Hair's the last!

Dear Fam,

"Today's tests are tomorrow's testimonies" - Author Unknown

These past two years I feel I have been tested to the limit.  It has not been easy, but with each obstacle my testimony has become stronger.  I'm grateful for all the times you have written and said that you as a family have been blessed while I've been serving as a missionary in Ghana.  I hope the Savior has been happy with my service.  I feel I have grown in ways I didn't think I could, but in ways He knew I could. I have truly wanted to become more like Jesus Christ. That was my goal and I will continue to strive for it.  How grateful I am for this wonderful opportunity.   I hope I have left a good impression on the people of Ghana concerning the Church of Jesus Christ.

THE END!!!

and . . .

another chapter begins!

Short But Sweet

Dear Fam,

Lots of invites to see members and non members before I go. 

Recent converts have learned that we don't only care to just baptize them, but to also continue to teach and prepare them for even bigger commitments that they will need to make for months and years to come. It has been sweet to see how the spirit has made it easy for us to teach new member lessons once they have been baptized and confirmed.

Next Tuesday will be my last Zone conference. Sunday I will go to the Kumasi Mission home at 5 for dinner and a final interview with the President Holmes.

  

Early Monday morning we will leave for Cape Coast where we will meet up with the other missionaries we entered the mission with 2 years ago.  We will have one last "football" match together in Ghana. It will be great for the 7 of us to all be together again! Tuesday morning we'll all attend the Temple, then take off for London late that evening.

Next Monday will be my last email.  I will try to go out with a bang.

I love you all.

Elder Hair

ANOTHER Great Week!

Dear Family,

The weeks get more and more exciting near the end of my mission.  We worked hard this week to be able to prepare D and her two children.  The whole branch was so happy to see them enter the waters of baptism. They told everyone it was a very sweet experience for them.  What started with a simple referral from a recent convert, led to the beginning of a new life for this small fatherless family. D, age 30, and her three children, 12, 9, and 4 months, now have a much larger family in the Boukrom Branch.

We combined our baptism with another ward and D discovered a dear friend in that ward that she did not know was a member of the Church. The Lord has done many things like that to help our investigators, recent converts, and less-actives support each other as they grow in the Church. It has been another great week!

U, D, and Y were confirmed on Sunday.  D was ordained to the office of a teacher, and Y a priest. Everything is moving forward when the members work well with each other.

Saturday, the high councilor for our branch invited us to his daughter's baby blessing. As we were waiting outside, a big truck came and unloaded bags full of stuff that other family members bought to give to the family and the new child. Toys and clothes, a sink and tables, and anything you could think of.  The looks on the faces of the families next door made me feel uncomfortable because, like those families, I was marveling at just how much "stuff" they received!  For me personally, I have come to better understand these past two years, what is a necessity and what isn't.  Just one of many lessons I have learned.

I love you all very much!

Kolipoki....( Akwesi Enwi)

Plan of Salvation

Dear Family,

What a great email from you guys this week. The last time I cried while reading an email was during the first week on my mission. I am proud of my brothers who have all set incredible examples for me. Now the pressure is on me! What a week! I love you all very much.

This week we have continued to work with Y, U, and D as we prepare them to be baptized and confirmed on the 22nd. We have also pushed our baptism forward a week because D and her three children can't wait another minute to be baptized. They have come to church 4 weeks in a row now, and have learned more than enough to enter the waters of baptism with clean hands and a pure heart.

A man that has been dear to me these past 6 weeks along with his mother both passed away, he on Friday and her on Sunday.  Patience and Charley have both been sealed in the temple, so her understanding of it all is much different from the rest of her family members. We have tried to take every opportunity to share with the family the Plan of Salvation and its importance in our lives.

The day before Charley passed away we went to the hospital with Patience to visit him. After being discharged for a month, he was re-admitted for a week or so before he passed. On Thursday however, his countenance was a little different then I had seen it the past six weeks.

Elder Kakowa and I would go by the house when he was there and sit with him, we would talk to him even though his memory loss made it impossible for him to understand us. Elder Kakowa said after we left one morning; "he recognized you today." I looked at him and replied... "the Spirit was really with him today wasn't it." 

On this particular Thursday however, Elder Kakowa blessed him with comfort to live his life according to God's will. He did just that, and now he is standing beside many great men as he preaches the gospel and testifies of the power of the priesthood to those spirits in Heaven. Although we are all very sad for his passing, there is an unusual joy in the Boukrom Branch as they too have caught the spirit of missionary work.

"The spirit can not be taught, its caught!"

Enjoy this week, I know I will too.

