It Was Thick!

From Alex...

Alright, what up what up?

We are having a lot of random new training meetings cuz of the changes world wide on missions. Well Assin Foso (zone) came to play us in football today. We had 3 zones here and Pres wanted to have a meeting before we started. What we thought was a training meeting this morning to all the missionaries, quickly turned into a chastisement by Pres BIG time. Ha-ha. He just flipping ripped into us in the nicest and most loving way he could. He talked about alot of things, but was still intense. Pres Sabey is very big on... “You can’t be exactly obedient to an inexact rule.” It was THICK.

All the things he said were good, and this mission needed it. We have a very, very good reputation for Africa but I’m sure for the world we are not so hot. He talked on rules of; 1) music/movies/tv/radio (big problem with that), 2) Phone usage (because of so many Ghanaians and Africans calling their friends and family. I bet the states missions have this problem but they can police it better with phone calls to different area codes. Here don’t have things like that.), 3) internet use… ALOT of people use other emails and use Facebook and, 4) relationship with opposite sex, like letters/ phone calls/ talking.

So he came out with some rules and he is very, very serious about them. Movies and music were the biggest problem here. He told us just last night he sent a missionary home cuz of constant movie problems. He had 3 weeks left on mission and was sent home.

The good thing is that I got to have one of those ‘see how you act in heated moments’ experiences. I wasn’t upset cuz I knew that if Pres said it “it’s the law.” Well I guess all of the mission didn’t really feel that way. Ha-ha. Soo many were so upset. But I wouldn’t mind if this weeded out a few people. Was quite intense. But all will be well.

This week when we sat with Meekel. She said she wants to be baptized. We aren’t sure of the date yet cuz there is some stuff we have to work out. Also, Grace Bonson’s b-day is sometime in the end of Sept and she would like to be baptized on that day. That would be cool. We also have 2 others; Ben Kojo (a 11 year old who has been coming to church for 2 months alone in Kojokrom and we just found out that he lives in our area. His family is interested so we are teaching them.) We are also teaching a friend of Joseph Manns’. We have taught him and he comes to church on and off. We just haven’t taught him enough. He’s busy. So sometime with in the next 2 transfers’ Grace, Meekel, and Paa Kwesi (a different Paa Kwesi) should be baptized. We will see how Ben and his family does.

Also we have been going to meet with Agymang and he is still doing sweet. We go and read the Book of Mormon with him and he loves it so much and he is so smart. We just can’t force his dad to let him come to church and be baptized. So I guess we will see how that all works out. We also have a new guy Patrick who is super smart and lessons are going really really well with him. Give it time.

So much stuff is going on and I really hope I get to see all those thru. But I don’t know how long I will be here so I guess I will see.

Went to Dabuasi with e Sintim. That was cool. Mostly because the day ended with spaghetti and brownies and ice-cream at the Lambs. Was a great day. But I did realize that I DO NOT want to serve in a village. Sigh... So hard…no one speaks English.



Found out that on the 14th of Sept Elder Sitati is coming to have a conf with us. Should be sweet. He’s the new guy in the Africa West Presidency and I hear he’s sweet. Also got news that our temple trip will be the first week of Oct. Don’t have an exact day yet but were going. Woop woop!!

Hope you all enjoyed my letters. I’m a real hoot right? That’s just about it.

I love hearing from you guys so much. Miss you guys a ton. Thanks again for everything. Love you guys so much

elder D-row

This week was Flippin Sweet

by dad

It would be difficult to shorten the email we received this week without taking away from the joy that Elder DarROW is experiencing. In short, he is working hard, sharing in conversions, and serving. The week in his words...

Alright I'm gonna start off by saying this week was flippin sweet. One of my best. Here’s why...

We were to have the baptism Tues. night if we could figure out the font problem and if all the people would show. We couldn’t get a hold of Ebenezer and he lives so far away. All we could really do is hope. He was ready to be baptized, just it's hard with how far away they live. Elder Sintim and I got out early and headed to the church to somehow figure out what was wrong with the font. We were ready to fill it with buckets. On the way we ran into Isaac Dazi, an RM who is our ward mission leader. He is a work horse. Well he stopped and chatted and we told him we were going to the chapel etc... He says 'Oh, I was there early this morning and fixed it. The font is filling and I'll go by later to turn it off.' ... Wow! It’s like when you wake up Saturday morning after a snow storm and your driveway has already been cleared. It was flippin sweet.

