From Nate the Missionary

Hey there family of mine! Good to hear from you again as usual and know how things are going. It also rained here a little last night and it tried to rain again today, but it was mostly just overcast. The weather is still hot, but it seems to be cooling down at night recently.

Hopefully the rainy season will be coming as planned and we can be experiencing the cooler temperatures. I'd love to feel a bit colder than normal.

Good news for this week is that we had a successful baptism despite the opposition from the Bishop... I wish he would support us more, as his 1st councillor does. But he just doesn't quite have the same vision as us yet I guess. This time, as we had planned the baptism to be right after the Church services, he said that we shouldn't ever have it on another Sunday cause he's too busy to attend. We told him that we put the baptism date on Sunday so that we could have better attendance than 5-10 people, like in the past. This time, though the Bishop didn't attend, we had about 50 people there and I was amazed at how united the ward seemed as they witnessed the baptism of 3 new converts. Felix was me and my companion's investigator to be baptized and the other elders had two people, a mother and her son. So it was a wonderful experience. Our other candidate, Sophia, was baptized in Accra by the missionaries there. We spoke with them over the phone and they told us they also had a great experience on Saturday.

Today we received transfer news and my companion will be going. I'm remaining here and will be getting a new companion named Elder Kebbie, from Sierra Leone. I'm always nervous to see how new companions are, but I'm anxious to get going and continue the work here in Kweikuma, Sekondi. I'm happy to remain here and I wonder if I'll finish my mission here. This past Thursday I had the chance to do my first baptismal interviews as a District Leader. It was a humbling experience of course and I was a little unsure how to do it at first, but it was a cool learning time and my testimony was definitely strengthened as I spoke with Agatha, the mother, and her son Rockson. Agatha is probably in her 40's and her son is probably 12 or 13. They're great people and I'm happy to have been able to meet with them. As I finished the first interview, which was with Agatha, I asked her to give the closing prayer and as she did, it was apparent that she had had opposition and persecution since she started to attend the Church. In her prayer, she spoke of certain friends and people who told her the Church was not good and that she shouldn't attend, but she told God that she's tested it and found it to be His true and only church. It was an interesting experience and I could tell that she already had a strong witness that the Church is true.

This past Tuesday I instructed again. This time it was in a combined District Mtg. and I tried something different. Usually when I instruct, I like to use a lot of sources and even quote from the words of Latter-day Prophets, but this time I decided to only use the Book of Mormon and see how it went. I was surprised to see how easy it was to just talk about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the word of God, as represented by the iron rod in Lehi's dream and vision of the tree of life. I talked a little bit on how we need to be those people who are constantly clinging to the iron rod and once we taste of the fruit, we can't allow other people, those in the great and spacious building, to make us fall and be ashamed. We need to stand strong and continue to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As missionaries and members of the Church, we have tasted of that fruit which is joyous above all other fruits and we know our responsibility to spread the word and help our fellow brothers and sisters. I was glad that the Spirit helped me and it went smoothly.

Dad, thanks for sharing your experience. We all have to keep doing our best as children of God and especially as priesthood bearers. We have such great blessings in store for us if we but hold true to our covenants we've made to God. He is willing to give us all that He has, if we will follow His commandments and the example of His Beloved Son. I'm always amazed at how much He truly loves each one of us, to trust us with a part of His power, to trust us with His work here on earth, to trust us in many other things. It truly is His work and His glory, to bring to pass our immortality and our eternal life. I'm so happy to be a part of His work and to be a part of His Church. He has blessed me and each one of us so much and we will always be indebted to Him. He is our Creator, Master, Father, and God. He is our perfect example to follow and emulate. He will always be there for us to come unto and trust in. His love for us is perfect and when we keep His commandments and constantly do what's right, we will have the wonderful feelings of His love and compassion for us. I'm grateful to be a member of His Church and a full-time missionary. I know my time is short here and I need to always do my best. People are relying on my here. My Father in Heaven is relying on me here, to continue in His work and find those of His children who are lost and looking for the truth.

I love you all so much and can't wait to talk on the phone with you all. Easter is coming and I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday and celebration as we remember the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We should all be so grateful for all the He did for us and we should always keep in mind His sacrifice for us all.

I'll talk to you all soon! Have a wonderful week. Thanks for your prayers and loving support!

- Elder Newbold

Hey there my great and eternal family and friends!

I'm thankful to write to you all again and also to hear how things have been going recently back in Utah. Sorry to hear that the weather isn't really proving to be spring quite yet, but I'm sure it's coming soon. If not, I can blow some of the hot air over to you guys...I'd be happy to do that. Today we played football at the stake center with two other zones from cape coast. The drove in early this morning and we were able to play against them for some time. It was good to see old friends and know they're doing well.

