FROM GHANA WITH LOVE (one last time)

Hey guys! 

How are things?  This week has been great. I had my last baptism!!!!!! Joseph is great, and packed with faith.... thats him in the picture....its sad to think about it, but, this is my last week in Ghana. Man its been a blast! I have realized this past week that I have made so many friends. I can honestly say that I have fulfilled my purpose as a missionary. Even though I did not baptize 100 people, I helped others come un-to Christ. It feels great to have accomplished 2 years. I never would have thought I would see the day of me saying good bye... But just as you guys have always said " YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS" that has honestly been my motto on my mission!

Well the time has come for me to say I AM COMING HOME!!!! Well... if they ever find out my travel plans!!!

Love you all thanks for your support. I will see you soon 

FROM GHANA WITH LOVE (one last time) 

Elder Riddle

ps. 2 timothy 4:7
      I Have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the Faith:

    

Last Baptism.....Joseph

I had the opportunity to email back and forth with Bobby today.  It is so rewarding to talk to have a conversation with him about his last few days serving. He is defiantly "Returning with Honor" This is one of the things he told me...

I don't know how to feel right now. I am so happy to come home but... I love these people and it really hurts that I wont be able to see them for a long time. I am kind of just a body right now just going thru the motions......

One last picture of Kumasi

Way to end my mission.......

Hey Everyone!

So, I have 2 weeks left and I am just trying to stay alive! This week has been good. it has gone by very fast.  We were going to have a baptism this week but he was not able to come to church. He had some one call him to come and visit them. So, this week will be my last baptism in Ghana... kind of sad but a great!! Way to end my mission. This guy is prepared. His name is Joseph. He comes to every church activity and he is very excited about the temple... They talked about it at a mid week activity and he has been hooked on it ever since. We saw him earlier today and all he said was.. "can I still be baptized this Sunday?"  He is great!!!!  Well, I dont want to take up to much room because...I AM COMING HOME!!! I want to save the stories to tell you in 2 weeks... Ii know that the last sentence sounded backwards but thats my broken English coming out!!

Love you all

From Ghana With Love 

Elder Riddle

I will see you in 3 weeks!

Hey Everyone!

Well I just wrote this long email but then the power went off and it did not save my email. So, you get a smaller and less detailed email...sorry!!!

This week has been alright. We have been trying to give people baptismal dates but they are not progressing towards those dates. It has been a little stressful and sad that we are giving baptismal dates but people are not coming to church. We keep on moving their baptismal dates back further and further and its sad because I wont be here for their baptisms ): Not so cool, but I will continue to work hard and find people for the next missionaries.

Well, my time is short and I better get going. I will see you in 3 weeks!

From Ghana With Love 

Elder Riddle

Happy Birthday Elder Riddle......

Hey Everybody 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME........not on saturday.... I spent all day in bed sick with who knows what! I slept most of the day and when I did go outside I got a birthday surprise of cold water thrown in my face by the Bishops kids.... it was funny.. but it killed my body because I was having joint pain along with my sickness and it just made my body hurt even more. But, now the sickness is gone. For my birthday I got a bottle of coke and a drink some how like gater-aid and a sucker stick....the sucker was eaten by one of the Bishops kids.

So, we have been finding some success in our area! We are planning on having 3 or 4 baptisms this month before I come home. Some very prepared people... one was taught by missionaries 10 years ago in Cape Coast and now understands what they were teaching.....its cool to see how people are prepared.

Its crazy that I am home in a month. I cant wait to see you guys. 

From Ghana with love 

Elder Riddle

37 days left

Hello Everyone!
Well I have passed my first week in Kwamo Ward.  It's a very nice place but I miss UST ward so much. But, things are great in Kwamo. We live in the same house as the Bishop so we get fed every evening.... it's nice. The area is cool but very few people speak English. Its hard because my last area was the college campus so everyone knew how to speak English. Now I am back to the village life style... my companion is great his name is Elder Holmquist and he is from Montana. He is a great kid. He just finished his training so he is ready to work.  As for me, I feel like it is taking all my strength just to get out of bed in the morning. But, I am trying to work because my companion is great. I don't want people to remember me as the missionary that "died" his last transfer! 