So we went on about our day. Had to go to Paa Kwesi's house and get some info from him mom for the records. There was no doubt whether he was going to come. He’s a stud. So all day we did our best calling every number of anyone who is related to Ebenezer. His only member help is his sister. His dad is friendly and doesn’t mind but doesn’t help at all. Well we had to be at the church early just in case anyone was early and just make sure things were where they needed to be. It was to start at 6 and we got there 4:45ish and just waited. Man was I praying. Just hoping he would understand how important this was to him and see if he really cared about it. He wasn’t at church so we didn’t get to talk to him for over a week. Just hoped and prayed. I will tell you I doubted. I knew that Paa Kwesi would show and there was another child of record Sarah who just needed to be baptized and I thought it would have just been those two.

A few min after 5:00 a man comes walking in with a puzzled look. Not knowing who he was at first, I quickly realized it was Ebenezer’s father. :) We chatted for a bit and said he was on his way home from work and wanted to check things out (i'm guessing for approval of the place). I showed him around the church and the font. After he was satisfied he said he was going to go back and get Ebenezer. :) I honestly think if I wasn’t there early he would have walked to a locked church and not wanted it all to happen and just gone home.

Well I still doubted. I don’t know why but it just didn’t seem realistic for him to go and make it back in time. They live so far away. So the others showed up and we were setting up chairs in the room and I look down the hall and there stands tiny Ebenezer. I was so stressed and busy with setting things up and getting ready didn’t really focus on if he was coming cuz I just figured he wouldn’t show. Right then I knew that someone or people were praying for not only me but for my investigators and for those missionary moments. And I want to say thank you. I could feel the blessings being poured out.

All 3 candidates were there. I was still stressed and running around getting everything to work. If it wasn’t for elder MacKay who controlled the whole program, it wouldn’t have happened. As soon as we were all sitting there and he welcomed us all the baptism... peace... just a calm feeling and I was pumped for what was about to happen. All went well. Thank you again for all of you who are praying for not just me but for the missionaries in general and for the investigators. I saw the power of prayer that day.

Wow!

(The new members - Ebenezer, Paa Kwesi, and Sarah)

Weds I went on exchange with elder MacKay to his area so elder Yapo could see our area. We went to Deboase (a village that has a branch like 45 min outside of Sekondi) in the afternoon with the Lambs. Man, did we work! One of those days where you feel like you couldn’t have worked any harder. There is no better feeling then coming home from a day like that. And what was sweet is the day ended with dinner at the Lambs. French toast and fruit. (real syrup and it was amazing).

Thurs we had zone conf. and after we got mail. boo ya. Got the big package from you guys, letters from home and one from grandma. Went home and opened it all up and loved every bit of it. Thank you thank you thank you. The frosting was sweet. Was the first thing I ate. So, so good.

On Saturday we had a service project with our ward and Kwekuma ward. We cleaned and weeded a hospital. Two things happened. First, really made me miss the assorted juice and donuts you would get back home, cuz after they served banku kenke and fish and all types of things that make me want to gag. Second, guess who came? My 2 favorite; Joseph and King David. They are solid members. Members who show up to hard service projects early on a Saturday. And at one point King David told me that after school is over (he has 8 months left) he is planning on serving a mission. Man was I pumped to hear that. Joseph also said he wants to serve, but I’m not sure if he is as serious as King David. Either way, so happy. That was cool.

(Elders Yapo, Sintim, MacKay and Darrow)

Sunday- we had so many people at church. It was so sweet to have good attendance. After we had a lesson with Grace Bonson, who is a wife to a man in our ward that is very powerful. All their kids came to church and she has been attending for a bit. She told us on Sunday that she wants to be baptized. Having the gospel in a family is so powerful and it’s was cool to be apart of that. We didn’t set the date yet cuz we are still working with it. I hope i’m around long enough to see it happen. So awesome. Really was just a sweet week.

