Cape Coast Castle, and Easter Parade

Hello Family and Friends! How are you all doing? I hope that you are all doing well and that you are having LOTS of fun adventures. :) I hope that you all had a great Easter Weekend, and really had a good time remembering the Savior.

Okay so as for this week, it was a good week!

Monday- Of Course was P- Day and we had a Zone Activity! We went to.... The Cape Coast Castle!!!! IT WAS SO NEAT! I had a lot of fun. We first were allowed to walk through the museum that they had (they said no pictures in the museum :( ) and it was really neat to learn the background of the Cape Coast Castle and the Elmina Castle. The Elmina Castle is the oldest Castle in Ghana! After the museum we got a guided tour of the castle and there was some "Obrunis" (white people) with us so that was fun (I believe one guy was British).

We first went through the male dungeons and those were interesting and cool. They fit up to 200 people per room and their bodily fluids were up to their knee (due to non-sanitation and non-sewer). Above the male dungeons was a church (Interesting right?) Later they changed it into Library. We also saw the Female Dungeons, The Prisoner Cell, The Governor’s Quarters, The Graves, The Cannons and Cannonballs, and of course the Famous "The Door of No Return." (Basically that is the door where the slaves walked through and were never seen again as they were sold to America and other places; on the other side they wrote, “Door of Return” to remember their history and to make it a place of welcome. Not only was the castle tour fun, but the view was fantastic!!! It's such a great historical site of Ghana.

Tuesday- I had planned for one of the Sisters (Sister Namutebi) to give an instruction at District Meeting (because you don't want to hear the same person for a long time) and it gives other missionaries a chance to learn and to grow. So I didn't prepare anything for an instruction. Well Sister Namutebi's companion, Sister Anderson, hadn't been feeling too well and it got worse on Tuesday. So they called Sister Stevenson and she told them that they couldn't come to District Meeting, so I had to prepare something in like 5 minutes and go with it, but it was okay. It was on Commitments, going off of “We Invite, They Commit, We Follow Up,” and it was nice. Elder Hodson and I then did supplies and it was nice.

Wednesday was a good day: We saw Slyvester and we went over Prayer (Because he didn't know how to pray and didn't understand the importance).  It was a good lesson and it definitely was a step in the right direction, so now hopefully we can help him come to church. After that Elder Hodson carried some water on his head (which, by the way, is extremely difficult) for Hannah, and we were then able to teach her about Faith and Repentance. She is doing well, it's just helping her get to church. Towards the end of the night we saw A-Boss and we read more of the Book of Mormon with him and we got through 2 more chapters and that was nice! (We are almost out of the Isiah Chapters!)

Thursday was also a nice day. Elder Hodson and I first saw Edward and it was a good lesson. We talked about the Book of Mormon (He is 14 but only in Primary class 4, so he still has some English to still learn and hopefully he will understand more of the scriptures as time goes on). As he has continued to understand it small small, we were able to give him a baptismal date for April 30^th, so that is exciting! He has a good support system from his Aunt Anita and the young men, so now it's just helping him prepare for that date. We then went to the church to wait to Victor to see him, and we just talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that was nice and he is doing well. I believe he is preparing to go to the temple soon so that was exciting. After Victor, Elder Hodson and I were waiting for our Missionary Coordination Meeting and we saw a big crowd coming down and they were singing and dancing. I guess they were practicing for their Easter Festival on Saturday so that was cool to see. We actually have a new ward mission leader who is Brother Sagoe and he just came home from his mission and he is excited to work and that is really nice.

Friday was a nice supply day. :)

Saturday- Was a pretty nice day! In the morning I got the opportunity to interview three young boys for baptism for the Green Hill 1 Sisters and they were really cool. They all had powerful names: Peter, Moses, and John and the guy who translated for me was named Isaac (who by the way is going on his mission in April). Peter and John are brothers: Peter is 11, John is 8 and Moses is 11 and they were really sweet. After the interviews Elder Hodson and I went into Cape Coast to get some food for our Transfer Meeting.  The Assistants had their baptism that day/ also a meeting to conduct, so they asked us if we could help and we said we would. So we were able to get some fries and hot dogs and it was nice. We even got to see the festival in Nkanfoa for Easter and that was cool, although some guy tried to steal some bread from my companion. When we returned we started to cook the food and then the Assistants came to help and then the other Zone Leaders came and it was a nice night. Then we got ready to hear the transfer news: SO... I am staying. No surprise there, and  I am still with Elder Hodson. Powerful!!!! He will be my longest companion (For 3 transfers now) so that is really cool! He is a great guy so we are going to work hard this next transfer. The only really big news is that Elder Day is going to Hemang Praso to be a District Leader and he is white washing the area with a guy named Elder Jarvies, so he is excited for that. Elder Jones (My TC) is actually in the Hemang apartment so they are going to enjoy.

