07/08/24

This week we were able to have a great lesson about the Restoration with our friend Prince. He has been in our teaching pool for a long time because of his availability to teach him. He is also a youth and his situation at home caused us to wait and see if he will be able to stay in the church. It's been a few months and he is still coming to church and now is very eager to learn, and to be baptized. We have him on baptismal date for this month.

In our area we need to find more people to teach. We have a couple of new people we found this last week who we will start teaching this week, sister Rita, and sister Serwaa. We have a good group of people who are coming to church, but each of them have certain barriers that will take time for them to overcome. This being my last week on mission I really want to help my companion by finding new people for our teaching pool, and also enjoying every aspect of the work. 

Omni 1:26, and 1 Thessalonians 2:8; You can only impart of your entire sould to the people, if you first give your soul to Christ. Doing these two things will bring lasting joy.

-Elder Willden

07/01/24

This week we had baptism and confirmation for our friends brother Osei and sister Faustina. It was so great to see them make their baptism covenants. Their progression has been sweet! After sacrament meeting, I also had the opportunity to confer the Aaronic Priesthood to brother Osei and ordain him a priest. It was my first time to give someone the priesthood and it was very cool to experience. Brother Osei and sister Faustina will continue to progress in the church and I am so happy for them. 

This week was good, and very busy. Because of the change in mission president, we were very busy this week with mlc, zone conference, and getting missionaries where they are supposed to be. On top of that we had to do baptism interviews, and get our people interviewed for baptism. It will be good to have a more normal week now finding and teaching! We have three people we are really hoping will progress towards baptism for this month. Their names are Nancy, Abigail, and Margeret. We pray the Lord will help them progress. We also had a memver who broight their friend named Sika to church. She was asking great questions in the Sunday school class. We will be sure to contact her and get an appointment to teach this week. 

D&C 109:56; The covenants we make in the Temple will give us power from Heaven if we keep it. When kept our covenants will not just bless us, but we can use it to bless others. The Lord can soften people's hearts if we take the holiness of the Temple with us. 

-Elder Willden

06/27/24

Dear Brother and Sister Willden,

 

Elder Willden will return home soon. We want to make sure that those who will greet him will know when and where he will arrive. Attached is his flight itinerary. Please carefully look it over and be sure that it looks correct. If you have any concerns, please contact us.

We are certain you will be happy about his progress and will want to hear his testimony of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your love and support,

 

Elder Strother

Ghana Kumasi Mission Secretary

Mission Office

06/24/24

This week we were able to start teaching one of our members wife, and daughter. Their names are Mavis and Esther. We have been building relationship with them and we were finally able to teach them. The lesson we had was amazing, and sister Mavis, Wilson's wife said she will come to church this week. Our goal this week is to also get Esther to come with her mother to church. 

This week will have the baptism for brother Osei and sister Faustina. I am so happy about this one. Both of them have been amazing to watch progress. Every commitment we extend is kept. We have a few other people we are teaching that are also progressing that we are hoping to baptize in July. They are Rita (Faustina's sister), Nancy, and Abigail. We are hoping that more of the people we are teaching will start to progress towards baptism with them as well. 

Isaiah 16:5; As a leader of a rightous people, you need to council together and make decisions as a whole. Unrightous leaders try to do everything themselves and don't seek for what the people need, or what they would like. Good ideas come from councils. We can build off one another. 

-Elder Willden

06/17/24

With sister Faustina we have had some struggles with her mother Dora. We have taught her one time, and she was okay with our message and the church, but it seems someone has been filling her head with gossip about the church. Long story short she was really trying to halt Faustina's progression, as well as her sisters, and she almost did. On Saturday night we taught Faustina, and we invited her to just listen to her mother next time she goes on a rant about us missionaries and the church. We told her when her mother finishes all she needs to do is bear her testimony and that it will enter her mom's heart. On Sunday her mother gave her a bunch of work to do to stop her from coming to church. By the end she was very fed up. She told us she sat down her mom, and her sisters, bore testimony and taught them. It worked. The mother is now okay with her joining the church, and us continueing to teach her and her sisters, Rita and Francisca. I've never had an investigator like Faustina who is constantly reading from the Book of Mormon, and applying what she learns. It is just amazing. Everytime we pass by, or see her at work, the Book of Mormon is open in her hands, eyes are on the pages, and her notebook and pen are ready.

