, fufu, light soup, fish soup haha ghana has the real weird food :) and it is fun! you would probably not like any of it, but for some reason it grows on you. but we were very grateful, everyone wants to make food for people, they always say "o you are invited" (minsaka in twi) and thats just how it goes! 

Sunday i felt prompted to fast, and naturally i was like... why? haha but i felt that if i did i would go from having a good day to having a spiritually important day. so i fasted. It was slow start to church but then we had somehow 7 investigators come! one even brought here sister and marcus made it too!! man marcus made it to church!!!!! I love that man, i hope that one day he will come in. and then i baptized brother Desmond and it was such an incredible moment, i felt like satan had been weighing me down trying to stop from teaching desmond. so the burden was lifted and I know that brother Desmond will be a leader in the ward here in no time.

Then we got fed the best red red with plenty plantain! it is soooo good man, me pa red red paa! I was going to say no i am fasting but the spirit said, be polite, I just wanted to know if you were willing. Blessings come to those that put God first. later we went to teach and we taught this guy named nelson or little as everyone calls him so i call him nelson little and his friend, a girl. as we taught them I spoke some twi without even thinking about it! I was talking about dad in the hospital and me reading the book of mormon because of it and then some twi just came with it!

Later we went to this man, bro. alex van de os man, a dutch man who is working in africa. he is a member and was giving my companion some music, he played some stuff i knew and some old crazy rock stuff like pysch 60's. I didn't realize how close the spirit was with me because it was gone so quick. I felt kinda sick and just wanted to go. finally we left but i realized how blessed I was to realize how far I had come even in just a month and a half. we are instruments in the hands of God, trying to tune ourselves with the spirit. 

The more we have to spirit, the better.

Today I went to the beach after getting some new strings for the guitar. it was covered in trash but the beach was so beautiful, the salt smell was there and it was nothing like what you are imagining right now haha it was Africa. :) and i am blessed to be hear.

this wednesday will be the end of my first transfer and my companion will likely be transferred to a new area or i will. next week we will know but for know we will just keep working hard!

I think you should know. when we make even the small efforts to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost then the Lord will bless us far beyond. He is just waiting to give us those blessings, just hoping he can. he is a loving heavenly parent, that means he specifically is looking for ways to bless. so let him, you will both be a lot happier if you do :)

The church is true and the scriptures, specifically the Book of Mormon can bless you like nothing else can, they are the one offensive weapon we have in the armor of God, use them.

love you all and I am praying and fasting often for you! have an incredible week :)

Logan's Tribute to Baby Popcorn (What we call Ashley's baby)

Logan Helping Miriam

A Ghana Sky

The Roller Coaster

Ghana Temple

(Written on 9/9/13)

Mission is a roller coaster, ups and downs, everyday is something new. Especially this week!

So monday after we emailed we had an FHE with the Manu family (you say it like men oo like a cow goes moo, menoo) and the food was awesome! not a lot of pepe so really good! felt a great spirit and loved the fhe so remember to have solid fhe because thats the best thing ever!

Tuesday i showed mariam the picture of mom saying thanks and she got a little teary eyed and said ' o your mother, she is so sweet, that is precious, she is so beautiful'. so thank you mom she even kept the picture! i had some really good papaya and got an african hair cut. so it is really short, but hey that's what you get from a barber in Ghana!

wednesday was a good solid day of working hard and I said if I think of home I will just go and work harder, so I did and from tuesday to about thursday I really was just lost in the work! it was so sweet and I felt so blessed just to be happy. When I did think of home it just motivated me to be a better missionary and set the example and win some blessings for the family!

Thursday was more good work and I really tried to work by the spirit and our lessons went great that day.

Friday was happy birthday to Elise! so I sang to you at about 10:30 and again on sunday because I figured that would be about as close as I could get to what you were doing haha but I taught marcus about likening the scriptures and it was just a great lesson and then we saw matlida and she might be moving to kumasi for some school, which sucks but hey she has a life to live, this is my life to live right now.

