So this is Elder Twede's mom again and I was just working in my yard thinking it was hard and I wish my husband was home helping cuz he is better at hard things than me. Then I started thinking about the elder who didn't want to do his chore. I wasn't too compassionate. I mean the guy is in Africa giving up two years of his life so that others can have eternity with theirs. That is the definition of being a man not a child. So, when he has a breaking point I hope others will help him along. Who wants to be known as the Elder who wouldn't do his chores? He probably has done many heroic things in his life and I judged him on one bad day. Boo on me. It's like Sariah in 1 Nephi Ch 5 complaining because she thinks her sons are dead and now there is a record of it for everyone to read! If that is all we had to judge her on I still think she would come out looking pretty good. She is after all morning her older sons too, who can be hard to love. But anyone who has done hard things or ever tried to imagine leaving your home and having kids in the wilderness and watching your family suffer knows Sariah was truly amazing. And that is my point. Anyone willing to sacrifice so much for the Lord deserves our respect.
Wow, I feel better. Repentance is good. Repentance and shopping? Even better. I'm off to send the 3 Elders with Elder Twede a Christmas envelope.
This is fun. Why haven't I ever blogged before?
Mom
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Nov. 14, 2013 You know I'm Going to Comment
OK, another mom commentary. My advice in getting children (or grown men acting like children) to do chores is to just take the worst job yourself and tell them they can trade jobs with you if they are unhappy about their assignment. My children usually stopped complaining when they saw the good deal they had.
As far as the shaking goes, my theory is Elder Twede was bitten by a wolf spider and was going to phase into a werewolf but kept his cool and didn't phase. Way to go Elder Twede. You kept your human form. If you don't understand this post don't worry. Come up with your own theory.
Mom
As far as the shaking goes, my theory is Elder Twede was bitten by a wolf spider and was going to phase into a werewolf but kept his cool and didn't phase. Way to go Elder Twede. You kept your human form. If you don't understand this post don't worry. Come up with your own theory.
Mom
Nov. 11, 2013 Some Times Missions Are Just Hard
Hey Dad (and family),
There are dogs everywhere here, but we really see more goats and chickens than anything else. The dogs all shy away from people here because they will usually be killed and eaten (as well as the cats in the area), so I haven't become attached to any of them at all. Four weeks ago, our district leader gave us different assignments within our apartment and I was given the responsibility of making sure that everything in the apartment got cleaned every Monday. To fulfill this task, I made a rotational schedule of different areas that each missionary would clean for every P-day until the end of the transfer, and everyone was okay with it. Things worked smoothly until this morning, when one missionary got an assignment that he didn't want. I talked and reasoned with him and explained that everyone has a responsibility to do each week, and that sometimes the tasks won't be pleasant. However, everyone should do their part, and their assignment for the next week will be something better than the last. He just told me to shut up and started to clean my area that I was supposed to clean for the day. I went into the kitchen because I just wanted to get away from the problem and I had been boiling some sausages, and then my head started to buzz. I didn't know what was happening and I got out some bread to cut, but I couldn't even pick up the knife because my hands were shaking and my vision was blurry. I then got some water and two Amoxicyllin pills for the infection, and I put them in my mouth and swallowed them down, only to start laughing at the absurdity of the situation. I was laughing and laughing, and I had to sit down so that I could just calm down. I was viewing it as if I was in a movie. Imagine: The main character tries to carry out his duties but fails to do so because the other people around him have different plans. Then, he goes into the kitchen shaking and tries to pick up a knife but fails to do so. In frustration, he takes two pills in his hand and puts them into his mouth while his body is shaking. He gulps them down. -- It felt as if I was taking anti-depressants or something. Thankfully, everything passed and I was able to laugh everything away, but I just wish the situation never happened in the first place.
Nov. 14, 2013 Mom commentary
OK, so as a mom I am conflicted about the food. When Elder A. Twede was younger he was a very picky eater. I used to tell him, "He may not like the way it looks but he may like how it tastes." (talking about the food I had served). So, I would have him close his eyes and just eat it. Other times I would tell him "Just eat it even if you don't like it. It is good for you and it may be good training for your mission. You never know what you will have to eat." And finally, I started buying cheese from all over the world to have the kids eat and just get used to trying new foods. Now I am thinking this little exercise just paid off or just backfired. Like I said, I am conflicted. I think Elder Twede will be getting breath mints for Christmas, and deworming when he gets home. Should I warn you when a post will turn your stomach? I am still feeling guilty every time I eat good food.
Mom
Mom
Nov. 5, 2013 FuFou and PooPoo (I wish I was kidding)
Dear Family,
Each week
comes and goes with hardly a whisper when it passes by. When you are in the
midst of the week, it seems as if a storm is raging, but then time moves and you
find that what is past is past and you only have the present day to live through.
Over the small time that I have been here, I have begun to learn from the past,
to treasure up the present, and to have hopes for the future. Truly, being a
missionary has changed my perspective and overall view of life, and my
character is being shaped and molded day by day by the master potter.