Some of the people we have been teaching and have had on date have slowly stopped progressing. It's not easy when those things happen but we move on. We still have Margeret, Desmond, Osei, Faustina, Rita, and Francisca progressing towards baptism. It gives us more opportunity to find this week! 

Mosiah 5:2 The Spirit of the Lord is what brings a mighty change in our hearts. In order to sustain that change, we have to do the things that invite his Spirit to be with us always. As soon as we don't have his Spirit with us, we lose his strength to abound in good works. This is why it is not good to idle away time. 

-Elder Willden

06/11/24

This week we met someone named Abigail. She just moved to Kwamo for work. We became friends with her and it turns out she has had some really hard challenges and losses in her life that has left her with a lot of resentment towards God. Because we became friends, she opened up to us. At first she was hard hearted about all of it, and was angry. We were able to address her concerns, her heart softened a little bit, and she agreed that she will start praying, and she showed that she has a desire to open her heart and understand why God let bad things happen to her and her family. We also met someone named Nancy who is the aunty of someone we are teaching. She too opened up to us about her past. She has things she too wants to repent of and move on from. We were able to introduce the Book of Mormon to her, and she said she wants us to always be coming.

We were able to put our new friend, Osei, and date. Finding him was truly a miracle, and he is always fun to teach. Our friend Faustina is also showing great progression. She is loving the Book of Mormon, and she already has a strong testimony of it. She is also helping her two sisters progress. Their mother will take a bit of time though. 

Genesis 17: 1; Christ is perfect in his desires, deeds, thoughts, actions, even since the pre-mortal life. He walked perfect before his Father in Heaven, so he too was granted unlimited power. He loved everyone. 

-Elder Willden

06/03/24

Well... I will miss the people and this country when I finish, but for the next six weeks me and Elder Munongo have business to take care of.😎

We were going to visit our recent convert, and we saw a man sitting alone on the curb of his house. We entered into the compound where are recent convert stayed, and we had a strong impression to go and talk to him. His name was Osei. We spent a couple of days getting to know him. It turns out he is recovering from a stroke, and is alone most of the day and is free. He has also had a couple of other challenges in life, but he has a great faith. We started teaching him and invited him to church. On Sunday he showed up 30 minutes early. When we teach him, it's like he has already been prepared completely for what we have to teach. Another miracle I'd like to share is about Faustina and her family. On Thursday night, on exchange with Elder Allegria, we could've called it a night, and went to the apartment. We decided to still go to our last appointment even though we were a little late. We met the person eating dinner and preparing for bed, so we moved the appointment to the next day. On our way back we met Faustina. She was walking home with her sister Rita, and one of our members bamed Lord. She said she has been reading from the Book of Mormon, and has questions. The next day we met her Rita, and their sister Francisca at her work, and had an amazing lesson about the Book of Mormon. All of them said they desire to know if it's true and they also want to share it with other people if it is. They were worried their mother would not accept it, so they invited us to come and teach their mother on Sunday. For their mother the same thing happened, and they were even teaching their mother about the Book. It turns out as a family they heard a lot of gossip about our church and the Book of Mormon. They were so happy to know the truth of it. Their mother, Dora, and Faustina, are very determined to read and pray about it. They all agreed that they would read and pray about it as a family that night. We will follow up with them Tuesday. Dora's husband stays in Tamale for work, so hopefully if the family keeps progressing we will refer him to missionaries there. I also know the Lord wanted us to meet them, because the Kwamo 2 elders already met Faustina before us, and called us that night to refer her to us, and we had already met her.

Our area is doing great. We are doing our best to keep up with the work the Lord is giving us. We had the baptism of Prosper's mother this Sunday. It was a happy day!! She has come a long way!😁

Mosiah 5:11; Taking upon the name of Christ is a direct action that tells God you will devote your life to becoming more like him. If you take his name, and do not devote yourself, you have blotted his name out, and have taken it in vain.

