News and PICTURES from Assin Foso.......finally!!!!!!

Feeling sick on Tuesday....with  helpful double "fans" in motion!

E. Doggett with Sisters from the area

Dear Family and Friends,

                This week was less eventful than the last, but notable nonetheless.  We went to the hospital early Tuesday because our malaria-ridden sister was being released.  I was feeling really tired that morning and the longer we waited at the hospital the worse and worse I started to feel.  So I ended up being sick all day Tuesday.  I'm not sure what the deal was, but I had a fever, body aches, and major headache.  I think it was a combination of exhaustion, malnourishment, and lack of sleep.  I just slept all day and all night again, then we went on splits the next day.  I felt fine.

                We did double splits with the Achiase elders; I went with Elders Keetch and Ugoh and my comp went with the others.  The Achiase guys are having some trouble, their best ward missionary was abruptly taken from them to be a stake missionary in Cape Coast. The literacy rate in their area is like 5%.  So they're struggling a bit, but I just gave them the best advice I could.  I was in their shoes for a long time...   I think they'll be ok.

                We had a ward missionary activity this weekend.  On Friday night we had 12 ward missionaries go out contacting and inviting people to an activity our ward mission leader planned for the following day.  It went so well!  I was really proud of them; they did a fantastic job.  Although the next day at the activity we only had 5 non-members show up.  One of them showed real promise and we'll be meeting with him soon.  At the activity we played indoor games, ate Ghanaian food, and watched the Restoration film.  We would call it a success, although our WML felt like he failed. We gladly welcomed him to the world of missionary work, haha.  You have to count every victory you get, no matter how small.

                General Conference!  It was so nice to FINALLY see part of it.  It's refreshing to hear the messages from the Lord's chosen vessels.  I especially enjoyed Elder Bednar's talk Sunday Morning-- about how having a load of responsibilities and obligations with push us so we don't get stuck.  It will push us home.  I feel like that applies to me incredibly well right now.  In the last few months of my service, I have LOTS to do to push me home.  We're staying very busy and I really enjoy it.

        Oh yeah, our subsistence was raised again!  Food prices are skyrocketing so President arranged for us all to receive 230 GHS every month, which is 30 cedis more.  I was surprised, honestly, but prices have been going up a ton.  I bought frosted flakes and Mountain Dew-- score!

Love,

Elder Doggett

Baptism of B. and P.

With one of the Three Nephites.....a.k.a Elder Nakedi!

SICKNESS PREVAILS IN GHANA

This was shared through E. Stoddard's mom because E. Doggett's  mom is out of pictures....this is a small roadside "grocery store"

Dear Family and Friends,

                And it came to pass that in the 19th month of the mission of Elder Doggett, in the last week of that year, there came divers events and business.  But behold, I cannot write even a hundredth of the record of my week, so it is my design to abridge the writings of the past.

It came to pass that in the first day of the week, there was peace in all the land, also in the second day. (OK enough of the Mormon speaking).  Wednesday we did a 24 hour split so I could do interviews in the DL's area.  I went with Elder Hackmeister from Utah.  He's a sweet guy; he's into classic rock an aviation and we stayed up a bit talking that night. But we were so busy during the day.  They had three candidates who needed interviews, and they were all so powerful.  Companion exchange success.

                On the drive home from the exchange, we got a call from the senior couple, the Schiffmans.  They sadly informed us that due to medical issues, they would be going home the next Monday, and they didn't expect to return. We will greatly miss them, they've been an enormous help.  Two weeks ago, a missionary in Praso collapsed during proselyting.  Praso has bad cell service and is pretty deep in the bush.  The companion called the Schiffmans and they came to the rescue.  The missionary is fine now, but I don't like to think of what could have  happened if they had not been there.  Little did we know when they called us Thursday morning,  how immediately we would miss their support.

                Thursday night we got a call from the sisters, informing us that one of them was very sick. We wrapped up the night and headed over to their apartment.  When we got there we found that actually two were very sick.  I brought my bag of drugs but we ended up not really needing them; the two sisters just requested priesthood blessings.  We gave a blessing to the first, whose case was not as severe as the second.  As my companion was closing the blessing, she wretched and nearly vomited just sitting there in the chair. He quickly closed and she bolted to the washroom. We called Sister Shulz and she told us to take the two sisters to a lab in the morning to get tested for malaria.

