Letter and photos from April 11, 2016

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net>  Apr 11 at 2:38 PM

To       

Hello, everyone!!

This has been a really wonderful week for a few different reasons. Here's what went on with me:

-This past week we had a zone conference. I was able to play the hymns, but then I was also asked to share a special musical number, so I played my own arrangement of How Great Thou Art. It was a really good experience. I love that song so much.

-Now, for food, haha! I had "Red Red" for the first time! It was actually quite good. It's red oil, garre, plantains, and beans. It was quite nice. Also, this week my companion and I finally decided to make that fried rice I had been talking about making, and I must say I think I did a pretty amazing job, haha!

-I've had my name pronounced a few funs ways this week. I've been called "Elder Batman" and I've also been called "Bu-Ghana." So those are a few interesting ones to add to the list!

-It made me a little sad this week when we went to go visit a recent convert and his wife, there was a small boy over to the side and as soon as he saw me, he just broke down and started crying. People here threaten their children with white people, so little children often are just afraid of me. Then, about 20 minutes later we went somewhere else and I was just riding by on my bike, and another little boy just looked at me and started sobbing! It made me so sad, haha!

-This week was the first time that I was able to actually sleep under my sheets AND the small blanket I brought. Since it's rainy season, there's often a nice, cool breeze, and it's beautiful particularly at night.

-I love missionary work! I've had two what I would call miraculous experiences this week. My mission president came and split our branch and then gave me a list of the members and their phone numbers and encouraged me to call them and meet them and get to know them. I had been having very little luck with the list. Almost every single number said something like, "The MTN number you have called is not available," or something of that sort. Finally, I came across one person who allowed us to come visit her. We scheduled here for Saturday afternoon. Then Saturday morning we went to the district conference and we talked all about not taking offense and helping those who had been offended come back to church. Then, when we got back to our area, this lady we had scheduled was the first person we saw. Surprisingly, she was a less active member who told us that she had been sick for a long time and then had a baby and only one member visited her one time over the space of a year and she was hurt by that. Seemingly no one really cared about her, so she stopped coming. I thought it was incredible that we had met with someone who had the very same problem we had just discussed in district conference! So we were able to share some of the things we had learned and we scheduled a return for the next day (Sunday) to visit her again after the Sunday conference. So we went to the conference the next day, which was wonderful, and then I had the second miraculous experiences to which I'm referring. We got back to the apartment, had lunch, and then I called this woman to see if we still would be able to visit her. She said she had travelled to somewhere and was unavailable. Disappointed, I began calling people on the member list, and, again, was having virtually no success. I had been through two pages already and had met only one person thus far. I was feeling dejected, it was getting close to the end of proselyting time on Sunday, and I was tired, and I kind of just wanted to sit back and relax in the apartment, but I really, really wanted to be the best servant of the Lord that I could. So, not knowing what I should do, I got down on my knees and prayed. I asked that the Lord would guide me so that I would know what to do and that He would provide some opportunity to teach or to serve that would bring someone to the gospel. When I concluded, I felt prompted to continue calling members on the list. So I picked up from where I left off. Again, I was getting messages that the numbers were inavailable. After a few more calls, one finally went through. It was the name of a woman in the branch, but it was a man who answered, and he turned out to be a recent convert who told us that he was available right then! So I grabbed my companion and we headed out the door. We met him and he had a non-member friend with him who seemed very friendly and welcoming. They both showed us to the recent convert's home where we met his wife, who also isn't a member, and they sat down with us and we were able to get to know them better and share a few things with them and they agreed to let us return! I have faith that the Lord will guide us to lead these people into the church and unto Christ. That was a really special experience for me this week.

I just want you all to know that I know the Lord lives and that He, as well as our Father in Heaven, love us so incredibly much—more than we can ever imagine in this lifetime. I love my Savior, and I love serving Him by serving His children here in Ghana. The gospel I share is for everyone. The Lord doesn't exempt anyone from His love. All we have to do is to follow Him and we'll be both blessed and happy.

I hope everything's going well for all of you. Thank you for everything you do for me and for all the love and support.

