Ghana Sam

Here is another excerpt from Sam's email this week:

"I want you to know that i am doing very well. We had another Baptism this week. We Baptized a man named G and a woman named S. We most importantly completed their families. Sister S's husband was already a member and all of Brother G's family was baptized, but him. His wife H was so happy the day of his Baptism. She was hugging him and holding his hand. It was really great to see that because a lot of people in Africa do not show affection in that way.

Elder Farnbach and i were out in Owhto again this week. We some how ended up on a huge hill was up in the country where you could see the whole town and a lot of the country side below us. We were up there talking about how cool it looked and we felt that we should say a prayer. I know it sounds kind of cheesy, but we knelt down and that hill over Owhto and said a prayer to be guided to the people that need to hear our message. We got an amazing feeling and went back to work. When we were working we really forgot about that prayer we had said. We ended up having an awesomely amazing day. We were really teaching with the spirit. We ended up back in the camp and we taught a man named Brother W. When we found brother W he was very excited to see us. He told us that his friends in Accra having been telling him all about the church. He said he never wanted to investigate it because people have said some very bad things about the church to him. Brother W also told us though that he has always had a good feeling about the church despite what others have said. He brought his family to church on Sunday, and told us enough is enough, he needs to be baptized in the true church.It was an awesome experience. Well back to the day , we ended up going home that night and we were trying to figure out what was so different about this day than others. We remembered how we had said that prayer up on the hill of Owhto. We now have decided that we are going to go say a prayer up on that Hill every time were in Owhto. Now that i think about it heavenly father is giving me so many spiritual experiences. I am so glad we found brother W, i have honestly never met a man so excited about joining the church. he is an awesome man.

Also on Sunday the stake 1st counselor came out to our church. After church he took me and elder Farnbach and all the ward leaders and sat them down. He taught all the ward leaders how the ward should be running and how they can better help the Missionaries. It made me so happy, and it also made me realize that the church in Africa is in its early stages. It is in the same state here as it was in America during Josephs smiths time. I also realized that i need to be more patient with the ward. Most of the ward leader have been member for about no longer than 10 years. They are very new to the church and they having never seen it run correctly. As bad as things are in Africa things are only going to get better as long as the church continues to grow."

Pictures!!

Here are some photos that Sam sent home!!

Chasing Children

Here is an excerpt from Sam's email this week:

"Things here in Ghana have been pretty good this week. I went out to the village Ahyntia again. I had to take the district leader out there for a baptismal interview with S. When baptismal interviews are being done the district leader has to go off and be somewhat alone with the person. So the other missionary is usually left there doing nothing. So I was sitting there really bored and a couple of children from the village came up and would stand about 20 feet from me and just stare at me. Because it is a village most of the children have never seen a white man before so they won’t get too close. The interview was going on a long time. As the time went on more and more children started to gather in the group. There were about 40 kids just staring at me in fascination. I was getting pretty bored so all the sudden I decided to flinch at them. Form just my finch they all flew backwards with some of them falling on the ground. When they did this I got an idea and if you could have seen my face you probably wouldn't have thought it was a great idea. I jolted up and started sprinting after them. They all took off screaming for their lives. I felt like a lion chasing a bunch of Wilda beasts. The next thing I know I am running all around this village chasing all these little kids. All their parents were laughing their heads off. After a little while I felt bad and I made them all come up to me and be my friend. They all were very interested in my hair and kept touching it. I felt kinda of gross letting these kids touch my hair because I have no idea what they have been rolling around in, but then I thought what the heck this is Africa. It was a pretty fun experience making friends with all the kids.

Also this week we got permission to start teaching a couple of orphans because their care taker is a strong member. We have been given permission by the bishop to teach 6 of them, but he still has to get permission from the mission president. The children have been coming to church for a while now. We went and talked with them one on one on Wednesday. I was talking to one of the Boys "M" he had the worst stutter id ever heard. He knew the main message of the Gospel. You know, that god is our father and he sent Jesus to die for us. When I was teaching him I just got the feeling that I should give him my sunglasses. Right when I was done teaching him I realized that I need those sunglasses. I am starting to realize that I keep giving away things that I need. I think its okay though because everything is way cheap in Ghana. I really hope that president Smith lets us baptize the children. It would be way awesome to get to do that before I get transferred.

On Saturday we had a Baptism. I was really excited for this one because I was gonna get to finally Baptize O. The day of the Baptism O called me really early in the morning. He told me that he couldn't be baptized because his wife told him that if he was baptized, she would leave him. My heart sunk when I heard him say that. It made me way sad because I have been teaching him since the day I got to Buduburam. I was pretty depressed on Saturday, but I just got a feeling that it’s not O's time yet. I know one day he will be baptized, it might not be when I am still in Buduburam, but the important thing is that he is baptized. So the baptism went on as scheduled and S the man in Ahyntia was baptized. It was a very nice baptism and I was really happy to baptize. "

Photos!

Elder Beck got a pizza for his birthday :)

Elder Farnbach and Elder Beck wearing Christmas ties.

