Hi Everyone,
Well this week has been really really not too good at all. It all started on Wednesday. I started feeling sick and light headed. So around 2 or so we went back to the apartment, ate lunch, and then rested the rest of the day cuz I felt like crap. Thursday morning it seemed better so we went out and had 3 lessons. We came back ate lunch and I started to feel light headed and like I was going to pass out. So Friday morning we went to the hospital and they did a lab test of my blood sample and I have malaria!! Yeah, not fun at all. I started taking the medication that evening and today is when it should finish. I still feel like crap at the moment. It’s mainly just my stomach now. If only I can keep the stuff I eat down, and not throw it up. Freaking sun and the weather doesn’t help out at all!! Just be glad that you live in North America where such crappy viruses and illnesses don’t usually occur. So I hope I get better really soon. I won’t be going out to proselyte till I get better.
Our proselyting area is around the apartment, which isn’t too bad. It’s just that not really anyone is serious. We take a taxi to a place called Amanfrom and that is where we baptized a guy yesterday from. His name is James. His sister will be getting baptized sometime in July. Most people we contact or try to teach usually try hiding from us, run away, or pretend they don’t speak English. We were able to pin down our Land Lord about our ceiling, so now it’s fixed. No more worries about mice getting in. So that’s about it for my week. Just keep me in your prayers.. Thanks for everything!!
Love ya,
Elder Ty Blackburn
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Monday, June 16, 2014
POST 60
Hi All,
It is good here in Nkawkaw. As usual it rains everyday. We are at a real crappy cafe today. The other one was packed with people, so I guess you will have to wait till next week for the pictures.
Our apartment has a hole in the ceiling. We keep telling the Landlord but he won’t come and fix it. It’s going to fall in soon. Every time it rains it gets worse small. I was thinking I could just do it myself. I could go and buy some nails and a few small pieces of wood. Soon we will be getting mice, and we already have tons of spiders.
I’m getting tired of the same thing everyday all day. On Saturday I went on splits with Kaufusi in his area. It was nice to be in the town part of Nkawkaw and actually have serious people to teach and find. This next Saturday and Sunday will be the Nkawkaw District Conference. President and Sister Holmes will be there and the Reiss's. So that’s something to look forward to.
My companion is cool! This week is transfer news, so we will be knowing if anyone is coming or going. Tomorrow we are traveling to Konongo for a Zone Meeting, so I get to have a small vacation. Haha..
Sounds like you enjoyed Fathers day with everyone. I hope you are doing good and taking care of your selves. Love you all and good luck!!
Love, Elder Ty Blackburn
It is good here in Nkawkaw. As usual it rains everyday. We are at a real crappy cafe today. The other one was packed with people, so I guess you will have to wait till next week for the pictures.
Our apartment has a hole in the ceiling. We keep telling the Landlord but he won’t come and fix it. It’s going to fall in soon. Every time it rains it gets worse small. I was thinking I could just do it myself. I could go and buy some nails and a few small pieces of wood. Soon we will be getting mice, and we already have tons of spiders.
I’m getting tired of the same thing everyday all day. On Saturday I went on splits with Kaufusi in his area. It was nice to be in the town part of Nkawkaw and actually have serious people to teach and find. This next Saturday and Sunday will be the Nkawkaw District Conference. President and Sister Holmes will be there and the Reiss's. So that’s something to look forward to.
My companion is cool! This week is transfer news, so we will be knowing if anyone is coming or going. Tomorrow we are traveling to Konongo for a Zone Meeting, so I get to have a small vacation. Haha..
Sounds like you enjoyed Fathers day with everyone. I hope you are doing good and taking care of your selves. Love you all and good luck!!
Love, Elder Ty Blackburn
Monday, June 9, 2014
POST 59
Hi Everyone,
Well here it is Monday again!! The weeks somehow seem to be going faster and faster. Next week is already transfer news. I can’t believe it! So I have been doing well, nothing too much has really happened here in the Bush. Yeah, so in the picture last week, my companion Elder Sesay is next to me. Elder Kaufusi on the end is from Roosevelt. (he’s Tongan, but was born in Utah). Elder Roach is from Virginia. We all get a long really well.
