YO FAMILY!
Sorry. We didn't have power yesterday so I could email only small. The internet was slow too for the small time that it was on. The power here has been really bad. We are on a schedule where we have power for 12 hours, and then it is switched back off for 24 hours. so we have light about every 3 days and every 3 nights. Fun stuff! But the Lord has blessed us and I'm happy!
Everything
is great and well. This week was a week that consisted of 7 days and it
was a good 7 days. Nothing too new or out of the ordinary. It is still
normal missionary work here.
Trainers
will be called today and transfer news is on Saturday! I think I will
go. I have been here for 6 months and it just feels like it is time for
some change.
So I will let you know what is happening next Monday.
I hope everyone at home is doing well and enjoying life.
This
week I went on exchanges with Elder Miskin. It was the best day out of
the whole week. He does missionary work the way I feel it is suppose to
be done. He doesn't run from appointment to appointment. He is sincere in
everything he does and everyone he talks too. It is all about the
people to him, not about the numbers we write in our planners at the end
of the day. People, not numbers. It was just a good day! It kinda
reminded me how the work is suppose to be done.
It is getting hot paaa!!! So hot!!! I have to put on sunscreen every day...
We played volleyball yesterday for sub p day. My team of 5 went undefeated!
Love ya!!!
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| Blind-folded some kids to teach them to follow the holy ghost |
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| Combined zone meeting |
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| Exchanges with Meleni |
February 2, 2015
Boko Nyamenadum
Dear Family.
Hi
I'm sad the Seahawks lost. I got the news this morning and it sucks... but we will win it next year.
President Stevenson came down for interviews this week and instructions on how to
be good missionaries. It was combined with 2 districts so it was my
district and Sekondi District. Elder Larsen and Gqweta were there, and
the Julanders and the zone leaders. It was a good meeting. Elder Barlow
instructed on planning and then I instructed on obedience and why we
need to be obedient. It went from getting the desired blessings we want
when we get home, we need to be obedient, to get all the blessings from
our patriarchal blessing. Elder Scott explained it in the Feb. 2014
Liahona, that when we are obedient we grow in strong character to face
the tests that come to test our faith and then as that character grows
we have a larger capacity to exercise our faith. Obedience is an act of
faith. It's like positive feedback in science where it all just keeps
growing. The only thing to stop the cycle is acts of disobedience which
just bring it the other way. It was really sweet.
It
was so good to just sit and visit with Larsen and Gqweta afterwards
too. My interview was really short. So was everyone's. Larsen is doing
great. He goes home in May I think and will go to school at UVU and
Gqweta just applied to BYU Idaho!!!! Whooo!! I hope he goes! The plan is
to go to Idaho then transfer to Provo as fast as I can. Then go from
there. Room with Larsen when I go cause it went great the first time we
did! But I wont worry about that right now.
The transfer is
going fast. It is now week 5 and there are just 2 more to go.
We
confirmed William, Abigail and Ajoa on Sunday! It was really sweet and a
good fast Sunday! we have been fasting for Aaron's brother. He can't talk
and he wants us to give him a blessing so we are fasting and praying
before we give him the blessing.
Last
night Elder Iwuji had me write a couple letters for some girls.. he
can't really write so I was the scribe. It was normal until he started
talking about taking her to the temple and getting married!! I was like,
whoaaa! It was pretty fun. Nigerien love letters are something else.
I love ghana so much. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now, I'm praying for ya and I love you!!!!
Elder Darren Hodges
Janaury 26, 2015
This week was a great week! We had 3 baptisms at the stake center and it was a great service! The church is true paa! It was a very normal week besides that. A lot of work, and the week just flew by. I cant believe how time is flying by here. I will have 6 months left after this transfer. I'm not a dying missionary, don't worry, I don't have cancer or anything. (Missionary terms for not ending strong.)
At church on
Sunday I was thinking a lot about what I'll instruct on this week and
next week. President will come for interviews and I'll be instructing for
a little bite. I'm gonna talk about obedience.
Elders
think they can be disobedient and still be blessed with the perfect
life when thousands of other people are working towards the same thing.
It should be sweet.
