PICTURES!!! Worth a thousand words!!!

Lost in Thought

Lovin the Bike!

Elder Anai

Off We Go... 

(notice there is not much room between my legs and the handlebars...haha)

Havin Fun!  (Mom is noticing how huge his T-shirt is!!!)

The Ejisu District

These are a few of my Favorite Things!!!

Ahhh...Liquid Gold, Heaven in a Bowl, Mac & Cheese

Answers to Mom's questions... and that's all : )

How many miles did you ride?  We probably ride about 5-10 miles a day. Maybe a little closer to 10.

Who are you teaching and what was your best lesson you taught last week?  We had a lesson with James, with a recent convert present, Nicholas. It was awesome! They connected so well and Nicholas really helped us get the message across!
How many people are in your branch?  How many kids? The Branch has about 20-30 active members, plus about 10 active kids.
How are all your roommates? Great! I always look forward to coming back to the apartment because it is fun!
How are your clothes fitting? All of my clothes are fitting nice, baggy, and loose! :)  But really, they are fine!

I probably be in our apartment on Sunday! There is no good place to skype in Kumasi. That is really just one of the blessings of Obuasi. :/

Love you!!!!

Odo,

Taylor

Packages Received! THANK YOU!!!

Hello Beloved friends and family!

I have heard about all of the amazing, beautiful, fluffy, white, sparkly snow that has been falling in Colorado.. but not in Ghana...haha :)
I also received two packages recently from Mom and Dad, and also Grandma and Grandpa Lerner! Thank you :)

It also makes me really happy to hear about all the mission calls that have been flowing into the Highlands Ranch Stake! That is awesome!!

For us we a former investigator named Christine. She lives in a town called Onwe. We had never been there before because she used to meet us in the chapel to have a discussion. This week we decided to just ride our bikes there to see how she is doing. We did not now how really, really far away Onwe was. It was about a 7-9 mile ride. When we got there, we called her, and then she told us how she was actually in the market in Kumasi. Well....... Then we just had to ride back to Ejisu. Man I was TIRED!

On Wednesday, I decided to cook some Macaroni and Cheese that was sent to me by my parents!  I think my insides were completely melted from the nice, amazing, scrumptious, and delicious taste. :)

This week I studied and pondered over 2 Nephi 31:20.  I though would share some of the thoughts that came to mind! When it talks about being steadfast that means we need to be firm, strong, powerful, and immovable.  When it says to feast upon the words of Christ, that means we need to be hungry, always wanting more, and never satisfied!

I love you all! Enjoy your lives! :)

Odo,

Elder Brandt

Stories from Ashanti Region...

Hello Everybody! :)

Sorry I did not write last week because internet was down!

I hope all is well with everybody!

 I am on a little earlier than normal today. Unfortunately I did not get to watch any General Conference at all.  The Ashanti Region here in Ghana is kind of behind in development due to lack of education. You even see young children like 8-12 years old selling water or snacks on the side of the road.  I heard that in conference they announced 4 new temples, and that one of them is in Zimbabwe!  Everyone is very excited!

Just at the beginning of this year, the church came out with a 2016 West Africa Area Plan.  It is a plan to help strengthen and encourage all of the recent converts and less actives. Which is a lot of people!

I have some good stories! On Tuesday of last week, we went to UST to have a missionary district meeting. After we got off the trotro and were walking to the chapel, we some girls arguing very violently at the bus stop.  Then one of them gave the other a single push and everything went downhill.  First pushing, followed by exchanges of slaps, then led to trying to rip each others hair out.  People came from around and were trying to help by separating the two, but their hair had gotten tangled together so they were know stuck. 

The girls were eventually separated. With the loss of plenty hair...  It was crazy!

At church on the 3rd of April, I was approached by Kingsman, one of the young men in the branch. As he came up to me, he had only one thing to say. He told me how my skin is no longer white..... it is orange. Therefore, I am no longer a white man, but an orange man. hahaha now we fully understand the power of the African sun!

Also this last week me and my companion were have some discussion, and it came to the topic of foods you eat in Ghana, but never in America. More specifically, cat.  Then he started telling me about all the ways people will kill a cat.  I have not had any cat yet... they were just stories...
So I thought I should tell you something....
I have a change in career interest and plans when I come home. I have been thinking about going to join the Marines when I get home.  And then also I was thinking afterwards and school, to join the police then eventually SWAT team.  I am just thinking about it small. I am not letting it distract me from the work! That always comes 1st! Family 2nd! Future 3rd!
I love you all!  Enjoy your week!  God loves you!  Satan does not!

