Happy New Years from New Foundland!

Hello Everyone!!!
Is it really a start of a new week...and a new year?! I can hardly believe it!! Well not much has happened this past week...Like Bobby, it was really slow. Christmas time makes everyone too busy to learn about Christ...Weird I know!!! Our one and only investigator Pauline, is no longer progressing...she is back on the Coffee and knows it is wrong...she also won't read the Book of Mormon. She has had amazing experiences reading the Book of Mormon and receiving answers that she has been searching for, but she wont continue reading...if she does not progress this week we may have to drop her :(

Well today we are headed BACK to St John's...I feel like we spend more time there then we do in our own area!!! Sister Huppe is going to a leadership training with the District leaders and Zone leaders (she is the senior sister in Newfoundland) and we have to be in a trio with sister Nelson for a couple of days. So we will be spending most of our week there...and then we will get another phone call from the assistants trying to help us get our numbers up...well they would be a lot better if we were to spend the entire week in Bay Roberts! haha but I am not bitter about it at all!! ;)

So a little birdie told me that a certain 16 year old sister of mine has a boy friend?! WHAT?!!! Why did I not get an email from you this morning?!! I expect details!!!! :D

If you can you should send me a picture of Jessica's boyfriend!! I want to see!

Well not much is going on this week!! (transfer calls are on friday!) I will let you know if I am moving of staying on monday!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
I hope you all have a great New Year and an even better week!!!

The Church is true!!!

Love Rachele

Oh and to answer your concerns mom...I will not be in by 10 tonight....I will be in by 6!!!!!

Oh PS Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad (Last week) I forgot to tell you on the phone, but I did think it on the 27th!!!

Happy New Years! From Ghana

Hello Everyone! 

Happy New Year (tomorrow)

Well this week has been long! Its been a very slow week because of Christmas. All of our investigators and members left and went to Accra and Kumasi for the holidays. So this week we have had very few lessons, a grand total of 6 lessons with investigators and 5 lessons with recent converts. But good news always follows hard work... we gave a baptismal date to a kid named Kwasi. We have taught him maybe 5 times and have finished talking about the restoration and he understands it, so we invited him to be baptized, AND he said YES! We are planning on his baptism on the 13th of January. He seems to be excited but the bad news is that the day after his baptism he has to go back to school and that  means that he has to move a way (because they go to boarding schools) but all is well!

Well its hard to think of something to tell you guys because I just talked to you all on Tuesday, but lets see.... on Thursday we are going back down to Kumasi! YES! so fun NOT! But we are going down to have a zone conference so hopefully it will be good! (here's hoping) I am sure the conference will be nice but I am not sure about the sweaty metro mass bus ride down. Honestly, I hate metro mass because the buses are 20 years old and the roads are 50 years old. Not really but it feels like that. Oh and the bus drivers can not drive at all!!!! But good news is that I will get real food from Sister Holmes. She likes feeding the missionaries when we have meetings.

um what else.... I started reading the Book of Mormon again! Which is sweet because I love the Book of Mormon. The hard part about this is that I am also reading the Old Testament so I am trying to read both at the same time. Its amazing to see how much I have learned. Missionaries truly are blessed with an understanding of the scriptures. I have enjoyed reading the scriptures! Especially the Book of Mormon.

Well I don't have much else to say this week but I am sure I will be sending home pictures next week, because on the 5th and 6th we are having a district activity and all of the branches (4 of them ) are competing against each other. In games like football basketball and things like that so you will recieve pictures dont worry! 

well i love you all 

from ghana with love 

Elder Riddle

Christmas in Ghana....

Ghana Kumasi Missionaries (funny pic)

Christmas Lunch

Ghana Kumasi Missionaries (serious pic)

Christmas day....Service project at local Hospital.
They gave the kids juice boxes and Sun Glasses.

Christmas day....Service project

Elder Riddle, President Thayne, Elder Larsen, Sister Thayne

Mission Christmas Party.

