This has been a pretty good week!

  This has been a pretty good week! Things are still going

really well! There were some pretty cool things as well. Monday night

we did our usual family home evening that we got started up for the

people with no families and kids and such. It’s been killer for sure,

we got to play some musical chairs as well, and of course I dominated

that one!! I watched the video though and remembered it was probably

because I was twice the size of everyone else. The work has been

really well too!! We got off to a good start this week... We’ve had an

ami named Boris, who’s actually just a young man, and we have been

teaching him at his friend’s house for a while. The kid is insanely

brilliant though, and has been golden!! He invited us to his place to

talk with his parents, when we got there we realized his dad is

actually a pastor in a church here in Gbegamey, so he’s strong in this

church, plus that’s his job, so we were already kind have decided there

is no way... It was almost the opposite though, he was incredibly open

and was telling about how his son has gone crazy and has been showing

all the stuff we taught and the Book of Mormon, he was very interested

in our message as well, and we are actually hoping to be able to

baptize him and his family soon, he understands the message is true,

but it is a tough situation with that being his job, to let those

things behind, but were sure he’ll be able to let those things go and

the Lord will provide. It’s awesome to see though that by this young

man we can hopefully baptize this awesome family! Ambroise and Gilbert

are still the best! 

     They actually live out in Cocotomey, which is a newer area, so they are

trying to start out a branch out there, and with those two solid

converts, that will help a ton, so it’s great to see the help and work

they’re already doing! So those were some good things this week. The

problem was Wednesday though, we were in a lesson in the morning, and

before going in Desvergez mentioned he wasn’t feeling too hot... the

whole lesson he barely talked, and I was thinking the whole time he

was mad at me or something... we finished the lesson and were walking

out, and he just threw up his whole stomach, he was insanely sick so

we had to stay in that day! The problem was, I don’t have the strongest

stomach, so seeing that made me somewhat sick the rest the day!

Definitley not the best day... Ha-ha, we were worried he had Malaria,

but he was better in a day so we assumed it was just bad food or

something, were worried it was the pineapple... which isn’t good,

because that’s about our whole diet... Luckily though he was better

quick! The next day we had our dinner with the American!!! Oh man I

about died no lie!!! We walked into his house, which is on embassy

grounds, and it was basically America.... I thought I was going to

die, there was carpet, and a teli, and AC..... it was incredibly...

We had the most amazing American food I’ve ever had as well, after I

was a little sick though just from how not used to I am to that food!!

But man..... It was incredible!!!!! He was there with his wife who is

actually from England, but just talking to them I about died it was so

great!! It was definitely a great night for sure!! Our Amis are all

doing pretty well, we have a baptism this next Saturday that I’m really

excited for which is Daniel!! He’s the ami that we found just a few

weeks ago and has already read almost the whole book of Mormon!! He’s

incredible! He hasn’t missed a day of church, nor an institute, nor a

FHE... he’s one of the smartest people I have been with here as well.

He’s progressed faster than anyone I’ve ever seen and is incredibly

excited for his baptism! The branch has been really good and bringing

him in as well which has been a big help! So I’m excited for that! He

told us a cool story about the first day he saw us and our first time

talking.. He said he had always seen us walking by, but thought we

were Jehovah witness, like everyone here, and never said anything and

wasn’t interested. He got malaria though and was stuck in his bed for a

long while. He was incredibly sick and could see things weren’t going

well, till one day when he was in bed, and we came up to the door, and

he said the only reason he let us in was because he was sick and

wanted us to help. He was just telling us as well how he could see

that it wasn’t by chance the time or how that happened, but man, he’s

got a strong testimony for sure!! Another cool thing that brought me

back big-time this week was our testimony meeting on Sunday... Usually,

they’re a little sketchy to be honest, but this past one beforehand we

explained how testimony meeting works, and it went amazing!! Towards

the end a lady in our branch who had polio, and is paralyzed from the

waist down, so she uses hand crutches, struggled up to the front and

bore an amazing testimony, and just expressed how thankful she was for

all of her many blessings, and just talked about how blessed she is

and how much she loves her life.. Man that brought me back big time,

we have rough days all the time and get so depressed, but this lady is

always the happiest, and sees herself as the most blessed, and hearing

her say that made me really think. These people are special for

sure!! That was awesome though. The branch is really good though, in

fact today the youth have big activity and are taking a bus over to

Accra for the temple!! I’m really excited for them with that!! So yeah

things have been really good. Today we had a activity with the

mission and played soccer. But man, I’m sick for the first time yet

here. Its nothing too bad, but I’m just exhausted and feel terrible.

Ha-ha, so I’m hoping that goes fast!! So yeah, I couldn’t go all out in

soccer today, and that was killing me because I just love

Soccer... But yeah the work is going great here! I’m worried with

the big transfer coming up!! We have 12 missionaries leaving for

home, and actually have 21 new missionaries coming in, only two are

America! So I’m not so sure I’ll be staying in Gbegamey, or if I’ll stay

with Desvergez, but I’d be content staying with him the whole mission

he’s the best! Its been nice having Owusu and Koadio in the apartment,

it was funny too; we were talking and pointing out that France has had

the church for an insane amount of time, and Ghana for only just a few

years, yet Ghana already has thousands more members than France, ha-ha

so we were trying to figure out why between Owusu and Desvergez, but

yeah the church is doing great over there! But yeah with the institute

class we got a member who is awesome as teacher, but Desvergez and me

teach it as well! But yeah things are great here with the work! It’s exciting as well getting

so many new missionaries as we'll be opening up more areas now! Things

are good! I love and miss you all a ton for sure! I hope all is great

this next week there!

Elder Oliverson

The Zone!