With love,

Elder Buchanan :)

P.S. We had some schedule as well as internet issues, so, sadly, I wasn't able to read and reply to everyone's emails. I'm sorry. Hopefully I'll be able to find time to do so next week. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about any of you!

Elder Buchanan at a multi-zone activity

Elder Buchanan at multi-zone activity

Letter and Photo from April 4, 2016

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 :(

Elder Buchanan, the pianist in his new branch, the Asutsuare Branch

Letter from March 28, 2016

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net>  Mar 28 at 10:03 AM

To       

Hello, all!!

This week has been a week of ups and downs. Missionary work is definitely a dynamic experience, haha!

-So this was my first week in my new area in "the bush." It's a little different from the city. There's good and bad about it. Bread is crazy expensive here, and I have bread every morning for breakfast, so I might go broke, haha xD But our apartment is really small. Even Elder Kwofie, a Ghanaian says it's quite small. It's four rooms including the bathroom: the main room, a kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom. The only tiling is in the bathroom, so the rest of the floor is just cement. It's a little less homey than my last apartment, but I've already grown attached to it. It is a little more quiet here, which is nice. The people here are nice, but Twi is less common, so the little Twi I've learned is less useful here, haha. Most of the people here speak Dangbe, so now I'm going to have to figure out this language! But people here speak English less, which is definitely a challenge for me. I've learned to speak in a way that people can understand me in my previous area, but here they have a harder time understanding me, so frequently my companion will literally just restate what I said because they can understand him. Sometimes we'll find someone who only speaks Twi and my companion will just sit there and teach them in Twi, so sometimes I'll feel kind of useless because I won't know what's going on. I try my best, though. What makes up for it, though, is when I do have the chance to effectively communicate with someone, I share my testimony with them and I feel the spirit there when I finally do something to help people come unto Christ myself. The feeling is tangible. It's real. My companion is actually way awesome. I'm with Elder Kwofie, a Ghanaian, and he's great. He loves getting out to work just as much as I do. We get along really well, which is nice especially considering it's just the two of us in the apartment. So things are going really well. I have to admit it's kind of fun being the senior companion, too. I get to carry the phone, so I feel cool ;)

-We aren't in a ward in this area, we're in a branch (just basically a small group of people that meet for church). I hadn't even met the Branch President yet, but someone had told him that I play piano, so when I got to church for the first time here, the piano was already out waiting for me! So I'm already unofficially the branch pianist, haha! I was told three of the hymns we were singing, but I wasn't told we were singing an intermediate hymn, so when the Branch President got up there and announced an intermediate hymn, I was caught off-guard, and it was a hymn I was definitely less familiar with, and I had zero time to practice, so it was a little rough, but I was playing it pretty well by the last verse, haha.

-I think white people are even less common here in the bush than in the city, so children are definitely more excited to see me. After church, I literally had a crowd of children gathered around me touching me and grabbing my arm and they didn't want to let go! Often I'll even be riding my bike down the road and some kid will just reach out his arm to touch me... so that's definitely interesting here, haha!

Also, yesterday was Easter Sunday! Easter wasn't really that great this year, sadly. I did my best to reflect on the Savior's Atonement on my own, but it just wasn't the same being away from my family. To top it off, I think I was literally the only one who remembered that it was Easter. Even in church, they didn't have us sing Easter hymns or anything. Although one redeeming experience was Friday or Saturday, there was a member we were meeting with, and she asked us to read about the Atonement of the Savior. So together, we read from Mark about Christ's crucifixion. I also read from Matthew about that account as well, and it made me so incredibly grateful for Him. My words are incapable of expressing my gratitude to Jesus Christ, God's own son. I know that He came here for us because He loves us. Because of Him, we can always have hope, no matter what. Even though Easter is a special time that the world has set aside to remember Him, we should always remember Him in our hearts every day of our lives. I love Him. I hope it's abundantly clear to all of you that I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know He lives and He loves you as well.

I love and miss you all! I hope everything's going really well for you. I hope life is treating all of you really well! You have no idea how much I appreciate all your love and support. I can't wait to hear from you again next week!!