We have been teaching a lot of people this week and have been inviting people to baptism like crazy. People are accepting the dates but THEY DONT COME TO CHURCH. So, we have to go back and teach them the importance of church but they still dont come.... its sad!!!!

Well, I think that is all for this week! I love you guys. Thanks for your support 

From Ghana With Love 

Elder Riddle 

Mission Rule no.1 baptisms always come after you leave your area!!!!!!!

Hello Everyone!

So I am being transferred.... for my last transfer on mission... not cool at all! Here I am in UST minding my own business finding people that will be baptized very soon and then BAM I am being sacked from this area and being taken to a place called Kwamo with a companion named Elder Holmquist.  

Mission Rule no.1  baptisms always come after you leave your area!!!!!!!

So right now I have been stressed because I am coming home in 6 weeks and then when I got the transfer news. I almost had an anxiety attack I feel so stressed right now!!!! 

I don't know how to feel right now because I dont feel like I have enough time in this area to do much...   My mind is just scattered right now. I am sorry for the very random email.

So, I am coming home in 6 weeks. I only have 5 more emails left!!!! 

Don't worry even though I have the stress level of a pregnant woman giving birth in space! I will enjoy this last few steps of my mission.

sorry once again for the random email.

From ghana with love 

Elder Riddle 

Alive and Kicking

Hey guys.

How is everything going?  I hope all is going good for you. How is school? Work? Social life? Dating(Rachele and Alex)? Church callings?

 

So this week has been very interesting for us. iIt started off great, we have been finding great people but the problem is trying to meet with them. They are mostly students and they are always busy...ALWAYS. But, we have been finding some cool people, one of which is sister Anita. She is schooling at KNUST for sociology. She is a very cool girl and is very interested. She has a baptismal date a day after my birthday.  This week we had some things standing in our way from getting out and teaching.  Thursday we had a meeting with President Holmes and on Friday and  Saturday my companion got sick again and then on Sunday I got sick form eating bad food (not fun) but today we are doing great we are alive and kicking.

This week we hope to have no distractions in our plans. We already have had some problems.... we don't have money today so we are trying to live off of nothing... money should be in tomorrow so its some how like we are having 2 p-days this week.... hopefully no more surprises.

Well I will let you guys have a good week.... bye.

From Ghana With Love 

Elder Riddle

Companion is sick......

Hey Guys 

How are things going? I hope all is well...

This week has not been so good for me because my companion has been sick. So, we have not been doing much work. But, I have been able to use the time that we had in our apartment to read the scriptures. Man I have found so many useful things in places that I have marked before. Its crazy how the Lord works. Well, I am sorry I don't have much to say. I have done nothing this week and I have no news, except that my companion is better now. We have a big week in front of us... I hope you are all enjoying.... 

From Ghana With Love 

Elder Riddle

Elder Seyoum

Elder Riddle and Elder Seyoum

Mormon.org Cards

Hey guys how are things going?
Well for me things are going a lot better because I HAVE A COMPANION!!!!  His name is Elder Seyoum he is from Virginia very sweet guy, his mom and dad are from eastern Africa.

So Elder Seyoum and I have been working very hard trying to find people and let me tell you, there are very prepared people in this area this week. We have given 4 baptismal dates for February 2,9,and 23. and this week we are going to be giving another 4 dates! Man people are prepared.  So the people we gave dates to are Alex he is a student at KNUST, Emmanuel he just finished his schooling down in cape coast, Pat... she still has not been baptized but this next Sunday is her day, and Isaac he was a random contact. We met him smoking on the side of the road and taught him the word of wisdom and he accepted it!!!  

We have found a new way of contacting... we have been going  to the student appartments and hanging up mormon.org cards on the bulletin boards and it works....its been helping us in the work.