Easter Sunday- Was a nice Day! Church was really nice (and Edward Came :) ) and after church we all went to the Green Hill ward to support the baptism of those 3 young boys and it was really great. After that Elder Hodson and I made some popcorn for... Movie Night! And we were able to watch The Best Two Years, and it was really great. I really love Elder Rodger’s turnaround moment when he testifies of Joseph Smith. It's such a powerful moment and it helps him remind him about why he is there, and it's just a good reminder to always remember why I am serving. After Movie Night Elder Day made Hamburgers and Fries at our place and it was really nice, so it was a nice way to celebrate Easter. 

So that's all for this week.  I hope that all of you are doing well. The work here is going well. We just need to help people come to church and to help them to continue to keep their commitments,  but hopefully things should go. I love you all. I hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Elder Harward

Meeting Elder Rasband, and a scorpion!

Hello Family and Friends! How are you all doing? I hope that you are doing well and everything is going well. I hope that you are enjoying the spring weather!

So as for this week it was great!!! So here we go!

Monday was a nice P-Day but we weren't able to see anybody, so that was sad.

    Tuesday was a good day. We had District Meeting and I instructed again (Only my 3rd time) and this time it was on “A Change of Heart and  A New Start.”  Basically it was about how we should have a change of heart and how we can experience a change of heart continually through repentance and Starting over. Mom used to always quote this talk by Jeffrey. R. Holland The Best is Yet to Be talking about... Luke 32 where Jesus Christ says, “ Remember Lot's Wife” and I LOVE that talk, so I used it in my instruction and how we can start over, and that faith is pointed to the future. Anyways it was okay. Elder Hodson and I then did supplies, and then we saw A- Boss (One of our security Guards, who is dating Beverly) and we continued reading the Book of Mormon with him and it was nice.

Wednesday was also a good day: We were able to see Sylvester and we talked about Lesson 2 and he only had question on the last part, so that was okay, so we told him we would go over it next time. We then saw Edward Moses (The 14 year old boy that has been at church for a long time, but just hasn't been taught) and we went over Lesson 1 again with a translator and he understood it much better and it was really nice. We then saw John, but he was with a lot of his friends so we weren’t able to have a nice lesson so we just talked about faith.

Thursday came around and Elder Hodson and I had Weekly Planning and then we went on our exchange with the Assistants. (They just needed to exchange for a small time just to get mattresses in Western Region and to make sure everything was okay), so I was with Elder Stulce and I was the phone boy, while Elder Stulce drove. WE just called the zones that were coming in and making sure that everything was on schedule and that everyone was arriving okay, and we also were helping with driving the people to their apartments. It was a nice day, and Elder Hodson and I got to sleep at the Assistants, so that was nice

Friday Morning- We are up at 4:00 A.M. (We had to be up this early so we would be early to this meeting) and we got ready and Elder Stulce and I started to take the Zone Leaders to Ola Chapel to make sure everything was good so that all of Central Region was there at 6:00 A.M. Well then Elder Stulce and I headed up in our car up to Takoradi! IT was my first time in Western Region and it was pretty interesting! We got to the meeting early (about and hour early 9; 00 a.m.) and we got to talk to some of our T.C's and say hi to everyone. Everybody was really excited to see each other, but then President Stevenson got us settled down and we had small personal study, then Elder Rasband arrived! 