Love Elder Hair

Buokrom -- A Hoppin Place

Dear Fam,

Elder Kakowa and I would love to take credit for another very successful week with four wonderful baptisms, but clearly, it's the Lord and his Spirit who have done it all.

We have been teaching a woman and her three children.  Another woman has already committed to be baptized which is just great.  We're also teaching another man who we feel very positive about. We are planning their baptism on the 29th of this month. The Lord continues to put people in our path which has been a sweet experience words cannot describe. 

Elder Kakowa and I enjoy opportunities to serve the people in our area making Buokrom the hoppin place for missionary work.  We helped an older sister in the branch clean out the gutter in front of the church. It is about 30 yards long and 2 feet deep, and the whole thing was full of sand and...well, lots of other stuff. People passing by seemed amazed that we were doing it to begin with, and that an Obroni was in town doing manual labor. haha  One even asked, "Obroni, why are you doing this work?  Are they paying you for this?"  With a smile on Sis B's face, she introduced E. Kakowa and I to everyone that stopped and also shared her feelings about the Church.

 

With just 4 more emails left it seems like just yesterday that I was in Elmina with Elder Leko talking about my first Fufu dinner.

I love you all very much.

Elder Hair

People to Teach, Hearts to Touch

Dear Family,
   
This past week we topped the charts with 15 investigators at Church. 10 adults from different families, and five children. Our next baptism is on the 8th for a sister named U (age 27) who was referred to us by the branch clerk, who was referred to us by the branch president and a boy named D (age 14), who was referred to us by one of our recent converts. All of those good members have shown faith in the Lord's message by coming to Church, participating in their classes, reading the Book of Mormon, and sharing the Gospel with their friends.

P and F were both confirmed on Sunday and it was one of the sweetest things. After F was confirmed, she was crying, and I could tell that she had truly felt the spirit touch her heart that day. I also had the privilege to stand in the circle for my first blessing of a new born baby.
   
This week, we worked hard to help those Elder Kakowa and I are teaching to feel the true spirit of our message by making sure that they knew how much we love them, and how much the members love them. On our way to an appointment, we had just come from a group of houses, and as we reached the main road, I saw a lady and her small boy getting out of a taxi just coming from town. She had a big box and two large bags full of cassava and plantain.

 

She was trying to ask one of the men that worked at a sawmill near the junction to look after her bags while she went home for help.  Elder Kakowa and I hurried over to help. I asked her where she was going (oko-wien) and she told me that she was going to her house (me ko fea). We grabbed the bags from the ground, put them on top of our heads, and began walking with her. I honestly thought it was only going be just down the street, but 15-20 minutes later after climbing over a few fallen trees, and across a small river, then up the slippery hill on the other side, we finally reached the house, sweating like pigs. There were about 5 women sitting outside the house who quickly rushed towards us to help. When one reached up to take the bag from me, I spoke to her in Twi and she acted very surprised that an "obronie" knew some of their language. We placed the goods on the woman's front door then turned to leave. The woman thanked us over and over again, then asked what we were doing in Ghana.  When we told her that we were missionaries, she wanted to learn more about the Church. We had another appointment, but we were happy we left a good impression, and set a time to return.  As we walked away, I looked at Elder Kakowa and said; "now didn't that feel good?" His reply; "ya, now that's missionary work."
The Lord not only puts into our paths people to teach, but hearts to touch. Although we didn't have time to teach those people, we left an impression about the Church that will hopefully be remembered by that family.

This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is His church and I'm grateful to hold His Priesthood. I know that it works if we have faith and act when we are prompted to do so.

"Because I have been given much, I too must give..," It is not our priesthood that we hold, but it is His, and we need to use it more often. I know this Church is true. I am one of His representatives and at the coming day, I too will feel the nail marks in His hands and in His feet, and I shall wet His feet with my tears. 

Let us all remember who we are so that we can be forever strong!
   
Love
  
Elder Hair

Tired---but it's worth it.

Dear Family,

The baptisms this week went wonderfully. It was a great experience for P and F who entered the waters of baptism with more then one friend waiting to help them change into dry clothing. It's been our goal as a companionship to make sure that our investigators have friends in the Church. It has been easy for us to accomplish that goal when all of the people we have been teaching have come from our branch members. We are even having another baptism next week. The Buokrom Branch is seeing what obedience and hard work can bring to missionary work.

I have become very grateful over the past two years for the country we live in. God has really blessed us with a lot and we REALLY need to be more grateful. Gratitude is a Christlike attribute I want to develop.  I love this gospel very much and know that we can be blessed as we simply live it in our lives.  I am determined to be not just a hearer of the word, but also a doer. 