With love,

Elder Buchanan :)

P.S. I think I'll be able to send pictures next week. Since there's no anti-virus software on this computer, I'm going to put a new card in my camera and take pictures with that specifically to send home so I don't lose any valuable pictures.

Letter and Photo from March 22, 2016

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net>  Mar 22 at 1:35 PM

To       

Hi, all!!

Sorry for the late email, it's been a crazy past couple of days!!

-I remembered when it was March 17 and that it was St. Patrick's Day, so I wore a green tie! I pinched Elder Udonsa since he wasn't wearing green and he was so confused, haha.

-This week we were sitting down teaching a lesson to an investigator and a different investigator who lives nearby came up and said hi to us. It was a young girl, and she went over to my companion and leaned in close to his face; Elder Udonsa told me he thought she was going to whisper something in his ear, but she kissed him on the cheek! Then she came over and did the same to me! We were both quite surprised... She just kind of left after that, and then we just went back to teaching our lesson, haha!

-I've come to learn that funerals are basically big parties here in Ghana! Everyone wears red and black, and they play loud music and dance and just get excited! I think the thought behind that is that they want to celebrate the life rather than be sad, but coming from an American culture, it definitely was kind of foreign to me when I saw that going on, haha

-So on Saturday evening we got home from proselyting and we went outside to buy something from the nearby shop and Elder Udonsa hands me the phone and says it's the zone leader! I take the phone and he says, "Elder Buchanan, I have some news for you. You're being transferred next week." Now, the next actual transfer according to the transfer schedule is next week, after Easter, but I'm being transferred early. I'm finally leaving my first area, Michel Camp in the Ashaiman Zone, and I'm going to Asutsuare in the Kpong Zone. It's a "Bush Zone." My new companion is going to be Elder Kwofie, a Ghanaian. It's going to be just the two of us in the apartment, and I'm finally going to be the senior companion! So I'm quite excited about that. It'll be an interesting new adventure! Since I'm in the bush, the internet will likely be a bit sketchy, so I'm not 100% about being able to send pictures, but I'll definitely do my best to send some whenever I can!!

I love you all so much. Sorry for the late email, but don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you all. :) Don't ever forget that the Lord lives and He truly loves each and every one of us so much. I know that He's always right there by our side, we just need to reach out to Him and He'll always take our hand—always.

With love,

Elder Buchanan

Elder Buchanan with Elders Udonsa, Uche, and Odili.  He's off to the Bush!

Letter and Photos from March 15, 2016

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net> 03/15/16 at 1:17 PM

Hello, all!

This has been a pretty intense week! This work is so tiring, yet so incredible! So some exciting things have happened this week.

-I finally made bo-floats this week! They mostly turned out well, but they got a little burned, haha. I'll perfect them before I get home, though :D

-Last Tuesday I played piano in a Zone Conference! I played the hymns, but I was also asked to play a special musical number! I didn't know what to play, so I asked the zone leader. I told him a few I could play cool arrangements for and he picked If You Could Hie to Kolob, so I played my own arrangement of that for the Zone Conference! It's always quite fun getting to play.

-Yesterday was by far the most exciting day of the week, and probably the most exciting day of my mission! I actually took six pages to write about it in my journal, my longest journal entry so far! So I won't recall every detail, but I'll include the most important things. There's two main reasons why yesterday was so fantastic. I'll mention the more exciting part second, haha.

So we had a meeting in Accra and after the meeting, I zealously seized the opportunity to finally go to the Accra Mall!! Holy flip, I had to restrain my excitement. I felt like I was back in America! It looked like a typical American mall, and there were a bunch of white people there, too! It was so weird... But as soon as we got inside, we made a beeline for the food court. I thought, "So this is what Heaven is like!" Haha just kidding, but I was so dang excited. I'm sure none of you will be surprised to know that the first stop was The Pizza Inn. I bought a large meat deluxe pizza for 36 cedis. We both had half that pizza, which was actually really good! As soon as that had been consumed, I went and bought myself a cheeseburger meal for 30 cedis which came with french fries and a soda. It was definitely up to American standard for a cheeseburger and fries. Then, we couldn't leave without getting ice cream, so I bought Elder Udonsa and myself some ice cream. I bought an "Oreo Spinna" for 8 cedis. So in total, I spent 82 cedis just on food yesterday... I had never been so excited for pizza, a cheeseburger and fries, and ice cream. It was so worth the 82 cedis. Luckily, that converts to roughly $20, which is about normal back home for what I got, so I had absolutely no regrets. :D