So we went to visit mariam and her daughters and on our way we found a lady who had dropped all of her groundnut (peanut in america) as she was hawking near flagstaff house. we cleaned up as much as we could but so much fell down the gutter (gutters here are sometimes open or sometimes closed with little slits in the sidewalk but are about 4 feet deep) so they were just gone. She stood up and as I looked into her sweat covered face, dirt all over her and trying so hard not to cry, i just about did cry. My heart was filled with compassion for the women who couldn't even listen to our message because she spoke one of the strange 45 or so languages in Ghana. and when her daughter came to translate she had to run off and sell or she would never get money. 

so with this in us we rode on and in Mariam's neighborhood we heard a roar throughout. Ghana had scored a goal in it's qualifying match! so big up downs there and everyone cheered and yelled and you could hear it each time they score!

Saturday was crazy, my companion almost went home and I tried to work harder and talk with him and do what I could but it didn't make to big of a lasting difference and when the night came he ended up being all depressed again. So he talked with president and president had the magic touch, huge crisis averted. but keep praying for him.

Sunday desmond was at church like an hour and a half early! he cleaned up and loved church and really is ready to just be like elders quorm pres or something haha but after church I wrote ashley and then we went over towards bishops house for a lesson with his neighbors. We passed mariam and talked with her and ended up playing 'umpi' with the kids there. I can 't really explain how to play it, but ashley's letter will have more on that. I got some great video though and a new game for everyone when I get home!

We got to bishops and he told us how he had lived in his tiny 20 square foot house for about 30 years and was all happy and good and so was his family and they treated us like gold and tried to cook for us and everything! but bless that man and his family they are celestial.

so some fun facts:

Everyone has a ghana name or tribal name, usually it is what day you were born on. so I am que quo asomodgn because i am wednesday born. there are about like thirty kwami's or names like that in each neighborhood but somehow they know which is which hahah.

Mom kentata is a musical, so the movies we watched on sundays are kentata! 

Everyone has a hometown and a hometown song, they are super just native exactly what you would imagine and so they are my favorite of the ghana music.

Girls wear wigs and weave ons because no one has long hair so it's like the equivalent of make up or plastic surgery to them. they save up to get fake hair and to wear it they have to tightly braid down their hair and it gives them a head ache each time and it cost like 30-40 cedi and still they do it!

I say some koreans and thought of rj, and it was weird because now when I see obruni it throws me off and I'm like.. let me guess.. service project for three weeks... wow you must really know ghana.. bet that was super hard and life changing haha sorry that was mean it is just a joke among the elders when we see the typical, messy hair, backpack, tank top sunglasses obruni that for some reason everyone dresses as when they come. 

It rained on sunday and it is so crazy, like an instant monsoon! we got trapped inside and i loved it!

sunday's everyone plays football and goes to church, wish more would come to the right church but hey that's why i am here right?

The work goes on and I love it!

Love you all and I really am so grateful for each of you! Mom did you ever get the letter I sent a little while ago?

Love you!

Elder Van Wagoner

I Live in Africa

(Written: September 2, 2013)

Another week is in the books and you can't do anything about it! haha happy birthday to Elise, make sure somebody hits the high notes for me!

so weekly update

after we emailed I felt great last week and we worked hard this week which is the best! 

Tuesday was funny, this guy was raging at me because he doesn't like Americans and he kept telling me to convince him or confuse him so we pretty much walked away because he just wanted to hate me, poor guy, he really seemed upset about something else but he was just looking to lash out at something, I tried to help but in the end he wouldn't accept it. The good news is I felt the Lord say "hey I am proud of how you handled that, you acted with love" it was such a blessing to feel that spirit of God! Later we watched the temple dvd "between heaven and earth" with Matilda and she loved it and is progessing towards entering the temple for baptisms! She really is doing so great now, the gospel can change anyone :) We finished by teaching Desmond who is so prepared to be baptized I am just stunned. That man hears the words of God and acts on them like no one I know!

