Can you see Jordan?

Into Africa

Our remarkable journey to serve the Lord and our fellowman in the Ghana Cape Coast Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2014

The rest of January

Like I said on the last post I am way behind in what has been happening.  So here is the rest of January in no particular order

This is the Wallace's Primary School.  We mentioned that we had helped get the new building ready for the kids to return in early January.  This was the first day back, and it took a week before all of the kids had returned.  It appears lots of parents and kids believe they always need a little more vacation time.  It also saves them money because they pay on a daily basis.

The kids are checking out the new class room.  There will be twenty to thirty kids in this classroom

With the school they have to send a bus around to pick up and deliver kids.

Sister Ivie restocking on eggs at a local store just down the street from our house.

This casket represents the scriptures

This a coco pod for a local farmer, and as you can see they also have the regular caskets.  There are wood shops everywhere that build caskets.  I saw a regular casket with windows in the sides, I wonder what that was meant for.  The funerals are one of the biggest events that take place in a village.  Sometimes they wait for up to six months after the person has past away.  This is necessary to have time to earn or borrow enough money .  The family pays for the celebration and provides all of the food and drink for all that attend.(and everyone comes out of the woodworks)  They put up big awning tents, truck loads of plastic chairs, and sleeping mats are brought in.  They have a massive sounds system to play music and have speeches given.  This goes on from two to three days 24-7.

This is the new washroom being built for the church buildings at Asikuma.

Down by the Castle you cross over a waterway where all of the fishing boat come and go.  They are very colorful and wide variety of sizes and styles

We had a try zone conference, and these Elders and Sisters were getting their birthday treats from President Shulz.

President Shulz and his Assistants Elder Brown and Elder Dekane

Happy Missionaries

We were able to use the seminary building for the conference.  It is air conditioned and makes for a much nicer meeting.

Sister Ivie doing a little window shopping at a roadside market.

The Julanders are the couple that replaced the Bybee's.  They are from Hooper, Utah and have been friends with President and Sister Shulz before coming on their mission.  We were together getting ready to go to Prozo to prepare the living quarters for another new couple coming to the Cape Coast Mission. We went for two days to clean and put away all of the kitchen items, check and make sure the A/C, the generator, and the water pump were in working order.  Good thing we did because we were busy fixing them.  We had to trim several doors that were dragging on the floor.  The wood here is very hard and when you put a screw in for a hinge it typically will not come back out.  So we had to trim the doors hanging in their frames.  Even with all that we did, the Schiffman's still had a few challenges once they arrived

Sister Ivie shopping for some vegetables 

This is the Schiffman's house in Prozo.  It is very nice and very quiet area of town.  Elder Schiffman also has a storage shed which I covet.

 

While we were in Prozo, President and Sister Shulz went to Accra to pick up the new couple.  They are on the right side top.  They are also from Hooper, Utah.  Elder Schiffman was the Shulz's bishop when they left for this mission.  All of the couple in the mission were there to share in their first dinner in Ghana.

On Monday Elder Lelea The Winneba District Leader arranged to do a tie dying activity with one of the member of the branch, Sister Sam

Elder Jensen 

Sister Sam's daughter leaving with a box of spring rolls she will be selling at their stand out on the street.  She has made spring rolls for several of the district activities and they are goods.

Sister Sam showing the group how to fold up your fabric before the dying is done

Here she is mixing the dye and explaining how to dip the fabric

Very interesting designs appear

This was my attempt, In the next blog I will show you the shirt I had made out of this fabric.  Really quiet cool

After the dying you stretch the material out on the ground and let it dry.  You then rinse it and let it dry again.

Sister Ivie could not resist taking this lady's picture.  These people just love President Obama  We suggested we would be happy to loan him to Africa permanently

This is my first  Ghanian shirt.  The Winneba Branch President is a taylor.  He made this shirt for me, and is making another shirt for my out of the material I dyed. 

This is the day we arrived with some of the materials many of you sent to us for the different schools we are working with.  These are a very special  kids and they are so into any new experience. This is the deaf school at Asikuma

They love to have their picture taken.  In the background is our missionary apartment in Asikuma.

