No Transfers!

July 21, 2014

This week flew by pretty fast. I can't believe July will be over soon. But this week I was very nervous and just wanted to know if I was going to go to a new area or stay. Turns out I'm gonna stay! I love this area so much!!!  We gave one of our investigators  an Ensign (church magazine) this week and he has been loving it!!! While we were teaching Teddy this week he was eating a clove of garlic... no joke its was gross. it burns his fat haha. By the looks of him... its not working too hot. 

Elder Larsen came over to have splits with the other elders in the apartment and he was sunburnt! Turns out he went to do a service project for some guys who weld security bars here! He was wearing shorts and they gave him sunglasses for his eyes! It was hilarious! His legs and face are so burnt and now he has a nice sunglasses tanline from it! poor Utah boy. its not easy to be white here. 

We went to the mission home to play some football on the grass and have breakfast! It's defiantly a bonus to have the assistants in your zone! 

We talked to the group this week about doing member missionary work and getting all of them to just talk to one person this week about the church or even inviting them to meet the missionaries. We will see how it goes. I love these members so much!

We gave Forester a Preach my Gospel a week after his bapstism and he is reading through all the lessons and the whole thing!! it was sweet to teach him about temples and eternal marriage. His friend Kweku was there for the lesson and he has 3 kids but his wife passed away. He is a super sweet guy too it's just been difficult to get work all together. Right now he doesn't have a job, he is just helping Forester so he gets some chop money. But he was asking questions about the temple. We have been trying to teach him but he just doesn't want it right now. But he has a Book of Mormon and is reading it! Small small we will keep working with him.

Loving Ghana still!!! 

Love all you as well

 Love Elder Hodges

July 14!

Well, it's July 14 and another week here in Ghana has just flown right by. Our mission finally switched from writing President letters to the mission president from paper to online. It's so much better and faster! Well.. as long as the internet is doing good. 

 

Last week we went over to the Moree apartment for elder Larsen's birthday! Crazy that guy is now 20. But we enjoyed, popped a bottle of sparkling cider I bought at a random gas station and made a cake haha. 

 

I learned how to dance azonto with an investigators family the other day! It's some weird african dance that we all do here. So shake that off cause kids here can dance better than professional back at home!! Plus they are black which just makes sense. 

 

That family has been doing very well, the mother loves us but the father is a preist in some other church. Called the apostolic church. So honestly he will decide what the family does in the end. Hopefully he will just do the simple things we ask him to like pray and read the book of Mormon. It's so easy but it makes all the difference in the end. 

 

We did a service project in Mankessiem the other day this week! I forgot my gloves... so we dug a foundation for a new room for a school. The ground here is super hard and you have to use a pick ax to dig. So by the end of it all my hands were covered in blisters and it hurt to do anything at all for about a day. but, I wont forget my gloves again. But I love doing service so much. It wasn't too hot that day either!!

 

We've been working hard as always but one day all our appointments fell through and we just were not sure what to do. So we went to teach a members grandmother! She just wanted to know which church was true so we taught the restoration to her and she loved it! So after that lesson we were just waiting for the grand daughter to come home from fetching water. So we went and played football with a bunch of random kids in an alley! My team won, but Elder Tobler won't admit it. But it was so much fun! We went back to the grandmothers to teach again and she looks at us and goes "ah! why are you sweating?!" so we told her why and she just started laughing! 

 

This week was just sweet. Teddy came to church this Sunday along with some other men that we have been teaching. he is just making sure that he understands everything we are teaching him before he joins the church. He had a bad experience with pentacost in the past that has really scarred his whole life. But now he is so much better and actually happy! that guy is sweet.

 

I'm loving ghana still and missing you people! LOve you!!!!

 

Elder Darren Hodges

Pictures from Ghana!

We got a sweet surprise! Elder Larsen's mom Michele the awesome, 

emailed us some pictures of Darren!! 

Darren and Elder Larsen

At the slave castle

Must be service!