Felt very blessed and I’m so thankful. I love you guys like crazy.

Thanks for all you do.

Elder DarROW

He, loves the children...

by dad

Alex seemed to have one of those weeks that challenge you as a missionary. A frustrating, stressful, investigators don't show-up, hard to get stuff done week, when even the baptismal font is having issues. Add to that a 'little bit of a power glitch', so he had to re write most of his weekly email. It's stretching him and he says he's really working on patience and understanding. He found comfort in evening apartment discussions and the scriptures, D&C 122:7... "All things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good"

As for the highlight of the week. Today at Baby-Do’s area I got the pleasure to fall in love with another little girl. Her name is Mame Effwuah (ehf-wuah like ROY our fav hockey goalie... ROY!!!) Well I know this girl and see her a lot. Usually when I’m there she stays close to me and will sit on my lap during lessons. (Nothing new cuz a lot of kids do that to me.) Well this time she came up to me and wanted to be picked up. When I did she grabbed my tie with her tiny little hand and dug her head into my shoulder and was fast asleep within minutes. My heart melted. I have never wanted to be a father more in my life then holding that little girl. Needless to say I held her for about an hour.

I love the kids here. When things get stressful all you need to do is stop and talk to the kids and they always cheer me up. I love them so much. I wish I could tell you all about what happens each day, but I just can't put it to words. I love it here.

Don’t have any big lists of wants. Just those pics I sent, I would love if prints got back to me.

Love you all so much. Thanks again for everything.

elder Darrow!

Still in Sekondi

by dad

This week was transfer week. They came and went without any changes in his zone. Alex has been serving in Sekondi for the past 4 1/2 months and loves it there. He is now serving with his 2nd companion Elder Sintim from Eastern Ghana. He loves the 4 Elders in his Apartment and loves the work. He says he'll stay there as long as the pres. wants him there. He says it's his turn to watch over Sekondi.

(Elder Darrow - Sekondi)

Alright. So here are the highlights of this week.

We have a baptism date for Pau Quasey and Ebenezer. (The two 9-10 year olds) Eb is Agnes’s little bro. She is the one that has to walk so far to church. We still have to talk to Ebenezer’s parents and make sure its cool for sure but I know it will be. Things have been going well with them. Teaching younger kids is a bit different from normal people. So you have to change it up and really make sure they understand. Don’t want to baptize future less actives, but they have fam in the church so they shouldn’t stray. They are two cool little dudes. It’s always a joy to teach them on Sundays. Ebenezer speaks no English so we have to have a ward missionary help us with everything. It’s all good though. They also complete the goal for us. (Football finding) The baptism is set for Aug. 17th. If we have any prob with the parents, we might move it back a bit. But that’s the plan as of now.

We had a lesson this week with Meekel that was one of those "all worth it" lessons. We talked about the BOM and talked about what the book is about, using the pics in the front as normal and really went in depth about it cuz she’s smart and after explaining Moroni she said, ‘Wait... if he hid them and he’s the only one who knew where the plates were then how did we get them back?’ :)) Booya! Right into Joseph smith. Then showed the pic of the angel by his bed and said this is angel Moroni etc... She was confused for a bit and we don’t ever explain right away that it’s the same Moroni cuz if they get it for them selves it really shows they get it. So after a min or so the light just clicked in her head and said ‘Ohhhhhh. Okay. That’s the same guy who hid them. The only one who knows where they were.’ :)) It’s just cool to teach people who really understand and get into the lesson. And it’s so sweet when you can actually feel the spirit working. Then to see it hit her heart is so sweet. After finishing and answering questions, (We always ask lots of questions and make sure they understands it all before we close) and after she got her last question answered she said, Okay... I want to close. I am soo happy right now I would like to pray.’ :))!! It's times like that where you know it wasn’t you teaching. It makes it all worth it. And it really is life changing to see that and be apart of it. Two days later we had a similar lesson about the plan of salv. She’s sweet. I think this transfer will be her baptism.