There were toys, puzzles, books, and games for these kids to have a good time learning. Almost all of the items were a new experience for them.

This is sister Atata.  She is the cook for the deaf kids breakfast and lunch.  We will be getting her a propane stove this next trip out to the school.  She thinks it will be a really cool thing, and not have to put up with the wood smoke and mess.

Sister Ivie practicing her sign language skills much to the enjoyment of the kids and the teachers.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014

Well it is back to work

After the New Year celebrating was finished it was back to being very busy. And in as much as all of January has passed and I have not posted, I apologize.  I had some trouble with my pictures which I lost all of them and then they are not in correct order this time.  I will just ramble with the pictures to get caught up and then repent.

We had a zone activity day where we all traveled to Cape Coast and toured the Elmina castle.  This is one of the castles that was used to hold slaves before they were sold and shipped around the globe.  It was a sobering experience to see and hear of the stories of those dark days in history.

This is a picture of one of the class at the Deaf School we are working with.  This is one of the puzzles that was sent to California and then brought to Ghana in Brother Lybberts suitcase.  Neither the teachers or the students had ever seen anything like a puzzle.  It took a little while to put it back together and were so excited to see the picture when they did.  As you can see they were very involved in solving the challenge.  We will have more on this school in the next blog.

In Africa funerals are a very important event.  You can have your casket made in any kind of shape that you would like, usually something that represented your life's work.  This is an outboard motor.  I have seen it finish and I need to stop and take another picture/

This is a small taxi car at the same shop

This is Elder Adams,  Elder Collins, and Elder Lodder returning to the trotro area after leaving the Castle

Elder and Sister Ivie at the entrance to the Castle

I liked this casket, he must have been a builder or was trying to send a message of the kinda of mansions he wanted in heaven.  Can you imagine the size of the hole some of these require to be buried

This is a Bic pen

A nice flip flop, which is the standard shoe worn by most everyone doing what ever kind of job you can imagine.  I am collecting picture of the different styles we see as we drive around the area.  I still need a picture of the ship, the scriptures, the CoCo Bean to name a few that we have seen and need to take pictures of

This is the Swedru Zone,  there are six Sisters and sixteen Elders.  We are sitting on one of the stair cases inside the Castle.  They are so enjoyable to be around, whether it is playing or doing serious missionary activities.

This is in center court yard.  The barred doors on the right were two cells.  One no one left alive, and the other no one died while in the cell.  If you were a leader or rebellious you got the cell that no left alive.  They simply put you in, and gave no water or food until you died.

We have been very busy getting a new apartment ready for missionaries in a new area.  This is Elder Harris,(going home next transfer), Elder Brown who has had two transfers, and Elder Ivie painting the floor.  Just can't get away from some kind of floor covering.

I have mentioned before that there are very few car lifts in the out lying areas.  So when you need to work on the underside of the car, you just roll it up on its side and do your repairs.  It only causes minor damage to the body, but sure makes working on the bottom easier.

We do enjoy traveling through out our area, because everyday is an adventure.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2014

New Years in Ghana

Christmas time is Ghana is definitely different.  Almost no traditional christmas decorations, gift giving, etc.  But come the New Years Celebrating that is a different story.  We are now approached by many strangers asking for their christmas gift.  They want money or something, and it has nothing to with christmas.

The fancy costumes come out, and the parade's through town are everywhere.

From little kids to grown adults the costumes are elaborate and some very costly.  They only use the costume once and then sell it or give it away.

He is part of a large parade that went past our home.  I am having trouble with the download of the video.  Someday maybe I will get this blog stuff figured out

This mask is very tame compared to many that have approached our car.  The first ones we were not sure if we were really safe.  They approach everyone and want money.  Some even carry a cane stick.  They all assure us they don't use them.(at least on obruni) Not the case with there own people. It is Halloween on steroids 

A couple of cross dresser's

The last sunday of the month produced a number of baptisms.  The zone exceeded their trimester goals and the mission meets it goal for the year.  Always a good indicator that the work is progressing

Behind me is the baptismal font

After the first baptisms we were off to the other chapel in Swedru for another nice service.  This was a special time because three of these Elders were going to be in the transfer on Monday. Great way to finish your assignment in any given area.