I guess the
reason why I mentioned this is because I am already more than 5 months into my
mission time, and it hardly seems as if any time has passed at all. When I just
focus on one day at a time and forget about the time that has passed,
everything flies by leaving me wondering if two years is really any time at
all. I have been e-mailing with other missionaries who are in the field (some
who were my previous roommates at BYU) and it is crazy to me to think that some
are still coming on their missions. It really is a unique experience and
something that is still somewhat new to me, but I am quickly realizing how
missionary work is truly a divine work. People come and go every week, but
still the work of God moves forward as a stone, rolling forth unto all nations.
This is truly the Church of the Firstborn.
Here in
Ghana, people are very handy when it comes to crafts. I have a scripture bag
that I bought from the mission home and it is very plain, but I heard from
another missionary about a return missionary in Kumasi who makes scripture bags
from beads. I was able to see an example of one and decided to call the return
missionary (P---) to order one. Now, I have finally received the scripture bag and
it looks really neat. I took a couple of pictures with my camera but forgot to
bring the memory card with me, but I can give a small description of it. It has
the Ghana flag on one side and the American flag on the opposite side, with a
black banner going across the top on which is written "BYU." Like I
said, I took pictures of it, so I will send them next week. I probably won't be
proselyting with it, but it will be a nice souvenir for home.
We have
been inviting many people to church, but only one person has been coming every
single time. Sister C--- has really been progressing in the Church, so Elder P---
and I were very concerned when she didn't come by this week. After church was
over, we went to Sister C---t's house to visit her, and when we arrived she
told us that she had fallen against a low stone and had damaged her leg. Part
of her leg was patched bandages and she couldn't walk very far without having
to sit down, so we sat down and had a lesson with her. During the lesson, a member
from the branch came by to visit her to see how everything was going, so it was
nice to see him reaching out to her. Brother A--- is doing his best to
fellowship those whom we teach, and it has been a great help to us in our
missionary efforts.
On Sunday
there was a solar eclipse, and hardly anyone was at church because of it.
Apparently, just seeing the moon cross over the sun is enough of an excuse to
stay home and watch. People don't have special glasses here to view it from,
but they use the film tape that is found in VHS tapes and hold them up to their
eyes to watch the eclipse. It was funny to hear people exclaiming in Twi that
Judgement was almost at hand, especially because I have seen so many at home
that it doesn't seem like too big of an event. People just view things
differently in different parts of the world.
The Zone
Leaders have been planning an activity for the zone for a while now, and news
is that we will be visiting the Coca-cola factory in Kumasi this upcoming
Monday. From what I have heard, it is a very enjoyable experience, and it will
just be fun to get out with other fellow missionaries. Sometimes I have to
remind myself that this is not my time, but it is the Lord's time, but at the
same time I can look forward to every Monday for a little break. P-day is truly
an inspired day because it allows us to relax and refocus on the upcoming week,
as well as getting everything prepared and in order so that you don't have to
worry about cleaning or buying food for the rest of the week. I don't know if I
could do the work completely if I didn't have some time to wind down and
refocus.
Really,
there wasn't much that happened this week. Just a lot of walking, talking, and
teaching. I wish I had a special experience to share, but the only experience
that sticks in my head is one that was just indecent. I won't talk about in
detail. (OK so this part was PG 13 and in real life it may have been rated R so
as a mom I just left it out) Oh well, I am at least grateful that we were able
to complete the lesson after this event without too much trouble.
Oh! I
almost forgot! I had the craziest food this last week. I wrote in my planner to
remind myself to tell everyone about it, but all the same it almost passed my
mind. So, this last week we went to an investigator's house to teach a lesson.
Upon arriving, we saw the investigator making fufou along with two other women.
When we started to talk, the younger woman (Mary) asked if I would marry her,
and the other woman (her mother) just looked at her. I pretended to be serious
and asked Mary if she had a passport, to which she said she didn't. I told her
that it would be impossible then. The conversation went on and at one point she
said that she would put my head in the mortar that the fufou is pounded in. At
another point, she asked if I was a joker. I don't remember how everything was
brought up in the conversation, but I'm not sure what she thought of me at all.
Anyways, on to the important part. We were about to leave and come back on a
later time, but the investigator invited us to stay and set aside two bowls for
us to eat from. She put fufou in each bowl and then put in a soup that had a
nasty green appearance with brown flecks mixed in. We didn't want to ask any
questions about what it was, so we just put our fingers in the fufou and soup
hesitantly and started to eat. There was a slight taste of something in it that
I didn't like, so I started to throw it down as quickly as possible. After
finishing, I was afraid to ask the investigator what was in the soup but
decided to anyways. Apparently, one of the main ingredients of it was fresh cow
dung. Imagine! People can say that they have had cow tongue before, but how
many can say that they have had cow dung? I felt a little like Bear Grills, but
I have a feeling that the food he eats is actually fake. Africa... what a
place.