Christmas Eve in Newfoundland

HELLO HELLO!!
I am in shock every monday when I get to email again!! I really don’t know where the time goes!!! It is so true when they say "they days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days!" This past week has been so good...it is really hard to get in and teach anyone this close to christmas...everyone is busy!! Lets see... on Wednesday we had the branch Christmas Dinner. So much fun. We had around 60 people show up!!! We had a less active come and play the guitar  while we all sang Christmas Carols. Then we headed in to St Johns that night and stayed with the sisters in Mount Pearl. We got up as normal and headed to the Zone Conference Christmas Party! It was from 9am to 5:30pm we had a training all morning, then we had a big Turkey Dinner!! SO GOOD!! PS you have to try turnip!! IT IS SO GOOD!!!!! for the Branch Christmas dinner, Sister Ott and I helped peel all of the vegies! TURNIPS ARE THE WORST TO PEEL!!! haha well today we are headed to St Johns to spend the day with the other Elders and Sisteres in our district! It should be a fun day...we get to wear JEANS!!!! SO WIERD! hahaha
We have to head out..so I guess I will talk to you all tomorrow!!!!! The times that dad said to call are great for me!! we are going to serve dinner at the Lions Club for people who don’t have any where else to go for Christmas after the phone call. should be lots of fun!!!  

LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!!

Love,
Rachele

People all around us are prepared to hear the Gospel

Hello Hello!!
Monday Again?! How is that even possible?
This past week was a very slow week..well the work was slow..the time flies by!! It is hard to get in to teach people this close to Christmas..everyone is too busy! I am trying to think of anything that was really eventful that happened this week. Oh we taught Pauline again...we took Sister Davis with us..it was a very good lesson...Pauline still has a hard time letting go of things that happened to her in the past..she does not understand how to fully use the Atonement. She knows that it will make her so much more happy, but she is struggling right now. I know great things are in store for her!
I think I have told you a little about the Moors...two members in the branch. They are amazing!! They are, I think in their mid 60's, they don't have any family members close by. We decided to go help them put up their Christmas tree this week...because it has been sitting in their front room for about a week...Brother moors did not want to put it up...this is their first Christmas without their grandchildren here and you can see how much that hurts them. Well anyway sister Moors is still out with a bad back, so we asked if we could put up the tree!! They were very happy to have us do that! I think we are like their "replacement grandchildren" Brother Moors is always buying us treats when he goes to the store! I just love them so much!
It snowed yesterday... again!!! :P It was very Cold!!!!! Church was canceled...so weird! Well we decided to go and visit the Moors again, they live in a senior community, and there were prob about 10 cars on the street covered in snow...we decide to give service and scrape all the cars! It was so much fun..while we were out there a little old women named Marjory came out and started talking to us. Come to find out she has meet with missionaries before, but she is a stubborn Pentecostal lady who "already has a Bible"  oh if only I had a quarter for every time I heard that!! Well we will for sure stop in a visit her again...she is very lonely :(
lets see, what else did I do this week... oh how could I forget?! Yesterday a member invited us to go with her to a Pentecostal Christmas Program...Lets just say it was...hmmm...INTERESTING!!! Ok so this was my first time ever going to another Church's service. It was really good...it was this cute little performance about what Christmas really is. but at the end the preacher got up and started...Preaching...haha. you know how it is on movies the preacher on the stage yelling...even though she has a microphone in her hand... and everyone in the congregation has their hands up shouting "amen" and "alleluia." To say the least...I am so grateful that the restored church of Jesus Christ has once again been restored to the earth!! THE CHURCH IS TRUE!!!!!!!
Oh so Sister Ott goes tanning for medical reasons, this one time I am sitting in the lobby of this salon, no one else is there except the lady who works there...I have had several little friendly conversations with her, but we have also been in there many times, and I have been thinking of how I can share the gospel with here..well I am sitting there and I am saying a little prayer asking how I can open my mouth...when out of the blue this young lady says "your not from around here are you?"!!! BINGO!! That is my way in!! So I told her where I am from and she starts asking questions about why I am here...she then goes on to say that she has see the Elders (well she called them little boys with name tags) walking down the street...she asked if we also go knocking on doors like they did...then just what every missionary wants to hear, she says "I have always wished that I was home when they came knocking" Wait...What?!!! I gave her our phone number and invited her to come to the Nativity. Christmas is a very busy time for her, but she said is is very interested in having us over to share with her more about why we are all they way in Newfoundland to share! So cool!!!! That experience re testified to me that A) God answerer's prayers..B) people all around us are prepared to hear the Gospel, all we need to do is open our mouths and C) You can be a missionary anywhere that you go!!!
This week is going to be very busy!! Tonight we are going Caroling! :D Wednesday night is the Branch Christmas Dinner. Thursday is our Zone Conference...President and Sister Leavitt are coming, along with the assistants and the rest of the missionaries in Newfoundland. we are having a training, then a Christmas feast, then a white elephant exchange. oh and a talent show...blah!! Should be lots of fun..minus the last one..you know me!!
As for next week...I will send you a little email tomorrow after President emails me back, i am not sure if I will be able to talk to Bobby :( I think I will cry if he wont let me...and I don't know if we are allowed to use the mission phones for calling home...I need to find out and then I will let you know either tomorrow, or on Monday aka Christmas eve!
Well I think that is all for tonight!! Sorry it is once again so late!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU ALL TONS!!!!!!!

