POST 70

Hello Family and Friends,
          Yesterday the cafe didn’t have any network so that is why I wasn’t able to email. But I have a few min to email today.
          So everything is good. This Sunday we are planning on baptizing Bernard and Sister Ofori. Today I went with Elder Williams to Konongo for an instruction and Andersen went with Carpenter up to Mpraeso for district meeting. We just barely got back and this evening Mathebe is coming on splits with me, so somehow a lot to do today. But week went well.
          We had  7 people come on Sunday which was great. During sacrament we usually bless the sacrament. One time we had to do both bless and pass. But now its pretty good. Most of the members don’t show up till after the sacrament. But things are moving forward. Last night we went to a family home evening. We had mineral and biscuits as dessert, or as they say it here, “sweet after meals”. haha…
          My time is gone. Sorry for the short email. Have fun on the mountain.  Love you all!! Take care. Thanks for everything!!
                                               Love Ty

Very large spider

POST 69

Hi Everyone,
          All is well and I’m doing fine. The sun some days wants to just pin me down and burn me to a stubble. Other than that, I'm doing great. Haha..
          So Elder Roach is training a new missionary who’s from Uganda.  Tushabe is his name.  Yeah, we get along for the most part, but a few things we don’t agree on inside the apartment. Mostly all of us cook our own food. Last transfer we all pretty much ate together, but this one we will probably mostly be on our own. We buy some of our food at the market, some at the small crappy Melcom, and then the rest like eggs and bread, stuff like that is just around the apartment.
          So we have had a good week. We had 6 come to church yesterday, and have found some more people that are prepared for the gospel. It seems like most of the members have caught a fever about missionary work and helping us. When I first came to this area I thought the people were not serious and hard to teach, but now it seems like we cant keep up with all the people we have that want us to teach them. We will just be teaching someone and another one will come in and join and become interested in what we have to say. So yes, I truly believe that he is blessing all of us.  Also about every other night it seems like someone is feeding us and catering small to us. Ha.. Hopefully on the 31st we will have 2 baptisms for sister Ofori and Fabio. Cynthia didn’t come to church yesterday, she said she was too late. She also wants us to come to her church. Haha.. Her uncle seems quite serious about the gospel as well. His name is Timothy, he likes his booze. But once we taught him the Word of Wisdom he said he would stop. When he started reading the pamphlete as we were leaving, he said that was just what he needed to get him to quit; Joseph Smith was right! Haha… He also says he wants to be baptized. So we are being blessed and are doing well in Nkawkaw. Most of the people now that we are preparing for baptism are part member family members. It will be nice once the few families we are working with will finally be complete.
          So that is our week. I can’t think of anything else. It sounds like the Worlds Fair was fun and everyone had a good time.   Gr. Becky sent me pictures of the float of SSP.  It looked like quite the shindig…haha…  That is a bad deal with Kent. Jeez, not good at all!!  I always remember him at the auction sitting there all day and then buying some junk at the end of the sale. So my time is out. Take care! Thanks for all you do! Have a good week!!
                       Love Elder Ty Blackburn

Me and some other missionaries.

Humble homes in Nkawkaw.

One of the many advertisements for church. haha...

POST 68

Hey Everyone,
          The past week has been good. On Wednesday we left Nkawkaw and headed to Kumasi to go and get our new companions.  I got to see a lot missionaries I haven’t seen in a while; Nielson and Meredith for instance, and also a lot of greenies! Haha…
          My new companion is cool. We don’t have too much in common other than we are from the US,  and we like the same kind of foods and stuff. Haha…, But not too much else.  He likes video/computer games, books etc. Anyway, we get along and do well together in our teaching.  We had a successful week. We had 7 of our inv. came to church yesterday, and even Cynthia came. She said she really liked it and will come next week. She walked from her house which is like 2-3 miles. Ha… Also Sister Asamoah wants to be baptized on the 24th, and also Fabio hopefully. James recieved the Aaronic priesthood yesterday and was ordained to the office of a priest. So he can help with the sacrament now. We are working with our members and trying our best to help them. About everywhere we went to teach someone last week there was a member with us.
          So the ebola hasn’t officially came to Ghana. There was a man in the north, Bolgatanga area from Burkina Faso that died and had somehow of the same symptoms. But it hasn’t been confirmed as ebola. It’s a serious deal. Plenty of people have died from it in the 3 countries Liberia, Sierre Leone, and Guinea.  I guess its in Nigeria now, but they said they are trying to keep it contained. We will be alright though, no need to worry. Ha…
          Anyway sounds like everything back home with everyone is going good. I can’t believe that you are starting school already. It honestly feels like you just got out! Ha.. Well good luck this week. I hope all goes well for ya and you have a good one. So thanks for the info about the shoein school. I was actually able to get on and check it out.  I think I’ll do it for sure!! We will continue to talk about it. So better go! Thanks for everything!!
                          Love ya,  Elder Ty Blackburn

POST 67

Hi Everyone,
          Yes August is here already. I can’t really believe that I have been on mission this long, and it seems like I’ll be home soon. Elder Sesay is being transferred to a place in Kumasi and my new companion will be Elder Anderson from Texas. It’s the same Anderson that was in Obuasi a year ago with me in the same apartment. We will have a good time here in the village. He goes home in October, so I will probably be with him till he dies, (goes home) So I could be here till January.  Elder Kaufusi is also being transferred to Sunyani to be ZL with Elder Barker.
          But yeah, yesterday we had 5 people come to church. It has rained for the past 2 Sundays in a row in the mornings, and it has an effect on the people coming on time. Our branch starts at 8 thirty and most of them don’t show up till nine and not many get the sacrament. But eventually the turn out is pretty good. We usually have around 30 or so people come. The water fall on the cliff was really purging due to all the rain that has been coming. We have been wanting to go up there, they say there is a big pool where it falls. People go there and swim. Maybe one of these days we'll go.
          About the Ebola virus; it is true. They have shut Liberia and Sierra Leone missions down. We are getting 8 of those missionaries here in the Kumasi mission. They will finish their missions here, but for sure I’ll have to start being more careful with the stuff I touch and the kind of places that I go. Sounds like a nasty deal, but I will be OK.
          Anyway so you asked about the guy that pretty much saved my life. Yes, he does work there at the hospital. He is a doctor or one of the nurses. He’s a great big guy. My chest hurt for a week after he pumped on my chest during my ordeal with Malaria. haha…
          That is about it for the news, So could you do some small research about the horse shoeing school; the one Dillon went to in Oklahoma? I have tried but the internet is too crappy here. Also, I think I may as well go to Snow for one year and see how things go. So if you could do that it would be great. Anway better go! Thanks for everything! Have a good week!
                                      Love Elder Ty Blackburn

This is a view of part of my area. 

(I'm standing on the Chapel wall).

Papua