-Elder Willden

05/27/24

One of our members named brother Aboagye, has been bringing on e of his friends to church named Akiyaa. We have been trying to meet with her, but she stays far, and is busy. We finally got to see the place they are staying this week. Sister Akiyaa told us she wants to be baptized, and agreed on a plan for her to progress towards baptism in June. We also met her there with her daughter, sister Joyce, who is about to finish high school. She told us she had come to the church before, and after we taught them, she told us she also wants to be baptized. She does boarding school se we are trying to see if we can get a baptism schedule for her that she can progress towards. She has the options to go to school this week, or wait until July. We invited her to pray over it. 

We had the confirmation of Joyce, Adwoa, Serwaa, Akua, Prince, and Prosper. Our bishop invited me to participate, and do a couple of the confirmations. It was my first time to do so, and it was a great experience I won't forget. I am so happy for this family. We will have the baptism of sister Gifty, Prosper's mother, this Saturday. We have eight more of our friends on baptismal date, and we are going to give our all this month to make sure that they will progress towards their dates. We cannot do it ourselves though. We are praying the Lord will help us, and use us as instruments in his hands. 

For about the past two months we have been visiting a lady around our investigator sister Deborah. She got very sick two months ago, and it took her a very long time to recover. We even gave her a Priesthood blessing when she first got the sicknesss. She was pregnant, and lost her baby. Most of the time, we just go and sit with her, and she can't move, get up, or talk. Her mother has just been there taking care of her. So when we go, we just sit with her. A few weeks ago, she started talking, and now she is moving around more, and doing better. This last week we came to sit with her. My companion talked a little bit about the Plan of Salvation with her, and then I introduced the Book of Mormon to her and invited her to ready 2 Nephi chapter 2. She was very happy to recieve what we had to say. It was meaningful for us too. I think our frequent visits, just to come and sit with her for a small amount of time really comforted her in a time of need. Often times we would come and sit next to her throughout her sickness, and she would just cry. She just needed support during this hard time. I will be really happy if she will progress, and I pray she will.

Yesterday in my free time, I reviewed the testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith found at the beginning of the Book of Mormon. My testimony of the Book of Mormon was reaffirmed. I know it is true, and I cannot deny it.

-Elder Willden

05/20/24

This week when we went to do the baptismal interviews for Prosper, Prince, Adwoa, Serwaa, and Akua, we had an amazing miracle. Sister Joyce asked us if she could be added to the baptism on Sunday. We were not expecting this. Last time we talked about baptism with her she told us to give her time because if she stops going to Presbyterian and joins us, she wanted to be sure she will stay. She always learned with us, so she had been taught everything and kept all the commitments. She is very old so almost everyday she is in the house. I always see her reading the Book of Mormon. I believe her personal study of the Book of Mormon led to her commitment. On top of that her daughter, sister Gifty, also told us she wants to be baptized and we gave her a date. Before when we tried to teach Gifty she would never pay attention, it was like pulling teeth. Because of her choosing to come to church one time, that changed. She is always so eager to learn.

Our baptism service went as planned yesterday. Our guy Prince struggle though. He had to overcome a huge fear of watwr. It took five tries for him to get fully immersed. Everytime my companion went to put him under he flung himself back up🚱. I was worried he would get put and say he is done. After we gave him a break and a lot of pep talk, he came back to the font and took it like a champ!! They will all be confirmed next Sunday. It was a happy day. We were able to find a lot of new friends to teach this week as well. Most of them are youth they have all said its okay with their parents for them to join the church. Our goal this week is to meet the families of those that came to church and also see if we can teach them. 

We went to Bobiri forest reserve for pday today. It was pretty cool. Reminded me of when I went to Hawaii. We played some frisbee, soccer, and ping pong at some random guest house in the forest😂. It was great! 

1 Peter 2:23 No matter how many times Christ was wronged, no matter how many times he was hurt, big or small, Christ always returned good for evil. He left judgment to the Father. 

-Elder Willden

05/13/24

Last Sunday I got pretty sick. I was throwing up all night, and had a fever. The throwing up stopped on Monday, bit the stomach bug was there until Friday lol. The miaaion nurse finally put me on an antibiotic and it solved the issue fast. Even though I was having stomach issues all week, we still managed to have a great week.🤑 I love this Ghana.😘🇬🇭

Five of our friends on baptismal date, Adwoa, Serwaa, Akua, Prosper, and Prince, all stay in the same compound. Prosper's mother, Sister Gifty, was taught by Elder Patterson and Elder Wakaya and didn't progress. As we've been teaching most of the people in that compound, sister Gifty has been joining us. Yesterday she finally came to church for the first time after a lot of invites, and she loved it. She was asking about attending the Temple which was cool! We hope she will continue to progress now. 