Love,
Rachele

Companions are here to protect.

Hello Everyone once again!

This week has been one long week. We have been waiting for transfer news.... well transfer news came on Saturday and no one is moving from Sunyani. That means at least one more transfer in Sunyani. With this next transfer, I will have been in Sunyani for 9 1/2 months! Holy crap that's long! But I don't mind because that's just 91/2 months that I don't have to be in busy Kumasi!

hmmmm what happened this week..... um    OK I will start with some of our powerful members that we have in the estates branch. There is a recent convert that was baptized maybe 9 or so weeks ago (before i got here) and we were teaching her about temples and family history and we kept on talking about her ancestors and how she can do the work for them. At the end of the lesson we asked her if she had any questions. She said no but all I have to say is that I have a lot of work to do! What? That is one of the most powerful statements I have ever heard. She has now received a calling in the Young Women. Another powerful member we have at Estates is a recent convert that was baptized about maybe 3 months ago. She is facing some problems in her life and her mother does not want her to come to the church anymore. So every Sunday her Mother keeps her from coming to church. And this week there was no difference. We passed by her house on Sunday after church and she told us to wait for a min. She ran back to her house. 10 min later she came running back with her tithing envelope. She said if I cant come to church then at least I can pay my tithing. That is also another powerful statement that just made my week.

So a couple of weeks ago I was talking about the mining town called Kenyas. Well I talked to President Holmes about how I thought we needed to put a branch out there. The people out there are ready for baptism. Well this week we found out that President is going to put a group out there, not a branch. He is not putting missionaries out there yet. But at least we have some progress in Kenyasi.

This past week we had an interesting experience. While teaching an investigator named Cojoe  (kua-joe) (Monday born) we were interrupted by 2  Muslims and they came in and started asking all these questions about the Bible. They kept on saying that they don't believe that there is a Christ. and all I could think is that I feel bad for these two people because I don't know what will happen to them when they die. They kept on saying to me "white man we don't need you here, you are just trying to trick the black man" by this time I wanted to get up and beat them both, but i didn't... but what made me even more mad was while we were leaving one of them said to me "white man who told you to come to Ghana, we don't need your help" and then Elder Chiweshe grabbed my hand and said lets go because he noticed that I was going to give it to the man, so he pulled me. After we had walked away, Elder Chiweshe said, "I grabbed your hand because I thought you were going to kill that man".... From this I know that companions are here to protect us from harm to us and harm to others. funny day!

Well this next week we are hoping to give a baptismal date to a couple of investigators Judith (the one that came to church 2 weeks ago) Kwasi (the kid that went to school 2 weeks ago) and Francisca ( the one that is from fiapre) it should be a good week. I cant wait. Well I think that's all from me this week. I hope you all have a good week and have plenty fun in the snow! 

