October 3, 2011

Dear Family:

Hey everyone!!!! How is it going? How was general conference? Unfortunately out here we don't get to watch it. We only get the Liahona of the Conference in November and some months after conference they will send DVD's of some of the sessions but not all. So I'll just have to wait for the Ensign or Liahona to come. Before I came on mission I always saw General Conference as a day off from church, going out to eat with the boys after priesthood, and all that great food (Golden Rod) to enjoy during conference. But really it isn't until you come out here that you realize how important and how much of a blessing it is to have general conference. That is great about all the temples though!

Transfer calls came on Saturday and Elder Kouakou and I will stay together which I am very glad about! So he will finish his mission here since this is his last transfer, the transfer ends in the middle of November. I am glad that we will still be together because he is a great missionary and there is more I can learn from him. In our zone there are 7 elders who will be training so our zone just became very young. Elder Bunker is training again so I will now have "brother" and my son will have an "uncle."

So here is a really funny story. This morning I wanted to get my haircut. So Elder Togaga'e (Samoa) began to cut my hair with my clippers, the first time using them, and he was cutting and I noticed that it was kind of short but just thought, oh well that's ok, and then the clippers started slowing down and the battery died, and the charger doesn't really work. So my hair was half way cut and the clippers died. I just started laughing and thought oh just my luck. Luckily Elder Abioye (Nigeria) had a hat so I put it on and we went to a barber to cut my hair. So my African due is back, a shaved head haha. Oh well it's just hair. But it was a really funny coincidence.

I can't believe that next week is my 1 year mark! Time really has gone by fast! I still feel like I have only been out for 3 months; but now because of all of the old missionaries leaving and the new ones coming, I am actually one of the oldest! And by the new year I'll be even older. Time is just not relevant on mission. There is a saying that goes like this "Days feel like weeks, weeks feel like days" and is so true. Sometimes days seem a little long, but before you know it is Sunday again and time for church. I have learned so much this past year. My knowledge of the gospel has shot through the roof, and my testimony continues to become immovable. And guess what?!? Christmas is just around the corner! Before you know it I will be giving you guys a call! As for my Christmas package whatever you want to send will be great!!!!! Seriously I can't really think of anything specific at the moment but everything that you guys do is great!

On Saturday we had our baptism! Two brothers were baptized. But it was great. Brother traveled to Accra for the past two weeks for a TV show shoot that he is in, and so he has been ready for baptism for a long time but hasn't been around. Well he kept in touch with us and everytime he would tell us that the final shoot was being postponed and it looked less and less likely that he would be baptized. Then Friday night he came back at 3:00 am and wanted to be baptized the following morning. So we got him interviewed and baptized. It was a miracle! What makes it even cooler is that the entire time he was there he felt like he needed to just come back to Kumasi and be baptized. And when they told him that the shoot was going to be postponed until Tuesday he said "Ok, I am going back to Kumasi for the weekend" and they said ok. So he made it for his baptism and on tuesday he will be going back to finish shooting the show. A member he is dating really helped him to be baptized. They are actually in the process of getting things set for marriage. So that makes it even better. It was great to see them be baptized. There is member that is one of our really good friends and has become friends with our convert too and He asked if Our member would be one of the witnesses. Little did he know that we had asked Him to be the one to baptize him. It went really well and then yesterday they received the Gift of the Holy Ghost and also the priesthood.

Dad you forgot to give me advice about interviews. What do you normally do? Any advice or suggestions? I have done a couple of more since the first all have gone well. I just try and listen to the Spirit and do as it directs. One thing that I have noticed is that as times goes on, the more and more I am becoming like you. I am grateful for that because you are such a great man and a spiritual giant in my eyes. If I could be half the man you are, I will have been successful.

I also forgot, yesterday we scheduled with the ward to do a missionary fireside so that way we can really get going on the ward mission goal. We entitled it "Is there something else I can do? (Hebrews 11:6). The whole things is going to be about how the ward needs to exercise faith and do more than they are already doing. I will give a talk on missionary work, and then Elder Kouakou and our Ward Mission leader will present the mission plan. I came with a good idea to help us get referrals. We are going to make little slips for all of the members That will have the Potential investigators name, number, address, the members name and number, and then when the first appointment will be. We will hand these out and then every sunday we will go around to each of the auxiliaries and collect them. I think this will really help the ward and get the work moving along. What do you think?

Well I have to go but I love you all and am grateful for all that you do for me! Until next week!

Love your son and Brother

Elder Ryan S. Alba