Also as for the older Ebenezer, (that one story I told you) we have met with him a few times and the lessons are always sweet but he is soo busy and doesn’t have a phone of his own so we can never get a hold of him and make it work. So not much I can do. I’m sure one day it will work though.

As for the stuff that’s going on in Ghana, Accra mission. I heard one elder got 10 years and another got 7. (I also hear that in Ghana 1 year in prison is actually 6 months.) So I’m sure rules are going to get a bit more intense with stuff like that. It’s too bad for them.

I sent off SO many letters this week. Should be getting them soon. You will love them. I'm a hoot when I write. Haha. The Cape Coast zone came today to play in football. Got to see Halling for the last time. He’s cool and will be missed. Also saw elder Bahme. He really is a cool guy. Spent 10 min just catching up and so on. He’s doing well.

(Ping-Pong in BU)

As for our apartment, it's sweet. E Yapo really is a cool guy and I love elder MacKay. We talk a lot. (The two Africans like to be alone and chat about who knows what, so we get to chill a lot). Also as for e Sintim. We are getting along great, except he likes to use my stuff. It’s just in their culture. They expect it. It's weird. He has his patriarchal blessing this Weds so I get to go with him and I hope they let me listen to it. That should be fun.

Also this week I decided to go on a health kick. Problem is, I just love food and need to get on a better trend of eating only when I’m actually hungry. With that and the new Kanye work out plan I’ll be the envy of all my friends.

Didn’t get any mail today and no package so far. Maybe some when the Lambs come back from Accra. Got some last Tue. Letter from Pdoe. I enjoyed that a lot. And one from grandma. Don’t remember if that was this week or last week. Either the weeks are going by too fast or it’s been a while sense I got mail. Either way I don’t like it. Haha

I think I said all I had to say. Love you guys so much. Thanks for all you do. Can’t say that enough.

Elder D-row

It was quite a day.

by dad

Elder Darrow says the work is going well. This week he decided to tell us about his first Evangelical encounter on a bus. "And from deep inside, a new hidden testimony shot out of him."

Elder Hallings got picked by his parents this week so we have a new elder in the apartment. His name is elder Yapo (yah-poe) from the Ivory Coast, which borders Ghana to the west. I got to meet elder Hallings parents this week. That was fun. His mom is super nice and he is just like his dad.

(Elders Yapo, Mackay, Sintim & Darrow)

Wow this week was a different week from normal. This Saturday was a big wedding of a guy we know in our area so Saturday morning we got ready and headed out on a tro-tro. The wedding was VERY African. They had all the missionaries, current and returned, go up in front of everyone and sing ‘Called To Serve’. It was very weird, but fun. We had no idea we were going to do that so it was a shock, but I did well. There were only 6 elders there and I was the only white one. So I was outnumbered, but they love me so it went well.

On the way to the wedding, while we on the tro-tro, we were welcomed by this white man wearing a Ghanian shirt (which to the trained eye means he is married to a Ghanian, because the white biz men don’t wear the cloths). We get in and he is one row behind us so we/(i) had to do the awkward ‘turn to listen and talk’ in a packed tro-tro. I was looking more like Shrek in a Mini Cooper. He asked if e Sintim was a Ghanian. Then he hands us this small New Testament. E. Sintim and I shared glances then both realized what was about to happen. Something that has yet to happen to me and something I was SO not in the mood for.

I was very polite and just let him share his opinion and answer questions. He got going and started throwing all types of things at us (in a THICK Australian accent, so it was all that more fun). He said some crazy stuff. Well, after a 10-15 min tro-tro ride listening to him, we got off of the tro-tro and he stood with us. He wanted to talk some more. At one point he grabbed our arms and started praying right there asking Jesus to cast out the devils in our hearts and so on. I didn’t really get into him at all until…he said to me, “Well Darrow, I think you need to dig deeper and realize what path you are on and where you’re going and find the truth behind all these lies.”

This is where this new hidden testimony shot out of me and there was no controlling it. And remember, I listened to this guy VERY politely for 30 min. It was enough. I told him "you don’t think I have dug deep enough? Why do you think I came all the way to Ghana? I know that what I am teaching is true. I know that. That’s why I’m here." I told him that "US mormons don’t judge and bag on other religions as you have done to us. We just tell people what we believe. We would NEVER grab someone and start praying and ask Jesus to cast out the evil in there hearts. We don’t do that."