                The next morning we did so, and spent nearly 4 hours in the hospital.  A Ghanaian hospital is not very organized... They ran some tests and gave them drugs according to their needs and we sent them home. We spent the rest of the day having a fabulous time proselyting. I think we taught 6 lessons. When we got in the apartment we were told by the other companionship that the sisters and their DL had been trying to call us for hours, but for some reason it would not go through. One of the sisters was admitted to the hospital that night. We ran down the street to the hospital to see what was going on (Everything in Assin Foso is all on one really long road).  As we got there, the security guard was being an enormous expletive and wouldn't let us in.  Luckily we were able to talk to the sister's companion through the fence. Apparently her case of malaria is really extreme. We needed to pay a 60 cedi deposit fee, and the guard still wouldn't let us in, so one of the members helping our sisters paid, and we paid him back the next day.

                The companion and two others sisters stayed the night at the hospital, and we bought them egg sandwiches because they were starving.  I'm impressed and proud of them; they have been very supportive through all this.  We came the next morning and found out the ill sister would have to stay until Monday.  So hopefully after I finish emailing she will be released. She is doing much better now.

                Because of all of this, we are running out of impress to pay for everything.  Another sister fell sick today with typhoid and we had to take care of that.  All our missionaries need re-imbursed because we're in the last week of the sub period. One apartment's fuel finished so we had to replace that. Then our stove lit on fire this morning when I was cooking breakfast; the hose cracked out and started leaking. I was sitting on the tank because the regulator didn't fit well, it was leaking there too, hahaha.  Another missionary informed us that he's had a high fever for the last 3 days and he needs help.  My allergies have been flaring up like mad all week.

     During all of this the electricity has gone out. ECG. 'Electricity Company of Ghana'? More like 'Either Candle or Generator' hahaha.

     There's more, but I can't remember it all. Did you ever see Christmas Vacation? That's what this feels like.  Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

                We had our baptism on Sunday! B. and P. were baptized and the service went very well. Only afterwards I was trying to find P. and her family to take a photo, and I found them in the bishop's office about to confirm her because they thought she was a child of record.  I got there just in time to prevent that small disaster, haha. She needs to be confirmed in sacrament meeting as a convert.

                There is probably more to say, but my brain is a little scattered into millions of pieces at the moment.  I'm so exhausted.  It feels nice though.  My companion isn't exhausted; Elder Nakedi is a robot!  I was joking to him as we walked home from the hospital at midnight  that he was one of the Three Nephites.  I think he's holding out on me, haha.  But really, I've never had a companion push me as hard as he has.

      Things are stressful over here, but I'm learning a lot. I never thought I could be so patient in everything.  Onye agro kraaaa (It's not easy at all)

                Well. That's it I guess.  Love you! :)

Email from May 19, 2014:  

POWERFUL PRAYERS AND ROOSTER COMBS

Pic from last area.....Elder Doggett said the little girl was not too sure she liked the white guy!

Dear Family and Friends,

                I found the Big Dipper the other night! Finally after searching for over a year and a half in Ghanaian skies, I just glanced up and it was right in front of me. Only it was upside down; that's why I could never find it before. It was near the horizon too, not high in the sky.  That was such an exciting moment for me.  I miss wasting time gazing up at the night sky.  Who am I kidding, I still waste time doing that.  The sky here is amazing, especially here in Assin Foso.  I've never seen so many Toy Story clouds in my life.

                My companion and I went on splits this week.  I went with Elder Collins to his area-- yep the same Collins who was in Swedru when I was a DL!  We had a pretty good day together. His ward is having some organizational and planning difficulties.  They're nearly identical with my last ward.  We had a coordination meeting and I hope I gave the ward mission leader and ward missionaries some good counsel.  We just schmoozed them, begging them up for the help that they do give.  It is a difficult situation, because there is not a lot the elders can do.  "Let us cheerfully do all that lies within our power".

                I gave a powerful prayer during our last lesson of splits.  We were teaching on the street so it was loud, chaotic, and distracting.  I prayed that we would be able to 'concentrate on the things we will discuss'.  As soon as I said the word 'concentrate', the power went out.  A permeating 'ahhhh' of disappointment rang through the air as all the music-spilling speakers ceased;  but we were happy,  haha.  The lesson went pretty well; we talked about fasting.