So Nkawkaw is cool. We’re planning on having a baptism for Steven. We have also found an old man named Sampson. He is somehow blind and can’t see too well, but he is powerful!! The first time we met him he asked us if we do healings and teachings. Haha… We began to teach him, and yesterday we went back. The whole time I could tell that he was feeling the Spirit and knew that this was true. He was asking the right questions that led to the next principle of Lesson 1: The Restoration. Next time we go we will extend a Baptismal date. I really believe that this man is truly prepared for us and the restored gospel. Kaufusi and Roach had 5 baptisms yesterday, so they are doing really well!! Our area is far from the chapel, and we don’t have really too many active and serious members to help us out. We are trying our best little by little.
It has been raining everyday as I have said before. Thursday we came back for lunch around 2 and it started to rain, then it didn’t stop till early Friday morning. We were lucky that we were in doors or else we could of got stuck somewhere all day. It rains so hard that if feels like hail is hitting you. On every building they have tin roofs so it gets pretty loud.
On Tuesday we watched a car crash happen! No one was hurt but it was something else to see. There was this guy going to turn left with a bunch of cars behind. He was waiting for the oncoming ones to pass so he could turn. So just as he is turning a car from way behind starts coming around and T-Bones him on the drivers side!! The driver flew over into the passengers seat and almost fell out of the window!! We saw it all. We were coming down the hill when it all happened. In about 20 sec. about half the village was there. It was something else!!
That is cool about the missionary from Eq. Guinea. Yeah, it’s like right under Camaroon, which is under Nigeria. I’m pretty sure the church is there. I think they may speak French?
Well thanks for everything and for keeping me updated on all the happenings. I hope that you can get some hay baled and put up into the stack this week. My thoughts and prayers are always with you. Take care! Love ya!
Elder Ty Blackburn
Well here it is Monday again!! The weeks somehow seem to be going faster and faster. Next week is already transfer news. I can’t believe it! So I have been doing well, nothing too much has really happened here in the Bush. Yeah, so in the picture last week, my companion Elder Sesay is next to me. Elder Kaufusi on the end is from Roosevelt. (he’s Tongan, but was born in Utah). Elder Roach is from Virginia. We all get a long really well.
So Nkawkaw is cool. We’re planning on having a baptism for Steven. We have also found an old man named Sampson. He is somehow blind and can’t see too well, but he is powerful!! The first time we met him he asked us if we do healings and teachings. Haha… We began to teach him, and yesterday we went back. The whole time I could tell that he was feeling the Spirit and knew that this was true. He was asking the right questions that led to the next principle of Lesson 1: The Restoration. Next time we go we will extend a Baptismal date. I really believe that this man is truly prepared for us and the restored gospel. Kaufusi and Roach had 5 baptisms yesterday, so they are doing really well!! Our area is far from the chapel, and we don’t have really too many active and serious members to help us out. We are trying our best little by little.
It has been raining everyday as I have said before. Thursday we came back for lunch around 2 and it started to rain, then it didn’t stop till early Friday morning. We were lucky that we were in doors or else we could of got stuck somewhere all day. It rains so hard that if feels like hail is hitting you. On every building they have tin roofs so it gets pretty loud.
On Tuesday we watched a car crash happen! No one was hurt but it was something else to see. There was this guy going to turn left with a bunch of cars behind. He was waiting for the oncoming ones to pass so he could turn. So just as he is turning a car from way behind starts coming around and T-Bones him on the drivers side!! The driver flew over into the passengers seat and almost fell out of the window!! We saw it all. We were coming down the hill when it all happened. In about 20 sec. about half the village was there. It was something else!!
That is cool about the missionary from Eq. Guinea. Yeah, it’s like right under Camaroon, which is under Nigeria. I’m pretty sure the church is there. I think they may speak French?
