Letter and Photos from February 13, 2017

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net>  Feb 13 at 12:35 PM

Hi, all!!

This week has been pretty fantastic. Here's a few of the things that went on.

-This week Elder Tolzmann and I went all out and made Cafe Rio. It was a little pricey, but it was absolutely worth it. Before going out one day, I made some rice, and he makes some killer beans, so he made those. He ground up some hamburger patties and added taco seasoning, and I fried some potatoes, and then we added some lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, peri peri sauce, and topped it off with some honey BBQ sauce. We got some big tortillas/pita bread and made an explosion of deliciousness. I was just pretty excited. You know I thought to take a picture to include. :D

-Yesterday was a pretty cool day for a couple of reasons! The ward decided to do a Missionary Sacrament Meeting. The full-time missionaries, ward missionaries, returned missionaries, etc. all were to lead everything. So the ward mission leader called me and asked me to give a talk for about 10 minutes. It was actually kind of cool. Back home, normally I'd be asked to give a talk for about 5 minutes. I would prepare for like hours and I would practice what I had and it'd be like only 3 minutes... but I can tell I've become much better at teaching and speaking because I came up with just an outline with a few scriptures and I spoke for like 12 minutes, haha. Nothing too exciting, I was just kind of proud of myself. I spoke about how members can be missionaries by being an "example of the believers."

-Then after church was pretty fantastic, too, because we had another baptism!! It was a girl named Pricilla. She lives with a family in the ward. Both parents are returned missionaries, and they're all fantastic. This was actually the very first time since I've been here that I've physically done the baptism myself. She's a small girl, so it was no problem, haha, but it as still a wonderful experience. As always, it's wonderful to see people have the desire to follow the Savior, Jesus Christ and to see the gospel change their lives. I hope you all know that I love my Savior, and I can promise you that by following Him we truly will find lasting peace and happiness.

I love you all. I appreciate all your love and support. I hope you're doing well and that I hear from you again soon!!

With love,

Elder Buchanan

 Delicious Cafe Rio!

Baptismal service for Pricilla.  Life is good here in Ghana. :D

Letter and Photos from February 6, 2017

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net>  Feb 6 at 12:58 PM

Hi, all!!

This week has actually been kind of a blur, so I'm having a hard time remembering anything significant that went on this week. But here's a little bit of what I can remember.

-This last week Elder Whiting went home. It was kind of hard seeing because he was doing everything he could to make sure he stays because he loves being a missionary, but I am glad he's going to be able to get proper medical attention. I'll attach a picture. The fresh suit he's wearing comes from the same place I got mine in my area and I hooked him up. I had forgotten that most elders around the world wear suits...

-So Elder Whiting went home and we picked up another elder to replace him. We brought him back the apartment which has a gate around the compound, and in the evenings, the landlords let one of the dogs out of the cage. This new elder didn't know about the dog, and he was waiting for a few of us to run across the road, so he left the gate open. We got back and saw the gate was left open, and we realized the dog got out. The two of us ran around chasing this dog trying to get it to go back into the compound, but it could pretty easily avoid the two of us, so I called the other elders to come down and help us, and so there were like four random white dudes chasing around a dog, which I'm sure was a really humorous sight for the people here, but eventually we succeeded in corralling the dog back into the gate.

-Today we had a fun combined zone activity! We went to Labadi Beach and I got a nice sunburn. Missionaries aren't really supposed to swim, unfortunately, but it was still way fun. We waded in the shallow water and at one point two of the elders in my apartment ran up from behind and picked me up and threw me in, so that was exciting. They had pool on the beach and we had food and it was fun! I'll include a picture of that, too.

-I once again finished The Book of Mormon. This makes three times since starting my mission. Every single time has been incredible. I love The Book of Mormon so much. I can't believe how much knowledge and wisdom in contained therein. One thing I always tell people is how the book makes me feel. It's easy to forget something you see or hear. Like, I could clearly see and notice, yet still forget the color of my mom's dress one day (and of course she won't be happy), but it's really hard to forget how something makes you feel. Feelings are powerful. It's hard to forget how you feel when listening to your favorite song or the song you listen to when you're depressed. It's hard to forget how you feel when participating in your favorite hobby. It's hard to forget how you feel when someone tells you bad news. And for me, above all, it's really hard to forget how I feel when I read The Book of Mormon. I can't believe the peace that permeates my entire being when I actually sit down and focus on the book. I can't believe how much my love for my Savior grows as I study His life and teachings within. I can't believe how much it has blessed my life. I've seen it bless my life, I've seen it bless my family members' lives, I've seen it bless my friends' lives, and I've seen it bless the lives of the people I share it with here. I can promise every one of you that if you pick up The Book of Mormon and begin reading with an open heart and mind, you will feel something powerful within. Even if you don't remember or understand everything you read, you'll remember how you feel, and it's an amazing feeling.

