Buduburam #22

Dear Friends and Family February 1, 2010

Remember how the Celestial Kingdom has 3 degrees? Well, I just moved up. They built a Shoprite in our Zone, aka Obrunyfoodmart. Unfortunately, we weren't able to go today because the tolls went from 4 peswas (cents, basically) to 1 cedi (dollars). Also, the Tro-Tro union is on strike. I hate unions, to be honest.


On that note, more frustration with callings and ward organization. The bishop has the same 5 people do everything, so no one is learning or growing with callings. The young womens' president is also teaching Sunday School, as is her second counselor. So are the missionaries. We don't have a Sunday School president that I can notice. Frankly, in the States, we don't realize how blessed we are with respect to the Church. To watch an inspired institution struggle so makes me so angry. God laid out the scheme SO PLAINLY. JUST DO YOUR JOBS!!!! And while I can identify where every single problem in the ward is, I can do nothing about it, because I have no priesthood keys. Frustration.


Elder B. and I have continued to ramp up our efforts to bring Buduburam back to it's former glory. This area holds the single-transfer record of 21 baptisms, but it's been continually falling for the last 6 transfers. The missionary before me set a goal of 8, then 6, then 5, then 5. Steady decrease means poor planning and execution. We've ramped back up to 6, with a goal of being back up to 8 next transfer. We've been studying, recording, applying, and evaluating like mad-men. On Saturday, we had the first real day where we went home completely exhausted (plus, I got the flu from Elder B. a few days before...) and feeling completely vindicated. We did EVERYTHING we could. We thought we nailed it... until Church. Only 12 on the 17 we were hoping on showed up. It is a 33% increase, but Elder B. and I were devastated. Hopefully we'll find out tonight or tomorrow about transfers, but I'd rather have Elder B. stay then get a 5th companion. I'd rather leave Buduburum then either, but still...


Other then that, there really isn't any news... I feel bad about this, now. I know I'm normally able to give a huge, detailed re....
OH WAIT!!! I JUST REMEMBERED.
We're going to be visited by a General Authority in a few weeks...

...

...

Elder Holland, of the Quorum of the Twelve!!!

Life rocks.

President came on a surprise inspection on Thursday and told us all about it. He also gave us instruction. It was really encouraging. He said "Your district is set to average 6 baptisms per companionship per transfer... If every district in the mission would do that, we'd have around 400 baptisms per transfer." I'd also point out, every missionary would go home with 102 baptisms if we could get up to 6 per companionship per transfer.

I received Oma's letter. I love hearing from the extended family! (HINT HINT)

One of my MTC mates went home with a mystery disease. I'm guessing based on the symptoms, menengitis. Scary. We all miss Elder Toldstrup. He was the man :/

We had to come in early yesterday because the African Cup of Nations game was at 4 o'clock, Ghana vs. Egypt. President thought there might be a riot, so all missionaries were told "If I call and you are not in your apartment by 4, you are going home." It didn't seem like anything happened, but we follow our priesthood leaders. It was strange. Everyone in our neighborhood is Muslim, so they wanted Ghana to lose to Egypt. It drove Elder Bo. nuts.

Oh, and I hit my 6-month mark yesterday. Crazy, I know!

Love you all, and from the looks of it, I'll be home soon!

Love,
Elder W. Farnbach