Zone conference

July 7, 2014

It was our first week with the new mission president and it was pretty
sweet! Monday I already told you about the big football match we had
with the 3 zones. But Wednesday I got to go on splits with an MT out
serving in Mankessiem. It's a town about  an hour outside of Cape
Coast. We enjoyed! He has a pretty tuff area but him and his companion
have been fixing it up well. He is one of the four elders from
Washington so it was nice to be with an elder that isn't from Utah.
We have been teaching a new family out in Aburah Dunkwa who buy and
trade grass cutter, bush rat and deer! I'll send a picture of it next
week cause the internet is super slow today. Grass cutter is pretty
much a rat the size of a dog and they are fat and very fast.
We also had interviews with president allong with instructions from
the zone leaders and the assistants. They were both super powerful.... a
lot about working with members and changing who we are while we are
here on mission.
The new mission president is from Oregon and was a CFO of some big
company there! He seems like he is comfortable and ready to get a lot
of work done. He has been going on splits with all the missionaries in
the mission in the evening so soon he should be coming to our area!
It was funeral weekend so the area was going crazy. People were having
parades in the area and mosh pits at random jntions. The whole time
they are dancing and throwing each other around they are all holding a
coffin or two, they almost dropped one, but just kept going haha.
We had Forsters baptism this week and it was so sweet! We almost didn't
have enough water to fill the font so it only went up to his knees
but we still made it work!
Fast Sunday was probably my favorite day of the whole week. I was
fasting and all that so the spirit was really strong throughout the
day. we had a member who was really sick and she asked me to give her
a blessing while we were visiting another member.
So we went in the back room and my companion annointed her and then we
gave her a blessing. I don't really remember what was said throughout
the blessing but I do remember feeling the need to say that she should
be healed.. so we said it and a few other things that were very
personal to her because afterwards when she got up after the
blessing she was crying. So after that with all the emotion and things
I went and sat in another room helping fan the fire and the cassava.
when I came back out a few minutes later she seemed so happy and
looked a lot better! It was just really the first time I've seen
anything like that.
The church is true.
I would keep writing but the internet is too slow.
Love all of you
Elder Darren Hodges

LETTERS CLEAR BACK FROM APRIL!!!!

Bush Rat and Football
June 30, 2014

This week flew by too. its crazy how fast its been going. But it was a lot of fun at the same time! Everyone was pretty sad that Ghana is out of the world cup, but whenever a football game is going on we still have no one to talk too haha. But there's only three games in one day so it's all good. Elder Larsen is in Moree now so we went on splits for all of Friday! Oh we enjoyed!!! It was such a sweet day! We went to Aburah Dunkwa while my companion went too Moree.THe best part had to be when the day was about to finish. It was around 6 pm and we had nothing too do for an hour. We have to leave the area to get a tro tro home or else there won't be anymore kra. So, we decided to go to the graveyard in a big grove of trees!! it was his idea.. somehow. But we went anyways and right before we left the dirt road to go into the bush some girl called us over and told us not to go in there! we said "oh no it's all good." but she still wouldnt let us. So we went over there to talk to her. Her whole family was there! 

The father told us that on Fridays that is the day the traditionalists believe to be the sabbath for the dead, so there were a bunch of people doing weird rituals along with all the fetish priests... so its probably good we didn't go in.

But we got to talk to the whole family cause all of them were there! And they wanted us to come back and teach them! So we went the next day, this time with Elder Tobler and it went perfect! The mother wants us to keep coming back to teach here and her children and her and her husband are very friendly!!! 

The mother sells bush rat. so... yeah thats just a really big rat that you go out into the bush and kill with a group of guys and dogs. So after we taught them they wanted us to stay and eat, but we had to leave cause it was past 7. so.. they gave us a whole vine of plantain instead! I wont complain. But we really dont know what to do with it..

Sunday was sweet!!! When church first started there were about 10 people.. but then by  the end we had about 35 or 40! People are really bad with time here.. but Forster and Teddy both came to church this week! Teddy has some disease in his legs that makes it difficult to walk. But he still came! I've been talking to President Shulz today about getting him a wheelchair! But He and his wonderful wife left today!! IT's kinda sad, but they are so happy to see their family when they get home! 

