Ambroise with the whole family! Thats a stellar family!

                                                                                                     

Bonjour!
Things are going good! And yeah I’m glad I’m still here in this area, I think I'll be going in October though. And yeah the baptisms went great! After the baptisms there is always a time President Weed gives for the new converts to bear testimony, this past week was the best! Every single one stressed the importance of repentance, and of the changes that they have made to follow Christ, which is really what repentance is. And how committed they were with their change of heart; even the young ones expressed this as well, so that was the best. It really made me realize again the importance of repentance, and really how it is there so we can become more like Jesus Christ, and it is all about change of heart, which I could really see with our Amis! So that was good!  This week was much more laid back though, in that Elder Owusu was leaving, so me and Desvergez were on a split with him, so a lot of the time was in eating with members and visiting and packing! We’ve been doing a lot of finding as well mostly as we’ve had a lot of baptizing, so we have less Amis, which I guess is a good thing!  The best part was all of those baptized were contacts, or distant family members of members in the branch! That was awesome because we saw how much the branch has helped us, and also there were a ton of people at the baptism. The baptism was awesome for sure, frightening as well... the branch president who was over the baptism came up to me at the start, and was a little uneasy, and began to explain to me that there was a candidate that the other missionaries couldn’t baptize. Elder Allred and Elder Lala, I didn’t really understand what he meant until he explained that really, they couldn’t baptize her. Then I saw her come in and realized why, she was easily well over 300 pounds... Not only was that a problem, but also the water in the font is always very low because the font is so small. I felt a little honored that he asked me to do the baptism, but at the same time I was terrified, there were a ton of people there and I legitimately thought there was no way I could do this one. I'll be honest I prayed multiple times in advance. When the baptism came though, I wasn’t too nervous at all, and honestly it went perfectly fine!  I can say that my prayers was answered there, because otherwise I really don’t think I could have done that baptism! It went great though! So Saturday was a good day for sure! As we have so many new converts now, we’ve been teaching the priesthood a lot lately, and in turn I have been studying that mostly as of late. It’s been a good reminder for sure of how great a blessing that really is to have the priesthood on the earth today. And it is all thanks to the Restoration of the Church, and its something that really sets our church apart, but seriously what a blessing that is we have that power to do ordinances on the earth and have those accepted in the heavens! Like I said this past week we haven’t been able to do much teaching because of Owusu, but it’s been good! We have had a lot of dinners with Ghanaian families as he is Ghanaian, but man they are awesome! Its incredible how strong the church is over there and the members. I'll miss Owusu a lot though he was an awesome missionary! It was crazy to see him go home as well though... sheesh ha-ha.  It was our apartment that won the clean check!!!!!!! SO we got to go eat hamburgers on Tuesday it was incredible!!! Ha-ha too worth it. Also the American with the embassy talked to me yesterday, and invited me and Desvergez over for dinner again, and he is inviting a couple of his friends from the embassy a French and an American, that wanted to talk with us, so that will be awesome again for sure!!   Elder McConkie is coming by here in the next couple months. I’m guessing the son of Bruce R McConkie or something? That will be cool though! Things are going really well, thank you for all of your love and support! I love and miss you all a ton! 

Elder Oliverson

Baptisms!

Some of the baptisms from Saturday! Parents coming next week! Because of marriage.

Our dinner with one of the Ghanian families!

Bonjour! 

