31 New Missionaries

Dear Family,

This has been the fastest week of my entire mission. On Monday, Elder Adams and Elder Tadeo (who left for home on Wed) drove to Kumasi to pick me up, along with 4 other Elders who also went home on Wed. We drove for almost 4 hours straight to the mission home and spent the night there. In the morning, we traveled 3 1/2 hrs to the temple in Accra, arriving just in time for the 1230 session. I have missed the temple so much. Then we rushed two different groups to the airport, helping them check in for their flights home. When we finished, we drove to the MTC an hour away, making it just as 31 new missionaries were singing the opening song. We spent the night at the MTC. Wow, did that bring back some great memories! Early the next morning, Elder Adams and I drove 8 new Elders up to Kumasi in the van. The rest, boarded a bus for their new assignments in the southern part of the mission.


After a very scenic 5 hr ride north of Accra, including a beautiful place called Koforidua, we pulled into Kumasi where we had a small lunch for the new missionaries before handing them off to their trainers. Remembering my missionary interview with my Stake President, Pres Eyring at BYUI, I thought a lot about his advice to be willing to be a trainer of new missionaries. Some say obedience is not easy, but in all reality, I believe it's just like any other good habit that we all need to form in our lives. We then took one Elder 4 hrs back to the mission home to meet up with three others who we drove to Obuasi, which is a new area being opened.

The next morning, we traveled 3 hrs with two of the best missionaries and their two "sons" straight from the MTC, to a small, but very nice mining town. We helped them get settled and stayed the night there. The following day, we met new investigators and introduced them to some great members in the area before driving back to the mission home. By the time we got back to our apartment, Elder Adams and I were dead!!!

We live behind the mission home, inside the same compound. It is so exciting to be back in Cape Coast, and I am thrilled to work with the locals here. We attend a small branch called Bakano. The Church meetings were great yesterday. We meet in the nicest building I have served in. The Cape Coast 1st and 2nd Wards also meet here. Finally, after Church, Elder Adams and I were able to teach lessons again, and like best friends, we felt very comfortable teaching together. I will truly cherish my time with him. We are going to work hard and have a lot of fun.

I am overwhelmed but excited to be able to work with such great people. I will always be grateful for Chris, Tyler, and Chandler for their example to me. I hope and pray that I can serve as they did and be the missionary that my Heavenly Father intended for me to be.

Love

Elder Hair

New Assignment

A very short note this week.

Spence received a phone call from President Shulz asking him to serve as his assistant. Tomorrow morning, he and his new companion, Elder Adams, will take those missionaries who are returning home, to the Accra Temple one last time. They will then drive to the MTC to pick up new missionaries assigned to the GCCM.

Temple and Family History

Two quick stories about the temple and family history work . . .

A recent convert from Elmina, Brother Kwame, works at the Cape Coast Castle mortuary and has been a member of the Church for almost 7 months. Elder Leko and I had been working with him to get him ready to go to the temple. Three weeks before he went, we had a Temple Training meeting with the Pres and his wife. They taught us how to simply get on the Family History website, set up an account for our investigators, and help them write down all of their information. It was amazing how much Bro Kwame remembered about his own family and his wife's family. As we sat down at the computer, we worked with him and showed him how to do it. When he returned from the temple, he shared with us his feelings that when members do work for someone that they truly loved and cherished, it is wonderful. That man is now a counselor in the elders quorum and goes to the temple as often as time and money permit.

While in Sunyani, you remember we baptized Sis Affia. Well, you may also remember that two weeks after her baptism she went to the temple. She had planned to travel to the temple on June 17th, which was a Thursday. On the way home from a long P-day to Kumasi, she called to tell us that she couldn't wait until Thursday, and that she was going that very evening on the night bus to Accra which would arrive at the temple at 6am the following morning. We had also planned to go with her on Wed to the cafe to help her print some records to take with her to the temple. She instead went with "blind eyes" all by herself as a 62 year old women to a place 8 hours away from home. She was able to help over 80 people receive the ordinances of baptism and confirmation. That to me is a true disciple and follower of Christ.

I hope all of us will put the things of God before the things of the world. I have missed going to the temple more than hamburgers or movies! haha We're taught as missionaries to encourage our investigators to make simple promises to read and pray, and come to Church. I have promised myself that when I get home, I WILL go to the temple at least once a week, unless I am on my sick bed or in a place where I cannot go!

God help us all to do what we know is right. Time is the coin of life and only you can determine how it will be spent. I love this gospel more than life itself and will try to do all I can to obey. I will have fun, BUT I will always try to be centered on those things that are most important.