Odo,

Elder Brandt

Happy Easter!

Hello all my beloved friends and family!

This week has been a pretty good week! This week is transfer week! Although, me and my companion are staying the same! Elder Udobor, formally one of our zone leaders, was called to be an assistant to the president! Replacing him will be Elder Sutherin from Utah! 

I was very happy because this last Sunday we had another baptism! This was Ernest Owusu! He is an absolutely great guy! We began teaching him my first week in Ejisu, and he has been progressing all the way up to this point!

Also this last Sunday was Easter Sunday! :) We had an absolutely amazing church service and you could very strongly feel the presence of the Holy Ghost!  I really made that in life, sacrifice is required of all of us, which includes Jesus Christ. What set his sacrifice apart was the eternal importance and significance of it. We learn that because of Adam's necessary fall, it brought into the world Spiritual and Physical death. And also because of Christ's necessary Atonement, he suffered for our sins that we may repent and be forgiven, and he died and rose that we may conquer the chains of death and resurrect. There has never been any greater sacrifice as that one of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I hope and pray that we may all recognize and be so eternally grateful for this sacrifice. I know I am! :)

I love you all! Enjoy your week! :)

Odo,
Elder Brandt

Learning Patience and DIligence and Bikes are Great!

Hello all my beloved friends and family!

I am very happy to write to all of you today! This week was not as eventful as I had wished but it was still a great week! This week we found 10 new people to teach and all of them are really great people! :)

The bikes here have some great benefits! 1- We spend less time traveling from house to house so we can spend longer teaching each lesson! 2- My legs are getting really strong! 3- I am losing more weight faster! The only downside is when it rains... then our backs get covered with mud spots :/

Every week as missionaries we try work on some of the Christlike attributes, and work on applying them to our lives. This last week I was focusing on the attributes of patience and diligence.  I was learning about how for all of us we can endure through things. It is not about just enduring through something, but it is about HOW we endure through our certain trials. On our own we can endure, but to endure well takes extra strength. The way we can get that extra strength is to simply, rely on the Lord. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I love you all and certainly hope we are all able to endure our trials well!

Odo,
Elder Brandt

Happy 19th Birthday Obroni!

Hey All!

I want thank everyone who sent me birthday wishes! 

This week was a pretty cool week and all!

A couple days ago me and my companion were leaving the chapel and there was a very large group of kids about 20 or so all shouting obroni. (Obroni is "white guy" in Twi)

So I decided to stop and talk to them small.  Their English was not very good so I was doing my best to communicate with them in Twi.  They were all asking me what is my best food here in Ghana? When I told them fufu, they were all cheering, screaming, clapping, and running around in unbelief that a white man actually likes fufu! Then they asked... with what soup? I told them ground nut (peanut) soup and they did the same thing! It was just a pretty funny sight. Then as me and my companion were riding away, the kids were running after us trying to keep up.... eventually they had to stop because their mothers yelled at them for going too far away haha!

Also this morning we unfortunately saw a pretty big accident. Luckily we were nowhere near it. A huge 18 wheel truck carrying cocoa beans ran right into the back of a bunch of public transport vans (trotros)! It seemed like the brakes on the truck had gone out or something because the truck did slow down at all, it just turned and rammed the back of these vans. That was pretty crazy to see!

Life goes on! I love all of you and thank you for all of your support! Thanks for all of the birthday wishes again!

Odo,
Elder Brandt

BTW - you might have noticed I pulled extra money recently.  That is because for my glasses, one of them does not fit anymore.  When I put them on, then look down at all...they just fall off.  I believe due to weight loss.  And the other pair got spoiled.  One of the other elders in the apartment accidentally fell on top of them and broke one of the arms.  So I had to buy new frames.  The eye doctors place just used the same lens from one of the pairs and cut it to the size of the new pair.  They work and fit very well!  Just thought I should keep you informed!  : )

Mom's Q&A...

How was your Bday?

- It was kind of cool! The day was just over all good!
What did you do to celebrate?

- We went to KFC :)
Did you get your package?

- I just received a package from Poppa B. and Gigi! Thank you! :)

 Yes Thank You Poppa and GiGi!!!
How is the bike?

- The bikes are cool! I feel like I am mountain biking all day and it's a great way for me to sweating a lot and losing more weight! ;)

FuFu and Soup

I ate this!