Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net> Today at 2:17 PM
To
Hi, all!!
I have a lot to say this week, so here goes:
-This has been a fun week because I've been feeding my
Ghanaian companion American foods and I've almost enjoyed watching his
reactions more than the food itself! He loves it so much. I made no-bake
cookies, I made mashed potatoes, I made French Toast, and I made some no-bake
cheesecake that my mom sent me to make and that was seriously about the most
hilarious thing I've ever seen. He went limp in his chair because he thought he
literally tasted heaven, haha! So that was pretty fun :D
-It's the rainy season, which mostly has been only good to
me! It hasn't rained during the day yet, it's always rained at night, which has
been absolutely glorious. We open the windows (I'm not sure how, but for some
reason the rain doesn't come in, which is good), and a glorious cool breeze
comes in, and then we lie down and turn the fans on... I'll just say getting
out of bed at 6:30 is becoming increasingly challenging because I'm no longer
waking up feeling warm, but my feet have actually been getting cold and I use
my sheet and it just feels incredible and I don't want to get out of bed, haha!
-This week I saw what I thought was just about the saddest
thing I've ever seen... We were walking through our area and I saw a man with
absolutely no clothes curled up on the ground in the middle of a bunch of
litter huddled around a waning flame that someone had lit to burn garbage... I
wanted so desperately to help him out, but I had no idea how. I had no food to
give him, we don't give people money, and I just didn't know what to do, I
almost wanted to cry seeing that.
-On a slightly funnier note about our area, people here like
to "kokonsa" about me xD kokonsa is the Twi word for gossip. Haha
people here realize that I don't speak Dangbe or Twi or any of their local
languages, so they just start talking out loud about me with me right there in
front of them in their local languages and think I don't know they're talking
about me... it's kind of funny, honestly, haha! Also, since this last transfer,
I'm literally the only American in my entire zone... so that's exciting, woo xD
-So the people in this area are so faithful! We have two
people here that are prepared for baptism. They both have had their dates
postponed for various issues, and this last week they were both scheduled to have
their baptisms, but we had to postpone again!! It was kind of bittersweet, and
my next bullet point will explain why, haha. But they both were somewhat
disappointed, but they're still so excited for when they'll finally be
baptized. They have a strong desire to follow the Savior, Jesus Christ, and I
can see it in their eyes. They're so great.
-Yesterday was an exciting day. We're in a branch, not a
ward (a branch is basically a small version of a ward), and it's been
experiencing a lot of growth lately. The branch had grown to a membership of
180 people! So yesterday, the branch was split because of the growth!! So
there'll be about half the members in my branch, so I can get to know more of
them more easily, and we can focus our efforts in a more concentrated
population of people to help build the church. So these are exciting times!!
-After church, the branch president came up to me and
specifically requested that I teach some of the members to play piano so that
when I leave, there'll be someone who will be able to play in church. So it
looks like I'm probably going to learn to teach piano... wish me luck, haha!
So just to sum all of that up, I want to let all of you know
how much I love this work and how much I love the gospel. I know the gospel was
given to us from God to bless our lives. I'm absolutely certain of that. I've
seen incredible blessings from it in my own life and in the lives of those
around me. The gospel of Jesus Christ isn't just some fiction fabricated by
some person; it's a glorious truth given to us by our loving Father in Heaven.
He loves us so much and wants to bless our lives. He wants us to be happy, and
that's why He gives us the gospel; it's guidance and direction given to us so
that we can have eternal joy not only in this life, but also in the next. It's
all possible because the Savior Jesus Christ came here for us to give us
redemption and hope. I know this is true with every fiber of my being.
I appreciate you all so incredibly much. Thanks for all the
love and support you give me. I hope everything's going well for all of you!
With love,
Elder Buchanan
P.S. Unfortunately, I tried plugging my camera into the
computer, and it messed up my card and I was unable to send pictures... so,
sadly, I may not be able to send pictures from this area :(
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| Elder Buchanan, the pianist in his new branch, the Asutsuare Branch |
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