I love you all!

Elder Hair

The Spirit Testifies

Hey All,

That is exciting about both Kenny and Joseph. If you see them or any of their family please let them know how much this experience will strengthen their testimony, their character, and their whole life overall. If all new missionaries will listen to their trainers and be obedient, it would be much easier. I have noticed so many things just by simply watching the missionaries around me.

This week we broke through a barrier that I thought would not happen for a long time. Do you remember me writing about Jenna and Erica, the two sisters who were recently baptized? Well, their mother has heard a lot of negative things about the Church and has been avoiding us when it comes to teaching her. She loves us as people, even cooks for us sometimes. Well... this past week we were able to just simply answer questions from her as they came. I shared a brief outline of our basic beliefs---The Book of Mormon, the name of the Church, Joseph Smith and the Restoration, and then I closed with my testimony that families can be together forever. When we invited her to Church, she told us with her heart of gold that we should just give her time. We'll give her two more lessons and another invite before the Spirit kicks in so much that it will no longer be us teaching, but Him.

As I finished Mark and began Luke in my personal study time, I recognized again through my prayers that the scriptures teach us truth. I'm very grateful for the New Testament, and the fullness of the everlasting gospel found in the Book of Mormon!

Well, I loved the picture and I hope that you enjoyed the ones that I sent. Mom, you look great! Amanda, you're almost as tall as Mom!

Time is not my side today and the internet is really slow. I love you all and think about you often.

Love Elder Hair

A Sure Foundation

Dear Family,

As I sat waiting for the Mission Tour Zone Conference to begin, surrounded by great missionaries who are truly ready to work, I didn't know what was about to happen. Elder Gavarret of the Seventy was presiding. We opened the meeting with hymn 5, then had an amazing spiritual thought from one of the sisters in my district, Sis Nkenyane from South Africa. A very intelligent and well read sister. Immediately following that spiritual thought, Elder Adams got up to continue the conference, but Pres cut him off and said he would like to take a few minutes. Pres Shulz proceeded to talk very small about how important Preach My Gospel has become, then said, "I would like to ask Elder Hair, Sis Nagasou, and Elder Brown (Nigeria) to come up and tell us by using the scriptures, how important the Preach My Gospel manual is in the work, and what you have learned from it. Having no idea what I was going to say in front of 60 missionaries, Pres and Sis Shulz, and Elder and Sis Gavarret, I grabbed my scriptures and went up to the front. I don't remember exactly what I said, but I used Helaman 5:12 and shared my testimony of PMG, the foundation of our best teaching. I expressed gratitude for being able to focus on PMG along with my other studies. I know I can learn a lot more from it.

As I listened to Elder Adams in the Zone Conference speak of the love he feels for the people, I too recognized how much I love the Ghanaians as well. I remember my Temple Recommend interview in Rexburg with Pres Henry J. Eyring. He sat me down, and we conversed small, talking about each other's families and where I would be serving, and then he jumped right into the interview which went fast. Then he asked if I had any questions for him. I said, "Pres Eyring, I know you served a mission in Japan and as a mission president there as well. Is there something that you really wanted all of your missionaries to know?" He told me that as a young missionary he was very obedient, sometimes waking up early to study more etc.. However, the one thing that he said he regretted, was not loving the people enough. Surprised by his response, I asked him what he thought I should do in order to love the people enough. He simply responded, "Pray as though everything depended on the Lord, work as though everything depended on you." As I evaluate myself every day, I continue to find flaws and try to work on them. Improving in all areas of life is not an easy task, but it is made easier as you work at it each and every day.

We have been trying to get our investigators to attend church and keep their commitments. I remember counsel we received asking us to make the Book of Mormon more of a focus in our efforts. As I thought about all of our investigators, I realized that none of them had a firm enough testimony in my mind, of the Book of Mormon. They love the New Testament as I do, but as they gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon, their love and knowledge of the Bible will only grow stronger.

The family is the smallest unit in the church and the most important. You can not build a house without a foundation and we as a family are that foundation. I would like to make a small request. This week, can everyone in the family re read their Patriarchal Blessings and share their testimonies and inputs as to how we as a family are doing on making our family unit what it needs to be.

I love you all very much. Amanda, I almost broke down in tears as I saw you in a beautiful African dress. I love you all!

Elder Hair

All Good in Ghana

Well Dad, another son leaves the nest. Chandler and Devrey look great! With tears in my eyes I look at them and realize that things for the "Hair Boys," continue to change and will never be the same. I remember the good old days of two-on-two futbol and roller hockey in Spain. Although times together will now be few, I know with all of my heart that after this life it will be forever. I love you Dad, and when I get home we are going to be doing a lot together. Thank you for your continued prayers.