It was quite intense. It all just came out without me knowing. It was weird. Really showed me what my own opinions were when times got heated. It was a different experience and one I don’t want to have alot but I somehow enjoyed it. It was quite a day.

Wow that was a long story.

Love you guys. Thanks for all your support.

elder darrow

(a view from the top, Sekondi Ghana)

(click to make it bigger. notice the rocks and bricks used to hold down the tin roofs)

Meet Alex Acquah

by dad

(Elder Alex Darrow and Alex Acquah)

Alex is the grandson of Bro. Acquah. He lives with his grandfather and speaks no English. Bro Acquah was supposed to be a Chief , but instead, he joined the church a while back. He loves the missionaries. They have a lesson with him every Friday at 5 p.m. After the appointment, they have a Fu-Fu meal. This is the story Elder Darrow wrote a few months ago about his little buddy Alex Acquah.

This week we went to an appt with the Acquah family. They are one of the more rich Ghanaians around (and by more rich I mean like he has a decent house and a small farm) and they give us water (clean water) and sometimes coconuts, bread, mango etc. Well last time we went there this little boy came running out. He was poking me and such and I grabbed him and put him up on my lap. He loved it. He just sat there and stared at me. I looked at him and opened my eyes REAL wide and he looked at me and did the same. So cute. Then I smiled at him and he did the same. Then I frowned and he did the same. Then I grunted and he did the same. hahaha. I was loving it.

His name is Alex Acquah, he’s maybe 3-4. I leaned in real close to him to look him eye to eye and he did the same. Then he touched his little noggin to mine and just stared at me. It was so freakin adorable. I fell in love with this little kid. I was sweating like crazy and when our heads were touching my sweat was running off my face onto his and down his cheeks. He didn’t care. He was just so curious with me. He just chilled in my lap during the lesson the whole time. He played with my hair and was touching me and just making sure I was normal. Then he started to play with my face (like the lost boys did to peter pan ... see Hook). He just played with my face and was so curious. hahah loved it.

At the end of the lesson they gave us some water. The water is in these plastic pouch things. They hold 1/2 a liter. So I drank what I wanted as the little boy watched and I gave him the last little bit. He loved it. After saying the cutest thank you he drinks it all and when he was done he grabbed my (nicest Ike Behar) tie and wiped off his mouth and face with it like it was no big deal. I just freakin melted. shah I didn’t care at all and it was just so cute. oh man.

Wow I Love Mondays.

by dad

Today the Sekondi and Takoradi zones had a little get-together at the beach. Alex says it's so sweet to see the all other missionaries together. The two zones have 32 missionaries; 26 elders, 4 sisters and a senior couple, the Lambs. The missionaries love the Lambs. Alex says the work is going great and all is well.

(Sekondi & Takordi zones at the beach)

As for this week. Well, e Sintim and I keep working through our cultural gap. So many things are said and done that are just different. We are getting closer then ever. All good friendships have fights. We have a few. I just have stuff to work on. He’s a really good guy. We get along great and have a lot of fun.

This week e Halling gave a talk. It’s his second to last week here and next week his parents will be here. So weird that he is already leaving. I remember he had 41/2 months left when I got here and the time has already gone. He’s a funny guy and will be missed.

Also this week I went on exchange with elder MacKay who is way sweet and had a very special Fu-Fu experience. I copied out my journal and sent it. So I wont touch on that but it was quite a day. So much Fu-Fu. Sigh. So much.

Also something interesting that happened that I forgot to talk about. Ghanaians are very thrifty. The electrical stuff here is so old and you would never believe some of the things they get to work, that most of the world would have thrown out. For example. My razor that was ‘done-zo’. I saved it and told e. Sintim about it and he asked to see it. He asked if he fixed it if he could have it. I said sure. Well 2-3 hours later he took the entire thing apart and did something and now it’s working. It’s so crazy how he can do that. (Well, it’s not entirely working correctly. It doesn’t hold a charge and when the motor runs the whole machine gets very, very hot, almost over heating. But he got it to work.) They just make things work.