I love all of you so much! It's great hearing from you, and I hope to hear from you all again soon!

With love,

Elder Buchanan

P-day at the beach

Elder Whiting going home

Horse riding at the beach

Pool at the beach

Letter and Photos from January 30, 2017

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net>Jan 30 at 12:09 PM

Hi, all!

This week has been interesting to say the least, but it's been good!

-So there's one elder in our apartment who's been pretty sick recently, and he's going home to get medical attention, so he decided to be a total bro and bought pizza for us this week, so that was awesome. Also, we went to visit our bishop and one of his referrals, so we saw them and had a really good lesson. Afterwards, they fed us banku and fried fish. Normally people give us only one ball each, but they gave us two. I got one down alright and part of the second, and finally I convince Elder Xaba to help me finish (I can finish, I just don't particularly enjoy banku) if he could have some of my fish. So I agree, and after we leave, he just randomly says to me, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I hate banku." I had a really good laugh at that, and since then we've bonded over our dislike of banku, haha!

-This week we were able to have two baptisms! We were supposed to have three, but one of them had to travel, so we had to postpone it, but if all goes well, it should either be next week or the week after. But one of the baptisms we had was a fairly large 73 year-old woman. She's quite smart and she's awesome. Her son is a member and he baptized his mother. It started okay, and she was completely immersed, which is the important thing, and then I'm pretty sure her feet slipped out from under her and she like started kicking in the water and I'm pretty sure she thought she was about to drown by the look on her face, but her son was able to grab her and lift her back to her feet and everything was okay. After she got out of the water she was laughing and I could tell she felt pretty good. But it went really well, and I'm so happy for her.

-I don't have too many more exciting things from the week, but I did notice something I thought was interesting from the scriptures. We hear often about keeping the commandments, follow the prophets, and things like that. But I did notice that there are lots of places in the scriptures where it talks about faith, hope, and charity. We are told that charity is the greatest of them all, which makes complete sense, because the Lord has told us the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all our might and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Charity is also defined as the pure love of Christ, so if we can love others the way Christ loves us, then we're in a pretty good place. Being charitable is more than just giving money to charity, but it's a characteristic of who we are. When we're charitable, we have a genuine desire to help the people around us and to make their lives better, just like Christ. I'm so grateful for a loving Savior who came here and died just to help us overcome sin and death. He endured all of our pains so that we can overcome them with His help, and I'm eternally grateful for that.

I love all of you. I hope you're doing well and that I hear from all of you again soon!!

With love,

Elder Buchanan

Picture from the baptism of Kwadwo (pronounced Kojo) and his mother. 

Picture from the baptism with Perpetua (the 73 year-old woman). 

I also was able to get a selfie with the bishop's son. I love this little kid, and I'm impressed with the bishop's patience and love towards this little guy. Their family is so great.

Letter and Photos from January 23, 2017

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net>  Jan 23 at 11:37 AM

Hey everyone!

This week was actually really interesting. Here's what happened:

-You know I always have to start with food. This week I was able to get the phone number of a place called Papa's Pizza and here's the exciting part: THEY DELIVER. That's pretty unheard of in Ghana, but they do, and so when all the new elders arrived, we ordered a jumbo meat pizza and we all played some Monopoly and ate some pizza. It's been fun since our apartment has been changed to a four-man apartment. Things are going well here, much better than I anticipated. I'm getting along with everyone and we're all doing great. The Lord does indeed answer prayers.

-On Monday I went to the mission home and spent the night there so I could pick up my new companion Tuesday morning. My new companion is a great guy from South Africa named Elder Xaba. One Ghanaian called South Africa 'the land of the clicking tongue,' which is true, because I can't even pronounce my own companion's name correctly, haha! The 'X' is a click, and since no one here, even the Ghanaians, can't pronounce it, he always tells everyone to just say Elder Zaba, haha. So that's what I've been calling him! He's a really quiet guy, but he's definitely eager and ready to get to work, which is fantastic.

