Letter from March 27, 2017

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net> 27 March 2017 at 10:21 AM

Hi, all!!

This week was pretty uneventful, honestly. I don't have too much to tell, but I'll still try to be somewhat exciting.

-I have really started to enjoy cooking, and I've started branching out to more things! I know some of you back home already know how to cook fancy awesome dishes, but I'm learning to cook here, so I'm kind of excited, haha. I've started making stew (it's kind of like spaghetti sauce, I suppose, but a little different) to go with rice or with spaghetti, and I've had several different people in my district here try it and say it was really incredible, so I'm pretty proud of myself. I also learned a cool way to prepare beans from one of my previous companions, so that's been cool. If any of you back home know what Cafe Rio is, I can make some mean Cafe Rio now, and I'm just excited, haha. I'm trying to find healthier foods to eat, because everything around here is just loaded with carbs, and it's making me fat... So I'm working on that. Hopefully I'll be super skinny again when I go home, so we'll see how that works out!

-I've noticed that I've become more outspoken and bold since coming. We were visiting a less active member earlier in the week and she had been ill earlier, so she had lost a lot of weight. Her health is okay now, but she's still thin, and she claims that is why she doesn't go to church since people will look at her and be asking her what's wrong and why's she's lost weight and why she hasn't been coming and things like that. What came to my mind was a scripture in 2 Nephi 8:7 which says, "Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings." I helped her to understand that we can't let other people get in the way of doing what's right. The scriptures often talk about how we need to have a greater fear of the Lord rather than of men. That's not to say we need to be afraid of God, but we need to be more concerned with pleasing Him than men. That scripture really touched me as well. It's hard sometimes trying to do the right thing and to have people ridicule you, belittle you, laugh at you, mock you, and much more simply because you're trying to do the right thing. It can be challenging, absolutely. But one thing I do know is that if we have faith in our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, as we put forth effort to do what They want us to, They will indeed give us strength to do so despite challenges and adversity. Sometimes people will even ask why we should follow the Lord when doing so may bring about ill interactions from others around us? I can say with certainty that as we do what we can to keep the commandments of our Heavenly Father and to trust Him, He will bless us with greater joy and happiness. Despite challenges and opposition, we will still have enduring peace that comes from a loving Father in Heaven that permeates our lives, even when things around us aren't perfect.

I love all of you so much. I hope you all have a great week and that I hear from you all soon!

With love,

Elder Buchanan

I'm sorry I have no pictures this week... I know my Mom won't be happy, haha. I'll try to have some fun pictures for next week, though!

Letter and Photos from March 20, 2017

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net> 20 March 2017 at 1:10 PM

Hi, all!

This week has been an interesting week.

-We had exchanges this week. My companion went with one of the district leaders and I went with him companion, Elder Joseph. He's from Nigeria and he's an awesome guy. We got along really well. I introduced him to Pizza Hut for the first time and he loved it (as he should have, haha!) and I figured out that he was a journalist back home, and he actually did a lot of behind the scenes type stuff. We definitely related a lot because in high school for the school news video we did a lot of similar things, so that was cool. I attached a picture of my chunky self and him at Pizza Hut for his first time :D

-This week I've really come to the realization how practical the gospel is in our lives. Some people don't see the need for commandments, but when you live them, you really start to see the reason for them and the blessings that come from it. We were teaching an investigator this week about the Law of Chastity (the most simple and basic way of summarizing it is no sexual relations before marriage), and this investigator pointed out connections he had noticed before we had even taught him. When you have the self control to keep the law of chastity, people begin to trust you more. The people around you will even defend you by saying things like, "Oh, he wouldn't do that," or, "Oh, she's not that kind of person." It also strengthens the relationships you have with others and with current or even future spouses. He put those things together all on his own! I've also come to see how practical the gospel is another time this week when there were a few companionship issues in the zone that we had to handle. As I advised them, I felt the guidance of the spirit in doing so. I came to realize once again how much prayer really helps. When they weren't getting along, I encouraged them to pray for each other every day. That can work not only in missionary companionships, but with anyone and everyone! Christ taught us that contention comes from the devil, and that His gospel entails doing away with contention, and I realized one way to do that is praying to love one another more. Praying will increase love for those you pray for, and as you ask our Heavenly Father for help, we will see His hand in assisting us in our efforts to do what's right. It's incredible how many blessings, both physical as well as spiritual, come from following our Savior, Jesus Christ. If there's one thing I've come to learn since coming on my mission, it's how real the gospel is. How much it really helps us, how real our Heavenly Father and the Savior Jesus Christ are and how real their love for us is. I know that they live, and I know that they are always there for us. As we turn to them, we will begin to see their hands in our lives working for our good.

 

I love all of you so much. I'm grateful for all the love and support you give me. I hope to hear from all of you soon!

 

With love,

Elder Buchanan

Since three of us in the apartment all were in the Kpong zone earlier, we had got bead ties and we all had matching ties, so we couldn't pass up the photo opportunity.



Elder Joseph and I at Pizza Hut.

Hanging out in the apartment in the AC with my new suit.

Letter and Photo from March 13, 2017

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net> March 13, 2017 at 10:44 AM

Hi all!!