We went outside and took a picture as a mission and then we got to walk in and shake his hand! It was cool to shake his hand and his wife's hand, and Elder Vincent (of the seventy) and his wife's hand as well! It was really cool. We then sang our mission hymn 324 Rise Up Servants of God and then the meeting began. We heard from Sister Stevenson, President Stevenson, testimonies from Elder Adams and Sister Khumalo, and then Sister Vincent Spoke, then Elder Vincent spoke, and then Sister Rasband spoke (She is a very sweet woman) and finally Elder Rasband spoke and it was so great!!! I learned A LOT from what was given. He gave his four points to remember: 1)Always bring paper and pencil to hear a general authority; I was glad that I brought some (naturally)  because then he said this 2) Always follow your spiritual promptings and he wanted us to notice our own spiritual promptings and it is really neat! 3)He said don’t be a whiner; the Lord has you in a place for a reason and a purpose and if you whine, it is almost as if you are disgracing the Lord because He knows that this is where  you are supposed to be, so make the most of it, and learn what you can. And 4) You are your most important Convert on  a Mission, and he talked about how he should learn about the Savior because when we learn of Him, we love Him and we want to serve Him and do His will. He also talked about how we learn new things each time we read the Book of Mormon and how key it is for investigators to understand that. He said a lot of good things, and it's hard to sum up into words everything he said, but IT was SO SO good, the sprit was so strong, and he truly has the spirit with him. Haha he showed us how much he prepared for his talk, and it was like a small piece of paper and he really just followed the sprit which was incredible. After the meeting Elder Stulce and I were companions again, so he took us home and we came back to Cape Coast.

Saturday was a little bit slower: We saw Sylvester again and we reviewed the three kingdoms of glory and we talked about priesthood and come to find out, he has not prayed yet about Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon. He doesn’t seem interested in prayer right now, so we are going to work on him with that. But then Elder Hodson and I were able to see Albert and just talk to him. We dropped him a while ago but we just want to show our love and support for him, and maybe one day he will be ready.

Sunday- was a nice day: Elder Hodson and I saw Agness and we went over lesson 3 up to baptism and we gave her a baptism date for April 30th! So hopefully she can work to that. She said she hasn't come to church yet because she is a little lazy which is okay, and we are totally going to work with her! We then saw Gloria, but we need to talk to her mom and figure out some things (If she wants to be baptized or not things like that) but things hopefully will go well for her. Edward Came to church again and that was really sweet, so he is looking really good for a Baptism Date pretty soon, hopefully for some time in April!

But that is all for the week! I hope that you all continue having fun adventures, and rely upon the lord. Love you all!

Love,

Elder Harward

P.S. We found some Scorpions in our yard. One was a big one whom we named Sebastian and the other small one named Pier, but we killed them both. I have never seen a scorpion until I came out on my mission haha! 

A Spider Named Satan

Hello Family and Friends! Ot a Dang? I hope you are all Boko! I am sure the weather is nice in Utah and that you are enjoying it. Here in Africa the Dry Season only has some few months left, and then the Rainy Season is back, so that will be exciting when it comes back.

Elder Reyes and I

 Monday- Was a Nice P-Day. So we all come home to the apartment after we were done with the day, and Elder Reyes started screaming, "Somebody Kill it" and I am like what is it? So I turn the corner and that's where I found the Spider... Now this was the biggest spider I have ever seen in my life. Literally. Ha-ha. However we were able to spray it with Raid and it died, but I guess that one was small compared to other Spiders that other people have seen. I am glad that I didn't see any of them bigger, but anyways we named the spider Satan, so Satan died that night.

Tuesday- We had MLC report from our Zone Leaders, and it was nice. We talked about Preach My Gospel, and then they really focused on President and Sister Stevenson. They talked about which Dress and Grooming. I learned a lot from it, and we got a packet with some small details with things that we can improve on, so I have got some room to grow and that's good. :) Then Elder Hodson and I did a normal day of supplies. We saw Priscilla (Christiana's Sister) that night and we started with Lesson 1 and talked about Families and Prophets. It was a nice lesson.

My (not so white) shirt which ready for the fire. 

Wednesday- was a nice day. We were able to see Sylvester and talk about Lesson 1 and made sure he understood everything. We then saw John and we finished up Lesson 2 with where will we go after we die? He had good questions about it! That was nice and we were able to give him a baptismal date for April 9th!!! So that was exciting. We then were able to see Hannah later that evening and talked to her about Faith and repentance and it was a good lesson.