Well, I don't know what else to say
besides I wish that everyone could be a missionary so that this work could
progress forward very quickly. The Lord is relying on us to send forth the
gospel to all nations, so we must be doing our part to bring his words to pass.
Thank you for all of the prayers and I am praying for everyone back home. Much
love to all of you.
Sincerely,
Elder Twede
Oct. 28, 2013 62 Gospel Conversations
Dear Family,
We have a statistic that the mission
president tracks which is called "Gospel Conversations." Gospel
conversations are basically conversations that you have with people around you
about the gospel of Jesus Christ and introduce yourselves as missionaries and
share a short 5 minute message with them. When I was with Elder ---, we didn't
have too many GC's and talked to relatively few people because he always wanted
to rush straight to the next lesson. I always felt uncomfortable because the
Lord chastised a company of missionaries who were traveling on a river to their
destination, and they were told that while they were passing by homes on the
wayside, people were dwindling in unbelief. The missionaries were told to slow
down and preach the gospel to anyone they passed by, so when my trainer and I
were always running to our appointments, I saw so many people who I wanted to
talk to but my companion would never stop. Now, with Elder P---, we have been
making efforts to talk to anyone we can so that we can just get the missionary
message out to the world. This past week, we had 62 gospel conversations, but
we also had 21 lessons to teach. This week we are setting a goal for 25 lessons
(which is the standard for this area), and we hope to have 35 GC's (which is
the mission standard). Elder K---, who was transferred to here from Techiman
(the new area that opened when I entered the mission), says that the standard
for his area was 30 lessons per week, and sometimes they saw 50-67
investigators in church and taught 35-50 lessons in one week. They even had 5
baptisms per week on average, and the baptisms are still happening every week.
It blows my mind how well the work is doing in Techiman, but we work with what
we have. Every area is unique.
Well, our
one hopeful investigator finally has a baptismal date for the 17th of this
month! We have been teaching her regularly and Sister C--- has never missed a
day of church since the time we invited her, and she told us that she never
wants to leave the church. She is excited to be baptized, but there are still
more things we have to discuss with her before it can be possible. We are very
excited to see her progressing and for now I can see nothing that stands in the
way. Situations might change as time moves on, but I have a strong conviction
that she won't stray from the path in the few weeks that we have. We have also
found another investigator who is showing interest in the church, but he
travels a lot so he has never hand the chance to come to church yet. It's a little
disappointing, but changing from one lifestyle to another is always hard, so we
just do our best to teach him and encourage him to do better. His name is M---
and he comes from an Islamic background, so we have to tread carefully.
As we have been
teaching more and more people, I have only just begun to realize how many of
the churches are branches of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
We teach people from the Community of Christ, the Church of Christ, Seventh Day
Adventist, Jehovah's Witness, and many other churches that actually split from
our church in the beginning. It is interesting to teach people who have the
Book of Commandments and to hear their similar views. The difficulty is in
showing them that the priesthood authority is only found in this church, but it
is always fun to discuss the backgrounds of the gospel. Before I left, I had no
idea that so many churches have their roots in The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints. It has really opened my eyes to the impact that Joseph Smith
had on religion in general.
We had 4
investigators show up to church yesterday (3 from the other companionship) and
they all had an enjoyable experience. I taught the investigators class, which I
have always been teaching but they just now made it my official calling, and
they were responding to the questions with great interest and zeal. Elder R---
and Elder K--- were able to have a lesson with them a couple of hours after
church, and the investigators told the companionship that they had talked about
the service and how different it was from all other church services and they
were excited to continue to come. One of them is a Moslem, but he has expressed
a desire to learn more about the church and promised that he would continue to
come. Their hearts were really touched by the Spirit on Sunday, and I can see
that they are being guided in the way to go. It is always wonderful to see
missionaries being successful.
We had a
great meal last night at a members' house. We had a lot of Fufou (FooFoo) which
was prepared with a delicious fish soup, and our stomachs became very very
full. Our branch makes its own soap (not soup), so we washed our hands with LDS
soap (which is surprisingly better than the soap that you can find in the common
markets around here). The people in our branch have had hard times finding
jobs, but now they know how to make soap and can use the knowledge to make
enough money to sustain themselves. They really know how to be self-dependent.
After the
meal, Elder P--- and I trekked our way to an investigator to ask him why he
wasn't able to attend church, but then some dark clouds rolled in. We weren't
anywhere near his house and we had to find some shelter, so we decided to start
running to the church building. As we ran, we could hear the rain chasing us
from the back and the wind was blowing at 20mph at least, and we started to
feel small drops falling from the sky. We weren't the only ones running, as
many people were rushing outside to take off their clothes from drying lines
and others were just trying to run home. Trees were tilting and we could hear
the sound of rushing waters, and the rain started to get heavier and heavier.
Finally, as we ran out of breath, we took shelter underneath the roof of a
barbershop (more of a barbershack, just a cargo box that people cut hair in),
and then the rain came down in torrents. My companion and I took the
opportunity to have gospel conversations with those around us, and then the
power went out in the middle of someone's haircut. How bad would that be??