I taught primary (a class for children) Sunday... I wont talk about how that went.. 

But today three zones got together to play football and enjoy! We even had jerseys! It was tons of fun, but now I'm sunburnt, alot. 

But all this month and last we have been praying to find a family to find and teach. and we finally did! Whoo! 

Love all you people

Elder Darren Hodges

Ghana, Abura Dunkwa
June 23, 2014

The week started out kinda slow. My companion got pretty sick and was in bed all Monday and Tuesday, exept going to Abura Dunkwa for a little bit on Tuesday. But Wednesday he was feeling a lot better so we were able to go to a combined zone conference in Aburah/ Cape Coast. It was our mission presidents last meeting with me before he left. Our new mission president will be here at the end of the week and The Shulz's will leave next Monday! It's crazy how they are already going home! But they have been here for their three years so now it's time too go. 

Pres. Shulz talked about repentance and gave an instruction on it for a short time. But then after that we all went outside for an activity that Sister Shulz had for us! We were all split into groups of 5 or 7 and were blindfolded. Then we had to hang on to a rope and someone leading the group would lead you all around the church compound over rocks and around bushes and up some random hill. People driving by the church were probably thinking, what the heck is happening there? But we were not allowed to talk at all, so we had no clue where we were going. At the end of it, after being led around for 15 minutes and having no clue where I was, they took my hand off the rope and said wait for further instruction....

So I stood there waiting for someone too say what too do next. Still blindfolded haha. Then I heard someone start to sing over somewhere too my right... "Come Follow Me"

So I stood there.. waiting for a couple minutes and finally thought.. "come follow me, the Savior said"... So I thought that was close enough and started to follow it still not seeing where I'm going. Once I was right on top of where I thought the people singing was, a big Tongan. Elder Lelea picked me up and hugged me and took my blind fold off haha. So once people wandered over to the group singing you would turn around and keep singing until everyone else came haha. It was super sweet. Sister Shulz compared it to life and how we are somehow shown where too go and what we do, then there comes a time when you gotta let go and find your own way even though you can't really see ahead of you and how when that happens, if we follow the Savior we'll be okay! It just really made sense and was super sweet.

After that we went inside for our last picture with them and to eat some rice and chicken!

The rest of the week has been a lot of work out in the area. Everyone is still going crazy about the world cup. Especially after Ghana played so well against Germany. Whenever we would score you would hear everyone scream and see people running through the streets not caring that cars are coming and people just going crazy! No one slept Saturday night because of the game, so everyone was late to church on Sunday haha. It started at 9, and the first person got there at 9 haha. and it was rasta joe!!!

Our investigators are doing super great. Forster got Malaria... but hes doing a lot better now!! poor guy. Teddy and Mike are having the same concern about leaving their old church but they are starting too come around. Teddy is doing super well, he is reading his Book of Mormon and just understands everything we teach him. 

We met two new men named Harrison and Jacob. Jacob walked by while we were teaching Harrison, I have no clue why cause we were in the police barracks and he live on the other side of town! but I won't complain.

Nothing too crazy happened this week. No crazy people.