Well thanks for everything and for keeping me updated on all the happenings. I hope that you can get some hay baled and put up into the stack this week. My thoughts and prayers are always with you. Take care! Love ya!
Elder Ty Blackburn
View of the mountain with a waterfall from the rains.
(The mountain really is bigger than it looks)
Nkawkaw before a rain storm.
Nkawkaw's humble homes.
Monday, June 2, 2014
POST 58
Hi All,
Well this past week went pretty well. Everything here in our village is good. I wasn’t as home sick as I was last year when you were taking the cows on the mountain. This year I was pretty calm and it didn’t really bother me much. I just know that I’ll be there next year and that there’s no more Mays on mission. But it sounds like all went well and everyone had a good time.
Anyway things are going good here. We went to Tafo water fall this morning. Just the four of us went. It’s around Mpraeso, which is the town at the back side of the mountain above Nkawkaw. We had a good time. We had to walk for like 5 min is all from the turn around spot. The grass was way over our heads, just following along single file like you see in the movies. The water was clear and clean, not like all the other creeks and streams in Kumasi and Obuasi, which are pretty much black. It took us about 30 or so min to get there in a taxi. It was a cool place. It was a lot bigger and better than the one I went to before in Obuasi. I got some pretty cool videos as well. Anyway on the way back down to Nkawkaw, we took the other road which is really windy and steep, There are signs all the way down about on every other turn that says keep in lowest gear. Haha… But the driver just flew down it. There’s a big cliff to the one side!! Haha.. It’s a pretty freaky drive. So we finally got to the bottom and got back to town, then we went and withdrew at the bank and now we are browsing.
So everything is good here. The work is moving forward in the right direction. We have 2 people prepared for baptism on the 15 of this month. One is named Stephen who is 13. Yesterday, he bore his testimony for the first time. He reads and keeps all of the commitments and asks good questions. After he is baptized we would like to start to teach his parents. They don’t speak English, but now Pres. Holmes has said that we can teach family members that don’t speak English. We hope it will happen! The other ones name is Sampson. He works at a sawmill with a member. He has come to church twice now, and is a powerful guy. So it’s going good. Little by little great things come to pass!!
It has been raining everyday. Yesterday it started to rain at 4 and didn’t end till like 8 thirty. We usually cross through a little creek when we go to Kwesi's house on Sundays. It started to rain when we got there and it started to break around 5, so we made a mad dash to the apartment. On our way back, the creek was completely flooded. It would have been up to my waste, so we had to go clear back down almost to the main road to get across. Haha.. Pretty Crazy day!!
Anyway I was looking at the calendar and realized that today is Bryler’s birthday. Tell her happy birthday for me. Will she be 6 or 7? That is about it for the happenings in our village. Thanks for everything! Take care and have a good week.
Love Ty
Well this past week went pretty well. Everything here in our village is good. I wasn’t as home sick as I was last year when you were taking the cows on the mountain. This year I was pretty calm and it didn’t really bother me much. I just know that I’ll be there next year and that there’s no more Mays on mission. But it sounds like all went well and everyone had a good time.
Anyway things are going good here. We went to Tafo water fall this morning. Just the four of us went. It’s around Mpraeso, which is the town at the back side of the mountain above Nkawkaw. We had a good time. We had to walk for like 5 min is all from the turn around spot. The grass was way over our heads, just following along single file like you see in the movies. The water was clear and clean, not like all the other creeks and streams in Kumasi and Obuasi, which are pretty much black. It took us about 30 or so min to get there in a taxi. It was a cool place. It was a lot bigger and better than the one I went to before in Obuasi. I got some pretty cool videos as well. Anyway on the way back down to Nkawkaw, we took the other road which is really windy and steep, There are signs all the way down about on every other turn that says keep in lowest gear. Haha… But the driver just flew down it. There’s a big cliff to the one side!! Haha.. It’s a pretty freaky drive. So we finally got to the bottom and got back to town, then we went and withdrew at the bank and now we are browsing.
