"This gospel changes lives. Not the least of which is my own. I'm ever-grateful for the Atonement and I'm so happy to be a part of this work!"

Dear Family and Friends,
    This week was insane! I was doing baptism interviews all week. Overall I did 10. I love doing interviews, though.  It's really sweet to hear people's testimonies. I went on splits with another companionship in my apartment on Thursday to do 5 of theirs for the upcoming Saturday. Meanwhile, E. Cowan got sick that day. Then on Friday I had to take a 1 1/2 hour tro ride to do an interview in Asikuma, since E. Cowan wasn't well to travel, I split and took E. Jensen while E. Ike and E. Cowan cleaned the baptism font all day.
    So we linked up with the Odoben guys, and while we waited for another tro, it started raining like mad. Not cats and dogs, mind you, it was raining goats and pigs! So we ducked into a little chop bar and waited. A car came and I called out to the mate that we had four and he said to come. There were already like 20 people mashed in the tro, haha. E. Jensen and Lee are bigger guys and E. Collins is like a telephone pole. So we all piled in and bounced along through the jungle in a monsoon. It was quite memorable.
    We arrived and I started the interview. The baptismal candidate was powerful; I had met her before on splits. E. Lee made me aware that she had a problem, though now she is 54, in her youth she had some [serious transgressions]. The missionaries explained to her that it may be an obstacle for her baptism. I was told to call President Shulz when it came up. When we started the interview, I could see she was pretty nervous and tense. She knew the question was coming. Before I even asked her the direct question, she came out with it when we were discussing repentance. She had a pretty guilty conscience, but I suppose it's because she understood the severity of her sin in God's eyes.
    I called President and he asked her some questions through me, and he said it was ok to go ahead with baptism, as the incidents had happened over 30 years ago in ignorance. When I relayed that to her, I could see the burden being lifted away from her--- there was a physical difference. She seemed brighter. As we finished, she was ecstatic, she said, "I can't wait to be baptised so I can be an angel". On Sunday, after her confirmation, she was called as the Relief Society President.
    That interview has had a big impact on me. It was something so amazing to see this woman embrace the gospel and watch the Atonement of Jesus Christ take action in her life (Heb 11:1/Alma 32:21) We all make mistakes. An individual without a past is like a tree without roots. Being out here, teaching and learning the gospel has shown me how many roots I have of my own. But I guess that's why the gospel is there; it's about progression. In His own due time, the Lord prunes us like olive trees in his vineyard, (Jacob 5) and step by step, we move toward perfection, (2 Pet 1:3-8) until eventually we become joint-heirs with Christ. (Rom 8:15-17/Rev 3:21)
    This gospel changes lives. Not the least of which is my own. I'm ever-grateful for the Atonement and I'm so happy to be a part of this work!
    Oh yeah, we also went to visit the village where about 100 people came to church. We just sat down and had an informal chat with 5 people, then people just kept joining until there were almost 40, haha. We're going there next Saturday with the Ivie's to show them the Restoration film. Most people were kind of disinterested, but 7 or 8 were really picking things up, which is about what I expected, so we'll see how that goes. The only problem I see in the future, is the distance. The village is really BUSH, pretty far out of the way.
    Hey, it's my 13 month mark today! I just noticed.
Love, Elder Doggett

Zone activity at the Ivies

P.S.  Dad, we don't have any American sisters here, and I don't think we ever will. No American girl I know could handle the living conditions here, haha. And it's not necessarily safe.  Zeke's hair is getting long and he totally looks like Link from the Legend of Zelda games. He should be Link for Halloween!!

 

Elder LeLea, Elder Doggett

 "All of a sudden our plates are full. It's glorious!"

White Man Town with Elder Lee

Dear Family and Friends,

            This week has been promising. Things are finally starting to pick up here. Since the boundary changes, we've been working in that new area a ton now that it is ours. We've found some people who are really promising so far. We had a midweek activity on Wednesday where we watched the Restoration film, and we had like 4 investigators come, which was sweet. The Ivies put on the show, and it was a really good idea. I actually wasn't there; I was doing splits in Odoben again for an interview.

            Speaking of which, this split was very fruitful, more so on our side, where Elder Cowan and Elder Kirumira went together to our area. Elder Kirumira was there for one transfer, so he showed Elder Cowan all the progressing investigators they had that were lost when the area was closed. So that was seriously nice. That was the hardest thing about re-starting the area, was how EVERYONE the previous missionaries taught was lost. It was like not saving your game on Xbox, haha.