Im enjoying, I'm happy, it's hot. Love all of you,

Elder Darren Hodges

Akonaba 
June 16, 2014

Transfers were this week but I stayed with Elder Tobler. It is still
the rain season so the rain will just keep coming everyday until maybe
August gets here. It's been nice and cool though!!! I love it! Except
all the mud and rivers we have to cross. We had to take off our
shoes and cross the same bridge this week but this time it was a lot
worse. There are a couple bridges and they were both covered in water
so we had to feel our way across over the coconut bridges. This week
has been super sweet! A lot of work and it all payed off in the end.
Everyone has been going crazy this week!!!! Because of Fifa World Cup!
It's so sweet! Whenever you go too see anyone, if any team from Africa
is playing, you wont be able to teach haha. Everone was super happy
the othe day becaue Uruguay lost. All because they beat Ghana the last
time.  Ghana people are super nice and ready too listen and talk about
anything!!... unless the world cup is happening. Ghana will play the
U.S. tonight and it’s the fourth time we are seeing them. Hopefully
this time we will actually win. The first thing that happens when we
meet someone out her they ask. “Were do you come from?”… “ The U.S.!”
then the yell “Oh we will score you!” haha its pretty funny. Except
when the freak out on the tro tro home. It happened yesterday and
everyone in the tro got mad at the guy. But hopefully we’ll win!!!
For the past couple weeks we have been trying to set up a baptism for
a young woman named Gloria in Cape Coast and the past couple weeks we
have had too push it back for reasons we couldn’t control. It made it
really difficult.  But everything was great this week! We had a
combined baptism with the elders in Cape Coast and Brickano. It was
super sweet and the spirit was very strong. It was my favorite baptism
by far this whole time I have been here in Aburah Dunkwa. Elder Lelea
and Larsen were both there and a ton of people! It was a lot of fun!
The stake president even came to preside over it because there was
more than one ward involved!
Teddy and Mike finally read and prayed about the Book Of Mormon! It
was powerful! Mike came to church this Sunday looking extra fresh!
Teddy would have been there to but the taxi driver that was going to
pick him failed us so we will get it all together next week. But
anyways, Teddy just read the first two chapters a couple times and
said how he felt he was reading the bible, then if it feels like that
it must be scripture, and if its that, then it's true!!! It was so
sweet! He seems so much happier when we go too see him now and he
loves reading the Book of Mormon. Mike did the same thing except we
gave him Alma 5 to read and he got the same answer! He studied it for
a couple days and understood it so well!!! He said he just knows it's
true and we are going over tomorrow to talk about baptism! The Book
of Mormon is too true.
We met a new investigator named Harrsion the other day and he is a cop
detective something. I cant translate it that well. But the same day
we met him, he had just gotten back from Accra with a guy he had
arrested. It was so boss!!! George Sarkwa called the other day. He
moved from the village too Aburah and he is schooling there now.
Regina is doing great too! She is giving a talk Sunday! This week she
couldn’t come because her son was sick.

Besides all that awesomeness Elder TObler has been super sick. It hit
him last night and he is having a lot of trouble today as we are
coming to Cape Coast to email home. But he is feeling a lot better.
We gave him a blessing after we tried a whole bunch of moms oils and
pills. But after the blessing he finally started too look a lot
better. He is improving.
Alls good in Ghana!
Love Elder Darren Hodges

Crossing the Rivers
June 9, 2014

There was a lot of rain this week! All Thursday it rained, all night and most of Friday. And it was a lot of heavy rain!!! All of the rain flooded the streets and the coconut bridges around in the area. So one day we were on our way too an appointment and usually we could just find a way around or someone would put a bunch of bricks in the water so you get walk over but this time it didn't work. So we had to walk through it. It was kinda nice. We left as soon as something jumped in the water.

We finished training this week and transfer news came! Elder Tobler and I are staying together in Aburah Dunkwa!!! Oh its gonna be a sweet transfer! I love that kid so much. To celebrate the end of training I made him some pizza! 

This week had been going pretty slow. I was nervous to see if i would stay or leave the area. And at first I did, but then as the week came to an end I really didn't want to go. The members are too sweet and we have a lot of really good investigators right now. We have been having trouble getting the members involved in all the work, but we decided that if we took the time to plan it all out in the morning, the day would go a lot smoother. And it has been going great! We are trying to get a member to each lesson we have and so far it's about one or two a day out of the 8 lessons we have planned. Either the member saying they can't come at the last minute or the investigator not being there. But the days are going by a lot better.

Morrison a recent convert gave a talk this Sunday!!!! We went over and helped him a little bit and he did great! He bore his testimony at the end and talked about how much he has changed and how the gospel has blessed him a ton! He said at first, the first day, when the missionaries came too see him, he was angry at us. He thought that we were just going to come and preach to him, and then leave! But he then said that same night, he had a dream of him sitting in a church, he didnt know which one, but it made him happy!! so he stopped smoking and drinking the next day and started too come to church and read his Book of Mormon and everything!

