Conferences with Elder Bednar

Hello! All of my dearly beloved friends and family!!!

This week I have but one experience I would like to share with you all. 

This last Saturday and Sunday, I had the privilege of meeting with and hearing from 1 of the 12 apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ!!!! Elder David A. Bednar came to Kumasi on Saturday to meet with all of the missionaries in the Ghana Kumasi Mission! We were able to have a 3 hour meeting with him and most of the time he was asking for questions and contributions! And afterwards I got to shake his hand!!! Then on Sunday, we had a combined stake conference with the Kumasi stakes! Also on both days we got to hear from Elder Terence Vinson (President of the Africa West Area Presidency) and from Elder Vern Stanfill (1st Councilor in the Africa West Area Presidency)!  There were soooo many things that I wish to share with you from this last weekend!!! But I will try to keep it short and sweet!

On Saturday, as Elder Bednar was instructing, he was talking about the Holy Ghost and its role, and we was asking for contributions. I contributed and he was asking me questions about the Holy Ghost and how it can work in the learning environment we were currently in.  It was truly amazing how as he is speaking, the Holy Ghost can come and speak to you just by bringing thoughts to your mind about subjects related to what the speaker is talking about! That is how the Holy Ghost teaches us! And as Elder Bednar and I were conversing for people to hear, I wasn't even having to think of words I was saying! As soon as I opened my mouth, words came by the influence of the spirit!

Before Sunday, I was having a personal question regarding the Atonement of Christ. I knew it was true, and I knew it could help me. My question, however, was how could I make the Atonement more personal and more powerful in my life? Well... the answer came on Sunday.  At the end of Elder Bednar's address on Sunday, he pronounced a blessing upon everyone there. He said that we would be able to know how to more powerfully know and feel the strengthening and sanctifying power of the Atonement in our life! Exactly what I had been searching for! 

I know that truly we can always learn to rely on the strength and power of the Atonement. Christ is unfailingly, lovingly, and urgently waiting to help us whenever we ask. He loves you more than you can ever know. 

I love all of you more than you could ever know! I thank you for all support you have given me! I hope you all have a great week!

Odo,

Elder Brandt

Lots of Paperwork, Eating Fufu, Teaching the Gospel - LIfe is Good!

Hello Everybody!

This week was a very busy one!!! This week was transfers week so we were very busy with transporting around people and supplies, getting office work done, and trying to teach as many people as possible!!! 

I do have to admit... I am a little jealous that I am missing out on the Olympics... but Fufu and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ makes for a suitable replacement! 

My mom told me that I should explain further the responsibilities of an Office Elder. Well we get to do a lot of the paper work for the mission. We record and submit all of the baptismal records that missionaries give to us. At the end of each week when all missionaries report on the work for the week, we record and submit all of that as well... (that's 160+ missionaries by the way...) The mission home also has supplies and materials that missionaries can purchase to help assist them in the work. Things like scriptures, scripture bags, pamphlets, church produced DVD's, hymn books, etc..  So it's a little bit of a busy job! And just on top of that, whenever President Cosgrave needs something done in the mission home and he's too busy, he will just call us and tell us to come. It doesn't happen very often... but it still happens.

This morning I was with Elder Whipple in Adum (which is like "downtown" Kumasi) and we were out and about getting some stuffs we needed for the week. As we were heading back to the car, a guy stopped us and started talking to us just like we were his best friends! As we were talking, he was trying to talk somehow like a "thug" telling us how he was a sailor and went down to Central America all the time. (And from his vocabulary, I am pretty sure he actually was a sailor...) But eventually someone came over and distracted just enough for Elder Whipple and I to slip away! *Count your Blessings* 

Also being in a Tri-Companionship is pretty cool. Whenever your are teaching someone, or any other situation you may have, the testimonies of 3 are always more powerful than 2! That is probably the greatest benefit of being in the trio! 

Right now I am most excited for this Saturday! ELDER DAVID A. BEDNAR IS COMING TO THE GHANA KUMASI MISSION! On Satuday we will be privileged to have a 3 hour devotional from Elder David A. Bednar from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to us missionaries of the Ghana Kumasi Mission! And then on the next day, Sunday, we will be having a combined Stake Conference in which he will also address us! I am soooooo excited!

Anyway..

I love each and every single one of you! I hope you had a good last week and I hope you have a good week coming up!

Odo,

Elder Brandt

Office Elders are BUSY!!!

Hello All of my beloved friends and family!

This week was a pretty good week! My new area is very big!!! But as being part of the office elders, we are 1 of two companionships who get to use a car. It is only us and the assistants to the president. Our area is also a much wealthier part of Kumasi, so almost all of the houses are really big and have huge gates out in front of the house! So sometimes it is difficult to try contacting and meeting new people.

Things here in the office is very busy! For us we do work for the mission in the office, but whenever we do not have anything in the office we are to go and proselyte just as normal missionaries! So we are ALWAYS busy! Because we are so busy we don't get any down time. Which is actually good because it makes time pass really fast and also when we get home to the apartment in the evening we are super tired which helps me fall asleep fast and stay asleep!

It is pretty cool in this area I get to be closer to our mission president, President Cosgrave and I will get to know him better! He is a super great guy! 

I love you all and hope you all enjoy your week!!!

Odo,

Elder Brandt

Going to Daban to be an Office Elder...