We have Prosper's Grandmother, sister Joyce, and his mother, sister Gifty, coming to church with their group now which is awesome. We are planning to extend baptismal dates to both of them this week. We also have a referal from our Sunday school president, sister Akiyaa, who has come to church three weeks in a row, and now has told us she wants to be baptized. We also plan to put her on date. It has been hard to meet with her, but we talked to her about it and told her if she wants to be baptized she needs to meet with us. She agreed to make time for us. Brother Abu is making progress with the word of wisdom, and his wife is really holding him accountable. Brother Joseph, who we have on baptismal date, is also making great progress on the word of wisdom. 

D&C 93: 13-14, 21; Christ was the first one to progress, grace by grace, and eventually come to the fulness of the Father, making him the Firstborn of the Father.

-Elder Willden

05/06/24

I don't even know what to title these emails anymore😂. This week was another great week, until the end. Last night I started feeling very weak and nauseas. I was up all night throwing up. Today I've stopped throwing up but my body is still muffed up. I think we I come home here in a couple of months it will be good to get thoroughly checked by a doctor, cause I have no idea whats in my system after being her for a long time...😂

We have our friend named Adwoa on baptismal date for May 19. She stays with her grandmother, Joyce, and we have also started teaching her. She came to church this Sunday, and after church we went to their house and taught them the plan of salvation. Sister Joyce had told us she really loves the church she goes to, which is Presbyterian. When we taught her the plan of salvation, she told us that shes been going to church her whole life, and has never been taught anything like this. She said she really enjoyed church as well. She also told us she wants to learn as much about the church as she can so she can decide if she wants to be a member. She told us that if she wants to be sure about joining the church, because she doesn't want to join, and then leave. We will continue teaching her, and prepare her for a baptismal invitation. 

This week was great. Deborahs husband, brother Abu, went for the list of things he needs to get for the bride price. We were also finally able to meet with brother Abu, which doesn't happen very often because of his work schedule, and also his drinking schedule. We taught him about baptism, and the word of wisdom. He wants to be baptized and can see that the church is making his family happier. He also accepted to keep the word of wisdom so that he can be baptized when the bride price is paid. A couple days later we went to the house in the early evening. Brother Abu was there. He told us how he has started coming home straight from work to be with his family, instead of going drinking with his friends. He said it has made him so happy, and made his family happier. He kept thanking us for teaching him. We have seven of our friends on baptismal date right now. Our memvers are doing great participating in the missionary work. They are preparing referrals for us. Not just giving us referrals which has been awesome.

2 Nephi 1:15; Daily repentance is how we can become encircled by his love.

-Elder Willden

A hot philly cheesesteak would be so good right now...😓 

04/29/24

This week was another great one. I had an exchange with Elder Hill🇺🇸. He's a homie. He is pretty new here on mission. He has a lot of great qualities that will bless the people her, and other missionaries as he serves. He was asking questions about planning with the Spirit according to the needs of the people, and executing those plans before the exchange, so me and Elder Munongo focused on showing this companionship how to do it.

Our friend, brother Joseph came to church one time after we had met him while visiting one of our recent converts a couple of weeks ago. He loved church and loved the teachings. He even asked our bishop how he can get baptized. We met him on Thursday. That morning we planned to teach him baptism, give him a baptism invitation, and if he said yes we planned to teach him the word of wisom because we could tell he has a drinking problem. He accepted the baptismal invitation, and accepted to keep the word of wisdom. He was so happy to be taught these truths he has never heard before. The next day I was able to take Elder Hill there on an exchange. We followed up on keeping the word of wisdom, taught him about repentance and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and put him on baptismal date for May 19. I am so happy for Joseph.

