June 27, 2016

Hey everyone!!

How are you all doing? I hope that your week was wonderful and that you enjoyed it. My week was really good. I finished my first week in Suhum! It is a really, really nice place. I am so happy to be in such an amazing area. I hope I stay here for a while. I was also made senior companion, so that is pretty neat and humbling. My new companion is Elder Kallon, and he is from Sierra Leone. He just finished training and is a really great guy. I know our companionship will be good. I am the only white guy (bruni) in Suhum, so that is awesome! 

On the way to Suhum I had the chance to stop at the mission home and briefly visit with Pres. and Sis. Heid. I also got to see some friends I have made in the mission, it was a nice transfer. It took me about 3 hours to get to Suhum from the mission home. I was really happy when I got to Suhum to see that my apartment is nicer than the one I just left. We have 4 missionaries in the apartment just like before, and each companionship works their half of the town. The four of us are the only missionaries in Suhum. The roads here are all paved, and it is cooler than down in Ashaley, so that is nice. Suhum is small enough that we come into Koforidua to email every week. Its about 30 minutes by tro-tro or cab from Suhum to Kof town, so not too bad. We have a district meeting tomorrow, so we will make the trip again tomorrow.

The work is really good up here. Suhum is a little better off than Ashaley Botwe, and the people seem very open to the Gospel. We already have a good teaching pool, and we should have some baptisms this month, so that is exciting! Not much else happened this week except getting used to Suhum. The branch is awesome and we are getting a brand new building for us, also very exciting! I hope that you all have a good week. The Gospel is true. Love you all!

Love,

--

Elder Travis J. Roberts

Ghana Accra Mission

June 20, 2016

Hey everyone!!

How are you all doing? I am doing very well. We had a really awesome week this week. Our numbers were super high and, WE HAD A BAPTISM!! It was so amazing!! It truly is the best feeling on your mission. To baptize someone who wants to enter the Kingdom of God is amazing! Sister Mercy truly is an amazing person. Her story is awesome. About a month ago she just showed up to church. We were really surprised, but we were so happy. Then we find out that she talked to her brother-in-law, who is a member. He said that this is the only church you can find salvation in. (She had asked him where she could find salvation; she used to go to Church of Christ.) So she came to our ward! Then we began teaching her. She was the easiest person I have ever taught. Sometimes we wouldn't even have to explain things to her because she already knew them. She truly is amazing! I am so happy that she is my first actual baptism on my mission and in Ashaley Botwe. Unfortunately, she will be the only one in Botwe. Yep that means only one thing, I am getting transferred! I am super excited about the change but sad that I have to leave a fast growing area. Elder Allen and I have been working our tails off these last few months to make this area fruitful and it finally is becoming fruitful! I will miss it for sure. My new area is Suhum in Koforidua. It is in the bush (out of the city) so I am ridiculously excited for that! Koforidua is about 35 miles north of Accra. It is in the hills and it is cooler and greener there. I will be the senior companion to an elder from Africa. I can't wait for this new challenge. I leave tomorrow to go to my new area, so it will be awesome. I hope that you all have a great week and I will talk to you next week! See ya! 

Love,

-- 

Elder Travis J. Roberts

Ghana Accra Mission

This is from the baptism on Saturday

June 13, 2016

Hey everyone!

I hope that you are all doing well!! Our week was pretty good! It has been insane here lately. It rained for 5 days here and they were all really really heavy rains. It has been awesome! We had an amazing time this week with Sister Mercy. She really knows the Gospel and will hopefully be baptized on Saturday. She really is amazing. Our other investigators are doing good as well. 

There is something that has been on my mind this week. It is about home teaching. I have noticed in my time in Africa that Home and Visiting teaching are somewhat neglected. Then I started to think about it. That is one of the things that is really important in the work and it is neglected all over the world. The reason that it is important is because it helps to strengthen members and make sure they are doing well. It also really helps the missionaries. My charge to you is to ask yourself if you are doing these things. If you are great, keep it up! If you aren't, start now! It truly is an important thing, the Lord has commanded it of us! 

On a lighter note, 7 MONTHS BABY!!!!!!!!!! It is insane to think that I have been out that long. It really really doesn't feel like that. Only 17 to go! I love you all so much and hope that you have a great week.

Love,

--

Elder Travis J. Roberts

Ghana Accra Mission

June 6, 2016

Hey everyone!!

I hope that you all had a good week. Our week was pretty good. We worked hard and saw some nice results from our efforts. Everything is still going great with Sister Mercy. She is still right on track to be baptized. In fact we are even moving her baptismal date to next week, so we are really excited! She really is amazing. You can really see that she has a testimony of the gospel.

For p-day we are going to Madina to look around and maybe do some shopping. Madina is one of the nicer areas in Accra. I also got another package from home. It was great, my favorite things were the beef jerkey and two more WHITE shirts. Its always great to get a few things from back in the US.

I know that the church is true, and that it is the only true church of God. We are so blessed to be in it. I love all of you. Have a good week!

Love,

-- 

Elder Travis J. Roberts

Ghana Accra Mission

Note from TJ's mom and dad:  We got one of the memory cards from TJ's camera and have put some pictures on his previous posts. 

May 30, 2016

I hope that you all had a good week. Ours was pretty good. It was a mild week, but good. We do have a really awesome investigator though, her name is Mercy. She is definitely going to get baptized. We were able to set a tentative baptismal date for her at the end of June! We also are finding a bunch of people because of her. She is the miracle that we have been looking for. I know for sure that the people that the Lord wants will find the church. 

It definitely is still hot though. We get rain sometimes but that just makes it muggy and really hot. I am doing good though. I hope that you all have a good week. We also had a multi-zone activity today that was really fun! Pres. and Sis. Heid brought sub sandwiches and Oreo cookies for everybody and we played soccer and basketball.  

These are 2 of my TC's (traveling companions), Elder Shumway and Elder Crosby. That is Elder Smith in the back, he is in my apartment.

--

Elder Travis J. Roberts

Ghana Accra Mission