June 11, 2012

Dear Family:

Hey everyone!!! How is everything going? What's new back at home? Hope all is well back at home!!

So first things first... Elder Bunker's home coming will be at 9 am, Northfield 7th ward, in Northfield Stake, Pleasant Grove Utah.

Happy Father's Day Dad!!! Wow I can't believe that it is Father's Day already!

Today we had the departing Elders come to the mission home. Today marks the beginning of the transfer process. We had the departing testimonies tonight. It was a great meeting! These guys going home have all worked hard and done their best for the past two years. Hearing their testimonies motivates you to do all that you can and to finish strong. I admires these departing Elders and hope that the Lord will bless them for their service. Among them also is Elder Brown, my former district leader in Mankessim and he was in my zone in Dichemso. We also went golfing together in Kumasi!

Tomorrow we got to be up at 6am, breakfast at 7:15am, and on the road to Accra by 8am. We will be in the 12:30 session! And guess what...? Remember Bro. Davis, the guy Elder Bunker and I baptized in Mankessim, the really powerful recent convert who is in his 70's? Well he has passed his year mark, and tomorrow he is going to go through and take out his endowments during the same time we will be there. The two elders who baptized him, in the temple with him at the same time as he goes through the temple for himself! Isn't that going to be awesome! I again get to see Bro. Davis dressed in white, but this time temple white!! Tomorrow he is going to receive the ordinances necessary to help him return back to the presence of our Heavenly Father. It is going to be an amazing experience, one that I will never forget!

Then it is off to the MTC, to pick up the new Elders. We have 9 elders leaving and 7 elders with 2 sisters coming to our mission. We will spend the night in the MTC, which is going to be HOT! Then we are waking up by 5am and heading to Cape Coast! We will have the orientation meeting as well and then it is off they go into the field. The whole process is very sweet to see and experience!

We had the trainers meeting down here for the elders training down south, and then on Friday we went up to Kumasi for the other trainers meeting and for zone council. Since these were the only reasons we were going up to Kumasi, we all went in one car: Pres. and Sis. Shulz, Elder Nzuki and myself. All the meetings went really well. I talked in the trainers meetings about 1. the importance of a name and how the elders that are being trained are now part of their mission genealogy, they are your son, you are there father, how do you want them to carry your name. 2. how the second they step into the field, the new elder is a missionary, he is entitled to revelation, inspiration and guidance of the spirit. I told of experiences of when I was training and how my son helped us to get one of our investigators  baptized, and how we found one of our investigators while out contacting. It went really well and I hoped it will help these elders as they prepare to train.

Love your son and brother,

Elder Ryan S. Alba

 Ryan and Elder Bunker