Wednesday was zone conference which was great! we talked about asking inspired questions and many other things so I made that my goal. We didn't get to teach a lot because the conference was from 9-4:30 but it was still a great conference and we got adom rice so no complaints!

Thursday was the announcement that was 8 months in the making on wether or not john mahama's election was valid or if they cheated. no one would visit with us because they were all waiting to know. finally they announced that it was valid (probably just to keep peace in ghana because from what i here it wasn't) so no riots or anything! That night we had a talk about the atonement in the apartment. We were all talking about various points including wether or not we were watching in Gethsemane and really it had me chocked up.

Friday I had that conversation in my head and when ever we got rejected I thought of Elder Holland's talk about missionary work and the atonement. Jordan knows that one he sent the video to me back at home on facebook. But we saw some people and met the kids over at mobile force again. My hands were dirty from pulling them in this wagon and them all holding my hands so I couldn't eat because we never have utensils for anything but rice. so i had been praying for the spirit all day so I could ask inspired questions and instead I was just hungry and tired haha so we got back to the apartment and ate. then I felt better and when we went to teach desmond I felt to walk instead of bike. So we talked to everyone we met and we met these hawkers who were about my age and they were so excited about the gospel that Emmanuel now has a baptismal date for the 21st of september I talked about the book of mormon helping me in 9th grade with dad in the hospital, it was such a miracle moment for me to me someone like him, only 17 years old too. Then desmond, we talked and I had an inspired question. I asked something like, so after reading this could you tell me your testimony? and he just opened up about not having church for 13 years because he never felt the spirt and then when he was sleeping God said to go for a walk and so he found the church and then God said to go in and so he did and just everything that happened was a miracle!! God will answer prayers, always always.

Saturday we cleaned the chapel and i made some pasta! then we met with some people and after one lesson on our way to Matilda's area, she passed us with her mom in a taxi saying they were taking her mom to the hospital. so we went to find where the hospital was and her neighbor walked over to it with us. It was right by the airport and we walked in and talked with her and gave her a blessing, I was so desperate for the spirit and so glad I was worthy to have it because I wanted to bless her so much!

We went and got her food and then left to teach Emmanuel and his friends.

They were selling on the streets again so we went and sold with him! potato chips for five cedi haha everyone was stunned to see obruni out selling so i didn't get a sell but everyone gave me some priceless looks :) all the hawkers were impressed that we did that so they all came to listen and we taught a bunch of them! We met with Desmond again and he was inviting his neighbors to come. they only spoke twi but I heard "it will change your life" and wow... it was just great.

Sunday was fast sunday so I fasted for all of you and prayed for my family to be happy :) hopefully you are all happy because all i can do is pray and work. At one lesson I just looked at the apartments/barracks with the wire strung across the sky and the clothes line waving in the breeze with the african sunset behind, and i just stared, because this is real. well We got back to the apartment after teaching for the day and we finished out weekly planning. then i read landon's letter while listening to nearer my god to thee.. i love that song and I love that letter, thanks so much landon, it really is changing my mission. I do what I do knowing that satan will try to stop me so it will be easier to try and stop you. but i made you a promise and I made God a promise so satan might as well give it up :) we are a family and we can do anything when we are together in spirit.

make sure to pray together as a family each day because that makes a huge difference and strengthens our eternal seal.

savanah I have a letter coming for you and Elise too! so be watching in a couple weeks for that! mom did you get my letter??

tell whoever ask that i am doing work out here! haha

fun fact the sun comes up at 6 and down at 6 everyday because we are on the equator.