So everything is good here. The work is moving forward in the right direction. We have 2 people prepared for baptism on the 15 of this month. One is named Stephen who is 13. Yesterday, he bore his testimony for the first time. He reads and keeps all of the commitments and asks good questions. After he is baptized we would like to start to teach his parents. They don’t speak English, but now Pres. Holmes has said that we can teach family members that don’t speak English. We hope it will happen! The other ones name is Sampson. He works at a sawmill with a member. He has come to church twice now, and is a powerful guy. So it’s going good. Little by little great things come to pass!!
It has been raining everyday. Yesterday it started to rain at 4 and didn’t end till like 8 thirty. We usually cross through a little creek when we go to Kwesi's house on Sundays. It started to rain when we got there and it started to break around 5, so we made a mad dash to the apartment. On our way back, the creek was completely flooded. It would have been up to my waste, so we had to go clear back down almost to the main road to get across. Haha.. Pretty Crazy day!!
Anyway I was looking at the calendar and realized that today is Bryler’s birthday. Tell her happy birthday for me. Will she be 6 or 7? That is about it for the happenings in our village. Thanks for everything! Take care and have a good week.
Love Ty
Tafo waterfall
LDS Church in Nkawkaw
Monday, May 26, 2014
POST 57
Hi Everyone,
Yeah, everything here is cool. It hasn’t been raining as much as it did last week. But it seems like whenever its blazing hot, within a few hours or so and getting towards evening time a big rain storm usually rolls in. We were suppose to go to the water fall today, but the other elders at Mpraeso at the top of the mountain wasn’t able to come, so next week we are planning on going there.
So the past week has been pretty good. We did a lot of walking and finding. It turned out pretty well. Just lots of not serious people and quite a few that don’t speak English. We try not to go too far into the bush. We try to stay closer towards 2014 way of thinking… haha.. We are pretty much just in a village for the most part of our area. When it rains it gets pretty bad, walking and sliding around in the mud all day. And a lot of the time we’re walking through grass over our heads. And then trying to teach someone in that area is something else. Every time we go over and talk to them their only reply is (Minty Brofo), it means don’t understand English. We’re always getting that one or another one is “Fine Morning” Haha… That’s about all they say around here. But other parts of our area that are more developed, they speak pretty good Brofo. So little by little it is coming along.
The people and their living conditions here are about the same as my previous areas, other than the people look a little different. But everything else is the same. The living situations in the outskirts of town are like the village. There is no running water. For the most part, not many houses have running water. They have to fetch it from the well, then bring it back to the house. And yeah, most do have power.
My companion is doing good. He’s a pretty chill guy and a hard worker. He says he was a Muslim till he was 9, then his uncle came and starting taking him to church and he was baptized soon after that. He has a brother and his uncles family are members, but the rest aren’t. He says he will try and convert them when he gets back.
So yeah the members understand the priesthood. Some of them don’t like to use it, but yeah they understand it and what it means and is. So yes we carry oil. And yeah, I have given a handful of blessings since I have been on mission.
Well the time is hear once again for the cows to go. I wish I could be there, but next year I will be. Hope all goes well and they go well up the hill. Are you gonna camp or just come back down the same day? Good luck and take it easy! May God Bless!
Love ya,
Elder Ty Blackburn
ps. The place that we are emailing you can’t download pictures, and all the other cafe's are lights out. I guess I will just wait till next week. :)
Yeah, everything here is cool. It hasn’t been raining as much as it did last week. But it seems like whenever its blazing hot, within a few hours or so and getting towards evening time a big rain storm usually rolls in. We were suppose to go to the water fall today, but the other elders at Mpraeso at the top of the mountain wasn’t able to come, so next week we are planning on going there.
So the past week has been pretty good. We did a lot of walking and finding. It turned out pretty well. Just lots of not serious people and quite a few that don’t speak English. We try not to go too far into the bush. We try to stay closer towards 2014 way of thinking… haha.. We are pretty much just in a village for the most part of our area. When it rains it gets pretty bad, walking and sliding around in the mud all day. And a lot of the time we’re walking through grass over our heads. And then trying to teach someone in that area is something else. Every time we go over and talk to them their only reply is (Minty Brofo), it means don’t understand English. We’re always getting that one or another one is “Fine Morning” Haha… That’s about all they say around here. But other parts of our area that are more developed, they speak pretty good Brofo. So little by little it is coming along.
