Out-Standing in the Field...

Elder Chadwick & Elder Madsen meet! They aren't companions, but Chase's sister
Macquel sits right next to Elder Chadwick's mom at work! Small, small world!

     First off, getting out here was crazy! Leaving all of the kids at the MTC was sad, we became such close friends. It's super hot here and crazy humid! I sweat all time, literally...all the time! So me and my comp were walking down a street and Ghana was playing someone in a soccer game. When Ghana scored everyone on the whole street started cheering. It was awesome!

      My apt is alright, kinda beat up but it's cool. The power goes out a couple times a day so that's fun ha ha. The water in the shower is SO COLD, I hate taking showers now but I do anyway. The street vendors and the tro tro's make Ghana an awesome place. The food tastes good but is sometimes made in poor conditions so I don't want to eat it sometimes, but we do. The kids here LOVE me and I love them! They are so cute. Every day wherever I'm going kids will just yell at me. They go, "Oh broni! broni! broni!" in the cutest voice. Sometimes when I'm walking down the street groups of like nine kids will just come out and start chanting "broni" so I wave to them and they just smile. After I've waved and started walking again they just yell more so that I wave to them, and they'll stop once I'm out of sight. I love it. Even some of the adults greet me by saying that.

     Everyone here speaks Twi, and we are actually not allowed to teach people who can't speak English. Religion is huge here, everyone belongs to some kind of church which is actually kind of nice, cause we just show them why we believe what we believe and they are really accepting. The kids here work so so hard, they are crazy independent. It's so safe here as well, the kids just walk home in the dark all the time and they're like 5 and 6. The women carry anything on their heads, it's insane. They carry so much at a time as well.

     The biggest problems we run into as far as religion goes: god doesn't have a body, they are all the same being, no man can see god, and no one can add or take away from the Bible. So, I had the chance to baptize two people. My companion had been working with them for a while and offered to let me baptize them. I turned it down though, I like comparing baptisms to fishing. If I didn't string up the pole, bait it, cast it, hook it, and reel it in...IT'S NOT MINE. So I can't take credit for it haha. I'll baptize someone after I've been working with them for a while.

     I've realized something about religion here. We meet in a kind of beat up building, the hymn books are all falling apart, and it didn't feel like church at home. But that's not at all what church is. It's not the buildings, it's not the chairs. Religion for people here is huge, the building you meet in doesn't define your religion, it's what goes on inside. Going to classes and learning and taking the sacrament,  as long as you're getting those things done then that's good enough. 

     I've also come to love love love reading the Book of Mormon. Honestly that book is so powerful. I can feel the Spirit literally just by opening it when I'm getting ready to read it. Being here has helped me understand so much about our church and the gospel. I'm loving this church more and more everyday.

love, Elder Madsen