January 3, 2011

Adams Family,
Well it is 8:30pm here and its been a very busy week with lots to do. So Tuesday afternoon we jumped on a bus coming up here to Kumasi, not really knowing what we were getting into. Driving into Kumasi was crazy. Big, big houses everywhere and all kinds of stuff. Far different than Cape Coast. The couple missionaries the Keifers picked us up and drove us straight to our new area and new apartment. Just driving there was crazy. This city is huge and very hectic, just stuff going on everywhere. We live quite a ways out of town and its in a very rich area called Atonsu. When we got to our apartment it was such a weird feeling because it was so big. The chapel and apartment are really nice. The chapel has a small area for sacrament meeting where you can fit about 50 people or so, then there are 4 classrooms about the size of my old room (in America) and 2 bathrooms. It is all very nice. Then there is one room for the Branch President’s office when we get to the point where it is time to call one. It has a small waiting area outside with a couch and a nice overhang. Then the whole apartment and compound is gated with big walls and a good amount of free space inside the compound. To get into our apartment you go through another door separate from the chapel where we have a good sized room, a big, big kitchen, a bathroom and garage area. Our apartment side isn't huge but it's really nice and there are only two of us. I don't know how to explain it other than saying it is just nice, neat, clean, and new. I do miss my green walls a little bit though ha ha.

So that's the building side of things. For the whole of this week we mostly met with members that live within our area and will be transferring from the Asokwa and UST wards into our group in Atonsu. When we showed up the first day nobody told us what we were to do, they just left it up to us to figure it out. And really we still don't know a whole lot. So Wednesday morning our first day in the area we just left the apartment and walked. We walked for about 3 hours seeing the area and that kind of thing. The very first thing I said we needed to do was find a member, because then that person can show us other members and we can go from there. So for the whole of Wednesday we were on search for a member. For several hours of no luck, we began to doubt a little bit that we were not going to ever find a member that lived in this area. For some reason we walked back the way that we had come from early that morning and amazingly a women from a balcony yelled "Elders of Israel!" Immediately I knew we had found a member. She turned out to be the most powerful woman and just from meeting her we have come to learn of 20 - 30 members in the area and where many of their houses are. I feel we are going to have a good number of people at church this Sunday. So this week we met many members in our area and are getting to know them pretty well. Three live very close to us and one man with a Mercedes drives us around a lot, haha. So awesome!! I don't even feel like I am in Ghana sometimes. We have about 7 Melchizedek Priesthood holders we know are strong and active, and a good number of women that have been Relief Society Presidents or something like that. The leadership is there. I think within 3 months it will be a branch. I bet it will be that fast. We didn't have church this Sunday, we just went to another ward the UST ward.

Oh yeah I almost forgot my new companion is Elder Smith from Morgan, Utah. He is pretty cool guy, and we get along really well. He's a pretty good athlete and into sports, especially American football and wanted to play in college. He still has the greenie spirit haha pretty bad. It's pretty funny but he is really hard working and I think we will get along good. We just got finished cleaning, mopping, and doing that kind of thing at the chapel. Boy, am I tired, more tired than I have ever been on mission. We have got a lot to do and my brain hurts a little to be honest haha, but I am loving it. This is going to be a really sweet experience to see how it all goes. We did get a little time to proselyte and contact and it was so different. You have to knock on the gates. You go in and sit in a nice house on nice couches, and they offer you malt and all kinds of amazing drinks. And they are very educated and many are in the oil business or something like that. Ehh it is crazy oooo. Oh and Twi is way different to hear and speak than Fante at first. It's been a big, big change, but I am ready for it and we will see what happens. It's gunna be good, solid, hard, working fun!! This week I found myself on my knees a lot more and relying on the Lord a lot more. I felt at first that this was just way too much for me to handle, but now I am beginning to see that we don't have to do any thing amazing, just do your best and the Lord will do the rest. I think this is going to help me a lot more spiritually also. I know this work is divine and I am grateful to be engaged in it. The church is true and I am more grateful everyday to be a member of it. I love you guys and I hope all is well. Take care and may the Lord's choicest blessings be upon you all.

Love Elder Adams

ps. I could have written a 100 pages about this week, but I am tired of typing haha.