Thankfully it has never happened to me, but it is always a nagging fear
whenever I go for a haircut. The power has never gone out when I shower either,
but it has happened to other missionaries in the apartment before. Power can
seriously be a problem. Anyways, after 1 hour the rain became lighter and we
decided to make our way home. When we arrived at the entrance to our compound,
we discovered that a river of mud and water had formed that we had to cross. We
tried to find steady footing, but both of my shoes just sunk in and the bottom
of my trousers became super muddy. I have a picture of my shoes, but I threw my
trousers in a bucket of water so that I could wash them. I will be sending the
picture along.
Well, I only have a couple more
minutes to write, so I want to send my love to everyone at home. Matthew, I am
glad that you had fun at Tall Ships, and Adalie, I am happy that you had fun at
the dance. Sorry about you getting sick though. Best of wishes to all.
Love,
Elder Twede
Elder Twede
P.S. Mom, about your question.. I'm
not even thinking about Christmas yet! That is way too far away right now. This
week is enough for me to worry about, but I will let you know when the time
draws near. :)
Oct. 21, 2013 A Great Week
Dear Family,
This last week proved to be a good week for clear weather and lessons, as well as finding new investigators. We were able to tract in many new places within our area and the boundaries have been changed a little, so we have more people to contact now. The area is getting better, but the only work is being done by the missionaries and no one else. We have been without a branch mission leader for the past two months, but he finally came back into town this week so we can start to meet with him and coordinate our efforts to find more people who are interested in the gospel. It has been tough having to work through our own efforts without members, but I think that the work will progress better when we talk to the branch mission leader.
As of last week, I had never been to a branch activity here because frankly, they have never been scheduled. However, the branch president finally decided to schedule one for Saturday, so we went to the church hoping that people would show up. As usual, the attendance was pretty low in respect to the amount of adults present, but there were plenty of kids who showed up. Due to habits here, the opening speaker had not been determined beforehand, so my companion was told that he would be giving the talk right before he had to deliver it. There is no planning when it comes to talks or teaching lessons, so you always have to be ready for anything at anytime. It gets frustrating at times, but whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger (supposedly). For the activities, they had musical chairs, a dance competition, and scripture trivia, after which we were treated to a meal of kenke, dried fish, and a combination of shito (shee-toe), pepe, and something that looks like green mucus called okre (almost like occur). The meal was good but spicy due to the shito and pepe, and I found out afterwards that if you eat too much kenke, you might become drunk. All of the food they eat here is fermented (fufu, banku, kenke, tizzard, and others), but the kenke is even more fermented than anything else. Apparently, all of the food is approved for us to eat, but I think I will avoid kenke whenever it is possible. I felt a little off after I had eaten just one, so I don't want to try it again. At any rate, the activities were enjoyable and it was wonderful to see the branch getting together. It is a rare sight, so it is one that I will treasure.
As I said, our boundary has been changed to accommodate more area now, so we had the opportunity of contacting many people. We talked to 36 people last week, and 10 of them became new investigators. This means that we have already taught 10 lessons to new people, and our teaching pool is growing more and more. The standard set by the mission president is 18 people in the teaching pool, so we have 17 now, which is really good. It is nice to have so many people to teach because it is almost impossible to have a day without lessons. Sure, it's hard work and we come home exhausted every day, but it's the duty of our calling. We reap what we sow.
I mentioned last week that we had met a new investigator through a small act of service, and now she has come to church a second time. We have been having lessons with her and she has expressed an interest in being baptized, so all we have to do now is set a date and keep on answering her questions. She used to be a member of the Presbyterian church and had worshiped for most of her life, so we are working with her to build her faith in the Book of Mormon. She accepts it at face value right now, but I know that as she reads and prays to know if it is true, then she will gain a testimony of it. I am thankful to the Lord for this wonderful person that we have been given to teach, and I pray that we can do our part as missionaries to teach her the true principles of the gospel and to preach repentance by the power of the Spirit.
Your Question: "What was your favorite thing about scouts, or what do you think was the most important thing you got out of the scouting program?"
My Answer: My favorite thing about scouts was learning many different skills and being introduced to many different activities. I enjoyed the high adventure trips and the work that was required of us before we could have fun. The most import thing I got out of the scouting program was learning how to work peaceably with other people as a team and learning how to rely on my own efforts as well to make something work. Here in Africa, there have been many times where I have had to solve a problem with only the help of my companion, and I feel that without the experiences I had in the scout program, I would not be fit to serve here. So, in summary, the best lesson I learned was to be prepared and to work as a team.
Another Question: "What is the best thing to do to prepare for a mission?"