Sister Bybee was feeling a little better, but said she did not want to miss this opportunity to be with all of the couples one last time before there return to the US

This is the new apartment in Asikuma that we have been working on for several weeks.  It had to be painted inside and out as well as the floors.  We made several trips to the mission home to pick up the furniture and supplies the Elders will be needing.  We have two missionaries assigned this transfer and two more will join them the first week of February

When we found the Elders apartment the landlord had these two school building he wanted to rent and currently we meeting in school across town.  Long story short the Church representative Bro Manube was able to secure the buildings.  The owner had to make them tenantable. He had to pour concrete in part of the building, plaster and paint the walls, install windows and doors.  Then the Church will come in and pay for the remodeling necessary to make it Church Standard.  Asikuma is a new Branch and is growing very nicely.  They have a great spirit about them and being members of the Church is very important.

This is one of the schools Sister Ivie has been talking about.  This is the new one the Wallace were fixings to able to relieve the other building. It got new paint inside and out, a new wash room that isn't really a wash room.  Today just a small number of kids returned to school, by next week everybody will have figured out vacation is over and you have to go back to school.  It is something that happens a lot in the private schools.

I missed getting pictures of this building before work begin.  You would not believe the transformation that took place in just over a weeks time.

These are the brand new desks for the extra classrooms.  There are fifteen new desks and that will serve 30 kids.  The carpenter charged 7 Cedis, that is 3.50 US per desk for his labor.

I left Sister Ivie at school one day with Sister Wallace while I took President Wallace (our electrician) out to Odoben and Asikuma to make some repairs.  She and Sister Wallace went with the kids in their school bus as there were taken home.  Then the two of them went to the Chapel and had a piano lesson, until we returned.  She said the ride was not quiet like a trotro but close.

Sister Ivie making a quick stop at the grocery store.  It is nice to have these little stores all over town and especially this one that is a block from home.  There is a vegetable market next to this store and it is nice to not have to go down to the main market.

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    • The rest of January
    • Well it is back to work
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Warning....

Warning: If you have an aversion to gross amounts of manly sweat, you should stop here. If not, you will soon grow an aversion to gross amounts of manly tears(;

  

So this last week in Odoben, all four us missionaries got to go on a "bush" adventure as we went with one of our recent converts to his farm. The looks on all the Ghanaians faces as they saw us walk down the road carrying our machetes to go weed, I could practically hear them thinking, "These white people are crazy!"....which some of them did yell out to us in Fante,(the native language) but we just kept going.

 It was a 20 min. walk to the actual forest area (aka the bush), and then another 30 min. hike from there to the actual farm. This all sounds pretty nice so far, right? Well let me add the fact that it was around 100 degrees out and 90% humidity before we got to the bush, and then 100 degrees and 150% humidity when we got inside the bush. I started to call myself a crazy white person as we started to work, seeing as it felt like we were working with thick blankets wrapped around us.

  

The actual work though, went well. We were able to chop down most of the weeds in this man's farm and see the look of surprise on his face as he realized that not all white people are fat and have never worked in their lives...which is the belief of every Ghanaian here (hence the awkward stares walking through town). 

  

Let me tell you this though; you don't know just how much water the human body has stored in it until you see it all leak out of your skin. The sweat almost just runs right off of you like tiny streams, which made me think we were probably like tiny sprinklers as we worked....ok, now I've grown an aversion to gross amounts of manly sweat.

 The bush experience was really fun though, and all of us missionaries felt really good that we were able to help this man out in a small way. I really love service now and the feelings it brings to you as God lets you know that what you're doing is good. So, even though none of ya Americans can have a "bush" experience, you can still go out and serve someone...anyone really. And I just want you to see, if there is ever a time you do service and DON'T feel good afterward.

