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

POST 66

Hi Everyone,
          We had a pretty good week here, not too much heat. It was nice going out cuz you didn’t have to squint. It rained a few times, not too much really happened just that August is here already and I can’t believe it. Time somehow seems to slip away when we just go and forget about it, and that seems to be happening. Ever since my year mark I don’t really think about it much anymore. I like to tease the greenies once in while and ask them when they go home and then laugh. I probably shouldn’t do it but it is necessary once in a while.  Haha..
          So yesterday we had 2 baptisms, Belinda and Mary.  They are I think 9 or 10, a recent convert nieces. So we reached our goal for the month of July for baptisms. Next month we are preparing a few more as well.  We are teaching Cynthia. She sells waakye whick is rice and beans with peppers and a few other things. She will come to church next week she says. She had a funeral to go to yesterday. Another is Sistera Asamoah, she is a members wife. She doesn’t speak any English so we have to have someone translate. She says the first time she stepped into the church, she knew it was the true church. That was something of a shock, coming from Roman Catholic to LDS. But we will probably baptize her the middle of August or so. Then we have Benjamin. He is also Catholic, but is powerful. He knows the Bible really well, and actually listens and asks good questions. So those are a few of our people. Yesterday, we had 7 come to church, so we are being very blessed here in our area.
          Yesterday afternoon after church and the baptisms we came to Kumasi and stayed in Boukrom with Esplin and Agbeko. We had a pretty good time. Today we came to town to enjoy a nice internet café and I think we are going to Piri Piri for pizza, Kinghorn is also here.
          So the twi is coming along great, cuz everyone speaks it and doesn’t like to speak brofo (English). I can’t really spell or write it, but I can somehow carry a small conversation on with someone. Anyway yeah, I have recovered from the nasty malaria. I’m going to try and go back there to the place, (the hospital)  but its really far from our place, so I may not be able to. The guy that pretty much saved my life, I would like to go and thank him and visit a little with him. He was even asking about the church when we were there. I think that the Mraeso Elders are teaching him now. He stays at the top of the Mt. which is Mraeso. So maybe one day I’ll go back there. But things are moving along.  There is a German kid that we see every Monday in town and is a cool guy. We have thought about trying to teach him. That would be cool to baptize a white guy here in Ghana!! He says he is doing volunteer work or something, and has been here 10 months. He goes back in September. Anyway that’s our week here. Thanks for the updates on everything. Have fun at the reunion and dad and don’t be gettin bucked off again! Ha..  I wish you the best in all you do. Take care! May god speed!
                                     Love, Ty

POST 65

Hi Everyone,
          So this past week went over pretty well. Yesterday we had 8 people at church which was powerful. But no, Fabio didn’t come to church. I guess she is still in Accra or something. So sometime in August we will baptize her. We found a few new people to teach this week.  One is named Cynthia, she gave us fufu on Wednesday with goat, it was pretty good. I had to show my companion how to eat it.  You just don’t eat it by pinching it, you have to use your fingers like scissors to chop it.  Haha... Sesay is doing good though. We think that he and Kaufusi will be leaving this next transfer, which is in two weeks.
          On Saturday Kaufusi and I were on splits and went to do some baptismal interviews for the Zone Leaders in a place called Domeabra. (its near Konongo)  It’s a really small village that I don’t know how they can stay busy all day in.  So we went to a members house, and we were going to take one of the kids with us to go and teach Steven. So they said we should wait, and we sat down. A few minutes later here they come bringing us Banku and Okra soup with fish and some other type of meat that I would soon find out what it was. Turns out it was grass cutter.  It wasn't too bad this time, seems like I don't mind eating the food anymore. Haha…  I ate small and fed the rest to the cats. So we got back to Nkawkaw around 9. It's kinda scary driving at nights, cuz the tro drivers don’t care how fast they go; full throttle, petal to the metal!!! We about got in a couple of head ons.  There's a lot of rolling hills and people are careless. But it is all good. We are protected.

          Anyway that was pretty much our week. It’s been raining quite a bit lately and there’s lots of fog in the mornings.  That sure is a cool picture of you guys at Calf Creek. Chap looks like he is taller than Belle and Mom now. I hope that dad heals from his break and gets back to work. Haha…  So thanks for the email.  Have a good a successful week.  Take Care!! Love ya all!!
                                  Elder Ty Blackburn

This is the Nkawkaw chapel.

Here's a pic of a place in our area.

POST 64

Hi All,
         Yeah, this past week has been pretty successful. We found a few new places in our area that may have future potential, with serious people and possible future converts. We found 8 new investigators, and gave some of them baptismal dates for August. We will see what happens his week with them. Yesterday we had six people come to church and last week was only three. So this week was great!! So yeah, Fabio is around 22 or so. She is James's sister. We baptized him the last Sunday in June. So now he is doing missionary work already. This next week he will be going to a YSA activity to Kumasi. So he is doing well and getting involved with the branch. He told us that he has found a new job working for Metro Mass and his boss there wants to help him finish his schooling, so he understands that all this is because of the step that he made towards Heavenly Father through baptism, and now he is being blessed.
           Jeez that isn’t good at all about dad. You need to get rid of that nag and play it safe with sound horses.  It sounds like it could of been worse.  I mean getting threw off into a lava bed; my gosh talk about luck right there!! With only a cut and a sprain, maybe a small break.  Yeah, the picture I saw of that nag, I could tell that it had a side to it, BECAUSE ITS GRAY!!!  Haha…  Should of known it would come out with the buck. Haha… Seems like that is a dominant trait in the color. But I hope that you are feeling better and getting loosened back up. Can’t believe it, but Yes, you said it, “Cuz there is a missionary in the family you were protected.” It could have been a lot worse!!  I pray for you guys safety and protection every day and night. So get feelin better would ya!!
          Anyway, not too much else has happened. It hasn’t rained for a week or so. When you get ready to send a package you can send some more of those summer sausages and a cake or cookie mix with pictures. I bought some cheese and crackers in Kumasi.  It goes pretty good with the sausages. haha..   I
think that I may be gaining back my weight. I bought some mayo and have been putting extra on my egg sandwiches, so maybe that will help. Anyway, have a good week and enjoy your summer break. Thanks for everything and all that you do. Take care!!
                                     Love ya,  
                                Elder Blackburn