SundayI was reading Presidents Benson's biography. It made me cry when I read
they sold their farm just so they could pay for their fathers mission. I
can't imagine having to sacrifice so much. I finally understood what
elder Vincent said to me. He said he loved God more than his wife, I
thought that was weird. But then I realized that you can love God and
your family, just in different ways. He loved God more, that's why he
left his family to go and serve a mission. You can't serve God and
Mammon, but you can love God and your family at the same time.
Elder Dube is coming for a mission tour in march! Should be sweet!
Go Seahwaks! Love you!
January 19, 2015
GCCM
We
have a new man we are teaching named Koomson. He is about 60 years old
and teaches at the local school. He came to church the last two weeks
with Sister Julie and we have been teaching him at his house is
Kwesimintsim. He stays with his younger sister and he is a sweet guy. Super smart and loves the church!
His
sister reminds me a lot of my own sister. When we went inside the
house... it smelled like cats and there were in sight.. lots of cats. I
asked he how many she had, without a breath she said "19" that is a lot
of cats... we play a game each time we go there and try to count all 19.
The first day we counted 8, then the next day 11, we are now up to
13... just 6 more to go!
We went to visit sister Yalley this week, she just had a baby! So
as we went to visit she asked if we could share a short message with
her, so we talked about the 2000 stripling warriors and how their
mothers taught them everything the knew, and they did not doubt what
their mothers told them. I shared a quote from one of the apostles about
how a woman does a greater good for the world by being a mother than
she would as a great leader, a king or a president. She has 4 boys and
two girls now and she is one of the best moms I've seen. it was a sweet
visit.
After we saw her we went around with Ike Mensah to take the sacrament
to some members who couldn't be at church on Sunday. One of them being
sister Yalley and another because he had malaria.
We
had MLC this week with all of the leaders in the mission. The night
before I stayed at the zone leaders apartment in Chapel Hill. I spent
the day with Elder Halversen! He is also from Washington and is pumped
for the super bowl! At the meeting we had leadership training. And we had
to go all the way to Cape Coast!!! Home! It was so nice to be there! We
talked about leadership stuff and it was great! Leadership in the
mission has changed a lot since I have been here. When I first came,
everyone and anyone would be a district or a zone leader, and that was
cool. But now President is choosing people who are sweet and helping the
mission a lot more. I think the great leaders we have here are a big
reason the mission is doing so good right now.
I
feel like I have been doing a lot of good lately and helping people and
missionaries around me a lot more than I have before. Elder Tui came up
to me and told me the other day how i inspired him to work out every
morning because he heard that I get up a 5:30 and go running every
morning. I haven't missed a day of running since he said that to me.
After
being uplifted and thinking great about myself I got humbled paa... The
last couple days were rough then the thought came to me on Sunday
morning at church to forget myself and get back to work. So that's what I
did and I am feeling great again and working to help the people here in Assakae again. I'm not here for me, if I was here for me I would've come
home a long time ago.
It
was a sweet week, I got to see a lot of friends, enjoy Cape for a few
hours and spend a whole day with a broda from Washington.
I love and miss you all.
Elder Darren Hodges
Oh! and we found a freaking ice cream truck in Ghana!!!!!!!
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| Sister Hamilton's House |
January 12, 2015
Its Hamaton season here in Ghana. I don't know if that is how you spell it. But its from January through February. Its when there are a lot of sand storms in the Sahara Desert, and all the sand and dust from it floats all the way down to Ghana! So it looks and feels like it is foggy everywhere, when really its just dust. It's so dry.
This
was the first normal week we have had since the end of December. It's
been a lot of fun and work. This morning we cleaned and played football
as a zone then went into town to shop.
When
we went around this week, we took a DVD player with us to Kate's to
watch the Restoration with her, and it ran out of battery after about
one minute. And the power was out, but jokingly I said it would come
back right now....And it did! Pretty sweet!
Two
Elder in our apartment were transferred out and we got two new elders
this week. It's different but the change is pretty nice.
Love and miss you all!