So the first part of the day was the most exciting. We had a combined meeting with the city zone missionaries in the Accra Mission and the missionaries in the Accra West Mission. It was a big conference in which Elder Rasband came and spoke to us! It was such an incredible experience. We frequently meet apostles here (or people who claim to be apostles), but I had such a powerful sense that this really was an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're constantly teaching people that one of the reasons for the authenticity of our church is that the same organization exists in the church today as in the time of Christ, which includes apostles called to help lead and guide the church closer to the Savior. When I was young, I viewed them more as celebrities, I suppose. Everyone would always want to just shake the hand of an apostle, but now, I had a much more real sense that Elder Rasband isn't a celebrity—he's a special witness of Jesus Christ. He really is. There's no doubt about it. I could feel his testimony so powerfully. I learned so much from him, but my favorite part was this: He gave us an apostolic promise that as we learn more and more about the Savior, we'll come to love Him more deeply, and when we do, we'll have much more happiness in this life and our desire to serve Him and be obedient will deepen and increase. That's something that I suppose I had subconsciously noticed, but Elder Rasband helped to bring that realization to light in my mind. It really is true. As I've studied the life of the Savior, I've felt so much more joy in my life. I've had a greater desire to serve Him and to submit myself to His will and to do what He would have me do. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to hear and learn from him.

As always, I want you all to know that I know the Savior, Jesus Christ, lives. He loves each and every one of us so much more than we can ever comprehend in this life. He's always there right by our side ready to lift us when we're down. All He asks is for us to reach up to Him, and He'll immediately reach out for us. I know this is true with all of my heart.

I love you all so, so much. As always, you're the best family anyone could ever ask for. I absolutely love hearing from each of you. I miss you all and I hope everything is going really well for all of you!!

Love,

Elder Daniel Buchanan

So here's the Accra Mall

I was so excited about my burger I started eating it before I got a picture! This was fantastic.

And just a cool picture of my companion in the food court :D

Here's the cold food display. There were donuts and cheesecake!! I had a debate in my mind whether to get those, too, or not. I decided against it. I'll get them the next time I'm in Accra :D

And last but not least, the "Oreo Spinna." Ah, good times :D

Here's the large meat deluxe pizza :D

Letter and photos from March 7, 2016

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net>  Mar 7 at 12:20 PM

To       

Hello!

This week was a pretty interesting one. It's still a tough area, but luckily we just recently had a new ward missionary called in our ward who will be going out with us regularly, so that should be pretty awesome.

-This Tuesday it rained like crazy! It was a little cloudy when we headed out, which isn't uncommon, but then it got crazy windy and the clouds got like scary dark, so we turned around and went back to the apartment, and as soon as we got inside, the sky just opened up and poured the rain down on us. We got our rain jackets and umbrellas and headed out into the rain! We walked for about an hour in the mud and rain, and I'm not entirely sure why, but it was kind of fun! It actually felt really good. I'm tired of melting here in the sun, haha!

-There was a stake missionary devotional on Friday, and I was invited to play piano again to accompany some of the other Elders in the zone as they sang! We performed the same thing we did for the Mission Tour a few weeks ago: a medley of Love One Another and I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus. It was really nice. I love being able to play piano for occasions like that :)

Also, when we were leaving, I SAW SOMEONE WEARING A BYU SHIRT. Haha and it wasn't another missionary, it was a Ghanaian just walking down the road that night, and I was so pumped. You could ask my companion, I kind of geeked out, haha.