Thats all from me love you all

From Ghana With Love 

Elder Riddle 

ps 9 weeks left but whos counting 

HEY GUYS 

How is everything going????  Well this week has been funny. Yesterday my companion went to Accra! He is trying to get a job at the MTC...  um... so right now I don't have a companion!!! Even when we told the Mission President that my companion had to go to Accra all he told me was well, try and FIND a companion!   THIS TRANSFER IS NOT A GOOD ONE!   When have you ever heard of a missionary finding his own companion?  Honestly, I dont think my companion is going to come back. He will probably get the job and stay in accra. So, I have know idea who is my next companion!!!!   

Well, besides the fact that I dont have a companion, things are going good well for the most part.  On Sunday we were going to have pats baptism but the women she is staying with forbade her to come to church... so that just destroyed my week. But, I am looking on the up side, we have plenty of new investigators coming in to our teaching pool who are excited about the gospel...

Well thats about it for me! Sorry, no cool stories this week. I just realized I will only be emailing home 9 more times     WOW!  

love you all 

From Ghana With Love 

Elder Riddle  

Its cool to see how God prepares people

Oh this week has been hard!
There is a reason we preach the gospel 2 by 2!!!!!   This past week I have been with a ward missionary who is preparing for his mission. He does not understand how the missionary lessons are laid out. Which  means I taught all the lessons... not fun. But, he is a cool kid. He is going to South Africa.  Now this week, I am with a stake missionary. His name is Elder Boadi he served his mission in Ivory Coast. He got home about a month or so ago. I will only be with him for 6 weeks, well 5 now. But then I will be with a normal missionary again. 

This week we had a cool experience. We were able to contact a new investigator that is schooling at the university. He has been prepared for about 2 years. He was contacted by some missionaries in Sunyani, but for some reason they were never able to meet up. He was doing his own research and found the church web sites and even started listening to the Mormon tab. Then about 2 weeks ago he was again contacted by the missionaries. He then came to Kumasi for school. He has a desire to know the truth. He has a baptismal date and he is coming to church. Its cool to see how God prepares people.  (it may have been me that contacted him 2 years ago I can't remember)

Well thats all I Have for you guys this week. Pictures are coming! 

From ghana with love 

Elder Riddle 

ps never mind the computer is to slow to up load pictures.... sorry, maybe next week 

Crazy Transfer News!

Hello everyone!!!! 

how are things going?

I have some crazy news for you all.. so this week we got our transfer news for the transfer next week...Elder Kaufusi is being transferred to a place called Nkwakwa (n-ko-ko).  As for me, I am staying in my area. The funny part is that from Wednesday to Saturday Ii am going to be with a ward missionary. And then on Saturday I am going to be with a stake missionary the rest of the transfer.. honestly I am very confused right now. I dont know what to do with a stake missionary? Oh well, I will just go with the punches!

This week has been great! We had our baptism and conformation this week.... it was great! 

We found a new investigator this week named Faustina. She has a baptismal date on Jan 26 and she is very excited. Thats about the only interesting news I have today.

Ya, i got nothing else... this week was dull some how.  Nothing really interesting has happened

sorry about no pictures i forgot my cord

From Ghana with Love
Elder Riddle

Christmas In Ghana 2013

Hello

I just talked to you guys but here I am again !!!!!!! Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!   I was expecting pictures of every ones Christmas gifts, but I guess not.

So something great has happened since I talked to you. We were talking to a member family at the church one day and they had all of their family there. We were asking them about their baptisms and we found out that most of them are just cousins to the family and have been baptized. But, we talked to one and found out he was not yet baptized. He said that he has come to church about 10 times. He has been at school so he could not be baptized. So, after figuring this out, we jumped on it and started teaching him. In our first lesson he told us he wants to be baptized before he goes back to school!! The hard part about this is that he is going back to school next week! So, we are teaching him everything this week and having a baptism on Saturday! Crazy! He is very smart, and he asked his Uncle for a Book of Mormon the first week he was living with him. He started reading it. We Don't even have to ask him to read he just does it.... its cool. So, we are having a baptism on Saturday and things are great 

From Ghana with Love

Elder Riddle  

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve

Cleaning Bread Pans for Service Project on Christmas Day

Fresh Bread!