Greetings from Ghana!

Hey Everyone!

How are you? Ghana is sweet!  Same old, same old.  Get up at 6:30, eat, study, go out at 10, have lunch, have dinner, and return to the apartment by 9, but it is fun!

Elder Ralph and I went on an exchange on Thursday and it was pretty successful to say the least.  Elder Ralph is the Zone Leader who lives in our apartment.  He is from Florida and a convert.  He is 21 and super smart.  I will take a picture of some doctrine we are working on.  It is pretty sweet. If this computer was nicer I would show you the picture.  Next week.

So I ran into an Elder from St. George.  He is brand new in Ghana.  His name is Elder Taylor.  He went to Pine View, but hey it was cool to see a southern Utah boy.  He is in the other mission.  I don't know if that was a one time thing or if I might see him again.  He was at our chapel.  Long story.

So Tanta Hills is sweet.  The Stake President lives in our ward, but we don't really talk to him.  Elder Ralph does so that it good.  He comes to our ward almost every week and always gives a talk at the end if he is there.  If he isn't there then the Bishop gives a talk at the end of the meeting.  Yesterday the Stake President was there and he went into deep doctrine on them and told the members to get to work . . . as in Temple work.

We had a baptism on Saturday.  He showed up late to church so now we have to wait until next week to confirm him a member.  Gah!!!! It rained, so that is why.  When it rains, nobody is out.  We got on an empty TroTro, which is extremely weird.  TroTro is Twi means CoinsCoins . . . makes sense.

Membership yesterday was 124 out of 300+ members.  Lets just say we were all a little upset about that.  They also think that if you miss a week you are less active.  So far the less active names we've been getting are people who miss maybe once or twice in a month and are tagged less active.  Gah!

So that's about all for this week.  I will talk to ya'll next week.

Love,

Elder Ty M. Bowden

Tantra Hills Elders

Elder Essien and Elder Bowden

Cereal With Powder Milk

Apartment

Ghana Time

     OK.  So I would like to start this weeks letter with a funny story.  This is the story of how I found my Grandpa Bowden in Ghana.  So Elder Ralph has an Ensign from 1998 and well I read some of the talks and then I'm like, wait a second . . . turn to front cover, first session music by Mormon Youth Chorus!  I flipped.

  

   So with that funny background, even better news.  I have bought a new camera!  YAY!  I will send pictures soon.  It's an ok camera, not the best.  Since I went to Melcom to buy a camera, I also bought maple syrup and cinnamon.  Breakfast just got better!!

     Also, we had a baptism last week!  YAY! Hopefully we have another this Saturday.  I pray that we do.  Also we had to move some of our peoples dates back because of readiness  It's ok because we found out on Friday we have been calling on of our investigators by the wrong name for almost 2 months now (so it's not my fault!), but it's ok because he doesn't even realize it. Hopefully he will be part of our August goal.

     President Hill is amazing.  Another awesome thing that happened this week is that we got microwaves!  Yes, microwaves!!!  President Hill bough each apartment a microwave!!! Just one thing . . .  what am I going to use if for?  So far the only thing we use ir for is to heat up bread, which is way better than cold bread. So . . . send me popcorn. 

   I used my card reader to download some conference talks.  I have four of Elder Rasband's talks.  They are sweet, especially the priesthood one he gave.  I am downloading Elder Holland right now.  GO HOLLAND!!

     Sorry if this isn't long enough.  I want to try to email some family today.

LOVE YOU ALL!!!

LOVE,

ELDER TY M. BOWDEN

Greetings From Ghana!

Another week gone. Seriously though. Where do the weeks go by? At first it seems to go so long but by Saturday you're like what the heck it's Saturday already?!? WOW. So, A little update on the Tantra Hills Apartment. The Elder whose camera was stolen has been transferred to a different apartment for one reason or another and a new Elder has arrived. Me and Elder Anderson have known that he has wanted to be transferred since he arrived. But last transfer we all stayed. So we thought we had another 6 weeks at least together. Guess not. Yesterday he comes in and says he's being transferred. CRAZY. Me and Elder Anderson were shocked to say the least. The APs arrived as me and Elder Anderson were leaving to go eat Fufu so we didn't really get to say goodbye, but he is still our Zone Leader so we will see him more for sure. 

     But hey, we had Fufu last night. We ate an entire ball (which is about the size of a softball when flattened out). The two of us ate two balls. We thought we were done but they then threw on another ball for us to eat. After eating it we thought we were done for sure then. NOPE. ONE MORE STINKING BALL later and then we were finished. SO MUCH FUFU!  FUFU is the best. The best part was this is the second time this week that I have had FUFU! It is nice. I am pushing for more and more FUFU. The members really love feeding the missionaries so when they ask...I say FUFU!!! 