Thursday- Was another good Day. We saw Victor at the Church. (They were really cleaning it up. They want it to look good in case Elder Rasband wants to look at it, but it was looking good) We reviewed Lesson 2 for his Post Baptism lesson and we gave him D&C section 76 to help him with the three kingdoms (that was still confusing); then had some things fall through and then we were able to see Priscilla again and talk about the apostasy and it was nice.

Thank you Young Men, for the letters!

Friday- Was another good day with Supplies. I actually got some letters from the Young Men and it made my day. :) We weren't able to see anyone that night.

Saturday- Was the Football Match for the Elder Quorum. I didn't bring my camera but it was really cool to watch our ward play against some team. We won 5-2.  :) We then came home and got ready but we were only able to see Cecilia and review with her Faith and Repentance and it was really nice.

Burning my shirt

Sunday came around and Church was sweet. Victor spoke in Sacrament about the Holy Ghost and it was really nice. I got to teach the Investigators Class and that was okay, ha-ha. After church Elder Hudson and I had some small lunch and then we were able to see Ben (I haven't met ben before) but we talked to him about Lesson 1 in review (he has been taught a lot but he hasn't come to church yet, and we just didn't have time to meet him) but he says that he knows the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet so that is progression. We then saw Edward (Who was a referral from the bishop he is a young man who is Anita's brother's son who is been coming to church but hasn’t been taught) so we had a lesson with him and it was really good!! We then saw Gloria later that evening and it was sweet to talk to her (She even came to church) we talked about Faith and Repentance and it was really sweet.

But that is all for this week! I am REALLY excited for Friday, and I can't wait to meet Elder Rasband, and I know our mission is going to learn and grow from his instruction. I hope you guys have a great week. I love you!

Love,

Elder Harward

The Cost of Discipleship

This week we started off at our Zone Conference. We were the first zone to have zone conference in the mission and it was exciting, and I learned a lot. President Stevenson talked about "The Cost of Discipleship" and it was taken from a few scriptures, but really it was in Luke Chapter 14 starting in verse 25 where Jesus turns to the multitude (Now he explained that we need to pay attention to the word multitude because that means Jesus Christ is talking to EVERYONE right now) and the Savior was talking about what it takes to be a disciple. 

Elder Harward's Zone

Jesus compares discipleship to building a tower, and how (To paraphrase) that you shouldn't build a tower without knowing the cost of the tower, and if you have enough money to build a tower and whether the benefits are worth it. So we did A Cost Benefit Analysis for building a tower and then went to discipleship and it was so good. The cost of discipleship: Love Jesus Most; Take up your own Cross, forsake all, and follow Him (And he explained all of these) and we talked about the benefits: Exaltation, Heirs with Christ, and more countless blessings. So the cost of discipleship is worth it because of the benefits. BUT here is what stood out to me: President Stevenson said we shouldn't want to be disciples of Jesus Christ just because of the benefits, but we should do it out of Love. As we increase in Love we will want to follow Him. Anyway it was REALLY good. The Zone Leaders spoke on creating a Spiritual Environment (How to handle distracted children, or distracted people, how to invite the spirit, and how our body language portrays how much we care about our message-bad body language= don't care, Good Body Language= you care about the message that you are sharing, and it was good! Then we had lunch!

"This is Joyce she is a member (She is the one in the red and the other women are her friends, she also is the one wearing the sunglasses) and she works this nice shop for the Quartsons (They are good friends) so we usually stop by and say hi, and sometimes I get biscuits. :)"

Then we sang our musical number (God Speed the Right) and the Assistants spoke on Teaching Skills (specifically Pamphlets, and the benefits of using the pamphlets. The Assistants actually asked me and Elder Hodson to do a role play on having a Gospel Conversation with someone with a pamphlet and do it less than a minute. I'll be honest, it was hard ha-ha and I am not the best at role playing, but it was a good instruction, and I learned a lot from this zone conference!

That night Elder Hodson and I went with Christiana to see her Sister Priscilla (she really wanted us to teach her) and we met her and her children and it was a good lesson!! It was so neat to see how much Christiana wanted her sister to have the gospel and for her to be happy.

Later in the week we met Victor and we reviewed the Book of Mormon and he is doing well, and he invited us to the youth activity at the church on Saturday, and we said we would come. We then saw John and talked with him about the Book of Mormon and he is doing well! Then we saw Anita and it was okay, ha-ha. She forgot what we talked about last time, so we reviewed Lesson 2 from the beginning. Then we saw Agnes (we haven't seen her for a while) and she was pretty busy, so she said we should come back later. That night we saw Christiana and we reviewed Faith with her and she understands it very well, and she is doing well!

