Nothing New, But a Few Pics - Sorry!

Well this week was nothing much. I was able to take all of my district members accountability report and then give the report to the Zone leaders... it is weird being in charge of a district and having to correct them at times and congratulate them at times, but I guess it is cool and it is going well.

I just want you all to know that I am doing well and I am happy and just waiting for Christmas.  haha. I have some new Christmas music now so I will be playing it around the apartment and just thinking of you guys and how much I love you and miss you. Enjoy the snow and the sweet sweet food. Here it is getting a little cooler, but the dust is getting pretty heavy in the air. Somedays I will leave my apartment and come back only to dust my table off so that I can eat. It is normal though being the "harmattan" season.

New Update and PICS

Well this week went really well. I am not sure what got into my companion and I but we really did try our very best to find new people to teach despite all our challenges. Every night we would come back and just collapse on the bed and fall asleep because we are so tired and drained. We really did our best to prove to the Lord that we are his missionaries and are willing to preach His gospel and with our full energy and our full self. Even when we were walking and started to tire, we would start walking faster because we knew that if we did, the spirit would lead us to those who have been prepared to listen to our message we have to share. Let me tell you that it did work. We found some people who spoke English and can read very well. (this is super uncommon in our village) We taught them about the restoration and they promised to read the Book of Mormon and they were the ones to schedule a return appointment. This week we will go back and see their progress.

Christmas - What Is it Really About?

Hello Everyone,

I want you to ask yourself if you know the meaning of Christmas and the importance behind the holiday. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has released a short video with the answers coming from the scriptures itself. Some have already heard about this video and maybe have watched it, but it was my first time just this last week and I want to share it with those who have not seen it.

The first gift of Christmas was not wrapped. It was a gift of life, of hope—given by a loving Father to all His children: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16). He is the Christ. He is Christmas. He is the Gift.

Please take just a few minutes and watch this short video to start your December and to start your Christmas season. Go to the link below and click it if you have the desire to celebrate your Christmas the right way (centered on Jesus Christ).

http://www.mormon.org/christmas

~ Elder Cornelius ~

11 Months on Mission, Thanksgiving and More

Hey Family and Friends,

I hope that every one this past week enjoyed their Thanksgiving and all the wonderful food. In Ghana, there is no such holiday as Thanksgiving, but luckily my companion and I are not Ghanian haha so we celebrated a little in a different way than all of you. We went out and taught what it means to be thankful and what we should be thankful for. On that Thursday, we were able to teach new people and tell them how blessed they really are and we taught them how to be thankful for what they have whether it is much or not. As for me, I was able to enjoy a plate of fried rice and two chicken legs with a 1.5 litre of fake Coke. Yup you can say we really went the extra mile to enjoy ourselves haha.

I think that I have already told you all that I put up a Christmas tree in our apartment, but now I have attached the photos of it.

A private letter to Mom (hope he doesn't mind!) AND PICS

This weekly email has been the best one that you have ever sent. I may or may not have told you that during my time as a missionary I have not teared up not even one time. If you can remember when we were at DIA and you guys came to the gate with me, I don't remember tearing up at that time either. The point is that I am one of those guys who doesn't feel those emotions easily at all. But, as I type here in this cafe at this time... I have a tear rolling down my face because of the things you have said in your email. Just those last two paragraphs somehow hit my soft spot (didn't know I had one) and really touched me.

Another Pday in Nkawkaw

Hey there family and friends,

This week was pretty nice and busy.  Elder Hoffman and I spent every minute to every day contacting and find new people to teach.  The problem that we faced was the language barrier. To overcome that barrier we took our Branch Mission leader out with us to translate while we teach, but we have found out that even if he translates for us, the people will always need to hear the message in Twi. So, if they are serious enough to come to Church and see that it is in half English and half Twi, they will not like it and only understand half of it.  Also, these people usually can't read English or Twi so they will never be able to read the Book of Mormon which is a key ingredient to someone's conversion.  So, while Elder Hoffman and I were contacting we were trying to find people who could speak English and also read...and this was no easy task when we are located in the bush part of Ghana.

Elder Hoffman and I are getting along just fine.  It turns out he is as small town boy and loves country so you could imagine how we can connect easily.  I am happy that we also can talk openly with each other...or even talk with each other at all.  It is nice to have someone that you can talk to.

I am doing great here in Nkawkaw and I am making new friends by the minute.  I will try to upload some pictures of my area and the mountain that is nearby us.

I love you guys all and hope you all have a great week.

Nkawkaw Village Halloween

So you can call me a "villager" now.  I have been transferred to Nkawkaw and this place is .... well interesting. If I try to say something to people they can only respond Menti Brofo (I don't hear English). So I am now scrambling to learn the Twi very well so that I can speak to them in sentences and try to communicate. It is hard learning a language that most people can't read or write, but only speak. I have a Twi book that teaches me how to learn Twi, but the problem is I can't read it...or pronounce the Twi alphabet.  haha.

My new companion Elder Hoffman is pretty cool.  Our area.. is just villagers who don't speak English and many farmers who have no education. We are opening a new area in Nkawkaw and are contacting every day trying to find investigator that will progress. It is not easy, but it is good for me and my companion to work on our contacting skills and our teaching skills. We are located on one side of this cool mountain.