-There was one lesson which was kind of cool. Yesterday after church we went to go visit a member who didn't show up that day, and one of our investigators lives right next door to the member. So we went there, and this investigator is quite friendly, but normally isn't too eager about sitting down to learn. She sat down and was ready to chat, but she said she wasn't particularly eager to have an actual lesson. We chatted for a few minutes when she saw that I had a hymnbook with me. She asked me to sing a hymn, so I picked one out and I sang and she was way excited. Then I turned to my new companion and told him it was his turn. He didn't really want to, but he did, and I joined in with him. Then I found a hymn I knew she would know, and I got all three of us to sing together. She was super excited about it, and now whenever we come by, she wants to sing a hymn together, and to top it off, she was ready for a lesson afterwards! There's a lot of power in music, and it can do awesome things. I know this seems like a small little thing, but I really do love music, and I believe our Heavenly Father loves music as well! He has told us that "The song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads." I'm grateful for music, and I'm grateful that God has blessed me with the ability to create music, especially now that I'm in a position that I can use it to help bring people closer to the Savior, Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for the gospel and the happiness it brings. I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who watches over us and meets all of our needs, and I'm grateful that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, here for us to redeem us and to provide a way for Him to lift us up when we fall.

I love all of you so much. It's great hearing from you. I hope you're doing well and that I hear from you soon!!

With love,

Elder Buchanan

We went on an exchange this week to the Haatso area. Elder Tolzmann, me, Elder Ebinum, and Elder Johnson. They're all great.

Me and my new companion, Elder Xaba

Letter from January 16, 2017

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net>  Jan 16 at 1:10 PM

Hi, all!!

I don't have too much time to write today, because I'm at the mission home and we're doing transfers and there's a meeting soon. Hopefully I'll get more time tomorrow or on Wednesday or something, but we'll see.

-Today we're in Accra for transfers, so I took the chance to go to the Accra Mall. I got some pizza at Pizza Hut (any of you who know me know I can't go to the mall and not go to Pizza Hut. They're essentially synonymous in this case). Then, I went and got an ab wheel because Elder Hanberg took his away in the transfer and left me without one to use. So, I pigged out and made my stomach a little bigger and then got a tool to make it smaller again. So in other words, nothing's going to change! Haha

-I'll just share a quick experience I had Saturday. Saturday we got our transfer news. I'm in Agbogba and Elder Hanberg is my companion. In the Haatso area (still my apartment) there's Elder Miller and Ebinum. Elders Hanberg and Miller have been my best friends since coming here. They're so supportive and kind and loving, and it was incredible having them with me. On Saturday we got notified that both of them are being transferred and leaving me. I felt pretty sad because I was able to easily feel the spirit around them, we were able to get things done, and they made life enjoyable and more uplifting, so I was bummed that they were leaving. I also was told that some difficult elders are being transferred into my apartment, so I was not eager about the upcoming transfer. So I got on my knees and prayed just asking for comfort, and as I was kneeling, I felt almost as though the Savior was putting His arms around me and said, "Everything will be okay."

This just reminds me what I've been emphasizing about the gospel for almost 16 months now. The Lord loves us and He gives us the gospel to bless our lives and bring us joy and peace right now. I have seen it so many times before, and I felt it again. I had an overwhelming sense of peace knowing that it'll be okay because I know the Savior knows how I feel and because of that, He knows how to help me.

I love all of you so much. I hope you're doing well. I wish I could have included more, but I'm really rushed right now. I hope to hear from all of you soon!

With love,

Elder Buchanan

Letter and Photos from January 9, 2017

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net>Jan 9 at 11:07 AM

Hi, all!

This week was definitely interesting. Here's a little bit of what happened.

-This last Monday was kind of cool. We had a ward New Year's party/Family Home Evening that we went to. The Haatso elders were also invited, so the four of us went and we had a pretty good time. We got there late because last week we had to go to three different internet cafes because they were all closed. They had some snacks there which were nice, and then we grabbed some food at Peter Pan again which is always enjoyable. I'll include a picture of the four of us there.

-We have one member in our ward who's a returned missionary, and we often go to visit her family and a friend that stays with her that hopefully will be baptized this month. She sometimes will tease me and say things like, "Elder Buchanan, you're dreaming too much of BYU." So one day I had Elder Hanberg wear one of my BYU ties and I wore the other and we wore them when we went to her home and she laughed and said that I was teasing her about BYU. She's going to start the BYU pathway program soon, so I've indoctrinated someone here to BYU, so I consider that a success on my part, haha!