Eating competition from a ward youth activity

On Friday the mission was getting Audited (Checking on our Finances or something like that) so Elder Hodson and I weren't able to get our impress for the mail, so we weren't able to get any mail because they were just Duty Packages, so we actually were able to get out early and proselyte. We saw John and we talked about the Plan of Salvation and it was a nice lesson. Then we saw Anita, and again just a review from the beginning of The Plan of Salvation. Elder Hodson and I did meet a new guy named Ebenezer and we talked to him and had a good lesson with him, so he seems like he has good potential! At the end of the night we saw Gloria and talked to her about coming to church (she is having a hard time with that lately) and then we saw Priscillia and we talked to her more about The Plan of Salvation and it was a Great Lesson ,(Christiana is a big help to us!)

Then Saturday rolled around and Elder Hodson and I were together for the beginning of the day and we met with A-Boss (one our security guards) and just went into the Book of Mormon and that was nice. Then I went on an exchange with Elder Reyes! We went to the activity small, but they started it really late so we went out and I gave my camera to Beverly to take pictures (They want to get a camera for the ward, but they just use mine for now and take the pictures from my camera and put them on the computer) but they had scripture contests and a food contest and it looked like a lot of fun!!! Elder Reyes and I went to his area, so we went to see some members and we actually found this sweet old woman that we were trying to see and it was so great! Eventually we went to see another investigator Regina (She is The Young Men's President's Date Brother Bwabin, and a little  back story: they are seriously dating and they want to get married, but Regina doesn’t want to join the church for the wrong reasons, because she wants to join if she feels it’s right). It was good to meet and talk to her small and we talked about prayer and how she can know if what we are sharing is true (and we answered her question about women and the Priesthood, because that is a big concern for her) But it was a great day!

Ward Youth Eating Competition

Sunday was a nice fast Sunday. I really enjoyed it. Elder Hodson and I went out a little after church to see some people and we were able to see Agness and it was difficult due to the kids around us, but we were able to talk about faith. Her neighbor and her son came over and sat down and funny story, this little boy wasn't wearing any clothes expect for his shirt and his mom is holding him (Sitting opposite from me) but I guess he needed to pee because he just starts peeing on the  ground, and he pees on my shoe! I felt bad for the kid and I hope the best for him, so it was an okay lesson. We were then just able to see some members because our other lessons fell through but it was a nice night.

Well that's all about it except for mission news..... SO we found out at Zone Conference that Elder Ronald A. Rasband is coming to our mission (he is going to split the Takoradi Stake) and he wants to speak to all of us, so he is coming on March 18th to speak to all of the missionaries for 2 hours in Takoradi!!!!! Isn't that so exciting!! We get to hear an Apostle of the Lord!!! We have to look really professional so we are told to wear our long sleeve shirts, which makes sense, but I am really excited to hear from him!!!

I love you all, and I hope that you feel our Savior's love always and as you feel His love, you will want to be become His disciple and follow Him to the best of your ability. Have a great week! :)

Love,

Elder Harward

A Closer Look at Being a Supply Elder

This week it definitely was a better week than last week (no sickness; smile).

Monday night- Elder Hodson and I were able to See Hannah and that was nice, but we are having a hard time getting her to church, but hopefully she will progress small small.