We are so tired every night, but when I roll into bed its worth it.

Love,

Elder Hair

 

New Comp

Hey everyone,

My new companion and I had a great first week. With the members still working as if they were all on missions themselves, Elder Kakowa and I are working harder than ever to make sure that we have enough time to meet with everyone. I know... that's quite a problem we have; too many investigators and not enough time to see them all!

We have 8 great people scheduled to be baptized on the 24th which will be a good way to end out the month. Two of them have even given us referrals which are wonderful adds to our already busy schedule.

Elder Kakowa is from Zimbabwe, and is an amazing missionary. I'm honestly not even training Elder Kakowa... He came pre-trained!!! He comes from a family of 6 with 2 younger brothers and a younger sister. He is the oldest and leading the way as the first in the family to serve a mission. His family are all members and he was born into the church. He is a great example to me and is ready to be a keeper of the rules. I could not have asked for anything more as we try to bring more souls unto Christ in the next 8 weeks or so.

On my birthday Pres and Sis Shulz sent me this really nice text:

"Dear Elder Hair, we knew that you were special cuz you share the same birthday with our youngest son! Happy birthday to you! We hope you have a wonderful day! We sure do miss seeing you down here! We love you. Pres and Sis Shulz."

I sure did learn a lot from both of them and I know that you are happy to know that I have been in good hands these past two years with 3 wonderful mission presidents and two different missions. I was truly called to the Ghana Cape Coast Mission/Ghana Kumasi Mission for a reason and I was called at this time to meet with these people. It was a privilege to be a district leader and it was a great opportunity to be an Assistant, but it has been a true HONOR to be a trainer and teacher of two wonderful missionaries who worked hard to respect the name of Jesus Christ and his marvelous work. 

Thank you all for being a strength to me when I needed it most. I know that I will be eternally grateful for that in the future. My mission has gone the way it has, not because of just one thing, but because of many small and simple things which have helped me to be an obedient missionary. Pres Packer said; "I am a keeper of the rules, revelation depends on it." I have tried to live by that and that is where I have received my greatest joy.

I  love you all!

Elder Hair

Blessings

Hey Everyone,

We had a wonderful baptism on the 27th of May, and all four are being fellowshiped by loving, caring branch members. We also have another four maybe even five on the 10th. There is a young teacher named Prince who is preparing to further his education at the university, and also a mother and two of her kids, which will add to the relief society and primary/young women. It is fun to see people get as excited about the gospel as we missionaries do. As Elder Fawole begins his last week in the field, there is a lot of reminiscing going on about the past and what he will remember to focus on for the future. He talks about how much he has learned, and pleads everyday that he might find the best path to take when he lands back in Nigeria.

Yesterday after church, we went with our branch president to the hospital to visit the husband of the relief society president who has been bed ridden for more then 5 months.

 

As we entered D-1 wing of the hospital, I felt naucious as the terrible aroma burned our nose hairs. Men and women, once strong, now looked small and weak due to a variety of illnesses. Bro Darko has lost over 100 pounds from TB. When we walked up to his mattress lying on the floor, we felt a sense of peace as we saw his loving wife feeding him Banku and groundnut soup. He smiled with the little strength he had as we stood at the end of his bed, motioning to him with our fists held tight in a ball like a coach would do when his player scored an amazing goal. He motioned back as well. We waited until he finished eating before we gave him a blessing. Afterward, I felt as if a part of my strength was taken from me and given to this good brother. I hope to have that feeling again someday. E. Fawole and I had been fasting that day and believe as Priesthood holders, we had been blessed to offer that service. They have been sealed as husband and wife and hope for a bright future, no matter what. It was quite an experience for me, and I'm grateful for it.

Thank you for your support and prayers. I continue to learn new things each and everyday and love applying what I learn. I hope all is well back home.

Love,

Elder Hair

Another Great Week!

Hi Fam,

We had another great week!  The baptismal service went really well.  Three wards came together and 11 people were baptized! It was an amazing experience for the new converts to see so many other Church members supporting them in this important step in their lives. I was excited to see the faces on our four that were baptized and how much they had been waiting for this day.

The referrals continue to come in from our great members and I thank my Father in Heaven for allowing me to teach. The Lord truly blesses us as we do his work! With just two more weeks until Elder Fawole goes home to Nigeria, we will continue to push to the finish line. 

I had a wonderful interview with Pres Shulz on Wednesday and he shared some of his concerns about the mission split.  To be a part of this great work, and to see the growth and positive changes is a real blessing.

I love this work and know that it is of God.

I love you all.

