Week 88

Things are great in the new area and I love Elder Davuke. We has a zone meeting this week and it went well. The zone is kind of small only like 20 but it was a good meeting. We had some good lessons this week especially when I went on exchanges with the Alajo elders. We used like a puzzle to teach about the apostasy and it went really well. We had a few investigators at church and that was great. We are also working with this family and hopefully we can help them progress the wife has so many questions but I really hope that we can help them. Thanks for the package I will definitely enjoy it. I really love our Bishop he speaks French so that is cool and his accent is great. We have a mission tour tomorrow which should be great. I am excited for that. Love you mom thanks 

                        

Dear Dad, 

It has been a good week. We had a nice zone meeting and we had some good exchanges and it was nice. It sounds like the trip was nice I remember the place where you took that picture. Seriously they are getting so old. Thanks dad. We have a mission Tour with Elder Dube tomorrow and it should be great. We are getting some new elders in the apartment this week so that is good and it is very clean for when they come. love you dad thanks for the example. 

Living the dream 

Elder Thornhill 

"last night in Odorkor"

"crazy fruit last night in Odorkor"

"baptism first Saturday in New town"

Week 87

Dear Mom, 

Yep still a zone leader. I love my companion he is sweet. We have like 18 elders and 4 sisters. I have never really served around sisters so that is a change. Our area is good. The apartment is really nice and we spent like 3 hours cleaning today. It looks so nice now. it was great to see all the elders and I have made some good friends here. I am also reading the Book of Mormon it has been so great I am in Mosiah as well. Our bishop is from the ivory coast but he is sweet, Super dedicated to missionary work so that is good. We are working with one man he has a chastity problem but we are trying to help him. We are also working with another man who knows Joseph Smith is a prophet but doesn't want to join the church. We are really going to try and teach the Great Apostasy really well and help him to see the need for him to be baptized again. We had a baptism on Saturday and it went well the lady has been coming to church for a long time. It has been good I will try and send some pictures next week love you 

Dad,

Newtown has probably the most concentrated Muslim population in all of Accra it is pretty crazy but it is great I love it here. Elder Davuke is good he is from Fiji and he was trained by Elder Bradley so that is pretty sweet. Thanks dad I am feeling good I know how to do everything no its just going out and accomplishing it. Love you dad

Week 86

We were able to meet with Elder Bednar and that was amazing. It is so amazing the strength of their testimonies. He shared some great experiences. I have also been reading the Book of Mormon and my knowledge is increasing and my testimony as well. That is the keystone of my testimony. Well I am being transferred surprise I dint think I was leaving. I am going to New Town it is actually pretty close to Alajo. I am excited but I really didn't think I was leaving. My companion is Elder Davuke from Fiji. He is sweet he was trained by Elder Bradley. No they are just dusty but I shine them every day so they will last me. I don't have much to say I'll have more next week we have MLC on Thursday. Love you

Dad, 

Ghana is treating me fine. We have a high school next to our house so we were able to play some basketball with some of the high school kids. They were actually pretty good. It was fun. we were able to see Elder Bednar and that was great and I saw Elder Nelson he is doing great. I am going to New town so that should be fun. Love you dad 

Elder Thornhill

"Elder Nelson and the missionary he is training."

"me and Elder Hansen and Elder Chatterly"

"An old district we were in minus one because he went home. "

Week 85

Mom, 

It was a good week,  we went on exchanges this week which was really good. We were able to do baptismal interviews a lot this week so that was also great. Nothing too exciting. He is coming on Thursday I am so excited to see Elder Nelson. We have transfers next week. The gospel is so true and for everyone I just wish people knew the same thing. Thanks mom I love you I hope you like the pictures 

Love Your Son

I have been there are few times it's a nice place but I never got to see the new chapel. I hear its really nice.They never whitewash areas here I don't know why maybe because there are always people the missionaries are teaching. That is sweet.Thanks dad I love you. Thanks for the example and I know you are doing great in the bishopric 