Elder Beck and Farnbach's Christmas Tree!

Catch- Up

Here are a few more excerpts from Sam's emails since last I updated:

"So, I was emailing you last Monday and my companion and I's phone rang . Elder Farnbach answered it and then said " we gotta go! Elder Omale was just hit by a car!" We got off right away and started sprinting to the hospital. The hospital was not much, just a building that said hospital on it. We ran inside and we saw elder Hicks standing there like he had just seen a ghost.(Elder Hicks is Elder Omales companion) Elder Farnbach went and talked to the front desk and I went to elder Omales room. When i got to the room i saw Elder Omale laying there on a table, he was not moving. The so called doctor was kind of shaking him, i think to wake him up. I just stood there for like a minute staring at him from the door way. Then all of the sudden he started to wake up. I walked over to him and he looked up at me really confused and said "Elder Beck?" He could not remember his mission, he thought he was back home in Nigeria. He was asking a lot of questions about what was going on. We tried to answer as much as we could. About an hour later he sat up. The Nurse came in and asked him about his family. He just looked at her and yelled "these are my brothers" and then pointed to us. It was kind of like a Remember the Titans moment. It was also way cool that Elder Omale had forgotten everything about his mission, but he could still remember we were his brothers. The mission president finally arrived from Accra. He took Elder Omale and Elder Hicks back to Accra where they could go to a real hospital. Elder Omale recovered very well, he came back to the apartment the next day. He even went out and proselyted a little bit. He could remember everything, but an hour before the accident. He said " ill I remember is waking up and Elder Beck was standing there next to me." This Experience really made me realize something very important. God is watching over his Missionary's. Elder Omale was hit by a truck, flew through the Air 30 feet from where he stood, was knock unconscious for more than 15 minutes, received very little medical attention, and then was able to go back out and proselyte the next day. I do not think anyone can say that this was anything short of a miracle. God is really watching over his Missionary's.

I also had a pretty cool experience on Tuesday. There is a man named brother S. He has been to church like 3 times,but we have not been able to make it to his house because he live very very far away in a village called Ahyntia. My companion and I were trying to catch a Tro Tro there, but none were coming . Then all of the sudden this super super nice government car pulled over. The window rolled down and there was a man he said "do you missionary's need a ride?" We were like "YEAH!" and then hoped in. It was kind of like a small hummer with very very nice AC. It turned out that the man was a member of the church, he was someone really important high up in the government. He drove us for a while and then i thought he was going to drop us off at this junction in a place called Awhto, where we we have to catch another car out to the village. The man insisted that he should take us all the way there. He turned down the junction road and drove us all the way to the village. I had never been to the village before so i had no idea how far it really was. i felt bad because of how far he drove us. I thanked him very much many times. I kept saying" Madasee, Madasse,"which means thankyou.When i was getting out i went to shake his hand and he handed me a 20 CD bill.He said "its probably not gonna be cheap to get out of here." I was amazed, no, i was stunned. The last 2 months i have been in a Refugee camp where everyone begs for money. Then all of the sudden this man is handing me a 20 CD bill. I never even seen a 20 CD bill!If you haveint figured out 20 CDs is a lot of money in Ghana. I tryed to say no, but he insisted. He gave me his card and then drove off. My head was spinning from this mans Kindness. I will never forget him.
Ahyntia is probably the coolest place i have been yet. Everyone there lived in Huts and mud houses. The man S we taught was way cool also. After we were done he made us go out and walk through his farm lands . It was awesome, i could not see anything but wilderness for miles. Next time i go there i am going to take a hundred pictures. When we needed to leave we waited for a car for about 30 minutes, they only charged us 1 CD to get all the way back to Buduburam. So now we have money to go and see S a lot though. That trip would usauly cost us like 4 CDs. Tuesday was one of the coolest days on my mission thus far."

"Dear family,

Its Christmas today here in Ghana. I woke up this morning and i thought everyone would be at there homes with there families, well i at least i thought that some people would be at there homes with there families. I walked out the door this morning and the streets of Kasoa were busier than ever. Nobody seems to care that its Christmas.My companion and i set up the trains and nativity and put them on the table. Another Elder in our apartment elder Bills parents sent him fake snow. So we snowed up the trains and nativity a lot. Aparently it was snowing when jesus was born. Or at least thats my image of it. Mom im looking really hard for a nativity for you, i dont think ill find one in Kasoa or Buduburam, but i was talking with some people and theres and art market somewhere in accra where you can take any picture of any thing and the will carve it for you. So next time im in accra im going to try and find it for you. Maybe one day ill be transfered there and ill be able to get a bunch of cool carvings. Everything in ghana is super cheap, so ill probably be able to get a decent amount.

I hope everyone is having a great christmas back in the states. Remember to be thankfull for what you have. Be thankfull for things like carpet. I didnt relize how much i would miss little things like that.Carpet is great great blessing. So everybody better look down at your carpet and say "thankyou carpet, Youve always been there for me."

I love you so much....have a super Merry Christmas..

Love Elder Beck

P.S.
I m really excited to call you today!"