July 25, 2011

Dear Family:

How is everything going? What’s new? Any big news from back home? This weeks has been a good week for us! We taught lots of people this past week, 39 lessons, and also went to help Bro. Robert at his corn farm. It has been a good week and we worked hard!

The highlight of the week… we had a total of 29 people in church on Sunday! It was the most we had ever had at church! Ok so a little over half were children, but still haha! We had 5 investigators there at church: Akua (Ekewa is how I have been spelling it), Anita, Robert and his family! It was great to see all of them there and to see the chapel beginning to fill! Hopefully we will keep it coming!

Sis Akua is now all set and is prepared to be baptized on Saturday! She came to church on Sunday for her 3 time and we have taught her all the lesson literally twice. Her interview will be Wednesday, but I have no doubt that it will go through without a hitch. Saturday will be her baptism! My first 1 in Fiapre, so this will be number 17 overall! It has been a LONG TIME since my last one! So I am happy that she is being baptized!

Also on Friday, Pres. and Sis Shulz will be coming up to Sunyani. They are coming up and will teach us on Friday, and then after the meeting Pres. The AP’s will go out with some of the missionaries. Then on Saturday Pres. will sit in on some of the companionship studies and then also instruct those of us that are training during the afternoon on Saturday. It should be great! We are moving district meeting from tomorrow to Friday and guess who gets to instruct…me! So needless to say I am a little nervous now and this entire week will be making sure that everything will be perfect! I am instructing on Revelation and basing my talk on Elder Bednar’s conference talk and also PMG. Hope everything will work out alright!

So do you remember in my last email I talked about a guy who we taught the restoration to and he had a problem with the Book of Mormon. Well since then he has changed. He told us that he is beginning to believe that the things we are teaching are true. We taught him the Book of Mormon and he has really been taking interest in it and has become really humble! I have been very surprised! Hopefully it will continue and that he will progress very well. The big thing is just changing his preacher mind frame!

We have met some really solid people as of late who are taking a lot of interest in the church. Both are really humble and are willing to learn! They seem to have been prepared for the message! One said that she was even going to come to church, but didn’t because her little baby just would not stop crying so she didn’t come. But she has promised that next week she will come!

I also had splits with Elder Vanchiere, my district leader this past week. We went to his area to work and it was a great learning experience for me, to see how he teaches and what he does and to be able to apply somethings into my teaching style.

Things continue to go well though here in Fiapre. The work is really starting to get going and hopefully it will continue!

I love all of you and am grateful for what you do for me! Continue to pray for me! I love all of you!

Love your Son and brother,

Elder Ryan S. Alba