The people and their living conditions here are about the same as my previous areas, other than the people look a little different. But everything else is the same. The living situations in the outskirts of town are like the village. There is no running water. For the most part, not many houses have running water. They have to fetch it from the well, then bring it back to the house. And yeah, most do have power.
My companion is doing good. He’s a pretty chill guy and a hard worker. He says he was a Muslim till he was 9, then his uncle came and starting taking him to church and he was baptized soon after that. He has a brother and his uncles family are members, but the rest aren’t. He says he will try and convert them when he gets back.
So yeah the members understand the priesthood. Some of them don’t like to use it, but yeah they understand it and what it means and is. So yes we carry oil. And yeah, I have given a handful of blessings since I have been on mission.
Well the time is hear once again for the cows to go. I wish I could be there, but next year I will be. Hope all goes well and they go well up the hill. Are you gonna camp or just come back down the same day? Good luck and take it easy! May God Bless!
Love ya,
Elder Ty Blackburn
ps. The place that we are emailing you can’t download pictures, and all the other cafe's are lights out. I guess I will just wait till next week. :)
Monday, May 19, 2014
POST 56
Hi Everyone,
Yes, I have arrived in Nkawkaw and it’s a powerful place. It’s in the mountains and the climate is quite a bit cooler than Kumasi for the most part. It rains everyday and it’s just a neat place. Big ridge/cliff to the north of town. I feel right at home. Our area is pretty much just village, but we have powerful members and investigators. My companion is cool, Elder Sesay from Sierra Leone. The other two missionaries I live with are Kaufusi and Roach. The chapel is about 25 min or so walk from the apartment, buts it’s a cool place as well. I’ll take some pictures next week. We also had a baptism yesterday, so I can’t complain really. Our apartment is good. It‘s really small but it’s clean and quite new. It’s pretty much like staying at a motel.
Nkawkaw has 2 branches. We are in branch 2. Church starts at 10 and goes the three hours. We have maybe 20 members, but for all three hours we stay in the sacrament hall, due to not enough rooms. We have to have Sunday School and Priesthood in the same place. So by the time church was over I was half asleep and had no idea what was really being said cuz of listening to twi for the past three hours.. haha…. But it was good!!
That is cool about the guy from Ghana that works at Barneys. Yeah, I’m sure he will know about all the places and everthing about Ghana. Anyway, Tuesday evening Esplin came and stayed in Buokrom. We talked about a lot of things, had some nice rice and talked some more. Then on Wednesday he and Agbeko went with me to metro mass, and then from there they went back to Buokrom. So we waited for a little bit, then for those who were leaving we got on a bus that was going to Accra. Nkawkaw is half way in between Kumasi and Accra. We probably waited for one hour for it to fill up. There was not even 25 people when they decided to start moving. So it took us 2 hours or so to get here, maybe a little longer. I think next week we will go to some waterfall above Nkawkaw. They say there are monkeys and some other things.
On Saturday I got the two packages and was real happy to get them. Thanks for everything that you sent. Anyway, that is about it here in Nkawkaw. I hope all is well back home. Thanks again for everything!! Take care!! Till next week.
Love Elder Ty Blackburn
Yes, I have arrived in Nkawkaw and it’s a powerful place. It’s in the mountains and the climate is quite a bit cooler than Kumasi for the most part. It rains everyday and it’s just a neat place. Big ridge/cliff to the north of town. I feel right at home. Our area is pretty much just village, but we have powerful members and investigators. My companion is cool, Elder Sesay from Sierra Leone. The other two missionaries I live with are Kaufusi and Roach. The chapel is about 25 min or so walk from the apartment, buts it’s a cool place as well. I’ll take some pictures next week. We also had a baptism yesterday, so I can’t complain really. Our apartment is good. It‘s really small but it’s clean and quite new. It’s pretty much like staying at a motel.