Elder Hair

Baptisms in Buokrom

Dear Family,

4 great people to be baptized this Sunday and hopefully at least 4 more by June 10th. Elder Fawole and I are really working hard with the member referrals given to us. We have seen how the Lord has blessed us as we help Him "save souls". This week as we taught a husband and wife, we clearly saw how the spirit helps them to ask the right questions and us to give the right answers. As we were closing with the lesson on Christ's Church and the Apostasy, we asked if they had any questions. The wife asked, "If Jesus Christ established only one church and then because of the apostasy, there are now so many churches, how do we know which church is his today?"   We taught them about the Restoration.

Elder Fawole then asked, "earlier, you both said that if you came to know that Jesus Christ's original church was on the earth today, that you would follow it.  Now that you have found that church, what are you going to do?" With emotions flying, the husband without hesitation said that he very much wanted to join the church, and we set a baptismal date with him for the 10th of June. His wife however, still has questions about the priesthood that we hope to resolve and also prepare her for the 10th. This is just one example of many where the Lord has given us the people to teach and we have done our part to teach by the spirit.

I love you all.  Have a great week.

Elder Hair

Mother's Day (2)

Mom,

It was a sweet experience for me to talk to you all.  You guys have always been an amazing encouragement to me and my missionary work. I know that I will finish strong and be blessed for it. I have been able to draw closer to my Heavenly Father and see real progress.  The Lord continues to bless us as we do what he says, but when we do not what he says, we have no promise.

We have the final Zone Conference as the Ghana Cape Coast Mission on May 23, 2012 and I look forward to seeing President and Sis Shulz again. I sent a short text to Sister Shulz also wishing her a happy mothers day. 

I love you all very much and for that I will work harder then ever for the rest of my mission.

Elder Hair

Buokrom Member Referrals

Dear Fam,

This week I have felt more like a missionary than any other time in my mission. All of the skills and attributes acquired over the last 21 months or so are now in full force and I am working hard to accomplish the work here in Buokrom. We received 9 referrals from members, 8 of which we contacted, and of those 9 we have had 5 member present lessons. Not only has the work been moving, but it has been moving in the right direction. There is a right and a not so right way to do missionary work. Pres Hinckley has said that working with the members is the best way to do missionary work, and he was right.  We must do it that way for our recent converts to have friends in the church. All of those referrals we are now teaching have friends in the ward, and I would not be surprised if all of them are baptized within the next 5 weeks. The Lord helps us when we follow the prophet and do missionary work the right way.

I can't wait to talk to you all on Sunday. I will call around 7-8 our time depending on our last appointment.

Things are going well for the Hair family. Chris is getting married to a wonderful return missionary, Chandler is doing really well with Devrey, and Ty just defended his thesis with the help of Rachel's oh so delicious chocolate chip cookies. The Lord has truly been mindful of the Hair family. Now it is our turn to make sure that we continue to always be mindful of Him. Thanks again for all of the support and encouragement that you give me. I love you all!

Spence

3 Presidents --- 2 Missions

Hey Family,

This week has been filled with lots of great opportunities.  Pres Shulz has asked Elder Fawole and me to move to Buokrom, in Kumasi, an area that has been struggling for a while. We've been asked to work closely with the local members and work out some issues.

Elder Fawole is from Nigeria and has 6 weeks left so I will be his final companion.  I am excited to be able to work with him.  With this transfer, I will end up serving with three mission presidents and in two missions. I have truly been blessed with many different learning experiences that will help me be the missionary I need to be.

Tonight, Elder Alba and I will help several missionaries prepare for their flight home tomorrow.  Elder Alba has been a great companion! We have been working with two investigators and feel confident they will soon be baptized. I am grateful for the mission life. As you come and go you get more acquainted with the people and you become a stronger member of the Lord's church. Sometimes the work is not easy, and other times it
seems like it is the easiest work ever, as long as it is done right.

I'm very happy and love you all!

Elder Hair

MTC for Life

 Wow,

Thank you for your inspirational email! I enjoy the opportunity to learn from the prophets and apostles.

Dad's stories from his mission have motivated all of us to serve. Chris, Tyler, and Chandler all served very well and continue to be great examples for me. We will be eternally grateful for the decision to serve a mission.

I was very excited to hear about Janelle and Chris. As I read the email, I almost broke into tears. I got down on my knees and thanked the Lord for his mindful eye on the Hair family. I am grateful for my three amazing sisters-in-law, Amanda, and Mom!

That was a great picture of you, Dad with Elder Nash.  I was excited to hear of his mission call to St Louis. He was a great influence on me at BYUI.