I love that guy so much. He's really helped me change a lot and has really helped me grow to love this village so much more. He's also doing a lot of missionary work and his girlfriend over in Accra has started looking into the church as well! His real girlfriend! Not the one we were confused with last time and thought she was a different girl, and called her the wrong name... whoops.

This week has just been sweet! Even though it rained half of it, it was nice!

Hope all is well back at home!
Love Elder Darren Hodges

June 2, 2014

This week was super sweet!!! Saturday was Morrisons baptism and it was crazy getting everyone to the baptism all the way in Yammoransa. But the baptism was super sweet. Sometimes its difficult cause Ghanains dont like to swim and most don't know how to hold their breath. So we had to practice it with him a lot haha. 

We then confirmed him as well at church this Sunday!!! He's a big stud and I love him a ton. He is helping us teach one of his friends from work named Rastimo. We taught him the first lesson and how to pray too know if it's true. He prayed and had his answer the same night in a dream! I'm not sure what exactly he saw but he asked some white guy in his dream, with all the different pastors and churches and prophets in Ghana... how do I know which one is true? So the white guy told him to follow the things his two friends (the two white guys in the village) and they would help him know the right path. It was a super sweet lesson! He is sincere and really wants to change his life around. He is just worried that his father won't approve because his father is a pentecost elder. But small small. We got too see him this Sunday and gave him a Book of Mormon. 

This Tuesday we had our last interviews with President Shulz. It was hard to have my last interview with him. He talked too me a lot and told me exactly what I needed to hear. I can't really believe he is going home this month. A lot is gonna change when he leaves. The assistants to the president gave a powerful instruction and so did Sister Shulz while the interviews were happening. The instruction was very powerful and was all about changing our inner nature and becoming better and more Christlike people. And as we do that, we will become better and more Christlike missionaries as well. Sister Shulz explained how the mission is our MTC (Missionary Training Center) for life and that we will take the things we learn here home with us.

Tobler turned 19 the same day! So we made a cake with all the stuff the Hyer family sent us with candles and everything!!!

Today we went out past Mankessiem to do a service project at an orphanage. We helped add on another classroom too the school and it was really hot. But after we played football with the kids and enjoyed!! It was a ton of fun! And had too be my favorite service project I've ever done.

I got a cold this week. I dont know how cause its super hot here. But oh well. It's hard too stay warm at night. I have to turn my fan off and use my sheet and a blanket. Even tough it's about 80 something every night and I live in a brick house. But it's almost gone.

This week was super sweet and a lot of work. It's our last week of training and I hope I stay in the area for one more transfer with all the progress it's made. June and July will be a sweet month for Aburah Dunkwa.

Hope all is good at home.

Love Elder Hodges

May 26, 2014

This week went by way too fast and I can't believe the transfer only has a couple more weeks left. This week was a lot of work and the members were helping a ton. They have been coming out to teach with us everyday and giving us friends to teach and also bringing friends to church! Oh its been sweet!! 

On Saturday Morrison's old date came all the way from Takoradi just too stay a few nights and "visit" and try to get him back. She came without telling him and once she was all the way to Abura Dunkwa, she called and told him she was coming to stay a few nights with him. Morrison called and told me what happend. By the time he called, he was all the way in Cape Coast. He said he didn't want to see her, so he  left to Cape Coast with his boss to get away from her. Since she had a key to his room and was gonna stay there, he stayed the night with his boss in Cape Coast. 

Anyways, he called and told us to go talk to her and teach her about the church and explain he's repented and doesnt want any of that. So we went over there and she was cleaning and so we went to talk too her. 

Earlier we talked to Morrisons date from Accra on the phone and she knew us. (His current date) but this was a different girl, not knowing this, it turned into a weird conversation when I called her the wrong name/ the name of his current girlfriend and it was just weird.  So we got outta there to get ready for the movie at the chapel.