Amanda, I am happy that you got the fabric! I really thought hard about that dress. It is one of the favorite styles the girls wear here. The fabric itself takes a long time to make and if they mess up, it gets spoiled. I'm told you should wash it by hand. Maybe you will have to look on line to see how Ghanaians wash by hand. HAHAHA! I love you, Amanda! Your new school picture looks superb!!! I keep it in my white handbook and show it to everyone!!!

Mom, I love the Ghanaian people very much and can't wait to be able to tell you stories, and cook you foods that you will think came from heaven. I love you and can't believe how you and Amanda are getting more and more beautiful every day.

We took a trotro the other day that had a rusted out hole the size of a CD right below my feet. The typical trotro, is a far cry from the buses back home. Another time, I was sitting in the back seat when they had piled loads of plantain and cassava (fufu ingredients) onto the back of the tro. The rope broke as they were weaving in and out of traffic, and all of the stuff fell out including us almost. As we continued on the incline our seat, not securely bolted, almost went with it. We held on tight and managed to stay inside the tro. Sometimes there can be up to 15 people as well as children on their mother's laps as they travel to and from school. It makes my day when the kids rub my face or the hair on my arm. Most of the time the mate will try to charge us too much because they think we do not know the rates. Once, a mate tried to charge me extra and I told him he was "o-bwa" (not being straight with me) and one of the ladies asked me in Twi how much he was charging me. When I told her, she started yelling at the mate, then others joined in. The woman gave him a few slaps on the back of the head, meanwhile the driver was laughing at the whole thing. We have seen that same guy in his tro again and we just share laughs at how the Obroni knows the rates.

Life is all good in Ghana. We have been going over the former investigator section in PMG to get ideas and inspiration to contact former investigators that were previously not ready to accept the Gospel. We just got another large group of Elders this transfer, many from the US. It is amazing how fast the mission is going. I love the work and each and every day that goes by I look back and ask myself, "Did Elder Hair do everything he could this day to serve the Lord with all of his heart?" More than a year on my mission and I have never regretted a day of service. That doesn't mean I've been perfect, but I don't have any regrets and have learned so much. I love learning new things from my scripture study each and every day. There are so many things I wish I could just write down and talk about. My journal writing has been going well. I haven't missed a day. I know that I will really be grateful for that later in life. I love you all and know this work is divine.

Elder Hair

Patriarch Bondah

Please thank Dale for sharing that story about Emmanuel Bondah. It was big news in our mission when Assin Foso became a stake, and the story of Patriarch Bondah tells you just how great these people are. It must have been very exciting for him to meet and sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

We held our baptismal service this past Saturday, and on Sunday they were all confirmed. It rained hard for an hour before the baptisms, yet Doris Osie Agyemang, Erica Gyasi, Juliana Frimpong, and Evans Agyemang were all able to make it, though they were soaking wet even before they were baptized! haha They all are wonderful and I am so happy for each of them. They were all at Church looking fresh for their confirmations and a brother named Richmond and I performed the ordinance, while E. Saili the day before did the baptisms. Since it was fast and testimony Sunday they all got to get up and bear their testimonies with a little help from the counselor conducting. It was truly powerful. A little primary girl named Whitney, that I really love, got up and bore her testimony and out of character for her, she began to cry and ended her testimony kind of quickly. I didn't catch it all because she was speaking Twi, but I knew she was talking about her father. I later found out she was saying she knew that one day her father would become a member of the Church and get married to her mother so that they could live as a happy family.

Erica, a recent convert told us after her baptism interview, her "miracle story" of how she knew the Church was true. About two weeks ago, we taught her the Plan of Salvation. After we taught pre-earth life, fall, and creation, she felt confused so we tried to help her understand, but still we didn't feel as if she understood it well enough. We then told her that if she believed that all of the things we had taught her so far were true, then it should be easy for her to accept the message of the Gospel and the Plan of Salvation. We testified of the truthfulness of our message, and asked her to pray again to know for herself. She said she would. Three days later, she was in her bedroom that she shares with her sister Jenna. She was just about to pray before going to bed when the power went out. She got down on her knees and began to pray. As she prayed, she asked Heavenly Father, to help her to know if the Church is true. She told us she then felt something that she had never felt before, and so she prayed, "Heavenly Father, if The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, please let the power come back on. Not more than 2 minutes after she finished praying, the lights came back on and Erica began to cry.

I am very happy for Chandler and Devrey, and will be thinking about them next Friday!

I love you all!

Elder Hair