My Answer: I think that it will depend on the mission that you are called to, but I would think that the best thing to do in general would be to read the scriptures and understand the doctrines and principles of the church. Ask yourself questions that even you have a hard time answering, and then search out the answer in prayer. Here in Ghana, we teach many pastors, deacons, bishops, reverends, and prophets, so we always have to be prepared to answer questions and have our minds and spirit ready to help them. It really has been fun teaching people who make me think about my religion, because through my diligent searching, I have realized more and more that this church is truly the Lord's church on the earth today. So, as I said in my last answer, the best thing to do is essentially be prepared. Know the scripture that mentions baptism for the dead in the new testament, memorize where every important event happens in the Book of Mormon, know the process of repentance and faith by heart, and then learn to listen to the Spirit to guide you in your life. Be willing to stand as a true worshiper of Christ, and learn to be true to the faith.
I want everyone to know that I love them and that I am enjoying my time here serving the Lord. I am impressed with the efforts that are being made back home in the field of missionary work, and I extend my gratitude to those who include me in their prayers. I couldn't do this work without your help and support.
Best of wishes,
Elder Twede
Oct. 8, 2013 Meetings and Insights
Hello Everyone,
This last week was filled to the brim with meetings and spiritual insights. I know that there will be more weeks that will be like unto it, but I will just live one day at a time. If we don't enjoy the experiences that we face today, how can we be sure that we will enjoy the experiences of tomorrow?
On Monday last week, we had a wonderful FHE at Sister B--- residence and had the opportunity to give her our encouragement before she left for a different town. She works for the government in agriculture, so she is always being transferred to different towns where she is needed. She has always been nice to the missionaries and was willing to feed us whenever she had the time, so I know that her life will be blessed wherever she goes. I was the one conducting during the Family Home Evening, so I made sure that we learned about the importance of families and how we can have enjoyable experiences wherever we go as long as our families are strongly knit together. As we were discussing, I had an overwhelming feeling of love for everyone back home, whether nuclear family or friends who are close enough to be family, and I had to hold back tears. I know that without family and without my close friends pushing me, I would not be here on my mission serving the Lord. Thank you for all of the encouragement and the support, for it was part of the guiding light that I needed to follow the right path.
I want you to know that I was protected by the Lord's hand on the way home from Family Home Evening. Sister B--- always provides us with a car and a driver to make our way back to our apartment (since we live close to 20 minutes away by car), but this time something was wrong with the driver. As soon as we all entered the car and the driver started the engine, I smelled alcohol in the air and immediately started to pray. Sure enough, as we went along, it became readily apparent that the driver was drunk and that we would be in danger as long as he was driving. I didn't know what to do besides to ask for protection, so that is exactly what I did. On the main road, he sped along in the lane and swerved into oncoming traffic a countless number of times. At one point, I thought that we would be crushed by a semi-truck that was less that 2 meters in front of us, but our driver swerved away just in time. By the time we arrived at our apartment, I knew that the only reason why we were alive was because the Lord saw it fit for us to live and continue on with this work. It was a nerve-wracking experience, but one that I will never forget.
On Wednesday, we went to Bantama to receive Non-Citizen Identity cards so that we will not have problems later with immigration, so now I feel confident whenever I walk around because I have something to prove that I am legally here. To mom: the immigration officer here has a copy of the visa now, so he is satisfied that we came to the country legally as well. After receiving the card and conversing with other missionaries there, my apartment mates and I left with the Zone Leaders to stay in their apartment because we also had a meeting to attend on Thursday and did not want to go back to M--- (approx. 2.5 hours away). We had fun playing basketball and taught a lesson with the Zone Leaders to a powerful investigator that they had, and then we enjoyed a good meal back at the apartment. I fall asleep pretty quickly, and then we had to go to Zone Conference in the morning.
On Wednesday, we went to Bantama to receive Non-Citizen Identity cards so that we will not have problems later with immigration, so now I feel confident whenever I walk around because I have something to prove that I am legally here. To mom: the immigration officer here has a copy of the visa now, so he is satisfied that we came to the country legally as well. After receiving the card and conversing with other missionaries there, my apartment mates and I left with the Zone Leaders to stay in their apartment because we also had a meeting to attend on Thursday and did not want to go back to M--- (approx. 2.5 hours away). We had fun playing basketball and taught a lesson with the Zone Leaders to a powerful investigator that they had, and then we enjoyed a good meal back at the apartment. I fall asleep pretty quickly, and then we had to go to Zone Conference in the morning.
Zone Conference was a good experience this time around, especially because the mission president addressed many problems that have been going on in the mission. At one point, he impressed upon us the responsibility that we have as missionaries to be independently righteous. He told us that it is really hard to be obedient when our companion is not being obedient, and I have to agree with this wholeheartedly. After listening to his counsel though, I know that the Lord will give us strength to do what is right as long as we are willing to humble ourselves and do whatever is in our power. Then, after we have done all that we can, we are then commanded to stand still, and know that He is God. If we find ourselves straying from our purpose or our focus is delineating from the right point, then we should have a prayer and rededicate our efforts so that we may be reminded of our true purpose. I know that missionary work will never be easy, but if we humble ourselves and allow God to guide us, then we will be lifted up until the last day.
