April 2, 2012

Dear Family:

Hey everyone how is everything going? What is new? How is the good old SLC? Anything exciting coming up?

So this past week we have been super busy! I honestly can't even believe that it is already Monday and time to email again! I don't even know where time is going! And in just a week or so I will reach my 18 month mark can you believe that?!? Then I will really be on the homeward stretch!!!!! That is so crazy to think about! If time keeps going as fast as it has the past few weeks then before I know it I will be walking down the steps of the SLC airport:)

So as for driving.... I am actually doing pretty good now! I am starting to get the hang of the clutch now! We have a tro-tro, the big vans that they drive around here and that is what we have been driving around lately! The clutch is pretty easy on it so it has made things a lot easier! So now I am just getting used to the traffic and all that jazz! But you would be surprised I have picked up pretty fast! Who knows maybe I will be driving dad's car home from the airport:)

This past week a Pioneer of the church here in Ghana died, his name was BIlly Johnson! He has an amazing story and was the reason that the church even came to Ghana! LOOK IT UP ONLINE!!! He was an amazing man, the first member of the church here, the first patriarch in Cape Coast, and just an incredible guy! He moved to the US a while ago due to his health, but his wife and mother stayed here in Ghana. They are members of our small branch here in Cape Coast. They are just amazing! Well we found out he died the day after it happened and we went to visit them! His wife was very sweet but was terrible sad even though she knows he is in a better place. We asked if there was something we could do to help, and she asked us to come back in a day and give her a blessing to help her through all of this! So Elder Hair and I went and we gave her a blessing and Billy's mother a blessing of comfort! I gave Billy's mother a blessing and Elder Hair gave the wife a blessing! It was neat to hear what the Spirit said through us! I just remember talking about how the Lord was grateful for what she had done to raise such a worthy son who would be the insturment to bring the gospel to Ghana! It was a very sweet experience and one I will not soon forget!

We spent this week going on splits out in Takorado and in Cape Coast! It is always great to be with the other missionaries and to be learning from and teaching them! That is my favorite part, being with the other Elders on splits! It helps build them and it builds me up and creates friendships out here on the mission! I like it also because the Missionaries get to see you as a real person. Sometimes the only time they see you at zone conference or our other meeting standing in front of them but when you are on splits they get to see you and know you, not just your title! Splits have been going great and it is sweet to see how the work is progressing throughout our mission! The Lord is doing great things here in Ghana and is great to be a part of all of it! Soon it will have 3 missions and will continue to spread throughout the whole country!

Well I have to go but I will write to you guys later:) I love you!!! Thanks for everything!

Love your son and brother,

Elder Ryan S. Alba