                We are preparing for a baptism this coming Sunday.  P., a 9 year old from a part member family will be baptized. The parents forgot to get it done when she turned 8. That happens a lot here. She is the most intelligent 9 year old I have met in Ghana.  Her mother can't speak English and she can translate for her when we say something, haha.  She is a lively, energetic little girl. B. is also preparing to be baptized.  He's 19 and all of his friends are members;  I guess it just never occurred to him to join the church until now.  He's a very cool guy, never gotten himself into trouble.  When I first came and saw him at church I wouldn't have given him a second thought because he looked and acted just like a member. So we're gearing up for that.

                One of our Sister missionary companionships had 5 baptisms yesterday. That's really impressive. The sisters here do pretty good work; they get into a lot of doors that the elders cannot.  Since we have started the new tri, things in the zone are right on track. The zone goal is 57 baptisms for May, June, July, and August. The afore-mentioned sisters just increased their goal because they had such a big group baptized yesterday.  Our zone is doing very well actually.  Very well.  I'm proud of them!

Love,

Elder Doggett

Additional story retold by Mom:  When we talked to Elder Doggett on Mother’s Day he was telling us all kinds of stories.  One of them was an experience he had just before he called us.  He and his companion were visiting with a lady and before they left, they asked her if there was something they could do to help her.  She said, “Yes, I want you to help me cut off my chicken’s combs.”  They said, “okaaaay…..” (thinking ‘what the heck!’).  They asked her why she wanted to cut off their combs.  She told them they attract  flies.  So, Elder Doggett and Elder Nakedi chased and caught her chickens, and held them down while she took a razor blade and cut off their red combs on top of their heads.  She then dabbed a little charcoal on the wounds to stop the bleeding.  Elder Doggett said that was the strangest service project yet he has helped with yet in Ghana! 

Note from mom:  Email was short and sweet today due to the Mother's Day phone call yesterday, but he promised he would send next week some stories he told us on the phone that were quite entertaining!

No pictures get through in this new area, so I am resorting to sending old ones that I haven't posted from the last area....

Dear Family and Friends,

            Today I won't say a lot, because I called home last night. Which was pretty awesome, the network was so clear this time! I love you family, and the next time we speak it will be in person. 

            Today we had our zone activity that Elders Nakedi, Holmgren, and I planned. We did a big 'gospel relay race'. I would explain it all, but it's really not that interesting. It was just really fun to watch everyone race, haha. Our zone seemed to enjoy it though. Then we played Mafia. Classic. I would venture to say that we grew in unity today.

            I heard through the grapevine this week that two of my and Elder Cowan's converts in Swedru took names to the temple and did baptisms  (P. and J)!! That was really exciting news. I was sad to leave right after their baptisms, especially because our area was closed and nobody was there to take care of them. But it seems that the other missionaries in the apartment did a good job, and I know the Ivies had a big hand in it; they're always pushing temple work with converts. Also, that old area Aboso will be getting a group soon I think. Or maybe they have one, I'm not too sure. One day though they'll make it to a branch. I'm staying in contact with Elder Moffitt who re-opened the area and it looks like they are seeing progress.

            D & C 64:33. That's the story of my mission. Recently I've heard great things about all of my old areas. Ntranoa is going well. S., the lady Elder James and I contacted on the day we thought we were wasting our time gave a talk during Easter and bore a powerful testimony of the church. I remember we shared an Easter message with her when we first met; she is such a sweet lady. Green Hill had 7 baptisms last trimester which is really impressive.

            So that's about it for now, I'll write more next week I promise. Love you!

LEAVING MPINTSIN...........

With Sis. D.

With E. Stoddard (and a good photobomb by E. Mocke).  Thanks once again to Sis. Stoddard for sharing pics!

