August 29, 2011

Dear Family:

So today was my first P-day in Kumasi and what do think that I would do?...That's right go golfing! Elder Zoll said when he saw me, "Ready to go golfing on Monday?" So that's what we did. Elder Zoll, my companion, the another the elder I replaced and me. It was a lot of fun. This time I played the front nine. I did alright, about the same as last time, but it was just great to hit the links and relax a little bit. Hopefully this is just the beginning of many P-days in Kumasi. :) Elder Zoll said it was!

The Zolls are great people. They are super nice and are working so hard here. Elder Zoll was a lawyer back in Utah before they came out here and is well to do! I look forward to the time that I have to work with them.

So Dichemso is a great little place. We have only really been able to work there on Saturday and Sunday, but it seems great! When I arrived at my apartment the packages were there and so was the washer that I bought from the Elder! It was a pleasant surprise and thank you so much! It was great! Everything was perfect! Thank you so much! Everything made it and has been great!

Anyway the area is huge, I still am trying to know where everything is and also all of Kumasi at the same time, but it will just take time.! And there is A LOT of work that can/needs to be done. The ward seems great and the leaders are great too. Hopefully, they will be able to help us out a lot. The teaching pool is really small, but hopefully that will change! My new companion is Elder Kouakou from Ivory Coast! He is a great companion, very powerful teacher, and is also VERY quiet! He doesn't talk to much which will take some getting used to, but oh well. He goes home in November so it looks like we will be together till then. I trying to learn how to do everything, know where everything is.

It was weird to leave Sunyani, but at the same time I was ready for a change. And as I have been here I have seen that there is definitely a reason that I am here. I just need to depend on the Lord and do what I can. I haven't heard if the baptism will happen yet, but I will find out next Tuesday at Zone Conference!

On Thursday we traveled down to Cape Coast for Zone Council and spent the night at the Mission Home! The Shulz's are great people and it was great to be with them. We arrived that night and ate dinner with them and then slept there, they have a place for the missionaries to stay. A/C and a hot shower, what more could I ask for:) The next day we ate breakfast and then the rest of the Zone Leaders came and we had the council. We talked about the new training program that the church put out. We got the DVD players, but for right now we are just giving them for the Trainers. We need to make sure that they will be used correctly first before the rest of the mission gets to use them. We also talked about the new mission goal. What President Shulz wants to do, and what I think will really help the missionaries, to work with the wards/branches is to do this: the ward will meet with the missionaries and discuss about how many baptism they want for the remainder of the year. The ward will then help the missionaries by giving them referrals to help meet the ward’s goal. From there all the goals that the wards have will become a stake goal and then all of them combined will be our mission goal. But truly it is the ward’s goals, and the missionaries are just help them to accomplish it. It is a great idea, so now we just need to meet with them and then receive referrals. I think that this goal will really help us out, especially because our area has had missionaries for a long time and I have been told that contacting has been difficult because everyone knows who we are and so the members are really going to need to help us.

We are to instruct on Obedience in Zone Conference next week. We will team teach it and we have 15 minutes. I hope that all goes will! The few investigators that we do have are very solid! Kumasi is a really cool place. It is definitely a city! Lots of people, not too many dirt roads, and lots of traffic. No one really proselytes in the heart of the city, but more on the outskirts and all the surrounding areas. Our area is the most "city" feel to it. I like the area and hope to make a big impact in the area/ zone!

Well family I have to go! But I love you all and appreciate all that you do for me! Continue to pray for me and for the Lords help! Hope all is well on the home front! Tell everyone I say hi! Love you guys!

Love your son and brother,

Elder Ryan S. Alba