Morrison had to go talk to her the next morning and explain everything and that she had too leave. He had to do it around 5 am so he could get ready for church. She wasn't too happy. Then again after church Morrison went with a member, George to go talk too her again, cause she wouldnt leave. She seems nice, she brought him some shirts and speaks good english. 

We had District Conference yesterday in the ola chapel. Our branch, abakrampa and Aubura Dunkwa rented a small bus from a school to get there and it was packed. We made it there and we had 4 branches there I think? It filled the chapel and the hallways and the relief society room. To listen me and my companion had to stand outside and listen through the window. President and Sister Shulz gave powerful talks and ended it with saying goodbye because they are leaving in June... I cried a lil bit. I'm sad too see them go. We'll see them tomorrow for interviews and also it's Elder Toblers Birthday!!!!! Enjoyment! And Cake and cookies! And singing happy birthday as horribly as we can.

Right now we've been teaching a lot of referrals from our members. One of them is named Teddy. He went from being super rich, having three cars and owning a bar to nothing throughout his life. Because of it he is super humble and want to get rid of the guilt thats always haunting him, but he feels like it's too late. He thinks he did too many things to be able too repent of it. But he is so sweet. Yesterday we got too see him and the spirit was super strong. 

Morrison is still doing super well!!! He gets interviewed on Wednesday. He has gone through a lot and is even helping us teach a friend that hes introduced the church too!!! We are also teaching a few of Teddy's friends. They are all retired, old and really like to talk. But one of them, Kojo Essemuah is sweet and hasn't been to church in years, which doesn't happen often. so we've been trying to get him to come back to church!  

This week was pretty sweet, but Sunday made it just amazing. It was a super good day yesterday, and too top it off, a member in Yammoransa fed us fufu! His name is brother Frompong, he is super sweet!

Love you! Have a great week

Elder Darren Hodges

May 19, 2104

This week flew by again. Everyday we take a tro tro too the area and every morning you never know what will happen. This week we got on the tro, stopped on our way to pick up some lady with her goats. So they tied the goats up and threw them under the back seat right where we were sitting haha. I got  a fun video of it. They didn't smell too nice and one kept trying to get away.

When we got too the area we went too visit a member and Amos was there with him! Amos joined the church in 1995 after taking the missionary lessons for about a year and a half. Then he finally decided to go too church and see if he should join it! Haha he is super sweet! He is the man who translated the book of Mormon to Fante and Twi. He is super smart and has been too Salt lake for a few years and even been too the Hill Cumorah. If you go to the temple and go through the endowment in Fante or twi, then yeah.. thats his voice saying all of it too. 

That same day a new crazy lady covered in mud and naked wandered into the village from Yankumasi. She saw the only two white guys in the village and started following us... so we had too lose her in the market and hide for a little bit until she left. We tried hiding. She found us and sat in the middle of the road until we came out. So we lost her again in the market and just left. 

We went too a nearby village called Edumfua this week to do some missionary work there. There is one member there that showed us around and introduced us to some friends and family interested in the church! we taught her family and it went super well!!!

Morrison is doing super well and so is Gloria. They both, Nyamenasi, will be baptized on the 31 of this month. We had too move it back because of conference. Morrison has been coming with us to teach all of his friends at work and they are so sweet!!!!

Our men investigators our doing well. Morrision is the one who is really progressing. We have found a lot. So now we are praying the Lord will soften their hearts and humble them so they keep their commitments. we are involving members a lot to to help with all the teaching! They progress faster and come to church more often if the member is there for the teaching.

Skies in Ghana!!

Hi

May 12, 2014

Well, I dont know what to say! It was so nice to talk to everyone yesterday thank you so much!!! I loved that one hour to talk to the whole family! 

This week has gone by super fast! We talked about all of it yesterday pretty much I think. Well, calling home was the highlight of the week.

Emmanuel went too the temple this week with his brother and 3 other members of his family. All converts from my last area!