Hello Everbody!
I am sorry I have missed some time! Last week when I went to the cafe, the power was out and the network was down! Akwaaba ti Ghana! (welcome to Ghana)

Crazy things just finished happening! You may remember that just 2-3 weeks ago I received a new companion, Elder Asare. Well the reason he came was because an elder from the training center had a visa problem and couldn't go to his assigned mission, so he was sent to the Accra mission which gave them odd numbers. In order to even things out, they released my part-time companion and brought me Elder Asare. Well just last week, the elder in Accra got his visa corrected and was to be sent to his assigned mission. Because he was now leaving, they needed Elder Asare back in the Accra mission. So last week on Wednesday people came to Kumasi to pick up Elder Asare. When they did that I went back to Ejisu with Elder Dudley and Elder Morford. (both from Utah). President told me that I was just going there to show them around the area for a few days. Then on Friday, I was picked up from Ejisu to come to Daban to be a part of the office elders!  So currently as I am writing this I am in Daban. My companions are Elder Anderson (Ghana) and Elder Whipple (Missouri). They are super great guys! In our apartment we also have Elder Abrams (Wyoming) and Elder Udobor (Nigeria), they are the assistants to the president. It is a super great apartment! Even when we came back from church on Sunday, we walked into the kitchen to find a dead mouse just sitting in the middle of the floor! :)

But all is well, I am just still trying to gather my head from all of the many things happening lately!!  Life is well! I love you all! I hope you all enjoy your week! 

Odo,

Elder Brandt

No Letter - Just Pictures!

Our District

Leading the Midweek...

Hello Everybody! I am doing my best but today's internet is kind of a doozy. This week was pretty good! I got to know more about my companion and had some good experiences this week! On Wednesday I had the opportunity to lead the midweek!  We talked about the Book of Mormon and the reason why it was kept in the first place. We read from Alma 37:1-20. In this section it is Alma speaking to his son Moroni and explaining to him the reason why he is keeping the records.  It explains it very nicely and there are a lot things that I learned from that section. Along with this we gave a challenge to all the members. We gave each of the members one brand new Book of Mormon. Their assignment was to give that Book of Mormon to one friend who wanted to know more or had questions. Then at midweek on 20 July, they are to bring that friend and we will have a "special" midweek. We will play a game, watch "The Restoration" DVD, and then we will explain the Book of Mormon and how Joseph Smith received the Book of Mormon. I am very excited for this upcoming activity and it should be great! On Thursday something kind of funny happened. As I was putting my socks on, my sock kept catching on something so I checked my foot to see what was causing trouble.  I found that the nail on my smallest toe was falling off!  I don't even know what was causing it to come off... but I decided to use my best judgement and just pull it off! Apparently my best judgement was not very good judgement because as soon as I pulled it off, the side that was still attached started bleeding quite a bit. Eventually I got it to stop, then put my shoes on, and then we were out the door! On Friday we had to go to a small meeting in UST. When we got in a trotro to get there, I noticed there was a man in the back making quite a bit of noise. At first I thought he was just speaking on the phone very loud, but when I looked at him and listened more carefully I realized that he was actually preaching. He was just sitting in the back of the trotro and preaching to everybody inside! Of course he was preaching in Twi, so I did not understand what he was preaching about. I find it so interesting that Ghana is an English speaking country, yet here in the Ashanti Region there are sooooo many people who do not understand any English.  Walking down the road, buying from a provision store, buying food from a seller, and etc. are all in Twi. Even if I ever do try to speak English, people will tell me, "menti brofu" which means "I don't understand English."  From what I hear, no other place in Ghana is like this. In Accra, Tamale, Ho, and other places all the people understand English. So overall I had a pretty good week! Of course I have small challenges and trials here and there... but that is how it is supposed to be!!!! I love you all! Enjoy your week! :) Odo, Elder Brandt

New Companion!

Hello All!!!

This week has been another crazy week in the missionary life of Elder Brandt!! On Wednesday Brother Asamoah and I received a surprise phone call from President Cosgrave. When I answered the phone, he asked me if I liked my companion and if everything was going well with the two of us. I responded that the two of us are doing fine. He then apologized because he said that I receiving a new companion tomorrow and that they were going to release my companion as a stake (part-time) missionary.  They said that my new companion will be coming from the Ghana Accra Mission. The Accra Mission covers Accra and the South-Western part of Ghana also known as the Volta Region.  There was a missionary who was having Visa problems for where he was supposed to serve his mission, so they were going to be adding him to the Accra Mission. Because they were doing that, the Accra Mission would now have an Odd number of missionaries. So they decided to release my companion, and then bring one of the Accra missionaries to me so as to even everything out.  So the very next day, Thursday, is when one of the senior couples from the Accra Mission brought the missionary here to the Ghana Kumasi Mission.  Going from Accra to Kumasi, you have to go through our area; Ejisu. So Thursday afternoon they picked us up in Ejisu and then we directed them to the mission home in Kumasi to meet with President Cosgrave.  So we got there safely and everything went well and President met with each of the missionaries just to see how things are going. 

As we were preparing to leave, Sister Cosgrave asked me if I saw the drum in president's office.  Immediately, President Cosgrave turned around and grabbed a nice African drum from his office. He grabbed me a chair and everybody sat around and asked me to play for them! I have to admit I was pretty unreasonably nervous.... but I began playing and played for what seemed like about 5 min or so. After some congratulations, me and my new companion were taken back home to the apartment.

My new companion is Elder Asare. His home town is a village by Cape Coast. His favorite color is white. He loves to play the keyboard, and he even has his own! Previous to coming to the Ghana Kumasi Mission, he served in the Ghana Accra Mission for 16 months! He is an awesome missionary and I have a lot to learn from him!!

I love you all! I hope your week was not as crazy as mine! Let us love and serve God and our fellow men with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength! :)

Odo,
Elder Brandt