Elder Hodges
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| Hamaton |
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| Elder Cole broke the banku stick |
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Quarshie!! |
January 5, 2015
New Years was a bigger party than Christmas! Everyone was launching fireworks and enjoying paa! We went to our land lady's
house in Chapel Hill for lunch. She stays at this HUGE house on the
beach and works for the oil company with her husband there. It was
crazy! Saw some weird fish that walk around on the beach too when we
went to see and island just off the coast.
That
night we went back to the family from Ivory Coast and got fed. They
gave us some lamb and chicken with our rice. My comp didn't eat it but I
did. It got me super sick. That night I was having nightmares about
people feeding us and then at three am it came back up.
I
felt a lot better after that. That day I went on splits with Elder
Uklaegbu in my area. It was a sweet day, we went to the branch
Presidents to teach Kate. They fed us... So Elder Ukaegbu ate the whole
pot of rice and chicken for us :)
On
Sunday we went for church and it was fast and testimony meeting. Kate
and Ishmeal were confirmed, they both bore their testimonies, and so did
Aaron! It was sweet to see them all do that!
When
Ishmeal got up to bare his testimony, he stood up and asked everyone to
sing hymn 270, and brother Kaitoo, our first counselor was so excited,
"Yes, yes lets sing a hymn!!!!" so we sang it then he bore is
testimony! It was a fast week and a fast transfer. Two Elders in our apartment are getting transferred away. so things will change but im excited to be with Elder
Cole for another 6 weeks. we are gonna keep enjoying Assakae.
December 29, 2014
Afhiyphaa!
This Christmas was a blast! It has been going on for about a week now and should last up until the new year!
Ishmeal
and Kathrene were baptized yesterday after church!! It was probably the
best baptism ever and two of my favorite people to be with and just to
see the gospel bless their lives so much! Ishmeal is so big and buff!
We
went to an Ivorian family's house for lunch on Christmas and it was so
good! No one spoke English though so it was hard to talk to them. But it
was a lot of fun! One of them is a member for Ivory Coast and is
staying with her boss here in Ghana who is also form there. That's how we
got set up with a lunch there. then they invited us for new years as
well!
It was so nice to
talk to and see my family!!! paa!! i even got to see Jerry Welch and we
said a family prayer! Ask my parents how that went.
We
went around this Christmas and sang for the members and investigators.
it was weird at first but you could feel the Christmas spirit and I
really enjoyed serving others this Christmas. I really feel that is what Christmas is all about. Thinking of others before you think of
yourself.
Merry Christmas!!!!
Love you!
Ishmeal and Kathrene
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| With Elder Larsen |
December 25, 2014
Talking to Darren via Skype on Christmas day was so awesome!
You will LOVE his accent. :)
December 22, 2014
We had a lot of fun at the Christmas devotional this week! We had it on Friday at the Takoradi stake center! At the start we had an instruction given by President Stevenson and some testimonies and songs. We had some activities, rice and chicken and it was just nice to see a lot of the other Elders from around the mission! Elder Larsen was there, it was nice to catch up with him and to see a few other people! After lunch we had a talent show and then watched a couple videos about the birth of Christ. It was very nice.
That afternoon we split into zones and went around caroling in market circle and Takoradi! Takoradi is a very big city here and there are a lot of people! So we split into groups of 20 and went around singing and handing out a couple copies of the Book of Mormon. The first time we stopped to sing was at a junction right across from some guy preaching on the side of the road with a speaker and a generator. They do that a lot here. So after a couple songs we left and went to the market doing the same thing! On the way, as we passed another preacher with a big system, Elder Gqweta took the microphone from him and started singing the First Noel! So we sang some songs over the speakers and continued on! It was the highlight of the day! But we just kept going and caroling for about an hour then came back to the stake center to sing at the carols night at the church. So we sang a lot on Friday!
This week was a lot of teaching and singing to everyone. When we would go visit members and investigators we would sing them a christmas hymn throughout the day. So it has been a lot of singing!
I'm excited to call home and talk to my family! I hope everyone has a great Christmas and enjoys the friends and family around them! Love you!
Elder Darren Hodges
Eficia-paaa!
We got some great pictures this week. No words. Just photos.
Elder Hodges with Enita
Assake
Elder Hodges and Stephen
Aaron's baptism
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