The work is moving here in Kwamo. Our members are doing an amazing job participating and helping in the missionary work. We had twelve people at church yesterday. Some of them are referrals, some are people we are already teaching, and some showed up on their own. Ten of them have good profiles and are eligible for baptism. This week we want to get a good idea of how their schedule is so we can know how long it will take them to progress towards baptism. We already have four of them on baptismal date (Emmanuella, Prosper, Adjua, and Joseph). We plan to put four more people on date this week. Emmanuella did not show up for her baptism this week, when she very well could have, she just didn't make it a priority. She ran into us Saturday night, and felt bad. She came to church the next day, met with bishop, and is pushing very hard to be baptized now. We can tell she truly desires it and she will be baptized this Sunday. Eugenia was baptized and confirmed this week. Her mother Deborah will follow when her bride price is paid. We are still working with her father, brother Abu.

Psalm 95:3; We are all potential gods. Christ is our King meaning he takes care of us, directs us, and leads us. We have our agency to follow him or not, however when we choose not to follow our King, the consequences will come. 

-Elder Willden

04/22/24

This week we had transfers. President once again told me that I was going to stay with my companion, then moved him.🤔😂 I am now with Elder Munongo. He is my first companion from the DRC. He is a homie and I can tell we are going to have a fun transfer together. Elder Wakaya will be missed. He is one of the good friends I have made on mission. 

On Sunday, me and Elder Munongo went to go teach our friends Prince, Prosper, and Adwoa. When we went to see them, we me sister Evelyn, Prince's mother, who is a member. She was there with two other ladies named Joyce and Gifty, who stay in the compound. We were able to teach Joyce and Gifty for the first time. We tauht about baptism and Jesus Christ's earthly ministry and atonement. Bothe of them said they desire to find the true church and go there. We have an appointment with them all tomorrow. 

Brother Godwin was baptized yesterday. It was a great service, and I can see how happy he is to have the gospel in his life, and how it has changed him. He is becoming a great man. Emmanuella had to travel because her son is sick but she will be back on Wednesday. We are having the baptism for her and Eugena this week. We also are planning to put our friends Prince, Prosper, and Adwoa on baptismal date for the month of May. They have been coming to church for awhile now, but to meet them and teach them has been difficult. They told us on Sunday they have desires to be baptized and they committed to meeting us three times a week to progress towards baptism. We have a good teaching pool right now, which is great. We should have another busy, and great week!

I love Elder Rasband's talk from general conference this month called "Words Matter". What proceeds out of your mouth is how you think, and how you feel. I feel this is extremely important to understand. If we start to say things to conform to environment, have a negative attitude, and do and say selfish things, that becomes who we are. If we are trying our best to love more and be happy, and spread joy, then we should always say loving, happy things, even when its hard to do so. Fake it til you make it. Then spreading love, joy, and happiness becomes who you are. You can only continue to change and improve with the help of the Lord through prayer and scripture study as well.

-Elder Willden

04/16/24

This is the first week of my 16th transfer. After this one only one to go!! The time has gone by fast. I'm started to feel it small, but I want to finish out strong. 

This week I went on exchange with Elder Taylor, who is Ghanian. He speaks twi which made it easy to find. We were doing home to home contacting and we were able to meet a woman named Efua. She only speaks twi so Elder Taylor came in clutch. She has not gone to church in over 5 months. We got to know her and set an appointment for the next day. When I went back with Elder Wakaya, she told us she hasn't been going because of collection. She had good questions, and loved learning about tithing. She also told us she wants to come to church this Sunday so we are looking forward to that. 

At church on Sunday we had three new people come to church. Brother Joseph, who is friends with a recent convert, brother Oppong, who's son is a member and also has extended family as members, and sister Teresa, who is Bishop Stephen's in-law. All of them were referals. They all loved how church went. In our ward Bishop Stephen teaches an investigators class. In that class he answered questions they had and taught them. It was amazing. They also asked about how they can be baptized in the church as well. Having a great Sunday really topped off a good week. This week we will have the baptism for sister Emmanuella, brother Godwin, and sister Eugena. Our youth continue to always come and proselyte with them. The work is sweet here in Kwamo!

We also have plenty of members who feed us during the week. The meals we get in Kumasi are always so freaking nice. It is not the bush anymore haha😂

I also had an exchange with my guy Elder Williams from Nigeria. We came to the mission together so it was good to spends a day proselyting with him. He's a homie.

