Skye

(1/5/15)

Afe Hyia Pa! a fen kometua, a fa si sa sen me ko hye hye obi! (something along the lines of "Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! Yes Thank you! A year by this time I will see all of you)

Hard to believe that 2015 has come. I can still see 2013 rolling into 2014. I remember the night before we ate with some members and reflected on the year. elder jones was talking all about mission. Half of mine was home and mission, now he is married!! 

This year coming in caught me by surprise. Like all of December I couldn't figure out that it was December. Now we are here. As we were counciled to be in the apartment by 8 pmwe literally ran home that night. Got to follow revelation from President. We made a great meal and emjoyed the knock outs! As we watched the small arieals that were going off through out Accra it kinda hit me. How Grateful I am to be here and to serve as a missionary, this is one of the greatest blessings ever given to me, by far my greatest decision yet.

Dan Renyolds of Imagine Dragons once sang a line, 'I don't ever want to leave this down'. 

Just as I remember new years I also remember a year ago today. Popcorn popped! Skye was born :) Skye Happy Birthday!!! I can't believe you can walk!!!

I'm so grateful for Skye, she has been one of the greatest of the ministering angles and means of miracles on my mission. She was the one who helped me understand 2 nephi 32: 3

This email comes from a much different place than I thought it would. I'm currently in a cafe in TEMA!! Were are living in community 9 and the cafe is at community 11, not sure who made the numbers, there is no order to any of it hahaha My new companion is Elder Ezieme from Nigeria, pretty sweet guy and I look forward to working with him! Tomorrow we are going to a thing called mlc, my first one, no idea what I'm supposed to do haha Later this week we will have a mission conference with Elder Curtis! He is our area President!

My last week in Kwabenya was sweet, had no idea I was getting transferred. The schedule is all messed up now with our transfers so I just enjoy whatever is happening haha Still the week was sweet, we had our ward Christmas party and got some sweet referrals! Lot of people were dancing, a couple white people might have wiggled small for a second... very small... built some great member relations and were able to have more referrals after! went a visited some members to arrange those things and felt like I was on 'The District'! haha

We worked hard that week and were blessed, Barbara came to Sacrament and so did a couple others (one was a referral from the party day!) That sunday I was blessed to have a chance to share my testimony before I left. It was hard to go, I really love the people in Kwabenya, some of my greatest friends and best families. One of the hardest to say good bye to was Stanly. Man I love that guy, ...all I want is to see these people in the Celestial Kingdom. When I said good bye to the tweneboahs that was when it really hit me that I was actually going. They were like our adopted family there. They were always helping us out and we did all we could to serve them in return. I will really miss these people. But, we will meet again.

I look forward to working here in tema, I'm going to give it my all. Mission is incredible it brings so much joy. I know that our Savior lives and is mindful of us all. I love all of you

from ghana and back and to eternity

Elder Van Wagoner

p.s. SKYE HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :)

p.p.s.

We sang the hymn 'We are Sowing'. I was praying that day to know whether I had accomplished all God wanted me to while I was in Kwabenya. As we sang the hymn the answer came. It is hard to describe the type of joy and peace and happiness that filled me at that moment. I know that God loves us and cares for us in ways we will never recognize till we meet him. I know that he is mindful of our efforts and considers our sacrifices as a sacred trust.

Thou who knowest all our weakness,

Leave us not to sow alone!

Bid thine angels guard the furrows

Where the precious grain is sown,

Till the fields are crown'd with glory,

Filled with mellow, ripened ears,

Filled with fruit of life eternal

From the seed we sowed in tears.

Maybe this is more significant to me. But I can still feel that moment resonating in my heart. I know that he does guard the furrows. I know that because he does we can meet these we love again in life eternal. All because of the work, effort, failure, success, downs, ups, sorrow, tears, and joy we put into the work of the Lord, whatever our responsibility may be. :)

He does not leave us to sow alone 

Elder Van Wagoner