            Yesterday was our Disctrict Conference for Swedru. Everyone really wants it to become a Stake, but unfortunately, the numbers are not there yet. All the talks pretty much were about temple attendance--- if people want to grow into a stake, they have to be a more temple-going people, which is something that hasn't been happening. So there is still a lot of work to do here, we're being directed to challenge our converts to do at least one family name in the temple soon after they are baptized themselves. Swedru has been a District for 25 years, so it's been a long time going.

            One of our members has been helping us a ton. And we have no idea where he came from, haha. I don't think he actually lives in the boundaries, but he started coming recently and got a calling. He's been in the church for like 13 years. This week he showed us one of his friends, who, when we met him, told us he had investigated the church in the past, and now wanted to come back and be baptized. He decided that "Latter Day Saints is the best church". He already had the BOM and all the pamphlets, in good condition, too (which is rare here.) Also, that same member brought like 100 people to the conference from his village. All non-members. So we're arranging to travel out there like once a week and hold a discussion meeting. Another member also brought like 40 people from HIS village, so we're planning to do the same there. All of a sudden our plates are full. It's glorious!

         We really just have to endure and do our best and the blessings will flow.

Love,

Elder Doggett

Investigators from just one village!

Those wild tro tro rides (with Elder Lelea)!

The whiteboard says it all......:)

A Normal Week in Ghana......phew!

Dear Family and Friends,

    Mom, I got Elder Jackman's letters. It was awesome to hear from him. He had some pretty good stories, ha,ha! I really miss that guy. Also, I think you might enjoy reading Elder and Sister Ivie's blog if you haven't found it already. intoghana.blogspot.com
    So this week I went on my first splits as the District Leader. I went to Odoben to be with Elder Lee, as he had a candidate that needed a baptismal interview. The trotro drive to Odoben is awesome. We had a good time. Those guys have a seriously good area. We were running the entire day.  I haven't had a lot of those days on my mission thus far. But they are really fun. I really wish Elder Cowan could have gone instead, because he needs to see what a sweet area is like. But unfortunately because of the interview that wasn't possible. We're splitting to Odoben again this week for interviews for the other missionaries' candidates. Once again, Elder Cowan will have to stay. But I'll send Elder Kirumira back to our area, as he was there before us. Hopefully he can show us some places we haven't been.
     I gave my first instruction as well this past week. I felt like focusing on Ch. 6 in PMG, about the importance of the Book of Mormon. Recently I've come to see just how awesome and pivotal a tool it is. I've always known it was important, but now I'm trying to give preference to BOM scriptures whenever possible as soon as we have taught about it. The meeting went very well, everyone started contributing tons of cross-reference scriptures from BOM to the Bible and we all copied them down and learned from each other. I guess what they say is true--- you learn more when you're the teacher.
    Elder Ike and I discussed last night how we could change the boundaries of our areas. President called him and told him to talk with me about it since I suggested it to him. We found a perfect place to split it, and I guess it's effective immediately (since we've already been proselyting there for a while now). We should have more to do now that we at least have some MEMBERS to work with. That is absolutely essential here; I'm sure as it is anywhere. The members are the driving force of missionary work, even if they don't know it. People are watching them….. their friends and family. People are much more inclined to listen to and believe the gospel, when they feel the testimony of their peers. That has been the hardest thing about this area so far, is not having relationships with the members. That's half the joy of the work anyway; I love making friends with the members. They're all so powerful here and are not afraid to share what they believe.
    As far as the re-activation goes, it's a little slow. It's hard to find people here. Haha everything is a maze. But last week we had two less-actives come that we've been working on since we got here, so that was very gratifying! The branch president is giving us 5 less actives’ names to work with at a time, and if  they come or fall through, when we do our part, he will give us five more. So it's going on. Slowly. Story of my life, haha. But it's okay.
     I can't believe Tyson is coming into the field! I mean Elder Anderson. That's so awesome. I told him to email me when he's out but who knows if that will really happen, haha.

Love,

Elder Doggett

Whoa, everyone is growing up and hitting the mission field!  "The revelations came down and the floods (of missionaries) came up, the revelations came down and the floods came up..." :)

Scary Drivers, Scary Old Women!