I really enjoy teaching more than ever now.  I feel so comfortable talking with people and not just sputtering out lessons. It is quite an amazing feeling. Elder Alba and I are teaching two sisters who we invited to pray about being baptized.  We're anxious to visit them again.

This week as we plan for yet another large transfer in preparation for the mission split/formation of the new Kumasi Mission, I feel a sense of peace that everything is going to work out just fine and that Heavenly Father, through the mission president, will work out any kinks.

We had a combined Zone p-day where we played football (soccer) and Pres and Sis Shulz even came to watch. It was a lot of fun to see all of the missionaries there, but it was weird being the one of the oldest. The game was going along great. Suddenly, Elder Hair takes off down the left side of the field dreaming he was back on his High School team... The ball was crossed to him where he dribbled past two defenders to find himself half way down the left-hand side edge of the 18 yard box, where he wound up and took a blow. With a curving shot, the ball entered the netless goal and the crowd went wild!!!!! YES!!! Actually that is how the goal was scored, but it probably wasn't as exciting as I wrote it. haha 

Well, the rest of the week consisted with Zone Council on Wednesday and then off to Kumasi to go on splits with some of the Elders up there. We had a great day of splits and a baptismal interview.

The Lord has really helping me to learn many different lessons on my mission that I will use now and in the future. These two years are the "MTC" for the rest of my life.  I love you very much and am grateful for your example to me.

I love you all!  Have a good week.

The Azonto

Our week has gone really well. We went on splits with both the Assin Fosu and the Swedru Zones. It's sweet to pair up with another companionship for a day. Friday was an amazing day. Let me tell ya a little about it.

First, I had the opportunity to interview a man by the name of Eli who was about 25. I began by just getting to know him and talk about what he was studying in the local university. He was very open, and expressed his love for the missionaries and how the lessons had truly helped him with his schooling. He was also very concerned about the welfare of his future family. We continued with the interview questions and his very heart felt answers. He closed with a wonderful prayer asking for guidance and help as he embarks on this new journey. He was an incredible example to me.

Later, we went to see a family the missionaries had been teaching, but could not find them, so we decided to knock next door. A girl opened the door, and without hesitation, invited us in. This family was prepared at that very moment to hear the word of the Lord and his restored gospel. We began chatting small and learned that the daughter was a graduate student and her father was a professor at the University. She has been a teachers aid and is planning to further her education in the US. We had a great first visit, set up a return appointment, and left with a prayer.

Next, we went to visit the non-member boyfriend of a girl from the ZLs branch. They had been trying unsuccessfully to get together, but kept missing him. We walked to where he lives and near where she works, in a food provisions store in the same hostel (apt complex). We got there, but the place was deserted. We were kinda bummed, but hoped to be led by the spirit to find someone right in that hostel. So, right then and there, the three of us circled up, and Elder Nzuki from Kenya offered a sincere prayer asking for help. As the prayer finished, music began to play, and we decided to follow that music. We climbed the stairs until we reached the fourth floor. When followed the music to an open door, where we saw two guys. Out of the blue, Elder Bunker said to them, "Hey, Elder Hair needs a toilet, fast!" and the guys said, "Oh come on in, you can use ours." After seeing the condition of that place, the last thing I wanted to do was use their bathroom. It didn't even have a T-Roll!!! We asked the guys if we could teach them something small, and ended up having a great discussion. They were both very eager to learn. Just as we were about to finish the lesson, another guy walked in and we invited him to join us. His name was Josh, and turned out to be the boyfriend the ZLs had been searching for. We hit it off and they all really seemed to like us and see us as normal guys just like them, the only difference was that we had an extraordinary message to share with them. Before we left, Josh, who works as a DJ, wanted to show us a dance move called . . .The following day, back in our own area, we were trying our darnedest to get all of the less-actives, recent converts, and investigators to come to church. One lady by the name of Veronica was sitting on her chair listening to her Fante Gospel Music bobbin her head up and down and side to side. She took one glance at us and got that, "not again, why don't they give up already", look on her face. We told her that we had been thinking about her and that we just wanted her to know that we had not forgotten her. We told her that we loved her very much. She stopped the music and look up at us. I knew then that she felt something and that we had her attention. We told her about learning to dance the Azonto, and promised her that if she came to church, we'd dance for her. She started to laugh and said, "can you really dance the Azonto?" She promised us she would come to church if we danced it right then and there. We discovered that two other families outside their houses right next to hers had been listening. She turned up the music and the moves were busted out.