Sorry I don't have pictures this week I will take some this week. 

From Ghana with love 

Elder RIDDLE

Wishing for a GREEN Christmas!!!

Hello Everyone!!!

Sorry we had to email so late today!! but at least I get to email!! Sounds like you all had a very good week! This week went by CRAZY fast! We did not get back to Bay Roberts (from Mount Pearl) until late Tuesday.  We did our normal visits to people here on Wednesday and Thursday. and then on Friday the nativity opened!!!! And President and Sister Leavitt came to Bay Roberts! They were here all weekend, and just left this morning. It is always so great to have them here! They are always teaching me something new, and at every turn helping me see the bigger picture of things! I love them! Well they took us out to breakfast this morning. So good...We went to this place called "Mad Rock Cafe" its like home cooking of Newfoundland!!!

There is not too much planned for this week. We are having district meeting tomorrow! I guess we are going to have some serious training meeting for the next couple of months! We just had some of the, I don't know what to call them...they are over the mission department, and they travel out to visit all of the missions. well they said that our mission is very young...and we need more training! (the average missionary in our mission has only been out 4 months.) so crazy! Oh speaking of young...we just found out that we are getting 3 young sisters all I think are 19..they should be coming in February or March!

Unlike Bobby I am wishing for a very GREEN Christmas!!!! I got your Christmas package...it is sitting under my Christmas tree. It has not snowed since that crazy storm that I told you about last week, but it is really windy and really cold! The wind has a way of blowing right through me....BITTER COLD!!!

It is so interesting to me that we are just into our second week of this transfer, and Bobby is waiting for transfer news!! We wont have transfers till after Christmas. I am getting nervous about that...I am almost certain that I am being kicked off "The Rock" aka Newfoundland. :(

Oh we also just found out details for the Christmas call home...we can either skype or call for an hour....I am guessing we want to call? let me know! We can work out all of the details tomorrow...oh and I guess we can even chat about it on Christmas Eve! :D I cant wait to talk to everyone! I also need to talk to the branch president here to find out how to call Newfoundland haha...I am not sure what the country code is!

Well I cant think of much else that is going on! I want you to know that I do have a testimony of this church...It is true! I love it! I am so grateful for it!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!!

Happy Birthday on Wednesday Amanda!! I know you wont get it in time, but I did send you and nick a little something for your bdays...it is in the little Christmas box that I sent home...nothing big, I just wanted the girls to all have something from Newfoundland on Christmas!!
Oh PS did nick ever really grow out his hair?!! I have not yet seen any pictures! Oh and send me pictures of the 3D ultrasound!!! SO EXCITING!!!!!!! give Kaylee a kiss and a hug for me!!!

Mickey!! How are you? Are you ready for Christmas?! What did you ask for? I bet you will get the jeep ;) haha How is school going...do you still love it?!

Alex how are the boys?! Are you dating yet?! GROUP dating that is!! oh PS stay out of my box of clothes!!!!! (LOVE YOU) you can wear them just as long as i get them all back...they can not leave the house!!!! :D

Mom and Dad...are you done christmas shopping yet?!! I think that is one of the things that I miss the most...SHOPPING!!! haha How is work going? I LOVE YOU!

Oh PS I forgot to tell you...I am now the designated driver. haha Sister Ott does not want to drive in the snow, so she asked president for snow tires on the car..I don't think she realizes how expensive those are....president told her that there is a cheaper solution...have me drive, so he gave me the keys! haha I don't think Sister Ott really likes it...I do!!! My life span just expanded!! I am now in safer hands!!! haha

Well I think that is all for this week!!

LOVE YOU!!!

Love,
Rachele

No Snow in Ghana!!

