March 22, 2011

Dear Family:

How's everything going on the home front? It sounds like everything is going great! Things are going great here in Sunyani! The area is great, the people are great, and we are finally getting into the swing of things!

To Start:

I finally got the package on Monday and thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was great! I was so excited! I got it when we went to Kumasi yesterday and it was awesome! The wallet is perfect, the sheets are great, camera case is perfect, everything was great!!!!! Thank you so much!!!! So the tortillas... yeah they were as we call it here "Ghanafied." They were moldy and everything! But here is a funny, kind of gross story. So I opened the package there just so I could put the stuff into my backpack so it would be easier to carry, and all the other missionaries saw that I was going to toss the tortillas and said, “Hey parts of them are still good!” They popped them open and took what looked good from the tortillas and ate them. I was in shock. I only took a tiny, tiny bit. It was so good, but I didn't want to even risk it, so I didn't take anymore! It was way funny, gross but funny! Anyway the package was great and can't wait for the next. As far was what I need I can't think of anything specific. Just that towel I told you about that's microfiber and paper thin. Candy, fruit snacks, and peanut butter would be great!!!!! But as I always say anything and everything would be fabulous!!!!!

Yes, Jason is right, just cause I’m in a second world country doesn't mean I can't find things to buy:) Kumasi is huge and honestly has anything there! Things I have bought though since I have been here are: Kentay (scripture bags for everyone, a temple bag, ties), some soccer jersey's, some watches that were way cool and dirt cheap. (For example there is a watch called the Casio G-shock that I guess back home is $100+ dollars, got them for 7 cedis which is like $4, I am my grandfathers grandson). Just some small stuff like that! Some things I still want to get are some wood carvings, two cutless or machetes, and whatever catches my eye:) There is a saying here, if you see something you like, buy it! Chances are that this will be the last time you see it again. I have learned it is so true!!!

So now for our week:

So this week Elder Speechly got Malaria. Now as soon as I say that, I know what you are thinking "Oh my gosh malaria!!! Are you taking your doxy? Are you using the net? Repellent? Do we need to send you repellent and all that?" Am I right? I am going to say yes I am right:) Now don't worry! Malaria really isn't that bad! We have a medicine you take here that cures it in two days! And don't worry you don't need to send me any repellent or that jazz I still have plenty!! And I am taking all the precautions not to get it. So don’t worry! Now malaria just makes you tired and weak and you get the runs, vomit and all that, but you take this medicine and you feel better! So no worries, I have never had it I plan to never get. Don't worry! Anyway because he was sick we were in the apartment a few days to help allow him to sleep and get better. So our numbers this week weren't all that hot. We had 15 on the week, but he is totally fine now. So this week we are going all out! Teaching everyone and giving it our all!

But so since we were in the house for a few days, I did tons of reading and studying! I am now in Joshua in the Bible and chapter 16 in Jesus the Christ. I learned so much since I had the time to read and study! It was really neat! One of the really cool things though was I decided to write down certain things that have happened in my life that I hadn't written down yet in my journal so now I have a written copy and won't ever forget. I wrote some done like when the toy shelf almost fell on me; Pres. Monson's advice to me at Grandpa’s funeral; just some like that. I really enjoyed writing these down and in a way reliving these events! Before I knew it two hours had past and it was great! I really enjoyed being able to have this time to study, learn, and get a lot accomplished! Yeah teaching would have been great, but we learn in D&C "Seek not to declare my word, first seek to obtain my word."

In Church on Sunday, we had a total of 14 people. None were our investigators, but it was still sweet! Gradually, gradually we are building this place up.

The highlight of our week though! So we have been teaching a man named Meshack. He is 24 and sells phone credit in our area. We first met him when we went to teach someone else, but he sat in on the lesson and since then we have taught him. This past week we invited him to be baptized and he said he wanted to be baptized!! It was great! So we have a baptism date scheduled for April 9th, our first baptism here, hopefully! He is a great investigator! He knows and believes everything that we teach; he keeps all of his promises and commitments, he is great! We invited him to be baptized on Saturday, and Sunday he didn't come. Then today we went and visited him! We began by talking about what he needs to do to prepare for his baptism. He said, "Continue to develop Faith in Jesus Christ, Repent, read the Book of Mormon, attend church regularly, I have been repenting, etc." It was great! He said he needs to go to church and has promised to come this next week! We meet with him almost everyday now and I believe that he will one day be a leader, if not just a solid member, here in Fiapre. It was great!

On Sunday I had a pretty cool experience. So Sunday we went and visited all of our investigators, told them about how Elder Speechly was sick and apologized for not making to visit them, etc. But we had visited most of our people and had time and didn't know where to go. The thought came to me to call this man who we contacted a while ago. We were supposed to call him during the week but because we were in the apartment, didn't get a chance to and we just forgot. Anyway we called him, his name is Apoku, and he invited us to come and meet with him. We went and met his family, wife and two small boys, and had a great lesson with him. He was glad that we came and has a desire to learn more about our church. This was our second visit with him and it went really well. I see a lot of potential with this man and for some reason feel that we need to really focus on him. I hope and pray that he will progress and that all will go well with him.

Here is something pretty cool. I have a baby named after me here in Ghana! Maybell, my first baptism in Mankessim, had a baby a while ago, I think I told you about that. It was a little girl and she was wondering what she should name the baby. I told her she should name her Alba, and told her about how in Mexico, Alba is sometime used as a girl’s first name. Anyway she said that she would name her baby eventually, but we had nicknamed the baby Alba. She began to call the baby Alba and so would all the people in her home and in the branch. Well right before I left Mankessim, the place Maybell lived in was being changed into a bank, so all the people had to move. She moved away to her mothers house. We would call to see how she was doing and all that, but didn't see her since she moved. Well on Monday Elder Bunker sent us a text that said that Maybell had named the baby Alba! I called him and asked him about it. He said he called to see how she was doing and asked if she had named the baby yet. She said no. He asked her, “Well what do you call it then?” She said, “Alba.” So it looks like I have an African baby named after me! It is really cool because Maybell was my first baptism, I was the one to invite her to be baptized, etc! It's really neat and I guess that this happens quite a bit here where babies will be named after the missionaries here. Elder Speechly said that in his last area (where he has been his whole mission) there was a family he baptized and they named one of there sons Speechly after him. It is really neat and cool to know that there is a baby named after me!

This week we are having Leadership Conference. Usually this is just for the District Leaders, Zone Leaders, Future Leaders, etc. But this time the mission president is going to every zone and doing it for the whole zone. Sunyani is part of a zone, but since we are out on our own president is meeting with just us on Saturday. It is pretty cool and should be great! This Sunday is also a Unit Conference for the units here in Sunyani. It is like Stake Conference, but on a unit level. It should be great and President will be there for that as well!

As for me I am doing great! I am good health, working hard, and striving to find those people here in Fiapre! It's not easy, no one ever said it would be, but it is totally worth it! As you said Mom, I can't think of being anywhere but here right now in my life! This is where I am to be! God has a mission for me, I just need to discover it! I hope that everything I am doing is making Him proud, and all of you as well! Continue to pray for me! Everything you do for me (emails, packages, prayers, just thinking of me) is my motivation and keeps me going! Thank you for everything! I love you all s much! Until next week, may it come fast again!

Love your son and brother,

Elder Ryan S. Alba