Well, I guess that two meetings may not seem like much (really 3 if you include the regular district meeting), but they filled a lot of our time during the week. We did not have the opportunity to see General Conference this week, but I am currently trying to download the sessions so that we can watch (or at least listen) to them in our apartment later. I was going to say that my picture was in the New Era, but I see that you already saw it. Mud soccer was really, really fun, but it required a lot of washing as well. The Elder kicking the ball is Elder A--, the Elder at his back is Elder N---, the Elder in the black shirt is Elder W---, the Elder in the blue shirt is Elder A---, and I'm having a hard time remembering the other names at the moment. Oh well. Only 4 of them are in the Kumasi mission, and the others are now in Sierra Leone and Liberia. We will all come back together at the end of our missions, and it will be fun to share our experiences together.
Now your question was "If you had to convince young women that being a home maker is a worthy carrier what examples from your childhood or teen years stuck out to you about the importance of having a mom available in the home?" First of all, I think that it was most important for me to have my mom available in the home because I was able to explain the problems that I had faced at school as soon as I got into the car, and then I received comfort as soon as I needed it. I remember a countless number of occasions where I needed the comfort of my mother, and I don't know how things would have worked out if my mom was away all of the time. For a teenager, the love of a mom is the most important thing for them to have and experience. To the young women: If you want your children to grow up and stay strong in the gospel, then be willing to give your time freely as a stay-at-home mom so that you can train them in the ways of righteousness. The most valuable hours are those which are spent in conversing with your children after they have just finished their day at school, so you should do everything you can to have free time to talk with them during these hours. I will be forever grateful for my mom and for her willingness to sacrifice her time, even if it was just to have the chance to know me better. Thank you mom. I love you.
With much love,
Elder Twede
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Changing Hands
Hi Everyone,
We are behind in our posts due to too much school for our student blogger. So, now we have a new plan. The teenager taught the not so teenager how to blog. This may get ugly but it will help everyone caught up. Wish me luck. I am a blogging rookie. I will be catching the blog up all this week so visit daily for updates. Unless you have a life. Then just visit when you are bored.
Love,
Colleen (Elder A. Twede's mom)
We are behind in our posts due to too much school for our student blogger. So, now we have a new plan. The teenager taught the not so teenager how to blog. This may get ugly but it will help everyone caught up. Wish me luck. I am a blogging rookie. I will be catching the blog up all this week so visit daily for updates. Unless you have a life. Then just visit when you are bored.
Love,
Colleen (Elder A. Twede's mom)
Sept. 30, 2013 Almost 20
Everyone,
It is
seriously hard to believe that I have already been on my mission for 4 months
now. My birthday is already coming up (two days after this transfer ends), and
then the end of next transfer will mark my first 6 months in Ghana. Then I will
feel like a new sister missionary with only 1.5 years to go. It is amazing how
time flies when you are not worrying about yourself. In the beginning, 2 years
looked like a long time especially when I was still in the MTC, but now it
hardly looks like any time at all. It just shows that full-time missionaries
really have a short time to preach the gospel to all nations and baptize, so we
need to treasure what little time we have.
As you
said, I am almost 20 years old now which means that I will no longer be a
teenager. I remember when I thought that turning 10 was a big change because I
was in double digits, but this is an even bigger change now. In answer to your
question, I won't be getting any cake (and I haven't seen any cakes at all
here), but I will get a call from the mission president's wife giving me happy
birthday wishes. If I were to make a wish, I would wish for health, enthusiasm,
and a bigger heart for everyone around me.
This last
week was an interesting one because of the awful weather that we have been
experiencing. There were plenty of times where we were about to go outside, but
then the clouds would roll in and rain would pour down to the point where
everything was flooded. I have already tried to proselyte in the rain twice
here, and there is no way that I will do it again, even with an umbrella and
rain jacket. It is really just too much, and no one can hear you when you try
to teach them while it is raining. It really hinders the work here.
When the
rain was pouring down, I had a lot of time to study the scriptures. I have
found that reading them every day and pondering on the words which are written
helps to clear my mind and enlighten my understanding of why I am here on this
earth. Before I came on this mission, I thought that I knew a lot. Now, I stand
humbled because I have realized how little my knowledge really is. All I can do
is search the scriptures and ponder them in my heart, and then the Lord will
help my mind to grow even more. As of now, D&C 93 fascinates me the most
because of the knowledge it gives of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, and the
understanding that it gives of truth, knowledge, and light. All of these things
are very important to have.
I wish I
had more to say, but due to the fact that we didn't make it out of the
apartment as much as usual, these are the few things that have been on my mind.
We have a lot of activities to do this week, so the next e-mail should be full
of the experiences I have at Zone Conference and other meetings. I wish I could
see General Conference on Saturday and Sunday, but the only way we can hear or
watch it is by downloading the files from lds.org after everything is
done with. Next Sunday will be a regular fast Sunday for me, but I look forward
to the time when I will have the opportunity to read and hear everything that
is said in this next conference.