Tuesday- Of course was District Meeting, but it was combined with the other district to welcome in the new members of the Cape Coast Zone. The Sister Training Leaders instructed and it was on Charity, and it was good! After that we had Supplies!!!! Yay! Okay so I will tell you more in depth what a typical day is like for supplies. So we come in before district meeting at the office and we look at the orders for apartments (We have a separate email for supplies), respond back to the apartments, and print out the orders. We then look through the orders, and the supplies in the back to make sure we have the items needed, and then we make a shopping list of supplies. Then we usually will grab our imprest (A.K.A the money) and take it with us if we need to buy supplies. After District Meeting I will drive Elder Hodson and I in to Cape Coast and then we go to the post office and get mail! (We like going to the mail place, because it's exciting to see if something is for you, or for someone else) After that we will go shopping, Melcom's, Kofi's, and this Sweet Woman's shop (who gets stuff for us in bulk) are the main places to get stuff. After that then we grab lunch from Dynasty (Fried Rice... ha-ha not too healthy) and a drink and head back to the office. Then we have Lunch, sort the mail/Packages, and fill the orders for the apartments. We also organize any shipments of Pamphlets, and things like that and make sure the supply Room is tidy and clean. And then we go out at 6:00 P.M. So that's a typical day in the office. Sometimes we will switch it up a bit and get supplies first then mail, but it just depends on what we need and the time we have. (Like Kofi's closes at 4:00 P.M. so we have to get stuff before then) or sometimes we have to get pillows but it's a lot of fun! It's a lot of work but it's good! Whenever Jesse Calls we have to go to the office and help him load the supplies for the apartments and that's about it! It's a lot of work but also fun! So anyways Tuesday night we saw Christiana and we just talked and she wanted to watch the restoration DVD so we said Friday we will watch it.

Wednesday- We had a good day. We met this new woman named Anita and we were able to sit down with her and have a good first lesson with her. We also passed by Christiana's place and was able to teach her. We then saw Albert and we gave him the low down about us teaching him and gave him his biggest commitment to attend church again and he said he would (But he didn't, but that's okay, I think he just needs some time to figure things out)

Thursday- Weekly Planning, and now we make POPCORN Thursday for weekly Planning, and it's nice :) After that we met John Mensah. (John sells Credit for phones at his stand and one day was talking to Christiana, so we went up to them and started talking to them. Christina knows John because they were classmates in high school and Christiana used to attend the church that john attends, so we talked to John and he said he wanted to meet) So today we met him and it was good! I took a picture with him, and it was a REALLY good lesson. He had good questions and I think he has great potential, so hopefully things go well for him. 

John Mensah, our investigator

We then saw Victor and went over his duties as a new Priest in the Aaronic Priesthood, then we saw Phillip and Cecilia (His Mother) Our recent converts in NKanfoa and I got some pictures of Phillip and we had a good lesson with them.

Phillip, one of our recent converts

Friday- Another Day in Supplies, and it was good :) That night I went with Elder Day on another exchange and it was good. Our appointments fell through but we did go to Bishop Ewuzchie house and it was nice to see him.

Saturday was nice as well. Elder Hodson and I brought the Restoration DVD with us and the DVD player. We met a new guy named Sylvester who was a referral from the Assistants and we got to know him, and turns out he knew small about the church and even had a Book of Mormon. So then we decided to watch the restoration, and it was nice. The spirit was there. We then had some appointments fall through and we had to help Jesse with Supplies, but we were able to see Philip and Cecilia again and that was nice; finally at the end of the night we saw Christiana and we watched the movie and gave her a present. (We got her a triple combination and the Holy Bible from our distribution order, and she was very happy) The spirit was SO Strong during the small video and it was great. She asked us if that was it (because it was so short) we told her there was a longer version, and she wanted to watch it. So we decided to watch it on Sunday. We decided to make it a ward thing. We got some biscuits and treats and I made some Popcorn that night so that it would be nice for those that came.

a

Sunday came and church was nice! We got a referral from the Arthurs on a young girl named Rita, who came to church, so we were able to meet with her. Bishop announced our movie night and we were excited to see all those who would come. Finally the time came we got the stuff for the movie, and we went over to the chapel and got everything ready and then we started the movie and handed out the treats, and it was a good turn out from the ward. Christiana came and our investigator Charity came too.  

But just to add one last spiritual moment that happened to me: As I watched the small restoration depiction, I really feel the spirit and when we watched the full length movie, I felt the spirit so strongly even more. I feel peace in knowing that Joseph Smith was a prophet of god, because that means this church is true, and that families can be together forever. I am so grateful for Joseph Smith, and his sacrifice and diligence to follow our Savior Jesus Christ. I know that he did see our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the Spring of 1820. Yes he was young, but he had faith and a desire to follow Jesus Christ, and because of him we have the Book Of Mormon and it truly will make us happy. It's hard to explain how grateful I am for him, but my testimony has grown so much about him and the Restoration. If you apply Moroni's promise (Mornoi 10:3-5) you will know for yourself if the church is true, and if Joseph Smith truly was indeed a prophet of God. Through it all I know that I still need to continue to strengthen that testimony.