She kept her promise and came to church. That day my heart went out to that woman and ALL of the people that we visited who also kept their promises and came to church. What a glorious work this is. Even though we often face disappointment, this day made up for it all. This day was one of those days to never forget. I love this work, and I love my companion. We are working so well together to help this mission and the future Kumasi Mission to be the best in the world. It just takes one step at a time. I love you all and hope all is well.

Elder Hair

Steadfast African Pioneer

Hey Family,

What a week we have had. We traveled to Accra with President and Sister Shulz to pick up a loner car while their car is in the shop. It was quite an adventure. We went with them to the Area Office, then to get a drivers license for Elder Alba. It went really well, and we were able to get all of that done in time to make it back to Cape Coast before dark.

It was sweet to see a couple in Church that we've been working with. We have really tried to rely on the spirit as we teach them. They both look forward to the temple, and I hope and pray that before too long, they will be married in the Accra Temple.

The following day we traveled to a village about an hour away and teamed up with two different companionships. It went really well. One of the Elders has been struggling with the fact that he cannot listen to music from home. Although he has a good trainer and has not listened to anything apart from MOTAB, he still finds himself feeling as if he is missing something. I have
seen a positive change in his attitude. It was amazing to see how his trainer handled the situation and how he is helping him to deal with mission life.

We taught a really cool man by the name of Amoah. He told us, "Man's greatest enemy is himself. If we allow ourselves to be overcome by adversity, then our bodies and minds are weak and we need to work to make them stronger." Well, I have learned to do that with food.
When a member gives us a GIANT ball of Fufu in a big bowl with very spicy soup and goat skin or cow skin (hair still on it), I need to think about the aftermath of this overwhelming meal. One or two things could happen. If we don't eat it fast enough then the soup gets cold and it's not too tasty. When we finish it all, and don't exercise every day like we are suppose to, then we get the Fufu belly. I'm jumping rope right after I write this! haha That was a bad example of a great quote from Amoah.

One more amazing, once in a lifetime, yet sad experience. Brother Billy Johnson who was the first African to be baptized died this past week.

His wife and mother live in our Branch. The day after his death, we went with our branch mission leader who is their grandson to pay our repects. We talked for small time and offered our assistance. She said that at the moment, she didn't have anything, but she would just like us to keep her in our prayers. We said that we would and then as we got ready to leave, she asked Elder Alba and I if we would return the next day and give her a blessing. We agreed and she began to cry. It was awkward at first and then as we shook her hand and left, I felt a rush of peace and joy pass through me. Elder Alba and I prepared our minds and hearts for that Priesthood blessing. The next day we picked up our branch mission leader again and took him with us. I performed the blessing for Bro Johnson's wife, and Elder Alba did the same for his mother. It was an experience that I will never forget. As we all think back to what Billy Johnson did. How faithful he was to the commandments. He was not baptized yet, but lived the higher law. He knew little about the church, yet he studied the Book of Mormon and words of the prophets eagerly. I admire this family. Many have been blessed because of their example. Jessie, the grandson, is one of the most humble and forgiving men I have ever met. He is poor, yet he finds the time and money to come to church every week and fullfils his calling with the utmost respect for the meaning of a calling. We love him and pray for him and his family often.

Steadfast African Pioneer - http://www.lds.org/ensign/1999/12/steadfast-african-pioneer?lang=eng

Tonight, Pres and Sis Shulz, and Elder Alba and I, have a sweet family home evening planned with a couple that we have enjoyed teaching and learning from. Our lesson is going to be on the Atonement and Easter, and pray we'll have the spirit with us to help them understand. We then plan to just talk with them and play some small games.

I love you guys and hope you have a good week.

Elder Hair

Alma 37:37

Dear Family,

This transfer went really well. My new companion is Elder Alba from Salt Lake. We are going to get a lot accomplished as we serve together, and I am excited for what I will be able to learn from him. I've been showing him how to drive a stick. You guys laughed at me for not knowing how, and now I'm the teacher! He picked it up very quickly.

This week, I watched the missionaries who were returning home make one final phone call to their younger companions they trained. They shared advice from an "almost" return missionary to a young Jedi in training. There were tears as they expressed their love for them and the time they spent together. It's hard to say goodbye to these great missionaries, but we are excited pick up the new ones from the MTC.

E. Alba and I often have a strange schedule, so we have to be creative. We continue to find new ways to share the gospel wherever we are, and whatever mission project or assignment we're working on. The members are making a great effort to help all the missionaries with missionary work. The local leaders have seen the value in reading and following the handbook of instructions. My heart goes out to the members in Ghana for their continued effort to learn and work to follow Church standards. It is hard to leave behind traditions, but sometimes must be done.