Hello Everyone

How is everything going this week? Sounds like you are all enjoying birthdays, farewells, and the christmas season! Speaking of Christmas, have you gotten the package that I sent you? I have gotten 3 chrismas packages. 2 from you guys and one from Grandma and Grandpa Riddle, so I guess I will be a happy missionary this Christmas! (dont worry I have not opened them yet) Well, this week has been great! We have had a lot more lessons this week than we have in the last 2 weeks. So life is good! This week we have been teaching a kid named Kwasi. He is about 20 years old. He is a very smart kid and understands everything we are teaching him. Ge came to church yesterday, and last night we went and taught him about the Book of Mormon and he said "yes! They were reading from this in church and I really like it". Thats someone who has been prepared to hear the gospel. But, sadly he is going to school in a town about 30 min away from Sunyani so for about three weeks we will not be able to teach him. But, he said when he gets back he will call us so we can come and tell him more about the Book of Mormon. Its people like this that are why I am here!

So nothing else has been going on this week just trying to find people to teach! Its not easy, but it is going forward.

Well during this Christmas season I have been missing Christmas. Ppeople here don't celebrate it. Its just another day to them. So right now I am kind of down because by mind is telling me that its Christmas time but nothing is changing. No Christmas spirit, no gifts, and most importantlty no snow. Its sad, but I will enjoy my Christmas with or with out Ghana.

Well this week has flown by. Its going by so fast. Remember when I told you that I was trasfered to Estates? Well that was 6 weeks ago.  We get transfer news on saturday again, but i dont think anything will happen to me. I think I will stay in Sunyani. Its kind of funny that Spencer is going in to the mtc this week while I am turning 8 months this week! If you see Spencer tell him good luck. Tell him to email me!

Oh ya, Rachele Happy 5 months!

Amanda and Nick.. Happy Birthday!

and everyone Merry Christmas

From Ghana with love

Elder Riddle

This is how Babies get around in Africa 

2 Cedi Fufu, 1 Cedi Meat

So before I start my letter, I have something to say..... Today Elder Chiweshe went and ate fufu for lunch and I thought I was hungry and decided to be a big man and buy 2 cedi fufu and one cedi meat (thats alot of food). YES, I did eat it all but it is what happened after I ate EVERYTHING.... As we were walking from the fufu place to the internet cafe... lets just say I left some fufu on the road. Yes, I thru everything up that I just ate and payed for!!!  But, I feel better now!

So on that note.... 

 Dear Everyone 

How is everything going this week?  It has been a trying week for me. I have been stressed, mad ,sad, happy tired, hungry (holy crap I sound like a woman) ha ha

Well lets just say this week has been hard!  To start it off, Elder Chiweshe and I have been working our butts off, but nothing is happening. This week we had close to 17 lessons PLANNED but we only had about 7 of those (thats one lesson a day) I dont know why, maybe its because of the Ghana election that is coming up this Friday. But, I just don't know. The work is hard right now. So, speaking of the Ghana Elections this week, our mission president is thinking that the Ghanaian people will not be happy when the results for the election come in so he told all the missionaries to stay in side on friday. So just say a prayer that nothing goes wrong this Friday. I know I am.  

This past week I have been mad at the people of Ghana because everyone that sees me askes me who am I going to vote for in THEIR  election. And every time they ask, I ask them.. Do you really want me to vote? And they think about it for a min and say, ya, I think you can help! And then I say, do you want an American to pick who your next president is? And then they figure out that they were asking me a retarded question! This week I have had a very short temper and I know I need to fix that!

So we have an investigator named Judith! Missionaries have been working with her for about 6 months, but she has never come to church. This week we saw her and invited her to be baptized, because she knows the Book of Mormon is true and that the church is true. She said she will think and pray about it but she feels like she needs to be baptized so we told her that if she wants to be baptized than she has to start coming to church because we can receive our answers to our prayers when we come to church. That was on Thursday. We had not called her to remind her we had just planned on her making her own choice. Well, I get a call durring sacrament and its her!!! She said, I am standing at the church's sign board but I don't know what building it is.  What? she's here?  Well I go and get her and right as she sits down the testimony meeting starts and the first person that gets up talks about BAPTISM! You could feel the spirit testifying to Judith that this is the truth. It was a powerful meeting and I am glad she came. Oh, and the other day while we were at her house she said "i love reading the Book of Mormon because it makes me happy but there are some things i don't understand, but when I finish reading I will go back and read it again" what? man she just  needs to be baptized!! 