     OK so anywho... ya thats this week. Crazy I know. So I WOULD send pictures home but...how do I send pictures when I don't have a camera...If anyone can answer me this one I will be impressed. Can't really go to a Walmart and buy one, although there is a Melcom (owned by Walmart) in our District so I will ask the District Leader if we can go one day. Hopefully we can.

OK I have got to go. 

I love all of you and hope you enjoy your week. CYA NEXT WEEK.

LOVE,

ELDER BOWDEN

ELDER BOWDEN IN THE FLESH!!!

THIS IS ELDER BOWDEN FROM GHANA!
                           BYE!!! :P
THISISTHEWIERDESTMESSAGEYOUWILLGET!!!
                          I HOPE...
                           GOODBYE...
                                          BYU!!!
 BYE!!!
                        DENVER BRONCOS!!!
                                                               GHANA BLACK STARS!!!!
I AM GOING CRAZY HERE!!!
                                  I LOVE FUFU!!!

LOVE YAL!!!

ELDER TY M. BOWDEN :)

4th of July

Hello everyone . . . your favorite missionary is here!

So . . . how did this week go? Well, we didn't get robbed!

Anyway, as you all know, the mission split.  YAY!  We all got to meet President and Sister Hill.  They are awesome!  President Hill is an amazing man.  We all got to meet him on Friday and he has some major plans for the new mission, especially when it comes to reactivating (didn't I mention something about that last week?).  When he met with us he asked us to write something we wanted to continue from the old mission and something we wanted to start that wasn't in the old mission.  Not surprisingly almost everyone put the same thing . . . continue P-day rules and start was higher sub.

As you all know, this week was the 4th of July.  Well, how do Ghanians celebrate it?  They don't!! How do Americans in Ghana celebrate it.  We go eat American food!  Elder Anderson and I went to an American restaurant and ate pizza and cheeseburgers (that's right, cheeseburgers) and fries.  Boy it was super good.  I would have sent pictures, but as you heard last week, I am one camera short.  It is hard to find cameras here, but I know a place and I just have to go there hopefully next P-day.

The coolest thing happened after that.  As we are walking and talking we pass this old abandoned building and this guy who is standing next to the building calls us over.  He said that he had just finished praying to know the truth.  When he finished something inside of him (the Holy Ghost) told him to call us over.  SWEET!!! We spent a good amount of time with him and invited him to come to church.  So this week we are going to visit him plenty.

Now . . .  this is important.  I have a new address.  Anything you send must be sent to the THIS ADDRESS or I will not get it.

Elder Ty M. Bowden
Ghana Accra West Mission
PO Box 12741 Accra North
Accra
Ghana

Well that is it for this week.  Remember to send letters to the address above.  Thanks again for your letters, prayers, and love.  Can't wait to hear from you all next week.

Love,
Elder Bowden

Robbed!!

 Ok, so yes I have been transferred to Tantra Hills (new mission). It's a brand new apartment. But our second night in the apartment we had a problem and I really don't know how to say this, but I will just say it. WE GOT ROBBED in the middle of the night. My camera is gone, along with 2 of my 16gb sd cards. Elder Onyo's camera got stolen 1.5 years of photos gone for him. Elder Ralph lost 18 cedis and Elder Anderson (my companion) lost nothing. The thief cut open our screens and what WE didn't realize is that our windows did not have trap bars on them. (They now, of course do...Day late and 2 cameras short). So the thief cut open the screens and just took what he could reach. We didn't even realize it until Elder Onyo started looking for his camera. Thankfully my cards and other really important stuff did not get taken. I just feel bad because now you guys don't get to see what Ghana is like.But nevertheless, what's done is done. There is nothing I can do. I will try to find a cheap camera here to buy and get to work taking new photos for you. 

     So as I have already said I am in Tantra Hills. The name implies what it is like. Hills. Lots of hills. On a bike that is not designed for off roading (which should be illegal), but nevertheless it's sweet here. A lot more populated than Kpone. Tantra Hills is in Accra. There is just one problem (besides the thief), The Tesano District I am in, includes the APs, Office Elders (One is District Leader), the Zone Leaders (living with us!), and then us...Power District, in which me and my companion have no power. LOL. OK!! No big deal. Just funny.  Just Elder Anderson feels a little intimidated by them and fears that if he doesn't work hard he will be put back as a junior companion. This is his 2nd transfer as Senior Companion. So he is really trying to work himself to the ground, but that includes running me down with him. No worries. I want to work hard too but not to the point that I am dead. 

     Ok so, now, the Tantra Hills ward. What is it like? It is in a church building!!  A nice one. It runs just like a normal church back home. Half the members are there on time and the rest show up 15 minutes late. THE CHURCH IS TRUE EVEN IN GHANA!!! The membership is around 300+ which is sweet. Sadly only 120 are active. SO we are going to focus on the less actives. Pray we find them. 

     SO that was my week. Fun enough. Right?   Pray this week gets better.

Love you all.

Cya next week.

Love

Elder Ty M. Bowden.