Dear Family and Friends,

    Saying goodbye in Mpintsin wasn't too bad. Nobody took the news harder that I was leaving than investigator I. When he found out I was going, it was like the end of the world for him. He was so distraught, haha. It was sad. The missionary who replaced me will do just fine though. That's the nature of the work.
    Transfers were pretty hectic. So in other words they were normal. First, as our taxi struggled up the steep hill outside the apartment the muffler was ripped out from underneath because the car was so low from our bags in the trunk, haha. I felt kinda bad, but really I was just impressed. After fumbling around in the Cape Coast stations a while, the seven of us going to Foso got a tro and headed out. I was in the back next to a sister missionary, and one of the plethora of bags stacked up behind us started slipping and threatened to crush her. I held it up for a while but eventually switched seats with her. The rest of the trip felt like a crappy Space Mountain ride because the driver was a maniac; I was pushing the bag back the entire way, haha.
    Soon after arriving, I received a very cold welcome... a nice torrential rainstorm. Loved it. Assin Foso is quite the opposite of my last area, which was large, hilly, and muddy. Foso is small, flat, and sandy. Everything feels so normal here. It's quiet because it's kinda out in the jungle. It almost feels like camping. A slow breeze rolls through every now and then, people just kinda mill around doing a few chores, it's quiet. This area is unlike any I've been to yet, but I love it. Everything is so relaxed... It's hard to describe. I guess I'll just say it's normal, haha. But I'm not used to normal.
    My companion is Elder Nakedi from South Africa. I'm actually really happy to be with an African again, it makes the work so much easier in a lot of ways. For example by first day here, we did service helping a family move. Nobody will let two obrunis help them. But if one is obibini (native) then it's ok. Actually, Elder Nakedi is powerful at service. He's very aware of his surroundings, we help people all the time.
    As far as ZL duties go, it's pretty normal. I don't have any incredible stories or experiences just yet. I do know that I have to be an example though. I don't want to write too much today because I'll be calling home coming Sunday.

    Mom, I did get the package thank you! The socks feel amazing...

Love,

Elder Doggett

Packed and ready to leave......E. Doggett,  E. Larsen, E. Moore and E. Ma'afu

 "My comp and I  have always done everything we could think of until we felt a candidate was ready to make the covenant they did."

With Sister Z.

Dear Family and Friends,

    A few weeks ago, Elder and Sister Julander joined our District Meeting to discuss making life goals with us. This is the first time in my life I have actually set and written down life goals. I made a few mission goals too. It's exciting, because it will set me in the right direction for my life. The other day Elder Julander came for an apartment check and he reviewed the goals we had individually made. He gave some constructive criticism and urged us to continue. The Julanders are a sweet couple, they seriously love us missionaries. (Don't all senior couples?) We had another district activity today in their house.
    In other news, transfers are in! Elder Larsen and Stoddard are training, only Larsen is going to whitewash up in Assin Foso. Elder Moore and Mocke are staying of course, because of training. And I am being replaced by Elder Williams. I suppose the Spirit of the Lord has called me to another venture. Actually, it was President Shulz who called and asked me to be a Zone Leader in Assin Foso. Some missionaries have been taunting me about it for the last few transfers, and it turns out that their prophecies were correct. Haha. I am excited, and I think it will be a fantastic learning experience and a test of patience, of course.
    Soon after I was called by President, Elder Ma'afu was called by the Assistants to be the new Mpintsin District Leader, haha. It was the exact same situation as I and Elder Ormond had 3 months ago. But he and his comp will officially be moved into Mpintsin Ward 2, because two more elders are coming to the other apartment for Ward 1. That's exciting, because we were totally swamped trying to cover two wards. That's how it was in the old days though...
    To answer Mom's questions, we have met with the guy Elder Ma'afu talked to while I played around on the instruments. He has great interest, we just feel he has some concerns about the church. Most people do here, but they're easy to resolve.......

 .......I haven't baptised a lot of people on my mission, but I can stand before God with conviction one day and honestly tell him that the people I did baptize were ready. The ones we met who we didn't baptise were not ready at that time. My comp and I  have always done everything we could think of until we felt a candidate was ready to make the covenant they did.

Love,

Elder Doggett

Elders Moore & Stoddard's artistic interpretation of the Mptinsin District

"[We] were sitting at the table...... when we heard a voice from the bathroom, 'Elder Moore... Elder Moore! There's a giant scorpion in the bathroom.'"