Well, that's all for now. I wish
everyone a good week and a happy heart.
Sincerely,
Elder
Twede
Sept. 23, 2013 Chops and Cops
Hello Everyone,
This last
week has been a little crazy. We had some run-ins with the immigration office
here in M--- again, the other companionship only had one lesson taught for the
whole week and were visited personally by the zone leaders, and I had my first
experiences in chop bars (local food bars). Today it has been raining like
crazy and I barely had the chance to run out of the apartment to make it to the
internet cafe, but here I am. Hopefully there will be an opportunity to shop
for food as well, but I can't be too sure about it. I might just have to buy
food to go in a small stand on the side of the road and then head back to the
apartment.
Last
Wednesday we were contacted in the morning by an immigration officer who told
us that we should arrive at the immigration office by 9:00 A.M. promptly, or
they would send officers to our apartment to arrest us with handcuffs.
Obviously, we all got dressed, ate as quickly as possible, and then left for
the office. When we arrived, the head officer invited us into his office and
just stared at us before he started interrogating us with questions. "Do
you know why you are in my office right now? Do you understand that you don't
have visas with you and what that means? Do you know what will happen to you if
you don't bring the proper papers?" etc etc. We just looked back calmly at
him and answered his question, stating simply that we know what he is saying
and understand the problem, but that there is nothing we can do about it but
call the mission president. The officer called the mission president and
chastised him for not sending the proper papers in even though he even
requested for them 3 months ago, and then said that he wanted the papers in by
Friday, or else we would all be sent to Kumasi to be dealt with there. After
hanging up, the officer started to chastise us for not obeying the law of the
land and gave us plenty of scriptures to think about. The funniest thing he
said though was this: "I will never put you into jail, because I am a God
fearing man. I know that if I put you into any sort of jail, the walls will
shake and everything will collapse, but you will stay alive. You might even
run." He told us that even if he couldn't put us in jail, the best he
could do was to just send us away from his area of jurisdiction. After a few
more words, he sent us out and let us know that he would expect us at 10:00 AM
each morning until Friday until he received the proper papers. Basically, we
were put under parole. Thankfully, he received everything on Thursday, and now
he wants us to visit his office so that we can teach him about the message
which we have. It was interesting how everything worked out.
The zone
leaders came to M--- on Friday in order to proselyte with the other
companionship in the apartment because they taught one lesson for the whole
last week (now two weeks ago). Everything went well during the day, but at
night everyone was hungry. Since it was apostasy week (meaning, the last week
before our next subsistence), no one had any money besides myself. I paid for 6
plates of rice, equaling 18 cedi ($9), but that meant that all of my money was
now gone. I have survived these past few days off of what little I had left in
the cupboard, but it was a definite relief to withdraw money today. When other
people don't manage their money well, it becomes difficult for the people who
are prepared. I don't have reason to complain though, because I lived through
it all and now everything is back to normal. It just felt like a big sacrifice
at the time.
Chop bars
here are basically little shacks that the locals eat in, and I had never been
in one until last week. The basic foods that any chop bar will have are banku
and fufu, and they both look the same. The chop bars will never have utensils
for you to eat with, and everything is eaten out of clay bowls that are placed
in front of you (don't worry, they aren't communal). There aren't any big
chairs to sit on, so you sit down on small stools that don't even reach the
knee. I didn't enjoy my first experience in one, but the second place I went to
was better. Everything is really different here in Ghana, but I am doing my
best to get used to it.
One thing I
love about my mission is that I get to be in an environment that is so new, so
different, so challenging, and yet so worthwhile. The challenges I have faced
(and am still facing) have really forced me to change, grow, and reach higher.
If I could give the people here one spiritual gift, it would be the gift of
obedience. If I were to give them one temporal gift, it would be enough money
to drive to church on Sundays.
Thank you for all of the love that
is sent my way, and I give my best of wishes to those who are preparing to leave
for their mission. It will be a challenging experience, but invaluable all the
same. Always have your eyes set on the prize, and then everything else will
seem trivial to you, whether they are trials or tribulations that come your
way. Have faith in Christ, and have a prayer continually in your heart.
Much love,
Elder Twede
Sept. 16, 2013 Men and Mountains
Hello again,
This last week
was filled with even more rainstorms, but the apartment did not flood because
we lined all of the window sills with cloths, so everything that tried to spill
in was soaked up before it hit the floor. My room is the only one with a lip on
the bottom of the window sills, so we don't have to worry about the water at
all. All we have are small lizards that somehow find their way into the room,
but we can deal with those.
Today, I had the
opportunity to go to Kumasi for a zone activity, and we all met together to
climb Mt. Kronom. There are many rock quarries located on the mountain, so
there were workers drilling away at rock. Climbing up, we had to push through
very tall grass, and at one point we had to scale a rock that was really steep.
