Mud and Miracles

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Good evening everyone! I hope you're great. This week was wild but cool. 

First of all, I have a new companion. His name is Elder Greer and he's from Arizona. We were in the same district in Takoradi awhile ago so I was very excited when I found out he was my comp. He's a great guy, has a great attitude, and really teaches by the Spirit. We've enjoyed this week so much. 

And some crazy stuff has happened! On Monday, it started raining like crazy so we took shelter at a lumber mill owned by a dude named Muhammed Ali. I would've asked him if he likes to box but he didn't speak English and I don't know how to ask that in Fante. We continued on and I ended up riding my bike into the gutter that same day. We also got yelled at by a rasta-fied anti-Christ on Tuesday which was interesting. Those who need God most listen to him the least. 

That was the mud. So here's the miracles. We were walking around in the sun on Friday when we had the thought to go and visit a member named named Theresa who we don't really know. We went there and met her boyfriend, Papa Jackson. He almost immediately told us that he's been meaning to contact us and wants to get baptized. He came to church on Sunday and we also taught him this morning. 

On that same Friday, we visited another member named Dorcas at her shop. She told us her conversion story which was awesome. She was the first of her family to be baptized in 2014 and now her brother is on a mission and her father is the second councilor in the bishopric. We asked her if she had any friends we could teach and she sent us to her sister, who oddly enough is also named Dorcas. We taught her on Saturday and she told us that she also wants to be a member! 

We've had a lot of really great help from members this week as well. Sebastian, our ward mission leader, went with us twice this week to teach. His help was much needed and appreciated. We also had the most effective missionary coordination meeting I've ever been a part of on Sunday. It was just with us, Sebastian, and Sister Affran, our powerhouse Relief Society president, but it was awesome. They were making assignments and calls and just tearing through things. Our ward is so good. 

We had a cool experience in Ankwanda this week as well. Ankwanda is a small village we cover that has a lot of members in it. We were looking for a specific old lady named Efuah who has been to church a ton but hasn't been baptized. I was worried though because I didn't know her house and she doesn't have a phone. However, we got to Ankwanda and guess who is the first person to call out to us?  Sister Efuah. We sat down and taught her the restoration with the help of Sebastian and it was so, so great. God is aware of us. 

I really, really know that is true. God is there. He's taken such good care of us this week. Transfers are never easy. No matter how many times it happens, I'm always anxious about new comps and shifting roles. This transfer was no different. I was worried about not knowing the area, getting trunky, leaving my comps, and so on. My feelings of inadequacy were affecting my attitude and energy, and that, coupled with our angry anti-Christ friend, left me feeling pretty down on Tuesday. 

However, on Wednesday I felt a renewed sense of strength and energy. We went to work and the miracles started coming. I'm still inadequate. We still got lost several times, and I'm sure we'll get lost again. God's work is still getting done though. Ether 12:27 still rings true, as do the words of my wise cousin Braeden. Part of his mission advice to me was to remember that "God is greater than you are stupid," and I agree. It's going to be OK. I love you all! 

Love, 
Elder Johnson

1. Mine and Elder Greer's Sunday evening, "Wow, we've been companions for almost a week and don't have a picture together" picture. He's a stud.
2. Pretty views on the way to visit a member. 
3. FUFU AND ABENKWAN. If you were to test my blood right now it'd be type A for abenkwan. My red oil addiction is getting out of hand. 
4. My cute dirty shirt from our muddy Wednesday
5. REUNITED WITH THE ONE AND ONLY ELDER SEELEY. He's now in our zone. We were comps awhile ago and it was so good to see him in Wednesday. He's a great man. And he bought us all KFC soft twirls which makes him a greater man. Mascar, the driver, is the Sunday school president in the area Elder Seeley and I served in and it was great to see him as well. 








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