1 Corinthians 15:4-6; I know that Christ lives because of the change, and the power which his atonement has brought into my life. I have felt his forgiveness. I have felt the strengthening power of his atonement. Because of it I have changed. I still have a long way to go, but I know that Christ lives and that he loves me. I am his child. I love him.  

04/08/24

This week on exchange with Elder Bailey, we met someone named Florence. Someome sent her to call us, and when she came we talked to her and asked her where her shop was. The person who calling us was definitely not prepared for our message, but Florence was. We went to her shop, and got to know her. The next day we had an exchange and I went there with Elder Patterson we sat and talked with her for awhile, and she opened up to us. We could tell she is definitely prepared for the message we have. We had one of our youth with us, Bernard, who is 16. While she was telling us about some of the things in her life, I wanted to say something. Bernard stopped me, and told me to let the Spirit teach her. It was a cool experience. 

This week was good! Emmanuella is prepared for baptism, so that will be this weekend. We also have Godwin and Eugena preparing for their baptism on the 21st. Everything is going smooth. Eugena's parents, Deborah and Abu, have agreed to get bride price paid and get married. As of now it is Deborah who is really pushing and wants to be baptized. Our bishop is helping them through all the details of getting married. We have an appointment to teach Abu tomorrow night which I am excited for. We also started teaching Florence, her sister Georgina, and her mother sister Yaa. 

Genesis 22:8 When Christ came to Earth he didn't fight against the people or the government. He allowed himself to be subject to them. Just as a lamb is subject to their shepard. This represents his condescension.

-Elder Willden

04/01/24

This week sister Deborah was able to talk to her husband about paying her bride price so that she can be baptized. She also talked to our bishop and they are working with him. We invited her to pray this week about Joseph Smith, and she recieved an answer through a dream. She is dedicated to following the truth. It's cool to witness her faith in following the gospel. This Sunday her and her husband, brother Abu, came to church with their children. Hopefully we will get time to teach the husband. He was definitely nervous being at church but our members made him feel welcome.

Deborah's daughter Eugena is on baptismal date now. We also have our friend Godwin on baptismal date. Both for the 21st of April. Godwin is progressing very well and we've built a good friendship with him. This last weekend Emmanuella had to travel to Obausi because her mother is sick, so we postponed her baptism to this week. We were still able to have the baptisma and confirmation for Nana Yaw this weekend. His father is a member, but his mother and sister aren't. His parents have also seperated. His mother and sister attended the baptism, and the entire family was able to have a meeting with the bishop for about 30 minutes. We are hoping to teaching the mother and sister now. 

We also had the opportunity to participate in a church interview with the church history department because they recently split the University stake in Kumasi into two. The Ejisu stake and University stake now. Look out for me on church news lol.😎

John 5:18-20; Jesus Christ's obedience in following the Father is what made him the chosen one. Obedience truly is the first law of Heaven. 

Mission is winding down. 21 down 3 to go. I sure do love this Ghana and the people here. I will miss them.❤️

-Elder Willden

03/26/24

This week was great! When we went to go and pick up one of our members to proselyte with us on Saturday, one of his friends was at his house. His name is Prince. He told us he wants to join us at church. He then came to church, and when we taught him after church he asked us when he could get baptized. He also took us to his house and we met his grandmother and his two sisters. We have an appointment with all of them on Wednesday.

Our members here in the Kwamo 1 ward are super involved and engaged in the work. I am amazed. Everyday we are able to take at least one of our youth proselyting with us. I can see that everyone is eager to fulfil their callings and the members have a lot of joy in happiness doing so. We have our friends Emmanuella and Nana Yaw who are going to be baptized this Saturday. This week we are also planning to put our friends Godwin, Eugena, and Prince on baptismal date.

The weather here in Kumasi is so nice. It's always cloudy and rainy. Definitely much better than Tamale. I miss my people there though.

Exodus 40:34; The glory of the Lord is hidden from those who do not seek it, and those who are not worthy of it. I also immediately thought of Ammon in the Book of Mormon when he gloried in the Lord. Sometimes the natural man wants to glory in himself. The truth is all the glory is in God, and we are nothing without Him.

-Elder Willden