Love Your Son

Week 84

Dear mom, 

It was a good Sunday. We had two confirmations which was nice and a good Sunday meeting. We were able to do some contacting and we visited a less active member who I think was drunk so that wasn't very good. We have a man is our compound names Shaegoo. He is really rich and likes to drink and all of that stuff. I have been talking to him and we're pretty good friends. Missionaries have lived in his compound for like 7 years and he has never been to church so hopefully I'll be able to get him to go. We went on exchanges and that was cool. McCarthy was a sweet area and I went with Elder Forrest. He knows the Cowley's so that was cool. Elder Bednar is coming to the mission and I am so excited and it is combined with the other mission so I will get to see Elder Nelson and all those guys. I can't wait. We met a less active man and were able to give him a blessing because he is sick. It's always nice being able to give blessings. I always remember how dad gave blessings and  try to always be guided by the Spirit in what I say. Sorry the net is down so I don't have much time. Love you mom have a great week. 

Dad,

The mission is good. It's really hot here now but that's ok. The zone is still big but its good we went on exchanges so that was fun. My companion is doing well. Transfers are in like two weeks on the 4 I think. Thanks dad it was a good week had a baptism so that was great. We get to meet Elder Bednar and I am really excited for that. Thanks dad for the example. I love you. 

Week 83

Thanks mom your letters are always so inspirational. I just wrote President a long letter so I am all written out ha. I love the temple and hope I can make it a goal to visit often. We have been working with a less active family I sent you the picture and one of the daughters was able to come to church so that was nice. We also had a family come to church so that was great. Oh I gave a talk in sacrament. I thought it went ok. It was about home teaching and I made them laugh a few times ha. That is something that I am more used to being in front of the ward but it still is a little nervous when you are the planned speaker. Testimony meeting is the best because you just let the spirit direct your thoughts. I am reading the Book of Mormon and the conference talks which have been great. I am enjoying it a lot. I can't think of much else that happened. We had a few nice FMs this week. We went to McCarthy on exchanges and I was able to do an interview for them  so that was great. I heard that a man that me and Elder Scanlan contacted is doing well and comes to church every week and is a strong member so that was good to here. He is someone I will never forget. Henry Vanderpool is his name and he has to be at least 400 pounds. He is a sweet man and he always seemed good which was nice. Well mom I love you and I am grateful for the example you are in truly living the gospel everyday and finding ways to improve, I love that about you love you mom have a great week.

Dear dad, 

That is sweet Burkina foso is just above Ghana I believe it is kind of a Islam dominated country. That is great about the temple I think they will both really enjoy it and it will help them understand more about the church. I just found out Elder Bednar is coming to the mission and we will be able to meet him so that should be great. I am excited and happy to be where I am and hope I can help the Lords work to progress. Thanks for writing every week dad it means a lot and also the Dear Elders thanks so much I love you dad. 

Week 82

In Ghana for NYE, there's just a lot of drinking fireworks and burning tires ha so pretty standard. We had some sparkling juice which had corks so we were able to pop those open which were fun. No I didn't stay up that is too late for me. We found this less active family that lives in a place called Manhean. It is so far away and we have this sweet member that stays there. His name is Emmanuel and he has very humble circumstances. He I still trying to get an education and his English isn't the best but he is so ready to do missionary work. I asked him to go and visit a less active family and he was so happy and he even wanted a message to share with them. So we met this family and the father is very sick. He has an ulcer and he can't even walk any more. it was so sad but I still had some of those pictures of Christ so I told him to pick one and he picked the one of Christ raising Jarius' daughter from the dead. It was so sweet but it was definitely another slap in the face moments that I have had here just realizing how blessed I am and how I need to help everyone to know about Christ and His redemptive power. As for goals I haven't really thought of too many but I have been writing down things for home so. Well we have a nice family home evening planned so it should be great. love you mom

Dad,

The weeks do fly by pretty fast. Sometimes days feel like weeks and then weeks feel like days. Good to hear the Aggies are doing well. We had MLC which was great and we talked about a lot of great things. I love President Hill he is so great. well dad I love you