Emman called around 8 or 9 too say thank you for helping him turn his life around. He had been in the temple and was now just walking around the garden there for a couple hours cause he couldn't even sleep! So he called too send some love and say thanks. 

I love those guys so much! They changed the way I do missionary work. They are the reason I love Ghana so much and enjoy missionary work so much!!!

I'm enjoying Ghana and its still hot, and im loving it.

Love Elder Darren Hodges

General Conference!

May 5, 2014

This week all of West Africa was watching general conference. So President Shulz stopped by, dropped off a couple sessions one morning and kept driving to wherever he was going. He looked good. 

It's the rainy season now. You know it cause every five minutes it'll get really hot.. then it will rain another 5 minutes later. It makes things a lot of fun, dodging through the rain from place to place to visit people!

We have a new investigator named Felix! He's a butcher.. but a super sweet guy. The other day we went to see him and some preacher gave him a little bit of alcohol. This is just before our second lesson with him. He already likes too talk a lot, so he told us his life story! It was pretty sweet and it helps me understand who he is a lot better now. 

1. Kidnapped and offered as a sacrifice when he was young. Survived.

2. Fought in a war and won't touch a gun anymore.

3. Was kicked out of his family house by some random christian, hasn't been to church for years.

4. Now likes too live quietly and butchers animals for everyone in the village!

He's a super sweet guy!

Regina had her baptism this weekend! We have been teaching Regina since I got here, which has been about three months and it doesn't feel real she was finally baptized. I'd almost given up on her, she had a lot of concerns, but she was able to overcome them and be okay! Elder Tobler baptized her. He had a little trouble cause, "She just wouldn't go down, she kept floating!"

-Elder Tobler

Morrison is doing really well! He's been to church twice now and he is loving it! he is a friend of another recent convert, and hes a 27 year old boss. I love that guy so much! I've probably enjoyed spending time with him and teaching him most out of every one I've met!  We are gonna go play soccer with him on Saturday and all his work buddies... I'm kinda scared. Men here are just ripped out of there minds...

Tobler and I wake up early every morning to go jogging. It's somehow nice. We just jog down a road no one really lives on next to the bush.

Dad that gravy for the biscuits was so good!!! Tobler loved it! I couldn't finish.. it was a lot of food! 

I'm still loving Ghana! I don't really wanna go home, cause I don't really remember home. And the people are too nice!

I'll call home on sunday though!!! (Mother's Day.)

Love you!

Elder Darren Hodges

That's Just Ghana

April 28,2014

It's already the end of my first transfer with Elder Tobler and it doesn't really feel like its already been almost two months with him. It's going by way too fast. This last week we have still been teaching a lot of men and getting them progressing. Regina and her two kids came to church yesterday! So did Morrison and Wilfred! Two other investigators! We had branch conference in Abura Krampa this Sunday. So we had to get to our area in time to pick people for church. We left around 6 and got there around 7. We picked up Morrison and headed to the station to get in a car that Abura Krampa had sent. They are the branch that Abura Dunkwa is under. They only sent one tro tro for the group... a tro tro is about the size of a mini van. Well really it is a mini van. But they take out all the seats and put new ones in so that you can fit 4 rows with 3 people in it. Yes it is very uncomfortable. We fit 24 people into that thing and drove half an hour to Abura Krampa for branch conference that morning!  It was a lot of fun!! We got there and had sacrament meeting. It was a lot of announcements and business. But with about 10 minutes left Pres Shulz got up and spoke about tithing. Abura Krampa literally just needs too pay their tithes so they can get a building made. Right now they are renting just a big house. All they need to do is pay their tithes this year so they can get a building! Hopefully they will! After church we all got a bigger tro tro back to Abura Dunkwa! 

A few days ago we made cinnamon rolls for President and Sister Shulz. They called and said they were great! Sister Shulz said it was better than cinnabon.. I dont know about that one.. that's pushing it. 