So, I sent a Christmas package last Monday. You will all enjoy a little Ghana for Christmas.  Sorry. its not much! 

I did get the "Not a Christmas package"  it was very nice, thank you. 

Mother/Father can you buy me an oil vial?  My companion wants one from the USA because he can't get them in the village he is from. I am just kidding, he is not from a village but the term villager here is an insult so i call him my little villager companion. Anyway, can you buy one for him? Thanks. 

Michaela- Sorry I was not able to come to your baptism. Ii had to go teach someone at 11:30 ha.  How was everything? Sorry you did not get your chicken nuggets. How was your day? Did you feel happy the entire day?

Alex- stay a way from the Boys!!!!!!

jk just be smart who you are hanging around with. how are your friends? How is Mckay?

Well thats all I have for you guys this week 

Love you all 

from Ghana with love 

Elder Riddle

Gotta love P-Days!!!

Ghana Kumasi Missionaries

Let it Snow!!

Hello Family!!!

How is everything going?!!! This week has been....CRAZY!!! We started off the week with exchanges...Sister Huppe (rhymes with puppy) came up to Bay Roberts from mount pearl. Being the Junior companion I am not allowed to drive the car...however I get permission to drive when we exchange and I stay in my area...well on Tuesday we were out at a lesson and it started to snow...a lot!! I got in the car, started it, turned on the windshield wipers....THEY DID NOT WORK!! We had to have the car taken in to the dealership...in st john's...so it was back to the mount pearl apartment...it is very small...well the car did not get fixed...I am emailing from the Mount Pearl library! haha We have been here way too long!!!!! I feel like I am on a mini vacation! NOT GOOD...I NEED TO GET BACK TO BAY ROBERTS!!!
I will send a few pictures!!! but we had a very big snow storm..have I ever told you that I HATE the snow?! Well I will tell you again!! I HATE THE SNOW!!! It was -7 while we were out yesterday..at like 6:30pm!!! I feel like I am in the arctic!!! IT IS SO COLD! We had to shovel our drive way twice...and we also gave service to several people...in total...we shoveled about 7 driveways!! It was sister Otts first time ever! We also went to a Gingerbread making activity here at the St Johns branch! SO FUN!!! I will send pics of that as well!
I have not been able to work in Bay Roberts all week, but in Mount Pearl we got someone on date...his name is Jamie..he has been taught before...all four of us sisters taught him. It wen really well. We also found a few potential investigators...I feel like there are more people willing to hear about the gospel in Mount Pearl then there are in Bay Roberts..we don't often find that many people who will let us come back around the bay.
We got to go to the Christmas Devotional last night...it did not start (our time) until 9:30 so late...I never thought I would say that! haha but i guess when you have to wake up at 6:30 everyday and we are in by 9 every night..9:30-10:30 is really late! I am feeling the effects of it today!  
Well we have had a fun week this week! now if only our car will get fixed so we can go and find people to teach!!! (in Bay Roberts!)

It sounds like the baptism went well!!!! I still wish I could have been there!  Mickey I think Chicken Nuggets would have been good!! But pizza is good too!! haha
I can not believe that we get to have another little girl!!!!! SO EXCITING!!!! Amanda and Nick have you thought of any names that you want to share with me? :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK NICK!!!!! there is a little something from Newfoundland on its way!!! Its not much!
Alex so help me if I come home and you have a boyfriend!!! YOU ARE TOO YOUNG!!!!! ;)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU TONS!!!!!
Hope you all have a good week!!!

I sent a small christmas package...nothing big!!! I cant wait to talk to you all on the phone!!!


Love
Rachele :)
Oh ps I got mickeys baptism invite...the mail man ate half of it haha

Christmas Tree at Rachele's Appartment

Rachele is sad because postman ripped Mic's Baptism Invite

Let it Snow!! And its COLD

Rachele, Elders Unger and Marks