I had wakye (watch-eh) this morning and loved it and am starting to love fufu, everything here has African spice in it called pepa (pep-eh) it so if i make this for you in two years you will probably hate the food haha but i am learning to love it small small :)

The church is true and I would like to share how we met this french girl from coute divoire and her father had just died, she was staying in the chapel with her stake to attend the temple. we couldn't speak so we sang and we cried together with this girl. The spirit speaks to everyone and in there own inner language, I felt a testimony that I was exactly where God wanted me to be as we sat with her.

Everyday I see miracles, at least two or three. People here have dreams, like Lehi, they have visions in there dreams. no i am not joking those dreams have brought several people to church and are a common thing here... sometimes I dream too and in a different way then back at home but nothing like what they dream. It is kind of a poetic thing to hear about the dreams.

I am coming closer and closer to loving the people as would Christ, that is my hope, then I can become the missionary Heavenly Father called me to be and the one these people deserve and need.

I love you all to the ends of the earth and hope that we can all be filled with charity for those around us, because after this life so much of what we are concerned with, including time, will simply be gone. Like going on a mission haha but in a perfect way

I love you family and am praying for you, remember that God is with us always, so be with him.

Elder Van Wagoner

A Toddler Again...

(Written: August 26, 2013)

being a missionary is like being a toddler again. little things get me so excited, like cheap pineapple or when people actually follow committments. people sell things on there heads out in the middle of busy streets.. no idea how they don't get hit everyday but they don't. one lady had a sewing machine on her head and was offering seam work haha. we have tons of bats here everynight! so i feel like batman and superman in one person

I also have to do random things like tuck in my trousers to my sock on my right side so they don't get torn in the gears and other  things like that.

I haggle with people and have an accent now that is kinda hard to not use.

we say 'somehow', 'go, come', 'i'm coming' ( but when you say im coming you are leaving and signal that you will be right back) you say 'bra' which is twi for come and lots of other funky sayings that you  will notice me say 'small small' when i get back, but they are so confusing the first time you hear them all haha

anyways I love you all to pieces and hope that your days are great and you are happy!

love you mom :)

Love Elder van Wagoner

Just some pets outside his door...

A cool picture Logan found in the mission..kind of looks like the tree of life? or Africa?

One Month Old!

Logan and his companion, with Miriam

happy birthday to me one and all! I was born on (July 26...as a missionary) and now it is the 26 of August! time flies somehow haha weeks are short some days are long. Being out a month kinda feels surreal, somedays I think that two years is long and right now is a moment where I think... two years? I hope I can get everything I have been foreordained to do done!

The pics i am sending are of our apartment, friends from takaradi and other ghana things. our apartment is for six elders, our room is small and just a bunk bed and a desk for my comp and I. we have a small outdoor area and then our kitchen and living area that we all share is in the other part of the house. the four other elders are the office elders (Elder Nielson who is our district leader and Elder Lloyd) then the assistance elders (Elder Chaffetz and Elder bongomin). All of these guys are great and me and Elder Nielson are really great friends, he has been out seven months and has been a huge support for me, reminding me on tough days that as I keep working all the cliche mission sayings come true. We laugh a lot and I love these Elders!

So this week has been an interesting week, little slower since we spent so much time preparing for a ward fireside on friday in an effort to get more member help in missionary work.

On tuesday we had zone meeting and it was great! Elder ballard (yep the apostles grandson) and another elder whose name escapes me gave us instruction. They spoke on love and also the great responsibilty that we have. I have learned that love is the secret to missionary work. To be effective, to be happy, to want to serve you have to love. Everyone said the people are so great you will just love them. They are right I will Love them but it does take effort. The cultural differences and the sterotypes that accompany being obruni from america kinda got to me for a while. But as I learn to humble myself and open up my mind to the culture then my heart comes along and there are some people here who I genuinely love and care for.

Wednesday and thrusday were just working days but it was tough to get lessons that we felt went well. People hear are natural hearers of the word, problem is finding those who will be doers of the word also. but on thursday and we ran into a bunch of members from a place called takaradi that my companion had taught but had not been baptized while he was there, so it was a pretty special moment to see them coming to do baptisms at the temple! We talked with them and invited them all to the fireside and they came which was great!