Thanks for everything. Love you guys like crazy and don’t worry there is lots of mail on the way. I love writing and telling you all about what’s going on that I miss on email Mondays.

Wow I love Mondays.

elder darrow

Burn Notice? Really?!

by dad

Alex being Alex...

When going to the Internet cafe to email home, there are a few things you must remember...

1. always have a good eye on your companion in case of problems on line.

2. you must remember that time is limited and you don’t have time to lolly-gag. Also in case of a hold-up, know where the best chair is that won’t break on the first swing you take at someone and know where your exits are located. (I hope we all got that I was just in a scene from Burn Notice) haha It's crazy here.

Before I start just want to thank you for all the letters and emails. That was sooo awesome. Loved them. My family rocks. So crazy that today is my 4-month mark. Really is going by fast. I know I have a lot in front of me but also can see how fast it will go.

There was a lot of rain this week. So actually it was somehow chilly this week. And when I say chilly I don’t mean cold, I mean that the temp was bearable.

Okay on to important matters. First things first, yesterday I got to see Joseph and King David be ordained priests. Wow! ... Wow! Just never thought of something like that. So flipping cool. Love those kids.

Also I got my pants and shirts tailored so now I look somehow slimmer. No more baggy, baggy cloths. The girl who does my shirts did them for free and really loves the missionaries but you know how I am and gave her money. Wouldn’t take no for an answer, but I really wanted her to have it. The guy who did my pants charged me. shah. So it was 15 cedes ($10) all together and I have tailored everything but 1 pant and 2 shirts. looks good. I sent 2 memory cards home just recently. So hopefully they get to you soon. So hope you enjoy.

(Elder Darrow - on the corner of Sekondi-Takoradi Rd)

Speaking of enjoy. ..... Hmm..... yup.... dinner at the Lambs! Spaghetti with garlic bread. And for dessert chocolate chip cookies and cookies n crème ice cream. SO, SO AWESOME! Love the Lambs. Such a blessing.

Also this week, when Isaac Dazi (our ward coordinator) came over to the apt for our meeting, I showed him the map on the wall. HA. Wish you could have seen this. They have never seen anything like it and he was shocked. Kinda freaked him out to be honest. Hahah. It was cool to go over it with him and explain stuff. Also some elders asked a while ago for mission maps and I guess they know about the map we have in our apt and I think now the APs are going to try and get one for all the apartments. Nothing like the one you went WAY overboard on, but something like it.

I have found that with e Sintim the lessons are different. Less lessons but longer lessons. So it’s a change but all is well. We have 10 progression investigators and the 2 young boys are doing awesome. I don't really like to talk about the numbers. I had a cool realization, yes the numbers matter and show progression, but it just goes back to the quote you gave me about that (confusing motion with progress and activity with results).

(The District - Elders Dadegnon, Bassey, Halling, Moiwo

front - Wolfgramm, Mackay, Sintim, Darrow)

Behind every great missionary is an even better supporting cast. Love you guys so much.

Thanks for everything.

xoxo

elder darrow

Ghana Map - Mission Map

by dad

Ghana is divided into nine political/geographical regions. The Ghana Cape Coast mission covers from the coast to the northern boarder including, the Upper West region. The missionaries however, only cover the three regions in the south, Ashanti, Western and Central. According to Alex, most of the northern part of Ghana is Muslim.

(Ghana political/geographical map)

Previous information from Alex...

There are 8 zones in the mission; Sekondi, Takoradi, Cape Coast, Abura, Bantama, Dichempso, Assin Faso, and Swedru

As for their locations, Sekondi and Takoradi are basically touching and are in Western Ghana. Cape Coast and Aubra are in the Central region. They are in and around the city of Cape Coast, neighboring each other like Sekondi and Takoradi. Bantama and Dichempso are north, in the city of Kumasi, in the Ashanti region. They don’t go much higher then Kumasi. Assin Foso (or city Foso) is right above Cape Coast, in between Kumasi and Cape Coast. Swedru is to the east of Cape Coast, right on the border of our mission and the Accra mission.