I love you all. I hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Harward

Getting Sick

Some great things happened this week, and not so great things as well.

Monday of course was P- Day and we were able to teach a young woman named Hannah.

The next day at our District Meeting Elder Tobler (one of The Cape Coast Zone Leaders) gave his final testimony and it was very nice, anf then after the meeting we took a photo as the Cape Coast Zone and that was cool! After that Elder Hodson and I did Supplies, and then we saw Domitilla and we went over the Restoration with her and that went well!

Wednesday was a slower day for Elder Hodson and I, but we were able to see the young girl named Gloria (Beverlyn's cousin) and go over the Book of Mormon. She likes us coming over and she is nice to teach, but we are having a hard getting her to come to church. That night we went to the Final FuFu dinner for the Missionaries going home and that was very great! The FuFu was SO good! I enjoyed it! I got to see Elder Tyson and that was sweet! I knew more of the missionaries in this group, so hearing their testimonies was really great!!! And it was neat to see what their mission meant to each and every one of them, and I will miss them but I know they will be doing great things.

Thursday was a nice day! Elder Hodson and I were able to see Gloria again and we went over Lesson 2 with some visuals to help and that was very sweet! We also stayed and met with Beverlyen and she taught us some things that she learned while she taught Seminary, and that was neat! That night we saw Christiana and of course she is doing very well! We just sat down and we talked with her, and reviewed small of Lesson 1 with her and next time we are planning on watching The Restoration with her so that should be neat!

Friday was nice as well! Elder Hodson and I did Supplies again and that's always an adventure. And I got my parents package so that was neat to actually pick that up :) But we got some good work done so that was great. That night we had PEC. Victor Got called to be The First Counselor in the Young Men's Presidency and he was there at PEC and it was SO cool to see him there already magnifying his calling! Then I officially started my exchange with Elder Griffin (After PEC) I was excited to go on my exchange with him and see how he was doing and it was a nice exchange, even though our appointments fell through.

 

Then Saturday rolled around. So Friday night I had some Indo Mie that a nice lady makes and it's pretty good and it has nice vegetables in it and so everything is fine, but in the middle of the night I got Runny Tummy (Diarrhea) Twice, and I thought "This is weird" and Saturday Morning I had Runny Tummy again and after that I just didn't feel good, and then I threw up small. I knew that I had to throw up more because  it was small but eventually I did throw up some more (I believe it was bad indo mie (because I could see the vegetable) so my stomach wasn't feeling too well, so Elder Hodson and I weren't able to proselyte. I was upset because I felt like I was wasting the Lord’s time, and I didn’t' want to do that. But Elder Hodson reminded me that we are all human and that the Lord understands when we get sick so that helped me out.

I saw this in a store and I knew you would get a kick out of it; knowing me.haha. 

Sunday I was feeling much much better and Elder Hodson and I went to church and that was great. Sister Stevenson and Sister Hanlon came and that was great! And they got to bear their testimonies along with Elder Griffin and that was sweet! We got this great referral a couple of days back for a guy named Sylvester, but we weren't able to see him so we had a slow day but we are really excited about him, and the work here in Nkanfoa! As we turn to the Lord in our daily affairs he will help us, and as we strive to do his will we will be blessed. I am reading in 3rd Nephi 12 when Jesus Christ appears and has been a great comfort to me, ( I also got a good marking key going on so that was exciting)  these past couple of days, and I know that as we turn to the Savior we will all be blessed.

I hope you all have a good week and I love you all so much! Keep Having fun adventures.

Love,

Elder Harward

Christiana's Baptism

Hello Family and Friends!

How are you all doing? I hope that you are enjoying life and that all is going well! Again I just want to thank you all for your wonderful letters each week. They truly are great and I love to hear from you guys.

Okay so as for this week it was a slower week, but it was pretty good.

Monday night- Elder Hodson, Elder Day, Elder Reyes, Elder Stulce, and I attended FHE with a sweet member named Teresa (She has two daughters and they are really  sweet) and she talked about Charity and it was a great lesson!