-I think the most exciting part of my week was actually yesterday. It was Fast Sunday. It used to be when I fasted, I would want food. Now when I fast, all I want is a big, cold bottle of water, haha! But we were headed home from church, and I was excited for that 1.5 liter bottle waiting for me in the fridge, but then Elder Udonsa said we should stop by and see someone first. I had mixed feelings, haha xD it was actually a really nice lesson. Even though I was on the verge of death because of thirst, I'm really glad we stopped and talked to them. It was a man we had met a few days ago and his brother is named Kelvin, which I was way excited about (because that's my dad's name, haha), and he was way receptive to what we had to share with him! So hopefully we'll see some progress with him :) haha but that's not even the exciting part I was referring to! When we got back to the apartment, we had a little extra time, so I took advantage of it and took the opportunity to study from the Book of Mormon. I started in Ether 12 and right before our weekly planning session, I got to Moroni 9 (the second to last chapter in the Book of Mormon). We finished our planning session, and before I even changed my clothes I finished the last chapter, so I completed reading the Book of Mormon again! Man, I've always liked the Book of Mormon, but I've seriously come to develop a deep love for it since coming here. There are so many incredible things inside. I've been reading it my whole life and every time I read it I learn something new. It really is amazing. I hope you all have read it. If not, you should, because it's a great book! It's seriously changed my life, and it's changed the whole world. It was given to us by our loving Heavenly Father to bless our lives. I know it's absolutely blessed mine.

I hope everything's going well for all of you. I truly appreciate all the love and support you give me. I don't know how to sufficiently convey my gratitude to all of you. You're the best!!

With love,

Elder Buchanan :)

Here's the outside of our apartment. It's small, but it's actually pretty nice (for the most part, haha).

 

Here's the main entryway into our apartment.

And here's just a random selfie of me at the internet cafe. :D

Letter and photos from February 22, 2016

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net>  Today at 11:51 AM

To       

Hello, all!

This week hasn't been too eventful, but it's been good.

-I finally had the opportunity to pound fufu for the first time! That's more stress than I'd want to go through for food, much less fufu, haha! It was pretty cool, though.

-Today, since it's P-Day and I finished my washing, but the water pump is having issues, I wasn't able to rinse, so I had some extra time. So, I finally took a nap for what I think is the first time since coming to Ghana. It was glorious.

-I've always wanted to share the gospel with people around me, but that desire has deepened within me this past week. I've mentioned an investigator who's the first investigator that I've personally had that's actually kept commitments, reads the Book of Mormon, and comes to church. We asked her if she felt like she's received her answer as to whether she should be baptized or not. She said no, so I asked her if she had actually prayed and asked if that's what the Lord wants her to do. Again, she said no, so I say, "Ah, why not?" and her response just about broke my heart. She said, "Because I think I know the answer I'll get..." We can tell that she feels in her heart that the gospel is true, but she's not ready to change yet. I've seriously come to love this investigator and truly desire for her to have the blessings that come from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and for the first time since getting here, I've felt to such a greater degree that people out there are missing out on blessings from our Father in Heaven. He wants us to be happy and to have joy, peace, and hope, and all of that comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that with all of my heart.

-During my scripture study this week, I've once again recognized the great love that the Savior, Jesus Christ, has for His children. I was reading in The Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi 17. This is while Christ Himself was visiting the people in the Americas and teaching and ministering to them. I absolutely loved vv. 5-7. "5 And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them. 6 And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you. 7 Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy." The Savior of the World loves us so, so much. He truly wants to bless us because of His great mercy and compassion towards us, and for that I'm eternally grateful. It's because of that great love for us that He came into the world to take upon Himself our sins, our mistakes, our weaknesses so that we don't have to suffer the price for those if we will repent and follow Him. I know with all of my heart that this is true. I know He lives and loves us.

You all are the best! I hope you know I pray for all of you every day!

With love,

Elder Buchanan :)

Don't worry, all of Ghana doesn't look like this, I just like taking pictures in places that look like what most people think Africa looks like, haha :) Notice the BYU tie :D

This is the picture of me pounding fufu for the first time! The people there seriously thought it was the funniest thing ever to watch a white man pound fufu!