Another great and crazy week! Me and Elder Desvergez have been working insanely hard, but its been the best at the same time!! This past week has consisted of a lot of finding mostly, we've been working to get a lot more stuff set up in the branch, like the English class, a young single adults group, more branch organisation, and helping get mission prep going. Its been great though!! All our amis are doing great as well! One of those two business men, Ambroise is waiting on his baptism, because of a problem getting their marriage worked out.. They're pretty complicated to get done here, and along with everything you have to do, you have to get permission from both parents. Here parents are living in France, and so because of that for some reason they are having a lot of problems getting things done there, hes been awesome though, in still doing all he can to get ready for his baptism!! Overall this past week we fixed 8 new baptismal dates as well so its been the best for sure! We've also finally been able to get the parental permission for Merveille a young man in the branch, who hasn't missed a week of church in a year and a half, is already trying to get ready to serve a mission, but still hasn't been able to get baptized, because of the parental permission required.. So it was awesome to finally get that!! Still we've been doing a lot more in the branch and that so its been really fun, and having more members help in the work so its been great!! We actually have been able to start meeting with the former president of the branch in gbegamey, and who is actually the one who started up the branch, he has since, for about the past 9 months or so been completely inactive, and has gone off the path a little bit.. I had heard different things that he had gotten into some pretty rough stuff, but not much more.. But one day this past week we had a missed rendez-vous, in a parcel that was just next to his. I have never seen or met hi

m in my life, and really wasn't sure why we hadn't visited him before or why I haven't heard much about him.. But Elder Desvergez, decided to just stop by and say hey and introduce ourselves.. We did so and he ended up having us come in. In that hour or so he explained to us a little of what had happened and how things were going and why he isn't in the church anymore. We also found out that his brother who lived in the building next door had passed away a while ago, and he was trying to sell the place, he showed us though and showed what the problem was, and when we walked in, it was crazy!! Ive never in my life seen a place more dirty in every way possible.. There were dead mice everywhere and such, and it was pretty insane for sure! We asked if we could help by chance, and he refused, we took that and gave a little spiritual thought, and went on our way.. In our planning though we were trying to figure out what we could do to help him. We ended up deciding to get all our young men, and youth in general to come over with us one day to go clean up that house for him, do a little service and see if that could help this guy. So we ended up organizing it, the only part I wasn't too fond of was that we had to do it at 5 in the morning.. because its Muslim month long holiday and that, they do more praying and such, so they do all of the washing their hands and feet and such, and so we had to do this service at a time before they used all of the water for the day. Soon we got to go over there, and man it definitely wasn't easy at all!! Ill never complain about hard work again that's for sure, but seeing this guy and how stunned and happy he was made it completely worth it!! Since then we have been able to have a couple lessons and meetings with him and such, and no doubt you can already see him getting his life back together, and actually this past Sunday he came back to church for the first time in months!! No doubt making that all worth it! It definitely strengthened my testimony on service, and how we can do missionary work, and be representatives of Christ in many different ways! So that was definitely one of the happiest parts of this past week! But yeah the work is great!! Insanely tough for sure but its been great! Its been especially tough with the Muslim holiday and such, but were definitely seeing the blessings for the hard work for sure!! The branch is doing great though, and its been the best getting more involved with them and helping out there.. I got to kick it in the primary this Sunday again because President Weed and his wife were visiting and he needed me to translate for her in the primary..(which I have to give it to her, it would be insanely hard to be here that long and not know French!) So that was fun to be there with them again! Ive got to refresh on my primary songs for sure though, its been a while! It was cool to because the presidents son and his wife were visiting here as well, so they got to come to the branch and visit. Talking to them after it reminded me how awesome these people really are! I felt bad because I'm getting so used to being here and the people that I forget how blessed and happy they really are and what a blessing it is to be with them!! The presidents daughter said something to that really hit me, and that was that she saw that the gospel is the same, and is still true in every different language and culture.. and how true that is! Yes you walk into the branch, and its so different than anything you'd ever find anywhere else, but the Gospel is still the same, as is the spirit! So that was another great reminder for me as well! But yeah things are all great here! The work is definitely picking up for sure as well so its been great! Things are a lot different for sure as well being with another Yovo, and a lot more crazy.. Haha we have a lot more run-ins with "prophets" and some of the stranger people as well.. but its been fine! And along with that as well, there is a man claiming to be Jesus in Nigeria, and has already gotten up to about 50 million followers.. so that's been a big one here as well.. but just goes to prove the prophecies of in the last days there will be plenty of false prophets and such! But hey the work is still progressing here amazingly with all of that! I hope all is great back in America! I love and miss you all!

Elder Oliverson

Larry's family that I had FHE with last week! 

The Gata