This coming Sunday will be our baptism if all goes according to plan. So we'll keep working towards it and help the two candidates that we've planned to baptize. One of them though has traveled to her home town of Accra, which is about 4 hrs from Takoradi. We need to call her on the phone and talk with her brother, who's in charge of the family. Their parents both have died and I'm not quite sure on all the details, but the family is mostly all members of the Church and it's left with the young woman that we've been meeting with. Hopefully she'll be able to join us as we baptize our other investigator named Felix Demenu. He's probably in his late 50's or early 60's, but honestly it's hard to tell with some people here. So I won't know his real age until we ask for his information. As for the girl, she's 17, I think, and is named Sophia. The work continues to go well and this past Friday we went on splits with the Zone Leaders. I went with Elder Thompson again, I think this is the third time I've gone with him. He's from Provo and came the transfer after I did. So we had a great time and had a productive day teaching and visiting people. He's done an amazing job at learning the Fante language and can speak it much more than I can. Some of the lessons we taught, were to people who didn't speak English, so it had to be in Fante, as best we could. So I let him do that part of the talking.

It sounds like all of you are staying extra busy with this NuSkin work. I still don't understand quite what it's all about, but I've sorta got a good idea. Sounds like you guys are doing great and doing good work with it. Maybe you'll explain more about the details on the phone call home. Mother's Day is coming quickly and I'll have to be planning the time to call you guys on that day. Crazy to think it's my last phone call and the next time I hear your voices will most likely be at the airport... let's not get carried away though. I still have 4 and a half months. Plenty of time to keep working and let the sun continue to burn me up, haha. Ghana's a great place and I wouldn't trade it for any other mission in the world. God's truly prepared these people, His children, our brothers and sisters and He loves us all so much. It's true.

I've been blessed with good health the past weeks and I've been sleeping fine at night. I guess I take sleep for granted and should be grateful I get a full nights sleep most every night.

How's Uncle Doug doing? As well as Gma Lindsay. I've been thinking about them and I hope they're doing well. Today I received the package that Carol sent.... and though I haven't opened it yet, let me say that you really didn't have to send a package that big, haha. Thanks so much though and, speaking to Carol still, Happy Birthday on Saturday. I hope you had a good day and things went perfect for you. Thanks again and I love you tons.

Still no emails from Dan or Brad/Chels. I think I have their emails, so I'll try to write them today and see if they respond. I've done that in the past but maybe they're just too busy to respond. I hope they're all doing great and Emma and Jude also.

I just got Dad's email right now as I was writing this. Keep up the good work. Sounds like a long day yesterday for you.

Well, I love you all so much and I'll be sure to do my best and write again next week. I hope you all have a wonderful week and stay safe and protected. You're all in my prayers and I'm always thinking of you guys. I need to start buying souvenirs for all of you. I've gotta budget it all well too so I don't spend too much.

I'm grateful for all your support and love. I truly am so blessed!

- Elder Newbold

Photos

Hi family and friends.

Time seriously has been going by quickly and again I'm emailing on Monday. Today it's been rainy, which is good, except for the fact that we were stuck in the chapel for our Pday activity and couldn't go out unless we wanted to get soaked. We've been wanting it to rain for quite a while now and finally at the most inopportune time, it comes. But we're grateful for the moisture, even though it's always humid. The past few months have been really dusty and it hasn't rained in about a month now. So the rain kinda put us behind schedule on things and we are just barely getting the chance to sit down and email. So here goes...

Things are continuing to improve as we keep up the hard work here in our area. This past week we had 6 new investigators and we had 5 investigators come to church. So we can see the difference between now and about 4 months ago, when we didn't really have anyone to teach and bring to church. Now our teaching pool is increased and we're happy to be helping those who will allow us to. Our baptism was supposed to take place on April 10th, but like usual there is opposition and for some reason with this ward, that opposition always comes from the Bishop, surprisingly. He mentioned to us before church yesterday that they would be having Ward Council Mtg right after the church service on the 10th, as they always have Ward Council Mtg every 2nd week of the month. Though they've never mentioned that to us as long as we've been here in the ward and they just chose to finally tell us. We've planned the baptism and told the Bishop about it about 3 weeks ago and he just barely is telling us we'll have to reschedule the baptism. So, enough complaining, but we've had to move the baptism to the 17th now. We'd still like to have it right after church to try to get more members to join us during the baptismal service. So we'll see what happens. Our hopes and prayers are that we'll have two candidates that day and also that the other elders will have two of their investigators join us too. It's been difficult to get any investigator to agree to be baptized around here, as this will be my first baptism in the almost 6 months I've been here in Sekondi. Having less baptisms is mainly particular to Kweikuma Ward and I wish the members would realize that, but throughout the whole rest of our mission, it continues to progress and the Lord's kingdom is surely being built-up. The missionaries who are serving in the northern part of our mission, a city called Sunyani, have also been facing adversity in the work, so we had a mission fast to help them. The Lord's work will continue and overcome all opposition, but in the mean time, there will be difficulties and they will be for our experience and gain.

