Halfway HOme

July 7, 2014

What a crazy week. I love Ho :) Well with the photos the one was taken this morning. Elder Henderson has officially left for Accra and will be flying back home tomorrow. Going to miss that guy, he taught me a lot and was one of my great friends on mission. 

The second photo comes from one of the sweetest experiences I have had on mission. We went for exchanges, I was sent to Tsito (Chee-tow the 'ts' is a ch sound) with Elder Kidd from Idaho. We saw a few people and then got to meet with Esinam!! She is the one we got to baptize back in December. Her baptism was the incredible surprise in the night. Another reason to love HO :). Well she left to Tsito because of some issues with a family she was staying with. I was worried it might be hard for her to stay strong without the Support. As we met with her she explained, in her usual goof-ball way, that she would be teaching relief society on Sunday! I asked her about reading the Book Of Mormon and she told me she 'Just tries to read each day'..... YES!!!!! The missionaries there told me she is really solid and fulfills her callings and responsibilities strongly. My mission was part in making a difference, a lasting difference, for Freda Esinam Adiku. :)

Friday was sweet too. We had got a call from Nana Ama and she said she would be coming to Ho. I was having a hard time believing it because she hadn't been able to come the time before and I didn't want to get my hopes to high again. We taught a few lessons in her area and finally she called and said she was around when we were meeting with a man named Herbert (who is a stud and will be baptized in August). Went down to her place and we were feeling somehow nervous about how this would go.... but it went really well. She still really wants to be baptized and is reading from the Book of Mormon all the time! So she will be baptized next week. The problem was she has a shift everyday and just got someone who agreed to work her shifts Friday through Sunday while she takes her shifts from Monday through Wednesday. Double shifts, double serious.

That night we may or may not have obtained (after looking in a thousands provision shops) a firework or two and may or may not have set them off. One was a big and we thought it would may or may not be a dud... definitely not a dud haha big ol aerial and everyone was like 'hey yea you can I do that in your country?' getting angry. We were like '.. yep and whole lot more!' all of this MAY, or may not, HAVE HAPPENED.

Sunday was pretty special for me. Nana Ama was super early to church and this man we met, Wilson, also came. He lost his arm in an accident and just moved back to Ho. His house is really sweet and so (because that's how it is in this mission) we had to try and see who lived there, they could be super educated since they have such a nice place. The tele was on as we walked by so we stopped to knock again. He came and let us in. We talked about his life and family, lost his dad a year ago. So we talked about the Spirit World and the Book Of Mormon. Usually people don't care enough about families to do this, but I felt that he did. Sunday he came and was telling me that he loved the testimonies and the church. Someone said 'the book of Mormon is true'. He looked at me and held his up smiling haha :)

I had the opportunity to bless the Sacrament. As I sat while the 3 were passing I remembered some things. Thinking about the Atonement and the ultimate power it contains, the Spirit seemed to fill up an empty spot. It came with this song 'I'll go where you want me to go". In answer to prayers, Cole was in the meeting with me. Saying "I'll go where you want me to go Dear Lord" He recognized the opportunity that he had to come to such special parents and the Gospel in the home. He understood what he was doing, however things work out, that this Plan of Salvation is too important and this opportunity too rare and blessed to pass. I tried to, very simply, convey some of this in testimony during Sacrament since I knew it may be the last time I could speak to the branch. 

Afterwords many friends and people I love more than myself came to tell me they were praying for the family. I realized something I am so grateful for with the Atonement: That it can sanctify and purify these people I love so much, nothing is sweeter.

Well I've been informed I will be transferred out of Ho. I packed my bags after church, Leaving a lot for the kids here. Feels a lot like leaving home, in someways harder. If I was in charge I would stay forever here. Just have my family come to me.

I've spent more than 11 months in Ghana, almost half way Home. But Ho will always be one of my homes. These are some of the greatest souls who live. They are not like the people you here about. But that's something I guess I have the great blessing of knowing.

I love Ho

and I love all of you, from HO, Ghana and Back and To Eternity.

Love,

Elder Logan Kwobla (Tuesday) Mokpokpor (Hope) Van Wagoner