  
That's all from Africa this week, have a good rest of the week wherever you are!

Elder Collins

Christmas Week

Afishia Pa! Na afin combette!!

  

  Hey!!! It was soooo nice talking to you all on Christmas Day!! It was nice hearing all of you and realizing you all sounded exactly the same....except for Adam, who all of a sudden sounds like a mountain man, and I'm sure will look like one when I get back(;

  

  The Ghanaians here have a funny way of celebrating Christmas. They start around the 20th and don't stop until the New Year, but what they do is they start getting mass amounts of fireworks from who-knows-where and setting them off EVERYWHERE! The kids literally just light the firework, chuck it, and run. They don't really even check to see where they chuck it is the problem, and I've seen a few kids get beat by some Ghanaian women because of their "good aim". The most annoying part has been the laser pointers that all the kids acquired (I personally believe from an underground black market set on destroying missionaries). The reason being is because all these kids have made it a game of shooting their lasers into the Obroni's(White man's) eyes as they're walking from place to place. I would probably have exercised my right to the laying on of hands if I weren't so blind from the little buggers...jk hahaha....kinda(;

  Also, kids dress up in these outfits that are more fit for Halloween than for christmas and go around with a posse of drummers dancing for people and then asking for money. It's funny to watch, and when I can send pictures I'll get you one. The adults on the other hand, they all seem to believe that the white men are here to give them gifts, because all of them ask us where their Christmas gift is. I typically tell them that I am ready to give them theirs, but only after I've received mine....they stop asking after that(;

  Oh, and in response to Grandma's question about the passing of Nelson Mandela a while back (which I'm sorry I haven't replied to it sooner), the Ghanaians didn't do as much for it as I thought they would. The tro's played Obama's speech about Nelson Mandela, which was a decent speech I thought, and the people talked about how he was a good man, but that was about it. I live in a village though, so I don't know what it was like in the cities.

  This last week we were blessed to have 3 baptisms, 2 from Asikuma (our last) and one from Odoben. The 2 from Asikuma were Vida and Mary, a mother and daughter who I started teaching my first week on mission. The other baptism was of Sarah Y., but her baptism was kinda my favorite of the 3. The reason being is because her father John, our recent convert, was the one who performed the ordinance. Man, it was sweet seeing him right after baptizing her, how happy he was and the huge smile on his face! He was nervous before the service and actually expressed to me how he didn't think he should do it, but I got to tell him my gratitude that my father had gotten to baptize me, after which he went through with it, and I know he didn't regret it.

  Other than that, the week was spent getting Elder Loader familiarized with everything. He came from "the city" so the "bush" is new to him, but he's excited, and we've already had a great time getting to know each other. He's actually big on working out and we've started to work out together small, so who knows, maybe I won't lose all of my meager muscle that I have after all(;

  I'm sorry for Tyler, and I hope he gets better soon. I'm gld the family is doing well, and I hope you have a great New Year's!!

A fin combette!!

Elder Collins (Papa Tintin--tall father)

Great News!

La Familia,

  I can't even begin to explain how happy I am with all the good news I've received today! 

  I'm pleased to hear about Lacy and Geoff. They're both awesome people and I'm glad they have this opportunity to be sealed together!

  Also, Kyle's mission call....SWEET!! Man, I'm stoked for him and for the work he'll be doing. I really hope he prepares himself between now and then and really takes this time to start being a missionary NOW. If he's living the missionary standards and rules now, he'll have no problem in the field and will be accustomed to the Spirit that is present with those who live their lives as such.