-Alright, here's the embarrassing story of the week. And I can promise this didn't happen because I'm fat, because I'm actually starting to lose weight, but take it how you will. When I got to this area, I had some pants fitted because they were super baggy. They came back snug, but no problem. Lately, our apartment has been doing a workout regimen which has been going really well. It's technically a 6-week plan, and last week was week 5. So my legs have been getting a little bigger as a result. So this last week, we visited a member and just as we were leaving, I go to get on my bike, and I hear what almost sounds like a muffled pop. I look down and realize that my pants split at the seams right between my legs... luckily, we were still at the members' home. So we go and we ask if the father has any extra pants around. Unfortunately, they are way too small for me. So here's what ends up happening: Elder Hanberg gives me his pants which are also pretty snug, but manageable, and he wears a pair of black sweats that belongs to this member and we finish proselyting for the day like that. So I'll be sure to attach a picture of our outfits, haha! But the coolest part of the experience is that this kind sister took my ripped pants and went to go take them to a nearby seamstress without me even asking. That's one thing I do like about the culture here. Everyone is almost like family here. She was just so willing to help out a poor little white missionary with no pants, haha. The seamstress wasn't around, so that's why Elder Hanberg ended up wearing sweats (which he is a real bro for, by the way), but she was still so kind and willing to help, which was awesome. That's one thing I love about the culture here, but it's also something I love about the gospel. We are all part of one big family—God's family. And as we follow the Savior, Jesus Christ, our love for Him increases as well as our love for those around us. As we show that love for those around us, we can do a little bit every day to make their lives a little better and to uplift them. That's what the gospel is for—to make our lives better, and it's here for every single one of us.

I love all of you so much. As always, I hope you're all doing great and that I hear from you all soon!!

With love,

Elder Buchanan

Wearing our BYU ties!

New Year's Party

Switched pants between me and Elder Hanberg

Letter and Photo from January 2, 2017

Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net>Jan 2 at 9:50 AM

Hi, all!

This week has been pretty good, as usual.

-Saturday, New Year's Eve was kind of interesting. We were invited to attend a wedding that was happening in the Adenta Stake Center because our ward choir was performing, so we went there, and it was pretty interesting. I had only anticipated playing piano for the choir, but I ended up playing for the entire program, including all the hymns, and they had me play Pachelbel's Canon while the bride and groom entered and exited. The choir did quite well. At one point the fire alarms went off. Then when the bishop said that the groom could kiss his bride, the entire audience started going crazy and yelling and screaming, like holy goodness... but I wasn't surprised, that's not uncommon here, haha. But afterwards at the building they were having a New Year's party. Unfortunately, we weren't able to stay because our leaders told us to be back in the apartment by 6:00pm to avoid any craziness with New Year's celebrations. So they fed the missionaries there early before everyone else because they knew we had to leave. I gladly accepted some nice rice and chicken and plantain. My companion, on the other hand, actually requested fufu... gross, haha. But we wolfed it all down and got home.

-The highlight of this week was Wednesday. Elder Hanberg started throwing up right as probably our most promising investigator calls and asks if we could come "right now." Well, luckily it was still early in the morning, so we conduct a brief exchange and I take Elder Miller to go visit this woman. She's older, around 72, but she's smart and really awesome. We get there hoping to stay for no longer than an hour. We sit down and chat for a few minutes and then start teaching. She has lots of questions, and despite our efforts to keep it relatively brief, we end up teaching for a solid hour and a half. This woman has been coming to church for a while, since before I came to Agbogba, but she had never been baptized. She told us that she knows what we've been teaching is true, and she committed to be baptized at the end of January! The spirit was so strong in that lesson, more so than most. She understood and grasped everything really well. Then as we conclude, we're about to ask to pray and then get up and go, when she stands up and says, "I'm coming," which is the Ghanaian way of saying, "I'll be right back." We're trying to go so Elder Miller can go to his own area, but then this lady comes out with a big plate of rice and stew with chicken for both of us. I can't say I was complaining, it was actually really good. But even though we were there for quite a while, it was a really good experience.

-That's the kind of thing that makes missionary work so rewarding. It's incredible seeing people so readily embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ because they truly feel how much it'll bless their lives. And it really will. I've said so many times how much happiness and how many blessings following the Savior Jesus Christ really will bring. Our Heavenly Father sent us here so that we can be happy as we have faith and trust in Him. He loves us so much, and that's why He gives us the gospel. He wants to help us. He's not giving us a bunch of rules and regulations just to keep us from doing whatever we want, but He gives us guidance to lead and direct us and to help us to be happy. And it's amazing seeing people recognize that and embrace that truth. It brings me so much joy seeing how happy the gospel is making other people.

I love all of you so much. I hope you're doing fantastic. It's awesome hearing from you, and, as always, I hope to hear from all of you again soon!

With love,

Elder Buchanan

The picture was yesterday when we were at the bishop's home. Notice my kente tie. :D