I feel I am really growing in many different aspects of life and am learning many different lessons about myself. Within a world of hatred and satan-led minds, I'm grateful for the Savior's influence in our lives. I am grateful for challenges and yet I am more grateful for the way we allow Jesus to mend our problems.

Mom and Dad, I love you both! My mission has truly helped me feel that love for you and our family. Chris has always been an example of giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, Tyler has always helped me to look at every situation how the Savior would look at it, Chandler has helped me learn how I can accomplish anything if I work hard enough and always put my trust in my Heavenly Father and pray to Him. Amanda, has taught me how to always have a smile on my face and be happy about everything that is going on around me. Thanks, Mom and Dad!!!

I was in the Temple the other day and this thought about our family came to mind:

We cannot falter! We cannot budge! We are too far into this race, and the Lord is coming soon! We need to press on and we need to be one as a family. If we are not one, we are not His. Let us "lie unto the Lord when we sleep and rise with him in the morning thanking him for what he has done for us...and if we do these things, he will lift us up at the last day." (Alma 37:37)

Elder Hair

Press On

Hey All,

"When times are tough, press on." That is what we've been encouraged to do as we incorporate our mission theme, FOREVER STRONG.

"You tell me how the trainer is using the new training program and his time in the mornings, and I'll tell you how his day will go, I'll tell you how his week will go, how his mission will go, and in effect the rest of his life." -Elder Holland-

This week we've been able to spend a lot of time in our area, and had some great investigators attend Church. One man we are teaching had a stroke about two months ago and is still recovering. He reads everything that we give him, but is not getting enough exercise, and his feet are swollen like pineapples. It has been hard for him to get to church. He has great faith and we are going to try our hardest to help him in anyway we can. He's older and it seems as if his days are numbered, but if the Lord intends for him to be baptized on this earth, it will happen. We have the faith and I know that we can help this good man fulfill the will of the Father and enter the waters of baptism. We gave him a priesthood blessing so that he will have the strength to come to church.

Everything is sweet on this end. There are going to be a lot of changes as we prepare for the new mission. We are creating two new zones in Kumasi, and there will be a lot of transferring around, because of passport regulations.

I'm so happy that things seem like they are going well at home.

I love you all!

Elder Hair

A Very Full Week!

WOW Amanda!!! You will be a teenager in 3 days!!! That's incredible. I remember walking into Mom's hospital room in Spokane. You had just been born and were chillin with Mom in the hospital bed. I then remember getting the chance to hold you and feeling scared because I didn't want to make you cry, and I wanted you to love me. Remember to take lots of pictures so you can always look back and see how you have grown.

Now that we are finally back in the mission home after a week of craziness, I can’t wait to tell you what’s been going through my mind. At the beginning of last week we picked up the new senior couple and took them to Sunyani with the mission president to get them settled in. It was quite an experience to return again to Sunyani and see all of those amazing people and feel the spirit in that wonderful city. We then traveled all the way back to Cape Coast. As we pulled into the mission home at around 3 pm, we went right to work again preparing for the visit of Elder John B. Dickson, President of the Africa West Area. He and Sister Dickson would be coming the following afternoon. We helped the guards clean the cars and change a tire on our truck which had a slow leak. Then we cleaned our apartment so well you could even eat off the floor. The next morning, we met the Dicksons, said a prayer, and headed off to the Abura chapel in Cape Coast where we would meet for a mission tour with six zones. The meeting was amazing. We truly felt the spirit, and we were able to learn a lot from someone who has given so much of his life in service to the Lord. I really admire Elder Dickson. During the mission tour he talked about the importance of many things, but one lesson he taught us was how to be escalator missionaries and not elevator ones. An elevator has to be pushed by a button to go up or down and often makes stops at every floor, while an escalator moves continually until nighttime when everyone is sleeping, then it is turned off to rest until the morning. He also reminded the missionaries how important it is to be very very careful with the sacred funds of the Church and how we need to know where the money truly comes from.

On Monday, Elder Dickson pulled me and my companion in and interviewed us individually. He talked with me about the missionaries and our great mission president. I have grown more and more each day to love Pres and Sis Shulz. He asked me if I was worthy to go to the temple, and if I am keeping the mission rules, and about the overall obedience of the mission. He told me about the plans to divide our mission and create the new Ghana Kumasi Mission, and asked me how I felt about that. He finished with this advice, “when you get home and get married, marry in the temple and treat her like an angel from heaven."

The following day, we traveled up to Kumasi to continue the mission tour. Elder Dickson told us that they would not have opened the area of Sunyani if they did not first envision a stake there. The week prior he was in a meeting with Elder Holland, where they talked about Sunyani for some time. I'm glad Elder Omini and I could be two of those early missionaries in that area.