We tried to buy ground beef this week to make hamburgers because Elder Baird is going home. Well we bought it... it was beef just not ground... so we cut it up and tried to make tacos... well we had to use bread cause the tortillas didnt turn out well. I'm really sad that Elder Baird is leaving. He has a few things for you people a home!

This next week we are finally watching general conference! Pres. Shulz stopped by and gave us the dvds this morning of a couple sessions too watch Sunday. The group is still doing well. There are about 30 members in it and 10 went too the temple this last Thursday! They had too wake up at 2:30 am and be at the tro tro station by 3:30 am to get to the temple in time. I called all of them too make sure they were awake and ready to go. I think 2 or three went for their first endowment! Oh it was so sweet!!!! When they all got home that night I was super excited!! 

This week has just really flown by. I really dont know what else too say about it. It was a lot of fun this last transfer to have Elder Baird in the apartment. But now hes going home today and it's honestly just really sad. Elder Larsen is going back to Takoradi so I won't see him until mission conference again. So tonight we all are going to Sister Taylor's for family home evening to say goodbye. I kinda feel like I did when I was leaving home. It sucks. But I still have Elder Tobler and Elder Bley for cort' de voire and he is a super sweet guy.

Miss and love all of you at home. Sorry the picture wasnt much. the internet is only fast enough too send one or two.

Love you!

Elder Darren Hodges

APRIL 21, 2014

Well it's Easter time in Ghana and this place is crazy! There have been bonfires, parades, new chiefs chosen and lots of parties and loud music!

This Sunday we had church as usual in the school we have been renting from on Sundays. But the Pentecost church had a huge convention right next to the church with subs playing super loud music. Church here for Pentecost isn't really church. It's honestly just a big party with people yelling amen and hallelujah! We couldnt even here the speaker talking at church, the music was too loud. Plus, someone let all the people staying over the weekend for the church convention sleep in the school we use as a chapel. So we cleared out the spot we have for sacrament meeting and I just did my best to ignore the people sleeping in the halls, cooking over fires, and old women walking around half naked during church. Its a Sunday I probably won't forget any time soon. 

Most of our investigators were out of town this weekend for the holidays, so teaching lessons was really hard. but we were able to see all of them--especially on Sunday. Everyone was home and had time too talk to us! 

We went to visit and investigator named Millisence. She is a sweet woman but just need to get married before she can get baptized. We taught her about general conference and about faith as well. In Ghana to get married you have too pay a bride price. It's not cheap. so we had to talk to Joe (her date) about saving small small too pay it. He thought it would come in a big miracle. He made a lot of excuses. so we read through the story where Christ was walking on water and how Peter tried but couldn't because he was looking at all the huge waves coming, and lost his faith and fell. We compared the waves to all the things holding him back and are just trying too boost his faith enough so that he can endure this next little while while he tries to save enough money.

After we taught Millisence, she gave us some Ghanaian ice cream!! we were starving! But when we walked by some random dude he asked for mine. So I gave it too him. We are meeting him on Wednesday to teach him. 

The members are super pumped for the temple trip on Thursday! They leave Abura Dunkwa at 3:30 am and should get to Accra in time for the first session.
George our recent convert is going with them!!!

 Today we went to Anamabo beach for a party with my old branch!!!! They invited any missionaries to come!!! OH it was sweet! We played volleyball on the beach and I got too see all the recent converts and members again!!!! It was a lot of fun!! Some of the members and investigators that didn't understand all the mission rules kinda may have or not thrown Elder Larsen in the ocean... but that's another story.

Elder Baird goes home in one week. He's another elder in the apartment. He has been doing super well and hasn't even thought about home yet. I've gained a lot of respect for him just by the way he is finishing his mission. To be honest, some elders have there bags packed and are "sick" for the last few weeks.

The weeks are going by way too fast. Right now I'm training with Elder Tobler and it's probably going by super slow for him. But I cant believe it's already been over a month. It doesnt feel like it at all!

Thank you so much for the letters, prayers and love. It's helped me a lot while I've been here.

Thank you!

Love you!

Elder Darren Hodges