With A., who took us in during a downpour

Dear Family and Friends,

            I got a call from the Assistants the other day, informing me that my MTC group will have to fly out on September 28, 2014. My year mark. It's a Sunday, so that's kinda strange. The reason is there will be a big mission president's seminar from October 14-18. They originally wanted to extend the two weeks again,but decided to just ship us early. So that's that.

            Elder Mocke was rudely interrupted in the bathroom this week. Elder Moore, Stoddard, and I were sitting at the table discussing Star Wars when we heard a voice from the bathroom, "Elder Moore... Elder Moore! There's a giant scorpion in the bathroom." Haha!  We ran in excitedly to find Elder Mocke hiding behind the curtain partition in their cramped washroom, with El Scorpio, AKA 'Captain Pinchy' sitting about a foot away from him in the corner. It's like they were having a staring contest. After laughing and taking pictures, we let Elder Mocke finish up. So he gets a Tupperware, catches the thing, and starts chasing Moore and Stoddard around the apartment to get revenge. It was hilarious, Elder Moore was terrified! So we poked it and took pictures of it. If you'd have laid it out claw to stinger it was over 6 inches, I bet. Since we failed to find any insects for it to victimize, we tried feeding it an English Yorkshire toffee. No dice. Elder Moore said he couldn't sleep until it was dead, so Elder Stoddard took Captain Pinchy outside and mutilated him with a shovel. What a champ.               

            In other news, I am pleased to announce that after nearly 19 months of faithful service in the Lord's vineyard, I got my hands on an electric guitar and a drum set. There was some church set up in the futbol park for an Easter celebration, and as we passed by on the way home, I stopped to seize my opportunity. I started some small talk with the guys hanging around the instruments, then asked to play the guitar. I tuned it and played some classics, like Sweet Child O' Mine, Sweet Home Alabama, Purple Haze, Johnny B. Goode, etc. One of the Ghanaians hopped on the drums and layed down a beat for me. Haha! It was so awesome! Then I got on the drums myself and immediately realized how rusty I was. I went to do a drum fill and just utterly stalled. It was incredibly fun though.

            Don't worry, while I dinked around, Elder Ma'afu had a solid gospel conversation with one of the guys watching Obruni play Obruni music, (anything a white man does here is entertaining). We got his phone number and we're planning to meet him tomorrow. Worth it.

            Earlier that same day, was the first time on my mission when one of our investigators actually said she got an answer to her prayer about our message. M. is a sweet lady we met a while ago and have been in and out of contact with. She just moved, so it's been hectic. As we reviewed, she asked us how we should feel when the Holy Ghost answers us. We answered that some people describe it was a warm, full feeling inside... Immediately she cut us off and said, "Oh, ok. I was asking because when I prayed about Joseph Smith, that's what I felt. I felt all warm inside.” We glady testified to her that that was the Holy Ghost. We gave her a BOM to read and pray over again.

            I was very surprised to hear her comment, because Africans in general are desensitized to the Spirit. Partly because this place is constantly filled with noise, chaos, and distractions. Partly because they don't know how to listen for the Spirit, they want to see real, physical evidence. (Ironically, even when we give them that in the form of the Book of Mormon, they don't read it). But no matter who you are, where you're from, or where you are, when you get a quiet moment to sincerely ponder and pray over the missionaries' message, the truth will be opened unto you.

            Elder Ma'afu and I were commenting on how one of our members had just performed a traditional coming-of-age rite for his daughters this weekend. Ma'afu said he was so surpirsed when he read the Law of Moses, because many rites and performances were nearly identical with some of his Tongan traditions. Even some Ghanaian traditions are similar to Mosaic Law. Wedding dowry, coming of age, sacrifices, etc. I know that Ma'afu's people came from Hagoth in the Book of Mormon, a Nephite who sailed away from the mainland around 55 BC. At that time, they were still practicing the Law of Moses. They were a part of the scattering of Israel. I know there were many others who were led away scattered throughout the entire world. That's probably why so many nations have all these similar traditions linking to each other and the Law of Moses. That's so interesting to me.

            In terms of missionary work, we had a down week. Not a lot happened, except we had two investigators come to church for the first time, so that's exciting. Coming to church is the biggest indicator of a sincere investigator in Ghana. 

 

Captain Pinchy