We met with some people from the Area office at the soon to be new mission home for the Kumasi mission. Elder Dickson’s iPad had the layout of the house, and we took a tour and discussed how we thought it should be organized. That was fun.

This week Elder Marimira and I went on splits with the other Elders in our branch. Elder Reid and I taught a former librarian that was well read and already reading the Book of Mormon. We taught him the intro to the Plan of Salvation and then he asked us some good questions. We ended with our testimonies. It was a simple lesson but we really felt good about it. He asked us if there were more books in our church libraries that he could read. We told him that there were but that the Book of Mormon he was holding in his hand will become his favorite book. He laughed and accepted our challenge to read it all.

Today we made some homemade burritos.

We made the tortillas, cut up some tomatoes and onions, bought some beans on the street corner, and added fried rice and chicken to the mix.

It was sweet to be with other missionaries and talk about the past months, and how much we enjoy serving here in Ghana.

I love you all!!

Elder Hair

New Ghana Mission!

It is incredible how much the Lord has answered my prayers. I cannot describe how happy I am right now. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and am having experiences that I will never forget.

We are very excited about the announcement of a third mission in Ghana, and the continued growth of the Church is this area. We will have the Ghana Accra Mission, the Ghana Cape Coast Mission, and the new Ghana Kumasi Mission which will include a small part of the Accra Mission. The new mission president will be coming in July. Right now, the mission is really too big for Pres and Sis Shulz to travel up and down to be able to accomplish all of the needed training, not just for the missionaries, but also for all of the new branches and wards, where there is still a lot of emphasis on following the prophet's counsel to study and apply the Church handbook of instructions.

The fellowshipping of investigators is something our members as a whole struggle with. It seems like we as missionaries do most of the fellowshipping to get an investigator to come to Church and stay. When the missionaries leave the area, or go back home, some of the investigators don't come back as often, because they feel they don't have friends in the church, or they do not have a strong enough testimony of the Savior.

Elder Marimira and I have had some cool experiences together. We are helping a man prepare for the Temple. He is traveling to his home town on Saturday to do some family history research before he attends the following Tues and Wed. It has been a lot of fun to see him get so excited about going, and recognize the importance of the temple. Right now, we are on our way to visit one of the very first members baptized in Ghana. Bro Ewuzie met President Hinckley on his travels with Billy Johnson and a few others who waited with great faith for many years for the gospel message to come to Africa.

Amanda, when we were stopped at a police checkpoint the other day, I showed him my license and also a picture of you. I told him in Fante how much I love my little sister, and he laughed and looked back at the other guards telling them that the Latter-day Saints are different. He didn't think I understood him, so it was funny. I believe they see the difference in us as we talk about, and focus so much on our families and the gospel.

Thank you for the package, Mom! It arrived on Friday, and was wonderful. I love ya and happy late valentines day. Have Dad give you a big kiss for me.

This week's schedule is packed as we prepare for the arrival of a new missionary couple, and the Mission Tour with Elder John B. Dickson of the West Africa Area Presidency. We are going to be busy!!

A P-day full of angry crocs and 300' swinging crazy heights!!

I love you all!

Your favorite son (on a mission),

Spencer

Lost 8 --- Gained 8

Lots of firsts for me this week. My first time having to really know where I'm going in this crazy driving place, the first time I've had to drive all the time without having a break, and the first time crying when my companion left.

This transfer actually went rather smoothly. We took the departing Elders to the Temple on Tuesday. It was a really powerful session. I didn't have to go to the airport. Elder Adams handled that for himself and the departing missionaries.

Elder Marimira and I headed to the MTC to meet with the new Elders. I really liked getting there early. They have so many questions and I always feel like we never have enough time to answer them. We lost eight great Elders, but we gained eight new ones.

We have been teaching in our own area as often as we can while preparing for the next Zone council on Wednesday. Sometimes it feels like there is just too much to do. I enjoy working with the president, and the opportunity to learn from him and others, but there are some days I come home so tired that I lay down just for a second and I'm out cold without even taking time to undress. Other times, I shower and brush my teeth, but then I kneel down to pray and I
fall asleep.

Amanda, that story was incredible! Elder Marimira and I talked about how we can incorporate it into our missionary work. You're the best sister a guy could ever have, and I don't think there is a day that goes by that I do not mention you or show a picture of you to someone. I admire you for your hard work in everything you do.

I know the Lord loves the missionaries. This is a great place to humble ourselves and go to work. God's prophet really does speak to us today and I get excited every time we get the chance to soak up his words. I love you all and hope you have a good week.

Elder Hair