Elder Doggett in front of termite mound

Dear Family and Friends,

    We got party boy-ed by two 70+ year old women this week. We went to check on a less active, she wasn't there, and some old devils nearby started chattering Fante at us. We had no clue what they were saying. We found out shortly. Out of nowhere, they each put their arms around each of us and started grinding! SO. NOT. OKAY. Needless to say, we made like Joseph in Egypt and got outta Dodge. They chased us out. It took a few seconds for what just happened to register, then we couldn't stop laughing, Haha!. On the way home that night Elder Cowan got sideswiped by a truck on the road, it just grazed his arm though, so it messed up his shirt and got it all muddy. At least it didn't mess up his face.
    Also, while we were chatting with a member who owns a fruit stand, I saw this guy walk by wearing an 'Irving Phys Ed' shirt.  I laughed at how he had no idea where that came from. He was one of the guys in the tro tro who calls out where the thing is headed, just next door. Five minutes later, we hear a crash and I look over to see the roof of a shop collapse down on a taxi on the adjacent street. The car hopped the gutter and nosedived. Said 'Irving Phys Ed' guy got out of the driver seat and everybody and their goats came to yell at him in Twi. It was amusing. Our friend interpreted the yelling and told us, this guy doesn't know how to drive and someone told him to go park the car. They said he had done this before. Oh, nobody was hurt, by the way. To get it out, 15 guys crowded around the vehicle and just pushed, haha.
    I have given my first few baptismal interviews as a District Leader. They're not hard, and I won't lie, I really like the prospect of having responsibilities to fill time. But things should start moving here again. Also as DL I get to conduct and instruct in district meetings, receive numbers from everyone at the end of the week, and report those numbers to the ZLs.
    We met with Bro. Acheampong and drummed up some ideas for us to help the branch itself, not necessarily the Aboso area. We want to focus on re-activation for the whole branch, because there are ridiculous amounts of less-actives. It's fairly easy to re-activate in Africa because most people just left because they fell out of fellowship. When you show them some love and that the church hasn't forgotten them, many will return. We will also be going out with the Elders Quorum brethren to do gratuitous amounts of tracting in the part of our area that is closer to the chapel. We want to start in the center and branch out. I'm also going to talk to Pres. Shulz about changing the area boundaries a little; we've already been proselyting in a part of the city that technically is not our area, but he gave us permission to do so. So want to propose that he permanently changes it, so any future missionaries don't have to go through the same thing we did. That portion is the lifeblood of our work right now, it has some good members. I hope everything gets ironed out soon.

Love,
Elder Doggett

 P.S. I would love some pictures of the mountains. Right now we're pulling out of rainy season and busting into dry season. I'm not really looking forward to it. Then comes HOT season around January and February. We haven't seen conference. The Ivies were saying they wanted to download it and invite all the missionaries over to watch it at their place. We'll get the conference DVD in like 2 months and then they'll watch it in Fante at church. So I really hope we get to go to the Ivies.

Spectacular sunset!

Dear Family and Friends,
    "Whooooooa, we're halfway theeere, WHOOOOAAA! Livin' on a prayer!" I hit my one year mark this week, although my official halfway mark is in one week due to the two week extension. It does not feel like I arrived in this country one year ago. It blows my mind how fast it's gone by. Elder Govathson, my MTC mate was betting me that I was going to be the new District Leader, as he was being transferred and he was the DL. We got transfer news on our one year mark. I bet him two packs of salmon that it wasn't me, and his baseball jacket said otherwise. I lost. I got a call from the APs like an hour later, announcing the official beginning of my regime as Swedru District Leader, haha. It will probably just help us fill time, though, since the area is not really moving.
    Today, Elder Rowe, one of the guys in our apartment went home! I was proud him, he stayed strong all the way to the end. A lot of missionaries have premature deaths, but Elder Rowe lived a long and fulfilling mission life.
    We had a branch council meeting on Sunday and we all decided it would be much better if we just helped the other missionaries in the branch with the work they have, which is closer to the chapel. They honestly have more than they can handle. I called President Shulz and we discussed what to do this last week and he said we should talk to Bro. Acheampong, the first counselor in the branch presidency. He's the one who President knows personally. The area is just very awkward. We can't start a group because there are no active members. I see one of three things happening. Best - Over time the area gets a group and starts to expand. Worst - The area continues to have the same problems and causes premature deaths of all Ghana Cape Coast Missionaries who go there. Or also Worst - The area gets closed.
    So we are meeting with Bro. Acheampong this week to discuss how to move forward, then we'll call President and counsel with him on if we should change area boundaries or what. Fortunately I believe things will be getting better, because if we can start proselyting closer to the church and getting to know members, then the work ALWAYS progresses. Simple as that.
    S. didn't make it to church. So no update there. We are kind of in a limbo stage right now, I'm not sure how we will proceed yet in the area. I think we will be teaching closer to the chapel from now on, but we will continue to visit the people in Aboso we have already contacted.
    I was going to send pictures this week, but I forgot my card reader, so I'm out of luck. Sorry.

Love,
Elder Doggett

P.S.  Hahah I'm glad you found Elder Cowan's mom. She also emailed him about that. Please tell me you don't text each other every day... :)