This week has been pretty cool.

-We had an investigator that we were going to see this week, but unfortunately that appointment fell through. At the same place is a little girl I've gotten to be buddies with, and I was able to teach her to ride a bike. She actually learned really quickly! I rewarded her progress with a Fan Yogo, just a little treat for doing so well. That was pretty cool.

-I've also realized that my sight-reading piano abilities have significantly increased since the beginning of my mission. I can mostly just sit down and play a hymn I've never even heard of before. I also have some sheet music that I wanted to learn a few years ago, but it was pretty challenging, so I gave up on it, but it doesn't seem very difficult to me anymore, so I'm way excited about that. One thing I came to learn very early on my mission is that God helps you with your talents when you use your talents to help others.

-The work here in Tema is much slower. Tema is a very industrious place, so there are lots more jobs and more work, so people are very busy, therefore it's harder to find people to teach. There was one day where things were going slowly, lots of appointments falling through, not finding new people, and we went to visit one member at her shop, and she was there with her three daughters. It was my first time meeting her, so I introduced myself and we chatted for a while, and we started the lesson with a question from one of her girls and she asked, "Why is it important to worship?" So we talked about that for a while and when we finished with that question, the girl got up and went elsewhere, and my companion started talking to someone else nearby, and so I continued talking to this woman, and she told me she had some problem in her life and she had been praying for something to help her for a long time and felt like God wasn't hearing and answering her prayers, so she was going to join some other church in their all-night praying (a.k.a. lots of making noise and dancing around yelling and calling it prayers). So I explained what Christ taught in Matthew that God doesn't tell us to pray for the whole world to hear because He can hear us in secret, He knows our innermost thoughts, and through faith our individual prayers can and will be answered if we continue to be patient and faithful. Later as we were going, she said that she had prayed to know if it was the right thing to go to the all-night prayer, and she felt like God had sent us in response to her prayer, and she concluded that God has a master plan that we can't see. I told her that I couldn't have said it better myself. God sees everything. He knows all. Sometimes the response to our requests is delayed because He knows how to help us the best, He knows what is best for us when sometimes we do not. I know that our Heavenly Father does indeed hear and answer every prayer. He is never too far from us, and we are never too far from Him for Him to hear us when we cry out to Him.

Thanks for everything, you all are amazing and I love you all! I hope you're doing well and that I hear from you again soon!!

 

With love,

Elder Buchanan

Sorry, I only have one picture this week. It's a selfie of the elders in the apartment! Me and my companion Elder Murige, and Elder Gillam and his trainee Elder Bidi! Elder Bidi is a French speaker and he's learning English so dang quickly.

Letter and Photos from March 6, 2017

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net>  Today at 7:54 AM

Hey all!

This week has been pretty exciting! We've had some interesting stuff go down this week.

-Nothing too exciting in regards to food this week. We were able to grab some KFC, and that was delicious. Also, it was my first time attending MLC, Mission Leadership Council, and afterwards they had literally like 20 boxes of pizza and I was so pumped. Just thought you'd all like to know, haha. I'll attach a selfie of my companion and me in KFC.

-Tomorrow we're having zone training, and this will be my first time giving instruction. I'll definitely be sure to let you all know how it went when I email next week.

-So there's a sister in our district who had an appointment with an eye doctor, and while there, she contacted this doctor and introduced our message to him and he said he'd like to meet with us later to learn more. She referred him to the other companionship in our apartment since he stays in their proselyting area. The doctor said he'd bring like seven or eight of his friends to meet with us. The elders accepted the appointment, but because of the numbers and education of the people there, they invited my companion and me to join them. So we get there, and this doctor shows up, along with 10 of his friends. So there's the four of us elders and 11 other people. We get started, and we soon realize that we were just invited to a Bible study group, and not a lesson in which they want us to teach them. They start off the discussion by saying that we're discussing the word of God from the Bible and everything we say we have to back scripturally from the Bible. So they turn the time over to us, and we start teaching the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the first half of the lesson is very easy to back up with the Bible, so it mostly goes well to begin with. Eventually after a decent discussion, my companion finally introduces Joseph Smith and the first vision, and it mostly goes downhill from there. People were all upset that we were discussing stuff that didn't come from the Bible, and they got into a big disagreement about whether or not we can see God because the Bible says both people have seen God, and also that you cannot see God and live. So we tried to help them understand that there's more beyond the Bible, but they basically rejected everything we said. I was actually really impressed with how patient and calm the other elders were despite negative feedback, but I know I felt the spirit when teaching people what I know to be true. I know people have different ideas and different beliefs, but I can confidently say that I know what I have learned to be true. I have not come all the way to Ghana to lie to people for two years. I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know He has restored His church and His gospel on the earth today. There's not a doubt in my mind of the reality of the Savior Jesus Christ.

I love you all so much. It's great hearing from you. I hope you're all doing well and that you have a fantastic week.

With love,

Elder Buchanan

Just a picture of me enjoying some breakfast waakye (rice and beans with some other fancy stuff mixed in) on my bunk bed in the nice AC apartment :D

Here's the selfie I mentioned