Nkawkaw has 2 branches. We are in branch 2. Church starts at 10 and goes the three hours. We have maybe 20 members, but for all three hours we stay in the sacrament hall, due to not enough rooms. We have to have Sunday School and Priesthood in the same place. So by the time church was over I was half asleep and had no idea what was really being said cuz of listening to twi for the past three hours.. haha…. But it was good!!
That is cool about the guy from Ghana that works at Barneys. Yeah, I’m sure he will know about all the places and everthing about Ghana. Anyway, Tuesday evening Esplin came and stayed in Buokrom. We talked about a lot of things, had some nice rice and talked some more. Then on Wednesday he and Agbeko went with me to metro mass, and then from there they went back to Buokrom. So we waited for a little bit, then for those who were leaving we got on a bus that was going to Accra. Nkawkaw is half way in between Kumasi and Accra. We probably waited for one hour for it to fill up. There was not even 25 people when they decided to start moving. So it took us 2 hours or so to get here, maybe a little longer. I think next week we will go to some waterfall above Nkawkaw. They say there are monkeys and some other things.
On Saturday I got the two packages and was real happy to get them. Thanks for everything that you sent. Anyway, that is about it here in Nkawkaw. I hope all is well back home. Thanks again for everything!! Take care!! Till next week.
Love Elder Ty Blackburn
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
POST 55
Hello Everyone,
Once again it is Monday. I enjoyed yesterday hearing and talking to everyone. It feels good to see that everyone and their families are doing and getting along well.
On Friday around lunch time we were waiting to buy fried rice at Jacobs and President Holmes called. He thanked me for all the hard work I have done being a DL and taking my calling serious and he released me as DL and I am going to be leaving Buokrom. I’m going to be going to a place called Nkawkaw. It’s in the Eastern Region of Ghana; so no more Ashaniti! Haha.. My new companions name is Elder Sesay from Sierre Leone. He is my son, (Elder Agbeko's) mtc mate. He came the same time. My new area is in the mountains. It's around an hour from Lake Volta. It's more out in the bush, kind of like Obuasi. But as for the news in Buokrom; Elder Esplin is coming to replace me as DL to be with Agbeko. It seems like he’s following me around, first Obuasi, now Buokrom!! Haha.. Even tomorrow he is coming to stay the night with me and Agbeko, so we will have an enjoyable evening.
So that’s about the news for this past week. I will send a few pictures attached. So thanks and best go.. Take care!
Love Elder Ty Blackburn
Once again it is Monday. I enjoyed yesterday hearing and talking to everyone. It feels good to see that everyone and their families are doing and getting along well.
On Friday around lunch time we were waiting to buy fried rice at Jacobs and President Holmes called. He thanked me for all the hard work I have done being a DL and taking my calling serious and he released me as DL and I am going to be leaving Buokrom. I’m going to be going to a place called Nkawkaw. It’s in the Eastern Region of Ghana; so no more Ashaniti! Haha.. My new companions name is Elder Sesay from Sierre Leone. He is my son, (Elder Agbeko's) mtc mate. He came the same time. My new area is in the mountains. It's around an hour from Lake Volta. It's more out in the bush, kind of like Obuasi. But as for the news in Buokrom; Elder Esplin is coming to replace me as DL to be with Agbeko. It seems like he’s following me around, first Obuasi, now Buokrom!! Haha.. Even tomorrow he is coming to stay the night with me and Agbeko, so we will have an enjoyable evening.
So that’s about the news for this past week. I will send a few pictures attached. So thanks and best go.. Take care!
Love Elder Ty Blackburn
Eating at a members house.
Elder Kinghorn and I at Bonwire (pronounced bonwii). We stopped by after the mission tour last week and bought some handmade ties.
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Bonwire- A village where people weave Kente cloth.
It's a pretty amazing place!!!
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