  Oh, and thanks for accepting BYU!! I'm glad I made it, and the Spring semester sounds sweet! That means I'll have time to hang out with the fam and totally make you ready to chuck me out when the time comes for me to leave(;

  Ok, so Grandma, I wanted to reply to your letters you sent me recently (which I'm still VERY grateful for). That quote I also found very interesting. It brings up the point that, since the beginning of time, men have always questioned a supreme being, whether or not there is a God in our lives and, more importantly, if He cares about us. We were teaching a lesson this week and were in the book of Ether, in the Book of Mormon, and we had just shared a scripture with our investigator when I noticed a verse. In Ch. 12, verse 4, Moroni gives the explanation I believe that best fits why men believe in God, and the reason I personally believe. As I continued to think about it though, I reflected that, if we really are the children of God, as I very firmly believe we are, then it would be only natural to ponder and believe in our Heavenly Father. This would support that it isn't just a mental explanation to give us comfort over the contemplation of death, but is in reality, a divine attribute we've inherited from a loving Heavenly Father who is VERY interested in our happiness and, more importantly, our journey back to Him. Your quote gave me the opportunity to really ponder and reflect upon, and I'm very grateful for that, and I hope that my insights have been somewhat coherent for you haha. 

  Ok, I realize that I made you all worry too much about me, although I am very grateful that you put my name in the temple prayer roll. I am perfectly healthy, and still loving every minute of life here in Odoben! Dad, I just want to let you know, that I haven't had cow's stomach, but I did get to have cow's tongue this past week. It wasn't bad, just very, very chewy and it gets stuck in your teeth small, which is a pain.

  This last week we got to travel to Cape Coast for the Christmas Devotional which was really nice! I got to see all my MTC buddies and we were able to swap stories of how we've been. I am inspired by the humility they all have and the anticipation they have toward missionary work. We got nice food, listened to some talks on Jesus Christ and His birth and life(which I'm a lot more interested in and grateful for) and had a talent show zone by zone. Overall, it was a great time and I got to meet a lot of other powerful missionaries. On a side note, my grandfather is going home this transfer. His name is Elder Ani, and he's been the Assistant to the Pres. since I came out and is such a humble person. He's also from Nigeria (told you I was black(; ).

  Now, about Christmas and all that business! Transfer day falls on Christmas day....but Pres. Shulz moved it a couple days ahead, so transfer day is on the 23rd now, but the news on who's training this next transfer will actually come tomorrow....a lot of the other Elders think I'll be getting a call to train, but I don't know. Whatever happens, the Lord will be in it (quote from the Restoration movie about Joseph Smith...love that movie haha). Oh, and Christmas day will also be our District Mtg. day, so I'll be able to email you and let you know what time I'll be calling later that evening. We get an hour to call, and I'm not exactly sure about all the little details yet, but just expect a call between 10am-1pm, your time.

   So, that's about it for this week! We pushed a baptism back a week because they missed sacrament meeting, which is KINDA important haha, but it'll happen next week fo sho!  Also, Ghanaians don't make shoes my size AT ALL, so could you send just a regular pair of flip flops? I don't NEED them......but they would be nice to have instead of my crocs, which I wear too much haha!

  Well, I love you all and I still pray for all of you everyday! True story(; I hope you all continue to be happy and well and recognize ways you can better serve God and be worthy of His sweet Spirit!

Elder Collins

Emailing with the Parents

*Editors note*

Sometimes when Jordan is online emailing us, we are on at the the same time so can shoot emails back and forth (I call it a tender mercy).  Here is our conversation from this last week.  Hope you enjoy it! :)

~Andrea

Jordan:  Madre!! Hey, I got 2 of your packages, the first one last week (which I'm sad to say I have already emptied, with the help of the Elders in my apartment) and the 2nd one today. Thank you sooo much for them, they are perfect!!

Mom:  Did you get the birthday package with the Halloween stuff?

Jordan:  Yes!! And the other Elders in my apartment were pleasantly surprised

for their goodies as well (although Elder Kirumira left right before the package arrived, so I'm saving his goodies until we see him at the Christmas devotional on the 13th of Dec.) I also got the package with the hot chocolate and other stuff in it today. I only opened a little part, so I can't see all of it, but it looks good haha.

Mom:  I’m glad you liked it all! What are your plans for Thanksgiving?

Jordan:  About thanksgiving, the Ivie's are bringing us potatoes and coleslaw, while the other Elders in the apartment want to go for some cat....they originally wanted dog, but Elder Lee and I are set against that haha. And for Christmas...skypeing depends on whether or not we can use a members laptop. So, that's basically a no for our area haha, but I'll find out for sure.