Friday we went around inviting people to the fireside and visited our usual investigators. one of them, Lillian, has a family that originally rejected our message and wanted to bible bash with us. great people though and we felt to keep coming back so we did. this time though they were on the way out and invited us to meet with another preacher from some church and showed us this anti doctrine that made  me laugh. 

So we had our fireside and the french people who were at the chapel, sleeping over to go to the temple all week, were using the main hall for a final fireside before they left in the morning, we ended up having to use a smaller room for the high council downstairs but it went well because we filled the seats perfectly down there.

The fireside went well and we got our mission pres and his wife to speak which is awesome! and they did great and we had a bunch of referrals come in not just for our area but for lots of places and we have one new person we can contact from that now!

so saturday we had a really slow day trying to find people to teach and ended up back at 37 and we ran into the kids and played with all of them which is the best! and then we went to Lillians and the pastor was there so we left and came back about 5 hours later.... he was still there!! we asked how long he stayed for and they said he had been there for nearly 8 hours!! this guy was crazy and everyone basically fell asleep. he was loud but the spirit is soft and i think they reconigized that so we will see what happens there.

Sunday I was praying that we would find more people who were prepared and not just saying "o yes i love the word of God! let us talk small small okay?" so in walks a man named desmond and two people we had been inviting everyday for like three weeks! Desmond and i talk and then he goes... well when can i be baptized? 

whoooooooohooooooo! so september 14 is his date for right now and we will be working hard on that. he is such a humble guy and ready to hear the word, he showed up to church on his own, just had a feeling to come today because he was working nearby and got a half day off! at night we had american sunday which was mac and cheese (thanks mom!!) with hotdogs and pineapple (pineapple from mariam!)

and now it is monday and we celebrated my birthday by having fanice (ghanian ice cream that is sold everywhere) and biscuits (little cookies like tollhouse stuff, but everything here is either a bisquit or toffee, toffee is candy regardless of type) we call it african mcflurry haha no mcdonalds in africa except for south africa... so that is a little out of my area and I don't think i will be having mcdonalds for a while, but at least i have fufu, banku, red red, plantain and fruit!

my companion doesn't like fruit very much which is awesome because then he doesn't want any of mine!

There is a member whose name is Mariam and we visit her and she always gives us oranges and she got me two pineapples for 1 cedi! usually pineapple is 2 cedi's for one! but she goes to the market of farmers and dashed it too me... (dashed is to give sorry it means like "hey could you dash me some butter for my bread, I'll pay you back later.")

but Mariam is like the missionaries mom! she always tries to get us food and watch out for us and loves to have us come and talk to her! she wants us to convert her daughter and we love teaching her daughter but she doesn't take it too seriously :/

mom you would love her and be so glad she is here haha I always tell her about you and my family and she always reminds me of just how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family. she is right, i am the luckiest missionary in the world :)

so some follow up on Matilda (our recent convert) she is doing so good and the gospel is changing her even more so now! she was confirmed on sunday and it was such a great feeling, the holy ghost is a gift you receive but you must open it.

love is everything. and even though there are tough times the light is so much brighter and that is what you will remember.

I love you guys so much and hope life is treating you as good as it treats me!

Elder Van Wagoner

p.s. if you hear news about riots in ghana on thursday it is not a big deal. we are staying pretty far away from where anything might happen and it is not even likely that it will happen. but there was a huge court case on wether or not the elections for president were legit and thursday is the day they announance the court ruling. so mom don't worry I live in a compound in the safest place in the country in the safest country in africa. I just don't want you to worry if you hear news about it because really riots here are quote "small and last like an hour" so i will be fine and our president says don't even worry about any of it.

Perpetually happy!

Outside Logan's Apartment

Inside Logan's Kitchen

Logan's bedroom