Obuasi 4th Branch that we attend had 6 people get baptized on May 1st.  In this picture:  (left to right) are Elder Call, Haggar, Elder Price, Faustian, Joseph, Francis, Louisa, Phylix, Elder Kluse and Elder Kasongo.  It is a tender mercy that Elder Call and Elder Kasongo had to leave their area for 3 weeks because of a celebration of life for one of the chiefs that died 7 years ago.  Everyone in the town would have had to wear black for 3 weeks!  So the President moved them to Obuasi, and with their help, Elder Price and Elder Kluse could teach twice as many people and look at their results!  Truly, the Lord is in the details of this work. 

Last Sunday after church we went with the Elders Quorum President and Elder Kluse and Elder Price to visit a couple of members that had not been to church for a while because of health problems.  It was surreal walking through the little neighborhood of rocky dusty dirt paths with people  sitting outside .  It is so easy for us to talk to people, literally everyone is very interested to know why we are there and what we are doing.  

This is one of the men that we visited.  He was very frail.  He was so very grateful for the visit and kept thanking us for coming.  The men gave him a blessing and he was just so touched.  I love the humble hearts of the people here. 💙💙💙

I really cannot resist taking pictures of these darling babies on their mama's backs.  They are just so cozy there and sleep so well.  It is just such a natural thing for them to do and the mama's carry them with such ease.  I wish you could see how effortlessly they get them on their backs without any help at all, no special carriers, no special contraptions, just a long piece of cloth.  

You are probably wondering why I would take a picture of a can of powdered milk?  Well, there is a  story here.  Elder Garrison went to the store and bought this along with a few other items that we needed.  Upon coming back from the store and looking at the receipt, he noticed that he had NOT been charged for this milk.  It wasn't really that cheap either.  It was like 226 ghs which is $30.  So he had to go to the same area to put some money on his phone, so I took the milk back to the store and explained to them, that we had not paid for it.  I wish you could have seen the security guard at the entrance of the store when I told her why I was bringing the milk back.  She really didn't know what to say. She said, "This is highly unusual!"  She motioned to another security guard to come over and asked me to repeat what I had told her.  He said, "I really cannot believe that you are bringing this back.....God bless you."  Then he made a motion of prayer with his hands.  They asked if I had the receipt, and I didn't, I said, it wouldn't show up on the receipt anyway, but that if they needed it, I would bring it back later.....They then indicated that they might get in trouble because they are supposed to check the receipts when a person leaves the store.  I told them that I surely didn't want to get them into trouble, that it was just a mistake.  Then they said, that I would need to talk to the store manager.  So I went to him and told him the story.  He just gave me a blank stare and said, "I cannot believe you came back,, most people would not have come back."  I told him that I was aware of that, but that would not be honest.  Again, the security guard said, "God Bless You."  So he ushered me to the check out stand and I paid for it......All three of them stared at me is disbelief as I exited the store.  

On Tuesday we went to District Council with this district:  Sister Musa, Sister Koomson, Elder Driscoll, Elder Franklin, Sister Gbeku and Sister Adomako.  They did an excellent job with their meeting.  It is always wonderful to be with the young missionaries and experience their enthusiasm .

One of the absolute delights that we enjoy here are MANGOS! Oh yum, they are so delicious!  I have played around with ways to cut them and I think I have finally decided that this is the best way! 

Monday we had a crew for pickle ball.  I probably played the worst that I ever had, but it was still fun.  The bonus was that it was cloudy and not as hot as normal~  Here we have:  Sister Moomey, Elder Moomey, Elder Simpson, Elder Kpornu, Elder Yeboah, Elder Ferry, Elder Morgan, me and Elder Garrison.  We are going to miss Elder Morgan and Elder Ferry as they got transferred to a new area this time!

This is Elder Yeboah and Elder Morgan and Elder Simpson.  Elder Morgan has been here as the Assistant to the President since we got here......we tease him that he is like a grandson to us!  He has done such an excellent job as the Assistant to the President with Elder Yeboah.  Now Elder Simpson will take his place!  We look forward to working with him too.  Such good kids!

   Last Friday night we had the founder of the Hilltop School and her son who acts as the business manager for the school, over to dinner with the Moomeys.  I am just so impressed with the founder, Cecila.  She started out with 8 students doing everything herself in 1997.  They now have 1100 students.  They are wonderful people and it was so nice to get to know them better.  She told us an interesting tidbit that night:  she has a daughter that lives in SLC, her husband is a surgeon at the Huntsman Cancer Center there and they just bought the home that was formerly owned by Richard G. Scott, who was one of the 12 apostles of our church.  I do NOT think it is any coincidence that they are in Salt Lake City.....(I am so mad that I didn't get their picture....but we will have them over again.)

It was transfers on Wednesday and I just had to take a picture of these four Elders in their Ghanaian attire:  Elder Price, Elder Welch, Elder Kluse and Elder Lucero.  They truly are embracing the Ghanaian culture! Don't they look great?

It has been a busy few weeks.  The mission clock definitely runs in cycles:  we send missionaries home, we get new energetic missionaries in, they are trained, there are transfers, zone conferences, district councils.....the training that these young missionaries get and the experiences that they have serving others is a foundation that they  will benefit them for the rest of their lives.  Especially if they build that foundation on Christ.  He is the way......so grateful to be a part of this great work.

Thanks to all our family and friends for your support.  Stay strong and steadfast!

Love,

The Garrisons