Mom:  Are you really having cat?

Let me know about calling on Christmas!  I am so excited to talk to you!!

How are things going with your investigators?  How are the Elders in your

apartment?  How are you feeling?

Jordan:  As for the cat situation...I think I'll probably try in all honesty, I've heard from a lot of Elders that cat is pretty good (apparently dog is the best meat there is though...still not having that).

We actually dropped a lot of investigators because they weren't progressing\keeping their commitments etc. But that's ok, because now

we have time to focus on those who are serious, and the seed has been

planted in the ones we dropped, someone else will just harvest them.

Florence hasn't come to church for a month now, even after we went and

resolved concerns TWICE...so Elder Lee and I are looking at the

unhappy prospect of dropping her as well. On the other hand, we have a

candidate named John Yeboah who is SWEET!!! He is set for this Saturday and is soooo committed!! He has a 14 yr. old daughter named Sarah who we're planning on baptizing on the 14th, with her dad being the baptizer.

My stomach is pain free now, which I think means I've become accustomed to Ghana haha.

Mom:  What do you think of the headlamp I sent you?

Jordan:  Hahaha I got the headlamp, which the other Elders teased me about it a little just because of the idea of me proselyting in it, but the power goes out in our apartment so much that I can use it around our apartment, outside of our apartment though...probably not haha, but just because it might take away from the missionary appearance.

Oh, and tell dad that we have a mission goal of 5 gospel conversations a day, and I now can do them pretty much all in Fante (very basic Fante, but Fante all the same haha)

Dad:  Oh yeah well Jordan this is Dad,  Will you be speaking Fante in other parts of your mission as well?

Jordan:  Oh, hey dad haha. Fante is dominant in the Cape Coast mission, but

they speak a lot of chi as well, which is similar to fante, so yes, I'll be using Fante a lot.  Can you tell me about your mission? Who you trained, your experiences? That's all for today, gotta go, love ya bye!!!!

Another week in Odoben

Odoben continues to get sweeter and sweeter the longer I'm here. Fante is coming slowly to me, but I'm still learning, and I'm at the point where I can have a small conversation with people, and bear my testimony cra cra cra cra (small small). Elder Lee and I are really starting to grow close as a companionship. The key has been communication. We've been really good about addressing our problems and talking to each other, and we always come out stronger than before after talking. Every day we go out and proselyte for 9 hours, and it amazes me that, everyday, I never get tired or run low on energy. I always manage to do everything we planned to do, get home, close and plan for the next day, and then almost immediately afterward, my eyelids get really heavy. This is just evidence to me that the Spirit is with us very strongly while we are out and in need of it and is constantly keeping us up and serving.

  Elder Lee and I had a funny experience this week that nearly had me crying. So, we had just gotten back from proselyting and walked into our room in our apartment, when Elder Lee finds this HUGE spider right behind our door. The pictures we took don't do it real justice. You could see it's eye from a few feet back, if that helps you understand the size of this thing. Anyways, after taking some pictures, Elder Lee (having a dislike of spiders) hands me a flip flop and tells me to "finish him". Well, let's just say the beast was faster than I gave him credit for, and escaped my swat. So we spent a few minutes trying to get it out from behind Elder Lee's bed, but to no avail. Finally, Elder Lee leaves, returns with a bottle of insect repellant, and exclaims, "Either you or I die this instant" then starts bombarding it with the spray. After 10 min. of this, and as it's life drew to a close, I played the song, God Be With You Till We Meet Again, while Elder Lee kept repeating the words "Die die die"....It was a memorable experience haha!!

  Before I close, I learned this week, that missionaries don't bcome good at teaching because they study a lot or have a good memory. It's because as they learn and teach, they become more and more sure for themselves that what they teach ios true, so they no longer teach just a "good message" but an eterrnal truth that brings not only enlightenment, but happiness as well. The future is bright, and there is work to be done, so let us all just keep on, keepinl on!

Elder Collins