Thankfully, the rock was "sticky," so we had no trouble running
straight up the face of it. It only took 30 minutes to arrive at the top of the
mountain, but no one made it without suffering from a few scratches due to
thorny branches and bladed grass. I took some pretty good pictures at the top,
so I will be sending those when I have the time to do so. We could look out on
all of Kumasi and could see everything just stretching out to the horizon.
It was nice to hike up and exert myself, but it was also nice coming back
because I was feeling pretty hot from the sun. When we got to the bottom and
walked along a road for a while, someone stopped us and let us know that the
workers in the quarries frequently used dynamite and explosives to lose the
rock, so next time we should inform the workers before we try to hike it again.
Thankfully, no explosions were going on, so we were safe from harm. Next time
(if there is one), we will be more careful.
As I said, we
had many rainstorms last week, but we taught as many lessons as we could. My
companion doesn't like the rain and won't proselyte even with a heavy rain
jacket on, but I am fine with it because the whole place just floods and all
you do is slip and slide in the mud. It is impossible to walk anywhere during a
storm, so we just stay inside and study. I thought that the rainy season was
already over, but apparently it is starting up again. We will do everything we
can to keep the work moving, but rain has really proven to be a setback.
I pounded Fufu
for my first time this week, and my arms are terribly sore from it. I didn't
have my camera with me for pictures to be taken, but I figure that there will
be many opportunities for it. Preparing food here is just stressful, because
most of the foods require pounding to prepare or using a pestle and mortar. It
is hard to find overweight people here because of all of the work they do.
Each week, I
feel that I have less and less to talk about since the area is the same and the
people we teach are the same. When we search for new investigators, the ones we
teach eventually fall through, so we are constantly falling back to our old
teaching pools. We are doing our best to work it all out, but things are hard.
I hope that this next week will be better, but all I can do is pray and trust
in the Lord.
Sincerely,
Elder Twede
Sept. 9, 2013 Fighting Back the Storm
Good afternoon!
This past week has been pretty busy, even though we didn't have many lessons to teach (only 6!). On Wednesday, Elder A-- and I went to the Metro Mass station near Kumasi so that he could leave for O-- and I could receive my new companion. At first I felt a little nervous because I would not be under my trainer's wing anymore, but as soon as I met my new companion I felt better. Elder P--has the same mannerisms and physical build as Austin Twede, (Elder Twede’s cousin) so it wasn't hard to get along with him right from the start and everything is moving forward. Elder R-- also met his new companion, so now there are two new people in M--
As I said, we only had 6 lessons that we taught last week, but the rest of our time was used in meeting with members and becoming more familiar with them. …Elder P-- is doing everything he can to help the area. As we met with each person and got to know more about their life, I started to appreciate them more and felt the Spirit warm my heart. I know that the members are the most important people involved in missionary work, because without them, we as full-time missionaries will just have a hard time. The members are the ones who will stay in the area and should be fellowshipping the people who the missionaries bring in, because the missionaries can leave at any time. I think that we didn't have any baptisms last month because we didn't work with the members, but we are going to change that around in this transfer. M--- needs help, and I feel that Elder P-- will help to push it forward. He has been on his mission for one year, so he has more experience under his belt. I hope to learn from him so that one day, I can also know exactly how to use members to push the missionary work along.
Just yesterday, we had a massive rainstorm blow through the apartment. Elder P--and Elder K-- had gone outside 10 minutes earlier to get more familiar with the town, so they got stuck in the rainstorm. They found their way underneath a small overhanging for shelter. Meanwhile, Elder R-- and I were having a battle of our own in the apartment. Our windows are really badly done, so the wind can blow through the whole apartment easily. At one point, I was looking through the windows to see how hard the rain was coming down, but then I saw the men and women in our compound running around naked, so I decided to never look outside again. Anyways, the wind blew so hard yesterday that the rain started to come in through the windows as well. The kitchen was flooded and Elder R--and Elder K--'s room was flooded as well before we noticed the water (we were studying doctrine in my room), so we ran out of the room into the dining room when we noticed the water coming in. We picked up two mops from the veranda outside, and then we started to battle the water. We spent one hour and a half, just mopping up the water and squeezing the excess into buckets, but the rain kept on coming. Finally, the storm died down a little (to the point of where the rain was no longer coming through the windows), so we actually had the chance to dry the floors. It felt like a losing battle when we started, but everything worked out in the end. Elder P-- and Elder K-- came back soaked to the bone, but at least they survived the flood (it truly was flooded outside).
I do not know what the rest of the transfer has in store for me, but I hope that it will be eventful. Our original golden investigator actually showed up to church on Sunday, so I have hope for him. I called an investigator who is currently in Accra right now, and he said he would be back by the end of this week. He also told me that he desired to be baptized into the church, so we are planning to extend a date to him as well. I am so happy to see the changes that these people are making in their lives, and I know that they will be blessed for the decisions that they are making. I am happy to be a part of this work. I hope that everyone at home is doing what they can to spread the gospel to all people as well. Everyone member is a missionary.
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