On Tuesday we had the MLC report and it was longer than normal, due to the fact that we got to watch the missionary broadcast: Teach Repentance, and Baptize Converts. It really was SO great! I guess it has been a long time since the church has done this, but what the general authorities spoke on were what we as missionaries needed to hear and that was so great. I loved the part with Elder David A. Bednar and how he talked about the Holy Ghost and how we needed to be actively listening always so that the Holy Ghost can help us what to say, because we can't touch the people's hearts, only the Holy Ghost can. It truly helped me see that I always need the Holy Ghost with me and to really pay attention to its promptings. After the broadcast we ate lunch and then the Zone Leaders talked to us and that was nice. Then Elder Hodson and I did as much as the supplies that we could that day. But that night we did see Christiana and made sure everything was good for her interview and she seemed very excited and that was very sweet!

Wednesday- Elder Hodson and I were in the office. President Stevenson gave us permission to work that day due to the long MLC report on Tuesday, and that way we could get everything done. It was a nice day! And that night I went on an exchange with Elder Reyes and that was very sweet! (We were also joined by Elder Adams and Elder Kalanga) We saw Abigail and sadly we found out that she is going to be in Abrua for a while for Nursing School (So we won't be able to teach her for a little while so we are going to refer her) but hopefully all goes well for her!

Thursday- Elder Hodson and I made popcorn again for weekly planning! :) We were then able to see Francis (Ha-ha he really doesn't want to come to church) and we tried talking to him again and encourage him, so hopefully he will come. Then we had Coordination Meeting with Brother Aborahborah and that was nice. After Coordination President Stevenson came and interviewed Christiana and... she passed!

Friday then rolled around and Elder Hodson and I did Supplies again :) I like picking up the mail and packages that's always fun, and we get to shop for supplies so that's always cool! After that we had PEC and our Bishop (Bishop Ewudze) and he is SO great! He always asks us why we aren't contributing or what ideas we have for the ward. He also said at the end of PEC "WE are Winning, We are winning, because the Church is True" He kept going but he is really great! That night Elder Hodson and I saw Christiana and made sure everything was okay for her baptism and she was excited and she asked if Bishop Ewudze could perform it and we called him and he said he would!

 

Saturday was a nice day! Christiana called us in the morning and talked to us about how excited she was and that was so sweet! Unfortunately our plans to see some people when we went out fell through but Elder Hodson and I went to the Chapel at 3:00 and Helped Brother Aborahborah with getting everything ready, and Christiana showed up very early so that was great! We had a lot of missionaries there to support here and it was really sweet and the spirit was really strong there. After that we had a Transfer News Party (This was only a 4 week transfer due to the fact that we need to be on the MTC schedule now because they increased the MTC time to 3 weeks so the transfer got cut two weeks, and now every transfer after that will be normal, it'll just be that the missionaries who came before this change will go two weeks early when they go home) at the Mission home and President and Sister Stevenson came for a little bit so that was cool. Of course Elder Hodson and I are staying together so that's nice. :) Elder Stulce is our new Assistant to the president. Elder Day is actually staying (I was surprised) and is the Finance Secretary and he will be with Elder Griffin (He is coming to the office! he also is another Finance Secretary) and Elder Reyes so that will be sweet!!!!

Sunday- Was Valentine's Day, and I told the apartment that I loved them ha-ha, and they asked me about my date and I just said the Savior (I know a cheesy answer) but that's all good! Christiana was confirmed a member and that was sweet! The spirit was really strong and it was so great! The rest of the day Elder Adams and Elder Kalgana were with us so Elder Hodson and I split up and Elder Kalanga and I were together and we saw this young woman named Charity who we have been trying to meet a while, and it was a sweet lesson! That night we also saw Christiana and just made sure she was doing well!

Elder Hodson and I are now trying to work with some of our other investigators because our two powerful investigators are baptized so now we have no one with a baptismal date, but we have great recent converts and less actives to work with so it should be some great work ahead of us! And for Valentine’s Day I just have a small though which is just on Charity. I thought I know what love is but Charity is the Noblest, Kindest, of Love The pure love of Christ (In Moroni Chapter 7 verse 44 to the end) and when I prepared my instruction I really learned that charity is deeper than just "I love you" It's the pure love of Christ and that's something I need to strive for every day, and it's the kind of love my parents have for each other, and I hope to develop that kind of love one day. That's just a small thought from me.

I hope you all have a great week, and I love you all so much!

Love,

Elder Harward