Zones - cities

Sekondi - Kweikuma, Kojokrom, Nkestiakrom, Sekondi

Takoradi - Takoradi, West Takoradi, Chapel Hill

Cape Coast - Cape Coast, Yamoransa, Nkanfoa, Mankessim

Abura - Ola, Elmina, Abura, Pedu

Bantama - Bantama, Suame, Asuoyeboa, Nwamase, Aboakwa

Dichempso - Dichempso, UST, Asokwa, Buokrom

Assin Foso - Assin Foso, Assin Foso North, Praso, Achiase

Swedru - Moree, Swedru, Odoben, Winneba, Kojo-Bedu

The Map was SICK

by dad

I like maps. When Alex wrote home a few months ago and said 'there are no maps here', I could hardly believe it. When we asked how did they find people or places he said 'people just walk with you and show you where to go'. We decided there was an easier way...Google Earth. After a volley of emails over a few weeks, we finally narrowed down his area (and still missed 'BU' because Google Earth is a blur). Then, I spent a little time creating "The Sick Map". Elder D writes...

First things first! The big package I got on Tue was soooo sweet. Thank you so, so much. It was awesome. P-doe, (dad) the map was SICK. I'm sure you knew that but thanks again. We LOVED it.

After opening everything, I laid it out on the ground and all the elders swarmed and figured it out. Some of the others elders areas were on there and where we live is on there. It was instantly put up on the wall. SO, SO, SO sick. I will say you went a BIT over board. ahahhaha but i flippin loved it thank you so much. it rocks. So now when you walk in our apt there is a huge map up on the wall. I wish you guys could know how awesome it is to get stuff from you guys.

(The wall map of Sekondi and neighboring towns)

The zone conf we had on Wed. was sweet. It was a 130 min drive to cape coast and our zone and takoradi zone all went in a big tro-tro. The conf went really well. Powerful talk from pres about completing the goal and even more powerful was the second talk he gave. It was mostly about the two missionaries in Accra, Ghana (falsely accused and jailed) and he had a very, very powerful talk about how important the rules are and why they are there and why we must always be with our comp and so on. That was sweet. The whole place was silent as we stared and listened with our mouths open. It was intense.

Alex says the work as a missionary is going very well. They seem to always have someone to teach. The difficult part is weeding through those who are truly interested in hearing what they have to share. Most rewarding, is to have a recent convert say he is thinking about serving a mission.

This week we finally got to sit with Agyemang's whole family. We have been trying to for some time and it went really well. I think with the Lord’s help he will lead his whole family into the water with a good push from us and the nagging of his eager son Agyemang. He wants to be baptized so badly and it would be cool to get the whole family. Fruits that will remain.

Still going well with Ebenezer’s and Pau Quaseys. Yup Both have a 2 year old and a 10 year old. Don’t have a lot of time to go into each of them, but going well.

This week King David was asking me questions about missions and said he is somehow thinking about serving.... how sick would that be? Wow that made me happy. He’s such a smart kid. He turns 21 in Jan. and by the time he went that would be a normal age for Africans. Makes me so giddy thinking about it.

(A Home/Area Compound type thing)

I wish I could tell you how sweet it is to walk into a home/area and have little kids run up and actually call you by your name and grab your hand and walk you up to where you are going to meet. Happens every time I walk into Josephs’ compound type thing. My heart just melts. They are so awesome. I love the kids and I really do love the people.

As for things with Elder Sintim, he is so sweet and I really am learning to love him like a brother. But he walks so slow. He is never in a rush. But not in a bad way just his personality. Just a really chill dude. He’s very upfront with people. I'm learning and adjusting. Nothing new. We are getting really close and I'm excited to get closer. Gonna learn to love that kid.

(Elders Sintim & Darrow at the Apartment - (with a number 2 haircut))

(Elders Darrow & Sintim - Pday at the Stake Center)

Thanks for all that you do. You really are so, so awesome, thanks.

Keep saying those prayers.

And don’t forget to wash your hands. The world is full of filth :) -

elder darrow