Last Saturday we had an interesting experience as we attended a portion of a funeral service, held in a Catholic cathedral. The father of a less-active member died some weeks ago and they had his funeral and burial service that day. We only attended the funeral service and we just didn't have a good feeling there in the cathedral, at all. I haven't quite experienced anything like it before, but there was just a sort of emptiness there as we watched and listened the presiding priest there speak to the people present. I definitely didn't feel that it was an environment where the Spirit would reside and I don't think I'll ever want to go back into that specific building again. The contrast was obviously present as I compared our church service or funeral service to the one that we were attending. It made me even more grateful for the Restoration and all the blessings that came with it, because of the love of our Father in Heaven. Especially to know the feelings of attending the temple of the Lord, anywhere throughout the world where there has been one erected to Him, the feelings of peace, joy and love. The feeling that we, as imperfect beings, have the opportunity to enter again into God's presence and to have the great knowledge of His love for us. To remember those feelings and to remember that testimony and compare it to the emptiness and almost despair that was in the building we went to, it was amazing to me. The Church is seriously a wonderful place to learn of God and feel His infinite love. The temple in particular is such a perfect place to gain that witness and knowledge and also to feel the glory of God.

I forgot last week to tell Katie happy birthday and I know it's a little late now. But, even though I'm a few days late, I still want to say it and let you know, Katie, that I hope you had a great day and celebration. My companion's birthday was actually the same day, so we had a celebration for him. I think he's turned 25 now, so he's a little older than me, no problem though.

I hope Nick's teeth are doing well... try not to eat the ground again. I remember a quote that Carol told me and it goes something like this, "If you're not good to your teeth, you'll lose 'em." So, in your situation Nick, be careful and be nicer to your teeth or you'll lose 'em, haha. Congrats of making a part in the musical that you auditioned for. I've also had the chance to be a pirate and it's quite a fun thing to do.

Dan, Brad, and Chels, I'm still wondering how you guys are doing. Know that I'm thinking of you guys, especially the little kids named Emma and Jude. I can't wait to actually get to know them and hopefully, at least Emma, will remember who I am when I get back.

I wish I could've been there with all of you to watch General Conference, but hopefully, if we're lucky here, we'll get it on DVD from the Area Office within the next month or so. I'll be happy to finally watch it and hear it for myself. I already know that what they've said is true, but I want to feel the Spirit bear that witness to me. It's always enjoyable to hear from the leaders of the Church and learn the main messages that the Lord wants us to learn or remember. Most of the time we've already learned it and just need to be reminded that we knew it in the past. Tomorrow for District Mtg I and my companion will be instructing. I'll be instructing on foreordination and our agency, how God has foreordained us each to be here in His work and to play our own part in building His kingdom and because of His foreknowledge, He's trusting us to do our best and follow His commandments. It's all part of His perfect plan and though we have the choice to do either right or wrong, He's relying on us and is even ready to bless us, when we do what He asks, that is to choose the right. We know what we need to do and when we use our agency wisely we have a promise of His blessing. So, I'll expound on that a little bit, unless I feel otherwise within the next 12 hrs or so. I pray that the Spirit will help me teach the elders in my district something new, or at least, like I said, to remind them and refresh their memories.

I'm so thankful for you all and your support. Carol and Mom, thanks for the packages and I'll let you know when I receive them. I'm seriously so blessed to be related and know you guys and I'm so blessed to have the chance to serve here in Ghana. I'm happy to hear that we have over 52,000 missionaries in the world! Let the numbers continue to rise. The Lord is always in need of more servants and workers in His vineyard. We just need to always stay worthy and live according to His will and that's when we can be chosen to do a great work. All He asks of us is to follow the example of His Only Begotten Son, and do our very best to live as He did. The Lord is so gracious to all His children and will always want the best for them. He's always eager for us to repent and come again unto Him. I love you all so much and hope you all have a wonderful week. Stay safe and keep up the good work. I'll talk to you very soon!

- Elder Newbold